Book Survey - Greek Mythology Style

Hello everybody. 

A couple of weeks ago i saw this while looking for book tags to do and it seemed like fun i saw it on DreamLandBookBlog  and thought i would give it a go. 

This survey was created by Flip That Page, and the main idea of the whole thing is that you have to answer a number of questions, one for each god/character from Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson and the Olympians-series.

Gods of Olympus 

Zeus (Jupiter) 

God of the Sky and Thunder / King of the Gods

 Favourite book (choose your own category!)

Breathe - Abbi Glines

This book started my addiction with Abbi Glines and even though it was cheesy in parts it still brings a smile to my face when i think about it. 

Poseidon (Neptune) 

God of the Seas and Earthquakes

Book that drowned you in feels

Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover

God even a couple of months on the emotions and feels from this book still kill me every time i think of it. The pain was so real you could feel it. 

Hades (Pluto)

God of the Underworld

Favourite book with a dark / ominous plot

The Never List - Koethi Zan 

This book is messed up it is about a girl who was locked in the basement with 3 other girls and 10years after they escape they are confronted with each other and what they did to survive. Twist and Turns a plenty.

Hera (Juno)

Goddess of Marriage and Family

 Cutest fictional couple

Tessa and Jase

Tessa and Jase from Be With Me by J Lynn are one of the cutest couples right from the start just the awkwardness around them and their interactions have made them a favourite for me.

Athena(Minerva)

Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft and Strategic Warfare

 Series with the best world-building

 Throne of Glass - Sarah J Maas 

This series is all about the world building i don't want to say too much but it is such an intricate world and all the different places and the different creatures it is phenomenal.

Aphrodite (Venus)

Goddess of Love and Beauty

 Most beautiful cover on a 2014 release

To All The Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han

This cover is extremely gorgeous, a beautiful cover for a beautiful book.

Ares (Mars)

God of War and Bloodshed

 Most violent book you’ve ever read

Stombird - Conn Iggulden 

Stormbird is a very real take on medieval war craft and it is violent and bloody and just getting started.

Hephaestus (Vulcan)

God of Blacksmiths and Fire

 Scorching hot swoon worthy character

Cage York

So boys in books how can i choose just one, in the end i chose one that even to this day almost a year on he is still one of my favourite boys in books, Cage is the bad boy every good girl needs. 

Artemis (Diana)

Goddess of the Hunt and Virginity

Favourite Kick-Ass Heroine

Rose Hathaway 

Rose for me is the original kick ass heroine before her i had read about Bella and Zoey Redbird she is a kick ass heroine and she is one of my all time favourite female characters.

Phoebus Apollo (Apollo)

God of Light and Healing

Sequel book that redeemed its series

Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy - Ally Carter

The first book in the Gallagher Girls series was OK for a stand alone but for me it didn't bring anything into the series at all it had a completely different vibe to the rest of the series. And when i read the second book i became addicted to it. 

 

Hermes (Mercury)

Messenger God of Thieves and Commerce

 Book with the best message

Love Rosie - Cecelia Ahern

The message in this book is that if love is meant to happen it will even if it takes years and many failed marriages if its meant to be it will be.

Hestia (Vesta)

Goddess of the Hearth and Home

 Book with the most relatable story

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell 

Fangirl is such a relatable story its about a normal girl trying to find her way in the world and meeting new people and dealing with family problems it just describes almost every teenage girl in the world. 

Demeter (Ceres)

Goddess of Fertility and Agriculture

  Favourite bookish setting

Tudor England 

I absolutely love The Tudor Period and any book i have read that is set in that period. If i could live in any world it would have to be the Tudor era. Who wouldn't want to see Henry VIII as a young hansom prince. 

Dionysus (Bacchus)

God of Wine and Celebration

 2015 release you are most anticipating

The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan

I literally need this book right now, it has been almost a year since we have heard about Annabeth and Percy and I'm hoping we get some glimpses of them and also i have never read a Norse Mythology book before so I cannot wait. 

