Hoohoo, friends of the Blade!
Welcome to a slightly late April 2024 Wrap Up! How have you been lately?
April was mixed in many ways. I spent a lot of time on my laptop and equally as much time with friends. Close friends married at the beginning of April and it was such a nice day! I met up with friends for walks since the weather was nice for a lot of the time until it became the typical April weather and changed every ten minutes from rain to sun to clouds to sun to rain and then freezing temperatures during nights again. I worked on the balcony and got a few plants and I’m so happy because my mint from last year basically exploded and my sage is in full bloom for the first time ever! My balcony is tiny but I love it so much. It brings me so much joy especially because we have some bees now as well as birds nesting. I truly couldn’t be happier about that!
READ IN APRIL
22 Bahnen by Caroline Wahl
gesprochen von Carolin Haupt
Tildas Tage sind strikt durchgetaktet: studieren, an der Supermarktkasse sitzen, sich um ihre kleine Schwester Ida kümmern – und an schlechten Tagen auch um die Mutter. Zu dritt wohnen sie im traurigsten Haus der Fröhlichstraße in einer Kleinstadt, die Tilda hasst. Ihre Freunde sind längst weg, leben in Amsterdam oder Berlin, nur Tilda ist geblieben. Denn irgendjemand muss für Ida da sein, Geld verdienen, die Verantwortung tragen. Nennenswerte Väter gibt es keine, die Mutter ist alkoholabhängig. Eines Tages aber geraten die Dinge in Bewegung: Tilda bekommt eine Promotion in Berlin in Aussicht gestellt, und es blitzt eine Zukunft auf, die Freiheit verspricht. Und Viktor taucht auf, der große Bruder von Ivan, mit dem Tilda früher befreundet war. Viktor, der – genau wie sie – immer 22 Bahnen schwimmt. Doch als Tilda schon beinahe glaubt, es könnte alles gut werden, gerät die Situation zu Hause vollends außer Kontrolle.
Ich habe das Hörbuch gehört und bin echt froh darüber. Carolin Haupt hat diese raue, aber dennoch ergreifende Geschichte super gelesen und hat die Figuren vor meinem inneren Auge erscheinen lassen. Ich mochte den Schreibstil sehr gerne, der in vielen, kurzen Sätzen erstaunlich viele Emotionen birgt und sehr gut nachvollziehbar ist. Es war einfach in die Geschichte einzutauchen wie in das Wasser im Freibad, das ein zentraler Ort von 22 Bahnen ist. Die Handlung hat mich mitgerissen, ich habe mit Tilda und ihrer Schwester gebangt und gehofft und gelitten. 22 Bahnen war einfach rundum gelungen und das Hörbuch richtig, richtig gut!
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Author’s Preferred Text
The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: is to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant, and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.
It is raining the day her life changes forever. Attacked, drugged, and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.
I don’t know how many times I’ve reread The Bone Season but it’s the first time I’ve read the author’s preferred text and I didn’t know this book could get any better but it did. I loved it so much! There were a few minor details and few more major parts that were added or changed and it truly made the story better, especially knowing what’s to come. I know why this book and the whole series are one of my all time favourites and I’m SO excited to read the other books in Samantha’s preferred version!
Babel by Rebecca F. Kuang
Oxford, 1836.
The city of dreaming spires.
It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.
And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.
Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.
Until it became a prison…
But can a student stand against an empire?
I finally did it and picked up Babel! And I was absolutely blown away. While the beginning is rather slow and there is new info in every sentence, I was immersed into the story quickly. The linguistical aspect of the book was so interesting, as well as the influence of language(s). I could talk endlessly about how good this book was. Defintiely one of my highlights this year. You can read my full review of Babel here.
The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic
All for the Game #4
My name is Jean Moreau. My place is at Evermore. I belong to the Moriyamas.
It is a truth Jean has built his life around, a reminder this is the best he can hope for and all he deserves. But when he is stolen from Edgar Allan University and sold to a more dangerous master, Jean is forced to contend with a life outside of the Nest for the first time in five years. The Foxes call his transfer to California a fresh start; Jean knows it is little more than a golden cage.
