Review: Spellslinger by Sebastien De Castell |(Spoiler Free!)

 

Synopsis:
Magic is a con game.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi – a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She’s difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen’s only hope…

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Let me start off by saying: I listened to this on audiobook, no regrets.

Plot:
The story is very enjoyable from start to finish, I couldn’t stop listening! This audiobook definitely improved my journeys to-and-from college! The story follows Kellen, who struggles with a lack of magic, despite coming from a family of strong mages. Instead of using magic in his mage’s duel Kellen plans to lie his way through in order to avoid being a disgrace to his family. Kellen is so relatable, his struggles seem very real and you can sympathise with him. A Mysterious Argosi traveller, Ferius Parfax, turns up and changes Kellen’s world.
It’s definitely worth going into this book blind, I didn’t have the slightest clue what to expect from this book, I was pleasantly surprised!  I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did, the humour really made this book for me.
I loved every moment of this book!
I only have one problem, the lack of world-building. It was pretty non-existent, though, it doesn’t take away from the story, I just wish there was more world-building! I’d love to know more about this world, it seems fascinating. (Hopefully in the next book!)

Characters:
Kellen: A great protagonist! Kellen was an absolutely great narrator of the story. He’s sassy and witty 
Ferius Parfax: I loved Ferius, she’s a bad-ass, mysterious, card-playing Argosi wanderer. She was witty and sassy and her humour and fearlessness was just a joy. Her character was very intriguing, the mystery surrounding her really kept me interested in knowing more about her.
Chapters from her perspective would’ve been amazing!
Reichis: I had no idea going into this book that I would end up loving a talking squirrel cat, but I did. He’s so sardonic, funny and bad-ass.

The narrator was really great too! I’m very picky about narrators on audiobooks, they can make or break a book for me.  I will be continuing the series on audiobook too!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

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Classics I Want To Read In 2018

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1)  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I have been wanting to read this for ages! I love the 2011 adaptation with Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska, it’s one of my favourite films. I want to see if it is a good adaption of the book if anything, the book is probably better (when is it not?). I have been gifted this beautiful edition for Christmas, so this is definitely number one on my list.

2) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I mean, when you’re starting classics, you have to read Austen, right? She’s iconic. I want to read all of her novels, but I am at the least going to read Pride and Prejudice this year. I also want to watch the BBC adaptation with Colin Firth in, everyone raves about the mini-series, but I want to read the book first!

3) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I have had this sitting on my shelf since last June, it’s about time I picked this up. I have read the first two Lord of The Rings books, I need to pick up the third and then I will be definitely reading The Hobbit. Maybe, I’ll even pick this up first.

4) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I have wanted to read something by Oscar Wilde for a while now, The Picture of Dorian Gray seems to be highly liked judging by reviews. I don’t really know what it is about, I do like going into book blind, hopefully, I’ll be pleasantly surprised by this one!

5) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I love Sci-Fi, however, I hardly ever read it. I want to pick up more Sci-Fi in 2018, so why not start with a Sci-fi classic? I have heard nothing but great things about this book, hopefully, I will get around to reading this soon!

So that’s a few of the classics I want to read in 2018, hopefully, I will read more but who can say. I am trying to read different genres this year and classics is high up on the list as I have barely read any, I feel as though I’m missing out. I am so slow at reading classics (and older books), I tend not to pick them up often.

Let me know any of your favourite classics in the comment section, I am always looking for more recommendations!

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To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo | Review (Spoiler Free)

Before getting into the review, I just wanted to say welcome to all my new followers! I have gained so many over the last few weeks, so thank you for following my blog!
I hope you enjoy my content! ❤

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Synopsis:
Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most–a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen and or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby–it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good–But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

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Rating: 4/5 stars

My Thoughts

Plot: The story was interesting, this story reminded me of The Little Mermaid, it has a similar story going on but with sirens. I mean, the sirens in this story kill humans and there is a human Prince who is a siren hunter, it does differ, it’s unique and doesn’t rip off The Little Mermaid. The Sea Queen does remind me of Ursula though, especially when she takes Lira’s song from her, it reminded me of the scene when Ursula takes Ariel’s voice.
It was enjoyable throughout, I didn’t find any parts dragged, which is great, I thought I was going into a reading slump, this managed to hold my interest. It’s the first siren books I’ve ever read and it has made me want to pick up more!
Overall it was just an enjoyable book, there was nothing mind-blowing, but it wasn’t bad either, it’s definitely worth a read – especially if sirens are your thing.

