the books of April

It's so exciting having my own website! I wish I could adequately express how STOKED I am to be in this position. That being said, I figured I would post my first blog entry as a website owner about one of my favorite things: books. My goal in April was to read 4 books, and I ended up finishing 7 (!!!!)

Missing Persons: The Rose Queen- M.E. Rabb
This is a cute YA novel about two sisters who have recently been orphaned, and who, more or less, steal their fathers life insurance money so that they can stay together, since their stepmom seems hellbent on seperating them. They find themselves settling down in a small town in Indiana, and between hiding from their stepmom, keeping their stories straight on where they came from, and being the prime suspects in a kidnapping, the two have their hands full.
This isn't a must-read by any means, but it's cute, and will definitely keep you entertained.

The Mistress of Rome- Kate Quinn
The Mistress of Rome follows Thea, a Jewish slave in a prominent Roman household. When she wins the affection of the top gladiator, the same gladiator that her mistress intended to seduce, she is sent off to be a prostitute, as far away from Rome as she could be.
Years later, Thea is a singer for the Roman aristocrats, and she has caught the eye of the Emperor. When the Emperor proves to be a monster, it takes the strength of not only Thea, but her former lover, a kind-hearted senator, his tormented son, and an unlikely priestess, to stop their ruler, and the spiteful Lepida Pollia.
Again, not a must read, but I would definitely reccommend it. I recently learned that this book was the first in a series, and I intend on reading the next few.

Angels and Demons- Dan Brown
I LOVE the Robert Langdon novels. I love conspiracy theories to begin with, but Dan Brown brings symbology and conspiracies to life and can entertain for hours and hours and hours.
Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harvard, is summoned to a Swiss research facility to help analyze a symbol found on a dead physicist. He is then launched into the world of the Illuminati, an ancient brotherhood who have started their revenge on the Catholic Church, and have stolen one of the most destructive elements, something known as anti-matter, to obliterate the Vatican. Langdon finds himself in Rome with Vittoria Vetra, the daughter of the murdered physicist and his partner in creating anti-matter, racing against time to solve the mystery of the Illuminati before the anti-matter takes effect.
100% a must read, along with the rest of the novels in the Robert Langdon series. Seriously, they are phenomenal.

Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn
Amy Dunne is missing, and all signs point to her husband killing her. Between his maxed out credit cards, her incriminating journal, and his reputation among her friends, there is hardly a doubt in anyone's mind that he was guilty. The problem? Nick didn't kill his wife, and after discovering that his wife knew about his affair, he is convinced that she's trying to frame him.
Amy is crazy, and I want to be her best friend. If you don't read the book, watch the movie, because even though she's insane and will stop at nothing to get her revenge, you can't help but cheer for her.

Rebel Queen- Michelle Moran
I'm a huge Michelle Moran fan, because she is a master at historical fiction. This novel is about Sita, a young girl living during England's attempted take-over of India. Sita, a girl from a small town, with little money or power in her family, trains to become a member of the Queen's personal army. When she wins the affection of the Queen, she must prove her loyalty by defending her Queen against the British, who are planning to overthrow her by any means necessary.
This wasn't my favorite of the Michelle Moran books, but it was definitely a good read. I would recommend it if you're interested in historical fiction.

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood- Ann Brashares
I always forget to list The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as one of my favorites, because it certainly is. It doesn't have the humor of The Princess Diaries, or the action of Harry Potter, but it's a phenomenal series.
Though I'm sure most of you know the premise of the series (a magical pair of pants, basically), this book is about Bridget strengthening ties with her grandmother, Carmen dealing with her mom dating, Tibby dealing with the death of a friend, and Lena getting over a broken heart.
Again, I would 100% recommend this series, even just for a fun read.

The Rose and the Dagger- Renee Ahdieh
FINALLY, the sequal to The Wrath and the Dawn (one of my newer favorites) is here. I went out and bought this the day it came out, and finished it by the next afternoon.
Shahrzad has been reunited with her family, albeit reluctantly, who have taken refuge with a group of soldiers who are conspiring against her husband. Feeling herself torn between her husband and her family, Shahrzad learns how to use the magic that she had never known she possessed, to help her husband, her family, and her kingdom.
Writing a summary for this book is difficult, because I don't want to give too much information away about the first book. However, it was a great way to end the story of Shahrzad and Kalid, to the point that another book in the series would just be too much (think Sara Shephard with PLL). I keep saying that everyone should read The Wrath and the Dawn, and now, the Rose and the Dagger



Because I've read 4/7 of these books before, my goal for May is to read, at least, 2 books that I haven't read before. Though I have quite a few books on my shelves that fit that criteria, I'd love to get recommendations. I love YA novels, historical fiction, and adult fiction, especially when there is a love story involved. I also love stories with conspiracy theories, because honestly, who doesn't?
If you have a recommendation, feel free to leave a comment, write on my facebook page, or @ me on twitter!