My TBR for this week! (27/01/2020)

Hi everyone! I have currently got quite a few books on the go, and I lot I want to start and finish this week. I love a list, and I love crossing things off of it, so I thought hey…why not make a TBR list? Might give me some more motivation! Then again, tbr’s usually don’t work for me because I’m a giant mood reader (who is also addicted to watching tv and taking naps) so the mood I’m in always dictates what I read. However, I usually have a list of what I want to read, but whether my mood lets me get to it is a different story…

Anyways!

The first book on my tbr is

Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson

I need to finish this book next week, as we will be discussing it in my Contemporary fiction class at uni. This novel follows two timelines: Mary Shelley’s timeline, as she writes Frankenstein; and the timeline/perspective of Ry, in Brexit Britain. I’m not very far in to this, each time I pick it up I only manage a few pages, and then I get distracted and ultimately put it down. The writing style was fine, even fun, at first. But now I’m finding myself increasingly irritated with it (such as the classic speech marks, when a character talks). I am debating not finishing it.

The second book on my tbr for this week is

Bright Air Black by David Vann

I’m writing my dissertation on modern retellings of Greek myths. I have two texts that I am solid on, but have been debating my third, and potential fourth text. So, I decided to pick this one up. Much like Frankissstein, this is not written in the ‘normal’ form of narration you’d find in a novel, but instead is styled in poetic prose. I am really enjoying it – again, I’m finding it hard to sit down and concentrate for long periods of time, as while I like the style sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming. I’m hoping to finish it this week, as I am aiming to write a chapter on this.

My third book on my tbr is a book I picked up to read last night

One Of Us Is Next – Karen M. McManus

I’ve read both of McManus’s previous releases, One Of Us Is Lying and Two Can Keep A Secret. I was not a big fan of either novel, I gave One Of Us Is Lying 3 stars, and Two Can Keep A Secret 2 stars. They were not dreadful novels, but I ultimately found them underwhelming. So why am I reading this?? I don’t know. I think it’s because I do get some entertainment value out of them – mostly because I push on reading to prove that I am right in my ridiculous theories…

Finally, by the end of the week I am hoping to start

A Heart So Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer

I’m planning on reading this the first week of February with my friends in my Goodreads book group, A Book Nirvana. We read the first one together last year, so have planned a buddy read! I would say I’m excited to read this one, but I’ve seen some spoilers and I’m not liking the direction this novel seemed to go in. But I haven’t read it yet, so we shall see!

Conclusion 

That is my tbr for this week, starting 27th of January! What are your current reads? Books on your tbr? 🙂

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February 2019: Reading Wrap Up!

Wow. Didn’t February just fly by? I feel like the first few days of February dragged, and then hitting the second week in, the days went past like nobody’s business and now I’m sitting here and it’s the 3rd of March! I seriously cannot believe we are already in the third month of the year.

Anyways – this is my reading wrap up for February, and it’s a short one! I didn’t read a lot in February – not full books anyways – between returning to uni and doing assignments and getting back in to that routine I found myself not reading much of what I wanted to.

1. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein  – Kiersten White (Feb 2nd – 14th, 1/5 stars)

I picked up The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein because it was my book groups – A Book Nirvana on Goodreads – readalong for the month. I had this on my shelf since it’s release date, so I was looking forward to reading it and comparing it to the original Frankenstein. I thought it would be interesting to see the story through a woman’s point of view, and to an outsider of the creation, but ultimately I was awfully disappointed. The pace was slow and uninspiring, the characters were dull and felt like they could belong in a pantomime (hello Victor), and ultimately White just very much insulted Shelley’s Frankenstein.  I just don’t think the way she approached ‘criticising’ Shelley’s work was done in the right way, especially not when she could barely write in half of the depth that the original had. It was a cheap knock off. Sorry, Kiersten White.

2. The Sorrows of Young Werther – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Feb 16th – 17th, 2/5 stars)

I read this for one of my classes at university. It wasn’t a god awful book, I just found the epistolary form quite draining. It felt more intense than your normal first person narrator. I just didn’t find this an interesting novel, but appreciated some of it’s literary merit.

3. The Lonely Londoners – Sam Selvon (Feb 20th, 3/5 stars)

I also read this for another one of my university classes, and quite enjoyed reading this. Except for the section that had no grammar for an entirety of about 10 pages. That just gave me a headache. But this was a decent book. It was interesting to see the perspective of the people from the Windrush generation and their experiences living in London & it’s take on colonisation etc. A very thoughtful book.

That’s all I read in February! 3 books. I started and ultimately did not finish many more (for uni) and read a bunch of random chapters and excerpts from other books as wider reading, but I can’t remember them all – and I like to keep this list to books I’ve finished. Let’s hope March is a better reading month for me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 2019: Reading Wrap Up!

Hi everyone! It’s not very often I do a reading wrap up – I mostly always aim to, then I procrastinate, then I forget, and before I know it it’ll be eight months through the year so I’m like well, no point now! So I would like to aim to do one of these every month. While I do have my Goodreads reading challenge and shelves to help me keep track, it could be cool/interesting to have a month-to-month breakdown of the books I’ve read and whether or not it was an enjoyable reading month.

For all of these books this month, I do have reviews for on Goodreads and some on my blog – just click the name of the book to be taken to those reviews, if you’re interested.

1.  Aru Shah and the End of Time – Roshani Choksi  (Jan 1st to Jan 2nd, 3/5 stars)

This was the first book I read in 2019, and I really enjoyed it! I’m not sure what quite made me pick this up; I’ve had this book on my shelves for what seems like forever, and I was in a middle grade / mythology mood. I’ve been avoiding reading the last book in the Heroes of Olympus series, so I thought I’d give this a go. I really enjoyed it! This is not typically an area of mythology that I find myself reading about, but it was a nice change. An entertaining, quick read, that I immediately pre-ordered the sequel.

2. Crushed: A Hockey Love Story – Brit DeMille (Vegas Crush #1)  (Jan 8th/Jan 9th, 1/5 stars)

Oh, this was disappointing. The year had gotten off to such a promising start with Aru Shah and this was a major let down. I love my NA hockey player novels, so was excited when my friend Sam sent this to me as she had seen it online and thought I may like it. Well, we both thought wrong. This was a very unmemorable novel, but what I can remember was that it needed a new editor for all the grammatical mistakes, and for someone to tell DeMille…no. The writing was cringey, some of the characterisations laughable, and there was such a lack of strong plot. I’m still mad that I paid money for this.

3. Queen of Air and Darkness – Cassandra Clare (Jan 11th to Jan 13th, 4/5 stars)

THIS WAS DELIGHTFUL. I am in shock for multiple reasons. One, at how good this is. Two, that we are reading a story about adult Julian and Emma, and the original TMI gang being adults, and wow. I’ve been a Shadowhunters fan for practically a decade now, and even when I’ve thought I would get tired of it, I haven’t. These are such enjoyable books and I love the characters and the twists and turns. I’m happy I stopped avoiding this book (I was scared of the ending, and the page count was daunting!) because I loved it so much and wish I could read it again for this first time.

4. I Was Born For This – Alice Oseman (Jan 14th/15th, 4/5 stars)

I had heard so many positive things about Alice Oseman that I finally ordered one of her novels. So one night I’m sitting in bed, contemplating what to read, and I think ah, screw it, I’ll pick this up. It had arrived in the post about a week earlier and was just sitting there, staring at me, tempting me. I was like okay, I want to try and get back into a regular sleeping pattern, so I’ll read a couple chapters of this to get in to it and relax and then I’ll go to sleep. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. I read one chapter, then two, then three, then four, and the next thing I know I’m finishing the book. I DEVOURED THIS WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS!!!! I didn’t want to put it down. This was a very interesting, complex, personal read. It’s mostly character driven rather than plot driven. I had a few issues with it which is why it is not five stars (bit slow, ended suddenly, etc) but overall I really liked this.

5. Dumplin – Julie Murphy (Jan 16th, 3/5 stars)

Oh…this is what disappointment smells like, huh? I remember when this first came out and there was such a hype surrounding it. I wanted this book SO bad but it was always so expensive. And then the hype died down, the books price lowered, and I was like…eh. But then the film came out!!!! And I’m sure, like a lot of you reading this, like to read the book before the film. So. The trailer looked good. I was excited. So out I went and got the book!!!! And oh…sadness. This just dragged along, hyping up a pageant which happened in like 10 pages, and then…ended. I turned the page and was convinced someone had ripper out the last chapter. This wasn’t a terrible book, just very underwhelming.

6. Serious Moonlight – Jenn Bennett   (Jan 19th, 4/5 stars)

I was VERY excited to receive this ARC from Netgalley as I love Jenn Bennett, she’s an auto-buy author for me! I was a bit disappointed by her last release, Starry Eyes, but this novel did everything that novel did badly better. GOD I LOVE THIS!!!! Such an enjoyable, cute, lovely, fun book!!!! I love it. 

7. Overnight Sensation – Sarina Bowen (Jan 24th, 4/5 stars)

MY SECOND HOCKEY ROMANCE NOVEL THIS MONTH AND IT WAS FABULOUS. I have read Sarina Bowen before, on the recommendation of my friend Nkisha, and she has definitely become an author whose novels I’m excited to read more of. An enjoyable NA read.

 

 

Reading Wrap Up – June 2018.