Characters:
Elian: I really enjoyed Elian’s perspective, he was an entertaining character from start to finish. I really enjoyed Elian’s sense of humour and his relationship with his crew!

Lira: I started off disliking Lira, she just wasn’t likeable to me at the start, but I grew to like her by the end. She shows good character development and is a better person by the end of the book.

Elian and Lira’s relationship development was really well done, I liked the banter between the characters. It takes time to develop their relationship and for them to trust each other, their relationship builds and grows over the course of the story. (No instant love)
This story also features some great side characters, Elian’s crew are great and I love the relationship between them. I particularly liked Madrid and Kye, their relationship and interaction with other characters were entertaining.

To Kill A Kingdom is out March 6th. 

*I received this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

**If you pre-order using my link I will receive a small commission.

Book Series I Want To Continue in 2018

This is going to be a list of excuses, basically.
These are some series/trilogies I would like to continue in 2018. I do prefer to binge read series’ from start to finish but for some reason, I didn’t do it with these books. Most of these series I started in 2017 and just never bothered to pick up the rest, despite actually wanting to continue. 2018 is the year I change that!

Lord of The Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien
I read the first two books in 2016 and never continued onto Return of The King. Although I wasn’t *that* keen on the first two, I still want to read the last one just so I can say I have finished the series. I always want to pick up The Hobbit this year, unlike Lord of the Rings, I haven’t been spoiled for anything that happens in this book and I don’t know any major plotlines.

The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
Again, wasn’t super in love with the first book but everyone raves about this series and Brandon Sanderson is my favourite author so I’m willing to give Words of Radiance a go. Hoping to get around to this soon, but not super worried as these books take a while to come out!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
I am loving these books so far and cannot wait to see where the story goes! Days of Blood and Starlight was my first read of 2018, I LOVED it.  I am also hoping to get to Dreams of Gods and Monsters really, really soon! And hopefully the novella Night of Cake & Puppets this year. I am still looking for the UK hardback of Dreams of Gods and Monsters to match the first two but I can’t seem to find it anywhere for a decent price. 😦

Summoner by Taran Matharu
I read the first book (The Novice) back in June and I enjoyed reading it, it’s a decent YA fantasy and the first book was a good set up for the rest of the books. Hoping to read at least the next book this year (hopefully more).

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I read the first two books in 2017, I enjoyed them and want to continue reading them as the last book is out this year. I just picked up King’s Cage, hoping to finish it soon, I am not enjoying this one as much as I thought I would. I will continue the series as I have made it this far, I might as well finish the series and read War Storm when that comes out.

Let me know any series you will be continuing in 2018, I’d love to know!
Have a great weekend!

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2018 Reading/Bookish Goals

 

 

1) Read more diversely

I want to read books with more diverse characters, whether that being different sexualities, genders or races. Majority of the books I read this year featured straight, white characters and I’d like that to change! Being mixed race myself, I would love to read books where the main character is of mixed heritage, it appeals to me and maybe I could relate the character on a different level. I’ll have to look into some books with mixed race main characters and maybe once I read some I’ll do a blog post at some point.

2)  Read more diverse genres

 I feel like I need to branch out with my reading, I tend to always go for fantasy, fantasy is by far my favourite genre and always will be. But I want to go out of my comfort zone a bit and read some more genres and maybe discover some new favourite genres! One genre I would love to get into is classics, I am going to study English Literature at university and I’m sure there’s going to be loads of classics on the course and I want to get used to reading and analysing before I start university. I would also love to get into non-fiction, I have barely read any non-fiction other than a few autobiographies/memoirs.

3) Be a more analytical reader

as I said above, I’ll be studying English Literature and analytic skills are pretty much essential. I also think it would be useful for writing reviews, properly understanding the book and also for realising its good and bad points.

4) Listen to more audiobooks

I listened to an audiobook for the first time this year and surprisingly I really, really enjoyed it. I ended up listening to 5 audiobooks this year and I really enjoyed every one of them. I hope to continue to listen to more audiobooks in 2018 as they’re great for on-the-go, I have to travel to college by bus which takes a while and audiobooks help the time fly!

