Wednesday, 4 November 2020

CHOOSE THE YEAR BOOK TAG

So after looking around and trying to find I tag, I settled on this one, it seems different, feel free to do it as well and tag me if you do, I like being nosey. 

 The tag prompts:

  1. Choose a year and say why.
  2. Which books published in that year have you read, or if none, heard of.
  3. Are there any books published in that year that sound interesting and would you read them now?
  4. Most obscure sounding book?
  5. Strangest book cover
For Number 1 - Choose a year and say why.
I have decided to choose 2009, it was the year I really started reading as a teen, I was 14 years old and I just think it will bring back quite a few memories. 

(I used this website to help me https://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by_date/2009/

Number 2 - Which books published in that year have you read, or if none, heard of.
There are quite a few so i will name only 10 here...

 - Kathryn Stockett
 - Becca Fitzpatrick
 - Lauren Kate

3 - Are there any books published in that year that sound interesting and would you read them now? 

No, there are a few books that I remembered were talked about on booktube quite a lot but my tastes have changed from that now and I prefer more new adult and adult boos now, so not really is my answer. 


4 - Most obscure sounding book?

 -  Alexander Gordon Smith 

Monday, 2 November 2020

Books I Want To Finish Before 2021

So I haven't really been reading much, but recently I reorganised my bookshelves and saw some books that I really want to get to, and hopefully writing them down means that I will actually do it, so here are the ten books i want to finish before January 1st 2021, lets get started... 


Goblet of Fire Illustrated Edition - J K Rowling 


Dragons! Daring! Danger! The first fully illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is an extraordinary creative achievement by two extraordinary talents. Jim Kay's inspired reimagining of J.K. Rowling's classic series has captured a devoted following worldwide, and the drama just gets bigger as the series progresses. With over 150 illustrations, Jim Kay's unique vision delivers breath-taking scenes and unforgettable characters - including fan favourites Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum illustrated by Jim Kay for the first time.

Fizzing with magic and brimming with humour, this full-colour edition will captivate fans and new readers alike as Harry, now in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, finds himself competing in the legendary Triwizard Tournament and facing death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards ... Making magic in paint, pencil and pixels, this is the Wizarding World as we have never seen it before.


The Fiery Cross - Diana Gabaldon

The dazzling fifth volume of Diana Gabaldon's extraordinary Outlander saga, featuring 18th-century Scotsman James Fraser and his 20th-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall. The year is 1771, and war is coming. Jamie Fraser's wife tells him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy--a time-traveller's certain knowledge. Born in the year of Our Lord 1918, Claire Randall served England as a nurse on the battlefields of World War II, and in the aftermath of peace found fresh conflicts when she walked through a cleft stone on the Scottish Highlands and found herself an outlander, an English lady in a place where no lady should be, in a time--1743--when the only English in Scotland were the officers and men of King George's army. Now wife, mother, and surgeon, Claire is still an outlander, out of place, and out of time, but now, by choice, linked by love to her only anchor--Jamie Fraser. Her unique view of the future has brought him both danger and deliverance in the past; her knowledge of the oncoming revolution is a flickering torch that may light his way through the perilous years ahead--or ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes.... Grand, sweeping, utterly unforgettable, The Fiery Cross is riveting entertainment, a vibrant tapestry of history and human drama.


Love Simon - Becky Albertalli

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out--without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.

Incredibly funny and poignant, this twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story--wrapped in a geek romance--is a knockout of a debut novel by Becky Albertalli.


The Summer Queen - Elizabeth Chadwick 


Eleanor of Aquitaine
A loving mother. A betrayed wife. A queen beyond compare.

Eleanor of Aquitaine's story is legendary. She is an icon who has fascinated readers for over eight hundred years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive - until now. Based on the most up-to-date research, bestselling novelist Elizabeth Chadwick brings Eleanor's magnificent story to life, as never before.

