5 Reasons You Should Read Villains by V.E. Schwab!

 

Hey guys!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I’ve been super busy.
I’m going to try posting more soon, hopefully, I’ll have more time/ can get more organised!

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1) Villain Story (duh).

The clue is in the title of the duology, it’s all about villains. Who doesn’t love a good villain? This for one contains some great complex, yet sociopathic characters that are just amazing. It gets boring rooting for the good guys all the time, change it up; read about morally grey anti-heroes instead. SO MUCH FUN.

2) Best friends to enemies

Probably the best trope ever, especially when executed well. And it is executed absolutely brilliantly in these books. Right off the bat, you know Victor and Eli were best friends and now enemies and it makes you dying to know how they end up this way.
Also, kinda reminds me of the Charles/Eric relationship in X-men and that’s not the only X-Men similarity…

3) X-Men-like powers

The people who have powers in this world are known as; ExtraOrdinary. They’re basically like X-Men and it’s pretty damn cool. The way they get their powers and what determines them is so interesting to learn about throughout the novels.  Just like X-Men, it makes me envious of their powers?? Why can’t powers exist? *sigh*

4) Weirdly relatable characters

I am no sociopathic killer with superpowers, yet I found Victor (and some of the other characters) weirdly relatable, easy to understand and super likeable. They do questionable things, I won’t lie, but I completely root for them.

5) Badass Ladies.

Sydney is a cool ass character from the beginning, I love her, she’s one of my favourites. But the second book, Vengeful, introduces some more badass ladies such as Marcella and Jude. Marcella is definitely a strong woman character, I love her revenge arc, it was such a joy to read. It’s nice to see a woman ‘villain’.

 

If none of that convinces you to immediately go out and buy these books; just look at the covers. They’re bloody gorgeous.

Review for Vicious | Review for Vengeful

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Things I LOVED About Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas | Discussion

Hey everyone! Happy Saturday 🙂
This is a discussion/chatty post about Kingdom of Ash; so there will be SPOILERS!

SPOILER FREE review here

*SPOILER WARNING*

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1) The Character Development of EVERYONE

Cannot praise SJM enough for the amazing character development for practically every character. Such a vastly different set of characters from the beginning, I have loved watching them grow. *sobs*

It’s so beautiful to see how far Aelin, Chaol + Dorian have come since the beginning. I am so glad they get to reunite and remain friends.
Manon’s character development has been insane, I started off hating her with a passion but now I actually like her.
Lorcan’s character development is another of my favourites! He went from such an ass to a total sweetheart and I live for it.

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2) The Ships

This book was a bloody armada of ships.
My favourites being: ELORCAN. Followed closely by Rowaelin
Two words: Lorcan Lochan. I live for Elide and Lorcan. If this ship had sunk I would’ve lost my shit. They’re perfection.
Rowaelin are just goals, as always.

Least favourites being: Lysandra + Aedion & Manon + Dorian
I was totally okay with Lysandra and Aedion until Kingdom of Ash; these two are probably my least favourite characters but Aedion, GOD. In this book, Aedion is such an asshole. He treats Lysandra SO BAD. I hate him and I cannot believe she forgave him.

Even though I managed to actually enjoy Manon in this book, I still don’t feel like Dorian and Manon are well suited?? Everyone seems to love them but I don’t get it.

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3) The Feels

Cannot even tell you how many times this book made me cry. I cried so much. I think this book is the only book I have ever cried over multiple times throughout.
I cried for Aelin; her being tortured was heartbreaking.
I cried over the Thirteen; I seriously did not see this coming. ALL THE THIRTEEN GONE WITH MANON WATCHING. Cannot cope.
Even shed a tear for old Gavriel. So lovely how he sacrificed himself for Aedion. *sniffs*

ELORCAN getting together. Cries. Elide going out on the battlefield to find Lorcan and willing to die with him. Oh my god, the feels.

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4) The Pacing

This book did not feel almost 1000 pages long. The pace was written so well; it felt so short?! I could’ve read double, honestly. Everything with perfectly placed, there were no slow or boring parts; it was just perfection.

