Happy Tuesday bookish people! I am happy to be bringing you my March TBR today. I have a good feeling about March, I am hoping to get a lot of reading done, there’s so many good books on my TBR that I desperately want to pick up. Also, it’s my birthday on the 25th of March! I’ll be 23 and I had actually forgotten how close it was, I hadn’t made a list and so I was trying to think of the books I wanted and put them on an Amazon wishlist here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3H1PW8BGD9KF7/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
Anyway, onto the TBR!
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
I have heard so many good things about this book and even though I am not usually the biggest fan of romance novels, I am willing to give each one a try though so we shall see if I enjoy this one or not.
Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey
Again, another contemporary romance book but I mean it has books on the front so at least I will enjoy the setting, also it has enemies to lovers from what I have read and I do enjoy that trope.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I loved The Starless Sea by the same author, it’s my favourite book and this seems to have the same magical realism so I am hopeful that I will really enjoy this book.
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
A historical murder mystery set on a boat. Of course I want to read this book.
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
I am so excited to continue this series, Emilia is one of my favourite female protagonists and Wrath is such a good morally grey character. I love it!
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
This is a book that I have been putting off for ages, well ever since I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses but I am excited to read it because I have heard it is the best book in the series.
City of Brass by S A Chakraborty
I have already started this book a year ago but I put it down for some reason and I haven’t thought about picking it up again until now.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
This is another book that I have heard really good things about so I am excited to read this one.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow
Witches in a historical setting, I am very excited about this book.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune
This books kind of reminds me of the Umbrella Academy but a bit more peaceful so that’s why I was drawn to this book to start with.
The Girl in the Tower by katherine Arden
this is the second book in the bear and the nightingale series and I absolutely loved the first book so I am really excited to continue this dark and wintery series.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
I have recently been enjoying books with an academic setting so hopefully I will enjoy this book.
Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder
This books sounds very interesting to me and a friend has read it and enjoyed it which makes me want to read it even more.
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
This looks like a very cute middle grade book. Plus I love the cover, it is very inviting.
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
This is the third book in the Invisible Library series, I really love Irene and Kai from this series and I can’t wait to see what adventures they are going to go on next.
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas
This is one of my most anticipated books of this year so I am nervous to read it, it is also huge so it might take me a while but I am very excited, I am trying my hardest to not see any spoilers for it.
That’s it for my march TBR, I hope you all enjoyed it! What are you planning on reading this month?
Happy Saturday Bookish people! And Merry Bookmas day 11. Today I wanted to share some of the books that have surprised me throughout this year. There have been quite a few books that have done this actually, for lots of different reasons. I will try and show a picture of each book, give the title and give a little bit of information about why the book surprised me.
I’ll start with two books from the same series…
The first two books that I want to mention are Get A Life Chloe Brown and Take A Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. These two books are part of the Brown Sisters trilogy, I can’t include the third book yet because I haven’t read it but I imagine it would give me the same reaction. I was surprised by these two books because they are adult romance books and romance has never been a genre that I have enjoyed all that much. However, Talia Hibbert’s books have a good balance between wit and the actual romance, she also includes a plot in the books which made it easier for me to enjoy. I also loved some of the characters. If you are interested in my full thoughts about these two books I have posted reviews of them both.
Another book that surprised me was…
The reason I was surprised by this book is because it is written almost completely in email correspondence. I knew this before reading the book and it made me think that I might not enjoy the book as much because I couldn’t see how the mystery would still have those character relationships and the tension that I like in a book. I was wrong because I ended up loving the book and thought that using emails was a brilliant choice on the part of the author.
Another mystery that surprised me was…
Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz surprised me because it is a large book and I hadn’t read anything by this author before. I was surprised that I was kept engaged in the complex and long mystery. It was one of my favourite books that I have read this year. I have a review of this book posted if you want to know my full thoughts on the book.
A historical book that I was surprised by is…
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. This book is, the first book in a series, about a woman, I believe in the Victorian period, who is thrown into the middle of a mystery. I wasn’t sure I would enjoy this book because I hadn’t read many historical mysteries but now it is a genre I actively look for when buying books.
Up next is a book that was bought for me..
