The Book Blogger Confessions Tag

1. Which book, most recently, did you not finish?

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry.
I just couldn’t get into the story – may potentially try again in the future.

2. Which book is your guilty pleasure?

I don’t really believe in ‘guilty pleasures’ – why should you feel bad for enjoying something?
I guess I’d go with ACOMAF by Sarah J Maas – a lot of people find her problematic and she doesn’t include diversity which sucks.

3. Which book do you love to hate?

I have a few:
The Name of the Wind
Wuthering Heights
The Night Circus

4. Which book would you throw into the sea?

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. THAT ENDING. Awful.

5. Which book have you read the most?

I’ve read the ACOTAR trilogy 3 times

6. Which book would you hate to receive as a present?

Harry Potter. Vom.

7.  Which book could you not live without?

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

8. Which book made you the angriest?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – It’s so boring. I don’t understand how anyone could remotely enjoy it.

Also, Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo – the plot twist was awful + it had one of the most boring, crappy endings to a series I’ve ever read.

9. Which book made you cry the most?

I don’t cry a lot at books but Kingdom of Ash had me SOBBING.

10. Which book cover do you hate the most?

Literally, all the UK Rick Riordan covers. I AM SO MAD. The US covers are gorgeous. The UK are just ugly. Breaks my heart because the books are AMAZING.

 

Not going to tag anyone but if you do it link me! I’d love to read your answers.

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The Book Interview Tag

Hey Guys!
Happy Saturday.
Today I’m going to do a tag! It has been a hot minute since I did a tag, so I am long overdue! Tags are one of my favourite posts to do, so I’m happy to be back with another.
Luckily, I was tagged by SakhileWhispers to do this tag, thanks for tagging me! 🙂
(Not sure who originally created this tag but if you know comment!)

Name:

Eleisha // Leisha

Age:

22

Favourite Genres(s):

Fantasy + Sci-fi

Favourite Male Authour(s):

Brandon Sanderson, George R.R. Martin, Sebastien De Castell + Rick Riordan

Favourite Female Author(s):

Mary E. Pearson, Sarah J Maas + V.E. Schwab

Sidenote – I just realised all my favourites are white. I need some diversity, man!

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Forever Favourite(s):

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What Was Your First Book of 2019?

How Did You Like It?

It was okay, not my favourite but it was a decent read. I honestly don’t remember much, it wasn’t overly memorable or anything revolutionary.
You can check out my review here for more thoughts.

What Was Your Last Book of 2018?

How Did You Like It?

I LOVED rereading it!

What Do You Look For In A Book/What Makes It Really Stand Out?

Strong female characters, gripping plot, humour + magic systems.

Do You Collect Any Particular Sets/Editions of Books?

I have the collectors editions of Mistborn, A Game of Thrones, Throne of Glass  + Vicious. I cannot wait to get more!

Do You Prefer Ebooks, Audiobooks, or Physical (Hardback or Paperback?)

I love all formats but my preference is a physical paperback, followed closely by audiobooks!

Do You Keep Books You Didn’t Like or Get Rid Of Them?

I get rid of them; I don’t have the space to keep books I’m never going to reread again. I also don’t see the point of keeping a book I didn’t like? Like no.

What Literary Character Best Defines You/Do You Best Relate To?

There isn’t a character I would say defines me or that I relate to completely.
I can relate to parts of characters such as Lia from TRC – she’s a great, strong female character who’s sassy +independent.  Also Vin from Mistborn, she’s a strong character who’s had a hard life but is still a badass. I relate to her anxiousness around others/ her preference for being unnoticed.

I tag:  Cait @ Functionally Fiction | Susan @ NovelLives
+ anyone who wants to do this tag!

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Graphic Novel Review: Saga Volume 1+2 by Brian K. Vaughan + Fiona Staples

Saga Volume 1 Synopsis:
When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

From bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan, Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.

Saga Volume 2 Synopsis:

The smash-hit ongoing epic continues! Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and alien monstrosities, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters something truly frightening: her grandparents!

