An Engaging and Intriguing Gothic Thriller <3 | ARC Review: The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell

As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?

Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them.

But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back…

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Heartbreakingly Hopeful Journey of a Young Girl from The Turmoil of Afghanistan |ARC Review: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Kabul, 1978: The daughter of a prominent family, Sitara Zamani lives a privileged life in Afghanistan’s thriving cosmopolitan capital. The 1970s are a time of remarkable promise under the leadership of people like Sardar Daoud, Afghanistan’s progressive president, and Sitara’s beloved father, his right-hand man. But the ten-year-old Sitara’s world is shattered when communists stage a coup, assassinating the president and Sitara’s entire family. Only she survives. 

Smuggled out of the palace by a guard named Shair, Sitara finds her way to the home of a female American diplomat, who adopts her and raises her in America. In her new country, Sitara takes on a new name—Aryana Shepherd—and throws herself into her studies, eventually becoming a renowned surgeon. A survivor, Aryana has refused to look back, choosing instead to bury the trauma and devastating loss she endured. 

New York, 2008: Thirty years after that fatal night in Kabul, Aryana’s world is rocked again when an elderly patient appears in her examination room—a man she never expected to see again. It is Shair, the soldier who saved her, yet may have murdered her entire family. Seeing him awakens Aryana’s fury and desire for answers—and, perhaps, revenge. Realizing that she cannot go on without finding the truth, Aryana embarks on a quest that takes her back to Kabul—a battleground between the corrupt government and the fundamentalist Taliban—and through shadowy memories of the world she loved and lost. 

Bold, illuminating, heartbreaking, yet hopeful, Sparks Like Stars is a story of home—of America and Afghanistan, tragedy and survival, reinvention and remembrance, told in Nadia Hashimi’s singular voice.

A Feel Good, Heartwarming *MUST READ* Queer Middle Grade Fiction <3 | ARC Review: Me, My Dad and The End of The Rainbow by Benjamin Dean

The rainbow-filled, JOYOUS debut from a hugely exciting new talent. Perfect for 9+ readers and fans of Lisa Thompson, Elle McNicoll and Onjali Rauf’s bestselling THE BOY AT THE BACK OF THE CLASS.

My name’s Archie Albright, and I know two things for certain:
 
1. My mum and dad kind of hate each other, and they’re not doing a great job of pretending that they don’t anymore.
 
2. They’re both keeping a secret from me, but I can’t figure out what.

Things aren’t going great for Archie Albright. His dad’s acting weird, his mum too, and all he wants is for everything to go back to normal, to three months before when his parents were happy and still lived together. When Archie sees a colourful, crumpled flyer fall out of Dad’s pocket, he thinks he may have found the answer. Only problem? The answer might just lie at the end of the rainbow, an adventure away. 

Together with his best friends, Bell and Seb, Archie sets off on a heartwarming and unforgettable journey to try and fix his family, even if he has to break a few rules to do it…

It’s Time For An Amazing April <3 | Anticipated Reads of April 2021

Oh dear Lord.. I have no idea whatsoever where the time is flying this year. It could have been because March, honestly was the busiest month of the year for me.. till now. Really hoping that the trend doesn’t continue in the month of April or even the coming months – I cannot and will not be able to handle this gruelling phase *teary eyed*

Which means that audiobooks became my best friend this past month and I have a strong suspicion that my ever growing pile of immediate TBR is actually planning on murdering me; not that it would ever stop me from adding more to that pile, with today’s list of my Most Anticipated Reads of April 2021 *winks*.

As always, this is not the total list of all the books being released in this particular month; these are the books that I am looking forward in this month – and maybe just maybe update, the list with my review links at the end of the month, so that ya’ll can access to the reviews without any issues!

If you would like to, you can also check out January 2021, February 2021  and March 2021 Anticipated Reads as well.