Dear Readers, April was a good month for reading and catching up on my TBR, I read 6 books this month. I read almost all the books on my TBR, I switched one book.  My ratings for this month are 1 five star, 4 fours star and 1 two star. I read 2 graphic novels this month, 5 books in a series, 1 horror, 1 advance reader copies (thanks to Netgalley). I also started In the Lives of Puppets, by TJ Klune but have not finished it.

Five Star Reviews:

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage is a crazy psychological thriller debut novel about the most dysfunctional relationship between a mother and a child ever. The plot will get compared to The Omen, the Richard Donner film from the 1970’s, but where that plot involved a supernatural presence this book does not which makes it a little scarier. The writing in Baby Teeth is really great with a lot of really clever metaphors and passages. The pace of the book is really fast and very hard to put down. The theme and meaning running through the book is selfishness which all main characters have and is manifested in different ways: selfishness in career, selfishness in alone time, and selfishness of love. You could make arguments for which character was the most selfish. The psychological aspect of the book is done really well and is explained that even this C student in Psychology can understand. Hanna is a 7 year-old mute and a big part of the book relies on reading her gestures, which are described so well. I was never lost on what she was trying to convey. The ending was a little underwhelming I think it worked for the story but I was left wanting a little more. This story is crazy in a good way and goes to shocking places.

Four Star Reviews:

Descendant Machine by Gareth L. Powell is a smart science fiction adventure filled with witty dialogue. Descendant Machine is the second book in the Continuance book series. This book explores subjects like AI, black holes, and quantum physics. I do not have a brain for science at all but was able to understand these high levels of science that the book laid out. The story is told through 4 perspectives which works well and keeps it fresh; 3 are with the main action while the other perspective keeps the tension of the ticking clock scenario. The pace of the novel is pretty fast. There are twists all throughout. There’s double and triple crossing from characters. The standout of the novel is the witty sharp dialogue that makes every scene enjoyable. The humor is across the novel that really helps with the pace. I was asked to join the Book Tour for Descendant Machine by Titans books who provided me with a free copy via Netgalley. Descendant Machine by Gareth L. Powell is published on April 11 2023.

Chainfire by Terry Goodkind is a epic fantasy. Chainfire is book 9 in the Sword of Truth book series. This book is the start of the conclusion you can feel the story coming to an end and setting up an epic final battle. The pacing for this book is a little bit slow at the beginning, but steadily increases the pace after a pretty epic battle, and leads to a good paced finale. This book does end in a bit of a cliffhanger, the characters have just found out what happened and of a new danger that wasn’t even on their radar.  The plot involves Richard’s wife Kahlan missing but with no other character remembering she existed. So Richard remembers all of Kahlan’s relationship to the characters he’s trying to prove she existed as well as his own relationship.

Batman: Knightfall Volume 3 – Knightsend by Chuck Dixon is the final chapter in the epic series that covered 2 years of comics. Knightfall started with the super villain Bane breaking every inmate of Arkham Asylum. Where Bruce Wayne – Batman works tirelessly to arrest every criminal, Bane then confronts a weakened Batman and breaks his back. Bruce must make a quick decision to find a replacement and pick Azrael – John Paul Valley a former brainwashed assassin Bruce and Tim Drake – Robin have been working with. He takes down Bane but shuts Robin out as he slowly starts to go insane, which lead us to this chapter with Bruce Wayne’s back now heeled can he take down his former protege that is besmirching the Batman name. The story is split into two parts Knightsend and Prodigal Son. Both parts are good and have a clear beginning and end to each. This book was the easiest to read and the story had a clear vision on where it was going. At 642 pages this was one of the longest book but the best paced by far. The main villains are Killer Croc, Catwoman, Two-Face, Scarface, The Tally Man, and Lady Shiva, but the big fight is Batman vs. Batman. This is the first book that really starts the Bat family.

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 16 by Len Wein is the end of Spiderman’s adventures in the 1970’s to the 1980’s. Marvel Masterworks takes older comics and restores them with a newer glossy printing. Marriage is on the mind of many Spiderman side characters as Betty Brandt and Ned Leads get married and Harry Osborn and Liz Allen get engaged, putting undue pressure on Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. This issue leads Mary Jane to go on a date with Flash Thompson since Peter is not around. Peter is thinking about sharing his secret, that he is Spiderman, for the first time. This book is packed full of notable villains and great action scenes. The Villains featured are Doctor Octopus, Hammerhead, Kingpin, Jigsaw, The Lizard, and the latest version of the Spider Slayer. This volume also featured a couple of good guys like X-men’s Nightcrawler and The Punisher. The action scenes and Spiderman quips are great and make this volume stand out amongst others.

Two Star Reviews:

Goosebumps – The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena by R.L. Stine is the 38th book in the original series order. This book has one good idea and it is not the Abominable Snowman but a strange mysterious snow with some magic powers to freeze and make more snow. The Abominable Snowman did nothing for me it really wasn’t scary at all, and was barely in the story. The only scary moments are when the kids get lost in a whiteout in Alaska with no shelter. This book takes place in Pasadena, California and Alaska. The hot and cold of the locations work well for the story, as they show the extremes of both sides of temperature. The is one of the weakest for a Goosebumps book.