Hi all! I managed to read quite a few books in June of 2018! Here’s the list of what I read:

1. Asking For It – Louise O’Neill

I read this novel with my Goodreads book group, A Book Nirvana. I did enjoy this read, and how it highlighted the problems with rape culture and showed the impacts it can have both on the victim, family, and friends. I think it did well on making the reader question and debate their own prejudices and opinions. The reason why this wasn’t a five star was because I found sometimes it was too-narrowed. This is understandable as it was told from one strict point of view, but I still think the book would have benefitted from fleshing out the story. For what it did though, three stars. Sometimes the writing and pacing slacked.

2. By Your Side – Kasie West

Once again, I read this for my Goodreads book group, A Book Nirvana, summer’s reading challenge. I did enjoy this book but found the characters to lack depth and any real purpose, and for the plot to be a mess. For more of my thoughts you can find my review by clicking here.

3. The Room mate, the Soul Mate, The Play Mate – Kendall Ryan

These are three individual books, but I listed them all together as they are part of a ‘Roommates’ series. These are some New Adult books, and I enjoyed them. I think on average I gave them all a two stars. While they were enjoyable there wasn’t that much to them. Just a quick, popcorn read, which I’ve now ultimately forgotten most of their plot lines. Books for when you’re bored, can’t be bothered to read something ‘more serious’, and just want some entertainment.

4. Nyxia – Scott Reintgen

Another book read for my groups Summer Reading Challenge, and I really enjoyed this one. I’m usually not the biggest fan of sci-fi, but this was very light on that aspect while still giving it a sci-fi feel. So if you’re not a big fan like I am, I find this a very accessible book in the genre. I did write a review on goodreads that you can find here. However, the review will be available sometime here on my blog. I gave this a high end three stars, and can’t wait for the sequel.

5. Warcross – Marie Lu

Another book read for the reading challenge, and I LOVED this one. I’ve always been a big fan of Marie Lu’s, so I had many expectations going in to this one. Previous to reading this I felt in a bit of a reading slump, not really enthralled with the idea of picking up a book and slugging through it in the hopes that it’ll be enjoyable. But this one! It reminded me why and what it is I love about reading. Look, I don’t deny the fact that this book isn’t perfect. You could call it cheesey and predictable and cliché, but I don’t care. It was brilliantly entertaining, I loved the characters, and really was a dose of medicine that made me feel better. My review for this will be up on my blog sometime but for now you can find it here on Goodreads.

6. Royally Bad – Nora Flite

I gave this book one star. This was another new adult book, and it was just . . .  meh. I found it very problematic with the way she was forcibly locked away so she couldn’t leave, and how she did it because she loved the boy (I think they’d only known each other a few days) and didn’t want to get him in trouble. The ending tried to pull a ‘wow, look at this shock factor’ but it just didn’t hit right. I think one star was generous for this.

7.  A Bad Boy Stole My Bra – Lauren Price (click the title to go to my review)

Funny, cute, and a quick read. This was previously a Wattpad novel, and one of the better ones I’ve seen come from the site. Thanks NetGalley for sending me this! In the end I gave it 3 stars.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K Rowling

I did it guys. I finally finished reading the Harry Potter series for the first time. YAY! This one had me gently sobbing during The Battle of Hogwarts. Anyways, I was a bit disappointed in this book because a lot of it didn’t seem to make sense (or maybe I’m just thick). There seemed to be a lot of plot holes and contradicting the previous laws of magic it had set up in the previous books? In the end I gave this a 3.

9. All Played Out – Cora Carmack (Rusk University, #3)

Another new adult book, and I enjoyed it. I have the whole entire series. They’re just purely ridiculous but they make me grin and entertain me. 3 stars.

10. The Score – Elle Kennedy (Off-Campus, #3)

This one made me laugh so much!! Another new adult series, and I really enjoy this one!! Once again, purely ridiculous but I can’t help but love them. 3 stars.

 

That’s it! That’s all I read in the month of June. It was a very good reading month for me, thanks to all those addictive and trashtastic New Adult novels. How many books did you all read in the month of June and which one was your favourite?

 

Happy UK Renegades Release Day! Pick a side: Anarchist or Renegade?

From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer, comes a high-stakes world of adventure, passion, danger, and betrayal.

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone… except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

Renegades is a new novel by Marissa Meyer, author of The Lunar Chronicles and Heartless. The Lunar Chronicles is a sci-fi fairytale retelling of many different fairytales, set in the future, and Heartless is a re-imagining of the story of the Queen of Hearts. While The Lunar Chronicles mainly features out heroes, Heartless tracks the development of it’s villain. So Meyer has experience writing both heroes and villains, but with Renegades she explores more of the mechanics of both.