Captain Jeremy Knox is facing his final year with the USC Trojans and fifth straight year falling short of the championships trophy he desperately craves. Taking in the nation’s best defenseman is a no-brainer, even if that man is a Raven. But Jean is no monster, just a man with no hope or desire for a future, and when Evermore’s collapse starts dragging Jean’s hideous secrets to light, Jeremy is forced to contend with the cost of victory.
I am obsessed with these stupid exy books, they have more or less taken over my life and yes, they are my Roman Empire. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about them. And getting a fourth book? About this broken, hopeless man? I am still sobbing on the floor because it exists and because it pains my heart still. TSC has not much of a plot but it has so much focus on the characters, their development and really takes its time to flesh them out and breathe life into them. The story focuses on both the characters, and especially Jean, individually but the relationships as well. It features a found family which I’m an absolute sucker for. Listen, I currently live in the tumblr tag for TSC and I do not regret anything. I cannot put into words how much this book means to me and what it makes me feel. It’s simply too much of everything and there aren’t the right words for it. Anyways, yes, I’m obsessed, Jerejean live rent free in my head and so does their cardboard dog, thank you very much.
The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin (ARC)
Dimitri Alexeyev used to be the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. Now, he is merely a broken man, languishing in exile after losing a devastating civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey Balakin. In hiding with what remains of his court, Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily Sokolov, engineer a dangerous ruse. Vasily will sneak into Alexey’s court under a false identity to gather information, paving the way for the usurper’s downfall, while Dimitri finds a way to kill him for good.
But stopping Alexey is not so easy as plotting to kill an ordinary man. Through a perversion of the Ludayzim religion that he terms the Holy Science, Alexey has died and resurrected himself in an immortal, indestructible body—and now claims he is guided by the voice of God Himself. Able to summon forth creatures from the realm of demons, he seeks to build an army, turning Novo-Svitsevo into the greatest empire that history has ever seen.
Dimitri is determined not to let Alexey corrupt his country, but saving Novo-Svitsevo and its people will mean forfeiting the soul of the husband he can’t bring himself to forsake—or the spymaster he’s come to love.
I was very hyped for this book. It sounded like something I’d absolutely enjoy reading but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Except for two of the three MCs, the rest of the cast wasn’t that well developed and the pacing was off. It dragged in the beginning, then picked up only towards the end. I did like how the MCs were written, though, and how their struggles really come across. Read my full review for Teh Sins on Their Bones here.
Gittersee by Charlotte Gneuß
gelesen von Lisa Hrdina
1976, im Dresdner Vorort Gittersee: Karin ist 16, hütet ihre kleine Schwester und hilft der renitenten Großmutter im Haushalt, die ihrer Zeit als Blitzmädel hinterhertrauert. Karins Vater verzweifelt an der Reparatur seines Škodas wie an der des Familienlebens, und ihre Mutter würde am liebsten ein anderes Leben führen. Aufgehoben fühlt sich Karin bei ihrer Freundin Marie, dem einzigen Mädchen in der Klasse, das später nicht etwas machen, sondern etwas werden will: die erste Frau auf dem Mond. Und Karin ist verliebt: in ihren Freund Paul, der gerne Künstler wäre, aber im Schacht bei der Wismut arbeitet. Als Paul zu einem Ausflug aufbricht und nicht mehr zurückkommt, stehen eines Nachts zwei Uniformierte vor der Tür, und Karins Welt gerät aus den Fugen.
Ich mochte das Buch sehr gerne. Auch dieses habe ich als Hörbuch gehört und mochte die Sprecherin sehr. Es war recht nüchtern und stellenweise geradezu emotionslos, trotzdem kam die Atmosphäre sehr gut rüber und ich konnte mir die Figuren gut vorstellen, ebenso wie ihre Umgebung und warum sie so handeln, wie sie handeln. Die Geschichte war einerseits ruhig erzählt, andererseits war immer eine gewissen Anspannung vorhanden, eine gewisse Ahnung, was passieren würde oder könnte. Gittersee gibt einen interessanten Einblick in den Alltag der DDR.
