Tag: Young Adult

Monthly Wrap Ups

July Wrap Up!

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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:

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.

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes – top 100, 20 – 11

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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!

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes: 30 – 21

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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!

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes: 40 – 31

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Happy Friday bookish people! I am back with the next ten quotes in my top 100 favourite book quotes series. It’s getting so close to revealing what quotes have made it into the top ten now, but you’ve got to wait just a little bit longer for that…

Onto the quotes!

At 40 is a quote from one of my favourite authors…

Traitors Blade by Sebastien De Castell

40. “The archer is the true weapon; the bow is just a long piece of wood”

Next is a quote from a sequel I haven’t read yet…

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

39. “I know that for every dawn, dusk must unravel it’s darkness” – although it seems slightly pessimistic I also think this quote is very lyrical.

At 38 is from a book I was very excited to read…

Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

38. “Behind every witch is a wronged woman” – I love this quotes, and this book.

Next is a quote from a book on my July TBR…

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

37. “I remember you” – short and simple but has so much meaning behind it.

At 36 is from a book I got a special edition of…

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

36. “Once upon a time an angel and a devil fell in love – it did not end well” – This quote really sets the scene for the book and also slightly makes me think of the TV show Lucifer for some reason.

Next is from the second book in a very popular series…

A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J Maas

35. “To the stars who listen and the dreams that are answered”

At 34 is from a book I’m anticipating to be a five star read…

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

34. “Desire fame and the city will make you a tragedy”

Up now is from a sequel I started to read and then put down for now…

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

33. “A kiss worth dying for”

At 32 is a book I read very recently…

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

32. “Wicked are the ways of women, especially a witch”

Up last for this week is from a book I rated three stars…

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

31. “Three dark sisters all fair to be seen, two to devour and one to be queen”

That’s it for this post, I hope you all enjoyed it! Next Friday I’ll be sharing the next ten so come back then.

blog tours, Book Reviews, Uncategorized

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

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Happy Monday bookish people! This is my second post today, I must be in a productive mood this rainy Monday. I’m here to show you all the wonderful book mail I received from Macmillan Kids UK last week. As you can probably guess from the title of this post… it was Any way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell, the final book in the Carry On series which includes Carry On, Wayward Son and Any Way the Wind Blows.

Here it is!

It came all wrapped up and honestly it felt a little but like Christmas to receive it, I didn’t end up eating the biscuit (my Dad got there first!) but I did use the tea and they were delicious.

That’s it for today, I’m looking forward to reading this book and sharing my thoughts on it here!

Book Reviews

Book Review: Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

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Happy Monday bookish people! I told you I was bringing you two book reviews today, this is the second one. I finally got around to reading Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin, it’s only taken me about two years since I bought it… anyway, I got the chance to read this on a trip to Hampshire in June which was nice, I immersed myself in the world of witches and Chaussers and completely ignored anyone trying to talk to me.

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.

Serpent and Dove Plot:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Oh my goodness I loved this plot. Every moment of the story felt important in some way for the progression of the story. I am pretty much interested in anything that has witches in it so this book appealed to me immediately. The conflict between the witches and the chaussers/religion was an interesting part to this book – actually I would have enjoyed a bit more of this but that’s just because I love a good enemies to lovers style story. So, the romance in this book… I went into this book knowing that was one of the main features of this novel and I’ll admit I didn’t hate it but I did enjoy the fantasy elements and the moments of magic more than anything else.

Serpent and Dove Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Lou is a fantastic female lead for this book, she’s strong and has a bit of sass (which I like because it gives good dialogue) and she has very particular morals/ideals which gives conflict to the plot but also makes me love her character, one of her main character conflicts is loyalty which gave her character depth. I sometimes thought that some of the things she did didn’t quite fit with her character. It didn’t take away from the book much though.

Coco is amazing, I am looking forward to seeing a lot more of her and some of the other background characters a bit more in the rest of the series.

REID. He’s in my top ten of male book characters now. He grew on me throughout the book. There are some things about his character that I think are going to be a bit too obvious, like it’s been written in for a plot reason rather than a character reason and I would have liked a bit more internal conflict from him.

Serpent and Dove Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Five stars. Definitely. Shelby Mahurin’s writing worked well for me, it is one of my favourite writing styles within young adult fiction that I’ve read. I liked that she split the chapters into different characters’ points of view.

Serpent and Dove Overall:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Again, five stars was easy for me to give to this book. If I could have I would have picked up Blood and Honey straightaway.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

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

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes 50 – 41

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Happy Friday bookish people! I’m back with my next installment of my favourite book quotes top 100. We are getting so close to finishing this list. I’m probably more excited than anyone reading this and I know what the top ones are because I chose them. We are past the halfway point and getting into some of my absolute favourite quotes, but some of them are coming from books I haven’t read yet.

