I hope everyone's having a great Friday! Today, I received the first of the three box boxes I ordered for this month. It's the May 'Stargazers' box from Book Box Club! Here's the info Book Box Club provided when ordering this months' box: Prepare for a box about the power of the night sky and destinies mapped out by the constellations. Our featured read for May is a sweeping fantasy story about a doomed royal family, whose fates are already sealed by the sky... unless they can change what is written in the stars. Steeped in ancient magic, with strong female characters and a diverse cast, we think you'll love this age-old epic re-imagined.🌟🎆✨👑 The book will be a gorgeous hardback, which might just be our chunkiest read yet. It will arrive with a signed book-plate from the author and with that all-important invitation to our Clubhouse book group, where you'll get to chat to the author and to our other lovely members. 😀 If you consider yourself a bit of a Daenerys Targaryen, or are a fan of ACOTAR or Three Dark Crowns this is the box for you.🎆⭐️👑✨ Alongside our featured read, Book Box Club members will receive a galaxy of goodies inspired by the night sky and some of our favourite stargazing characters. We can't wait to share what we've been planning with you all! Let's dive in shall we? First impressions: As always, the box arrived pretty quickly via Royal Mail. It also felt SUPER heavy so I was excited to find out what's inside! OMG!! I've been desperately wanting to read this book! It sounds amazing. You can find the synopsis on Goodreads by clicking the photo above. How pretty is this hardback and it's seriously big too (568 pages)! Hence why the box was so heavy! I love how pretty it is, and whilst the book itself isn't signed (boo!), it does come with a signed bookplate. How do you feel about bookplates? Love/hate? To fit with the 'Stargazers' theme there are some funky starry items including these really cool Constellation Socks by Joe Cool - they look really thick and cosy, great for nights sitting outside reading by candlelight (Note to self: buy some outdoor candles!) and this A Court of Thorns and Roses inspired pouch by Catarina Book Designs which I'm sure I'll find a bookish related use for. I'm sure it'd make a great makeup bag if you're into that sort of thing... Besides the book, these are my two favourite items from this box. The little Felis Constellation Pin from Tumble and Rose is seriously cute but it's the Professor Trelawney Magnetic Bookmark by Magic Bookmarks that I love the most. This is my first Magic Bookmark and now I want more! Last, but not least, there are a few bookish extras from Bloomsbury and Penguin - I love the Smoke Thieves bookmark - and there's a special item in the form of a Shakespeare inspired mirror created by Book Box Club. There are some pretty cool items in this box and I cannot wait to dig into the book! Which item do you like the look of best? I have a feeling it's going to be hard to narrow down my monthly book boxes to just one at the end of this month! Check out the slideshow below for more unboxing photos and feel free to let me know what you think in the comments! Hey 😊 I hope everyone's having a fantastic Friday! Welcome back for another Friday 56! The Friday 56 is a weekly blog meme hosted by Freda’s Voice. There are only 4 rules:
Today's book is The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich. I just started to read this two days ago and I admit, the concept has me fascinated. Check out the synopsis for this LGBT YA below: There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets. Caden is a Nice: the boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: the brooding, dark-souled guy who is dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose the Nice or the Bad? Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be—whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die. What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both. Here's my quote from page 56: "Don't play Nice with me, Caden. I've been inside your head and I know you're not the boy you pretend to be." What do you think? Are you intrigued?
Let me know what you think in the comments and don't forget to share your own Friday 56 link 😄 Rating: 3.5/4 STARS Genre: Fantasy/YA/Romance Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: FairyLoot April 'Whimsical Journeys' The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, Princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores. The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn, but the entire world. Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle the two might have a chance to save their world. With evil rising around them, they’ll do what it takes to defend the land they love…even if it means making the greatest sacrifice of all. I received this book as part of the April ‘Whimsical Journey’s box from FairyLoot, it’s quite a chunky book compared to a lot of the YA I’ve read recently, and I’m a big lover of mythology, so I was really excited to dive in and lose myself in the world that Jessica Leake has created.