Young, vibrant, privileged, Eleanor's future is golden as the heiress to wealthy Aquitaine. But when her beloved father dies suddenly in the summer of 1137, her childhood ends abruptly. Forced to marry the young prince Louis of France, Eleanor is still struggling to adjust to her new role when Louis' father dies and they become King and Queen of France. Leaving everything behind, the vivacious Eleanor must face the complex and faction-riddled French court. She is only 13.

Overflowing with scandal, politics, sex, triumphs and tragedies, The Summer Queen is the first novel in a stunning trilogy from award-winning and much-loved author Elizabeth Chadwick


The Last Wish - Andrzej Sapkowski

Introducing Geralt the Witcher - revered and hated - who holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in the bestselling series that inspired the Witcher video games and a major Netflix show.

Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers and lifelong training have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin.

Yet he is no ordinary killer: he hunts the vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil; not everything fair is good . . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Translated by Danusia Stok.


Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen - Alison Weir 


THE WOMAN HAUNTED BY THE FATE OF HER PREDECESSOR.

Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King.

She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son . . . or face ruin.

This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and Anne. In doing so, can she expose a gentler side to the brutal King?

JANE SEYMOUR
THE THIRD OF HENRY'S QUEENS
HER STORY

Acclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir draws on new research for her captivating novel, which paints a compelling portrait of Jane and casts fresh light on both traditional and modern perceptions of her. Jane was driven by the strength of her faith and a belief that she might do some good in a wicked world.

History tells us how she died.
This spellbinding novel explores the life she lived.


Crescent City - Sarah J Maas 

Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. Every night is a party and Bryce is going to savour all the pleasures Lunathion - also known as Crescent City - has to offer. But then a brutal murder shakes the very foundations of the city, and brings Bryce's world crashing down.
Two years later, Bryce still haunts the city's most notorious nightclubs - but seeking only oblivion now. Then the murderer attacks again. And when an infamous Fallen angel, Hunt Athalar, is assigned to watch her every footstep, Bryce knows she can't forget any longer.
As Bryce and Hunt fight to unravel the mystery, and their own dark pasts, the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the deepest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir ...
With unforgettable characters and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom - and the power of love.


The Sleeping Prince - Melinda Salisbury

Return to the darkly beautiful world of The Sin Eater's Daughter
with a sequel that will leave you awed, terrified . . . and desperate
for more.

Ever since her brother Lief disappeared, Errin's life has gone from
bad to worse. Not only must she care for her sick mother, she
has to scrape together rent money by selling illegal herbal cures.
But none of that compares to the threat of the vengeful Sleeping
Prince whom the Queen just awoke from his enchanted sleep.

When her village is evacuated as part of the war against the Sleeping
Prince, Errin is left desperate and homeless. The only person
she can turn to is the mysterious Silas, a young man who buys deadly
poisons from Errin, but won't reveal why he needs them. Silas
promises to help Errin, but when he vanishes, Errin must journey
across a kingdom on the brink of war to seek another way to save
her mother and herself. But what she finds splits the world as
she knows it apart, and with the Sleeping Prince drawing nearer,
Errin must make a heartbreaking choice that could affect the whole
kingdom...


Tidal - Amanda Hocking

The third book in the addictive Watersong series, Tidal is a dramatic adventure by Amanda Hocking, author of the bestselling Trylle novels.

Gemma is facing the fight of her life. Cursed by beautiful but deadly sirens, her extraordinary powers have a terrifyingly dark side, and becoming human once more is proving her greatest challenge yet. As she struggles to break the curse, the sirens Penn, Lexi and Thea are determined to kill her before she can set herself free.

Gemma's only allies are her sister, Harper, and Harper's boyfriend, Daniel. Together they must delve into their enemies' mythical pasts - to discover their darkest secrets. But Penn has also set her sights on Daniel. Soon, the sirens threaten everything Gemma holds dear: her family, her friends, her life, and her relationship with Alex - the only guy she's ever loved. Can she save herself and those she cares about before it is too late?