Heroes of Olympus

Percy Jackson

a brave, spirited natural leader with a sarcastic sense of humour, and a will to save friends and enemies alike

Favourite protagonist

Celaena Sardothian 

Celaena is such an amazing protagonist she is strong and she has such an amazing personality and she is a kick ass heroine who protects the people she cares about. 

Annabeth Chase 

intellectual genius with a strong mind, brave heart, and a love for architecture

Series / book with the cleverest plot

Shadowhunters Series - Cassandra Clare

It is such a cleverly written series with how all of the series are interconnected and it all flows perfectly i cannot imagine what goes into writing a world like this where you have different characters in different generations but at the same time they are all very similar. 

Jason Grace

 has a moderate sense of humour, but a strong sense of Honor, justice and compassion, often described as perfect

Book with an epic finale

 

The Mark of Athena - Rick Riordan

 

The ending to this book had me having a heart attack seriously if i had read it then had to wait for the next book i would probably have killed someone, this ending was epic for all the right reasons even if it gave me heart attack. 

Piper McLean

aggressive and persuasive but down to earth, caring and loving towards Jason, her friends and family

Book with a tempting synopsis (one you haven’t read!)

 

The Book of Ivy - Amy Engel

 

So i saw this book on goodreads and keep on debating if i should buy it i have not been able to forget the synopsis and i really want to read it. 

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.
This year, it is my turn.
My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.
But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.
Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

 

 

Leo Valdez

good-natured and energetic, funny but intelligent, honest and witty, and is skilled with machines

Book that made you laugh

Geek Girl - Holly Smale 

 

Geek Girl is a funny cute contemporary book that made me laugh out loud, and it still makes me laugh and smile whenever i think of certain scenes. 

 

 

Hazel Levesque

bright  and outgoing despite an unfortunate childhood, is mature for her age and has a love for horseback riding

 
Favourite character with a tragic past

 

Avery Morganstern

 

Avery goes through something traumatic at 14, when she does the right thing and tells the police her family make her lie and say she made it up.

 

 

Frank Zhang

somewhat shy, cynical, and clumsy, though he possesses a strong sense of duty, loyalty, and love

Book you loved more than you thought you would

 

Stray - Rachel Vincent

 

When i first was going to start Stray i looked it up on goodreads and it had some really bad reviews, so i didn't read it until about a week later and i thoroughly enjoyed it. 

 

 

 

Nico di Angelo

grim, solitary, powerful and mysterious, highly unpredictable and selectively affectionate

Most mysterious character you’ve ever encountered

 

The Silent Brothers

 

We really don't know much about them and they are in all of the shadowhunter books and i would love to know what really goes on in the silent city when no ones watching. 

 

 

 

Grover Underwood

cheerful, upbeat and protective satyr who chews on furniture when he gets nervous

Book you won’t read due to warnings against them

Vampire Diaries Nightfall - L J Smith 

I have heard that they get worse as you carry on the first four are OK but then they get really bad so i wont be continuing with this series.

Clarisse La Rue

arrogant and hot-tempered, but brave, strong and protective of camp

Most annoying character

 

George Warleggan

 

George Warleggan is from the Poldark saga and he is such an annoying little bugger and i really want to punch him, at every turn hes trying to financially hurt Ross and i really hate him for it.

 

 

So that is it for this tag

 

Until Next Time

Happy Reading

 

Thats What He Said Thursdays - 17th September 2015

So That's What He Said Thursdays was Created by Chapter Break and it is pretty much just a appreciation post for your favourite Male Protagonist's quotes to his girl. 

This week i have chosen a guy who i love he is such an adorable character at the same time incredibly hot. He also has some pretty amazing quotes. 

Jase Winstead

Be With Me - J Lynn 

.
“And I’m more than willing to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, because I love you, Tess. I am so fucking in love with you in a way I’ve never loved someone before.”