Meyer writes Renegades from an interesting perspective. We follow the main character, Nova, who is loyal to the Anarchists. As part of that and her ultimate-revenge plan, she infiltrates the Renegades and pretends to be one of them. Her duality allows for the reader and for Meyer to explore both the Anarchists and the Renegades. Through this exploration we begin to peel back the layers – Renegades aren’t as good as they make themselves to seem, and not all Anarchist’s are evil. It truly is a discussion on what makes you ‘good’ and what makes you ‘bad’ and a lot of that owes to circumstance. While the bad actions cannot be excused, we learn to sympathise with our characters and the hands they have been dealt.

I was asked where I would line myself: would I want to be a Renegade, or an Anarchist? And for me, there’s no clear answer. While I don’t like the destruction and death of the Anarchist’s I appreciate their need for wanting to express their freedom, that they shouldn’t be persecuted for who they are. However, I drift away at them crushing constitutions and institutions without regard for everyone else: the Anarchists soon began to drift from wanting equality to then wanting dominance. Then there are the Renegades: they look good on the outside, the typical superhero characters and there is a lot I love and appreciate about them. But still, not all is as it seems.

So I’m going to leave myself in the gray area with that one but I’m wondering – what side would you chose?

Reaction to V.E Schwab’s Shade of Magic news!

This post will contain spoilers for the Shades of Magic trilogy.

My first thought?? AHHHHHH.

Honestly. I am SO excited for this. The Shades of Magic trilogy, soon to be series, is one of my favourites. I absolutely love the world, the characters and the writing so I am really excited to see more of that being explored.

I’m anxious about the new characters – will I love them as much as I did Kell, Lila, Rhys, Alucard and Holland? Will I have the same connection? Schwab said that they will still be prominent – but will it still be the same??

So many questions. I hope to God we finally get more of that backstory about Kell and the story about the initials – I WANT TO KNOW. Frustrated me to no end when Kell passed up that chance. . . but now it seems there’s hope??? I WILL CROSS MY FINGERS.

Also there will be a timejump of about 5 – 10 years. What will Lila be doing – still a pirate? And Kell?? How is he coping? And Rhys – how is he doing, now that he’s King?

ALL THE QUESTIONS. I HAVE MANY.

And then not to mention the other book she mentioned – A FEMALE ASSASSIN IN A FUTURISTIC NEW YORK CITY. THIS SOUNDS SO FREAKING COOL AND I AM HELLA THERE FOR IT. CAN I HAVE IT NOW??

Anticipated Releases of 2017! Part 2!

Here I am, sitting here on my bed, thinking about all the upcoming books that are being released in the next month or so. Not too long ago I wrote an anticipated releases post, and that has my most-most anticipated. So basically the books I’ve been really, really, really excited for, but as time goes on I’ve found myself looking more forward to these books. So here they are!

1. Dazzling Heights – Katharine McGee

I read the Thousandth Floor last year, after it came out. I really, really enjoyed it. I found it exciting and fun. It was filled with such drama – petty drama at times – and it was just brilliant. It was mindless fun. And I liked that. Ultimately literature aims to entertain and please and this certainly did that. And that ending . . . dramatic! It left on a bit of a cliffhanger – with everyone’s worlds colliding, and a death, and it was so suspenseful and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds in the second novel.

2. The Empress – S.J Kincaid

This book messed with my mind so much. I’m still not sure what happened and who I’m supposed to trust?? I hated this. One part of me, a large part, thought the twists and turns got so ridiculous and that it was getting sloppy. Like, really? It’s just too much and it’s getting confusing and the book doesn’t make sense. The other part of me was LIVING for this. I really liked the constant tonal shifts and how people would be deceptive. It was like YAAAS. It kept me on the edge. I liked it. That’s why I can’t wait for this, with everything that happened in the Diabolic I can’t wait to see how it all plays out – essentially it’s a refreshed story….but I can’t wait to see how the implications of the first book play out in this and how the characters grow. Will everyone end up murdering each other??? Probably.

3. A Semi-Definite List of Worst Nightmares – Krystal Sutherland

I loved Krystal Sutherland’s Our Chemical Hearts. It was funny and raw and just so real. It dealt with toxic relationships and how to say no and to let go of that. The characters were flawed and complicated and said wrong things and made bad decisions but this is what made it more real. It mirrored real life. It took these discussions of grief and toxic relationships, and while sometimes it was over dramatised and could be too romanticised, ultimately it dealt with it well. It offered a real world point of view that wasn’t perfect but made sure to translate something to the reader: it’s okay to let go. It’s okay to sometimes be selfish. Its just – there’s too much to say and this isn’t the place. But this is why I can’t wait to read this – because I’m so interested to see where Krystal Sutherland takes her next and I love her witty writing.

4. Shadowblack – Sebastien de Castell

The first book to this was so weird and random but also SO FREAKING FUN. It was a breath of fresh air really. I just really enjoyed it, and how unique the world felt. So I’m definitely excited for the second one.