The Plantagenet's - Dan Jones 

This brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever seen, and the worst. The Plantagenets - their story is the story of Britain. A rich, sprawling cast of characters, the Plantagenets were both gifted and cursed by an inherited trait that made some brilliant rulers and statesmen, and others cowards, bullies and tyrants. They ruled over wars of conquest and wars of defence. They fought holy Crusades and bitter feuds with Rome. At times their subjects enjoyed prosperity, security, national glory and vast wealth; at others they suffered plagues, invasions, famines and ignominious defeat at the hands of their enemies. The Plantagenets were by turns beautiful and cruel, judicious and insanely paranoid, brilliant and a tragically flawed family. The Plantagenets is divided into three parts, each telling a gripping story of the three main eras of Plantagenet rule. Together they combine as a historical epic of the sort that has not been written of British history for nearly a century. Parts I, II and III, The Angevins (c.1
150 - 1272), The Edwards (1272 - 1360) and The English (1360 - 1399) look at fascinating characters such as Count Goeffrey V of Anjou, the first Plantagenet, Richard the Lionheart and his less famous older brother Henry, Edward the Black Prince and the stunning and influential princess Joan of Kent. In a book of dazzling scope and ambition, Dan Jones paints a psychological family portrait of the royal house of Plantagenet, creating a mesmerising new history of Britain before the Tudors. This is truly a definitive book building on the compelling style of his first book, Summer of Blood, bringing medieval Britain into vivid focus for the modern reader, and accessible to readers from age 9 to 90.



 


Wednesday, 28 October 2020

Needing Arella - Terri Anne Browning Review


 Name - Needing Arella

Author - Terri Anne Browning

Series - Rockers' Legacy #6

Genre - New Adult 

Format - Kindle

My Copy - Purchased

Where you can find it - Goodreads - Amazon US - Amazon UK - Barnes & Noble 


I have a stalker.

Nothing new about that.

I’m the latest it girl in Hollywood. Stalkers come with the territory.

But this one is…different.

This one is braver—and unpredictable.

My sister is married to a security expert. One phone call and I could have one of the world’s best-trained bodyguards watching over me twenty-four seven.

But if I do, my parents will find out, and my dad will stress.

What if he gets sick again because he’s worried about me?

No! I refuse to let that happen.

Which leaves me with just one choice.

I’ll have to call the only other person I can trust.

Jordan Moreitti.


I have read many books by Terri Anne Browning and first off let me tell you if you haven't read the Rockers Series then have you been living under a rock, it is phenomenal and in this series we get to see them in martial bliss. there are also crossovers with her other series, this one is a good example of what a good next gen series is all about. You don't need to have read the other books in the series it will help you out with names and the drama's going on but in all honesty its been so long since i read the original series I can barely remember who ended up with who. 

 I really liked reading from Arella's pov, it was easy and very well written, Jordan was tougher mainly because he was a bit difficult for me to like, he was a kind of throw it all away type of man, he made a choice and he stuck with it, it's not bad but it just felt like his arc kind of petered out very quickly, i would have like to see some more growth from him, and i would have liked to see a reconciliation between him and his father, there was mention of it but again his arc was just quite rushed.

One down side was the whole thing felt very rushed, the story, the relationship, it all just felt like it needed to slow down a bit but after reading for a while i got used to the pace it was going and it was a lot more enjoyable.  

The stalker became clear quite quickly as well, at least for me and I wasn't too upset about that, its nice to be able to look out for it, and see what that characters going to do next, it was kind of a sick ending and one that was very well written, the ending was definitely worth it.

Overall, I would recommend this book, and again you don't need to have read any of her other books, but it does help, it's a quick easy read that had me on tenterhooks, it was completely worth reading. 
 