Until Next Time

Happy Reading

 

Queen of Shadows - Sarah J Maas Review

Title - Queen of Shadows
Series - Throne of Glass # 4
Author - Sarah J Maas
ISBN - 978-1-4088-5861-5
My Copy - Purchased
Rating - 5 / 5
Where You Can Find It - Goodreads   -  Amazon UK    -  Amazon US
Genre - Ya > Fantasy



So i really cannot say much without spoiling the other books so this whole review will have spoilers everywhere

I am not really a Fantasy kind of person but this series is an exception each book is better than the last and this book was phenomenal every single ship from the first book has been flipped up and SUNK :'( and so much happened in this mammoth of a book (this will probably be a long on)

So lets start at the beginning

Dorian is describing what it is like having a Valg inside him and the darkness that takes control. Oh My Giddy Aunt, i have never really been a fan of Dorian but this book broke my heart for him he struggled and fought so much and i really admired him for that.

On to Celaena or Aelin as she is now going by we first see her in a bar and and she is wondering if Chaol is safe and then when she finds Chaol and he is with Arobrynn she doesn't talk to him just watches and then she meets with Arobrynn herself and he calls her by the new nickname people are calling her "Fire Breathing Bitch Queen". I felt like something had to break in this book this had to end if she was ever going to get back to Terrasen she had to either kill him or immobilise him.

When we get out first glimpse of Aedion he is in the castle dungeons and is ill with a fever that was caused by and infection but he pretends he isn't so the king doesn't decide to kill him before the fever can and and then his Queen will not be able to save him.

by around 34 pages in i really got the sense that we wasn't going to be using Celaena anymore and i had to get used to the idea of calling her Aelin. When Chaol and Aelin are in the same meeting i was kind of jumping in my seat (I still want them to be endgame Please) and then they talked after and they talk about how saving Aedion will be a trap and how its not safe and you can tell that he still cares for her. We meet Neseryn Faliq in this scene and i wasn't too sure of her in the beginning but by the end she really grew on me.

When Arobrynn offers Aelin a deal to bring him a Valg i knew in the end she would accept and when she did it was in return for the rescue of Aedion.

We finally get another Dorian scene and it is not giving you much hope the collar has made him cold and heartless and he is still trying to fight for control, But the deamon wins and starts controlling him fully.

It was nice to see some of the palace guards we have met along the way and when they are planning and Aelin tells them that everyone on their side should were a flower on their uniform was a testament to how good of a Queen she will be. Sparing the guards that are innocent even if they have just stood around and done nothing while innocent people are suffering in the dungeons.

We see the Duke again and i really didn't want to read about him i was like c'mon just get back to Celaena and the others who gives a S**t about him.  Then he goes and says he wants to breed Valgs with Witches and I'm like oh god what is this little bitch doing now from the beginning he has been sabotaging Celaena and he just needs to F the hell off.

When Aelin and Arobrynn meet and he has to go and tell her about Chaol and Nesseryn being Ex Friends With Benefits i was like WTF i mean did you really have to tell her then he goes and rubs it in her face that shares his plans with Neseryn and trusts her and he doesn't with Aelin.I wanted to kill him myself.

When the topic of saving Dorian came up i was like a See-Saw one minute i was on Aelin's side the next i was on Chaol's side they both had good points Aelin he isn't in there anymore its not Dorian and Chaol says that they can save him and that he will be in there somewhere they just have to get the collar off somehow.

Finally 130 pages in she goes off to save her cousin, and Dorian is still fighting for control against the valg but its waining he is losing. She finally makes it to the Glass castle. and you felt like this was a pinnacle moment in the series she is getting one of her family members back and is still in disguise but she is Aelin and there were so many Quotable Moments like "She was Fire, and Light, and ash, And Embers. She was Aelin Fire heart". Then she gets to Aedion who is chained up on a platform and another amazing quote that stuck in my mind took place in this scene " Aedion grinned at his queen, and the entire world went to hell" when she gets him free you really do feel for Aelin she finally has one of her family members back in her life but when they are escaping and Valg Dorian stops them i really thought she was going to kill him but then she hesitated and Neseryn finds them and points her arrow at Aedion because Arobrynn told her and Chaol that Aelin will betray them and kill Dorian if she has the chance. BASTARD

Lysandra is a complex character you never really know where you are with her and if she is betraying you or she is your ally. But we find out she is to be trusted she gave up her freedom to stop a little girl going through everything she did and when she finds out Celaena is Aelin she doesn't bat an eyelid.

