Browsing Tag

sarah j maas

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YA Starter Kit

So you may be new to reading YA, or just looking for some awesome book recommendations… Today I’m going to help you add LOTS and LOTS of books to your TBR piles!

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Undone by Cat Clarke will give you ALL THE FEELS. It made me cry so much and I loved every single second of reading it. It’s a must have on your shelf because it has LGBT themes, deals with grief and loss, and also has a brilliant plot!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is a favourite YA book of mine because I read it right when I was getting serious about reading YA. It’s about werewolves which may seem cheesy after Twilight but it’s such a refreshing urban fantasy novel that you can become invested in easily.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor has SO many fans. I still haven’t read the second or third books in the trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first instalment when I read it a few years ago. It’s completely unpredictable so it’s a very exciting reading experience!

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson is one of my favourite books of 2015 so far and is about imitations of the Jack the Ripper murders happening in London. Rory, the main character, is American and starts at a boarding school in London just as the murders start to happen. I LOVE this series a lot and can’t stop recommending it! SO, SO fantastic!

Trouble by Non Pratt is about teenage pregnancy and it’s written perfectly. I enjoyed it so much and can’t wait to read Non’s next book, Remix, as I loved Trouble so much.

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We Were Liars….It really is best to lie about this book because the least you know about it the better! It took the book world by storm last year, and I still can’t believe the shock ending! I really didn’t expect it at all.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is one of my all-time favourite books and perfect for people who love sites like Tumblr and are involved in Internet culture. It’s about a girl called Cath who, alongside her twin sister, is starting college. Cath writes fan fiction on a book series very similar to Harry Potter!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a favourite fantasy book of mine and centres around Celaena Sardothien, an assassin who is chosen by the prince to enter a competition to become the King’s Assassin. READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper is hilarious and is a relatively short book too! It’s very true to a British teenager’s life and I adored it.

Every Day by David Levithan tells the story of A, a person who wakes up in a different body each day but, one day, A finds that there’s someone they just can’t let go of. It’s unique and David Levithan writes so beautifully.

Which books would you add to my list? Have you read any of these?

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My Adaptation Wishlist

With books such as The Duff and Paper Towns being adapted into films this year, I’ve been wondering about some of the books I’d love to see on the big screen.

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The Rain by Virginia Bergin is an incredible dystopia about killer rain. A meteor means that all of the water on Earth becomes contaminated. Just one drop will kill you! I think it would adapt amazingly into a film because the book seems so realistic – it’s as if you’re actually experiencing it! When I was reading it, I was scared to go out in the rain and even drink a glass of water! That’s how much it affected me.

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Throne of Glass is one of the best fantasy novels I’ve ever read. It would be a fantastic adaption because it’s thrilling and Sarah J. Maas writes so vividly that it wouldn’t be hard to bring to life. Celaena Sardothien, the protagonist, is one of my favourite characters because she’s the kind of character that all of us feminists wish for all of the time.

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Cruel Summer is a murder mystery novel set in Spain. I had absolutely no idea who the murder was throughout reading and when it was announced I was so shocked! I think it would work well as a TV series because it’s so gripping that you wouldn’t be able to help tuning in every week as more and more things happen.

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We Were Liars was the book of 2014. It ripped out the hearts of the many people who read it, and it had me in shock months after I put it down. It would make for such an exciting film, with the family politics, amazing setting of the island, and the twists and turns in the plot. It would be so exciting!

What books would you like to see adapted in the future?

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 Review Uncategorized

REVIEW: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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Heir of Fire is an incredible book. The third in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

I’ve put together a review graphic because I cannot put my thoughts into coherent sentences. Basically: It’s AMAZING. Read it now! heiroffiregraphicreview

 

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The Sorting Hat

I decided I’d have a bit of fun today and pull out my wand and owl for some Harry Potter-related madness.

I’ve had this post written for a very long time, but am only finally posting it. Maybe because I realise I’m probably not a very good Sorting Hat (it’s actually extremely nerve-wracking!), and the actual Sorting Hat can keep its job. It won’t be replaced easily anyway!

Let’s get started!

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First up is Gryffindor and with all her spy work Cammie Morgan will be kicking ass all the way to the common rooms. I can also imagine her as an amazing Quidditch player, right?

– The Gallagher Girls books by Ally Carter

Whilst Celaena might be on the verge of Slytherin (boo!), she does have some good in her and is incredibly brave so I’m sure she’ll be in Gryffindor.

– Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Kit Blackthorn is very action-driven and proud, which I think makes her a perfect Gryffindor match.

– Banished by Liz de Jager

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Then we have Ravenclaw, the best of the houses, if I do say so myself.

Harriet Manners is perhaps one of my favourite geeky characters and would always be able to guess the password to enter Ravenclaw Tower.

– Geek Girl by Holly Smale

Lilly Moscovitz, I think, would take over from Hermione and run S.P.E.W. It would be awesome!

