April Wrap Up & May TBR (2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

Apologies about the extended period of silence on here, after that mid-month post I was busy packing and planning, then off on holiday. 

But I have a number of posts lined up in the upcoming weeks. 

Thanks for your patience. 

And with that, on to my April Wrap Up & May TBR! 

I hope you enjoy it. 

~April Wrap Up~

1. Dark Blue Rising (The Circle Trilogy #1), by Teri Terry 

I've read this a couple of times, and this time around it was or a refresher, so I was in the right frame of mind, going into the second and third book in the series. In the past I've always loved this one, wasn't so keen on the second. Nothing changed with this one, finished it in 5 days or so. This will always feel like the sort of Teri Terry book that made me fall in love with her writing. 

2. Red Sky Burning (The Circle Trilogy #2), by Teri Terry 

When going back to books I haven't previously loved (like for when I'm rereading to finish the series- like now, basically) in the past, I've (most of the time) found that I've actually enjoyed them a heck of a lot more the second time around, which was 100% the situation with this one. 

Basically, re-reading the first book and then this one was because I remembered very little about Red Sky Burning, so it was almost like reading it with fresh eyes, but remembering that the stakes were higher, and other characters got a lot more important, which was the best way to get into this. Red Sky Burning goes a lot further than Tabby finding out something terrible about The Circle and fleeing swim school. It goes from that to nearly total earthly destruction, due to the Government ignoring environmentalist warnings. Total worldly destruction, if I'm honest. I won't spoil anything more than that, but on the scale of largness, book 1 doesn't even rate a 2, compared to this. 

3. Black Night Falling (The Circle Trilogy #3), by Teri Terry 

And then I finished book 3. Really, really enjoyed it, and although it didn't have the big lead up I was expecting it to have, there was a complete and utter change in direction, which I loved, and I was satisfied with the ending too. Solid four star for the conclusion. If you're after a sort of science-fiction trilogy about the environment, then this is the one for you. 

~May TBR~ 

1. Take A Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2), by Talia Hibbert 

2. Act Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters #3), by Talia Hibbert 

I'm not including Get A Life, Chloe Brown because I've actually already finished that. 

I'm currently about 130 pages into Take A Hint, Dani Brown and of course, thoroughly enjoying it. 

I'm so happy I'm finally getting to these books! I'm far enough into Dani's book that I can see that they're completely different in terms of character and story, but I love them both equally. 

Also can't wait to see what's to come in the rest of Danika and Eve's books! 

3. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell 

Fangirl. One of my favourite standalones of all time. Probably the first book on my list of books I want to re-read this year, Give me a weekend with nothing else to do, and I'll finish it. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll get that, but I know I'm probably gonna fly through it anyway. Fangirl follows Cath, on her first year at university, and when her sister Wren wants more independance, Cath has to learn how to navigate the world on her own. Cath was one of the first characters I related to growing up, and although that's a big part of why I keep coming back to this book, it's not the only reason. Can't wait to start this re-read.  

4. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton

Okay. Even though it was a bit of a long drag trying to finish this the first time around, I am determined to give this another go. Basically, you're reading from the POV of several different characters that are residing in the house the day of Evelyn's death. You have to figure out who killed her, while embodying the POV you're in. I'm aware that doesn't make sense, but you'll get it if you read the book. You're in the body of I think, 7 characters, and if the person hasn't figured it out by the end of the week, you start over again, with none of the knowledge you have from the previous week. Very mysterious, very gripping, I've never read another book like this and I'm eager to pick this up again. 

5. Hell Breaks Loose (Skulduggery Pleasant #0.5), by Derek Landy 

Yes! Finally, a SP prequel! This takes place 300 years before SP and Valkyrie meet for the first time, when Skulduggery is a new skeleton, all the Dead Men are around, on a mission, and Nefarian Serpine is there too! 

To be honest, I completely forgot about this until I walked into Waterstones and saw it on the shelves a couple weeks ago. But of course, as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it (especially as it's signed). 

Not going to lie, just a tiny bit nervous that I'm not going to enjoy it as much as the original series, but nevertheless, I'm gonna read it anyway. (The printing is huge too.) 

Okay! Those are the books I read last month, and the books I plan to pick up this month! 

As always, comment down below what it is that you guys are planning on picking up this month! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxxx