Book Reviews

Book Review: Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

Happy Monday Bookish people! This is my second review for today, the first being City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab – the first book in the Cassidy Blake series. Tunnel of Bones is the second book in the Cassidy Blake series.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

Tunnel of Bones Plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This second book takes place in Paris and it was very nice for me because I have been to Paris once and I recognised a few different areas and that made it even more spooky for me and added to the atmosphere. Also there was a part where they visited the catacombs and that was one of my favourite scenes in the book because of how it forced the characters to react. This one felt darker than the first book in the series which I enjoyed.

Tunnel of Bones Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I have mentioned some of my thoughts of the characters in my review of City of Ghosts and the two main characters are Cassidy and Jacob and the main thing I like about them is the friendship, in this second book the dynamic of that friendship is changing a little bit and it gave the book a dramatic element.

Tunnel of Bones Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’ve also said this in my review of City of Ghosts but I love the writing of Victoria Schwab and I get along with it very easily so this series is very fun to read.

Tunnel of Bones Overall:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave this book four stars overall because I enjoyed it just as much as the first book in the series and I gave that book four stars so I gave the same rating to this book.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass’s parents are filming their TV show about the world’s most haunted cities. Sure, it’s fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there’s true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter — and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

And if Cass fails, the force she’s unleashed could haunt the city forever.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

Book Review: City of Ghosts by V E Schwab

Happy Monday bookish people! It’s time for another book review. This week I was updating my list of what books I have and haven’t written reviews for yet and I realised I had written a review for Bridge of Souls, the third book in the Cassidy Blake series by V E Schwab but I hadn’t written reviews for the first two books in the series. So today I will be posting reviews for City of Ghosts and Tunnel of Bones.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

City of Ghosts Plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This series follows Cassidy Blake and her best friend Jacob. Jacob is a ghost who has attached himself to Cassidy after something happens. This book is one of the first middle grade books that I have read since being an adult and it reminded me of how good the genre can be when it has a well thought out and intriguing plot. Cassidy’s parents are like a middle grade most haunted type thing, they travel to different cities and do documentaries about the history and the ghostly myths of places that are supposedly haunted. I loved the uniqueness of this part of the plot, I liked the irony of Cassidy seeing ghosts and her parents not knowing but they are doing a ghost show. The atmosphere of this book is perfectly balanced between the serious spooky nature of the towns and the things Cassidy and Jacob have to face and the relationships of family and friends.

City of Ghosts Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The two main characters are Jacob and Cassidy. I have some similarities to Cassidy in that she can’t help herself but get dragged into different scenarios because of her curiosity and that would definitely happen to me, I have no control over my curiosity whatsoever. Jacob provides an interesting dynamic because he’s so real and they have a great friendship but as a reader you are being constantly reminded he is a ghost and Cassidy is being reminded too.

City of Ghosts Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I haven’t got much to say here other than I love V E Schwab’s writing, I think I own nearly every single one of her books and her middle grade series is just as good. I don’t find the writing is too young for me or too simple which makes the reading experience enjoyable.

City of Ghosts Overall:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave this book four stars overall because I thought it was a great beginning to an interesting series.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspecters, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspecters head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Tags

’90s Movies Book Tag

Happy Friday bookish people! I was looking for something fun to post today and I thought I haven’t done a book tag in a while so I will have go at ones of them and so I chose the ’90s Movies book tag. I was born at the very end of the 90s so I wasn’t really a 90s kid but I have seen a lot of the films from that decade. I found this tag on Zeezee with Books’ blog but it was created by A Book Lovers Playlist. I hope you enjoy the book tag!

She’s All That: Name a book couple that are an odd pairing but they still fit perfectly.

For this one I instantly thought of Jeremy and Sophia from Deadly Curious by Cindy Astley. Jeremy is a new recruit to the Bow Street Runners who is investigating a murder and Sophia is the daughter of a wealthy family and she desperately wants to become a detective and constantly puts herself in the middle of the investigation to help with it. As a couple, they shouldn’t work but they do.

10 Things I Hate About You: A Book Series that you have a love/hate relationship with

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefavater. I have read the first book in the series and I didn’t love it but I liked it enough to continue the series, mainly because the premise is intriguing and I want to see what happens with it but I keep putting the second book on my monthly TBR’s and never getting around to reading it.

Clueless: A character that is totally clueless but you love them anyway

Kai in The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. He isn’t as clueless as he comes across sometimes but in comparison to Irene that is how he sometimes seems but I love him anyway.