5. The Gentleman’s Guide to Virtue and Vice – Mackenzi Lee

THE HYPE SURROUNDING THIS BOOK IS MAKING ME HYPED. I’ve heard SOOOO many good things about this from so many people in my Goodreads friends list so obviously I want to read it and to be able to join in on the discussion.

6. The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding – Alexandra Bracken

TWO WORDS: ALEXANDRA BRAKCEN. That’s enough to sell me on this book. The Darkest Minds trilogy is one of my favourites, and I really loved and enjoyed the Passenger duology too. Therefore, I will obviously be reading this and I’m excited to see how she transitions from writing YA to middle grade.

7. It Only Happens in the Movies – Holly Bourne

HOLLY BOURNE IS FREAKING FABULOUS. Her novels on mental health and feminism and friendship are the BEST. I love her and she’s a role model – therefore, once again, it’s quite obvious that I’ll definitely be reading this.

 

For now – that’s the list I can think of. There are so many other books that I am side-eyeing to read, and I possibly don’t have time to mention them all, but these are the few coming out September/October time!

What books coming out in September are you ready and waiting for?? Tower of Dawn??? Me too!!

Upcoming Releases That I’d Sell My Soul For

I bet that as soon as you read the title of this blog post a book came to mind. Several come to my mind, but there’s a few in particular that are right at the forefront. While I do have a lot of anticipated releases in which the release date is a painful distance away in the future, and the wait is tense, there’s a couple in which I am dying to get my hands on as soon as possible and devour.

This first novel that I’m going to mention is obvious. If you know me at all, you know that The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is one of my favourite books of all time. Yep. It’s so good that it’s been awarded that title. It’s truly phenomenal and I love it desperately. That’s why I cannot wait to get my hands on her latest release, Circe. As soon as I finished The Song of Achilles I looked for more novels from her and now, with a release date in sight, April 2018, I have one. But it’s just so far away! And with the publisher sending out copies of the novel, I. am. dying.

Just . . . just look at it!

 

 

Beautiful, right? And that’s not even the final cover! I NEED THIS.

 

Now enough fangirling and freaking out about Circe. If I had another token to get any release right now, it would of course have to be Throne of Glass #7. Honestly . . . I want to be back with Aelin! And Dorian! And Aedion! And everyone else! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AND I WANT TO KNOW NOW! Okay . . .  that sounds very bratty, but !!! THE ENDING OF EMPIRE OF STORMS JUST !!!

*breathes*

So yeah. They are they two books that I’d sell my soul to have right now.

What books what you sell you soul for?

 

Anticipated Releases of 2017!

Hi bookish friends!

While we are half way through the year and it seems a bit too late to be doing this sort of post, there’s still many book releases for the remaining part of 2017 that I am so excited for.

Warcross – Marie Lu

This is being released in September and I am SO excited for it. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Marie Lu, that’s both her trilogies, so I am very excited for what this one is going to bring.

Renegades – Marissa Meyer

Renegades is being published in November, and I cannot wait. The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favourite series ever, and while I was not keen on Heartless at all, I can’t wait for this. It seems so epic!

Wonder Woman – Leigh Bardugo

I wasn’t that excited for this until I saw the Wonder Woman film and now I just need this book in my hands! So much so I’ve pre-ordered a limited edition copy from Waterstones.

All the Crooked Saints – Maggie Stievfater

I really enjoyed The Raven Boys. While I wasn’t a fan of the Shiver books, it’s clear to me that Maggie’s writing and storytelling gets better and better as she goes on. Therefore, I can’t wait to see what this one holds and if it will be a hit or miss.

The Becoming of Noah Shaw – Michelle Hodkin

This is a continuation of the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer series, being published in November, but now instead of following Mara’s perspective, it will follow Noah’s. I can’t wait! Once again – I really enjoyed the Mara Dyer trilogy, and it’s so exciting to see that being developed more and continued on. While I’m not dying to get my hands on this book, I am still quite excited for it.

And how could I forget. . .

Tower of Dawn – Sarah J. Maas

Coming out in September, this is another instalment in the Throne of Glass universe. If you know me at all, then you’d know that there is no way in hell that I’d miss out on reading this. You can bet your buttons that it’s been pre-ordered.

 

 

So here’s all the books that I can think of being released in the latter half of 2017 that I am excited for. What books are you dying for?

Books I’ve read so far this year!

Here we are, six months into the year already. How the time flies! I thought, seeming as we’re half way through 2017, that I’d pause and take a moment to reflect on all of the books that I have read so far this year. At the beginning of the year I set my reading goal to 52 books, working out as one a week, and I have currently read 38 out of those 52 books. Some of them have been extremely short so they hardly count – but it’s all a bit of fun anyways! Without further ado, here’s all the books that I have read this year.

