The Books I Read In April 2023
- Alexa Burban
- Apr 30, 2023
- 4 min read
Unfortunately, April was a slower month for reading as I had a lot of exciting things happening in my personal and professional life (a two-week trip to Europe, a week-long 25th birthday celebration, my friend surprising me by flying in from England for a few days, starting a new job, etc), I wasn't able to read as much as I typically like. However, I'm looking forward to May when I fall back into a bit more of a routine and by routine I mean reading.
Here are my reviews of the books I read in April:
⭑⭑⭑⭑.5
This was incredible and possibly my favourite in the series so far (it is my highest-rated).
Comprised of 5 prequel novellas that follow Celaena on her journey as Adarlan's Assassin, we learn more about who Celaena is and what shaped her into the character we've known in the first few books of the series (depending on the order you read, I read this between book 3 and book 4).
I absolutely loved the novellas. The first was my least favourite but each played a vital role in the plot. I took a strong liking to Yrene in the second novella. She was so kind but underneath it all, has this power to be something so great. The small friendship that was made with Celaena really warmed my heart. I also loved the friendship Celaena made with Ansel and how their story progressed. There's nothing I want more than for Celaena to be happy and feel love so even though there were highs and lows with these meetings/friendships, seeing small moments of a happy Celaena was incredible. The chosen family trope has got to be one of my favourites.
And of course, I have to speak to Sam who I completely and utterly fell in love with. Sam was kind, and gentle, and had been in love with Celaena for years. Once he let his initial feelings out, he didn't hold back, reminding Celaena of how he felt for her. I wish she would've been as vocal as he was.
I highlighted so many bits from him:
"Sam's hand brushed her shoulder, and she almost jumped out of her skin as he brought his mouth close to her ear and murmured, "You look beautiful. Though I bet you already know that." She most certainly did." - page 222.
The tension before they finally got together was incredible!
"The only secret I've borne my entire life is that I love you." He gave her a slight smile. "It was the one thing I believed I'd go to the grave without voicing." His eyes were so full of light that it almost stopped her heart." - Sam, page 325.
I CRY!!
And then, I proceeded to full on sob when I realized this vital connection from the previous books. Sam had shared with Celaena a tradition that he would say his name and that he wasn't scared as a way of calming his fears. Celaena took this tradition and carried it with her throughout everything she had endured following Sam's death. He's been this beacon of strength and love throughout everything she's been through.
It broke my heart (literally) to read Sam's death even though I anticipated it as it played a role in the series but reading her heartbreak was emotional. Sam loved her so fiercely. I really do believe that he would love whoever she was or would become. Adarlan's Assassin, the King's Champion, or Celaena/Aelin. He would just love her.
"But she squared her shoulders. Straightened her spine. "My name is Celaena Sardothien," she whispered, "and I will not be afraid." - Celaena, page 374.
This series is incredible and I'm ready to continue to be emotionally ruined.
⭑⭑⭑.5
While I really enjoyed this, I definitely have mixed feelings. I loved that many of the main characters were getting back together after they were separated the majority of book 3, but I found that Maas had shifted the characteristics of a few of the characters in a way that I didn't like. I'm all for character growth and development, but there were moments when actions and words didn't match the foundation laid out in the first two books.
Chaol is and will continue to be my love but I don't like what Maas did to his character. I feel like she was really trying to force the reader not to like him after she made us fall head over heels for him in book 2. I'm rooting for his happily ever after SO hard.
The ending also made me feel like we could've just stopped the series there. Of course, there are bits that aren't tied up completely but I feel like the major villains/plot points of the series thus far had been addressed. I plan to continue the series and am excited to see what's more to come, but I'm not rushing to do so and that disappoints me. I want the excitement and the rush to read and I'm not feeling it.
Really hoping to love book 5. I shall remain optimistic!
⭑⭑⭑
I went in blind, following along with the conversations on BookTok and definitely was not expecting the outcome.
I hated the majority of the characters and I think that was the point. They were all so horribly flawed in their own way, struggling to come to terms with the cards that they'd been dealt and also so desperate to find love and acceptance within themselves and those they love.
As a firm believer that there are people for "a reason, a season, and a lifetime" this book resolidified those beliefs. Each character played a role in advancing the lives of other characters, whether that be positively or negatively and the fact that there wasn't a "happily ever after" at the end of this was refreshing. It was more of a peaceful acceptance of what's happened and what's to come and that's much more realistic than everyone overwhelmed by joy.
There are so many books that I want to read I almost don't know where to begin. The goal of May is to (attempt to) finish the TOG series and then I'm going to dive into all of the incredible upcoming new releases (Carley Fourtune's Meet Me at the Lake and Elissa Sussman's One More with Feeling to name a few).
xx
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