Looooooots of Fantasy, Sequels, and New 5 Stars; My April Reading Wrap-Up

First-Time Caller (Heartstrings #1) – B.K. Borison

Starting the month off strong with this romance that has been going very viral recently! If you’ve been anywhere in the BookTok or Bookstagram space, you’ll doubtless have seen this most recent romance from B.K. Borison. I’ve been wanting to get to this for ages, but have been so swamped with ARCs (a huge privilege). But this was first on my list when I’d cleared my ARC TBR (spoilers: it piled up again very quickly!)

A retelling of Nora Ephron’s classic 90s romcom Sleepless in Seattle, First-Time Caller follows Aiden Valentine, the disillusioned radio host of Baltimore’s romance hotline Heartstrings. When 13 year-old Maya calls in, asking advice for her eternally single mum, the call goes viral. That’s how Lucie Stone, single mother and mechanic, ends up joining the Heartstrings team, in a quest to find her true love. 

I appear to be in the minority with this one. Maybe it was just the sheer amount of hype around it, getting my expectations up too high. A new, fresh take on Sleepless in Seattle is incredibly hard to do well, just because the film is so iconic and beloved by so many (me included). This just didn’t have the same pizazz, the same je ne sais quoi that Ephron injects into her films. I never really warmed to Aiden – there’s grumpy and then there’s just emotionally unavailable and removed. Some might say this was realism, but I don’t read romance for realism. I read it for escapism and to feel that women are loved, cherished and valued by their men. Lucie was the opposite to Aidan, warm, sincere and easy to root for. 

I will still be reading the sequel – which just got announced this week, called And Now, Back To You – because I liked Jackson. 

Quicksilver (Fae and Alchemy #1) – Callie Hart 

Metal Slinger (Fire and Metal #1) – Rachel Schneider 

I read this purely out of curiosity. I kept seeing videos and reels from BookTokkers and Bookstagrammers talking about the twist of this one, and I had to know for myself if it was All That (spoiler alert: it wasn’t). 

Wild Eyes (Rose Hill #2) – Elsie Silver

Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) – Brandon Sanderson

Mr Sanderson, take a bow. 

10/10, impeccable. No notes. 

I’m tempted to leave it there, to be honest. 

Fearless (Powerless Trilogy #3) – Lauren Roberts

The Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth #2) – Kristen Ciccarelli 

This sequel was of my most anticipated reads of the year, after really enjoying The Crimson Moth last year.

We pick up a few months after where the Crimson Moth left off. Rune Winters is on the run and Gideon Sharp has been tasked with hunting her down. But when each of their sides are driven to extremes, Rune and Gideon must pair up to stop a Reign of Witches or the Republic’s domination. 

I really enjoyed Rune’s character arc this book – she was very badass and seemingly unflinching in the Crimson Moth. We see a lot more of her humanity and struggles, and I really enjoyed her and Gideon switching places, with him being the one to encourage and support her. A crisis of faith and a loss of hope such as we see in Rune is unusual, and something I would love to see more. Gideon goes through immense personal growth too. He didn’t let his past get the better of him and stepping up when Rune and the rebellion needed him most. 

The plot itself isn’t overly complex and rather predictable, but I didn’t mind this at all. The romantic tension and the characters carried the end easily enough. Speaking of characters… I loved the little ragtag crew that Rune and Gideon accumulate. Bart, Antonio, Harrow, Laila, the list goes on! 

The chemistry and tension was still there and as strong and swoonworthy as ever. This duology fits perfectly in its niche and is a great example of YA fantasy romance at its best. A very, very solid series, which I sped through. I would definitely recommend, especially to readers on the younger end of YA. (I would’ve loved this at 12/13!) – which isn’t to say I enjoyed it any less now as an adult. I recommend to fans of Divine Rivals and Mary Pearson.

