April reading round up...

Uglies (#1) by Scott Westerfeld
Book one is a YA dystopian trilogy this follows Tally and soon to be sixteen year old who is an Ugly. She can't wait for her Birthday so she can finally become a Pretty which means she will get cosmetic surgery to make her beautiful and exactly like all the other Pretties who get to spend their time having fun. But then she befriends Shay, who doesn't want to be Pretty and Tally has to decide what is more important to her. The concept of this series is really interesting but I found this very slow for the first half. Tally was not the most likeable protagonist (Shay was far more interesting) but the story really picked up towards the end- inevitably dragging me in and making me want to read the next book! 

The Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson
I was a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson when I was a kid, I'd eagerly await each new book, and this one was one of my favourites. I wanted to read it again to see what I thought of it as an adult. I think it's a mix nostalgia and the fact that it's a sweet story that made me still enjoy it but I must admit it does read like it's an adult writing as a child and sometimes sounds really dated and cringey. Despite that I still gave it 4 stars (and my favourite character is still Naomi.) 

Kiss Me First by Lottie Magach
An interesting dark thriller looking at real life vs online life. Read my full review here.

The Line by William LJ Galaini*
A time travelling sci-fi adventure about a team of historians and engineers who go back in time to observe past history. When they discover there is another traveller causing serious changes to the past they must try and find out who or what it is. This was an exciting story that I'll be reviewing in full next week. 

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins
This was an enjoyable crime thriller set in London. You can find my full review here.

Alex + Ada Volume 1 by Jonathan Luna & Sarah Vaughn
A sci-fi drama set in the not too distant future where you can buy androids with artificial intelligence. Alex is gifted android Ada, and at first is freaked out and wants to return her, but can't bring himself to do it. Frustrated with her lack of opinion or feeling he goes on a quest to find out what it is to be truly "real." Volume 1 introduced the characters, setting and story brilliantly without dragging or getting boring, and although set in the future was very real and believable. The art is fairly simplistic, and there is a lot of repetition which I think really helps to capture Alex's monotonous world. I raced through this and can't wait to get my hands on the next volume.

Alex + Ada Volume 2 by Jonathan Luna & Sarah Vaughn
True to my word I immediately ordered the next volume, and still love it. Alex and Ada are both really interesting and likeable characters and although this isn't a fast moving story it really kept me gripped right until the last page. Now I'm eagerly awaiting volume 3 in September! 

Lazarus Volume 1 by Greg Rucka & Michael Lark
Lazarus is a series set in a dystopian future where rich families rule what's left of the world. Each family has a Lazarus: a person created to be the strongest and best. This story is centred around the wealthy Carlyle family and their Lazarus called Forever. Although it doesn't particularly offer anything new to the genre I still enjoyed it and will definitely continue with the series.  

Outlaw Volume 1 by Robert Kirkman & Paul Azaceta
Outlaw is a new horror series from the creator of The Walking Dead about Kyle a man who has been plagued by demonic possession his whole life and decides he wants answers. This first volume is a great introduction to Kyle and his background, set in an eerie small town. I really enjoyed this and particularly loved the colours (by Elizabeth Breitweiser) which were stunning!

*A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review