April 2019 Wrap-Up

I'm trying to get over the fact that it's already May - can you believe it? I'm already over halfway through my exchange semester here in Seoul which I can't really come to terms with. Time just passes too quickly! Anyway, I did end up reading a decent amount in April and finished four books. I would be totally happy with this number if the Tome Topple Readathon hadn't also taken place this month. I was so excited to participate in my first readathon in a long time, but ended up failing spectacularly. Because of that, I decided it doesn't really make sense to make a separate wrap-up for Tome Topple, so that will be included in here as well.

So here are the four books I finished in April:

• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir, 3/5★
As I already mentioned in my May Wrap-Up, this book was unfortunately quite a big disappointment. After loving the previous two books in the series, I ended up losing interest in the plot a lot with this instalment. Most of the characters I didn't much care about anymore and it was just a little frustrating for me to have lost my love for the story. This is the first book in the series I listened to on audiobook and I'm wondering if that might also have played some part in me losing interest, but either way this unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. Still, I ended up giving it three stars, mostly for the Blood Shrike's chapters and pov which was by far my favorite part of the book.


• The Deal by Elle Kennedy, reread
With A Reaper at the Gates putting me into a little bit of a reading slump, I felt the need to read some New Adult. This genre has a tendency to grab my attention very easily, and this trusted old favorite certainly did. The Off-Campus series is definitely my favorite in the New Adult world, and this book was a great and quick distraction from the not-so-great book I was reading at the time.


• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi, 4/5★
I had fairly high expectations going into this book, and I think it lived up to them for the most part. This was overall a very insightful, interesting and enjoyable read, and it didn't take me long to listen to it at all because it managed to grab my attention very easily. Definitely an important read for the perspective it gives and I could definitely learn and take away a lot from the story.


• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, 4/5★
This is where Tome Topple starts... and ends, unfortunately! I'm very happy that I finally read this book as it had been on my tbr for a long time with so many people recommending it. While I enjoyed the story very much, it wasn't as hard-hitting or impactful as I think I expected it to be. It was definitely very hard to read at times but I wouldn't say it's my favorite book set in World War II that I have read.

That's it for the books I finished in April. For my second book during Tome Topple, I did also start Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor. I'm currently still in the middle of it, but somehow got distracted by starting to reread The Illuminae Files along the way. Having my e-reader die on me might have something to do with it, as I'm going to have to find a way to get it to work again before continuing with Muse of Nightmares, whereas I'm listening to the Illuminae Files on audiobook...

Let me know your thoughts on any of these books, I would love to talk about them! What's your favorite book you read in April?