5) Stop hoarding books: 

If I don’t like it, get rid of it! What’s the point of a book I didn’t like taking up room on my shelves? I don’t have the room to get another shelf. In 2018 I will be having a clear out, either selling or donating books I don’t want anymore. I will also be letting go of books I don’t think I’ll ever get around to reading and just keeping the books that I am actually excited about reading. There is nothing worse than forcing yourself through a book you aren’t enjoying!

6) Use the library more
I started off using the library a lot in the beginning of 2017, by the end I didn’t use it at all. After joining Bookstagram I felt obliged to buy books to take pictures with, which is silly. So in 2018, I plan to start using the library more regularly again, I need to save some money and take advantage of free books!

7) No more TBR’s
I mentioned this in my last post (December Wrap-up), I am a huge mood reader and sticking to a set TBR makes me demotivated to read. The more I think about things, the less I want to do them, I have no idea why this is. It applies to a lot of things in my life, I guess it’s to do with my anxiety.  So from now on, I am just going to pick up whatever books takes my fancy!

Have a wonderful day!
-Leisha

 

Favourite Books Of 2017!

I read some absolutely amazing books in 2017.
I had a really great reading year, I managed 91 books and my average rating was 4 stars. Narrowing down my favourites down was very hard!

Here are some of my top favourites, in no particular order:

From left to right:

• The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
• Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
• The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
• The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
• Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
• Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
• Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
• Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
• Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
• Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas
• A Game of Thrones (Illustrated edition) by George RR Martin
• Invasion of The Tearling by Erika Johansen
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Hoping I read so many more great books in 2018!
– Leisha

 

December Wrap-Up

In the month of December, I managed to read 6 books, including 2 audiobooks. I didn’t read as much as I hoped but oh well, 6 books isn’t too bad!

Rating: 4/5 Stars
The first book I finished in December was an audiobook, it was Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. I have mixed feelings about this book, I could probably write a whole essay about my feelings on this book. This would’ve been a 5 star read if it had ended differently. I really, really loved the majority of this book, I don’t HATE the ending, it was just not what I wanted. Pretty much everyone agrees that the ending was disappointing. For me, it’s not so much the plot-twist that I hated, I just feel so bad for Kelsea. She deserved better.

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Rating: 4/5 Stars
The next book I finished was an E-ARC of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.
This was my first Holly Black book and I really enjoyed it! I will be looking into reading more books by her, I really liked her writing style.
Full review here.

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Rating: 4/5 Stars
The other audiobook is read is The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell.
I really, really enjoyed this book! If you want to hear all my thoughts see my review here.

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Rating: 3.5/5
The next book I finished was La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, I ended up being slightly disappointed by it. I loved being back in this world and the story was okay, just okay. It did, however, make me want more from this world and I cannot wait for the sequel!

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Rating: 3/5
The second-to-last book I read was Rebel Rising by Beth Revis. This book was an okay read, it did answer some questions about Jyn and the events that take place before we see her in Rogue One. It was fairly average as far as Star Wars novels go, the best ones are by Claudia Gray (in my opinion).
I didn’t hate this book by any means, I didn’t love it either.

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Rating: 2/5
And finally, my last read of 2017. What a disappointing read it was: 1984 by George Orwell.
Let me just start off by saying: this was a required read for college, if it hadn’t had been I probably would’ve DNF’d it. I found this book to be painfully boring, it had absolutely nothing to keep me interested. This book is highly praised and loved by many people and I honestly have no idea why. I get the concept is relevant and all that but my lord, it was dire.
I have no idea how I am going to manage writing essays on this for college. Sigh.

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So that’s all the books I read in December! I’ll still be doing monthly wrap-ups throughout 2018 but I have decided I’m not going to do TBR’s anymore. I am a huge mood reader and I can almost never stick to a set TBR. I don’t know if anyone else is like me but picking books to read in advance tends to put me off, as I feel forced into reading them to stick to my TBR. So no more TBR posts! I’m just going to read whatever I feel like reading at the time.

Happy New Year!
I hope your new year is filled with books and may you have a great reading year!
– Leisha