Lireal by Garth Nix. This is a book that surprised me because it was recommended to me by my partner. He had showed it to me in the shop and I looked at the synopsis and thought it might be an okay book but I didn’t really feel like reading it but my partner bought it for me so then I had to read it. And of course, he was right, I loved the book and I ended up giving it five stars.
Up next is…
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy. I got this book after seeing lots of great reviews about it and I thought well, it sounds okay so I’ll give it a go. I was surprised I liked it because again it’s not my preferred genre but I did end up liking it.
The next one is part of a series…
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. I have only read the first two books in the series so far but I was surprised by them because of the premise of the series. If it is a book about books or librarians I’m almost guaranteed to love it. But I was less sure about this book because it combined librarians with the supernatural world of vampires and fae and spies. I was imagining a retelling of James Bond but it was nothing like that but I ended up enjoying it and continuing with the series.
The next book is a stand alone I put off reading…
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is another book that is way out of my usual genre, I had to fulfill a prompt for a readathon and I ended up picking Fangirl because it is a book about a girl who loves writing stories and fanfiction which to me is more relatable than some other romance/contemporary books. I was surprised that I actually became very emotionally invested in the characters, especially Cath and I gave the book five stars.
The final book for this list is…
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden surprised me because it is based on folklore and is a very dark book, there is a dark and cold atmosphere to the story. But I found the whole book to be beautiful, whimsical and magical. One of the best books I have read.
That’s it for the books that have surprised me in 2021, I hope you all enjoyed reading about it. What books have surprised you in 2021?
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!
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
Processed with VSCO with f2 preset
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’!
Happy Saturday bookish people! It is the end of July… this month has felt like a long one for me. I submitted my new PhD application at the beginning of this month and I’m not sure how I feel about it, the first time I sent in an application I wasn’t confident exactly but this time any confidence I might have had was completely gone. Anyway, I also got to see family in July which was really nice!
So in terms of reading for the month of July: Once again I did not complete my TBR, I’m not surprised about this at all because I had a couple of book tour reads I had to do and I spent four days in Hampshire and I mostly mood read for that. I packed five books and read four over this weekend so even though I didn’t read much off my TBR I still read a lot of books, I think my final number was fifteen. I’ll know for sure at the end of this wrap up.
Let’s see what I did and didn’t read this month!
My July TBR and thoughts:
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I did not get around to reading this (again) I will read it at some point but I need to be in a certain mood and have time to really get engrossed in the book, I mean Rhysand is in it so I’m definitely excited to read it.
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn – I read this one! I took this one with me to Hampshire and read it in the hotel room on one of the evenings, I really enjoyed this book and of course now I want the whole series. I will be putting up a review of this book very soon.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – I didn’t read this book. I am still very interested in this book I just didn’t have enough time this month.
Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin – I read Serpent and Dove in June and loved it, however I wasn’t ready to go back into this world yet so I will read this one in a couple of months time.
European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss – I have started reading this one but I have not finished it yet.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwaab – I haven’t read this one because I have a feeling it will make me cry and I didn’t feel like crying too much in July.
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah – I didn’t get around to reading this one either.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – I feel like I should read the final installment in the Shadow and Bone series first so I haven’t read this one.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonne – another one I haven’t read this month.
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch – I have read this one. I wanted a light and fluffy read, I didn’t quite get this but it was an okay read.
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth – big books strike again, I didn’t read this because it is a huge book.
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy – I read this one, this was my first read of the month, I really liked this one. I will have a review up for this book soon too.
Save the Date by Morgan Matson – I don’t read very much contemporary so I’m not surprised that I didn’t get around to this one.
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – again I was very much mood reading this month so I didn’t get to this one.
The Plague Letters by V L Valentine – I thought this book would be a bit dark for me this month so I didn’t read this one either.
Threadneedle by Cari Thomas – I didn’t read this one.
Finally Turtles All The Way Down by John Green – I di not read this one either.
So, from my TBR I read three books and started one other. Outside of my TBR I read some other books, these were:
Lirael by Garth Nix – which I ended up loving, my boyfriend suggested I read this and he was right about how much I would enjoy it. I will be putting a review up soon.
Charmcaster by Sebastien De Castell – I finally read this book, as with the rest of this series I very much enjoyed it.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – I have started this book and I’m nearly finished – it’s amazing.
That is my reading for this month, I read 13 books and started two others so overall this was another good reading month. I am actually pretty confident I will reach my 100 books challenge for 2021.
