Lockdown Fantasy Book Recs

Hey everyone!
Hope you’re all keeping well and safe.
A few weeks ago I did a Cheerful Recs Post and so I thought I’d do a fantasy version today. I feel like I’m just used to lockdown now and it’s become the norm and I don’t need cheering up much. So now let’s bring back fantasy!

Firstly, the book that inspired this whole post:
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Lockdown/ this whole pandemic got me thinking about Elantris and how much I’d like to revisit this novel. Elantris used to be a city of glory and turned people into gods, now it curses people and the city is no longer the heavenly place it used to be. The magic is gone and now Elantris is a prison. Very fitting for what’s going on now, right? Elantris is definitely not a depressing read by any means, it is quite magical in some places. I think this book is highly underrated, everyone talks about Sanderson’s other novels more and tend to think this one lacks. I disagree, I really love this book. It’s a slower pace fantasy, there’s not really any action, there’s no epic battle but there’s loads of intrigue!

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A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

What better time to start the A Song of Ice and Fire series than lockdown? It will keep you occupied for a while and it is 100x better than the tv show. A lot of people classify it as ‘Grimdark’ – I’ve personally never found it to be that dark but I guess it’s down to the individual. If you liked GoT but think the books aren’t worth it, they are! I cannot stress enough how much more substance you get in the novels. It is worth a read!

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Now for some New Adult & YA:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

If you’re looking for more romance/fantasy, Sarah J Maas is your best option. She creates such addicting romances and characters – her worlds are very interesting too. I actually prefer ToG overall but it takes a while to get good. Which is why I’m recommending ACOTAR instead, it is easy to demolish – it was a one day read for me.

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The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson

Another romance/fantasy but this has plenty of political intrigued and possibly the best-written love triangle of all time. I devoured this book, it’s so addicting and engaging. It follows a Princess (Lia) who runs away from her arranged marriage. The Prince she is supposed to marry goes after her but also an assassin from another kingdom is hunting her. The catch? You don’t know who is the Prince or who is the assassin.
(It also features a nice female friendship between Lia and her helper)

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Got any fantasy recs? Leave them below!

New Favourite & Finally Reading Crescent City – WWW Wednesday | 27/05/2020

Hello everyone!
It has been a HOT minute since I last did a WWW Wednesday, I am finally free of uni and able to read again.

WWW Wednesday is hosted on Taking on a World of Words. It’s a super simple meme, you just answered the three W questions.

The Three W’s are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Recently Finished:

*Beach Read by Emily Henry

Oh. My. God. This. Book.
I loved everything about this book! I am so glad I requested it from NetGalley, it is now one of my favourites! It was just perfection. I don’t have a bad thing to say about it. 

Full review here with all my thoughts!

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Currently Reading:

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

Finally, I am reading one of my most anticipated reads! I didn’t want to read it when it came out as I was still in uni and didn’t want the stress of the semester to hinder my enjoyment. I’m not far in yet but it’s already broken my heart??? Is this book going to kill me?

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Reading Next:

I have no idea what I’m going to read next, I have so many options! I am freed to read to my heart is content. Here are some I am considering:

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

*The Raven and The Dove by Kaitlyn Davis

*The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams

(Guess we’ll have to wait and see which I pick, it entirely depends on my mood and how much HOEAB destroys me)

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What are you currently reading/ what have you recently finish?

BEST Book of the Year?! | Book Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

*Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

TW/CW: Death of parent/grief, Cancer

Synopsis:

He doesn’t believe in happy endings.
She’s lost her faith that they exist.
But could they find one together?

January is a hopeless romantic who likes narrating her life as if she’s the heroine in a blockbuster movie.
Augustus is a serious literary type who thinks true love is a fairy-tale.
January and Augustus are not going to get on.

But they actually have more in common than you’d think:

They’re both broke.
They’ve got crippling writer’s block.
They need to write bestsellers before the end of the summer.

The result? A bet to see who can get their book published first.
The catch? They have to swap genres.
The risk? In telling each other’s stories, their worlds might be changed entirely… 

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My Thoughts:
This was INCREDIBLE.
I loved every moment of this book!! The characters, the story, the romance – everything. I was fully captivated by it all! I was hooked from the moment I started it. I haven’t been invested in a book like this in a while! I have been in an almighty slump for m o n t h s. I think this cured it! I read this in less than 48 hours, which is a miracle because everything has been taking me weeks to read.