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My thoughts:
I got the first one on a complete whim, I’d heard great things about this series but I never read graphic novels. It was on Kindle Unlimited so I thought I’d give it ago and WOW was I surprised.
I had no idea what the plot was or what to expect at all. I knew it was a sci-fi graphic novel. That’s it. I have been on a sci-fi kick all year so far, so I thought this would be perfect. I was also going into a reading slump, I didn’t feel like reading a novel – which is why I randomly decided to get a graphic novel. Thank Gods I did! It has saved me from my slump!
I was HOOKED. I flew through this. It was weird and wonderful all at once. I’ve never been so addicted and invested in something so quickly. The story really took me by surprise. It’s an amazing mix of sci-fi and fantasy; it’s incredible.
I immediately downloaded the next one (volume 2) and devoured that in an hour.
Sadly, only the first two are on Kindle Unlimited (God damn it!) so I couldn’t binge the rest without paying. I am UPSET. I thought there were more on KU but nope. *Heartbreaks*
I am DEFINITELY continuing the series ASAP because I love it so much. I also want to kinda drag it out because the series is on hiatus and if I finish it all in a week I’m going to be waiting forever.

The Art – I am in love with this artwork. It is so so good. I love the colours used, every page is vibrant and exciting. It really is beautifully drawn. I love Fiona Stapes’ art style – she’s insanely talented. I think the main thing that put me off reading graphic novels in the past is that I’m picky/fussy with art styles – this was nailed it for me.

Good points:

• Non-white, Non-human Main characters
• Forbidden Love / Star Crossed Lovers
• The artwork is AMAZING
• Magic
• Characters are so much fun!
• Story is fast-paced
• So quick to read

Warning: it is very graphic, sexually. There’s a lot of nudity and sexually explicit scenes.
Adult content, definitely not for kids/teen/the faint-hearted. I did not expect to see alien dick, but I did. There is also child abuse, not actually depicted, but it’s mentioned.

Volume 1 – Rating: 4.5 Stars
Volume 2 – Rating: 4 Stars

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Purchase here:
Amazon UK / *Book Depository
*Affiliate link

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Do you read graphic novels? What are your favourites?

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200th Post! – Favourite Minor/Side Characters | Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
T5W is currently on a hiatus for the summer, so no new topics. So I’ll be revisiting old ones. Today I’m doing: Favourite side/minor characters!

Hey guys!
This is my 200th post on my blog! I literally cannot believe I have written that many posts, it’s crazy! I never imagined I’d get this far, I didn’t think blogging would become such a big (and enjoyable) part of my life.
Thank you to everyone who read my blog! It means the world.
Onto the actual post – My favourite side characters:

1) Elide and Lorcan from Throne of Glass

Credit: Star of Velaris

I kinda cheated here, picking two people, but they’re both from the same series. (That’s my excuse anyway) I LOVE ELIDE!! She’s literally my fave – she doesn’t come into ToG until midway through the series but she quickly became a fave. Lorcan – loveable asshole. He’s awesome. Elorcan is my fave ship in all of ToG!

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2) TenSoon from Mistborn

Credit: BotanicaXu

TenSoon is such an amazing character. I love him and the Kandra. Such a fascinating, unique race of creature. I love his sidekick thing he has going on with Vin.
(There are SO many great side characters in Mistborn, it was hard to pick)

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3) Nikolai from Shadow and Bone
Official art by Kevin Wada

If you’ve read my reviews for the trilogy you know how much I dislike it. However, my love, Nikolai was worth it. He was such a great character, full of personality and life. He made those books for me. I will forever appreciate his amazing, entertaining presence in the dire books.

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4) Zuzana from Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Credit: BlackbirdInk

Zuzana is such an amazing friend! I love her relationship with Karou, it’s so lovely!!
She’s such a badass too, despite being a human. I’d love to be friends with her, it would be so much fun. She’s the best. So underrated!