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally.
It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true…and she’s right.
As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.
But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.
I didn’t realize it before but archaeologists in romance novels are something I definitely want more of. This mix of adventure, history, romance and academia was a lot of fun and hot in different ways. I liked all the tension between Ford and Corrie but I also liked the easy friendships, the laughter and camaraderie of a dig. I had such a good time reading Raiders of the Lost Heart!
BOOK HAUL
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic – with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads – Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex… right?
The Nichan Smile by C.J. Merwild
The Gods smiled upon their offsprings from the skies, loving, generous. But that was before. For the sky is now tainted, and the people deprived of their creators overnight have been orphans for nearly two centuries.
Since that fateful day, the Corruption has reigned over the world. It defiled the clouds, covered the lands with a veil of darkness. The first conflicts arose in the east of the Coroman continent, some under the impulse of beliefs calling for blood and flames. As hatred continues to spread, the vanished Gods no longer answering any prayers, some fight for a peaceful life.
In the midst of this madness, two children meet each other.
One of them is human.
The other is nichan.
The boys are two opposite minds and fates, yet connected irrevocably. The days, then the passing years bring them together. But life reminds them of their differences and works to crush the remnants of their innocence. Between joys and sorrows, friendship and savagery, a smile is sometimes enough to change everything…
Vengeance by Ruby Braun
Nemesis von Winther kommt aus einer Familie voller Traumwandler. Sie soll an der Academy of Dream Analysis im hohen Norden Finnlands zu einer Luziden ausgebildet werden, um durch Träume die Wirklichkeit zu beeinflussen. An der Academy lernt sie Mercy kennen, den Neffen der Direktorin, in dessen Träumen sie nicht nur sich selbst, sondern auch ihr Herz verliert. Doch was niemand Eigentlich ist sie an der Academy, um den Tod ihres Bruders zu rächen. Sie weiß, die Direktorin ist dafür verantwortlich. Wäre da nicht Mercy, der zu ihrem Gegenspieler wird …
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.
Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.
When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.
Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?
The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin (ARC)
Dimitri Alexeyev used to be the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. Now, he is merely a broken man, languishing in exile after losing a devastating civil war instigated by his estranged husband, Alexey Balakin. In hiding with what remains of his court, Dimitri and his spymaster, Vasily Sokolov, engineer a dangerous ruse. Vasily will sneak into Alexey’s court under a false identity to gather information, paving the way for the usurper’s downfall, while Dimitri finds a way to kill him for good.
But stopping Alexey is not so easy as plotting to kill an ordinary man. Through a perversion of the Ludayzim religion that he terms the Holy Science, Alexey has died and resurrected himself in an immortal, indestructible body—and now claims he is guided by the voice of God Himself. Able to summon forth creatures from the realm of demons, he seeks to build an army, turning Novo-Svitsevo into the greatest empire that history has ever seen.
Dimitri is determined not to let Alexey corrupt his country, but saving Novo-Svitsevo and its people will mean forfeiting the soul of the husband he can’t bring himself to forsake—or the spymaster he’s come to love.
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find.
The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic
All for the Game #4
My name is Jean Moreau. My place is at Evermore. I belong to the Moriyamas.
It is a truth Jean has built his life around, a reminder this is the best he can hope for and all he deserves. But when he is stolen from Edgar Allan University and sold to a more dangerous master, Jean is forced to contend with a life outside of the Nest for the first time in five years. The Foxes call his transfer to California a fresh start; Jean knows it is little more than a golden cage.
Captain Jeremy Knox is facing his final year with the USC Trojans and fifth straight year falling short of the championships trophy he desperately craves. Taking in the nation’s best defenseman is a no-brainer, even if that man is a Raven. But Jean is no monster, just a man with no hope or desire for a future, and when Evermore’s collapse starts dragging Jean’s hideous secrets to light, Jeremy is forced to contend with the cost of victory.
Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears.
But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on peering down from skyscrapers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk — sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas—who live in the polluted waters below.
