Sunday 12 March 2017

Spring TBR

We are finally into March and so with this new months come a new TBR to hopefully give me a little guidance and inspiration in my reading over the next couple of months.  So far this year I have been fairly happy with my reading habits, but am still determined to make reading more of a habit than it is for me at the minute, and so hopefully read more than I currently am as well.  Hopefully this TBR will also motivate me to keep reading even more than I am as I am really excited about reading all of these books, and so am desparate to get to them soon.  
And so, enjoy! 






 As much as I have been adoring reading some contemporary recently, I still don't want to move completely away from fantasy over the next few months.  This one tells the story of Amani as in her desperation to escape her dead-end town of Dustwalk escapes with Jin, a fugitive wanted for treason.  As soon as read the synopsis for this one, I was instantly drawn into the magical setting and story of it.  Not only does it sound like it hopefully be quite action-packed, but it also sounds as if its set in different fantasy setting to what I've read before, and so along with the romance this sounds like a book I should really enjoy.  






 It has been way too long since I last read a classic ( the last one I read was The Great Gatsby last summer!) and so picking one up soon is definitely a priority of mine.  I actually picked this one up super recently for that very same reason, as well as because of how much I loved The Great Gatsby, and so I thought that for my next classic I would try another book by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  This one follows Nicole and Dick Diver as Rosemary Hoyt enters their circle, as their dark secrets start to reveal themselves.  As this goes up I have actually already started this one, and so far I'm really enjoying it, so hopefully it continues just as well as it has started.  



 I'm pretty sure if I looked back and found which book had been on the most of my TBR's, this one would be the clear winner.  I have been meaning to read this book for so long I can't even remember when I first got it, let alone when I first heard about and was interested in reading it, so I think its well about time I finally got around to actually reading it.  This book is about Cath as she is forced out of her comfort zone as she and her twin sister Wren go off to college.  I have heard so many people say they love this book, so I can't wait to finally give it a go and hopefully love it as well! 






Last year I finally read Throne of Glass after hearing about this series constantly, and so this month it is definitely time to continue on and see where this story is going next.  I absolutely adored everything about the first book in this series and so can't wait to dive deeper into this world and rejoin the amazing characters in it again.  I'm also pretty sure the last book in this series has been pushed back to next year, so now I might just have a chance to catch up before then as long as continue with this book really soon! 



 Finally, as I have recently been in the mood for contemporary I thought I would stick another on here as I am pretty sure I will still be wanting to read so many in the spring.  This is another I have had for a while now and so am really needing to get round to some time soon before I lose interest in it completely.  I just love the concept of this one, as it focuses on all the people around the 'chosen one' and the normal lives they are trying to lead, and so hopefully this one is good as it sounds! 



What books do you hope to read in the springtime?  Have you read any of these - what did you think?







Friday 10 March 2017

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater review



At the beginning of this month I finally decided that it was time to continue on with a series whose first book I had adored, and so I picked up the second book in the Raven Cycle, The Dream Thieves at last.  Not only did I know that I needed to read this one before I forgot what happened in the first one, but I also was in the mood for a contemporary that was a little more than just the romance's I had been reading lately, and so this seemed like a perfect choice.  

As this is the second book in the series, it follows on from where the second one left off and continued on from the plot of the Raven Boys, following Noah, Ronan, Adam, Gansey and Blue as they continue their search for Glendower.  Although I don't want to say too much about the plot, as this is the second book, I have to say that I absolutely adored everything about the storyline and the direction this one went in.  I loved how the focus shifted slightly and how we got to delve deeper into another aspect of the plot that was not a key part of the first book, but still played an important role in everything and was just as addictive and magical as the storyline of The Raven Boys.

One thing that I was most excited about before picking this one up was being able to return to characters that I had fallen completely in love with in the first book.  I loved how character driven that book was so I was extremely happy when this one was just as much focused on characters, as well as how this one explored different characters and gave us a deeper look at some of them, particularly Ronan.  I adored how from the offset it was clear that this book would have a large focus on him, and his story, and I loved learning more about him as a character and watching him grow and develop as the book went on.  He was definitely not my favourite in the first one, so for me personally it was also really nice to get to know him better and for him to grow on me alot more to the point where I am now a real fan of his character.



But as this book definitely had more of a focus on Ronan's character, I still absolutely adored watching all the others develop and grow throughout it as well.  I loved seeing more of Adam growth, and as always really enjoyed once again reading about him and Gansey both individually, and watching as the relationship between them change and evolve.  I also really enjoyed how some of the relationships between characters changed and developed, as well as the introduction of some new characters who just perfectly fit into this world and the story.

Speaking of new characters, one of my favourites from this book was the Grey Man, who, without trying to say too much, brought such a different aspect to this story, and gave something mysterious and new to it, even if I do wish we might have found out a little more about him by the end than we did.  I also loved how his presence, as well as just the direction this story took, meant we got to see more of the women of 300 fox way, as I just find them all so fascinating and unique, and so I was insanely happy that we got to explore their characters a little more as well as see them more individually and learn about them as single characters.