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5) Ella Malikova from The Illuminae Files

Gemina is my favourite book in The Illuminae Files – Elle was such a cool character.
She’s so underrated and underappreciated. Her relationship with Nik is adorable. I love her personality and humour. She’s one of my favourite characters from the whole series!

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Who are your favourite side/minor characters?

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Review: Obisido by Amie Kaufman + Jay Kristoff (The Illuminae Files #3) | OVERHYPED

 

*This review is spoiler-free but there may be spoilers for book 1 and 2*

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Synopsis:

Kady, Ezra, Hanna and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza–but who knows what they’ll find seven months after the invasion?

Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza’s ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys–an old flame from Asha’s past–reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

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My Thoughts:
I had way too high expectations for this book. I thought each book in this series would get better and better, as I liked Gemina more than Illuminae. However, I found this pretty disappointing. It was by no means bad, it just wasn’t mind-blowing or amazing.

The plot – I find this to be slower-paced than the first two, I found myself bored and waiting for something good to happen. I basically force myself through most of it, it was uninteresting, I wanted to know what happened; it just dragged a lot. I wanted so much more but I think my expectations were just too high.

A lot of the plot is recycled from the previous two, it was very repetitive and predictable. So very predictable. I think that was the most disappointing part, was just knowing what was going to happen and how everything would wrap up. I wanted to be mind-blow and on edge but I wasn’t for most of it. The second half definitely gets better, it picked up a bit, not much, but enough for me to get more invested. 

The story takes place after the events of Gemina, so we follow all the characters from the previous books as well as a few new characters on Kerenza.
I have to say; I much preferred reading about the ‘old’ characters. I found myself wanting to get to their parts rather than read about the new characters on Kerenza. I really didn’t feel connected to these characters, like I did with the previous ones.
Asha and Rhys were just a bit bland, in my opinion.

I still really love the formatting/ layout of the book. It is such a cool and interesting way to consume a story and I think it works really well for a sci-fi novel. The drawings/ illustrations were really nicely done, as in the previous novels.

Characters:

Kady & Ezra: I loved seeing the main characters from Illuminae. Kady was always a favourite of mine, Ezra is okay. I liked following her character again.

Hanna & Nik: Again, I loved seeing these guys! They’re probably my favourites from the whole series, with the addition of Ella, I love her too!

Asha & Rhys: Meh. Didn’t really get attached to these two. I didn’t connect with them and I wasn’t really invested in their characters or story.

AIDAN: Why is a murderous, psycho AI system so entertaining? Literally one of the best parts of the whole series and especially this book. I love AIDAN. He’s creepy and interesting.

Rating: 3/3.5 Stars

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Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! | 2019

WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK THAT YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019?

I have two! Cress by Marissa Meyer & The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

 WHAT IS THE BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2019?

Basically all of the sequels to Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I read all of The Lunar Chronicles this year and I LOVED all of them.

IS THERE A NEW RELEASE THAT YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT ARE REALLY EXCITED FOR?

Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence
I really enjoyed One Word Kill, I think the series has potential so I cannot wait to see where it goes!

WHAT IS YOUR MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2019?

I have so many!! But the one I’m probably excited for the most is The Burning White by Brent Weeks

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT SO FAR?

The Wicked King by Holly Black + The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Both are ridiculously overhyped and didn’t live up to it for me.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE SO FAR?

Tie between Cinder by Marissa Meyer + The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
I put off reading TLC for years because I thought sci-fi fairytale retellings sounded odd and I thought I wouldn’t like it. BOY was I wrong.

The Flatshare isn’t my usual genre – Adult-contemporary/romance but I ended up loving it. Such a great, quick read – perfect for summer!

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE NEW TO YOU DEBUT AUTHOR?

Guess it’s going to have to be Beth O’Leary – haven’t read many debut authors yet this year.

 WHO IS YOUR NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER FROM THIS YEAR?

CARSWELL THORNE!! and Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles. Oh my god, I just love them.
Honourable mentions: The Darkling & Nikolai from the Shadow and Bone trilogy

WHAT IS A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?