Happy Friday bookish people! I’m back with the next set of ten in my top 100 favourite book quotes series. We are getting so close to the end of this! I don’t know about anyone else but I’ve been enjoying making the lists (I LOVE lists, anyone else? No? Just me, okay…) and talking through my choices for my top 100. So, today’s is numbers 20 – 11 so when I said we are close to the end, we are really really close, as in next week will be the top ten….
But first, at number 20 is a book I got a special edition of…
A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwaab
20. “I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still” – this is a very well known quote I think and every time I hear it I wish I was a more adventurous person, although that will never happen because I quite like being in my comfort zone and alive.
Up next is a quote from a book I only rated three stars…
Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu
19. “We’re goddamn witches, don’t tell us we can’t”
At 18 is a quote from a sequel….
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
18. “Fear is a pheonix, you can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return”
At 17, is the first book in a duology…
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
17. “The heart is an arrow, it demands aim to land true”
Up next is a quote from a book I haven’t read yet but I love the series….
Queenslayer by Sebastien De Castell
16. “I’ve discovered that a death sentence can be some what liberating for someone who’s spent their life curtsying”
At 15 is the finale in a trilogy..
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
15. “I have plucked snowdrops at midwinter, died at my own choosing and wept for a nightingale, now I am beyond prophecy”
Next is a quote from a book I do not own yet…
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout
14. “You’re an absolutely stunning murderous little creature”
At 13 is a quote from one of my favourite books…
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
13. “Roses have both petals and thorns”
At 12 is a book from one of my favourite series’…
Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
12. “You are yours to give” – just yes.
And finally for this list of ten, a book with a library in it…
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
11. “It was always wise to be polite to books whether or not they could hear you”
That’s it for this weeks ten, I cannot wait to bring you my top ten next week!
Happy Friday Bookish people! I’m back with the next set of ten quotes in my top 100 favourite book quotes series. I hope you’ve all been enjoying it so far, I can’t wait to share with you what my top ten is, but we aren’t quite there yet. Only two weeks to go!
At 30 is a quote from a popular series with Fae in..
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
30. “kiss me again, kiss me until I am sick of it”
Up next is from a great murder mystery/thriller….
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
29. “one may smile and smile and still be a villain”
The next quote is from the ‘Queen of crime’….
Dead Man’s Folly by Agatha Christie
28. “if the foundations are rotten, everything’s rotten”
At 27 is a quote from one of my favourite books…
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
27. “every good story needs a villain”
Now a quote from a beautifully dark book…
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
26. “wild birds die in cages”
At 25 is from a duology…
Vicious by V E Schwaab
25. “plenty of humans were monstrous and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human”
Up next is a quote from a book I haven’t read yet…
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
24. “I turned my nightmares into fireflies and caught them in a jar”
Now a quote from a very unusual murder mystery…
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
23. “we are never more ourselves than when we think people aren’t watching”
At 22 is a book that I found very humorous….
The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
22. “Fantasy writers, they’re the bane of our existance”
And finally from the third book in one of my favourite series’….
Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
21. “most stories are too good to be true that’s what makes them enchanting”
That’s it for this week’s quotes, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Thursday bookish people! It’s the first of July! There’s so much happening this month: book tours, seeing family members, an outdoor murder mystery event! And because it is the first of the month it is time to show you what I’m planning on reading this month.
June went very well, I ended up reading twelve books, if you’re interested in seeing what I read I posted my June wrap up yesterday.
So once again for July I have given myself a large TBR, and that is before the books I need to read for book tours.
Onto my TBR for July!
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I am very much looking forward to reading this one. I read A Court of Thorns and Roses earlier this year and really enjoyed it.
A Curious Beginning by Jeanna Raybourn – I’ve found in the past year that I enjoy murder mysteries set in the victorian period so I’m hoping I’ll love this one too.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – it’s about time I get around to reading this series. I’ve had it on my shelves for over a year.
Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin – I have just read Serpent and Dove and loved it so I can’t wait to pick up the sequel.
European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewoman – I read the first in this series and I’m hoping to enjoy this one too now that I know the characters well.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwaab – I think I’m going to cry at this one.
The Killing at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah – I used to love all the Poirot books and the TV show so I’m hopeful about this one.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – I love the Grishaverse so much I can’t wait to be back in it.
