April in Review

Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali — 4 stars
Last Girl Lied to by L.E. Flynn — 4 stars
Wires and Nerve: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer — 4 stars
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff — 5 stars
Black Moon by Romina Russell — 4.5 stars
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins — 5 stars

I read S.K. Ali’s debut novel as part of a research paper I was writing while I was in school and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to read Love From A to Z! This is one release you do not want to miss out on. While it’s full of a lot of pain and anger (rightfully so), there is also so much love and joy in it. I loved reading about Zayneb and Adam’s journey! The pacing is on the slower side, so it took me a bit to finish it, but that just meant I got to spend more time with these wonderful characters. Check out my aesthetic of the book here!

Last Girl Lied To is a fast-paced, psychological thriller perfect for fans of Kara Thomas’ The Cheerleaders! The chapters are very short (only a couple pages each) and bounce between the past and present. I devoured this book as it was exactly what I needed to get out of a reading rut. I loved watching the different threads unfold of Trixie’s disappearance and seeing how everything would turn out in the end.

Gone Rogue is the conclusion to the Wires and Nerve graphic novel duology. I read volume one when it released a few years ago, so there’s been a lot of time in between. There is a little recap at the beginning which helped me remember what happened. Overall, I *think* I enjoyed volume two more than volume one. I’m pretty sure there’s less action, but all of our main characters are reunited which I loved. This is definitely a must read for fans of the original series who want to know what happens next!

I read and loved the Illuminae Files, but I was a little worried Aurora Rising would not live up to the that series. However, I had nothing to worry about because Aurora Rising freaking blew me away. Aurora Rising is told through seven POVs and switches between them fairly quickly, which helped me speed read through this book in  just a couple of days. I absolutely loved everything about Aurora Rising—the crew, the plot, the setting. I did not want to put this book down, so much so that I even wanted to call in sick so I could keep reading (I didn’t but I was very tempted). It kept me on the edge of my seat and the wait for the sequel is going to be a hard one. Read my full review here!

After finishing Aurora Rising, I knew I needed to read another sci-fi novel so I went straight to Black Moon, which I had started a couple years ago but had to put down for school. I really enjoyed reading Black Moon and being back in Rho’s world. This is my favorite of the series so far and I think I would have even loved it more if I had read it right after finishing Wandering Star (although I did read some recaps to remind me what all went down). I loved exploring new planets and that our bad guy has finally been revealed. My only complaint is that I wish there was more scenes with Hysan (he appears kind of late in the book), but that’s because he’s my favorite. I’m excited to read the conclusion!

I read Her Royal Highness at the end of April, and I absolutely adored it! I’m a sucker for a boarding school setting and anything royal so this was the perfect read for me. It’s the companion novel to Rachel Hawkins’ Prince Charming (see my aesthetic here) and loved it even more than I did that one! I really loved watching Millie and Flora’s relationship grow from roommates who hate each other to friends to something more. Annnnnnd I’m definitely all here for anymore stories Rachel has set in this world—I really hope we get Sebastian’s story next or a follow-up to Daisy and Miles or even Ellie and Alex as their wedding approaches! Just give me all the royal romances! See my Her Royal Highness aesthetic here!

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  • You had a good reading month!! My fave part of LAST GIRL LIED TO was the short chapters! I love when books are written like that. I need to get that 2nd Wires and Nerves book. The first book looks so lonely on my shelf without it!! I love that you wanted to call in sick bc you didn’t want to stop reading AURORA RISING. It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book that made me feel that way!!

  • I am a fan of Ali. Both her books were wonderful! I was able to get the audiobook for Her Royal Highness from the library and will be starting it probably tomorrow. I first book was a hit for me, so I feel good about it, and 5-stars from you reinforces my belief. I have 10 week wait for the Aurora Rising audiobook, but I am determined to listen to a Kaufman/Kristoff audiobook. I have heard they are amazing.

    • Yes, the Illuminae audiobooks are amazing! I saw that there are a lot of the same narrators for the Aurora Rising audiobook too. I plan to listen that close to the sequel when I’m in need of a reread!

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