I don’t think any have made me cry this year yet…

WHAT IS A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY?

I’m going to not repeat myself since I’m gushing about the same few books.  So, I’m going with: Twice Magic by Cressida Cowell (audiobook)
I listened to this while I will ill in bed with the flu and it cheered me up so much. David Tennant is the narrator and he is AMAZING. I love this middle-grade series – cannot wait for the next one!

WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR?

I’m guessing this is to do with the cover?
Probably the Shadow and Bone trilogy – the new covers. They’re so stunning.
Shame the last two weren’t as good as their covers!

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Books I DNF| Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
T5W is currently on a hiatus for the summer, so no new topics. So I’ll be revisiting old ones 🙂
This week I decided to do: Books I DNF (Did not finish)

1) The Power by Naomi Alderman

I feel like every female-centred dystopian novel is now dubbed the ‘new’ The Handmaid’s Tale and they never live up to it. This is the perfect example of that.
This was impossibly boring, I couldn’t get into it at all.
Snoozefest.

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2) The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Everyone was raving about these books a few years ago, so I decided to pick it up at my library. Boy, am I glad I didn’t buy this book. I found this SO boring and difficult to get into, I think I made it around 20% in before I completely gave up. This was years ago I DNF this but I remember thinking the writing was terrible and the characters were unlikeable.

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3) Switched by Amanda Hocking

This is honestly one of the worst audiobooks ever, ironically one of the first audiobooks I tried to listen to. (Luckily didn’t put me off) It was seriously bad. Laughably bad. It about a changeling Troll – TROLL. They call themselves Trylle – I just couldn’t cope with this. I couldn’t take it seriously and I hate every single character.

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4) The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

This is probably one of my biggest disappointments. I’ve heard so many great things about this series, I was totally expecting to love it. However, I did not understand a word I was reading. I don’t know why – I just had no idea what was going on. It was odd and boring. I couldn’t connect to the plot or the characters. Eventually, I gave up trying.

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5) The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

This is the most recent book I DNF.
This one I don’t feel bad about, at all. It was required reading for uni but honestly, it was so bad I just couldn’t put myself through that. I knew I wouldn’t write on it in my essay so I just gave up. It is seriously one of the most boring and confusing books I’ve ever read.

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Have you read any of these? What did you think?
Let me know a book you DNF in the comments!

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Monthly Wrap Up | May 2019

 

Hey guys!
Today I’m talking about the books I read in the month of May.
I read a total of 6 books (3 audio, 3 physical) and a short story. I’m really happy with this amount considering in the first half of May I had finals for uni, including 3 essays, a creative writing portfolio and an exam. As you can tell I procrastinated doing these things by reading/listening to books. Oops.

The first book I finished in May was Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I actually started and finished this on May 1st! Great start to the month and I haven’t read a book in a day in a long time. Super happy!

Rating: 4 Stars

 

 

 

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Secondly, I continued on and read Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. Didn’t enjoy this as much as the first, it was pretty bland.

 

Rating: 3 Stars

 

 

 

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Thirdly, I listening to the Stars Above audiobook by Marissa Meyer. This was okay, as far as short story collections go. I’m generally not a fan of short stories but these were okay, some I enjoyed more than others, naturally. More thoughts in my review!

Rating: 3 Stars
Review here!

 

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Fourth I read Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo and WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I thought this would be so much better but it was so boring. It took me 11 days to read 350 pages. 11 days?! I read Shadow and Bone in a single day.

Rating: 2 Stars

 

 

 

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Next, I finished another audiobook, Queenslayer by Sebastien De Castell.

 

Rating 3.5 Stars
Review coming soon!

 

 

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Next, literally right after finishing Queenslayer, I read the short story The Red Lily by Sebastien De Castell – which is about Ferius Parfax from the Spellslinger series. This story takes place between book 3 and 4.