Back to the Witches they will not give the Duke BlackBeaks but he can have some yellow legs instead. I have to admit all of the Witches scenes kind of confused me a little bit.

When Valg Dorian stopped Aelin from leaving he was trying to fight the Valg inside him when he recognised Aelin he wished she had killed him he doesn't want to live on like a monster :'(

When Aelin fights Valgs in the slums of Rithold to make sure Arobrynn has a lot of money in his back pocket you know she is planning something big.

We start talking about Rowan again ad Aedion tells Aelin that he is the greatest Fey warrior alive and Aelin is shocked because she never knew that she was bonded to the greatest fey warrior alive.

The stone Gargoyles from the tower is alive and they are in league with the Valgs. Even Aelin is shocked, i was a little surprised by her being shocked because if there is fey and valgs why couldn't other species be alive as well.

Page 233 was the return of Rowan i thought we left him back in Terrasen and wouldn't see him till we went back there, but her he is (sarcastic YAY). Even i have to admit Rowan is kind of hot and when they have a conversation while he is in the bath and it gets really intimate and she starts washing his hair it was strange to see such warrior act all soft.

We go back to Dorian and find out the Deamon and full control over him and he is no longer fighting for control he has given up. he is overseeing the prisoners interrogation and his Valg is very cold and is making Dorian watch and is taunting him in his mind.

WE have always known something was up with Lysandra and then one Bloody sniff from Rowan to find out shes a Shape shifter.

Aelin finds a Valg for her end of the Bargain with Arobrynn but she find one who wants to die his human side would rather die than live as a human with the memories from killing people while being a Valg. So off they go to Arobrynns dinner party. She decides that tonight is the night Arobrynn dies.

Even tough i do not Ship Aelin and Rowan together they do have that hilarious bond that lets them chat and the conversation during dinner was hilarious 
"Seventeen-year-old Rowan wouldn't have known what to do with you. He could barely speak to females outside of him family"
" Liar i don't believe that for a second."
"Its true. You would have scandalised him with your night clothes - even with that dress you have on" 
"He would probably have been even more scandalised to learn I'm not wearing any undergarments beneath this dress".

Then Arobrynn goes and ruins it i ended up being really emotional after this scene When Arobrynn goes and put that fricken ring on her finger and cuts her and sucks her blood so he can control her i literally had to put the book down for about 30 minutes but then i carried on and and got to the part where he tells her to blink and she does and my reaction was holy shit and a heck of a lot of No's then the next page you get clued in on the plan it was a fake Wyrdstone ring and it was the plan all along to make him think he has won and he has control over a Queen.

#awkward Rowan stops Aelin from flirting with him and while that's happening Lysandra kills Arobrynn YAY the ass hole is dead.  Celaena is called in to see if she can do anything to find out who did it Chaol broke in and put bloody footprints in a size that matches no one so none of them would be under suspicion. Meanwhile Valg Dorian is tourchering prisoner's.

Its time to read Arobrynns Will and Aelin is going to be Celaena for the very last time, Clarice is there along with Lysandra because Arobrynn told her he is going to leave her some thing in his Will but when it is read out he has left everything to Celaena. Then come to find out she switched the Wills and did it so she would have enough money for an army. Then she gets to see Arobrynns body she sees Lysandra's work and how brutal it is she still beheads him just to be sure.

Aelin, Chaol, Aedion and the gang try to find Arobrynns Hell Fire and when they are looking they find skeletons that have sins carved into them. They find Elena's Husband and his sin is he never killed the original Valg King and only inprisoned him with Aelins Necklace The Eye of Elena and they realise that the king probably want to free him.

Dorian is learning to like hearing the prisoners screams and tasting their fear and pain.

