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Lucy Powrie

Book Haul

Letterbox Love (16)


Letterbox Love is a UK based feature where book bloggers showcase the books that they received that week, be they e-books, paperbacks, hardbacks or any other format. It is hosted by Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.

Last weekend I did a car boot and got rid of a lot of stuff so this meant that I earned a bit of money and spent it on…books! What else? I also had a really fab letter in the post which really did make my day.
Bought:


Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt- I love the sound of this one- a girl who dismisses all technology. I know  it’s something I couldn’t do so I’m really interested in seeing how this is written.
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen- I’ve only ever read one Sarah Dessen book and I’m currently reading this and really enjoying it. I’m on a bit of a contemporary kick at the moment.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell- I’ve already read this (review to be posted tomorrow) and I loved it so much. 
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo- I had to find out what all the fuss was about, didn’t I? I can’t wait to start this one because I’ve heard amazing things about it.
Received:

This photo really doesn’t do this justice, but anyway. I’ve been ill for the past few days and this really cheered me up. It’s from Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf and it’s a gorgeous bookmark which I started using immediately, and a few little notes. Thank you so much, Amber! You really are the best.

What did you get this week? Link back to your own posts and I’ll be sure to check them out! 

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Embracing My Inner Geek (10)

Embracing My Inner Geek is a featured hosted and created by me. It is a weekly feature aiming to talk about something a bit nerdy and ramblish and it’s really fun to do.

This week I’m going to be talking about fandoms. What are fandoms, I hear you say? (First, I must say that I don’t know where you’ve been if you don’t know what a fandom is.) A fandom is a big group of people (fans, hence the name ‘fandom’)  who basically (and I’m trying to find the right way to say this) fangirl over this particular thing and have devoted their lives to it. Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement.

So, what fandoms do I consider myself a member of?

I made this myself 😉

The number one fandom that I follow and talk about all the time is The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices fandom. Basically, the Shadowhunter fandom. With the City of Bones movie coming out in August, @CityofMundies where I tweet all things Shadowhunter (shameless promotion, I know). I really love the community and, although I’ve only just started tweeting there again, I have over 400 followers.
this fandom is booming at the moment. I have a Twitter account

A lot of other big fandoms include the Harry Potter fandom, The Hunger Games fandom and the Twilight fandom. I’ve dropped by the Harry Potter fandom a few times but wouldn’t call myself an active member of that fandom. I’m just a Shadowhunter at heart!

Other non-book fandoms include the Doctor Who fandom, the Sherlock fandom and I’m pretty sure there’s a Downton Abbey fandom out there.


What fandoms do you belong to?

Book Review UKYA

REVIEW: ACID by Emma Pass

Author: Emma Pass
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Acquired: Bought


Summary from Goodreads:

2113. In Jenna Strong’s world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling police force in history – rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed – or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID – and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago.




ACID has been on my wishlist for ages now. It may be one of my most anticipated UKYA reads of 2013. I was so worried that I wouldn’t like it, but I was definitely not let down. In fact, it surpassed my expectations by a long mile! 
ACID is set in 2113 Britain, or, to be specific, the Independent Republic of Britain. I haven’t read many books set in futuristic Britain so this was one aspect that I was a little worried about. It actually scared me how realistic everything was because this could happen. I think the fact that I’m British, combined with the fact that ACID was so well written made it seem as if this world was going on outside of the book. It would be so easy for a scenario such as this one to make its way into the real world.
If you’re someone who pays a lot of attention to character detail, then ACID is the book for you. Jenna could give even Katniss Everdeen a run for her money. I’d even go so far as to say Jenna is now one of my favourite female protagonists. Most characters have something that irritates me about them but Jenna felt so real and whole. Yes, she had faults but they were human faults and so made her all that more realistic. 
All of the secondary characters were also equally amazing. I grew to really love Max and also loved Mel and  the rest of the group.
The overall plot was well thought out and there wasn’t a moment when I wasn’t enthralled. I don’t think I’ve read a dystopian quite like this one and I really loved it because of that. Pass has created a unique twist in the ever-growing dystopian market. If there were more dystopians like this then I’d be reading them a lot more often!
ACID didn’t let me down at all and I’ll read anything that Pass writes from now on. A unique and interesting take on a totalitarian country. 
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June Recap + July Goals | 2013

I had quite a good June but didn’t read as much as I hoped because I’ve been in a reading slump for a fortnight. I’ve also read two of my favourite books EVER which is so good!
Books read:

