Specs of the Month: April 2025

Welcome back to Specs of the Month for April. This coming month is a big one with six reviews lined up. Three are ARCs and three are older books that I’ve picked up. Throughout March I’ve also picked up a few more ARCs that I’ll be reviewing a few months down the line.

Updates

Platform Change

I figure it’s best to address the elephant in the room that is my platform change. Going forward, I will be on Beehiiv. I wasn’t on Substack for long I know, but a few things fueled this change. The biggest reason for the change is some of the controversies that I was not aware of when I initially started there. When I learned of them, and of the owner’s reaction to them, I was a little put off. That wasn’t the only reason for the change, however. There were a number of quality of life changes. Substack’s editor is not very good, and the Beehiiv editor can do things that it cannot. In particular, the Beehiiv editor has better controls over everything. Finally, I think that Substack is obsessed with the social media side of it. The app is notes focused and not publication focused and I found way more people engaged with notes, but I have Bluesky and Threads for that. I want people to engage with the publication.

ARCs

In the last two months I signed up for a few ARCs which I’m quite excited about reading. In February, I received Bee Keeper by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky is one of my favourite authors and I am so insanely excited to read that one. I hadn’t actually gotten around to reading the Dogs of War series so I’m doing that. I’m currently a quarter way through Bear Head and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I also managed to get The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. I’ve never actually read any Abercrombie, so I’m going in blind and I kind of like it that way. In March I managed to get my hands on Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond. I’ve been seeing this one around and I love the premise so I’m really glad I got approved for a copy.

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Reviews

The Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells

I have a confession to make. I’ve never actually read anything by Martha Wells. This is sacrilege, I know, so I’m making an effort to rectify this indiscretion. I’m starting with The Wheel of the Infinite, a standalone fantasy that was written in 2000. The review for it will drop on April 4th.

The Freeing of the World by A.M. Knight

Book 1 of Union of Man. I have a ARC for this through NetGalley and I’m quite excited to read it. From the blurb I got some A Song of Ice and Fire vibes. The Freeing of the World releases April 10th and my review will be out on April 8th.

Orchestra of the Gods by Damien Buckley

The first book in The Architects. I have been given an ARC for this novel through BookSirens. It’s a epic fantasy novel about a girl who gets a god trapped inside her. Orchestra of the Gods releases April 11th and my review will be out April 6th. 

Bear Head by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The second novel in the Dogs of War series. I’m reading and reviewing Bear Head in preparation for Bee Speaker which comes out in June. I loved Dogs of War and I’m really looking forward to this one. My review will be out April 15th.

Down in the Sea of Angels by Khan Wong

I was given and ARC for this novel through NetGalley. I applied for this one because the premise really intrigued me. I really love time jumping narratives and really want to dive right into this one. Down in the Sea of Angels releases April 22nd and my review will be out April 20th.

Aliens: Phalanx by Scott Sigler

Aliens in a medieval world? Why had I never heard of this book before? I love the Alien franchise and I’m always down for some different takes on it. My review will be out on April 30th.

Wrap Up

So that’s all for April. You may notice the distinct lack of films here. I don’t get a lot of time to go to cinemas or even sit down and watch a film in a single sitting, so you’ll see me only reviewing a film once in a blue moon.

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