Monday, 26 October 2020

Better Left Forgotten - Lisa Helen Grey Review


Title - Better left Forgotten
Author - Lisa Helen Grey
Series - Forgotten Series #1
ISBN - 978-1500693718
Format - Kindle
My Edition - Kindle Unlimited


How far would you go to protect the ones you love? Some things are better left forgotten, but for Caitlyn Michelson forgetting is not something that she can do. After the brutal death of her sister, she packs up her four year old daughter Carrie and moves across the country, all in an attempt to get away from her sister’s killer, Robin Quinton. After blackmailing Robin she believes that she will finally be free to live her life. However Caitlyn was naïve to think her threats would work against the man who brutally murdered her sister. It’s only when she meets gorgeous bad boy biker Cage Carter that she finally begins to feel like she is living again. Will lady luck finally be on her side? Or will everything she has be torn away from her?


So this was a good book, I have read quite a few books by this Author, mainly the Carter series and I figured that I would give this a go, I've read the synopsis before and it never really grabbed me but I am actually glad I did, in the end it was an enjoyable read. 

It was very slow to begin with, and I wasn't sure that I was going to get past the first couple of chapters because I didn't like the wording of how it was written but it got better after the first couple of chapters, I also didn't connect with the characters either but that also changed as the book went on, it was definitely a grower. 

The characters were good, they had some growth but this wasn't really a book about a characters growth, it was more just about telling the story and on a level I enjoyed that, but I would have liked for her to grow just a bit, but then again in the situation that Caitlyn was in, no one really knows what they'd do, so again the growth didn't really matter in this book. Cage on the other hand is your typical alpha male, from the moment that we met him, he was a typical alpha and normally I don't mind it but it was a bit of insta-love and it had a lot of potential but in the end it was much of the same. 

I loved the background characters a lot and I cant wait to see them more in the next two books, you have the adorable Carrie and Cage's family and friends, Nate and Dante are the protagonist of the next two books and i really cant wait for those. 

Over all, I would recommend this book, it was good and hopefully the series is just as readable as it goes on, it's currently on Kindle Unlimited and this is a self published book, and i am all for supporting that, so if this is something you like then give it a try, it might not be anything new but it is enjoyable. 




Thursday, 5 March 2020

Twenty Questions Book Tag

Hello, so I've not done a tag in while and I stumbled across this one on Fuelledbyfiction's page and decided to give it a go, so let's get started.



How many books is too many books in a series?

I think it depends on the series, if it's a historical series I think 6-10 is a good point but for romance, or new adult I think the longer the better.

How do you feel about cliffhangers?

Not a fan, it can make me hate a book if it's not done right, some are ok, like Rick Riordan but others need to just stop.

Hardback or paperback?

I like hardback's on my shelf but I prefer paperbacks they are easier to travel with and since I'm constantly on the underground they aren't to big either. 


Favourite book?

I don't currently have one, but recently I re-read Vampire Academy and I think that is a book I can go back to again and again and not stop loving. 


Least favourite book?

Again I don't really have one, and if I do I never finished it and got rid of it, but I think it was one of Sarah J Maas' books from the Court of Thornes and Roses series. 


Love triangles, yes or no?

It depends because sometimes I absolutely cannot stand them, but if done correctly then yes, but if not then no. 


The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

Charming Hannah - Kristen Proby I have tried twice now and I might finish it at some point but for me it's just a lot of the same tropes from that genre. 


A book you’re currently reading?

Right now, none, but I just finished Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare about 2 hours ago, the next book I'm going to read is TBD. 


Last book you recommended to someone?

I can't remember it's been so long since I was reading consistently enough to get into a conversation like that. 



Oldest book you’ve read?

Richard III - William Shakespeare, it was alright Shakespeare is definitely something that takes some major brain work. 



  The newest book you’ve read?

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare, it was released today ** (The day I'm writing this the 3rd March 2020) 


Favourite author?

LALALALA Can't hear you.
🙉🙉🙉🙉🙉🙉🙉🙉🙉 



Buying books or borrowing books?

Buying, even though I have got rid of a lot of books there is nothing quite like that new book smell or the smell of old book pages. 