First impressions were great, the book itself has a gorgeous cover. The first chapter was immersive. It was mysterious and tense and made me want answers to a lot of questions, which drove my need to keep reading. I love the medieval period and the Irish landscape is stunning to imagine. The first chapter presents us with Ciara, Princess of Mide, who isn’t an ordinary princess at all. She’s a battle-honed warrior, currently overseeing her father’s keep and tasked with protecting her people from Northman raiders. Ciara at first seems strong, determined and gifted, although how isn’t immediately clear, except that people seem to fear or shun her. She loves her sisters more than anything, hates the Northmen with a passion and we learn of the great loss that fuels her hatred. Even this early in the book there’s a very epic, almost Game of Thrones like feel and that only increases through the symbolism used and the very graphic, bloody battle sequences. “I'd been in many people's heads, seen their darkest thoughts, been in battles that were gruesome and violent, but nothing was as soul-crushingly terrible as the Morrigan's vision.” As you can gather from the synopsis, Ciara is forced to ally with her enemy, a young Northman warrior, Leif. I love the circumstances behind their meeting, which successfully flips the usual gender roles. Leif is almost the typical YA hero with his smouldering good looks, impossibly perfect hair, and his skill in battle. Yet he is also on a path of revenge, fuelled by his own hatred and suffering, and he hides a few secrets of his own. I really enjoyed the mythical creatures portrayed in this book and there are quite a few to discover from mythical horse creatures to gods, sea creatures and ancient queens, and so many more in between. So much happens in this book that, even though it is quite large at 421 pages, I was never once bored. I never once drifted away or lost interest in the story finding myself wrapped up in the journey and all that they must face and overcome. As well as the mythology, there’s a lot of pretty cool magic in Beyond A Darkened Shore. I loved the symbolism and imagery behind the magic, particularly in a very striking ‘resurrection scene’. There are three main reasons that I’m rating this book 3.5-4 instead of 5 stars (I kept going back and forth between 3.5 and 4...), and they’re just things that I personally had a problem with. (I still hugely encourage you to read the book and form your own opinions. If you already have, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!) First is the relationship between Ciara and Leif, which at times felt a little ‘forced’ and lacking in chemistry. The relationship just jumped a little too quickly for me, and in places, I felt that it overshadowed Ciara’s better qualities. I guess I was just more invested in the mythology and adventure. Secondly was that Ciara doesn’t seem to learn what I feel is the most important message in this book; that no one benefits from war. There will always be innocent people who suffer, and I felt that after everything the characters had suffered by the end of their journey, that this almost obvious message would have been received a little harder. Last of all, I found that whilst both characters had motives for revenge there was some hypocrisy behind how each was handled, and whilst I don’t want to give anything away by going into too much detail, I personally just felt that this was quite contradicting and could have been explored a bit better. Overall though, I did thoroughly enjoy this story. I enjoyed the characters, I absolutely loved the Norse and Celtic mythology, the creatures, the magic and the gorgeous Ireland landscape, and I’d highly recommend this book to other lovers of epic fantasy who want to be swept away on a quest of gigantic proportions. Beyond a Darkened Shore is officially released in the UK tomorrow (17th May 2018), just click the photo above to add it to your Goodreads TBR. Rating: 5 STARS! Genre: Fantasy/Romance/LGBT/Comedy Standalone/Series: Tales from Verania #1 How I got this book: Bought Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident. Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam's pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the King's Wizard, Morgan of Shadows. When Sam is fourteen, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds. At fifteen, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle. Sir Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed. Naturally, it all goes to hell through the years when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can't control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the King sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan's boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have. Or so he thinks. Disclosure: Due to the explicit nature of this book, this review includes some mature content and is intended for readers aged 18+. You have been warned.
I’m gonna be honest, it was the prospect of the ‘gay, hornless unicorn’ that really made me click ‘buy’ when I read the synopsis, and Gary does not disappoint. He’s overflowing with glitter, sass and a serious case of potty mouth, and he’s fantastic! I want to start by saying how disappointed in myself I am that I’d never heard of T.J. Klune, or read any of his books until stumbling across this one on BookBub, and so on that note, I want to thank BookBub (check them out for discounted and free ebooks!) for making me aware of one of the most outrageously funny books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I really don’t know where to start with this book, I finished it last night (read: early hours this morning) and I can’t get over how AMAZING it was. I don’t even have the right words to sum up how amazing this book is, I’m still so overwhelmed by it all, so I hope this review makes some sense. From the moment I started reading, I fell in love with Sam, his friends and his world, and I was never once bored along the way. I was fully immersed in the world of Verania and its colourful characters from the very first page. Sam is an incredible narrator, he’s sweet, caring, loyal to a fault, sincere, good, helplessly naïve and hysterically funny. Oh, he also does some pretty cool magic! Even amongst all the sass, I found myself tearing up in certain parts for my beautiful, sweet Sam. I love that this book isn’t a regular historical romance. It’s an epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, wizards (both good and bad), castles, knights, giants and dragons. It has literally everything you could want from an epic fantasy whilst also featuring a slow-burn, sizzling, pining M/M romance and more LGBT characters than I’ve ever seen in a single book. There’s even a fairy drag mother, yeah, you heard me! “Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Verania, there was a kickass boy born in the slums of the City of Lockes. His parents were hardworking, and at times, life could be difficult, but they were alive and had all their teeth. Which was important.” Even more so, beneath all of that, this is a story with emotional depth spanning friendships, family bonds and true love. Reading ‘The Lightning Struck Heart’ was no easy feat since I was reading mostly at night and having to smother my laughter at the sheer amount of sass and bitching from all the characters. “’Horse?’ Gary snarled. The pretty unicorn act dropped immediately. Red sparks shot from his nose. ‘Did you just call me a horse? Listen here, you two-legged bag of shit. I’m not a motherfucking horse. I am a unicorn, and I am magic and a beautiful creature made of fucking sunshine and rainbows and good feelings.’” **** “’Nicole,’ Tina hissed. ‘Keep your comments to yourself! Be a respectable fucking lady, for fuck’s sake!’” **** “’Don’t marry Dimitri,’ he said. ‘You’re not meant to be a fairy queen. Not in the literal sense, anyway.’” Somebody, stop me! Sam of Wilds is such a fantastic protagonist. His inner monologue is perfect and from the very beginning, all I wanted was for him to succeed, to get what he wants, especially since he always puts everyone else first. He wears his heart on his sleeve and hides behind his words and I have everything crossed that he’s just as amazing in book two! So, if you’re looking to be swept away on a magical, epic adventure with a love struck, oblivious wizard in training, a dashingly stupid night, a vengeful prince, a kind-hearted King, a loving family, a sassy, fabulous unicorn with a penchant for bondage, a half-giant trying to learn sarcasm, an overly sexual dragon-god, a bemused wizard, dick noses, almost gay fairy marriage, boys with ‘ears’, dark wizards, monologuing, fairy drag mothers, a corn cult, and cheesy dicks and candlesticks, then this is the book for you! Phew! Recommended for anyone with a love for the ridiculous and preferably a room you can read in that's far away from people so that you won't startle anyone with your hysterical outbursts. P.S: HaveHeart forever! Rating: 5 STARS! Genre: Fantasy/YA/Romance Standalone/Series: Caraval #1 How I got this book: Bought Remember, it’s only a game… Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever. Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away. Whilst I am normally a one book at a time kind of girl, this past week I found myself reading four books; the most I’ve ever attempted at once. My sister (hi Sophie!) was horrified by the idea of reading more than one book at a time, but since all four are so different and unique, I was really pleased that I didn’t get the storylines confused. One of the books that I read this week was Caraval by Stephanie Garber. It’s the second time that I’ve read this book, I desperately wanted to refresh my memory before Legendary arrives later this month, so I teamed up with my pal Craig on Goodreads for a buddy read. I previously rated this book 5 stars and unlike some of the other re-read reviews of this book, my star rating is staying the same. Caraval is an incredible work of fantasy, magic, mystery, and mind-bending deception that blew me away on this re-read maybe more than it did the first time. Before starting my re-read I remembered falling in love with the storytelling and imagery that Stephanie Garber executes perfectly through her use of colour when illuminating Scarlett’s feelings and to reveal certain aspects of the game. I was also really intrigued by the tunnels and their very unique magic. I’d already read, and loved, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern a few years back and I felt the same glorious wonder and awe whilst exploring the world of Caraval. The characters in Caraval are fantastic. Scarlett is brilliant. She’s compelling, fierce, protective, and driven, but at the same time she’s terribly confused, hurt and we see so much from her; so many colours of emotions from fear, horror and grief to wonder, hope and love. I love her utter devotion to her sister, and that they are both willing to do whatever it takes to protect the other. My sympathy for Scarlett just continued to grow as I travelled through this book due to the cruelty and torment that she is subjected to throughout the entirety of her story. I won’t say anything about any of the other characters (although I really, really want to), for fear of giving anything away, so I’ll just leave you with this little snippet from two of the central characters. “Don’t look at me like that,” Scarlett said. “It doesn’t work on me.” “That’s why it’s so fun.” Every step through this book feels like a magical adventure, right from the first page. Entering Caraval is truly a wondrous experience. Whilst this book does contain a fair amount of 'romance', although it's not as simple as it sounds, I love how dark and twisted the story gets and how that creates a much deeper story and connection with the characters. What I loved the most about reading Caraval again was that, even though it was a re-read, it was so fresh and mysterious, it honestly felt as though I was reading it again for the first time, and unravelling an entirely new mystery, (and isn’t that every book lovers’ desire? To read a book for the second time and have it feel like it’s the first time…) it made me love it even more. On a side note, the ‘dress shopping’ scene in this book really fortifies my deeply rooted loathing for clothes shopping. You’ll understand what I mean when/if you’ve read it. The chapters in this book flew by so quickly, I found myself at the end wondering if I’d gotten so lost in the story that time itself really had been affected by the magic of Caraval. Overall, this book is one of my absolute favourites and I would highly recommend it to everyone. I am now even more excited for Legendary!! I have so many questions that need to be answered!! Prepare yourself for unsolvable mystery, repugnant villains, sisters willing to risk it all for a new life and a world filled with characters who are never what they seem. “Remember, it’s only a game.” Trigger warning: this book does contain forms of physical and mental abuse/torment. Can I also just highlight how gorgeous the shiny gold foiling is both on the dust jacket and the hidden rose image beneath?!?