Titanic: Name a book that made you cry

I can’t really answer this one, I actually can’t think of any books right now that have made me cry. There must be loads of them but I just cannot think of one.

American Pie: A Book that makes you laugh

The Spellslinger series by Sebastien De Castell, his books always make me laugh.

Can’t Hardly Wait: A book with a crazy party

This was a difficult one but what I came up with in the end is Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz. Technically the reader doesn’t actually see the party but they hear about it and how different people were acting during it.

Cruel Intentions: Name a character you can never fully trust

Victor Vale from Vicious by V E Schwab. He is a morally grey character that I love but I’m never completely sure what he’s doing is right or whether he will turn into a villian at some point in the near future.

Drive Me Crazy: Name your favourite boy next door or girl next door couple

For this one all I could think of is Eve Brown in Act Your Age Eve Brown, which I haven’t read yet but I feel that it gives off girl next door couple vibes.

Scream: A book with a memorable villian

Shadow and Bone. Whenever I read something about villians I always think of the Darkling. I’m not even sure why.

The Craft: Name a book with witches

Serpent and Dove is one of my favourite books with witches in, I loved everything about it – even though I haven’t gotten to the second book in the series yet. The magic system and the way the witches are treated is a part of the book that is written so brilliantly.

That’s it for this book tag, I hope you all enjoyed it! What books would you have said for your answers?

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos

Happy Wednesday bookish people! I am so excited to be part of the book tour for The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos. Thank you to Poppy Luckett for including me in this boom tour.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Mystery of Henri Pick Plot:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I went into this book thinking a mystery, that’s great, and there is a mystery within this book but it doesn’t seem to take up a lot of the plot. Actually, it didn’t feel to me like this book had very much of a plot. There is a couple who find a book in a shop in Crozon, Brittany and part of this shop is all manuscripts written by people and they were never published but in this shop you can go and read some of them if you like. I found this to be such a lovely idea and it seemed to give the book a slightly magical feel, even though there is no magic in the book. The books are filled with hope and then despair.

One of the main themes throughout the book is love, and more specifically lost love and whether you really know the people you love. All these different twisting tales of lost love and books that were loved before the authors were rejected fills this story and it becomes a short tale of something more. I wanted something more from the book, probably plot-wise although with this story it is hard to tell, because I found myself not very engrossed in reading it.

The Mystery of Henri Pick Characters:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

There are a lot of characters within this book so I am only going to talk about two of them. Firstly, Delphine Despero who is part of the couple who find the book supposedly written by Henri Pick. She is part of a publishing company and what I liked about her was the spirit of the character. She falls in love with the words on the page in a similar way to how I do and when she likes a book it was obvious. I liked how determined she is.

The second character I will talk about is her boyfriend, Frederick Koskas. I did not like this character at all. I am not sure if the author intended you to dislike him or not but there is nothing about him I like. Without spoiling too much, his character just gets worse, he gets more selfish and more caught up in himself and jealous of other authors even ones who are deceased. His character made this book a struggle to read.

The Mystery of Henri Pick Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

There’s not much for me to say here. I liked that the chapters were short because I felt like I was getting through the book really quickly and the writing style made me think of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

The Mystery of Henri Pick Overall:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I gave this book three stars overall because it needed something more for me to enjoy it and even though I liked the overall premise I didn’t get along so well with a few of the characters.

Blurb/Synopsis:

In the small town of Crozon in Brittany, a library houses manuscripts that were rejected for publication: the faded dreams of aspiring writers. Visiting while on holiday, young editor Delphine Despero is thrilled to discover a novel so powerful that she feels compelled to bring it back to Paris to publish it. The book is a sensation, prompting fevered interest in the identity of its author – apparently one Henri Pick, a now-deceased pizza chef from Crozon. Sceptics cry that the whole thing is a hoax: how could this man have written such a masterpiece? An obstinate journalist, Jean-Michel Rouche, heads to Brittany to investigate.

By turns farcical and moving, The Mystery of Henri Pick is a fast-paced comic mystery enriched by a deep love of books – and of the authors who write them. 

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

Book Review: Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you another book review of a book that is outside of my usual genre – Take A Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review!

