Tag: sarah j maas

Monthly TBRs

August TBR!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a wonderful day today. It is August, the middle of the summer holidays in the UK, and time to pick what books I will be reading this month. Or hopefully reading at least. I have a few things to be doing during the month: my PhD work, redecorating the dining room, taking a trip to see family in Hampshire, it is going to be a busy month. Which means I need some good books to get me through it. For some reason, summer months I get really into reading fantasy, their covers give Autumn vibes, but I love reading them in summer so you won’t be surprised to know the bulk of my reading is fantasy this month.

A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber

Fearless by Lauren Roberts

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

This Monster of Mine

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin

A Novel Murder

How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

I have also put together a small list of books I would also like to get to but only if I have time, which are: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas which was on July’s TBR but I ran out of time, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas, Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, The Stolen Heir by Holly Black, A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis and the Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping.

What are you planning on reading in August?

Monthly Wrap Ups

July Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today, it is the first of August and that means it is time for my monthly wrap up of what I did and what I read in July.

I don’t know about any of you but July was crazy busy for me, every time I thought I would have a day to myself to relax it got filled with something else and so heading into August I’m pretty much exhausted constantly. And now it is the summer holidays, so I’ll be even busier. Anyway, nevermind. I still managed to get some good books read in July and hopefully I will be able to do the same in August.

From my July TBR:

  • Us In Ruins by Rachel Moore – I have not read this. I am at the end of the month and it is this and one other book left on my TBR, I just don’t have enough time to get to it this month.
  • Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi – I am currently reading, and enjoying this book. Actually as I am writing this I plan on finishing this book tonight.
  • A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry – I did read this. The third book in the series following Dr Will Raven in Edinburgh, The series has taken a turn I was not expecting and I am currently unsure if I like where this seems to be going or not but I guess we will see.
  • Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this. I have kept it on my book cart because there is still a chance I will get to it by the end of this month but if not I might find time next month.
  • A Deadly Night At The Theatre by Katy Watson – I did read this. The next installment in the Three Dahlias series. I enjoyed how this time we saw the three women a bit at odds with each other, it made them seem more human in a way which I liked although some of the plot felt a little forced it was still a great book.
  • The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine – I did read this and I did not really enjoy it. This is the third book in the series, there is a fourth but I don’t think I am going to read it.
  • Murder at the Village Fair by Helena Dixon – I did read this. This is book 12? maybe? of the Miss Underhay series and as with all the others, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Outside of my TBR I also read Murder at the Highland Castle by Helena Dixon. This means I have read six books this month which I am pretty pleased about, it could have been better and I could have rushed those last two books but I hope to enjoy both of them so, perhaps I will read them in August.

One thing I have been doing recently is I have a book journal where I write down what books I have read and when and this new one that I got online has monthly pages that you fill in which books are your favourite and least favourite of the month which then goes into a chart to show the best book of the year.

My favourite book this month was….. A Deadly Night at the Theatre by Katy Watson

My least favourite book was….. The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine, unfortunately I just do not get the same enjoyment from this series as I used to.

What were your favourite reads of this month?

Monthly TBRs

July TBR!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today and a lovely summer. I can’t believe it is summer already, half the year is gone.

Today I am sharing my TBR for the month of July, there are so many books that I want to read right now it was hard to choose. What are you looking forward to reading in July?

Us In Ruins by Rachel Moore

Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi

A Corruption Of Blood by Ambrose Parry

Heir Of Fire by Sarah J Maas

A Deadly Night At The Theatre by Katy Watson

The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine

Murder At The Village Fair by Helena Dixon

Book Reviews

Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J Maas Book Review

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. I am bringing you my book review for Crown Of Midnight, the second (or maybe third if you include The Assassin’s Blade) in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas.

Blurb/Synopsis:

“A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend.”

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie… and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

My book review:

Okay, it has taken my years to get around to this book. I read Throne of Glass a while ago and I never carried on, for good reason really because I was trying to get hold of hardback copies of the books so it would be easier for me to read and now I have got the whole series in hardback. I’ll be reading them around one a month until the end of the year.

I remember thinking that Throne of Glass was good, I liked the trials element of it, not as keen on the love triangle but it was tolerable. But this book was better. I did think that the first half of the novel dragged a little bit, it felt half like a recap of the first book and half a set up for this one but once the action got started there was so much going on that I had to keep reading. I liked the way that Caelena didn’t just immediately start on her destiny, she fought against it a little bit and I liked that. I felt sorry for Chaol in this book, with how he is battling against what he wants and his loyalty to the crown – i think that is going to be an intriguing plot to develop throughout the next books.