Legendborn by Tracey Deonn – I’m excited for this one as I’ve heard good things about it.
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch – This is a contemporary so I’m not sure how it’s going to go but I don’t usually love contemporaries.
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth – I picked this one up by chance but I do enjoy a mystery.
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy – this one looks so good!
Save the Date by Morgan Matson – I have read some of her other books and enjoyed them so this one should be good too.
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – I loved the Bear and the Nightingale so I’m hoping to enjoy this one too.
The Plague Letters by V L Valentine – I’m so excited for this murder mystery.
Threadneedle by Cari Thomas – This book is absolutely beautiful!
Turtles all the way Down by John Green – I’m not sure if I will enjoy this book or not, I’ve never read any of his other books.
That’s it for my July TBR, I hope you all enjoyed it! What books are you reading in July?
Happy Friday bookish people! We are getting very close to the halfway point in this list. Today is numbers 70 – 61.
I’m going to get right into it, I hope you enjoy it!
At 70 we have a quote from one of my favourite books…
Crescent City by Sarah J Maas
70. “What blinds an oracle” – I love this quote because it kept me thinking about it all throughout the book.
At 69 is a quote from a book that I’m yet to read but is on my TBR this month…
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
69. “Our lives reflect our hearts”
68 is from a book that I read over a weekend readathon a few months ago…
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
68. “My soul sees it’s equal in you”
At 67 is a quote from a book series that I need to continue…
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
67. “The head is too wise, the heart is all fire” – I like this quote because of how real it is, the heart feels more emotion in the metaphorical sense.
Up next is from a book that I gave five stars…
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
66. “Mornings are wiser than evenings” – I like this one simply because I’m always awake early in the morning.
At 65 is a quote from a very popular series…
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas
65. “we are the thirteen. From now until the darkness claims us”
the next quote is from a spooky retelling..
House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A Craig
64. “we are born of the salt, we live by the salt and to the salt we return” – I loved this book, it was spooky and wonderful and this quote sums the book up.
At 63 is another retelling, at least I think it’s classed as a retelling…
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
63. “All legends have a spark of truth”
62 is from a book that has just been turned into a tv show…
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
62. “when people say impossible they usually mean improbable”
At 61 is from a book I haven’t got around to reading yet…
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
61. “all you children playing with fire looking surprised when the house burns down”
That’s it for this weeks group of quotes, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Monday bookish people! This is my fifth and final book review for today and it is for The Bear and the Nightingale. This book had a beautiful cover and I’m not ashamed to say that this was the reason I first bought this series. I can’t help myself with beautiful covers!
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!
The Bear and the Nightingale plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The plot of this novel starts off slow, allowing us to be introduced to the town and the people in the town. Particularly Vasilisa and her family who are the main characters within the novel. It’s dark atmosphere had elements of fairytales and caught my interest with all it’s mythical creatures and spirits. Although it starts off slow the pacing soon picks up as Vasilisa gets older and the main events of the plot begin. As this happens the atmosphere gets darker and the winter landscape only furthers this. The family dynamic was something I truly enjoyed about this book, it had layers that were being explored throughout. The ending of this book made me so excited to pick up the next one in the series, although I haven’t managed to get it onto one of my TBR’s yet I will soon!
The Bear and the Nightingale Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Each character in this novel has their own place within the plot. Some of them are morally grey and I enjoyed the dynamic of having these types of characters in this story. Vasilisa is headstrong and devout in her beliefs of the spirits, I loved her character. I felt that she will be such a good protagonist in this trilogy. I feel for her, I felt her sadness and her pain and her resoluteness to do what she needs to do for her town no matter the consequences. The other character I enjoyed, even though he was only in the story for a little bit, was Morozko, also known as the Frost. He feels like a fairytale character and I can’t wait to see more of him in the trilogy.
Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
As with the rest of the categories this book is whimsical and beautiful and there isn’t really much more for me to say in terms of writing and dialogue.
The Bear and the Nightingale Overall Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I had to give this book five stars. I’m still thinking about it months later and all I can say is I really recommend this book to anyone who might be even a little interested in it.
Blurb/Synopsis:
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
The Bear and the Nightingale is a magical debut novel from a gifted and gorgeous voice. It spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent.
That’s it for this book review, I hope you enjoyed it!
Home | The Blind Scribe 