aprilthebookqueen's reviews
132 reviews

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I don’t even know how to put this into words. 
I feel like something is missing now that I have finished this series. 

Aelin is probably one of my favourite main characters of all time. Manon is also up there. 
The character growth both of them went through and so many other characters was amazing. I’ve also loved seeing the relationships develop between different characters. I also love how this book shows friendships between women. And also a woman and a man having a good friendship too. I’m a huge fan of found family and I see that in this series a lot. 

There were so many feelings during this book. Anger for the characters. Heartbreak. I laughed at several points. (Fenrys Moonbeam?). This was a whole rollercoaster and I just wanted to stay on the ride. 

The conclusion was satisfying, and I feel such a sadness that it’s over. 

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I really loved this book. It felt like a great end to the series. This book definitely moved at a faster pace than the last one, which was really nice. 

The character development and changes we got to see them go through as the series progressed was amazing. The character growth was a big part of things for me. I also have to say I loved Spook in this book and watching him change and grow into himself!

I did get a little tired of Vin's inner monologue about dresses and her feelings about them and her wearing them in the last two books, but it feels like she figured herself out. 

It's very rare I actually feel like a book series has books that are all really amazing books, but this trilogy did it for me. While I didn't like the ending, it was just because of my emotions at it. The actual ending is really well done and ties everything together nicely. 

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down despite slower pacing than I usually enjoy. It was slower paced to me than the first but still so enjoyable. 

The characters were wonderfully done with so much depth. I really ended up rooting for them a lot. 

The world building was so interesting and well done. I really enjoyed learning more about it and trying to put it all together. There were also a couple plot twists I didn’t see coming, which made it all the more intriguing. My jaw dropped at points. 

I can really see why people rave about this series. I’m picking up the next one. 

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I enjoy this series. It is kind of a cozy read to me. And while the plot is still interesting, it feels less serious than a lot of the other books I read and that's a welcome break at times. 

I did not like this as much as the first book, but I still had a great time reading it. I loved seeing the character development, especially for Becky and I enjoy the Villain and Evie so much both their interactions together and them as their own characters. 

Overall, an adorable and fun read!

Fourth Wing (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I already loved this book, but this graphic audio gave it a totally different feeling and made it even better. 

Tale of the Heart Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.25

Firstly, the cover is gorgeous. I am in love with it. 

This was a good ending to the series! It didn't quite live up to the expectations I had in my head, but it was still a satisfying ending. It just felt like it could been more. It, in a lot ways, felt anti-climatic. The pacing of this book also felt slower than the other ones, but I was still invested and wanted to see it through to the end. 

I was really content with the relationships. I loved seeing less drama in them, and getting to see the love between Lor and Nadir.

It was nice to see the strength of their relationship instead of all the back and forth. There was so much trust and love, and it was refreshing.

I am going to miss the characters, the main ones and the side ones. It was so nice getting to see the characters grow, change and accomplish so many things. 

I loved this series, and had a great time reading it. 

Fate of the Sun King by Nisha J. Tuli

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I've been flying through these books because I am so invested in them. While Lor really annoyed me in the last book, I like her character growth and I think she's improved a lot and is becoming one of my favourite characters. 

The chemistry between her and Nadir is off the charts.  I mean, this line alone “The blood of your enemies, Lor. Ask me, and I’ll slay anyone for you. Burn the world to ash if you desire.” I love them together so much and the cliff hanger ending makes me really wonder what the future holds for them. 

The writing style itself is beautifully done and easy to follow.

There are some amazing quotes like this one
“He makes me feel things I never expected to feel. Safe. Wanted. Beautiful. Like my flaws aren’t a series of mistakes but rather the essential pieces that make me who I am.” <-- I really loved this quote because it's how my husband makes me feel and I think it's something that we all deserve. Someone who loves us, with our flaws. 

Overall a great read. I had plans to read a different book today but I'm getting right into the last book in this series. 

A Whispered Oath: A Dark Fantasy Romance Novella by Madeline R. Behr

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

This was a fun and quick read! Thank you for the ARC copy! 

I was amazed at how invested I was in the world, characters and plot in book shorter than I am used to. It was fast-paced and easy to read, and I read through it in one sitting. The descriptions are well-done, and not overly complicated and really gave me a feel for the world this book takes place in.

I would have liked to see the relationship between our two main characters develop a bit more. It felt so sudden, but I think that's fair considering how the length of this novella. 

I had fun reading this! Thank you!

Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The plot itself was interesting and kept me wanting to read more. 

It's the character that's getting me to drop stars here. 

We are in book 18, and she is still making the same mistakes. While I get some conflict makes for good stories, it's the way the character handles her personal life that makes it so frustrating. 

Her main reasoning for being unsure about Ryan is that she doesn't need anyone to save her, and she needs to stand on her own. "I need to know I can rely on myself". She hates that he comes in to rescue her. And the truth is she can't rely on herself. She makes the same mistakes over and over and nearly dies. Every single book, she's needed him or another cop to rescue her while she's in peril and she would have likely died if they hadn't. 

If she doesn't want rescuing, then maybe the problem is her rushing into things instead of thinking them through. 

I do understand why there is peril at the end of each book, even if it involves her making the same stupid decisions to get there and not learning from her mistakes, but her being frustrated at her love interest because he "rescues" her is frustrating.

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I had a lot of fun reading this one! 

I did see the twist coming at the ending (well, one of them anyway), and it was still such a fun journey to get there. 

The characters were so interesting and I really enjoyed the chemistry between the main and the love interest. A couple of the trials really gave me Saw vibes which was fun in a different way. 

I had fun with the plot. It was simple to follow, but it was engaging and addictive. I also found the writing simplistic (in a good way) and beautiful at times. 

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but I had a great time with it!