The April Round-Up!

April Showers - nah, not where I'm from. April for my town was a mess of freezing winds and blizzards. That's right - snow. Snow in April! Difficult to walk through, yes - but it did give me more opportunities to curl up with a blanket and a good book. Here's what I read in April:

*April Winners*

The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch. High Fantasy. A+

Pros: Great setting, rich character development, exciting story, interesting backstories. Cons: Pacing is a little slow at the beginning, but totally worth it.

Black Silk, by Judith Ivory. Romance, Historical. A+

Pros: Gorgeous language and detail, clever manipulation of historical romance tropes. Cons: Slow and subtle pacing may be a little too slow and subtle.

No April Duds this time around - the worst books I read only merited C+ grades, so I figured that's not nearly bad enough to label them duds.

*Best of the Rest*

Kiss the Morning Star, by Elissa Janine Hoole. YA, Contemporary. A-
Pros: Thoughtful integration of religion into the plotline. Exquisite writing style. Cons: Wonky pacing, inscrutable character decisions, abbreviated ending.

The Killing Moon, by N.K. Jemisin. High Fantasy. B
Pros: Original and detailed world building, interesting plot, diverse characters. Cons: Uneven worldbuilding leaves plot holes, characters are colourful but shallow.

42. Film Review. Historical. B
Pros: Great baseball scenes, a winning performance from Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. Cons: Emotionally heavy-handed plotting, Harrison Ford's mumbling line reads.

Simply Love, by Mary Balogh. Romance, Historical. C+
Pros: Nuanced heroine. Interesting mother-son relationship. Lovely setting. Cons: Slow pacing and too little conflict. Overabundant and intrusive prequel- AND sequel-baiting.

The Mockingbirds, by Daisy Whitney. YA, Contemporary. C+
Pros: Excellent depiction of recovery from assault. Awesome female characters. Cons: Central gimmick is just that - a gimmick, and a boring one at that.