This is the perfect romance, for me personally. I am not a fan of cheesy/cringy romance, I like cute and feels without suffering from secondhand embarrassment – which this novel did perfectly. I found myself swooning (and squealing) and rooting for the romance – it didn’t annoy me in the slightest. There was angst and a bit of slow burn, which I adore! If I’m not dying for the couple to kiss/touch then what’s the point?!

Not only is this a romance novel but there is so much more substance than that – there’s love and loss, friendship, illness/cancer & family secrets. It was very well intertwined with the romance plot, everything flowed flawlessly. Nothing felt forced or out of place, it all worked amazingly well together.

I loved the sarcasm and witty writing style – it was such a breeze to read. I didn’t want to put this down, I was GLUED to this book. If I didn’t have other things to do I would’ve read the whole thing in one go. I had to know what happened and I NEEDED to get to the romancey parts.

I literally have nothing bad to see, I had no faults with this book. It was PERFECTION!

Characters:
January: I really liked January, she was a great protagonist, she was funny and relatable and very realistically written. She was easy to attach to, emotionally. I was instantly connected to her and was fully invested from the first chapter.
Her friendship was also lovely to see, there was no drama or pettiness, just genuine girl/girl platonic love. It was so lovely to see!

Gus: I LOVED Gus!! He was so adorable. His chemistry with January was undeniable from the beginning. Their relationship fits the enemies/rivals to friends to lovers trope perfectly! I loved the banter between Gus and January, it all felt very real and funny – nothing was over the top or unrealistic.

Overall, definitely a new fave! I will be buying a physical copy because I will definitely reread this in the future. I will be recommending this to EVERYONE. It’s my favourite read of 2020 so far!
If you’re going to read one summery romance this year, make sure it is this one!

Rating: 5 Stars

The Coffee Book Tag

 

Hey guys!
 Finally, a new post! I have been busy writing assignments but I have finally finished and submitted everything. The semester is officially over and I am FREE! Yay!
Today I’m doing another tag, what better way to get back into blogging than a good ol’ tag! I was tagged by the lovely Mieke over at MouseThatReads! Make sure to check out her post too!

Black Coffee: Name a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans.

Hmm… Probably The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. The fans are hardcore but I definitely found it hard to get into. I’m going to catch up with the series this summer, hopefully!

Peppermint Mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year.

I honestly have no idea…

Hot Chocolate: What is your favourite middle grade book?

Anything by Rick Riordan, I really need to reread his books to determine a favourite, it has been a minute since I read them! Plus the Percy Jackson show announcement has made me want to dive back into that world!

Double Espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Recently, Bead Read by Emily Henry! I LOVED every moment of it. It was such a gripping read! I was soo invested in this novel, I haven’t been this glued to a book in forever!
(review coming soon)

STARBUCKS: Name a book you see everywhere.
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Everyone seems to love it and I see it everywhere! (as well as his other books) – he seems to be getting increasingly more popular. 

That Hipster Coffee Shop: Give a book by an indie author a shout out.

I don’t really read indie authors (I need to change that). I have read a book by Josie Jaffrey, which I enjoyed at the time. If you like vampires, you should definitely check out her books!

OOPS! I accidentally got decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from.

Oh I have so many:
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo – What the hell even was this book?! One of the worst endings I’ve ever suffered through. Awful, awful book!

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff
I really thought this would be amazing but this was SO disappointing – another awful ending. I really didn’t enjoy it, at all.

The Perfect Blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying.

Throne of Glass (series) by Sarah J Maas

 A Cup of Tea: Your favourite classic

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte & Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen!
These are by the best classics I’ve read by far! I love the proto-feminism and strong female characters! 

Flat White: A book that isn’t a novel

Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig
An amazing mental health memoir! 

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I tag anyone who whats to do this tag!

Review: The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

Synopsis:

Welcome to the Kingdom… where ‘Happily Ever After’ isn’t just a promise, but a rule.

Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The Kingdom is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species–formerly extinct–roam free.

Ana is one of seven Fantasists, beautiful “princesses” engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time… love.

But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana’s memories of Owen, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty–and what it truly means to be human.

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CW/TW: Child Abuse, Death, Suicide, Animal Abuse

My Thoughts:

The concept and setting are really interesting, I was instantly intrigued just from the blurb. Once I started reading it did intrigue me and kept me interested, it did take me a while to read it though, it wasn’t super gripping. It’s quite a slow-paced book, there’s not a lot (if any) action, it relies solely on intrigue to drive the plot. There’s a lot of repetition, you get to see everyday life as a fantasist and that got a bit monotonous at times. I was constantly waiting for something to happen.