– The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Most likely found in the library, I think Cather Avery would be one of the quiet Ravenclaws, not as self-assured and pompous as some of the others can be.

– Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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Hufflepuffs! The second best of all the houses, not that they care!

Levi Stewart, who I’m sure I’ve talked about enough of this blog, would definitely be Hufflepuff. He epitomises Hufflepuff, and I don’t even need to think twice about it.

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I absolutely love Kenji Kishimoto and he is just such a loveable person. Hufflepuff, definitely!

– Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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Slytherin, home to the absolutely gorgeous Draco Malfoy. I just love him, okay?

Warner would definitely be Slytherin. An irresistible Slytherin. Need I say any more?

– Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I think it’s obviously that Cersei Lannister would be a Death Eater Slytherin. I don’t want to hate on Slytherin and say they’re all Death Eaters, but Cersei Lannister would be the exception. EVIL!

– A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

Mara Dyer just fits into Slytherin in my mind. She’s not exactly what I’d call a good person, but I really like her nevertheless.

– The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Which Hogwarts house are you in? Which house would your favourite book character be in?

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My Top Ten Books of 2013

2013 must hereby be known as ‘The Year of Amazing Books.’ Seriously, in 2013 I read so many books that blew me away. I only started getting into YA in 2012 so I’ve been catching up on lots of the books I missed and there were so many releases of brilliant books too.

Below is a list of my top 10 books of 2013 and my reasons for them being my favourites. I haven’t included sequels or re-reads in my list.

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My favourite book of the year by far is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I just can’t get over the total gorgeousness of this book and no matter how much I rave about it, I still can’t convey my thoughts properly. It’s now my all time favourite book and Rainbow Rowell is one of my favourite authors. I have so much love for this book! The Isobel Journal by Isobel Harrop is a book that took me by complete surprise. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did and I’m extremely jealous of Isobel Harrop’s artistry. This is a book that’s perfect if you’re in a bit of a reading slump or you want to try something a bit different. Then we have Every Day by David Levithan. I love books that make you question the world around you and give you something to think about and Every Day did just that. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi really blew me away. It’s another book I didn’t expect to like as much, but it’s one of my favourite dystopia novels now. I like how it’s written in a different style to typical novels and the sequel, Unravel Me, is even better. The final book is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas which may be one of my favourite fantasy novels. The world Sarah J. Maas has created is so creative and unique.

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More Than This by Patrick Ness is another book that really makes you question the world around you. I didn’t know much about it beforehand but it ended up knocking me out with its awesomeness. Yes, 2013 was the year I finally read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling and I ended up loving it. I can definitely see what all the fuss is about. Then we have Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi which is a very different dystopia novel. It’s set a long way into the future so the whole world was different and it’s the type of novel I can’t help but love. Paper Towns by John Green really sealed the deal in me loving John Green’s books so much. After loving The Fault in Our Stars in 2012, I couldn’t not love Paper Towns. Finally we have The Host by Stephenie Meyer. After liking but not loving the Twilight series, this book was a really big surprise. My friend was hassling me to read it for ages and when I finally did, I fell in love with it. SO good!

So those were my favourite books of the year! There were so many to choose from and I’ve still missed so many out.

Let me know your favourite books of the year! Have you read any of the books I mentioned? What did you think of them?

Booktube

Bath Kids Lit Fest 2013

Last week it was Bath Children’s Literature Festival, or Bath Kids Lit Fest, and, being lucky enough to live very close to it, I spent most of the week there.

The first day that I attended was Sunday and, before any of my events, I met up with Georgia from Books and Writers JNR and we spent nearly 45 minutes in Waterstones Bath (I love their YA section!). I bought The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater whilst Georgia bought Shipwrecked by Siobhan Curham. It was so nice to meet her, as we’ve spoken for quite a while now on Twitter and she’s always come across as really lovely – and she was!

The first event I went to was one with Karen Saunders and Mark Lowery. I briefly met Karen back in June so it was really nice to speak to her again, and I loved hearing about Mark’s book as it sounded so funny. I’m really

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hoping I’ll be able to read it soon because I loved the parts he read out to us.

The other event in the evening was with David Levithan and I was really looking forward to it. I’d read Every Day a few weeks earlier in preparation and loved it. I met the lovely Charlie at the event who I’ve recently started talking to on Twitter after we both won copies of Every Day. Serendipity! It was really nice to hear David speak and read from Every Day. Afterwards, I got my books signed but accidently left Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares at home, which I was kicking myself for afterwards.

Monday night meant getting the chance to interview Holly Smale and Andy Robb before their event. Their event was the one I was looking forward to the most and I wasn’t disappointed at all. At the event, I also got to meet Jesse from Books 4 Teens and Katie who vlogs at kitkatscanread. I also got to hang out with Anya from An Awful Lot of Reading who is such a great person and we live very, very close to each other so the blogging vibes are obviously travelling our estate.

