April recap: Plot twists, cliffhangers, and our growing TBR
This month’s pick, When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker, gave us plenty to talk about. From the violent opening chapters to the tangled timelines and everything in between, we were fully invested in Raeve’s story and had a lot of feelings about how it all played out.
We all agreed that Raeve is one of the best female leads we've read in a while. She's intense and clever (and just the right amount of unhinged!). There were definite Throne of Glass vibes with some characters, but this story stands on its own. The world is complex and layered, and the pacing made it hard to put down.
The plot had us in thrall. A few theories were thrown around, for example: who Fallon really is, whether the scar on Raeve's chest is her dragon's last shard, and how exactly she came back to life. There was also some strong disagreement on whether Essie had to die. (For the record, I think it had to happen to play into Raeve's storyline of always losing the ones she loves. Essie was just the unfortunate current-time character that Raeve cared for. That doesn't make it any less devastating!) And the ending had us all gripping the edge of our seats!
When we started this book, we planned to pick up the second when it was scheduled to be released in October this year, but now that the release date has been pushed to February 2026, we're crying! So we've already planned to do a reread closer to February, just before the sequel comes out.
So what's next?
After going back and forth over a few options, we settled on Praise by Sara Cate as our May pick. No one in the group has read it yet, but we are expecting it to lean spicy and emotionally messy. We'll meet again at the end of May to discuss that one, so if you want to read along, now is the time to grab a copy.
Outside the main pick, we also chatted through a handful of recent reads and TBRs. Here's a short list for anyone who wants to keep the momentum going:
Under Your Scars by Ariel Anderson (romantic tragedy with some heavy themes – definitely check the trigger warnings)
Phantasma (surprisingly great read with forbidden attraction, deadly competition, and high stakes)
Blood and Steel by Helen Scheuerer (book 1 in an epic fantasy romance series with a strong heroine, enemies to lovers slow burn, and prophecy – great dual POV audiobook)
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson (mystery-driven, save-the-world stakes, fantasy with light sci-fi elements; this was our intro into the Cosmere, and now we want more!)
Cursed Fates and Fated Throne from the Zodiac Academy series (this entire series is my guilty pleasure... I love it, I hate it, I can't get enough of it. It has everything: fae, vampires, werewolves, unicorns, sirens, dark academia, fated mates, bully romance, prophecy, love triangle, redemption arc, the list goes on!)
We also talked about the absolute game-changers that Kindle stands and Bluetooth page-turners are. The group shared how life-changing their setups have been, especially for reading in bed without freezing their hands off.
As always, the conversation drifted into other corners of our reading lives. We talked about favorite romance authors, regretted a few impulse book buys, and swapped opinions on Greek mythology retellings. It is never just about one book, which is the whole point.
We will be back next month with thoughts on Praise, a few new recommendations, and more.
Until then, happy reading!