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This is my first time ever reading the Harry Potter series. It’s quite fitting to be reflecting on that today since today (26th of June) we are celebrating the release of the first Harry Potter book – Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone. I wasn’t even born then, but here I am, twenty years later, reading and loving the series for the first time ever. I gave this one 4 Stars.

2.  All I Want is You

It is safe to say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I did the Prisoner of Azkaban. In fact, this book had everything I hated. It was sexist, portrayed male and female characters in a negative light, had stupid characters (even though they’re meant to be so smart – honestly, they tell you hundreds of times how smart they are) and followed cliches in the most boring way possible. I wrote a whole ranting review on this on Goodreads, which you can see here. Unsurprisingly, I gave this 1 star. Even that was generous.

3. Holding Up The Universe

(Mild SPOILERS written below)

Oh, another disappointing book. This is one of those books that has the potential to be great and make a positive contribution to accurate representation on diverse issues . . . but fails. BADLY. The ending just doesn’t make sense. Without saying too much that is spoiler-y, but by basically ‘curing’ a character, for me at least, it takes away from the authenticity of the experience. For readers who live with those sort of diseases and illnesses it can be upsetting – they don’t get magically cured by falling in love, and this romanticising of being fat, or having these issues, and then curing them is harmful. This book had the opportunity to tell a hard truth but to show characters learning to overcome these hardships and live through them. But no – it’s showing that the only way for these characters to be happy is taking away their illness. Once again, these real life issues that effect people are used to form a romance, and then are thrown away so everyone gets their happily-ever-after. Wouldn’t it be nice to life in such an idealist world? So while the book did have some good messages, I think they were ultimately drowned out at the miracle ending. 2 stars from me. The prose wasn’t shitty, but that doesn’t completely save the book from it’s shortcomings.

4. Until Friday Night

Really quite liked this. It was quick to get through, and dealt with some very hard issues. While I do think some of them could’ve been handled better, it was nothing like the shit-show ways I’ve seen it been dealt with in other books. 3 stars!

5. The Diabolic

I buddy read this with one of my Goodreads friends, and since then our friendship has blossomed. So thank you Diabolic, for forming friendships! Other than that – I really enjoyed this one. There was lots of stabbing, plot twists, and lots and lots of scheming. So much so I didn’t even know if I could trust myself while reading this. Despite my enjoyment of this, I did have some issues: I DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO TRUST. And while most of the time that was cool, sometimes it left me really confused. Seriously. SO MUCH CONFUSION. So that ruined the story for me a bit – since it just wasn’t clear about what actually happened. Despite that, it always kept me on my toes and I loved buddy reading it, so 4 stars!

6. The Last Beginning

What a great conclusion to this duology. LOVED IT. 4 stars, and you can read more of my thoughts and feelings here in my Goodreads review.

7. Wayfarer

Once again, another great conclusion to a duology! Love the female characters in this one, Etta and Sophia are badasses. I’d totally want them on my side. Love other new characters that are introduced in this world, and I have my fingers crossed that they will have their own spin-off. A girl can dream! 4 stars, and for more of my thoughts and feelings you can read my Goodreads review.

8. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Another buddy read (with the same person I read The Diabolic with). I am SO glad she convinced me to read this, because this was GREAT. I’ve always been tentative to start off in this world, firstly because they’re middle grade, and secondly because there’s just so dang many of them! But they’re so easy to read, they’re funny, great plots, great friendship, and as a Greek mythology lover I’ve loved seeing the different interpretations of that/how the Gods have been characterised (both in this, but throughout the whole series). I gave this 3 stars. Mainly because while this one was great, the others in the series were better, and deserved a much higher marking.

9. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Just as fun as the first. 4 stars!

10. Carve the Mark

This one was difficult for me to rate. I did enjoy it. I thought the idea of it all was good, but that doesn’t take away from all it’s problems. And there was a lot. First, the crappy writing style with the lack of world-building and the info-dumping. Secondly, the incorrect depictions of illnesses. I’m not going to go into it full, but if you want to read a longer explanation of this, once again head over to my Goodreads review. The word Sojourn can stay away from me. 2 stars.

11. A Conjuring of Light

Once again a buddy read with the same person who I read the Diabolic and the Percy Jackson books with. And I LOVED IT. I love this world, and I loved this trilogy. The ending broke my heart because some of the characters !! deserved !! so !! much !! better!! But at the same time it was good that they didn’t all get their happy ever-afters, and it was good that some people died, because in this hyper-realistic world that makes it more realistic and heart-wrenching. I still have some questions though, but not too many that I’m swearing at her from omitting them from me. . . okay, maybe I am a bit, but I’m trying not to think about it. 5 stars, because I LOVED it! Lila is my favourite and I LOVE her, Kell is brilliant and I love him, Rhy is fantastic and I also love him, Alucard is great and I also also love him, Holland NEEDS A HUG AND I LOVE HIM.