Take A Hint, Dani Brown Plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I read the first book in the Brown Sisters trilogy, Get A Life, Chloe Brown, earlier this year and I was surprised how much I ended up enjoying it. It is rare for me to enjoy a romance book, I sometimes don’t mind romance in books but a romance book isn’t a genre I gravitate towards. However, as I said I enjoyed Get A Life Chloe Brown and so I was excited to continue the series. I have to be honest, after reading the synopsis of Take A Hint Dani Brown, I wasn’t sure if I would like the book because it features fake dating and that isn’t a trope I usually like. In this book, I didn’t love the fake dating aspect but I understood why it was there and it did add to the overall book. I enjoyed the story, less than the first in the series, but I still enjoyed it.

One thing I would like to mention that I liked a lot about this book was how anxiety and panic attacks were portrayed. I don’t talk a lot about my own mental health on here but I do have panic attacks and anxiety, I had two years where every time I tried to sleep I would have panic attacks and it took a lot to get through them, I’m not free of them now, I still get them daily, but I am much better at dealing with them. It was something that I struggled to see that I didn’t need to go through them alone and seeing one of the main characters in this book struggle with it too and see them start to accept help and support was a really nice thing for me.

I didn’t really like the end of the book, I can’t say too much without spoiling what happens but the way the end scene goes didn’t sit very well with me. It isn’t the last last scene of the book but it is near the end.

Take A Hint Dani Brown Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I loved Dani as a main character. I liked how confident in herself she is, which is completely the opposite to the way I am. I also liked how the character grows throughout the book and she becomes a great character, she has strong family values and I liked the way she interacted with other characters.

Zaf is the very charming love interest in this book. I really liked that this book switches around the stereotypical ideas of a romance. In this book the man is the overly romantic one and I thought this fit Zaf so well.

Take A Hint Dani Brown Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I already knew I liked Talia Hibbert’s effortless writing style from reading Get A Life Chloe Brown and reading Take A Hint Dani Brown only reinforced my opinion that I love her writing.

Take A Hint Dani Brown Overall:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave this book four stars overall because although I liked it less than the first book I still was surprised by how much I did enjoy this book. I think it is down to the way that Talia Hibbert writes her books, both the writing style and the plot.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral…

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Uncategorized

My 5* Predictions

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all good. Today I am bringing you a blog post about all the books I own and haven’t read yet that I think will be a five star rating. I believe there are nineteen books I think I will give five stars which in comparison to the 300+ books I own and haven’t read is not that many.

Up first is…

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

I am excited to get around to reading this book because I have seen so many people read it and love it recently which makes me really want to read it soon. Also, it is my first proper adult fantasy, as I am trying to branch out of YA. I will still be reading that genre just not as much.

Up next is…

Sabriel by Garth Nix

I bought the rest of this series after I read Lireal earlier this year. My partner persuaded me to read it, he even bought it for me that’s how much he wanted me to read it, and I ended up loving it so I think I will have the same reaction to the rest of the series including Sabriel and the book up next…

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

I also anticipate the next two books in a series will be a five star read…

The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale is a very dark fantasy read but I loved it! And I gave it five stars so I am excited to read the rest of the series and I have high hopes that I will enjoy them just as much as the first book.

Now the next group of books is also a series – this is a common theme for me, if I read the first book and give it five stars immediately I anticipate the rest of the series getting five stars too..

Queenslayer, Crownbreaker, Way of the Argosi and Fall of the Argosi by Sebastien De Castell

I absolutely love this series, I have read Spellslinger, Shadowblack, Charmcaster and Soulbinder so far and every single one of them has been so enjoyable. I haven’t actually given any of this series five stars so far but I really think the rest of these books are going to push me to giving that five star rating.

Finale by Stephanie Garber

This is the last book in the Caraval series, I love the first book. I gave Caraval five stars and it is one of my favourite books I have read. I didn’t like Legendary as much but I still liked it and I can’t wait to finish this series.

Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco

I loved reading Kingdom of the Wicked, the first book in the series, and the main characters are some of my favourites in all the books I’ve read. I can’t wait to be back in that world and see what happens next with Emilia and Wrath.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

I loved both her other books and something I really like is that they are all standalones and I get a full story all in one, it gives me a good feeling when I finish the book and so I am excited to read this one as well. I think it’s about nuns which sounds pretty interesting.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

The Truly Devious series is a great mystery series with plenty of twists to keep you guessing and I am hoping this next segment of that series is going to be just like that.

Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett

I am highly anticipating this book because to me it has the same structure as six of crows, with a heist and a group of misfits being forced together. This is the type of fantasy adventure I really enjoy.

