The Game of Thrones Book Tag!

Hey everyone!

The Game of Thrones Book Tag was originally created by Biblio Nyan

HOUSE LANNISTER: HEAR ME ROAR Name a book that you originally loved, but upon a re-read realised that it wasn’t so great after all.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas.
Initially, I really enjoyed HoF but upon rereading last year, I realised it’s my least favourite book in the series. (Joint with Tower of Dawn) I found it to be slow and boring.

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HOUSE STARK: WINTER IS COMING

Name your most anticipated book release for 2019

I have so many! But one is The Burning White by Brent Weeks. Last book in the Lightbringer series! I cannot wait to see how it all ends, though I will be super sad. It’s a brilliant series.
I can’t wait to complete another series. I feel like I’m forever starting them so it will be nice to have one completed!

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HOUSE TARGARYEN: FIRE AND BLOOD

Name a book that you felt completely slayed with fantastic characters, plot, pacing, etc.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas. Another ToG book.
But damn that book was perfection. The characters were amazing, the plot was insane and the pace was utterly perfect. It is a huge book but felt small. I was drinking that up.

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HOUSE BARATHEON: OURS IS THE FURY

Name a book that ended with a cliffhanger ending that genuinely pissed you off.

The Wicked King by Holly Black
Unpopular opinion: I didn’t love this book. I barely even liked it. It was so meh. I spent the vast majority of the book bored and waiting for something good to happen and it never did. Until right at the end. Literally, like the last 2-3 pages. Biggest cliffhanger. I genuinely didn’t think I’d be continuing onto the next book but now I want to because of that ending???? 

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HOUSE MARTELL: UNBOWED. UNBENT. UNBROKEN.

Name a book or book series, that’s been on your TBR since the dawn of time.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
This has been on my tbr since before it came out. I finally got a copy for christmas last year and I’m determined to read it and Godsgrave this summer ready for Darkdawn!

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HOUSE BOLTON: OUR BLADES ARE SHARP

Name the most graphic or disturbing book that you’ve ever read.

I genuinely don’t think I’ve read anything that has disturbed me. I’m the biggest wimp, if something sounds scary or disturbing I will avoid it like the plague.

I suppose this is fitting for this question but Ramsay is pretty disturbing in ASOIAF. Though I don’t remember specifically which book.

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HOUSE TYRELL: GROWING STRONG

Name a book, or book series, that gets better and better with every re-read.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
I absolutely adore this book. If someone asks what my favourite book is, I say this one. I’ve read it twice and I’m probably going to reread it again this summer. I love the story, the world, the characters, I seriously cannot get bored with this book. It’s amazing.

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I tag:
Nox @ Noxreads

+ Anyone who wants to do it!

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What is your Game of Thrones/ASOIAF House?
I’m House Lannister!

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Rainy Day Reads | Top 5 Wednesday

 

 

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
This week’s topic is: Rainy Day Reads 

 

1) Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

Fantasy is my go-to genre, whatever the weather/time of year, but I think Red Sister would be the perfect rainy day read. I don’t know why but I imagined this world to be quite dark and grey – not sure if that’s actually correct but that’s the impression I got.

Badass, assassin nuns and a kinda magic-school setting; you need this in your life.

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2) Vicious by V.E. Schwab

This is THE perfect rainy day read. It’s dark, all about morally grey characters and the perfect friends-to-enemies plot line. It’s like a darker x-men story. It’s beyond cool.

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3)  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Would it really be a recommendations list without some Brandon Sanderson?! I always find a way to put his books on any list.

Elantris was a radiant, magical city once before magic failed, now it’s dull, grey and lifeless. I think this would make a great rainy day read, this is a fantasy but it’s not action based so it can be quite slow. It is very interesting and intriguing; I’ve read this twice and I still love the plot and characters!

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4) Cinder by Marissa Meyer

If you want something fun yet exciting, this is the one for you. It’s such a great book, fast to get through and the rest of the series is amazing too!
It’s a sci-fi Cinderella retelling with cyborgs and a dystopian world – what more do you want?

