wrap-ups

April Wrap Up

13/05/2022

Hoohoo, friends of the blade!

April has come and gone and we’re well into May. Time seems to be running and I do not know where, but April was a mixed month in every aspect. Anyways, here’s what happened

PERSONAL LIFE
what happened in April

Well, the beginning of April was. Not good. I was stuck inside with covid. I had planned to go home and visit my family for a week but then got sick. I felt mostly fine, though, but wasn’t allowed to leave the house. I luckily could go home for the weekend and spend some time with family. Not as much as I wanted but at least I could go home.
Homesickness is a shitty thing, I tell you.

Work was really busy this month with easter and everything. But it was okay and still fun. I spent Easter and the last weekend of April at my boyfriend’s home with his family which was really nice. We had nice walks, I took about 500 photos of bees, flowers and bees on flowers. I always said winter is my favourite season but that is lie, spring actually is. I love flowers and when the sun is out but it’s not yet super hot and the days are getting longer. My mood has been increasing SO MUCH.

Other than that, I did nothing but read and watch Netflix. And by that I mean I binged Heartstopper two times, then started to reread Alice Oseman’s books. I could rave about the Heartstopper show endlessly and maybe I will do so in another post, but for now I will refrain myself. But please be assured that I LOVE THIS SERIES! And if you haven’t watched it yet, do yourself a favour and do so.

BOOKS I READ

twenty thousand leagues under the seaTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

A gorgeous edition of Jules Verne’s landmark of science fiction and wonder, featuring full-color art by Milo Winter. When Professor Pierre Aronnax and harpoonist Ned Land join an expedition to hunt a fierce “whale” that has been sinking ships, they end up as captives of Captain Nemo, who prowls the sea in his magnificent submarine, the Nautilus. There, they discover a magnificent, mysterious, and sometimes dangerous underwater world.

We read this in our classics book club and it was my pick! I was prepared to enjoy this a lot more than I actually did. For one, I think I should have read this in German. I didn’t understand about 70% of what was going on with the species in the sea. It was also a lot of descriptions of the sea and very little action. And the little action we got was always about one or two pages and I needed SO MUCH TIME to get through this book. The German audiobook is amazing though and I might give it another try.

a good girl's guide to murderA Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.
But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

Me: I don’t read crime.
Also me: *reads two crime books in as many months*
I really enjoyed this. I liked Pippa as a main character and since I’m never able to figure anything out beforehand I could absolutely not guess at what would happen which made it very entertaining for me to read!

heaven official's blessing vol. 1Heaven Official’s Blessing Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Born the crown prince of a prosperous kingdom, Xie Lian was renowned for his beauty, strength, and purity. His years of dedication and noble deeds allowed him to ascend to godhood. But those who rise, can also fall…and fall he does, cast from the Heavens again and again and banished to the mortal realm.
Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time. Now only a lowly scrap collector, he is dispatched to wander the earthly realm to take on tasks appointed by the heavens to pay back debts and maintain his divinity. Aided by old friends and foes alike, and graced with the company of a mysterious young man with whom he feels an instant connection, Xie Lian must confront the horrors of his past in order to dispel the curse of his present.

After having everyone and their mother raving about this I thought I would absolutely fall in love with this. But I had some trouble really getting into the story. The further it progressed, the more I started liking it and at the end I did love it but it took far longer than anticipated. I’m very into this world and its characters at this point and am excited to continue with Vol. 2 soon!

chasing luckyChasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett

Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever, so there’s no reason to change her modus operandi—keeping to herself, dreaming of the day she can leave.
But after a disastrous summer party, a poorly executed act of revenge lands her in big-time trouble. As in, jail…alongside the last person with whom she’d want to share a mugshot: the son of the boat mechanic across the street, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend.
Josie and Lucky become the talk of their coastal small town. But during a summer of secrets, everything changes, and the easy friendship they once shared grows into something deeper and more complicated. Can Josie and Lucky swim past obstacles that come with rough waters, or will they both go down together?

