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REVIEW: The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaimain & Chris Riddell

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I read The Sleeper and the Spindle one evening near Christmas and I became totally absorbed. For the half an hour or so I spent reading it, all of me was invested in the characters and plot as the story weaved on.

It’s hard to perfectly describe The Sleeper and the Spindle and do it justice at the same time. A darker version of Sleeping Beauty, it’s steeped in mythology and ancient tale.

The illustrations by Riddell are beautiful – black and white with gold highlights. The double page spreads were magnificent and I believe the illustrations added a side to the book that wouldn’t be picked up on otherwise.

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I loved how dark The Sleeper and the Spindle was! Gaiman has written a modern day Brothers Grimm that targets an older audience than younger fairy tales.

The Sleeper and the Spindle was everything I hoped for and more. A perfect wintery read!

Book Haul

Book Haul | The Festive Edition

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I haven’t done a book haul in a long time on the blog, so I thought I would share some of the books I received in December for review.

From Bloomsbury:

Bloomsbury sent a lovely box of bookish goodies just in time for Christmas and it contained some amazing books!

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – EEK! I am a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas’s books so I was over the moon when I found this in the package. I shall be starting it as soon as possible because I can’t resist!

Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan – I loved The Weight of Water by the same author and I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since its release in the summer. This is such a gorgeous hardback edition too!

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell – I’ve already read this and I enjoyed it a lot. My review will be coming later in the month!

From Chapter 5 Books:

The lovely people at Chapter 5 Books sent me two amazing tote bags full of beautifully wrapped books! I got very excited when opening them!

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Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan – I haven’t heard of this one before, so I’m looking forward to finding out what it’s about!

The 100 by Kass Morgan – I see people talking on Twitter all the time about the TV series, so I can’t wait to read this. It sounds really good!

Angelfall by Susan Ee – I love this book! It’s one of the best apocalyptic/angel books I’ve read and I know lots of other people have loved it too.

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout – Can you believe I haven’t read a single JLA book yet?! What have I been doing all this time?!

My Heart & Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga – This is a 2015 release that I was very pleased to get my hands on. I’m looking forward to reading it a lot!

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan – This is another 2015 release and I hadn’t heard anything about it at all, but it sounds amazing! Not something I’d usually read, but I’ll definitely be giving it a good go!

What books have you acquired recently?

Book Haul

Letterbox Love (23)

Letterbox LoveLetterbox 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.

I’m going to tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably? This week I didn’t get any books at all and I was really proud of myself and so happy. That is until today when I went into my town and bought nine books. Yes, I know! Don’t look at me like that! I’m addicted, okay? *scurries away*

Bought

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The first place I stopped was WH Smiths where I bought the Frostbite and Shadow Kiss by Rochelle Mead, the second and third books in the series. I liked the first book but didn’t love it so I’m hoping that they’ll get better as the series go on. I’m not a huge fan of the new covers but they are growing on me. The final book I bought in the shop was Gone by Michael Grantwhich has been recommended to me a number of times and it’s such a well-known book that I can’t not read it.

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I then stopped by good ol’ Waterstones and picked up Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. This was recommended to my ages ago – so long ago that I can’t remember the person who told me to read it – and I’ve finally bought it. I’m always in the mood for a good contemporary book, and this certainly looks promising. Because I loved The Key to the Golden Firebird so much, I decided to buy Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson. I’ll read anything that Hot Key publish and I’m jumping up and down just thinking about starting this one. Finally, I bought Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher because it’s a book that frequently comes up at the book club I run and so I thought I’d join in on the conversation too.

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My final stop was at The Works. If you don’t know what The Works is, it’s a crafty, bookish, random shop that sells everything really cheaply. One of the deals they have is 3 books for £5 so I obviously took advantage of this and came out with these brilliant books. The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa is a series of novellas set in between each book and I’m really looking forward to diving back into the world once more. Maria V. Snyder’s Touch of Power has a very interesting premise, and do I need to say anything about Stardust by Neil Gaiman? I can’t wait to read all three.

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What did you haul this week? Link me to your own posts or let me know below!

Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves (17)

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Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! It is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

I’m so proud of myself because I didn’t buy anything this week. I don’t think that will last long though…

Swapped:

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman- I swapped this for The Ghost Bride and am really looking forward to reading it. I haven’t read anything by Neil Gaiman before but have heard really good things. Thank you, Sarah, for giving me this!

To review:

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This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales- I hoped to get this to review but didn’t know I was until it popped through my letterbox. Can’t wait to read it! Thank you, Macmillan!

Signed:

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The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon- I went to an event that Samantha did at a nearby bookshop earlier in the week and had a really good time. It was very interesting to hear her talk about The Bone Season, especially as I enjoyed it so much when I read it a month or two ago. I also got my copy signed which was very nice. (Also, The Bone Season fell on my head when I went to take it down from my shelf and I now have a headache. I thought I should add this.)

Given:

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I love this bag so much!! I take it everywhere with me and even thought about taking it to bed…We’re inseparable!

What did you get this week? Let me know!