April 2023 TBR

It’s April! Everything is in full bloom, and it’s time for my April 2023 TBR. Here’s what I’m planning to read.

Weyward

Synopsis:

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives–and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

I’m really excited to pick up Weyward. It sounds absolutely perfect for spring. Plus, I’ve heard so many good things about it. I think it will be a welcome break from the dense epic fantasy that I’ve been in in March.

Purchase

The London Seance Society

Synopsis:

May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium…

1873. At an abandoned chateau on the outskirts of Paris, a dark s ance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive S ance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

The London Seance Society is one of my most anticipated books of this year. I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, and this one has ghosts, so I think I’ll like it even more.

Purchase

Empire of Wild

Synopsis:

Joan has been searching for her missing husband, Victor, for nearly a year. Her M tis family has lived in their tightly knit rural community for generations, but no one keeps the old ways . . . until they have to. That moment has arrived for Joan.

One morning, grieving and severely hungover, Joan hears a shocking sound coming from inside a revival tent in a gritty Walmart parking lot. It is the unmistakable voice of Victor. Drawn inside, she sees him. He has the same face, the same eyes, the same hands, though his hair is much shorter and he’s wearing a suit. But he doesn’t seem to recognize Joan at all. He insists his name is Eugene Wolff, and that he is a reverend whose mission is to spread the word of Jesus and grow His flock. Yet Joan suspects there is something dark and terrifying within this charismatic preacher who professes to be a man of God . . . something old and very dangerous.

Joan turns to Ajean, an elderly foul-mouthed card shark who is one of the few among her community steeped in the traditions of her people and knowledgeable about their ancient enemies. With the help of the old M tis and her peculiar Johnny-Cash-loving, twelve-year-old nephew Zeus, Joan must find a way to uncover the truth and remind Reverend Wolff who he really is . . . if he really is. Her life, and those of everyone she loves, depends upon it.

I don’t know anything about Empire of the Wild. But I stumbled across it, and it sounded really interesting. I hope it’s as good as it sounds.

Purchase

Hell Bent

Synopsis:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of hell.. But Alex is playing with forces far beyond her control, and when faculty members begin to die off, she knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if Alex is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Lastly, I hope to read Hell Bent. I loved Ninth House. It ended on a major cliff hanger, so I need to know what’s happening. I’ve heard that it’s even better than Ninth House so I’m excited to dive into that world again.

Purchase

So that’s my April 2023 TBR. What are you reading this month?