12. Percy Jacksons and the Titans Curse

Brilliant. These books are so enjoyable. It’s hard for me because when I go to criticise about how I’d love for characters to be more developed, I have to remember the target audience. It’s middle grade, and while the books do age more as the characters grow, I have to bare in mind that this writing style is because of the demographic. Plus, it’s so dang enjoyable that it has to be 5 stars.

13.  Caraval

WHAT. A. RIDE. This was GREAT. SERIOUSLY. This was so fun and I read it all in one-sitting because I just couldn’t put it down. It was so twist-y (sometimes obviously so) and that ending!! SEQUEL PLEASE. I think more of my thoughts and feelings on this are better explained by my status updates, which I made while reading the book. You can read them all here (you can laugh at me if you want, I can take it). 5 flipping stars!

14. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth

Once again, awesome. The books are getting bigger and bigger now, and at first I was a little off-put because I loved how short they were and how it never felt like there were ‘filler chapters’ but it WORKED. Much more to love! 4 stars.

15. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

I LOVE IT. So much went down! WHAT A CONCLUSION THOUGH! I think this one could be my favourite – it was non-stop and thrilling. 5 stars of course!

16. The Lost Hero

It was good, but I can’t say it was my favourite. A nice beginning to a new series, even though I felt Percy’s absence, but the new characters are great. Once again, an ending that has me like !! really. So glad I didn’t have to wait long to read the sequel. 3 stars.

17. The Queen of the Tearling

Once again back on the disappointing books train. The worldbuilding in this was poor. The storyline was a mess. The characterisations terrible. This book tried to execute so many things at once that nothing was developed. No reasonable explanations behind anything, and the history of this world was a mess. Didn’t like it at all. Very boring. It didn’t really start to get it’s shit together until the last 20 pages. For more of my thoughts read my Goodreads review here. 1 star!

18. The Wrath and the Dawn

This one was good, but I was expecting so much more from the hype that was surrounding it. I liked it, but I did have a lot of ?? ReEeEaAlLlyYy moments? Like? What makes you so special that he’d give up doing what he’s done to 100’s of other girls and families because of what? You told him a story? Bitch please. . .  nah. Doesn’t sit with me. But still, despite that, it wasn’t completely crap and had a nice writing style. 3 stars.

19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Not a big fan of Gaimans’ writing style. I guess I feel like he just tried too hard to be whacky and out there that it just feels forced to me sometimes. But this wasn’t terrible though. It was interesting. I liked the structure that it was told in, but I did get a bit confused about the setting and what was going on. 2 stars.

20. The Son of Neptune

So much better than The Lost Hero. We’re reunited with some old favourites, and while I thought the abundance of POV’s would get tiresome it never was. I enjoyed having the multiple perspectives, and it increased the tension as we waited for other characters to figure out what the other characters knew, and to reunite. Yep. Loved it. 5 stars.

21. Beautiful Broken Things

Loved how mental illness and friendships were represented in this book. This book is realistic. It shows that people aren’t always perfect, that friendships are bitchy and can be filled with hate and jealousy, but they can be worked through. It shows that what you think is best for someone might not always be right. There is a true discussion going on in this about mental health, and I love it. People are calling other people out and it’s great. Once again I wrote a review which you can read here. Another 5 stars from me.

22. The Hate U Give

If you read any book this year, it should be this one. This book reflects the harsh reality of the racism and prejudice that still sadly exists in today’s society. Truly moving, heartbreaking. . . pure brilliance. While there are some issues I have with the writing style, I can completely ignore them because this book sets out with the pure purpose of opening your mind, with asking you to question and to challenge yourself, and it does that. It is heartbreaking. 5 stars.

23. The Mark of Athena

So out of the Heroes of Olympus series, this one is my favourite. Pretty much everyone of the main characters makes an appearance and it’s great. Obviously 5 stars.

24. Royally Screwed

I feel like I should’t admit to liking this. . . but I did. Okay. It wasn’t greatly written by any means. But it was just so out there. I just really did enjoy reading it, even though I know if I had to be critical about it then my rating would be slashed in half. . . but I’m not going to do that. NOPE. I’m still going to keep it at a 4 stars.

25. Under the Lights

Light and entertaining. This is so trashy, but sooo good. The characters are way too over dramatic most of the time, and I’m just like *rolls eyes* but it’s fun. Nothing remarkable, but a good distraction. 3 stars.

26. Night Owls

A school friend recommended this to me ages before I picked this up to read. When I finally did read it, I sent her a bunch of messages just filled with !!! and apologies for not listening to her sooner. This was so cute and adorable, and I read it in a sitting. 4 stars!

