I blinked and April flew by! Oh my gosh! I cannot believe how quickly this month went - but then again, I feel like each month as the year goes on passes quicker and quicker. Now - to the books! I can't believe I got through five books, especially when you consider that the Maas books were both just over six hundred pages a piece! Whoosh!
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas - The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.
With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.
In the breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what - and who - to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ of five - I do believe these books just get better as they go along! The story grows and the layers for each of the characters deepen; the lore of the land of Erilea grows and Ailen builds her court, piece by piece! A lot of people recommend doing a tandem read of this book alongside Tower of Dawn, but I read them on their own and might have enjoyed that more, ha-ha! I cannot believe I am so close to finishing this series!
Find Your Brave: Courage to Stand Strong when the Waves Crash In by Holly Wagner - Have you ever found yourself in over your head, wondering how you would possibly get through with your faith and sanity intact? It can happen any time. Life seems good and then - BOOM! - out of nowhere comes a storm that threatens to drown your hopes. Your storm might be a job loss, loneliness, a crumbling relationship, financial ruin, a serious illness, or the death of a loved one.
Whatever it is, as the winds howl and the waves rage, you have a will you cower in fear or will you rise to the challenge moment? Through solid Biblical teaching and relatable personal stories, Holly offers an uplifting, friendly voice in the midst of the gale-force winds and overpowering critical voices. She shows you how to anchor your trust in the God who remains faithful in every storm and in whose strength you can Find Your Brave.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five - This book was a good read; I only give it three stars because y'all, I just find I have trouble reading books that aren't fiction, ha-ha! Everything Holly shared was amazing and empowering; I enjoyed reading and discussing this book with my ladies group. So the rating is more on me and less on the book? I guess!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach - It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn't here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she's dreamed of coming here for years - she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she's here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself.
Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan - which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can't stop confiding in each other.
In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach's The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined - and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of five - I loved this book! This was an extra in my BOTM box since it was chosen as one of the top five books of 2024 and I can see why! I loved the storyline, the characters were very real and the main character was so relatable! I loved the story that this book told and it might be my favorite so far this year - maybe for the whole year - we shall see!
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy - Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world's largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are to be transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seal; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can't stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.
Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn't telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. AS the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it's too late - and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five - I enjoyed this book but the story felt slow all the way through! I kept waiting for something to pick up and really move things along, but it just didn't ever do that. The idea of the book was intriguing and the story it told was interesting but it never really hooked me - if that makes sense?
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas - Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.
After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the your lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need - and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.
In this sweeping parallel novel to Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of the mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival - or doom them all.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 of five - I really loved this book! I could not believe some of the negative reviews that I saw around it; I know many people don't like that this story only follows Chaol and Nesryn - but I really enjoyed the story, the setting, everything! I also loved the new characters introduced and cannot wait to see how they add to the final book in this series!
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That's all for the month of April! So far this year, with four of the twelve months of 2025 in the books (pun completely intended) I've read 21 of the 65 book goal I've set for myself, so I am almost a third of the way there! Here's to reading more books, ha-ha!