You can't see in the photo but the dust jacket is double toned, with a white back and split toned spine, making it even more stunning to look at! Hi *pops head out from behind this book for 2 seconds*, thanks for coming back for this week's Friday 56! I'm really loving the community of bloggers who take part in this weekly meme - everyone's so lovely! 😊 The Friday 56 is a weekly blog meme hosted by Freda’s Voice. There are only 4 rules:
I had to choose Beyond a Darkened Shore for today's post because I'm having so much fun reading it right now. I'm currently only on page 38, so I have my fingers crossed that page 56 doesn't give too much away for me! 🙈 (Side note: I hate spoilers and will try my hardest never to post anything that could ruin a book for someone!) Even though I'm only 3 chapters in, it feels as though this book is building towards something pretty epic. I received Beyond a Darkened Shore in my April FairyLoot box. You can check out the un-boxing for April's theme - Whimsical Journeys - here. You can check out the synopsis for this book below: The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, Princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores. The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn, but the entire world. Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle the two might have a chance to save their world. With evil rising around them, they’ll do what it takes to defend the land they love…even if it means making the greatest sacrifice of all. 😱😱😱 OMG, it sounds so good! Here's the quote I've chosen from page 56: I'd been in many people's heads, seen their darkest thoughts, been in battles that were gruesome and violent, but nothing was as soul-crushingly terrible as the Morrigan's vision. What do you think? Would you/have you read this?
Don't forget to link to your post in the comments, and thanks for stopping by! 😄 Thanks for joining me on my stop of the UK blog tour for The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross. This is my first ever blog tour and I'm so glad that it's to celebrate the release of this amazing book! Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to participate. 😊 I read this book back in December and fell utterly in love with the story. The Beast is phenomenal. The new insight and unique viewpoint blew me away and made this book one of my favourite retellings of all time! If you haven't already, you can check out my review of The Beast's Heart and scroll down for your chance to win a gorgeous hardback copy of this book. Seriously, look at how pretty it is with all that gold foiling! 😍😍 The lovely folks at Hodder & Stoughton are kindly providing a free book to one lucky winner, so here's your chance to enter (UK only): - Comment below with your favourite fairytale - don't forget to include a valid email address! One lucky winner will be chosen at random. Entries open until midnight tonight (08/05/2018) and a winner will be announced tomorrow! Good luck! Don't forget to check in with the rest of the blog tour:
I've been having so much fun with the weekly Friday 56 meme, I decided, after seeing it over on the Read It & Weep Girls and Bookish Quest blogs, to give the #TopTenTuesday meme a try. The #TopTenTuesday meme is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl and this week's theme is 'books with my favourite colour on the cover'. Okay, so my favourite colour is red, so here goes (just hover over each image for more - each one also links to Goodreads - you're welcome 😉). Phew! That's it, I'm done and off to read Beyond a Darkened Shore - I've only read one chapter so far but it feels like it's gonna be epic!!
If you love nothing more than to fawn over pretty covers, feel free to come and check out my #bookstagram feed! Until next time folks 😊 Rating: 4 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Ash Princess Trilogy #1 How I got this book: ARC from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner. For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside. Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield. For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here. I've been hearing soooo many things about this book that I had to check it out for myself as soon as I saw it come available on NetGalley.