A book you dislike that everyone seems to like?

Again A Court of Thornes and Roses. 



Bookmarks or dogear?

Bookmarks when I can, but I have been known to dogear a page if it's an old charity shop book that is already worse for wear. 


A book you can always re-read?

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, or the Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter



Can you read whilst hearing music?

Yes, I normally have Country Hit's Radio UK, on my smart speaker on low but after a while I tend to tune it out if I'm really getting into a book. 



One POV or multiple POV’s?

Depends on the book, sometimes you really need the different POV's to keep the story rolling but other times one is enough.



Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

Again it depends on the book, I read a 600 page book in one day today, (Chain of Gold) but then a book like one of the Outlander series it takes me multiple to finish them. 



One book you read because of the cover?

Geek Girl by Holly Smale, and it was really good. 


So that's all from me, my new posting schedule is Tuesay's,  Thursday's and Sunday's. 

So my next post will be Sunday, see you then.




Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Chain of Gold - Cassandra Clare SPOILER REVIEW

Click The Link Below To Go To The Spoiler Review 

If you haven't read the book read my non-spoiler review HERE 

Chain of Gold - Cassandra Clare (NO SPOILERS)

Title - Chain of Gold
Author - Cassandra Clare 
Series - The Last Hours #1
Genre - YA Fantasy
ISBN - 978-1-4063-5809-4
Format - Hardback 
My Copy - Purchased 
Where you can find it - Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US - Book Depository - Waterstones - Barnes & Noble - Indigo 




Chain of Gold is the first book in a new Shadowhunter series by the amazing Cassandra Clare, I honestly haven't been reading much recently but this was something I couldn't let pass me by, a thought occurred to me as I was on the bus going to buy this book, I started reading this series ten years ago, in 2010, and I'm still coming back for more. 

This book is in the same realm as the Infernal Devices series, but these characters hold their own, Cordelia, James, Lucie, Mathew, Thomas and many others have to do as many before them have and fight for the lives of their fellow Nephilim and also the mundanes, it shouldn't fall on their shoulders but they are willing to take not only the fall, but the risk as well. James and the gang must deal with hormones and demonic creatures that no one has ever encounter before, add in a dash of love and a lot of heartbreak and it spell for an amazing book.  


So I wasn't too sure at first about this book because even though the family tree in the back of the Clockwork Princess is known to be false in parts I kind of liked the way it was, without giving out any spoilers, so far there are two things that I can say is wrong. I have lots of feelings about this that I will get into when I post my spoiler review but for right now all I'm going to say is that don't take the deaths or marriages to heart, because I'm guessing most of it will change. 

Character wise, I really enjoyed reading from Cordelia's POV, and James' POV as well, I feel like Lucie's was there to give you certain aspects of the story but I wasn't as in to them as the others, there is something about Cordelia that reminds me of lots of 'modern' Shadowhunter characters she is selfless and compared to some in the series that I won't name here, it's refreshing.

James was good, at first I was a bit annoyed at him but when I figured out what was wrong with him I realised that the icky feeling I was getting in the beginning was because I was realising that what was happening wasn't quite right, Again most of James' storyline is full of spoilers so I won't talk about him much here, but know that he is a worthy successor to Will, Jem, Jace, and all the men who came after him. 

This book is really hard to write about without giving out spoilers so I will not talk too much about the rest of the characters but I will say that the representation is phenomenal and Cassandra Clare has always been at the top of her game when it comes to representing the communities that don't get a lot of representation and even in a book where it's set in a time where it's not particularly accepted. I can't wait to see where this series is headed, and as of right now the next book is set to be released in March of 2021 so I cannot wait for it. 

So to wrap up, even if you haven't read any of the Shadowhunter series, you could still enjoy this book, there will be things referenced but it isn't mandatory to understand what's going on. It's a really good read and one I am glad to have read. 


SPOILER REVIEW COMING SOON