I always, always, always love Jenn Bennett’s contemporary YAs and this one was no different! I fell in love on page one, felt with Josie and Lucky and let my imagination run wild around the town of Beauty. Absolutely adored this summery story. (Read full review here)

scavenge the starsScavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her an even longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya still only wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception-and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down-the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she can’t trust anyone but herself. 

I love The Count of Monte Cristo and I love this retelling! It’s fast-paced, full of action and secrets and cool characters! I flew through this and enjoyed every second! (Read full review here)

the city of duskThe City of Dusk by Tara Sim

The Four Realms—Life, Death, Light, and Darkness—all converge on the city of dusk. For each realm there is a god, and for each god there is an heir.
But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once vibrant and thriving city. And without it, all the realms are dying.
Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs—Risha, a necromancer struggling to keep the peace; Angelica, an elementalist with her eyes set on the throne; Taesia, a shadow-wielding rogue with rebellion in her heart; and Nik, a soldier who struggles to see the light— will sacrifice everything to save the city.
But their defiance will cost them dearly.

After absolutely loving Scavenge the Stars, I picked up another Tara Sim novel right after. While I absolutely loved the characters, I had some troubles with the world building and the pacing. But it gave me a new favourite character in Taesia Lastrider and I’m very thankful for that. (Read my full review here)

solitaireSolitaire by Alice Oseman (reread)

In case you’re wondering, this is not a love story.
My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now.
Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden.
I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden.
I really don’t.

After watching Heartstopper, I just had to reread Solitaire. It’s been years since I’ve read it and it’s fascinating how much I forgot. I really enjoyed my reread and reconnecting with Tori and Michael and their story.

BOOK HAUL

the girl who fell beneath the seaThe Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

love, decodedLove, Decoded by Jennifer Yen

High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best: the top student, the perfect friend, and the ideal daughter. But it’s tough when there’s always someone who is just a little bit better. With college applications looming, she can’t help but worry that she won’t make the cut. Thankfully, her best friend Kyle never fails to find the right words–and the perfect bowl of ramen–to cheer her up.
After her teacher, Ms. Harris, announces she’ll be nominating students for an app writing contest, Gigi is determined to be picked. After all, first prize is an exclusive tech internship, sure to make her application stand out. There’s only one problem: she doesn’t have a winning program. It isn’t until transfer student Etta admits she’s struggling to fit in at Superbia that Gigi stumbles on an idea. She’ll use her coding skills–and the matchmaking experience she’s gotten from weekends with Auntie Rose–to create a friend matching app! Etta will meet new people, and Gigi will guarantee her acceptance into college. It’s foolproof.
What Gigi doesn’t expect is for her app to go viral around school. Soon, she finds herself at the center of a scandal–and at odds with both Etta and Kyle. Can Gigi fix what went wrong, or will her desire to be perfect cost her the people she cares about most?

a lesson in vengeanceA Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

Felicity Morrow is back at the Dalloway School to finish her senior year after the tragic death of her girlfriend. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students―girls some say were witches.
Felicity was once drawn to the dark legacy of witchcraft. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; but it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget it.
It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway―and in herself.
And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself.

hard liquorHard Liquor by Marie Graßhoff

Tycho ist als Nachfahrin alter Götter übermenschlich stark. Besonders, wenn sie Alkohol trinkt. Nicht schlecht, um sich als Barkeeperin in New York gegen zwielichtige Typen zu behaupten. Damit niemand von ihrer Herkunft erfährt, muss sie selbst ihren Kindheitsfreund Logan auf Distanz halten. Doch dann taucht die gutaussehende Grayson auf und behauptet, ihr Geheimnis zu kennen. Und als Tycho kurz darauf von einer Sekte entführt wird, die ihre Kräfte für sich beanspruchen will, bleibt ihr nichts anderes übrig, als Grayson zu vertrauen…

neon godsNeon Gods by Katee Robert

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.
With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth… a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.
Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close.

WHAT I BLOGGED

BLOG VISITS
blog posts by other bloggers I loved in April

REVIEWS

OTHER

Until next time,

KAT

april wrap up wrap up
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