Whilst the storyline does seem a little familiar, an avenging princess is a fairly common theme in YA, the author executes this narrative extremely well through the complex characters. The interweaving cast of characters are each driven by their own motives but tied to the past actions of their predecessors and those influencing them, making it so that even at the end of this book, I still wasn't quite sure who's side I was on or who to root for. Theo is a fantastically compelling character, she has all the qualities of a badass heroine; she's strong, loyal, fierce, driven and tortured. The pain that she deals with each day from her memories, her subjugation, and her own inner conflict is staggering. Watching her evolve from the character we meet at the beginning of the book to who's revealed at the end is quite an adventure. The opening of the book is brilliant! The first chapter was so compelling that I became instantly invested in Theo, wanting revenge for her on all who'd destroyed the very fabric of her world. And the second chapter even further cemented all that she's lost and who she's been forced to become. "You know who you are," she said to me. Her voice didn't waver, even as drops of blood bloomed where the blade cut her skin. "You are our people's only hope, Theodosia." 😭😭😭 I do love Theo's strength, especially as time progresses, I love that she's not afraid to recognise that she will never be who she once was, who she was supposed to have become, that she's been moulded and forced into a different version of herself, one that even she doesn't yet understand. I'm truly looking forward to discovering what she's capable of as the series progresses. "My body remembers - even when the rest of me forgets - that I am not made for curtsying." There is a love triangle aspect to this book which I really, really wasn't a fan of. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles anyway since someone almost always gets hurt (you know, unless the author decides to resolve it in a seriously creepy way *cough*Twilight*cough*). I actually really love the symbolism of the ash crown, as horrible as it is, I can picture it clearly in my mind, and love the imagery. The other characters in the novel are also really well done: - Soren - I have so many mixed feelings about this character!!! He's pretty useless to be perfectly honest. But, I think Theo is confused by him too so I guess that's kind of the point. - Cress - I hate her for the most part, but there's a spark of something yet to come. - Heron - Needs a much bigger role (because he's awesome and to help boost the very minimal LGBT rep)! - Art - I love her no-nonsense attitude, it will be interesting to see who she becomes in the next book. - Blaise - I don't know whether or not I actually like Blaise, but it looks like he's in for a rocky road ahead. There is a lot of plotting and deception in this book which leads to some great, 'heart in mouth' moments where you're really unsure what's going to happen next. However, I did struggle with trying to decide whether some of the actions of certain characters, were acceptable or not. I think this builds upon my uncertainty of who to root for, but there's a line in the book about not having to apologise for what we do to survive...it feels a little sketchy for me and an easy path to becoming just as bad as the oppressor you're fighting against. So, I'm interested to see what comes of that. In whole, this book is a very powerful portrayal of privilege, power and abuse. Probably the most poignant line being, "I suppose it is easy to be at home in a world where you are on top. It's easy not to notice those whose backs you stand on to stay there." Overall, I'm really looking forward to continuing Theo's journey in the next book of the series and would highly recommend Ash Princess to lovers of strong heroines, subterfuge, revenge, love-struck princes, female pirates and maniacal villains. My only (very minor) complaint was that there just wasn't enough magic in this book - I'm really excited to see how it works and hope this is illustrated in the next book. I think fans of Throne of Glass and Children of Blood and Bone, in particular, would enjoy Ash Princess. I had so much fun doing last week's Friday 56 that I decided to take part again! The Friday 56 is a weekly blog meme hosted by Freda’s Voice. There are only 4 rules:
I'm using this book for my Bookstagram challenges today, which you can check out by following My Endless Shelf on Instagram. I absolutely fell in love with this book last year. Chani is one of my favourite authors. I adore her paranormal YA 'Underworld' series and her paranormal romance novel 'Bad Things Play Here'. Amid Stars and Darkness (Book 1 of the Xenith Trilogy) was the first sci-fi book I ever read and it's fantastic. The characters are vivid and complex, the plot is fantastic and the world-building is stunning. You can check out the synopsis below: Delaney’s entire world is thrown into chaos after she is mistaken for Lissa Olena, an alien princess hiding out on Earth in order to escape an arranged marriage. Kidnapped by the princess’s head bodyguard, Ruckus, and imprisoned in an alien palace, Delaney is forced to impersonate the princess until Olena can be found. If she fails, it will lead to an alien war and the eventual enslavement of the entire human race. No pressure or anything. Factor in Trystan, the princess’s terrifying betrothed who is intent on unraveling all her secrets, and her own growing feelings for Ruckus, and Delaney is in way over her head. Anyway, so here's the quote I chose from page 56 of Amid Stars and Darkness: "I know this must be daunting, and that it can't be easy letting your guard down in a strange place but"- he held her gaze as if hoping she'd see the truth of it in his eyes- "you are safe here, Delaney. I won't let anything happen to you." This quote gives you a glimpse of what Delaney has already gone through, the troubles she's about to face, and the fact that even though we're only 56 pages in, something bad has already happened to her.
I won't tell you who she's talking to as I really encourage you to discover this book and these characters for yourself. Book 2 - Between Frost and Fury is due to be released in July, and I can't wait! |
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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