Lets get into the quotes!

Up first is a quote from a book I’m very excited to get around to reading..

And I Darken by Kiersten White

50. “her spine was steel, her heart was armour, her eyes were fire” – this is such a lovely quote, it just feels very powerful, which is how I’m imagining the whole book will feel.

Up next is a quote from a book that I gave three stars…

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

49. “I want revenge and then I want my crown” – this quote is actually said by one of my favourite characters in this book.

At 48 is a quote from a little mermaid retelling…

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

48. “In my heart I’m as wild as the ocean that raised me”

At 47 is a quote from a book I’ve already mentioned in this list…

And I Darken by Kiersten White

47. “she wanted a garden of evergreens, a garden of stones, a garden of swords” – this quote is just beautiful, the calmness of the garden and evergreen language compared to the stones and swords.

Up next is a quote from a book about witches…

Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

46. “I am fearful and something to be feared” – I can’t wait to get to read this book.

At 45 is a quote from a book that is on my July TBR..

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

45. “you will burn for you are an ember in the ashes” – fun fact I have a cushion cover with this quote on, it does not currently have a cushion in it but soon!

The next quote is from a book that has one of the most beautiful covers on my shelf…

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

44. “until the fire in the sun grows cold and the light of the moon is no more, until time blots out the stars” – MAIA AND EDAN!! that’s all I’m going to say about this.

At 43 is a quote from a very unique book…

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

43. “with pockets women could conquer the world” – yes, yes we could.

Up next is from another book on my TBR for this month…

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

42. “death incarnate, night triumphant”

And the final one for today’s list is from a very popular series…

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

41. “she had often wished for adventure, for old spells and wicked kings” – me too.

That’s it for this week’s list and I’ll be back next Friday with the next ten, I hope you all enjoyed it!

blog tours, Book Reviews

Book Review: Embers by Josephine Greenland

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Happy Friday bookish people! Today is my stop on the book tour for Embers by Josephine Greenland. Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Tours for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

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!

Embers Plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book immersed me in the history and culture of the Sami people which prior to this book I had never heard about before. I found the plot intriguing and I really liked how the tension increased as each incident seemed to get more dangerous. This book focuses on the relationship between two siblings and although it is slightly unrealistic – my parents would never have let my sister and I go on holiday on our own to a place we had never been before. Mainly because we would have caused all sorts of trouble. I enjoyed how this mystery played out, the investigation was developed well and kept me curious about what happened.

Embers Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I enjoyed that this book had two young siblings as the main characters because that is something I personally don’t usually read, so this book was out of my comfort zone. I also liked that this book contained disability representation because one of the main characters, the brother, has Asperger’s in this book. I’m not sure how correctly portrayed it is because I’m not as knowledgeable as I’d like to be on the subject.

Embers Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

There’s not much for me to say here. The writing style flowed very well and helped to keep me involved in the story. For me I felt that I needed something a little more from the writing although I couldn’t tell you what that would be, it was just a feeling that something was missing. Of course this is only my personal opinion.

Embers Overall:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave this book four stars overall because it was an enjoyable and well thought out mystery novel that had me learning about new places and cultures and helped to push me a bit out of my comfort zone.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Two siblings, one crime. One long-buried secret.
17-year-old Ellen never wanted a holiday. What is there to do in a mining town
in the northernmost corner of the country, with no one but her brother Simon –
a boy with Asperger’s and obsessed with detective stories – for company?
Nothing, until they stumble upon a horrifying crime scene that brings them into
a generations-long conflict between the townspeople and the native Sami.
When the police dismiss Simon’s findings, he decides to track down the
perpetrator himself. Ellen reluctantly helps, drawn in by a link between the
crime and the siblings’ own past. What started off as a tedious holiday soon
escalates into a dangerous journey through hatred, lies and self-discovery that
makes Ellen question not only the relationship to her parents, but also her own
identity.


AUTHOR DETAILS
Josephine Greenland is a Swedish–English writer from Eskilstuna, Sweden. She
has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Birmingham and a BA in
English from the University of Exeter. She is the winner of the 2019 Bumble Bee
Flash Fiction Competition by Pulp Literature, the 2017 Fantastic Female Fables
Competition by Fantastic Books Publishing, and also the runner-up in the 2018
Summer Solstice Competition by Wild Words. Her fiction and poetry have
appeared in Dream Catcher, Literary Yard, Soft Cartel Mag, Plum Tree Tavern,
Porridge Magazine, Litro and AHF Magazine. She has also been highly
commended in competitions by TSS Publishing and Cinnamon Press. In 2017, she
was awarded the Young Writer’s Bursary by Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival.
In August 2019, Josephine began a PGDE course at the University of Edinburgh
to become a Secondary English teacher. When not writing or teaching, she
enjoys playing the violin, running and hiking. Embers is her first novel and was
written during her MA course. It is based on her own travels in northern
Sweden two years ago with her brother.