As for the world itself: The Kingdom is very atmospheric, it’s a beautiful place but sinister and dark behind the scenes.  You don’t get to see the outside world but from the few hints given, it’s a dystopian kind of society.

I enjoyed this book, it certainly wasn’t bad… There was just something missing from this book. I don’t know what it is exactly but I wanted more. It was enjoyable but slow. I wish there was more explained about the world etc. The ending was pretty predictable, the ‘plot twist’ was completely obvious, therefore, had little effect. I feel like the set up of this book leads you to believe something will happen and the ending feels a bit incomplete?

There’s a lot of questions left to be answers and definitely room for a sequel… If there was one I would read it. I was definitely intrigued enough to carry on, should there be more books.

Characters:
Ana:
We follow Ana, a fantasist – which is kinda like a cyborg – whose duty it is to work in The Kingdom and create a ‘Happily ever after’ for the visitors. I can’t say I was super attached to Ana, she wasn’t a bad protagonist but she wasn’t amazing either. It was interesting to see how fantasists think and work, but overall she was quite a flat character until the end when she rapidly gets development, which wasn’t paced well. Her love interest was just okay, nothing special. I didn’t find myself swooning or shipping them really.

Rating: 3 Stars

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Have you read The Kingdom? What did you think?

US vs UK Book Covers #3 {My Recent (ish) Reads}

Hey guys!
Quick, fun post today as I am busy with finals (sigh)
I’m doing another US vs UK Book Cover comparison because we all judge books by their covers! …Right?! I was looking for books to include and realised I didn’t know what a few of my recent reads US cover was, so here I am comparing them today!
( I say ‘recent’ but I haven’t really read much this year so far (CURSE YOU UNI WORK!) so some of these books are from January but they’re all books I’ve read this year.)

Left US, Right UK

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

I actually really like both covers. I feel like both fit the book very well and you can get a sense of what the story will be from the way these look.
However, the US cover takes it to the next level! Such a pretty art style and I love how it gives the sci-fi vibes more than the UK one.

My Winner: US

 

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Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell

Going to be completely honest, I hate the US cover. I don’t like the colours and I don’t like the way the kids look (lol). The UK has pretty colours and a cute art style; this fit the middle-grade/kids book more, in my opinion.

My Winner: UK!

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Hold Back The Stars by Katie Khan

I reread this book this year and it’s still one of my favourite.
I realised I had never seen a US cover, so writing this post was the first time.  This is the only cover I could find, so I assume it’s the US one?
…I’m SHOCKED. The US cover is h i d e o u s.
The green and the font…  Just no. It doesn’t look like a sci-fi novel AT ALL!

My Winner: UK

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What are your thoughts on these covers? Which ones do you prefer?
Let me know in the comments!

Audiobook Review: Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

Synopsis:

“Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you were allowed to date.’ Then he leaned towards me and looked at me sympathetically. ‘Are your parents quite disappointed?’

Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.

As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love . . . ?

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Rep: Pakistani Mulism

My thoughts:

I had never read a Muslim romance before, I didn’t know at all how dating worked in regards to their religion – so I was interested to learn about it! It surprised me, I have to say, I am obviously very ignorant to how Muslim relationships work. It was more lax than I anticipated and more relatable too.

It was dubbed ‘Muslim Bridget Jones’ – although it was amusing, it wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny. I did get Bridget Jones vibes from Sofia, if you like those books/films you’d probably enjoy this too. I really enjoyed the humour throughout the book!

There’s a lot of day-to-day life shown, which is fine to listen to, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed if I read it. Also, it is very dialogue heavy, which I believe comes across well on audio, not sure it would be as enjoyable to physically read. It definitely could’ve been edited down more, it was a long audiobook and most of it was filler. With that being said, I didn’t find myself bored at any point.

Narrator: Rita Sharma has a voice that’s very easy to listen to for hours. I listen to the whole thing (11.5ish hours) in 3 days or so. It was very bingeable, I listened to more than half of it in one day. I was pretty invested in Sofia’s story!

Dislikes/TW:
There were some offensive jokes about black people and a lot of fatphobia. That being said, it did touch upon other issues such as stereotypes, immigration and racism. It’s a shame it included other forms of prejudice.

Rating: 3 Stars

Stay At Home Book Tag

Happy Wednesday!
Today I’m going to do a tag,  I was tagged by Holly over at TheWritingFinch to do this, thank you, Holly!