Even from the grave that annoying little B***H causes trouble by somehow letting the king know Lysandra is a Shape Shifter and the king finds and arrests her. During her rescue we get a lot of weird stuff happening Dorian and Manon i actually cannot wait to see where that goes and then Dorian for just one minute wins over the valg and tells is Dorian while talking to Manon. But Chaol doesn't realise that he only sees him when he is a Valg and he thinks he is no longer in there.

Kick Ass Aelin rescues Lysandra epically and gets out of there quietly then she realises Chaol is missing and he has gone to kill Dorian but takes an wrong turning and ends up with the witches

They easily could have gotten out of there without any trouble until Aelin goes and opens her big mouth and tells them she killed one of them and then a huge fight ensues. When Rowan took the Arrow for Aelin i was happy if he dies protection her hes done his job.

Then you have two amazing fighters in Aelin and Manon who fight head to head and i really didn't know who was going to win then Aelin saves Manon and she now owes Aelin a Life Debt.

The conversation where Chaol realises he was wrong to call Aelin a monster, then the talk turns into a goodbye and i was almost crying i have shipped Aelin and Chaol from the very beginning and my ship has finally sunk :'(.

Then Manon repays the life debt in a enormous way she tells Aelin that Dorian is still in there and fighting. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Contrary to what was said earlier about her never being Celaena again she pretends to be Celaena to get into the glass castle with Chaol as her prisoner on their way in they encounter the guards who are strung up and have been tourchered Chaol changes the plan and again you don't know what that plan is until its too late.

When they get into the room and Aelin and the King face off he knows that Celaena is Aelin because he went through Dorian's memories. He goes on to make an example of Dorian by making him kneel and a trendel of night whipped him and tourchered him. Chaols tries to save him but the king tells him the only way he can save him is if she gives over his former lover Aelin. Then Aelin releases Magic with the Eye of Elena.. Dorian runs after Aelin when she runs out of the castle with the Eye of Elena, Chaol stays behind to fight for justice for his men and Sorscha. Chaol is Dead and sacrificed himself for Aelin and Dorian. this time i actually threw my book across the room and into my bookshelf and there where lots of No's coming out of my mouth.

Dorian finally sees Celaena and fights the Valg inside him for control again and he wins. OMG that was intense an amazing quote from this scene that stuck in my head long after i finished it was "They joined hands, so the world ended, and the next one began"

 We now have to deal with the King but hes acting normal and that's strange he has been controlled by a Valg minion since his childhood when he and his friend the Duke freed Errawan. The minion went into the King and Errawan went into Duke Perrington. Then the king tells them that Chaol is alive he didn't kill him but he is very badly injured i did a little happy dance at this.

Then Dorian kills his father the King and Chaol is at Dorian's Feet. Aelin addresses the crowd and tells them that The king is dead and Dorian is the new King and if any of them have a problem with it they can take it up with her and her court.

After the battle everyone is resting in their own rooms Aelin is back in Celaenas room and when she wakes up she is as sassy as ever with Rowan "I save the world and yet i wake up to you being pissy" that made me laugh after all the seriousness of the last couple of pages.

When Chaol wakes up we find out he is paralysed and is in a wheelchair. Chaol and Neseryn are going to the south to see if they can find a world renowned healer who can help him. Dorian is staying in the castle to run his city and Aelin and her court along with Lysandra and Evangeline who Aelin has made Ladies of her court are going to Terrasen.

AELIN IS HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot wait for the next book and to see where all the characters end up and we are going into the south a place we have never been before.

I still want Aelin and Chaol to be endgame cmon Sarah J Maas.

Until Next Time

Happy Reading

Top 5 Wednesday - Title Font's On Covers - 23rd September 2015

Hello so i haven't done a T5W in a really long time so i decided to get back into it this week it is Top 5 favourite title font's on covers. So lets get started. 

5. Geek Girl - Holly Smale 

I love this font i don't know why but whenever i see it, i automatically think of Geek Girl and how cute and sweet it is. 

4. How To Love - Katie Cotugno 

I love the font on this book because of the handwritten feel to it. I could have chosen so many books with this font but this font covers the front cover. 

3. Until Friday Night - Abbi Glines 

This font reminds me of American High School, and it just ties it in with the story and its PERFECT. 