For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to reform. At last, she has the ear of the city council and a chance to lift the repressive laws that restrict fathomfolk at every turn. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when a water dragon is exiled to the city.
New arrival Nami is an aristocratic water dragon with an opinion on everything. Frustrated by the lack of progress from Mira’s softly-softly approach in gaining equality, Nami throws her lot in with an anti-human extremist group, leaving Mira to find the headstrong youth before she makes everything worse.
And pulling strings behind everything is Cordelia, a second-generation sea-witch determined to do what she must to survive and see her family flourish, even if it means climbing over the bodies of her competitors. Her political game-playing and underground connections could disrupt everything Nami and Mira are fighting for.
When the extremists sabotage the annual boat race, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Even Nami realises her new friends are not what they seem. Both she and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth it, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.
Piratenherz by Babsi Schwarz
Das Meer der Legenden #2
Gefährliche Stromschnellen, alte Flüche und neue Feinde. Mit einem sagenumwobenen Kompass in ihrem Besitz stürzen sich Tayon, Skip und die Crew in neue Abenteuer. Tayon steht seine schwierigste Zeit als Kapitän bevor und ein magischer Neuankömmling vernebelt Skip die Sinne. Doch in den gefährlichsten Gewässern der Welt kann sich die Crew weder Ablenkungen noch Streitereien erlauben, wenn ihnen ihr Leben lieb ist.
Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin
Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.
With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.
But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.
The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.
Dreams of Sapphire Seas by Anabelle Stehl
Irland #2
Nach ihrem Erasmus-Semester kann Serena dank eines Stipendiums im irischen Cork bleiben und dort ihr Kunst-Studium fortsetzen. Außerdem findet sie in der Obdachlosenhilfe vor Ort ein neues Herzensprojekt, dem sie sich mit Feuereifer verschreibt. Ihr einziges eine Wohnung zu finden. Schließlich landet sie in einer reinen Männer-WG, und nach einigen Schwierigkeiten zu Beginn sind die vier bald ein eingespieltes Team. Besonders Aedan mit seinen zahlreichen Tattoos und dem schiefen Lächeln hat es ihr angetan. Was sie nicht weiß: Der Mann, der ihr Herz zum Rasen bringt, ist der Sohn des Bürgermeisters, der versucht, ihre Arbeit zu sabotieren …
Pretty Scandalous: Heißer als Rache by Tami Fischer
Sarahs Welt bricht zusammen, als ihre Zwillingsschwester nach einem Jahr Funkstille verängstigt und mit blauen Flecken übersäht wieder auftaucht. Payton wollte sich an der Columbia University in New York ihren Traum vom Architekturstudium erfüllen, doch ausgerechnet ihre elitären neuen Freunde haben sie zugrunde gerichtet. Wutentbrannt beschließt Sarah, sich als Payton auszugeben, um den verwöhnten High-Society-Zöglingen das Handwerk zu legen. Doch in New York angekommen, häufen sich die Skandale und Geheimnisse. Und dann stolpert Sarah auch noch dem attraktiven Monroe in die Arme – und dessen Lächeln könnte weitaus mehr gefährden als nur ihre Rachepläne.
ON THE BLOG
BLOG VISITS
blog posts by other bloggers I’ve loved this month
Rezension: Yellowface von R.F. Kuang by Isabell @ Books of Tigerlily
Rezension: Beklaute Frauen von Leonie Schöler by Missi @ Himmelsblau
Rezension: Book Lovers von Emily Henry by Ela @ Literaturliebe
Review: This Is Me Trying by Racquel Marie by Michelle @ Magical Reads
Why Are We Still Debating If Audiobooks “Count” As Reading? by Briana @ Pages Unbound
Review: The Genesis Wars by Akemi Dawn Bowman by Briana @ Pages Unbound
20+ Middle-Grade Books About Autism And Other Neurodivergency by Afoma @ Reading Middle Grade
Review: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson by Clo @ Cuppa Clo
“Have You Eaten Yet?” Food in Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan (guestpost) on Lili @ Utopia State of Mind
How was your April? What was your favourite book so far this year? What’s your favourite season?
Until next time,