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5) Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Thought I should probably include something contemporary too. If you’re looking for something that’ll cheer you up, this is the one! I read this in one sitting. It’s such a cute book and I was smiling constantly throughout. This would be such a nice book to read if you need something happy.

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Comment below and recommend me a rainy day read!

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Review: One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

Synopsis:

In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.

Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons-playing friends are used to living in their imaginations. But when a new girl, Mia, joins the group and reality becomes weirder than the fantasy world they visit in their weekly games, none of them are prepared for what comes next. A strange—yet curiously familiar—man is following Nick, with abilities that just shouldn’t exist. And this man bears a cryptic message: Mia’s in grave danger, though she doesn’t know it yet. She needs Nick’s help—now.

He finds himself in a race against time to unravel an impossible mystery and save the girl. And all that stands in his way is a probably terminal disease, a knife-wielding maniac and the laws of physics.

Challenge accepted.

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My Thoughts:

I didn’t really know what to expect going in, the synopsis doesn’t give too much away (which is a good thing) but it did intrigue me and make me wonder why it was Sci-fi. The synopsis doesn’t give off typical Sci-fi vibes, it makes it sound like a mystery novel – which it is. Mystery with a Sci-fi twist.

The plot was interesting and compelling, I was intrigued from start until finish. Pace wise; it started off slow and gradually builds up to a climatic ending. It’s a short book, around 200 pages, and would be such an easy, quick read if you have the time to just sit and read.

The setting: 80s. Love this, I am fascinated by the 80s. I loved this time period. I like this era for this story too, I think it worked really well with the lack of technology and time travel that was involved. I don’t want to spoil so I won’t go into loads of detail but it’s cool!

The worldbuilding was really good. It’s set in our world, obviously, but it was well described and presented. I could really picture 80s London, the underground, council flats etc. Everywhere featured was easy to visualise.

The characters are all really great. The story is told through Nick’s first-person POV. I found it really easy to sympathise and feel for Nick. He was a good protagonist. I loved his friendship group, it was so nice to see a genuinely lovely friend group.

There’s A LOT of D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) in this book. It really made me sad that I’ve never played D&D but it made me want to even more. However, it is referenced and played in the book a ton; so if that’s not your jam, it could get tiring. I did get a little fed up of it towards the end but it wasn’t a huge deal for me. (Probably the reason I didn’t give this a full 4 rating)

The ending is amazing. Fast-paced, engaging, plot twist and reveals. It was a rollercoaster, it ended so quickly and left some questions open. So I’m excited to pick up the next book. I definitely want to continue this series, which is all coming out this year, which is awesome. I can’t wait to see where the story goes.

Also, wanted to mention that there is diversity! Which was a surprise and such a nice one, so props to Mark Lawrence for adding diverse characters in, even if they were just side-characters. It was nice to see!

Rating: 3.5 Stars

*Disclaimer this was sent to me for review
Thank you to Mitriel & Mark Lawrence for the copy!

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Books I Want to Re-Read This Summer! | TBR

 Hey Guys!
Today I’m talking about the books I want to reread this summer.
Once I am free of assignments, exams and uni, I plan to spend the majority of summer reading. I have a huge physical tbr of unread books but clearly, I’m procrastinating by wanting to reread old favourites instead!

 

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The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages

These were the first Brandon Sanderson books I read; I absolutely loved them. I have only read them once, so I’d love to get back into this world. (and have my heart and soul ripped from my body, again, apparently)

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Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks

The Black Prism (Not pictured)
The Blinding Knife
The Broken Eye
The Blood Mirror

The final book in this series comes out this Autumn, I believe; so obviously, I need to reread all the books. The first book, The Black Prism, is currently at my boyfriend’s. He’s taking forever to read it, I doubt he’ll finish it. I’ll be stealing that back so I can start my reread of this series.

 

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Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I read Illuminae & Gemina for the first time back in 2016/early 2017 and eagerly anticipated the third book, Obsidio. However, I planned to reread both before the release, never did then never ended up reading Obsidio. *gasps*
So this year I made it my mission to finally finish this trilogy, I’ve reread Illuminae, now it’s time for Gemina; so I can finally read the final book.