2. Rebel Belle - Rachel Hawkins 

Last year this font was on so many books and it really is a favourite of mine it just adds the the cutesy feeling of the cover and I'm not sure why but it makes me think of southern belles. (I am strange)

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (Vintage Collection)

Like with How To Love, it is another hand written type of font but this one is unique i don't have another font like it on my shelves. This font just ties in with the design of this book perfectly.

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey

Here is the goodreads page 

Here is the full list of participants - Wednesday-Ers

Until Next Time

Happy Reading

Thats What He Said Thursday's - 10th September 2015

So That's What He Said Thursdays was Created by Chapter Break and it is pretty much just a appreciation post for your favourite Male Protagonist's quotes to his girl. 

So this week i have chosen a classic and he is the epitome of a male character who says all the wrong things, then all the right things.

Fitzwilliam Darcy 

Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen  

Until Next Time

Happy Reading

Taming of The Queen - Philippa Gregory Spoiler Free Review

Title  - The Taming of The Queen 
Series - The Tudor Court Series 
Author - Philippa Gregory 
ISBN - 978-1-471-3297-1
My Copy - Purchased 
Rating - 4 / 5
Where You Can Find It - Goodreads - Amazon UK / USA
Genre - Adult - Historical Fiction


So where should i start with this book, how about with the tag line. "Why would a woman marry a serial killer? Because she cannot refuse..." that got me hooked in a second, because we are so used to reading about Henry VIII as this young hansom Prince and not the old tyrant he becomes. This book brought a light to a wife we don't know much about, even her name is up for debate is it Katherine or Kateryn.So lets delve into the last few years of Henry VIII's Reign 

Chapter 1 begins in spring of 1543 at Hampton court palace where Henry Proposes to Kateryn and because you cannot say no to the king she just act like it is an honer and that she doesn't deserve it and that she needs a little time for it to sink in, Henry agrees and lets her go back to her chamber. 

Kateryn goes to her lover Thomas Seymour and sneaks into his room after midnight to say goodbye because she is not foolish enough to have an affair like the previous wife Katherine Howard. 

Kateryn goes on with her life as she becomes queen and has to bed this horrible smelly man who is old enough to be her father and man who has already buried 4 wives, two of whom he beheaded, 1 who died of a broken heat and his sweetheart Queen Jane who he left alone to die after giving birth to his son, so she was right to be careful. We get a glimpse of how Elizabeth got the idea that she could rule as a woman on her own. so that is all i am going to tell you about the book because there is a lot of heartache and emotions and scenes that i don't want to spoil so now onto my thoughts on the book. 

So when i first starting reading this book i was a little blegh because i had finished The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir a month previous and that painted Kateryn and Thomas as the bad guys so reading about their love was a tad weird but then you really got a sense for the characters an you see the struggle she has had her entire life, being married 3 times all to men who were not adequate for her, a man who was afraid of his own shadow, a man who she was more of daughter and nurse to then too and then to a tyrant who could execute her at his will. There was one part in this book that actually made me hate Henry a little bit and that was when he punished Kateryn and the play he wrote"The Taming of The Queen" was horrible but at the same time that was the law in Tudor times. Even though the religion kept on changing back and forth from protestant to catholic, it was tough times for a secret reformist as a queen in a court where it was heresy to believe different from the king.Kateryn who was a scholar wrote and published many books that were deemed as heretic matirial. I love that throughout Gregory's books and series she keeps one thing the same, the curse that Henry's mum put on the family that murdered her brothers in the tower they shall die out and end with a virgin woman and this curse that started in The White Queen and has been mentioned in most of the books since if you read them in Time order (not the order they were published but time era chronologically) this time Henry mentions it "And people say terrible things. They say there is a curse, they speak of a curse, they say such things - a curse on Tudor boys, on our line."


Overall this book was a very good read, I definitely look at Henry VIII a little differently now than i did when i first learnt about him but you need all sides of a story and unfortunately that is something we may never know. 

Until Next Time

Happy Reading