Hello bookish lovelies! As it’s the first of May I thought I would let you know what I’m planning on reading this month – as always if you want to read along with me then send me a message, I’m always happy to buddy read – especially after 2 awesome experiences in April! I am determined to make May the month I finish Priory of the Orange tree too. I’m trying to be realistic given that I have half of that to read still and I want to get back to reading at least one Indie title a month too, so thats a good place for me to start!

Dark and Bright by PM Hernandez

I discovered PM Hernandez a couple of years ago and I’m a big fan of her Earthborn series. Dark and Bright is a new series for maturer YA readers of 16+ because of the themes it covers, but given that I really enjoyed her earlier books, I have high hopes for this.

WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING INSIDE THAT YEARNS TO BREAK FREE . . . 
Caroline Franx lives in isolation because her father, a world-renowned geneticist, worries about her fragile health. Despite having everything her heart desires, her days are sometimes lonely and tedious. Sacrificing a normal life for safety never bothered her until she meets a handsome gardener who makes her want to experience the world beyond the confines of her home.

Ethan Ramirez is no gardener. He’s at the Franx estate to unearth the atrocities his team is certain the good doctor is committing and bring those crimes into the light of day. The pretty Caroline seems like an angel, but Ethan soon wonders if she’s cloistered on the estate for her protection or for everyone else’s. 

Finale by Stephanie Garber

One of the buddy read’s I completed in April was of Legendary as I wanted to have the series fresh in my mind for when Finale released. I struggled with Legendary on my first read as it continued on directly from the closing stages of Caraval and I sadly couldn’t remember the finer points – I’m good to go though now and I’m so excited to find out how it all ends! I’ve also got a pre-order from Waterstones to get the full set of hidden covers 🙂

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…all games must come to an end.
It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.
Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.
Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything. . .

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber

This was the March Fairyloot pick and as usual it’s perhaps not a book that I would have chosen myself, the title if i’m honest didn’t inspire me. However, I love the cover and the premise sounds good, although the last time I read characters in a maze Cedric Diggory didn’t do well (and don’t get me started on the maze in the podcast of “my dad wrote a porno” bleugh)

Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port receive a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. Every year, the poorer residents look to see that their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.
In the province of Caldon, where women are trained in wifely duties and men are encouraged into collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her Mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.
With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone’s ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the maze

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

This is a book that I saw everywhere on social media for it’s release – Titan books really know how to run a good campaign. The cover is beautiful and I loved the blurb. I managed to pick up a signed hardback copy from Forbidden Planet in February and I’m excited to step into this world!

January is a dying planet – divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the wastelands outside.Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead, after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.But fate has other plans – and Sophie’s ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world.

As I said, if you want to read along with me for any of these just let me know, and I’ll change up my schedule to fit – Happy Reading!