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Are you a rereader? What books do you want to reread?
Comment below, I’d love to know!

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Currently Reading + Mid-April TBR

 

Hey guys!
Haven’t posted in a bit thought I’d put out a quick post today and let you know I’m not gone! It was the last week of the semester last week, so I was pretty busy. (and forgot to prewrite and schedule posts)
Hopefully, I can post consistently now uni is over! I do have finals to do but I will have more free time since I get to pick my study schedule and I don’t have to travel to uni 5 days a week, woo!

 

Currently Reading:

[Gifted]

I am currently reading One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence. The premise is really interesting and it’s pretty short. Super quick and easy to read so far! Will have a review up for this when I finish it!

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I feel like I might be going into a slump. So who knows if I’ll read any of these. Keeping my hopes up that I can stop the slump! Make sure to check out my wrap up at the end of the month to see whether I make it through any of these (haha).

April TBR

Other Words For Smoke by Sarah Marie Griffin

[Gifted]

I am intrigued by this book, the cover is beautiful and the premise is interesting. Hopefully, it won’t disappoint!

 

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The Seven Husband’s of Evelyn Hugo

I finally bought a copy! (Kindle 99p!) So, I am finally going to read this book. I have heard non-stop amazing things about this book, if it doesn’t blow my mind I will be seriously disappointed.

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I’m waiting for this to become available from my library. I currently don’t have an audiobook and I’m desperate for one! Lately, I am mostly consuming books via audio as it is much more convenient!

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What are you currently reading?/What do you plan to read?
Let me know! 🙂

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Favourite Jokesters| Top 5 Wednesday

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

Basically, here’s a list of the funniest characters I love.

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1) Captain Carswell Thorne aka Thorne – The Lunar Chronicles

Finally, I read The Lunar Chronicles this year, (well listened) and I bloody adored every single book. One of the highlights for me was Thorne. I found him SO funny. I was literally laughing out loud to his comments in public. I must’ve looked like a crazy person laughing to myself on the train!
I love Thorne. He’s cocky and snarky but a good guy deep down.

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2) Rhysand – ACOTAR by Sarah J Maas

Everyone’s favourite High Lord. I think Rhys is super funny (and adorable). I love his banter with Feyre and the Inner Circle. Relationship/Friendship goals!

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3) Ferius Parfax – Spellslinger by Sebastien De Castell

Ferius is bloody hilarious! She’s one of my faves in the Spellslinger, she’s just amazing.
Her jokes and attitude are absolutely hilarious. Spellslinger, in general, is super funny, one of the only books to make me laugh out loud.

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4) Deadpool

Of course, I had to include one of my favourite Marvel characters; Deadpool.
Crude as he may be, he’s bloody hilarious. Ryan Reynolds was born to play him and the films are just so good.

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5) Han Solo – Star Wars

And finally,  of course, I had to mention someone from Star Wars. Han is just too funny not to mention. I love the humour between the whole gang in the originals but Han takes the cake for me. He’s beyond funny.

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Who are your favourite jokester characters?

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Audiobook Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Synopsis:
Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

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Reviews: Cinder | Scarlet | Cress

My Thoughts:

Plot – Fast pace. Lots of action. Lots of twists.
Everything was just so perfect? The series was wrapped up beautifully. Everything was just amazing, the plot, the word, the characters…

The audiobook was a beast of a book over 23 hours long but I was addicted. I finished listening to this in 5 days. I have no idea how. I full on expected for it to take a month to finish since it was so long. I found myself unable to stop listening and picking it up at any chance I could.

I didn’t lose interest at all. I was engaged constantly, on the edge of my seat and I laughed out loud (in public) to many parts. It was overall one of the most entertaining books (and series) I’ve ever read.

Characters:
Cinder: Still love Cinder. She’s such a great main character. I have loved her from book one and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her character grow and develop.

Kai: He’s still adorable.
I love how far he’s willing to go for his country. He’s such an honourable leader and a genuine sweetheart. I LOVE HIM + CINDER!