The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison
Double Crossed by Ally Carter – NOVELLA
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
The Originals by Cat Patrick
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Dusk by Eve Edwards
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan- NOVELLA
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
ACID by Emma Pass
So…fourteen books read in June!
My favourites were:
2. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
3. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
In June I also reached 160 Bloglovin’ followers which is amazing because I started June with 134. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed!
July Goals

If you didn’t already know, July will be home to my UKYA fortnight. One week will be concentrating on authors, and the other bloggers. I’ve already received some really brilliant posts that I can’t wait to share with you. Don’t forget to stop by, starting July 15th! 
In July, I am hoping to read:
Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb is the first book that I’m going to be reading and I am really looking forward to it. It sounds amazing and my kind of book.
The second book on my list is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This is an adult novel that I’m going to be reading because I have a few adult titles on my shelf that I’m going to try and get through soon. I love the sound of the premise and know that lots of people have enjoyed this.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis is the third title. This has been sat on my shelf for months and months now and so I really need to read it. It needs attention!
The Diviners by Libba Bray needs to be read! I’ve wanted to read it for ages so I can’t wait to start it.
The last book is Just in Case by Meg Rosoff because I haven’t read any of her novels yet and this looks like a good place to start.
What will you be reading this month? What were your favourite books in June?
Book Haul

Letterbox Love (15)


Letterbox Love is a UK based feature where book bloggers showcase the books that they received that week, be they e-books, paperbacks, hardbacks or any other format. It is hosted by Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.

Borrowed (Library)

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb- I’m going to be going to this author and Holly Smale’s event at Bath Kids Lit Fest and so I was super pleased when I saw this in my library because I had no idea that they had it. I’m going to be reading it ASAP.
The Diviners by Libba Bray- I’ve been meaning to get this since it was released but haven’t gotten around to it until now. I’m really looking forward to finally reading it.
Hate List by Jennifer Brown- One of my friends read this the other week and so did Rebecca from Rebecca-Books so I was really pleased when I saw it. It sounds really interesting and I’m hoping to read it very soon.
Silent Saturday by Helen Grant- I was only thinking about this the other day and then found it in my library. What a coincidence!

Won



Angelfall by Susan Ee- I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and am really looking forward to reading it because I’ve seen some really good reviews for it.

Swag

This isn’t a very good picture (sorry!) so you really can’t see the awesomeness of this swag. I won this Cinder swag pack from Jessica at Booked Up! and I was so excited when I got it. It also came with a signed book plate. 
What did you get this week? Link back to your own posts below! 


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Bye bye, Google Reader

I’ve decided to write this quick post to let you know that Google Reader is shutting down on Monday and so  you will no longer see any posts in your feed. 
My preferred method of following would be Bloglovin’ because I think it’s simple to use and you can convert all of your Google Reader followers over to it.

You can follow Queen of Contemporary by clicking the button below, or on the sidebar to your right.

Follow on Bloglovin
How are you following now?
Booktube

DISCUSSION: 5 Books I’m Going To Read This Summer

I’ve chosen to feature 5 books that I’m going to be reading for the first time over the summer and this was inspired by a recent vlog that Clover did. 
Books Mentioned:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa 
Threads by Sophia Bennett


What will you be reading this summer?

Book Review

REVIEW: Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

Author: Tanya Byrne
Publisher: Headline
Acquired: Borrowed from library

Summary from Goodreads

They say I’m evil. The police. The newspapers. The girls from school who shake their heads on the six o’clock news and say they always knew there was something not quite right about me. And everyone believes it. Including you. But you don’t know. You don’t know who I used to be.

Who I could have been.

Awaiting trial at Archway Young Offenders Institution, Emily Koll is going to tell her side of the story for the first time.



I haven’t read much crime/mystery novels before and so this was a bit of an experiment for me. I’m very pleased to say that I’m most likely going to be reading more novels in the genre because I loved Heart-Shaped Bruise.

Heart-Shaped Bruise is about a girl called Emily who is in a Young Offenders Institution and has started a record of her days in the Institution. As the novel goes on, she reflects on how she ended up in the Institution and the reader can begin to place all the little pieces together to create the big picture.
I thought the pacing of this novel was perfect; it couldn’t have been written any better than it was. In this type of book, I think pacing is important but it wasn’t too fast or too slow- just right!
Our main character, Emily, is a very strange character to read about. Even though I knew she had done a terrible thing, I still liked her and found that I wanted to read more about her and read the little anecdotes about her former life. There is just the right balance of past and present written. 
The plot was thrilling and I was sat on the edge of my seat whilst reading the majority of the book. It was so easy to get inside Emily’s head and I did sympathise with her an awful lot- was it really her fault that she was born into this world and this life?

I’m definitely going to be reading Follow Me Down which is Byrne’s latest novel. She’s definitely an author that I’ll read again and again.