March was short and sweet. We got really into The Pitt and started watching Gossip Girl again, and while you’d think the TV shows would be distracting us from reading, it is in fact the opposite. We’re in a major reading slump and doing our best to get ourselves out of it.
That being said, we’ve got a bit of everything this month: an ARC of a dystopian romance, finally making some progress on Zodiac Academy and Dungeon Crawler Carl, and reading our least favorite Elle Kennedy novel.
April is looking pretty good. We’re making some more progress on ZA and DCC (because some of us can’t get enough of Darius OR Carl) and reading some more unique books to jumpstart our reading.
Books We Finished in March📚
The Gate of the Feral Gods
Description
New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.
You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent.
A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.
It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.
Here’s the thing. It’s never easy. Carl and his team can’t go it alone. Not this time. They must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can’t-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?
Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.
Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess (4)
Description
The shadows are in my blood.
I can feel them crawling through me, slithering under my skin and taking me hostage.
But the darkness within me, isn’t nearly as bad as the darkness that lives around me.
The four heirs will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of me and my sister.
But they haven’t figured out yet, we’re the strongest creatures they’ve ever known…
Ahem, WHAT IN THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE IS THIS??? I don’t know how but this Gossip Girl-esque bully romance went to a romantasy STAPLE in one book? Hello???
Darius Acrux is EVERYTHING, and even though Tory made me want to shake her a few times, I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. Darcy, Orion, Seth, and Caleb are fantastic as always.
The world IS NOT ready for Geraldine’s POV and yet I am begging for one.
What was that last 100 pages, AAAA, I am so overstimulated. I need to run, not walk, to Cursed Fates.
Complete summary and review here!
To Cage a Wild Bird (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Description
Order now to receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION–only available on the first printing while supplies last! This special hardcover features gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled artwork, illustrated color endpapers, and an exclusive bonus chapter from Vale’s perspective!
Enter the brutal world of Endlock, a prison where the wealthy hunt the inmates for sport. The first novel in an electrifying dystopian romance series, this high-octane debut about forbidden love, found family, and a fight for survival will leave you breathless.
In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock.
Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him–even if it means getting herself arrested.
Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner, Raven must use all her cunning and strength to protect Jed–and herself if she is to complete her perilous mission. But there’s one obstacle she never expected: the prison guard who stirs something deep inside her. The man she should hate. The man whose true motives seem impossible to pin down.
In a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, Raven must decide if she will risk everything to tear down a vicious system.
Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advanced review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4!
A good, enjoyable dystopian novel that I had a good time with. A mix of Divergent x Hunger Games x Prison Break, this book reads like an action thriller. Raven, Vale and their friends are a bit stereotypical for the genre. Raven is the caregiving, badass eldest daughter and Vale is the steady, mysterious love interest with a secret. A bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. Would check out the second book!
Love Song
Description
A Briar universe standalone romance featuring the next generation Off-Campus characters—where one unforgettable summer changes everything.
After a brutal breakup, college junior Blake Logan escapes to her family’s lake house in Tahoe, determined to shut out the world. Her plan is simple: no men, no drama. Until Wyatt Graham shows up. Four years older and far too good at getting under her skin, Wyatt is the living embodiment of a “bad idea,” and the guy who shattered her pride when she confessed her crush at sixteen.
With his music career stalled, Wyatt has come to Tahoe for inspiration. The last thing he expects is to find it with Blake. He’s spent years keeping his distance, convinced he’s all wrong for her, but she’s no longer the innocent girl he once knew. She’s confident, captivating, and impossible to ignore. And the slow-burning tension between them? It’s catching fire fast.
They both know this can’t last, but one reckless kiss turns into another, and soon they’re tangled in something that feels dangerously like more. Just as they finally give in to the pull, tragedy tears them apart, leaving their hearts in pieces.
But forgetting that one, nearly perfect summer? Not a chance. And when fate brings them together again, Blake and Wyatt must decide if this is a second chance…or the final verse.
WHAT IN THE ICK HELL DID I JUST READ?
I can’t believe I’m saying this but for the first time in my life, I rage finished an Elle Kennedy book.
Blake has no character, Wyatt is unaccountable to a fault, and again I can’t believe I’m saying this but their relationship is just spice. Where are the cute moments? Where are the profound confessions? Are these people just together because they’re hot and stuck in a lake house together?
And I for sure thought we’d get a cute second chance/childhood friends to lovers book where they’d be childhood sweethearts, reconnect, then meet back as adults. NOPE.
I do enjoy seeing the older generation and their cameos are fun. Garrett and Logan continue to be ridiculous but maybe I’m losing my touch because how is Logan 40 and still acting like a child? They’re hilarious but also like, WHAT??
Speaking of children, JUSTICE FOR BEAU, what in the character ruination?? Whyyyyy???
The trauma is so unnecessary and should come with BOATLOADS of trigger warnings, and this isn’t even because these are my worst plot devices.
Then there’s the whole third act with Wyatt’s fuckboy behavior and the groveling part. Like, what??????
I am shooketh from how disappointed I am in this and I’m going to go reread The Deal to recover from this experience.
Complete summary and review here.
Books on our April TBR
Below are our April hopefuls!
Order The Everlasting and clear your weekend, you’re not doing anything else. 🐉⚔️
Fated Thrones said here is your heart and also here is the floor 👑💀
Caught between a wolf king and a night prince and I am not okay 🐺🌑
Welcome to the sixth floor where the hunters become the hunted 🎭⚔️
Cried about an octopus. No notes 🐙💔
A concussion took Rhys off the ice. Custody hearings, two younger brothers, and an alcoholic father are running Sadie into the ground. They find each other in the middle of it. 🏒⛸️
Here’s to hoping April will show us a way to get us out of this reading slump. If you have any recs that is sure to cure the reading slump, we’re all ears! What was your favorite read this month? Tell us in the comments!
Leave a Comment