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5) The Cover.

Last but not least; the cover! I think it’s my favourite of the whole series. It’s just so damn gorgeous. The colour scheme is just to die for, I love the white background of all the books but this one is just perfection. (I definitely prefer the UK Paperback to the US Hardcover, not a fan of the yellow)

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What are your thoughts on Kingdom of Ash?

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Characters I’d Want at Friendsgiving!| Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
This week’s topic is: Characters You’d Want at Friendsgiving

I’m British, so we don’t have Thanksgiving but I’d love a Friendsgiving! 
Here are the characters I’d love to have at a Friendsgiving:

1) Princess Leia – Star Wars

Being my favourite fictional character of all time, I’d obviously love to be friends with Leia. Having her at Friendsgiving would definitely assure no dull moments!

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2)  Apollo – The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan

Source

Apollo is so amusing and ridiculous that I’d love to have him as a friend and invite him to Friendsgiving as he would definitely make me laugh. (+ plus music and poetry so entertainment for all) 

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3) Ferius Parfax – SpellSlinger by Sebastien De Castell


Ferius is such an awesome character! I’d love to sit and talk to her for hours, I feel like she’d have tons of cool stories to share.

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4) Loki – MCU

Do I need a reason to want to be friends with Loki?! He’s fucking Loki.
I’d invite him to Friendsgiving, not only so I could dreamily stare at him, but also because Loki definitely needs a friend. 
He can take over my world any time. 

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5) Literally everyone from Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas


Source: Charlie Bowater

So, I’m kinda cheating with this one but if I didn’t lump them together this list would’ve been all SJM characters. (Haha)
I’d so love to be apart of Aelin’s court + friend group; how amazing would that be?!
The banter, interactions, and genuine love between these characters is just amazing and I’m envious of their close friendships.

 

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Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Synopsis:
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite’s father is murdered, and the killer—her parent’s handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul’s guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is far more sinister than she expected.

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Plot:
I love this kind of Sci-Fi, multi-verses are so cool and interesting, I love the concept of there being multiple versions of your life and every version of your life is simultaneously happening. 
However, the plot took an unexpected turn, when Marguerite gets stuck in another dimension the books goes from being sci-fi to historical fiction-ish. Which I wasn’t a fan of and it took up a lot of the book. Much more than I was expecting.

It’s quite cliché, there’s a love triangle, people aren’t as they seem and it’s pretty predictable. That being said, it wasn’t badly done – it was still an enjoyable read and I will continue the series.

Characters:
Marguerite: She’s an okay main character, I didn’t love her but I didn’t hate her either. She has some good points and was quite interesting.

Theo: I loved him, he is a side character so didn’t appear quite as much as I’d like but I really enjoyed his part. I found him to be the most entertaining and funny character, even if I was suspicious of him. He ended up being my favourite.

Paul: Not a fan. There isn’t much to say about him but I don’t find him likeable or interesting, really. He’s just meh.

Rating: 3 Stars

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Books I Want To Read Before 2019 | Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
This week’s topic is: Books You Want to Read Before 2019

In no particular order:

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

After reading Strange the Dreamer, I am excited to get into this book! I adore Laini’s writing and I’m sure I’m going to love it!

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The Silver Queen by Josie Jaffrey

The first book of this series surprised me, I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait to dive back into this world to see what happens next, the first did leave off on a bit of a cliffhanger!

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Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson?? Need I say more? He’s one of my favourite authors and I adore his books. I love sci-fi and I cannot wait to read this!

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The Girl King by Mimi Yu

I was so so lucky to be sent an ARC of this; so I definitely want to get to this before it comes out in January. It sounds so good and the cover is beautiful!

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The Dark Vault by V.E Schwab

After reading V.E. Schwab for the first time this year I am looking forward to reading more of her work! I loved Vicious and I’m sure The Dark Vault will be great as well. I was lucky enough to be asked to review this and I couldn’t say no after reading Vicious and Vengeful – they were so good!