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

Monthly Wrap Ups

May Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is the end of June. I honestly don’t know where this month went. I have been so busy trying to meet my PhD deadlines that the month has flown by. How has the month been for all of you?

I did manage to read a bit this month, not as much as last month but I got through some pretty good books and I did manage to finish my TBR so I’m happy with that.

From my TBR I read:

  • The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber – I enjoyed this book a lot more than Once Upon A Broken Heart so I’m glad about that because I loved her Caraval series then when I wasn’t sure on Once Upon A Broken Heart I was worried, but unnecessarily because the second book was much better.
  • Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas – I finally got around to reading this book after far too long. I have to say the first half of the book was dragging a little bit but once the action started kicking in I was more intrigued, and I got sucked into the story and I can’t wait to keep going with the next book in the series. I will be posting a book review on the 23rd June.
  • Library Of Shadows by Rachel Moore – I wasn’t sure about this book going into it but I was pleasantly surprised. If you want to see all my thoughts about this book I will be posting a book review on the 13th June.
  • The Murder Hypothesis – again, another book that I wasn’t sure about when I picked it up but I thought it was good, for a YA mystery it was intriguing, nothing overly special or groundbreaking but an enjoyable read.
  • The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton – another book that has been on my shelf for a while that I have been meaning to get to, and of course I loved it. It was actually in line for my favourite book of the month, it just missed out on that accolade.
  • In Want of A Suspect by Tirzah Price – the continuation of Lizzie and Darcy’s story that started in Pride and Premeditation. I loved the first book, it was one of my favourite books that I read in that year, and this second book was just as good, I have to say that the romance in this novel wasn’t quite as good as in the first book in my opinion but it was still good. This was my favourite read of May.

Outside of my TBR I also read: The Mysterious Affair of Styles by Agatha Christie which I was a little bit underwhelmed with, it was okay but not the best of her novels. And I also read Murder At The Charity Ball by Helena Dixon which is maybe the tenth book in the Miss Underhay series? A solidly good book all round.

So, that means this month I read 8 books which is a pretty good effort with how my month has been going. How many books did you get through this month? Which book that you read was your favourite?

Monthly TBRs

May TBR!

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Happy Monday bookish people! How are you all doing today? It is May and that means it is time to share the books I hope to read this month. May is full of all sorts of things happening so I have chosen books that I am very excited to read and I have only chosen a few so that it doesn’t feel too overwhelming. I am hoping that six will be the perfect amount.

What are you planning on reading in May?

MAY TBR:

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Library Of Shadows by Rachel Moore

The Murder Hypothesis by Sarah Wishart

The Secret Service of Tea And Treason by India Holton

In Want Of A Suspect by Tirzah Price

Monthly Wrap Ups

March Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Today I’m bringing you my March Wrap Up.

I set myself a longer TBR for this month because I have been doing so well the past couple of months finishing the TBRs I set so I thought I would add a few more. So, as I am writing this I have just over a week left of March and two books left to read which SHOULD be possible but we shall see on that count.

From my TBR:

  • Powerful by Lauren Roberts – I did read this one, I originally wasn’t going to read this because I wasn’t sure about the character in Powerless but I decided it might have an impact on the rest of the series so I read it this month.
  • Murder In First Class by Helena Dixon – I read this one
  • The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C M Waggoner – I read this book but I really disliked it.
  • The Last Word Is Death by Faith Martin – I read this – and it is a new favourite series.
  • The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead by Antony Johnston – I did read this
  • A Court Of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – I have not read this yet but I am hoping I will have by the end of the month
  • Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco – I have started this novel but I haven’t finished it yet but again I hope to by the end of March

Outside of my TBR I also read Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood.

What did you all read in March?

Monthly TBRs

March TBR!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a great start to the month of March.

It is time for me to share my TBR for the month and I have given myself some book choices this month because I am travelling with a friend to London for a weekend and I need some good books for travelling in the car. Onto the TBR!

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

This is the fifth book in the ACOTAR series and it will bring me up to date with the series until the next book comes out and also it will tick off some of my 50 books to read this year list.

Powerful by Lauren Roberts

This is the novella that goes alongside the first book in the series, powerless, following one of the side characters and I am looking forward to reading it then reading Reckless in April before the final book comes out that month but I have to say I didn’t love the character this one follows so we shall see what I think of it.

Murder in First Class by Helena Dixon

The next book in the Miss Kitty Underhay mystery series, I am reading one of these every month so soon I will have finished the series which is heartbreaking but also quite satisfying.