Blood and Honey and Gods and Monsters by Shelby Mahurin

I loved Serpent and Dove and the whole premise of the story so I definitely think that the next two in the series will also be five star reads just like the first one.

and finally…

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The Tudors is my favourite period of history and I love any book that is about them and I have heard such good things about the Wolf Hall series so I am excited to try it.

That’s it for all of my five star predictions, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Uncategorized

25 book series I’ve Started and Not Finished

Happy Friday bookish people! I have been seeing a few different videos on BookTube where people look at the book series’ they have started and not finished yet. It got me thinking about how many series’ I’ve started and so I am making this post to share them with all of you! As you can tell by the title, there’s quite a few of them.. 25 actually which seems like a lot, well, it IS a lot but I honestly thought there would be more.

Let’s get onto the book series’ I’ve started and not finished!

The Spellslinger Series by Sebastien De Castell

I don’t know if there is a title for the series overall but I’ve just called it the Spellslinger series because the first book is called Spellslinger. My progress on this series is pretty good actually, I’ve read Spellslinger, Shadowblack, Charmcaster and Soulbinder so I only have two more books in the series left to read. And then I can start on the Way of the Argosi series which is like a spin-off series. I really like the blend of serious fantasy and comedy in these books and I find I can read them very quickly and enjoy every page. Also, on Monday I won the chance to be part of a zoom meet and greet with Sebastien De Castell which I am so excited for!

The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman

Again, I don’t know if The Invisible Library series is what these books are called but the first one in the series is called The Invisible Library. I haven’t read as many of this series as I would have liked to by now. I have read The Invisible Library and The Masked City. I’ve had the Burning Page on my TBR before but I didn’t get around to reading it. This series follows Irene who is a librarian spy, it is such an interesting premise for a character and the books have a variety of other fantasy creatures like Fae and Dragons.

Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo

I think I read this in the wrong order because I read the Six of Crows duology first – and loved them! – so when I read Shadow and Bone I felt I knew the world quite well. I have only read the first book in this series so far but I did enjoy it, especially the villain of the series, I do think this is a series I will get to eventually but it’s not one I’m in the mood to finish right now.

A Darker Shade of Magic series by V E Schwab

I got the first book in this series from a special edition box that Illumicrate did and it is a beautiful edition of the book. I loved the idea of having four different Londons and being able to travel between them. I have only read the first book in this series because the second and third ones are quite long but I am hoping to get to A Gathering of Shadows soon.

The Way Of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry

This series is set in Edinburgh and is a dark mystery series. I have read The Way of All Flesh, the first book in this series. I loved the atmosphere the book had and the mystery was eerie and dark and the reader is thrown right into the centre of the tension when the novel opens. I am looking forward to continuing this series over the Winter months hopefully.

The Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia Hibbert

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This series follows the three Brown sisters, Chloe, Dani and Eve and their romantic exploits. This is a genre I rarely read and if I do read it I don’t usually enjoy it. I read Get A Life Chloe Brown earlier this year and it surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a five star read but it was still good. I have the second and third book in this series on my TBR for November so maybe I will get this series finished this month.

Ship Of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar

I was put on the book tour for the second book in this series, Secrets of the Stars so I bought the first book in the series Ship of Shadows as well and read that before the tour. I’ve put this series on the list because the way Secrets of the Stars ended I think there is going to be at least one more book in the series.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

This is a series I am very excited to continue with very soon. I own all the books in this series but so far I have only read the first one, A Court of Thorns and Roses. A Court of Mist and Fury is on my November TBR and I can’t wait to be back in the world of Feyre.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

In this series I have read Three Dark Crowns, the first in the series and I liked it but I didn’t love it. I want to continue the series but it’s not very high on my priority list. I liked the sibling dynamic of the first book and the magic elements.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder follows Pippa and Ravi, who she meets in the first book, as they try to solve mysteries that from what I can gather steadily get more intense as the series goes on. I loved the feel of the mystery in the first book and I am looking forward to diving back into this series with the second book sometime soon.

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden

This series is so dark and mysterious and filled with folklore and superstition. I loved the Bear and the Nightingale, the first book in the series and I have been waiting for the winter nights to come again to curl up with a hot chocolate and continue this series.

Scythe series by Neal Shusterman

I read Scythe, the first book in this series a few years ago and I remember really enjoying the worldbuilding and the competition element of the first book and I want to continue the series but as with a few of the others it’s not high on my priority list because I don’t anticipate it being a five star series for me.

