Sequel April – April 2020 Wrap-Up

So April was an odd month. I had more time to read, but found  I couldn’t focus on anything. I’m currently in the middle of eight books. I did manage to read 14 books though, which worked out to 4622 pages.

Starting in April, I decided to set a monthly theme for my reading. This isn’t a TBR and I do read other stuff, it’s just something I am going to try and focus on for the month. As the title implies, for April I tried to focus on catching up with series. I think I did okay, not great, there were SO MANY more I wanted to get to. Still, I did make a dent.

I completed the Great Library Series by Rachel Caine. It became a new favourite.

I caught up on both the Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh and the Signs of Love Series by Anyta Sunday. The new Guild Hunter book, Archangel’s Sun, is due out in November and I can’t wait! It’s Titus and the Hummingbird, which is a combo I didn’t see coming. With the Signs of Love Series, it’s unclear about the sixth book. There is no announcement, but she does have two zodiac signs left, Libra and Sagittarius. I’m on the most recent books for both the Rockton Series by Kelley Armstrong and the Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs. Patricia Briggs has announced an Alpha and Omega novel for 2021, Wild Sign, which I’m super excited about. No news about a new Rockton novel but she usually publishes annually.

I DNF’d the Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard. I love the TV show, but the books just aren’t for me. See the details below.

Now on to the books I read.

1. Archangel’s Prophecy (Guild Hunter #11) by Nalini Singh – 3-stars
2. Aftermath (Star Wars Aftermath #1) by Chuck Wendig – 3-stars
3. Fence Vol. 3 by C. S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad 3.5 stars
4. Sword and Pen (The Great Library #5) by Rachel Caine – 5-stars
5. Pisces Hooks Taurus (Signs of Love #4) by Anyta Sunday – 4-stars
6. Cancer Ships Aquarius (Signs of Love #5) by Anyta Sunday – 2.5 stars
7. Understatement of the Year (Ivy Years #3) by Sarina Bowen – 3-stars
8. Archangel’s War (Guild Hunter #12) by Nalini Singh  – 4-stars
9. Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars #4) by Sara Shepard – 2-stars
10. Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11) by Patricia Briggs – 4-stars
11. Watcher in the Woods (Rockton #4) by Kelley Armstrong – 4-stars
12. Pop Star (Famous #1) by Eden Finley – 3-stars
13. Check, Please Book 1 #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu – 5-stars
14. Check, Please Book 2 Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu- 5-stars

Disappointments

Unbelievable is the 4th book in the Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard and it was the deciding factor in my DNFing the series. As I’ve said, I am a fan of the TV show. At the centre of the show is the friendship between these four women. It’s just not there in the books. The girls themselves are a lot more self-centred and meaner. A number of the side characters (particularly the parents) are drastically changed in the books. For example, Hanna’s and Aria’s mothers are horrible people in the books, but a couple of my favourites in the show. Also, the character of Caleb doesn’t exist and Toby dies off early.

The next disappointment was still an enjoyable read, just definitely not my favourite in the series. Cancer Ships Aquarius is the fifth book in the Signs of Love Series by Anyta Sunday. While each book is standalone, I would recommend reading the series in order as there are slight spoilers for previous books. I really enjoyed the character of Sullivan (Aquarius), he is a single father who is working on a device to pick up garbage from waterways. I had a harder time connecting with Reid (Cancer) who is hired as a nanny for Sullivan’s daughter, Joanna. This book also explores slight bondage and a kink which just didn’t work for me.

Surprises

Speaking of the Signs of Love Series, the 4th book, Pisces Hooks Taurus, totally surprised me.  I don’t generally go for the “dumb” hero/heroine or stories with large parts of the humour depending on misunderstandings. Anyta Sunday does an excellent job of making Zane (Pisces) clueless but not unintelligent. I must admit, I had a bit of a book crush on Beckett (Taurus). I loved how these two characters encouraged each other. Beckett’s next-door neighbour, Darla, was so much fun.

The other big surprise was Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. This is my first Star Wars novel and it won’t be my last. I started this book on January 23rd. I got about 100 pages in and stopped. The story starts by introducing to all the players, who are very separate. That combined with multiple species made it very confusing. I finished the rest of the book in about a week in April. Once everybody gangs up, the plot becomes super fast-paced. I will definitely be continuing on in the series. My one complaint aside from the slower beginning is the vignettes. Throughout the story are chapters with what’s going on elsewhere in the universe. While some of these were interesting in their own right (Hans Solo and Chewie going to free the Wookiees for example) they pulled me out of the story at hand.

Favourites

So much of what I read this month was awesome. It was hard to pick my favourites.

Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu is an absolutely darling graphic novel series. The second installment Sticks & Scones came out in April. I reread book one, #Hockey in preparation. In this series, we follow Eric “Bitty” Bittle during his four years at Samwell University as a member of the men’s hockey team.  Eric identifies as gay. He is an avid baker and vlogger. There is romance and lots of humour, but what this book is about is a found family.  The members of this team stick together, many of them live in The Haus. They accept and support each other. This series was originally released as a webcomic. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a feel-good read.

 

How could I not include the concluding book from one of my new all-time favourite series? Sword and Pen is the fifth and final novel in the Great Library Series by Rachel Caine. We follow Jess Brightwell in a world where the Great Library of Alexandria never burned down. Information is tightly controlled and censored and owning books is illegal. Jess and his friends inadvertently start a revolution. I can’t go much more into the plot of this as this is the 5th installment, but it ended well. The major storylines were tied up, but should the author choose to return to the world or the characters there are definitely more stories she could tell. I did a post 8 Reasons You Should Read the Great Library Series by Rachel Caine in which I basically fangirl about the series as a whole.

That’s it for April. What is the best thing you read this month?

I’m hoping to have a May TBR post up next week. My theme is going to be Magical May — focusing on some of the fantasy which has been languishing on my shelves. I’m also hoping to participate in two overlapping readathons.

Until next time … Take care