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

Book Reviews

Book Review: Deadly Curious by Cindy Astley

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Happy Monday Bookish people! It’s time for another book review. This book was on My June TBR and my whatever you want-a-thon TBR. In case you are wondering it fit three prompts on whatever a thon which were: hauled in the last year, 5 star prediction and fit a TBR prompt which was from my own TBR game. This book did not turn out to be a 5 star for me but it was still a quick and enjoyable read.

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.

Deadly Curious plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I enjoyed the overall plot of this book. Especially the setting of Victorian London (I think it’s London but I’m not completely sure) and all of the complexities that came with it. For the first half of the book the mystery was gripping, especially because the book opens with a third person ‘clip’ of the murder which was a really nice feature of this book. I liked how this story came together and how the investigation was playing out. However, the second half of the book I found very predictable, it was very easy for me to figure out who the murderer was which did take away some of the enjoyment for me. That is my own personal opinion.

This book kept swapping perspectives between the female and male protagonists. I enjoyed this for the most part because it gave an extra dimension to the story and allowed the reader to get a glimpse into the minds of both characters. Although with the male character’s chapters I found they did get a bit repetitive, particularly with it always mentioning how he shouldn’t be letting the female protagonist investigate because she’s a woman.

Deadly Curious Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I haven’t got a lot to say here. I enjoyed the male and female protagonists, both of their characters were clear and well developed. Cousin Daphne is an interesting character, I think she had potential but when I thought she was going to be part of the investigation she was sometimes there and sometimes not. I felt that this was slightly distracting, I wasn’t always sure what the point of her character was and then sometimes she was important to the story. There were quite a few other characters in the story but I can’t mention them here without spoilers….

Deadly Curious Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The writing and dialogue in this book was done well. It consistently kept to the period and setting of the book and it was clear and easy to read. I read this book very quickly, I finished it within two and a half hours.

Deadly Curious Overall:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Overall I gave this book four stars because I did enjoy reading it but it had some elements that meant it couldn’t be a five star book for me.

Blurb/Synopsis:

1834. Sophia Thompson wants nothing more than to be one of the famed Bow Street Runners, London’s most elite corps of detectives. Never mind that a woman has never before joined their ranks–and certainly never mind that her reclusive family has forbidden her from pursuing such an unladylike goal.

She gets the chance to prove her capabilities when an urgent letter arrives from her frantic cousin Daphne, begging Sophia to come look into the suspicious death of Daphne’s brother.

As Sophia begins to unravel the tangled threads of the case–with the help of a charming young policeman–she soon realizes that the murderer may be even closer to her family than she ever suspected.

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

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes 80 – 71

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Happy Friday bookish people! Have you seen any of your favourites on this list yet? We’ve still got a long way until we are in my top 10. Anyone else excited for that or is it just me? and really I shouldn’t be excited because I compiled the list and I know what’s in my top 10 already… nevermind, I’m still excited!

Today is numbers 80 – 71. There’s some interesting ones in this section although we are getting to the point now where there isn’t much I can say about each of the quotes so for this one I’m just going to list them. Enjoy!

At 80 we have a quote from a book that is on my TBR this month…

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

80. “I’d walk into the burning heart of Hell itself to find you” this quote is so dramatic I love it.

up next is a quote from a series that it has recently been announced will be turned into a TV show…

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

79.”I could set this world on fire and call it rain”

As will be common throughout these book quotes lists the next one is from a book I haven’t read yet..

Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova

78.”Crooked smiles for crooked hearts”

Number 77 is from a sequel…

King of Fools by Amanda Foody

77.”love always carved the deepest wounds”

Number 76, I have so many quotes from this book all throughout my top 100…

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

76.”let’s make this fight worthy of a song”

The next quote is from a series of books I’m not sure if I like them or not..

The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

75.”dream me the world, something new for every night”

At 74 is a quote from the same book…

74.”what a strange constellation they all were”

Getting close to the end of this section now.. at 73 is a quote from a series I recently started…

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

73.”remember that you are a wolf and you cannot be caged”

next is a quote from another book I haven’t read yet…

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

72.”a lion fears only the fox”

and finally for this set of quotes at 71 is….

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

71.”a dream dirty and bruised is better than no dream at all” – can you tell I like quotes and books with themes of dreaming?

So that’s it for this weeks quotes, I’ll be back next Friday with 70 – 61 which include books like Serpent and Dove, Crescent City and The Wrath and the Dawn.