 Hello my darling extraterrestrials, I am Kim, this is Dustmotes and Velikor, and this is my April wrap up. As you may recall from last week's video, by the way, I apologize for the six tangents I went on in that video, but as you may recall, April has been a difficult reading month for me, as evidenced by the fact that it's May now. Nevertheless, I managed to read nine books in April, despite multiple other projects and utter exhaustion, but I did it, I did it, and it's done. Onward to the lists. Now the first book I grabbed after I got over Conjuring of Light, which was not easy by the way, was Tempest and Slaughter by Tamara Pierce, and Tamara Pierce is one of my favorite authors growing up, so this was a big deal. This book follows Numer Salmolin back when he was still Arum Draper, a easily bored, super powerful mage child still learning his craft. This book has the steady pace of a journey, and while there aren't any major twists and turns, it really grounds you in who Arum is as a person. While it's definitely a worthwhile read, the overall impression it gives is that it's setting up for something bigger. Next was a premature reread of Strange the Draper. The sequel doesn't come out until October, but I saw a post on Tumblr that was like, and then I just had to read it, you know? The library knows its own mind, and when it steals a boy, sometimes we let it keep him. Lady Taylor. Ode to Lady Taylor. Yeah, so I tortured myself with that one again. Um, my Strange the Dreamer book gush is here, but uh, it is very spoilery. There are many, many spoilers as evidenced by the title that says, here there be spoilers and big capital letters, so just be warned. Third of the month was Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. This is a fey retelling of Beauty and the Beast, where a young woman is groomed her entire life to marry the gentle lord, the ruling trickster fey of the land, as well as to be his assassin, thus lifting the curse upon her land. But in this world, getting what you wish for has a tendency to get you killed. The Hazelwood by Melissa Albert is a spooky, spine-tingling fairy tale of fairy tales. My full review can be found here, but if you are into the otherworldly and the insane, this one's for you. Wild Beauty by Anne-Marie Macklemore. I think that's how you say her name. It sounds like Macklemore, but it's Macklemore. It is a lush, rhythmic dance of imagery. The prose so rich, you can almost taste the flowers. The five Nulme Elvives cousins are cursed, as are all of their foremothers before them, and they cannot leave La Prevera, the gardens that they have cultivated for generations. Flowers, seed, take root and bloom at their command, and they have been cast out of every other place as witches. And now they have come here, and when they leave, the land pulls them back, hurting them until they return. And on top of that, all five girls are in love with the same girl. This book is beautiful and a little gay, or maybe a lot gay. And I love it. Volumes one and two of the ancient Magus Bride. This one's a little weird. No, it's really weird. I'm going to be honest, it's really weird. He is a century-old, faish, something or other. She is a literal child with a very rare magic power, and she's destined to die really young. He bought her at an auction. They don't get married immediately, but he just takes her on as an apprentice. But it's very clear that his intention is still to marry her. The whole thing has me side-eyed real hard. The rest of the series isn't due yet, so I might give it another try. But there's a major ski factor to it. I finally got my priorities in order, and I read The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Hallig. Highlig? Highlig. Nix has lived her entire life on a pirate ship that travels through time, navigated by her opium addict father, on a desperate quest to get back to a time when her mother was still alive. High adventure and a romance deeply rooted in friendship. The story is about growing up and seeking the horizon wherever it may take you. Finally, To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christow. My full review can be found here. This is the story of a young siren princess's quest to redeem herself in the eyes of her mother, but she ends up finding herself along the way. So nine books this month, I am behind again on my Goodreads challenge, but we can try and pull it back up in May. We'll see how it goes. Let me know what you're reading right now. Come talk to me about books. I love talking about books. But seriously, come talk to me about books. Aviento!