27. Three Dark Crowns

My review lays out all of my thoughts and feelings on this one. There was quite a bit of hype around this one, and I was tentative, because I had already DNF’ed books by this author before. So when it came to the hype I was like eh because of how that worked out for me last time. But still, I have it a chance . . . and came away disappointed. It wasn’t terrible, but it really could’ve been so much better. It felt like it draaaaaagggeeeed. 2 stars.

28. Glitches

This was GREAT. The Lunar Chronicles was one of my favourites, so I loved this short little story that took place before the first novel. We were seeing the events that have been mentioned in other novels, and that, for me at least, really added on that layer of story. Because reading this, and knowing how everything unfolds from there, adds that extra layer of tension I guess, since you’re in the known and these characters are not. It’s like !!! But yeah, it’s nice exploring more of these characters backstories and being reunited with characters that have died, or ones we’ve never met. 4 stars.

29. Existence

Honestly I can’t even really remember what this story was about. I remember a boy being a ghost and creeping into this girls room because he was there to “protect her”? And he played with her emotions, pretty much abusing them? Yeah – I hate to be so blunt but it was terrible. It felt like some sort of fan-fiction. 1 star.

30. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

This was a re-read and I still LOVED IT. Sam Cortland, you’ll always have my heart. Obviously 5 stars. (And yes, while re-reading this I might have cried a couple of times, and what??)

31. The Egg

This was so short, so strange, not even a novel. It was what – 3 pages? But heck, I really liked those 3 pages. Very interesting. 3 stars.

32. The Guard

Considering the fact that I was never really a lover of the Selection the first time, and that it has been a couple years since I’ve read it and can barely remember anything, I still enjoyed this. It was interesting to go back into that world and see things from another perspective. Still . . . I didn’t really like it. For die-hard fans, they probably would have loved it, but for me I was just indifferent. This is a short story, so yes, it makes no real impact or difference if you’ve read it or not, but I still struggle to see the point of this. Once again, if I remembered more of the series or was a big fan I’d probably think differently. Since I’m not, 2 stars.

33. The Kiss of Deception

Get out of here. I guessed it all straight away! HAHA. I quite enjoyed this one actually, and for more thoughts and feelings, you’ve guessed it, here’s my Goodreads review. 3.5 stars!

34. A Court of Wings and Ruin

*screams into the distance* OKAY. OKAY. I’M STILL ALIVE. AHHHHHHHHH. THAT ENDING THOUGH!! AH!!! AND I LOVED SEEING MORE OF MY NIGHT COURT BABIES AND AHHH! I am still unable to talk about this book comprehensively. YOU’LL NEVER GET THOUGHTS OUT OF ME THAT MAKE SENSE REGARDING THIS BOOK BECAUSE I AM TOO BUSY FANGLRING. (although I must say I still think ACOMAF is my favourite out of this trilogy!) 4 STARS.

35. Song of the Current

Won this in a goodreads giveaway and I’ve never been happier. A book that promises pirates and actually gives them? YAAAS? Do I also hear kick-ass and awesome female characters? YAAAS? A love story that’s not instant romance and doesn’t feature the “pure heroine” and the “bad boy of corruption” and a book that discusses the importances of consent and doesn’t shame women? YAAAS. So yep. I loved it.  A definite 4 stars! More on that in my review.

36. Spellslinger

Ever since I saw this beautiful cover (I’m shallow) I’ve been looking forward to this. So when it hit bookdepository at a low price could I resist?? NO! And it was great. I was expecting it to be more like A Gathering of Shadows which yes, is by a complete different author, but the concept seemed the same. It wasn’t though – and what is in this book is much  . . . different. And I liked it. It didn’t completely blow me away but it was great and a fun read. I wrote a review here. 3 stars.

37. Paper Hearts

Cute and fun. Nothing remarkable that blows you away, and sometimes the cliches get too much and the characters annoying, but it wasn’t completely dreadful. It was just a light teen fiction read. A low 3 stars.

38. Lord of Shadows

Once again a buddy read with the girl whom I read the Diabolic, Percy Jackson and A Conjuring of Light with, and my fellow moderator on my Goodreads group A Book Nirvana. I LOVED THIS. With each and every novel you can see Cassandra Clare’s writing improve. I loved seeing old characters once again returning in this, with seperate plot lines, as it keeps the whole world open and in-depth. I wrote a review here, which also links to my friends review which is GREAT. I gave this one a whooping 4 stars.

 

And there it is. All the books I’ve read this year (not including re-reads). I’m really happy with most of the books I’ve read this year, and I’m hoping that the latter half of this year continues to give me great books that I’ll love.

So what books have you read this year? Any that I have? Have you hated any books you’ve read this year? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!