The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix

From this series I have read Lirael which is the second book in the series technically but Sabriel is sort of a prequel to the series. My partner was the one who got me to read this series and I ended up loving it. I don’t own them all yet but I am steadily buying up the series and looking for any chance to put them into my monthly TBR’s.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

This is one of my favourite book series’ I have read so far. I loved the first book, Caraval, and then I liked the second book, Legendary but not as much and I am excited to read Finale and finish up this amazing series. I’m worried the ending of the series will disappoint me but I am hopeful it won’t.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss

For this series I have read the first book and I have started the second book, European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewoman. I loved the different characters in this series and how the author has made it so the different characters are interjecting into the writing process.

Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer

I have read A Curse So Dark and Lonely from this series and I liked how it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling but it was so much more than that at the same time. I’m scared to read the rest of this series because of the reviews I have seen and how people say that it breaks their hearts. I cry so easily anyway so I will definitely cry at these books I think.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

I have read the Raven Boys, the first book in this series and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. I still intend to read the rest of the series but I’m not in any rush to do so.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

I have read Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair and The Hand on the Wall which is the main three from this series and I thought that would be the series finished but then the fourth book, The Box in the Woods, came out recently and of course I bought it because I loved the series and I am excited to continue with it.

Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco

This is another of my favourite series’ and I have read the first three books in it. I have read Stalking Jack the Ripper, Hunting Prince Dracula and Escaping from Houdini. My favourite of them was Hunting Prince Dracula and I didn’t enjoy Escaping from Houdini as much as the others but I am excited to finish the series soon.

The Prison Healer series by Lynette Noni

For this series I have read The Prison Healer and liked it and I think it has potential to be a great series. I own The Gilded Cage but I haven’t read it yet and Blood Traitor hasn’t been released yet.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

I really enjoyed the mystery in the Thursday Murder Club and the original premise of a group of elderly people being the investigators. I love the comedy in the series too. I recently bought The Man Who Died Twice and I’m hoping to read it very soon.

The Kingdom of the Wicked series by Kerri Maniscalco

I loved Kingdom of the Wicked the first book in this series, especially the character of Wrath and the dialogue between him and Emilia. I am so looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

I read Serpent and Dove on my way to Hampshire earlier this year and I loved it, I gave it five stars but I haven’t gotten around to continuing the series yet.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn

I have read the first book in this series and I enjoyed the premise of it and the found family aspect. It slightly reminded me of Six of Crows in that way and with the heist. I am looking forward to reading the second book and I love the title of the third book in the series: Glorious Poison.

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

This is the final series of my list of the book series’ I have started and haven’t finished yet. I read The Beautiful, the first book in the series and honestly I don’t remember a lot of what happened in the book but I do own the second book and I want to read it soon.

That’s it for this blog post, I hope you enjoyed reading about what series’ I have started and I haven’t finished reading yet, let me know if you have read any of these book series’!

Monthly TBRs

November TBR

Happy Tuesday bookish people! I was meant to be putting this post up yesterday but I ran out of time because my partner and I were visiting his parents. So I’m putting it up today instead!

This month I have used the prompts for Believathon round 4: Escape from the Jungle – hosted by Gavin from How To Train Your Gavin on YouTube, but I am twisting the rules just a little bit…

The premise of the Readathon is to read middle grade books that fit the prompts – there are thirty prompts in total. I don’t own that many middle grade books so I am just going to use any books I have to fit the prompts and get some of the middle grade I own in there as well.

Onto my TBR for November!

November TBR:

  • Take A Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert – This is from my October TBR but I still want to read it so I have moved it to this month
  • Rivers of London by ben Aaronovitch – another book taken from my October TBR
  • Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert – and another brought from October
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – it is about time I read this book, I have had the whole series for ages now
  • The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson – have read one or two of her books before and really enjoyed them so I am looking forward to this one.
  • The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon – this is a series I have seen a lot of good things about
  • The Howling Hag Mystery by Nicki Thornton – this is the first middle grade book on my TBR so I’m excited to get this one on there
  • Rose by Holly Webb – this is a book that was a favourite of mine when I was a child and I am looking forward to trying it again now
  • Fable by Adrienne Young – I love books that feature water so I have high hopes for this one
  • Shadowscent by P M Freestone – I’m not sure how I will find this one but hopefully I enjoy it
  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I’m so excited to finally get around to reading this one and to be back with Feyre and Rhysand
  • Pages and Co by Anna James – another middle grade that sounds like it will be really good
  • Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T A Willberg – this was on my October TBR but now I am really in the mood to read it
  • The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino – I’m scared to read this one
  • Ghostsitters by Angie sage
  • Vampire Brat by Angie Sage
  • Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey – a book about a book shop, I’m definitely excited about it
  • Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare – I am excited but scared to read this book
  • The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson – I love the cover of this book
  • By the Book by Amanda Sellet – I really want to read this book immediately
  • These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan – I love books with fae in them
  • Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
  • The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
  • Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

That’s it for my October TBR I hope you enjoyed it and let me know in the comments if you have read any of these and what you thought of them!