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco

This is the second book in the princes of sin series, the spin off series from Kingdom of the Wicked, these books are SO good. I can’t explain anything about this series as its a spin off of the other and it would spoil things but all I can say is everyone should read these books. I will read anything Kerri Maniscalco writes.

The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by

I have no idea what this book is about really but it said something about a mystery and it has the word library on the cover so I am intrigued to read this book.

The Last Word is Death by Faith Martin

After reading the first in the series, Murder by Candlelight, in February and devouring it in a night I am excited to jump straight into the next one in the series.

The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead by Antony Johnston

This is the third book in the Dog Sitter Detective, a modern cosy mystery series that I like, I am looking forward to reading this but I am hesitant because there is a side character who keeps appearing and I don’t really like him so I will see how I feel after this book.

What are you excited to read in March?

Monthly Wrap Ups

February Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day and a good start to the month of March. February is over and that means it is time to talk about all the books I read in February.

From my TBR:

  • Murder At The Wedding by Helena Dixon – I did read this. It is the seventh? I think, book in the series following Miss Kitty Underhay and her murder mystery adventures. It is a series set in the 1930s and it is a cosy mystery series. It’s so bingeable, fast paced and action packed.
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas – I did read this. Okay, so I loved it because it’s Feyre and Rhysand and everyone but as far as a book goes I don’t think it had enough to fully pull me in. I enjoyed it but I am glad it was only a short novella and I am excited to read the final book A Court of Silver Flames while waiting for the next book to be written and published.
  • The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis – I did read this. This is the second book in the Bronte mystery series. The three bronte sisters are the main characters and they trek all over the moors solving murder mysteries happening in their home town of Haworth. I love the almost gothic feel of these novels, they are dark and atmospheric and I can’t stop reading them. There’s two more in the series so far and I need to go out and buy them immediately.
  • The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee – I am currently reading this and planning on finishing it today, the day I am writing this which is the 20th February. It is the first in a series about a princess who is hiding her identity after escaping her cruel Father and she ends up in the rebellion. So far it is good, I find the writing a bit young even though the topics talked about make it firmly adult so I’d say I like it but currently it is not a new favourite.
  • Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros – I did read this. It is the second book in the Fourth Wing series.
  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – I read this too. The third and most up to date book in the Fourth Wing series. I will be posting my full reviews of Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm this month so keep an eye out for that!

So, from my TBR I read all 6 books (yay for me!) and then outside of my TBR I read: Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin which I ended up LOVING, surprisingly. I also read The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter and This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullins and the Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

Altogether that means I read 10 books in February which I am very happy with. How was your reading in February? What was your favourite read?

Book Tags

The Book Boyfriends Book Tag

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. Seeing as it is Valentine’s Day today, what else could I bring you except a post celebrating some of my favourite book boyfriends. I have to say, it was hard to choose. I made a list of them all and then picked the best ones for the questions and it was a long list.

I found this Tag on Got Meghan’s Blog if you want to check out how they answered the tag.

  1. The Most Romantic Boyfriend: LORD PHILLIP STANTON from The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson. Phillip is a bit of a rogue for most of the book but by far out of my fave book boyfriends he would be the most romantic. He is a Lord in the Tudor period brought up on chivalry and how he should treat a lady.
  2. A Dark and Moody Bad Boy With A Good Side: KAI from Powerless by Lauren Roberts. He is the epitome of dark and moody especially for the first half of the book but deep down he’s a softie, he just doesn’t want everyone to know that.
  3. Paranormal Boyfriend: WRATH from Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. I wasn’t sure who to put to start with then I remembered, he’s a prince of hell so a demon of sorts. Which I am saying counts, okay.
  4. Boy You’d Be Friends With Benefits With: JULIAN SANTOS from Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Now, I wouldn’t be friends with benefits at all but for the purpose of this tag it would be Julian. I love him and he had to make it onto this list somewhere, so I put him here because he dresses like a cross between a circus performer and a pirate.
  5. Your Soul Mate: THOMAS CRESSWELL from Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri maniscalco. You can’t convince me otherwise. He is my favourite book boyfriend by a mile.
  6. Boyfriend You’d Venture Anywhere with: NATHANIAL HAWTHORNE from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. He’s magic, it would make life interesting.
  7. Boyfriend You Want to be Stranded on a Desert Island With: KELLEN ARGOSI from Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell. He literally spends most of the series trekking across a desert trying to survive so he must have picked up some skills from all of that which could help us.
  8. Most Badass Boyfriend: RHYSAND from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. I don’t think I need to explain this one, if you’ve read the series then I am sure you will understand.

That’s my answers! Who are some of your favourite book boyfriends?