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Review: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas| Aka me screaming/gushing (Spoiler free)

“Once upon a time, in a land long since burned to ash, there lived a young princess who loved her kingdom …”

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Synopsis:
Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

 

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Everyone is probably posting reviews for this or is reading it. It’s literally everywhere but honestly, it’s so worth the hype.

*Warning there will be heavy use of capslock in this review*
Because I will never stop screaming about this book.

Will also probably have a discussion post with spoilers coming soon, so I can properly scream about KoA.

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Plot:
Let me just start off by saying: this was perfection. I couldn’t have hoped for a better finale. I cannot fault this book, at all.
It is a big book, almost 1000 pages – it had me worried at first. I thought maybe it’d be slow and dragged out, judging on the size of the book. However, I was so wrong. It really didn’t feel like a big book. SJM has a gift, I honestly just drink up her books; it was so addictive and gripping.
The pacing was perfect. There weren’t any boring parts, it was full-on entertainment (+heartbreak) for over 900 pages.
I was not ready to cry as much as I did, I don’t think I have ever cried so much over so many instalments throughout a book before. I was a complete mess reading this book, it was an emotional rollercoaster. I will never recover.
This book was both painful and beautiful. *Sobs*

Thank you, Sarah J Maas, for the beautiful conclusion to the Throne of Glass series. But also for the biggest book hangover ever, I literally cannot stop thinking about it.

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Characters:
Aelin: The amount Aelin suffers in this book is heart-wrenching! But god, her character development has been so so good. Her relationships, friendships and interactions with all of them are amazing.

Dorian: MORE AMAZING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Holy shit, man. I love him.

Elide: MY QUEEN ELIDE. God I love her. I love her sass, her development. HER EVERYTHING. Her banter with Lorcan, I cannot get enough of their interactions.

Manon: GUYS. It has happened. I finally like Manon. Her character development has been so dramatic and good, I actually enjoyed her in this book. (Still, do not ship Manorian)

Chaol & Yrene: Okay, so I’ve never been a fan of Chaol, unless he’s with Dorian, their friendship is beautiful but he was definitely more tolerable in this one. Yrene was okay too.

Rowan: ROWAELIN FOREVER. His love for Aelin is beautiful. I love them.

Aedion: I hated him so much in this book, I know he was upset about Aelin but dear GOD. He was an insufferable asshole. I’ve never been the biggest fan of him but I found him beyond annoying in this.

Lysandra: LYSANDRA DESERVES BETTER. That’s all I’m saying.

Rating: 5 amazing Stars

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Reviews for the others:  TAB |TOG| COM | HOF | QOS |EOS

Purchase the book here on Amazon UK: Kindle | Paperback

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Largest Books on My TBR | Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
This week’s topic is: Largest Books on TBR

Surprisingly, I don’t have many big books on my TBR. I was going to make this list all the books over 500 pages from my owned TBR but it turns out; I don’t have enough. hahaha
I’m not one to shy away from big books so, I’m actually a bit shocked. I kept the books as near to 500 pages as I could find.

Starting with the largest:

1) The Dark Vault by V.E. Schwab – 697 pages

This will actually be my next read! I’m so excited to read more VE Schwab after reading her Villains duology! This is technically two books but it’s a bind up so it’s pretty big!

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2) Muse of Nightmares By Laini Taylor – 514 pages

Hopefully, I’ll get to this soon. I enjoyed Strange the Dreamer even though it was slow and took me ages to read. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this so I can’t wait to read it!

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3) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell – 529 pages

This has been on my TBR for a while. It’s pretty big but the font is SO tiny; I always put off reading it for that reason. It sounds good but confusing and I’ve heard mixed things about it. No idea when I’ll get around to picking this up.

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4) Magnus Chase The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan 497 pages

I meant to read this back in the summer, I feel like it would be best read then; since summer is literally in the title. *Hopefully* I will pick it up next spring/summer.

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5) The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani – 488 pages

This is a fairly recent addition to my TBR but I am hoping to get to this soon; when I’m next in the mood for a middle grade/ light-hearted read. I’ve heard good things about this series and I’m excited to start it!

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Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think if you have!
Also, let me know the biggest book on your TBR!