The Favourites – Layne Fargo

This book is pitched if Wuthering Heights met Daisy Jones and the Six, in the figure skating world. Pretty ambitious, huh? I was skeptical going in, as I wasn’t a fan of either of the comparison titles. Wuthering Heights was my number one opp, growing up as a massive classic literature nerd. No matter how many times I tried, I could never get into it, or bring myself to care about these deeply unlikable characters (that’s the point, I know). I also didn’t love Daisy Jones and the Six, although I was a fan of the narrative style – i.e. the interview format – which is something the Favourites borrows. 

It had me hooked, from the very first page to the last. This was my favourite (get it?) read of April, and possibly one of the whole year. The plot mirrors that of Wuthering Heights in a lot of ways; impoverished and in an abusive household, Katarina Shaw is a fiercely ambitious skater. The world of ice dance is not on her way out, but it’s her passion. When she forges a connection with troubled kid Heath Rocha, they become an inseparable skating pair. The story follows them from childhood sweethearts to scandalous routines at the Olympic Games, and all the pain, turmoil and tragedy along the way. 

I devoured this – it’s an almost 500 page book, densely packed with story – but it flew by. It’s been a while since I’ve been so affected by a book upon finishing it. My Goodreads review simply reads ‘I feel sick. 5 stars’. And honestly, that sums it up. 

Girls of Dark Divine – E.V. Woods

Girls of Dark Divine is the story of a dance troupe, cursed to dance as marionettes until they turn to dust. Their limbs are controlled by invisible strings, masterminding by the show’s manager Malcolm. Emberlyn had always dreamed of being on the stage, but now she’s stuck in a twisted nightmare of her once-cherished dream. When the troupe has the opportunity to travel to another city and perform in a grand theatre, Emberlyn meets an elusive boy made of shadows who may hold the key to her freedom. 

I adored the premise of this. If anyone is a Criminal Minds fan, this has the same vibes as that one episode that Matthew Gray Gubler directed, where the victims were being turned into human marionettes (or maybe I’m so in deep with the Criminal Minds fandom I will relate anything and everything back to it). It also has a distinct Phantom of the Opera energy about it, especially with Etienne hiding in the shadows of the basement of the theatre.

The vibes were all there, but the execution just wasn’t. The romance subplot between Emberlyn and Etienne was light, and I would have loved to see more of this. Alternately, I loved the relationship between Emberlyn and the other girls trapped in the dance troupe. I also think Malcolm had the potential to be a really interesting and complex villain, but unfortunately I think he felt slightly caricatured.

I’d heartily recommend this to fans of gothic fantasy, eerie stories and vivid, compelling descriptions. I’m so very excited to see this go out into the world, and what E.V. Woods has in store next!

The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues #1) – Alwyn Hamilton 

I read this because I went to an event with Alwyn Hamilton, which was very exciting. 

The Thrashers – Julie Soto

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: YA thrillers really are That Girl. Time and time again, they deliver. And Julie Soto’s first venture into the land of YA thriller was no different. 

Everyone at New Helvetia High knows The Thrashers. Everyone wants to be them. Think of the Plastics – then embroil them in a murder investigation – and you’ve got this book. When Emily Mills, an unpopular girl who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, commits suicide, all eyes are turned on the surviving Thrashers – Jodi, Julian, Paige, Lucy and, their infamous namesake, Zack Thrasher. 

With the dramatic high school setting of One Of Us Is Lying and the stakes of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this was everything I love in a thriller. There was even a sprinkling of romance in there too (Ms. Soto, I’m begging you to give us a Jodulian – can that be a ship name? – novella or SOMETHING! The paint prom scene lives rent free in my head). 

And, of course, evvvvvvverybody is talking about that epilogue! I’ll keep it vague, don’t worry. Me personally, I don’t mind ambiguous endings and it paved the way for a potential? sequel, so I’m not complaining too much. Just be aware that you’ll be screaming at your book/Kindle/audiobook. 

Overall, I’d highly recommend for a fun, pacy thriller to fly through this summer. This was my first work by Julie Soto but now consider me officially A Fan. 

That’s a total of eleven books read in the month of April.