As much as adored everything about the first book, what was likely my favourite aspect of it had to the writing style, and that was no different this time around.  Not only is it so poetic and beautifully detailed, but it also perfectly fits the whimsical and magical atmosphere of this series.  It just seems to perfectly capture exactly what this book is and allows the story to be conveyed in such a compelling and fitting way that I honestly say I will never not adore the way these books are written.

Finally, what is a good story without a spectacular ending.  I loved how the conclusion to this one fitted so well with the themes throughout it as well as how it connected all of our main characters whilst still allowing each of them to be their own, separate part of it.  It was magical and dramatic and just all round a really good way to end this book whilst still leaving it really open so that the moment I finished this one I was desperate to just be able to pick up the next one and find out what happens! 



Overall, its safe to say I absolutely adored this one with all of my heart, from the amazing characters to the beautifully magical plot that just left me wanting so much more.  It's safe to say now that it won't be long before I pick up Blue Lily, Blue Lily and see where this fantastic story goes next! 


Favourite:
Character: Gansey
Scene: The ending - Fourth of July 
Quote: 'If you never saw the stars, candles were enough.'


Relate a:
Song: An Act of Kindness - Bastille
Other Book: The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon


Rating:
4.75/5


Have you read this one - what did you think?  Tell me in the comments below!




Sunday 5 March 2017

February Wrap Up

We've have finally reached the end of the second month of the year, and for once I am so happy that we are nearly into March as I am so desperate for winter to be over.  For me, this month also seemed to go alot slower than January, and whilst I am still surprised that we are already in March, I am quite ready for a new month of reading to start.  This month was actually almost a flip of my reading in January, as whilst I did manage to read more than I did last month, unfortunately I wasn't in love with absolutely everything I read this time.  Nonetheless, I am really happy with just how much more I have been reading this month, especially how much more regularly I have been picking up my book compared to the how little I have been in the last couple of months.  Anyway, here are all the four books I managed to read this book.  And so, enjoy!  







 After reading so much fantasy over the past few months, I decided that I needed a little break and so choose to pick up this contemporary that I have needed to read for so long now.   This book follows our main character of Min as she recites the course of her and Ed's relationship through a box full of items all relating to their time together and all with a story attached to them.  As I have owned this book for so long now, I was slightly worried that I wouldn't enjoy it as I wasn't as excited about picking it up as I would have been had I read it earlier.  However, luckily this one completely surprised me with how much I really loved it, with the story and writing drawing me in and gripping me straight away.  I adored how in depth and how personal the writing made this book feel, with it all seeming so realistic, something which made this book even more heartbreaking and emotive.  

Rating - 4.75/5







After reading Why We Broke Up, I was officially back into contemporary and knew there was no chance I was going to pick up anything else as my next read.  This was never a book that I actually imagined I would ever get round to reading, as it didn't sound like a book I would particularly enjoy or would ever be particularly interested in, but somehow I did end up picking it up earlier this month after I heard that is has been turned into a movie that is coming out later this year and after my sister told me that there is a huge plot twist in this book, which anyone who knows me knows is exactly what you say if you want me to read a certain book.  This book follows our main character of Madeline who has SCID and for 18 years has never even left her house when Olly and his family move in next door.  Whilst I didn't love every aspect of this book, I have to admit that I absolutely adored the cute romance that was a key focus of this story, as well as the shocking plot twist that I was not in a million years expecting.  

Rating - 3/5 






 As I said earlier, I have been really struggling with the grey, cloudy and just down right miserable weather right now, and so in my desperation for a little bit of sun I decided that if I couldn't physically get away for a bit, then I could at least try and escape to somewhere warm and sunny through a book.  This story focuses on two brothers who are tricked by their parents into going on holiday to Italy together in an attempt to strengthen their relationship.  My favourite thing about this book was definitely the characters of Elijah and Danny, because as the book focused so hugely on these two, we got to see so many different sides of them and see them both develop as people throughout this fairly short novel.  I also loved how flawed they both were, with there being points for both of them where I loved them and where I really disliked them.  I also adored the gorgeous setting of this, and loved how we got to see the pair travel the city throughout this book.  

Rating - 3.5/5 






Finally, I actually ended up reading this this one quite spontaneously, as I had heard some really good things about it from different people and so thought I might as well give it a go.  This book tells the story of Griffin as he both grieves for his best friend and ex-boyfriend Theo whilst also recounting the course of their relationship together.  I honestly can't tell you how glad I am that I decided to give this one a go, as I ended up absolutely adoring everything about it.  I loved how personal it felt with Griffin as the narrator, as well as the huge contrast between the events happening in his recounts of the past and the reality of the present.  One moment you were reading about the joy and excitement of first love and the next you were thrust back into the tragedy of Griffin having to figure out how to move on with his life without Theo.  It was just so beautifully written and such a beautiful story with characters that had flaws and weren't perfect but we're entirely realistic.  

Rating - 5/5 



What books did you read this month?  Which was your favourite out of the books you read?