 

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Reread Review: Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

“The world, will be saved and remade by the dreamers”

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Synopsis:
The long path to the throne has just begun for Aelin Galathynius. As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

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Plot:
This book was amazing the first time around but managed to be even better the second time around!? I’m shook.
Despite remembering the majority of the plot; there were a few things I’d forgotten and it was so nice to rediscovering them.
The pacing, the action, the character, everything was just great.
I love the character interactions + the friendships. My heart.
The subplots were as good as the main plot; the side characters are SO great in this series.
It got me in such a great mood for KoA, I was both absolutely terrified and eager to get to it.
If you’ve read this you know it ends on a killer cliffhanger, then the next book is Tower of Dawn which is centred around Chaol. I wasn’t super keen on it, to be honest.
After finishing EOS I was desperate to pick up Kingdom of Ash, so I read a summary + the wiki page to remind of the stuff in ToD and jumped in KoA. (review for that soon)

Characters:
Aelin: I love Aelin. She’s so badass in this one and I feel so awful for her at the end, my heart breaks. AELIN DESERVES HAPPINESS.
I swear to god. I’m going to get my heart broken in KOA, aren’t I?

Dorian: My favourite!! Will forever love my selfless Dorian.
Praying, that Dorian survives the series. Literally, please SJM…
Dorian deserves better.

Manon: More tolerable in this book. Didn’t despise her presence. However, I love the Thirteen. They’re so amazing!! Manon is so much better with them.
However, I am not a fan of her ship. #Sorrynotsorry

Rowan: I officially love Rowan. I didn’t like him in Heir of Fire, he became likeable in Queen of Shadows but now I love him. Rowaelin is goals.

Elide & Lorcan: This duo. Oh my god. I live for them. I was constantly wanting more of them and couldn’t wait to get back to their chapters.

Rating: 5 Stars

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October Wrap Up!

 

 

October has been a busy month for me if you didn’t know already: I started university at the end of September and lectures/classes didn’t start until October 1st. So, I’ve been adjusting to a new schedule, commuting back and forth university 4 days a week and been too tired to read as much as usual. Plus, studying English Literature I  have a lot of required reading to do.

 

The first book I finished in October was *Strange Ink by Gary Kemble. This was an interesting mystery story, perfect for this time of year!

Rating: 3.25 Stars
Review + An Extract here

 

 

 

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The next book I finished was an audiobook. I’m now getting back into listening to audiobooks since I’m commuting to university! Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman finally was available from my library and made my commute SO much better.

Rating: 5 Stars!

 

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Next, I finally finished Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig, I started this in September and was using as my commute book, whilst waiting for audiobooks to become available. Non-fiction always takes me longer to read anyway. This was really good and insightful

Rating: 4 Stars

 

 

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Next, I finished Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.
I actually started this back in September, the 29th, I believe. I hoped I’d read it quickly and before Muse came out. Nope. Finished this on October 26th. University got in the way and completely filled my time, so this got put down for long periods, which may have hindered my reading experience. It was beautifully written, so unique and great. I love Laini!!

Rating: 4 Stars
Review coming soon!

 

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Lastly, I managed to squeeze in my reread of Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas. I freaking love this book.
I really cannot wait to get to Kingdom of Ash, I’m probably going to skip rereading ToD just so I can jump into it.

Rating: 5 Stars
Reread review coming soon!

 

 

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Books I read for university (that I counted in my Goodreads challenge):

• The Romance of Tristan by Béroul
• The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare
• Twelfth Night by Shakespeare
• Venus and Adonis by Shakespeare

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October Blog Posts:
September Wrap Up!
Favourite Magic Systems | Top 5 Wednesday
Release Day Review: Soulbinder by Sebastien De Castell (Spoiler free!)
Reread Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas
Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Favourite Villains | Top 5 Wednesday
Review: Strange Ink by Gary Kemble (+ An Exclusive Extract!) | Blog Tour
Reread Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
Review: Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
End of Summer/ Autumn Collective Book Haul!
Audiobook Review: Dreamology by Lucy Keating
Binge-Worthy YA Books! #1

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