Aiko: She is also still freaking adorable. Someone get this girl a droid boyfriend!

Scarlet: She’s cool. I like her, she’s not my favourite but I was still invested in her story/happiness/relationships.

Cress: I LOVE CRESS. She’s one of my faves. I love her relationship with Thorne. I am absolute trash for Thorne + Cress. She’s smart, quirky and relatable.

Thorne: As I’ve said in my previous review(s), I freaking adore Thorne. He’s so funny and cocky. But also a lil cinnamon roll.

Winter: Winter is a bit odd. For reasons explained in the book so, I won’t spoil! She’s quirky and nice but a bit childlike, I guess? I did find her a little irritating/trying at times but she’s overall not a bad character and her story is pretty interesting.

5 AMAZING Stars

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Favourite Collectables on My Bookshelf| Top 5 Wednesday

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

1) Bookmarks

An essential staple for every reader, a good bookmark! Before Bookstagram/Blogging I used to use any old thing as a bookmark (still do sometimes) and now I like bookmarks for their aesthetic too!

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2) Collectible/ Special Edition Books

Who doesn’t love a good collectors/special edition book?! Not only are they exclusive but they’re freaking stunning.  I am obsessed with getting my hands on as many as possible, it is such a bad habit for my bank account. No regrets.

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3) Pins

I don’t have many pins but I totally want to start collecting more!
I have seen a few people on Bookstagram with pin flag/banner things(?) and they look so cute hanging on the shelves! That’s the goal for me, I’d love to display mine on my shelves but I’d also love to rock a denim jacket with a few on from time to time.

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4) Figures + Funko Pops!

I adore collecting figures and Funko Pops! They’re one of my favourite things to get as gifts, which is where the majority of mine came from. Though I don’t tend to display my Funko Pops on my bookshelf with my books, as I keep them in the boxes, I do stack them on top of my small bookshelf.
I do have my Funko Wobblers out of the box and on display though. (Pictured)

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5) Literally anything Star Wars

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Above is how my shelves used to look and I loved it. But due to my book hoarcing habit, I had to start putting other books on those shelves too. *sigh*

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Also, got this cute little planter for Christmas, which is a recent addition to my bookshelf! (Which I adore)

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Comment some things you collect on your bookshelf, I’d love to know!

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Monthly Wrap Up | March 2019

Hey Guys!
March has been a pretty decent reading month for me, though mostly stuff for uni. I actually enjoyed the majority of my required reading so that was nice! For personal reading, I again, only listened to audiobooks this month. All of which were great!
Overall, I listened to 3 audiobooks and read 5 physical books/plays.

 

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Firstly, I finished an audiobook; City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab.

 

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review coming soon!

 

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Next, I finished a play for class; Mrs.Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw.

This wasn’t a bad play! Had an interesting story, one of the best I’ve read for this class so far!

 

 

 

 

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Another audiobook, Cress by Marissa Meyer.  I am seriously loving this series! Finally, my first 5 star read of 2019. I was losing faith in my reading, The Lunar Chronicles is what is keeping me from going into a slump again.

Rating: 5 Stars!
Review here!

 

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Next, another book/essay for class; A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf.

This was an interesting and insightful read. It was quite dense and felt lengthy, considering it’s not long. The lecture I had on it was more interesting though!

 

 

 

 

 

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And another book, actually play, for class; A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. I’m glad we have moved on to more recent plays in class, they’re so much easier to read and more enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

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Next, another audiobook, Winter by Marissa Meyer

Rating: 5 Stars
Review coming soon!

 

 

 

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Next, I finished another play for class. The Zoo Story by Edward Allbee.

By far one of the weirdest things I’ve ever read! However, it was very interesting.

 

 

 

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Lastly, I read The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. This was also for a class. It was interesting. I wouldn’t say I loved it, it was pretty dark. A lot of unexpected sexual content. I liked the titular story but the rest were just meh. Some were outright ununderstandable.

 

 

 

 

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What was your favourite read in March?

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