Books to look forward to in April

Y’all, there are some fabulous books coming out in April. I’m very excited about these in particular, and here’s why!

The Glittering Court – Richelle Mead

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A dazzling, romantic new fantasy series set in a mix of Elizabethan and frontier worlds from Richelle Mead, #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy.
Big and sweeping, spanning the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Courttells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.
Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies capable of arranging powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.
When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together, they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first, as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and later, when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.
But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands. . . .

I’ve been a fan of Mead’s since Vampire Academy, and I cannot wait for this book to come out. I read the preview that’s posted on her website, and I think I’m really going to enjoy this one. I love novels about people training themselves and getting ready for court, and this hits every button for me so far.  I tried and failed to get a review copy of this one, but everyone I’ve seen read it on Tumblr and Goodreads has loved it so far. Its birthday is April 5, 2016! Go grab your copy!

The Raven King – Maggie Stiefvater

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The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.
All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
In a starred review for Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Kirkus Reviews declared: “Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering close.” (via Goodreads)

I am fairly certain that The Raven King is going to break my heart, and possibly my fingers. If you haven’t read The Raven Cycle series, you are missing out on a maddening, beautiful series of books. Also, you’re missing out on Maggie Stiefvater’s twitter, which is just entertaining 90% of the time. The Raven King is due to be released on April 26, 2016, and I am so excited and terrified to finally read it.

Demigods & Magicians: Percy & Annabeth Meet The Kanes – Rick Riordan

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Magic, monsters, and mayhem abound when Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase meet Carter and Sadie Kane for the first time. Weird creatures are appearing in unexpected places, and the demigods and magicians have to team up to take them down. As they battle with Celestial Bronze and glowing hieroglyphs, the four heroes find that they have a lot in common–and more power than they ever thought possible. But will their combined forces be enough to foil an ancient enemy who is mixing Greek and Egyptian incantations for an evil purpose? Rick Riordan wields his usual storytelling magic in this adrenaline-fueled adventure. (via Goodreads)

This is actually just the first three crossovers that have already been published separately, but it also includes a sneak peek of Trials of Apollo, which should be interesting to read for the first time. I haven’t actually read the crossovers that are in this book, so I might just go ahead and buy it.

This book shares its birthday with The Glittering Court, so go grab a copy on April 5 if you haven’t pre-ordered already!

Eligible – Curtis Sittenfield

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This version of the Bennet family—and Mr. Darcy—is one that you have and haven’t met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help—and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.
Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master’s degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won’t discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane’s fortieth birthday fast approaches.
Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip’s friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . .
And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.
Wonderfully tender and hilariously funny, ELIGIBLE both honors and updates Austen’s beloved tale. Tackling gender, class, courtship, and family, Sittenfeld reaffirms herself as one of the most dazzling authors writing today. (via Goodreads)

Eligible is part of The Austen Project, which paired contemporary authors with the beloved classic Austen stories and challenged them to bring Austen into the new age. Other authors on the project include Joanna Trollope (Sense & Sensibility), Val McDermid (Northanger Abbey),  and Alexander McCall Smith (Emma).  Curtis Sittenfield, author of Prep and American Wife, was chosen to write Pride and Prejudice for this project, and that is how Eligible came into being.

I read Prep in high school, and American Wife about a year ago. I also happen to love Austen retellings, so when I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. As is the story with The Glittering Court, I tried and failed to get an ARC to review, but I will be reviewing it anyway once it comes out on April 19, 2016!

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