Monthly Wrap Ups

October Wrap-Up!

Happy Monday bookish people! It is the first of November and that means it is time to share with you my wrap up for the month of October.

October was once again a really busy month for me, I officially started my PhD course and I have had to sort lots of things out in preparation for my Masters graduation while also dealing with some issues with my health. It has been a long feeling month that is for sure, but we are now in November and I am feeling great about reading and the books I have chosen (my November TBR post will be going up later today!).

So, in October I was planning on reading lots of spooky books and mysteries and… well, I didn’t do as well with my TBR as I’d hoped. I wasn’t feeling the books I had on my TBR when it came time to read them and then now – the first day of November I am really in the mood to read them. That is very annoying.

Anyway, let’s get into what I did and didn’t read in the month of October!

October TBR and Thoughts:

  • A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – I did not read, I was very excited this book was finally on my TBR but I just didn’t get a chance to pick it up.
  • Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – another book I was so excited for but didn’t get around to.
  • Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert – I didn’t read this one but it has been moved to this month’s TBR…
  • Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco – I NEED to get around to reading this soon but I didn’t manage it in October
  • City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab – I did read this one, I actually read this entire trilogy this month
  • Cream Buns and Crime by Robin Stevens – I also read this one
  • The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – I did not read this one
  • Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff – I’ve heard such good things about this one but I haven’t read it yet
  • Good Girl Bad Blood by Holly Jackson – I didn’t get to this one
  • Legendborn by Tracey Deonn – I’m disappointed I didn’t get to this one it was the perfect month for it
  • Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T A Willberg – This is the one I’m now really in the mood to read so I’m just going to do it, I’m going to read it in November
  • Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – I am so scared to read this because I heard it’s classed as a horror so I didn’t read it in Ocotber
  • Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – I did not read this one
  • Once Upon A Crime by Robin Stevens – I did read this one
  • One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus – I did not read this one
  • People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield – I didn’t get around to this one but I am very excited to read it soon
  • Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price – I did not read this one
  • Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch – I didn’t read this one
  • Take A Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert – I didn’t read this one
  • The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino – Another book I was too scared to read
  • The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine – it turns out this book is from a series and I don’t have the first ones in it and I’m not sure if I need to read them first
  • The Winterhouse Mysteries by Ben Guterson – another book that it turns out is in a series and I didn’t read because I don’t have the first few to read before this one
  • The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava reid – I did not read this one

So, out of my TBR I read five of the books which isn’t great but it isn’t awful either. Outside of my TBR I also read the first three books in the Araminta Spook series by Angie sage which takes my October total to eight books. Considering everything that has happened this month I’m pretty happy with that total. Although I definitely plan to read more in November so we will see how that goes.

That’s it for my October wrap-up I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know how you all did with your October reading.

friday first and lasts

Friday First and Lasts Round 3

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day so far. Today I am bringing you the third round of my Friday First and Lasts segment. For today’s round I will be giving you three first and lasts which I hope you will enjoy!

Up first is:

No Number Nine by F J Campbell and The Secrets of the Stars by Maria Kuzniar

“Philippa Mitchell was eighteen when she left England/ it was her home” – This one actually works really well together, which surprised me but I like the sentence that it created.

Next is:

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson and Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black

“Dead-eyed that’s what they said wasn’t it?/ Consider it done” – ooh now this one works so well together! It gives me a very strong murder mystery from the POV of the murderer vibe, that’s probably a little strange but there you go. And both books were written by a Holly which shouldn’t make me as happy as it does.

My final one for today is:

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey and Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

“There’s a bird in the store/ with a wry smile he said seriously “I know”” – okay. There’s so much to say about this one. It does work, grammatically but honestly, if there was a bird in a shop that I was in just flying around and someone with me just said ‘I know’ I would be so irritated with them… although maybe that does work for this one..I’m not sure, let me know what you all think.

That’s it for this week, I hope you all enjoyed it!