After a much needed rest on Tuesday and Wednesday, I got to interview Tanya Byrne on Thursday. I loved Heart-Shaped Bruise and she was such a lovely person too. I also got to meet Blondie at this event, who I’ve met again at another event too. She’s such an awesome person (you can see her talking at the end of the Tanya Byrne interview, with her brilliant hat)!

Friday meant an event with Malorie Blackman, which I went to with Becky. It was interesting to hear Malorie talk, especially as her plans for the UKYA conference had just been announced. The signing afterwards was so long and we were right at the back too. 🙁

Saturday was another crazy day. In the morning I went to a writing workshop with Siobhan Curham who was so lovely. I got to meet Sophie from A DayDreamer’s World which was nice. The workshop had a lot of stuff about blogging in it and I loved hearing about other peoples ideas for their own blogs. I really wish I had been to something like the workshop when I had just started blogging. After the workshop I stopped for lunch at Patisserie Valerie, which is heaven in a cake shop. I never thought I’d say it, but I couldn’t finish my cake. The next event was one with Alexia Casale and Janne Teller which I was very excited for. I got to meet Katerina briefly before the event when I was hanging around the production room upstairs. I really hope we’ll be able to meet again in the future now that she lives near, because she was so lovely, and I love talking to her on Twitter. I also met Marieke who is such an awesome person and it was so nice to meet her in person. I got to interview Alexia and, let me tell you, she is one of the loveliest people I have ever met and am ever likely to meet. I was blown away

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by her kindness, and she was just amazing to meet. You all need to meet her!

Sunday was such a hectic day, but it was definitely the best out of the whole festival. After getting off to a rough start when one of the attendants made me sit right at the back, even though I had a ticket and was at the venue first, and after nearly falling down a massive drop, things turned awesome. I got to meet Debbie, Faye and Daphne, and see Katie again for the event with Sarah J. Maas. I’m a massive fan of the Throne of Glass books so it was great to hear Sarah talk. The signing queue was massive and we were sadly right at the end, which meant a mad rush to the Patrick Ness event right after. Daphne, having already met Sarah previously, saved us seats at the venue of the Patrick Ness event, but the rest of us still had to manically run across lots of streets, which caused lots of squeals and mad dashing. It’s something that I will always remember, and I really hope I get to meet these girls in the future because they’re just the best. Despite turning up late, we finally made it to the Patrick Ness event which was awesome and quite funny/weird at times. It’s one of those events that’s memorable because it had some very odd moments. Daphne sprinted to the signing queue so we were right up the front and I even have a special signed copy of More Than This, because Patrick signed it in the wrong place. That’s my claim to fame!

Bath Kids Lit Fest was so much fun and, writing this post, I realise how much I miss it. I met some incredible people and experienced so many amazing things. I need to send a million thank yous to Sarah, who made things extra special. She’s one of the awesomest people I know, so go follow her on Twitter if you don’t already! You’re really missing out! I also need to thank my parents for lugging me around everywhere. Also, thanks to my mum who finally worked out how to use the camera. No, Mum, you’re pressing the off button, not the button to take a picture….

Thank you to EVERYONE who was involved in the festival! I’m really hoping to see more of you at the festival next year! 😀

Book Haul

Letterbox Love (19)

Letterbox Love

 

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.

This is a manic, packed haul today from last week which was Bath Kids Lit Fest. I’ve tried to put piles into some order, so I hope it’s clear!

Signed:

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Noughts and Crosses and Checkmate by Malorie Blackman – I still need to read Checkmate but I loved Noughts and Crosses. I read it when I was just starting to seriously get into YA and so it means quite a lot to me.

Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas- You can read my review of Crown of Midnight here.

The Knife of Never Letting Go and More Than This by Patrick Ness – I still need to read TKoNLG but I loved More Than This.

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman- Am hoping to read this one in the next few weeks.

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Geek Girl and Geek Girl: Model Misfit by Holly Smale – Two of my favourite books!

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb

Me, Suzy P by Karen Saunders

Finding Cherokee Brown by Siobhan Curham

Every Day by David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan & John Green

Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne

Bought:

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The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater – I LOVED The Raven Boys and am really looking forward to starting it.

Geekhood: Mission Improbable by Andy Robb – Can’t wait to read this one!

Swapped:

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Witch Crag by Kate Cann- UKYA! Big thanks to Anya for this!

She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick – More UKYA!

Gloss by Marilyn Kaye- I’ve been wanting to read this for AGES. Thank you to Georgia for this and the above! You’re fab!

The Day I Met Suzie by Chris Higgins- I’ve loved a lot of Chris Higgins’ books so am looking forward to this. Thank you, Sophie!

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Bringing the Summer by Julia Green – Thank you, Faye!

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch — Thank you to Debbie for these three!

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Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Marked, Betrayed, Chosen and Untamed by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast — Thank you to Katie for all of these!

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World After by Susan Ee- Eee! Thank you, Sophie!

What did you get this week?