 

 

 

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Finally, I finished another audiobook: Fairest by Marissa Meyer.
I didn’t think it was possible to hate Levana more than I did in The Lunar Chronicles main series but this backstory for Levana topped it. She’s also been the worst, I can see why now, but I have no sympathy for her. She’s vile.
Rating: 3.5 Stars

 

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How many books did you read in May? Which was your favourite?

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Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid // Overhyped?!

Synopsis:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

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My Thoughts:
Gripping and intriguing from the beginning to the end.
I like the layout of the novel, the interview taking you back in time and tell Evelyn’s story from her perspective – that was good.
The best part for me was the setting: The golden age of film. Old Hollywood. It was glamorous, interesting and cool to read about/ kinda experience.

For some reason, there isn’t much to fault in this novel, yet I don’t think it’s worthy of 5 stars? It’s an odd one for me. I found it interesting and I was hooked but I wasn’t blown away. I wouldn’t consider this a favourite and I’m not sure I’d ever reread it.
I will say: the writing isn’t all that special. It’s pretty bland/plain writing.

What I actually HATED: Celia. I could not warm to her character at all. I thought she was very toxic and immature and problematic. I honestly could not ship them or want them to be together in the slightest.

Characters:

Monique: We don’t see a ton of Monique because as the title would suggest, it’s all about Evelyn. I did like the glimpses of Monique we got but I wish there was a bit more of her. I felt her side of the story was lost because of Evelyn’s story and therefore, didn’t really add anything to the story.

Evelyn Hugo: I wouldn’t say I loved Evelyn as a character but she was very interesting. I was instantly invested in her story. The author did a good job of making her story interesting but I didn’t like her as much as the author tries to force you to do.
Evelyn had great character development and growth, which you can see as the novel goes on, that was done really well. She was realistic and flawed character – which made her a lot more relatable.

Overall: It’s not a bad read. If you love Chick-Lit and the 50s/Old Hollywood this would be perfect for you. Do I think it’s overhyped? Definitely. Unpopular opinion in the book community but it’s not *quite* as good as everyone makes out.

Rating: 3/3.5 Stars
(I originally gave this 4 stars but the more I think about it the less I think it is, so I’ve knocked 0.5 off)

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Have you read Evelyn Hugo? Did it live up to the hype for you?
Let me know your thoughts!

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Favourite Sci-fi/Fantasy BFFs! | Top 5 Wednesday

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

5) Scott and Stiles
(Teen Wolf)

I hardly ever mention TV shows on here, so I thought I’d throw in one of my fave friendships from a TV. Teen Wolf!! One of my favourite shows. I’m currently rewatching the whole show, which is why this sprang to mind instantly.
The best part of the show: Scott and Stiles. I bloody adore their friendship that is so close they’re basically brothers. It’s such a lovely genuine friendship, they bounce off each other and always look out for each other. I miss this show!!

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4) Dorian, Chaol + Celaena/Aelin
(Throne of Glass)

I love the ToG series, one of the best parts of the beginning of the series is Dorian, Chaol and Celaena. I love the OG ToG gang. It’s what I missed most in the later books was their interaction. The reunion in KoA is beautiful though. That book made me full on sob so many times!

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3) Kelsier and his crew
(Mistborn)

I love the friendships in Mistborn.
I love Kelsier and his crew! I love it when Kelsier takes Vin in and makes her part of his crew. Their friendship is so lovely! I really want to reread the books so I can see the gang again. (And have my heart ripped out again, evidently)

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2) Cinder + The gang
(The Lunar Chronicles)

A recent favourite of mine, after reading The Lunar Chronicles this year I just had include the whole gang! I love their friendship and interactions. I particularly love Thorne and Cinder, I love their banter. Basically, Thorne with anyone, he’s hilarious and my fave!

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1) Hiccup and Toothless
(How To Train Your Dragon)

Is there anything more beautiful than friendship between human/pet?! Especially dragons! I bloody adore this film series, so sad it ended. I will forever love Hiccup and Toothless, what a beautiful friendship. *sheds a tear*

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Who are some of your favourite SFF best friends?

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