1. Laying in bed – a book you read in one day 

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman – Once I picked this up I could not stop! Luckily, being a graphic novel it’s quick to binge!

2. Snacking – a book that is a ‘guilty pleasure’ read 

I don’t believe in ‘guilty pleasures’ – it’s a toxic mindset, in my opinion…
I’ll go with a “problematic fave” instead: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Everyone seems to have strong opinions on this book but I really enjoyed it. It broke my heart and made me cry but it was a great read!

3. Netflix – a series that you want to start

I could write a whole post on this question alone…
I just bought Aurora Rising,  The Winner’s Curse & Foundryside on kindle, so I’ll be starting those series soon.

4. Deep clean – a book that has been on your TBR for ages

SO MANY.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch has been on my tbr since 2016… still don’t even own it. I need to change that!

5. Animal Crossing – a book you recently bought because of the hype

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
I have seen this book everywhere. Literally comes up on my Instagram feed every day.

6. Productivity – a book you learned from or had an impact on you

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I’ll pick Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig.
This book is amazing for depression awareness. It seriously moved me and made me feel seen. I highly recommend every read it! Especially during these hard times, it is a huge comfort.

7. Facetime – a book you were gifted

I won a giveaway recently, so that’s kind of a gift? I received an ARC of Good Girls Die First by Kathryn Foxfield.

8. Self-care – what is one thing you have done recently to look after yourself

Online shopping.
Someone, please take my Paypal account from me. I keep buying things to make myself feel better.

BONUS – An upcoming release you are looking forward to

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
I bloody adored Get a Life, Chloe Brown, I cannot wait for this sequel!!

 

I tag:
Bianca @ YourWordsMyInk
Hannah @Five.Chapters
Manon @BooksandAutumns
Maddy @ MissMaddyChats

 

Star Wars TBR | May the 4th

Happy Star Wars Day!

As a huge Star Wars fan I, of course, had to celebrate May the 4th with a Star Wars-themed post. I have already done the Star Wars Book Tag, so I thought I’d change it up this year. Today I’m going to be sharing the books I want to read from the new canon!

 

Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray

You cannot go wrong with Claudia Gray. Out of the few books I’ve read from the new canon, hers have by far been the best. I’m not normally a prequel fan, the films are memes, let’s be real but I’m willing to read anything Claudia writes in the SW universe.

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Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse

I think all the books I’ve read in the SW canon have been set before the new trilogy, so I definitely need to remedy that! I love these characters and I’m interested to see what this will add to the films.

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Queen’s Shadow by E. K. Johnston

Yes, I did just say I didn’t really like the prequels but I do like Padme. I’m definitely interested in getting more background and characterisation from this book. Plus, that cover! So pretty.

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Princess Leia by Mark Waid

This has been on my TBR forever! I only got into graphic novels last year, so now I feel like it’s finally time to read it. I was put off before as I’d never really enjoyed graphic novels but after reading Saga last year I am now a fan.

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Star Wars the High Republic: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray 

Another Claudia Gray…
I actually don’t know much about this one, I like Claudia Gray and I like Jedi’s so that’s good enough for me.

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Reading Wrap Up | April 2020

Happy May!
April seemed to both drag and fly by?! Weird month, weird times.
I didn’t have the best reading month as I have lots of university assignments to do, so didn’t have much free time. It’s pretty much going to be the same for May, since my deadlines are May 20th. Hopefully the last 11 days of the month will be fully booked *wink*

The first book I read was a graphic novel, Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman

After reading the first two volumes in March I HAD to continue. This series is seriously adorable and wholesome.

Rating: 5 Stars // Review for Vol 1

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Next, I listened to The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I actually really, really enjoyed this audiobook! It was much better than I anticipated and I was super glad to get more knowledge about Gilead.

Rating: 4 Stars // Review here

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Goddess of the Hunt by Shelby Eileen

I don’t normally read poetry but I wanted to read something quick and easy. This was pretty interesting, it hasn’t converted me to a poetry lover but it was good.

Rating: 3 Stars

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Lastly, I listened to Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell

This series has such great audiobooks, the narrator is David Tennant, if you’re interested in this series definitely listen to it!! It was an enjoyable read, Tennant is an excellent and engaging narrator and an absolute joy to listen to but, this book isn’t as good as the previous two. I look forward to the next book though!

Rating: 3 Stars

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How was your reading in April? Any new faves?