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! Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: YA/LGBT/Romance Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from Riptide Publishing via NetGalley Being perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sixteen-year-old Declan is the perfect son . . . except for one tiny issue. When his sister Delia comes home to find him trying on her clothes, he fears her judgment, but she only fears his fashion choices. One quick makeover later, Declan is transformed into Delia’s mysterious cousin Layla and dragged to the party of the year, hosted by Carter, the most popular boy in school. When Carter meets Layla, he fumbles to charm her. He adores her sense of humor and her poise. But when she vanishes in the middle of the night, he’s left confused and determined to solve the mystery of who she is. As their school year begins, their high school embraces a policy of intolerance, and both Declan and Carter know they must stand up. Carter is tired of being a coward and wants to prove he can be a knight in shining armor. Declan is sick of being bullied and wants desperately to be himself. If they team up, it could be a fairy-tale ending, or a very unhappy ever after. I know? After reading that blurb how could I not read this?!?
Quick note: I'm still learning when it comes to all of the different types of sexuality, gender-fluidity being something I don't know a great deal about at the moment, and so I can't honestly say whether or not the author appropriately handles this, all I can offer is my own opinion. So, apologies in advance if I make any mistakes and please feel free to correct me. I can honestly say that I haven't been able to get this book off my mind since I finished reading it. This is one of the most poignant LGBT books I've had the pleasure of reading. If you're looking for a book that's ready to take the world by storm and show everyone just how diverse we are, and how that's perfectly okay, this is the book for you! I absolutely love Dex and Carter, Dex more so for his wit, his passion and his heart. He really is the purest of souls. Beyond the passionate protest for human rights that forms a solid backbone intertwined with a burning romance, this book is a cover to cover nerd fest, full of the most delightful witty conversation between the two main characters. My nerdy brain was so happy with the glorious geekiness of this book. My favourite aspect of this book was watching Dex transform, not into Layla as such, but into himself, watching his evolution from the nervous, shy, closeted Declan we meet at the beginning to the beautiful, confident, radiant Dex who evolves through the events of this book. His sass, confidence and unforgiving mouth as he blooms are brilliant and the chemistry between these two is perfect. Carter also goes through a pretty big personality transformation and it was wonderfully delivered. This book does a fantastic job of making you think, making you reassess the world around you, in very much the same way that Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli has made huge progress recently. I found myself thinking back to high school and how not a single person was openly gay or otherwise. We were all closeted, all afraid to make a wrong move. Constantly forced to be fake or fall victim to another. Cinderella Boy made me wonder how different life could have been if we'd had the courage to stand up for ourselves and for something that truly mattered. I loved every aspect of this book. The ending resolved things beautifully, it was perfectly sweet and poignant. I also have to mention the other fantastic characters we meet from Delia, Dex's sister, to Chloe, and Carter's mum. Even the antagonist's, whilst unpleasant are perfectly portrayed. If you're a fan of Becky Albertalli, Mackenzie Lee and Adam Silvera, Cinderella Boy should definitely be on your TBR! If you love lingering glances, passionate embraces and a friendship that will change everything, read this book! 4.5 tiara's from me! P.S. I also desperately want my own treehouse castle... Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Spellslinger #3 How I got this book: ARC from Bonnier Zaffre via NetGalley 'I was getting almost as good at running away from enemies as I was at making them in the first place. Turns out, I wasn't running nearly fast enough.' Kellen has begun to master his spellslinging and the Argosi tricks for staying alive, and he and Reichis have found a career that suits them both: taking down mercenary mages who make people's lives miserable. But Ferius is concerned that Kellen is courting disaster . . . Whilst I enjoyed the first two books in this series, Charmcaster was brilliant and, in my opinion, the best book in the series so far. I absolutely loved it. It completely tackled the slight issue that I had with the previous two books in that the pacing at the beginning of those felt a little slow. I did not have the same problem here, the pacing was fantastic throughout.
Charmcaster launches with a fantastic action scene that fully immersed me in the story from the moment I started reading. I loved the visuals at the start of this book. The whole 'storm' scene really blew me away (no pun intended). My number 1 bad-boy Reichis is back in all his furry glory in this book. I love him so much!! Reichis broke my heart in this book - I almost cried twice and one of those reasons was because of this feisty little devil and then I laughed out loud during a scene where he's practically high. "You have pretty eyes.' he said, staring up at her. 'What did he say?' she asked me. When I translated, she gave him a smile. 'Well now, aren't you the sweetest little-' 'I'd really like to eat them.' The squirrel cat's head swivelled towards me. 'Can I eat her eyes, Kellen? I'll give them back later, I promise." I adore Kellen and Reichis's relationship. It's so beautiful and gets stronger in each book. It may be weird that the relationship I love the most is between a boy and a squirrel cat, but I don't care! They're perfect together, and I need a stern word with the author as to why Reichis suffers so much in every single instalment! "You stink,' the squirrel cat said. 'You too,' I replied. That, in a nutshell, is our relationship." Kellen is also at his best in this book. We finally see how much he's learned from Ferius, Reichis and everything else he's had to face and overcome. He really steps up his game in this book and shows us just how much potential he has. I also love that we find out more about Ferius's past in this book. I desperately wanted this at the end of the last book and it was perfect how it came together during this leg of the journey. We see the return of a few characters from book 1, one in particular that I wasn't too pleased about, but we'll see where that goes. There's so much more emotion in this book than there is in the previous two instalments. The bond between Kellen and Ferius, and Kellen and Reichis is much more prominent in this book and it's beautiful to see, especially after travelling with the trio over these three books. Also, does anyone else ship Ferius and Kellen or is that just me? I have no idea what the age difference is but I love them together. "I stopped for a second, holding on to that laugh. It contained everything I loved about Ferius Parfax, and everything about her that made me crazy." How can you not ship this?? I also felt like this book had much more humour, which really helped lift the pace compared to the others. There's so much more in Charmcaster than we see in the other books, a lot more is explained, there are better characters, and some of the mysteries that have been building are finally revealed. There are some really great scenes in this book, both action scenes and more heart-felt scenes that really make Charmcaster stand out for me as the best book of the series so far. Kellen picks up a few new tricks in this book and after the ending that just messed me up, I'm really wondering where this story is going to take us next. Roll on book 4!! You can read my review for book number 2 in the series, Shadowblack here. Note: I read this book as part of the Dewey's Readathon - April 2018! Rating: 3 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy/LGBT Standalone/Series: Standalone (I think - see review for more info) How I got this book: Bought Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen. That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right. Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up. Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters. Please don't hate me!! I KNOW that this book is super highly rated and everyone seems to love it. Hell, that's the very reason I decided to pick it up.
"It's like gay Harry Potter." - SOLD to the chick with a seriously disturbing Harry/Malfoy obsession. That fandom is probably the basis for my entire 'enemies to lovers' trope craze. Upon first reading, I honestly wondered what all the fuss was about. It sort of read like a really obvious Harry Potter parody/fan fiction that was determined to poke fun at that series. After speaking to my good friend Lia the Book Bat, (don't forget to check out her awesome new book blog), I found out that this was probably intentional. Remember my note above about thinking that this was a standalone read? Well, now I'm not too sure. Lia kindly let me know that there's another book by Rainbow Rowell called Fangirl which basically centers around a girl who writes fanfiction for Simon Snow (who is the MC in Carry On). Now that I know this, I get it a bit more and it kinda makes sense. Although, can someone please tell Goodreads that this is the case because it seems to think the books aren't connected at all. Surely they should be listed as part of a series??? So, once I found that out, I tried to look at it with a new perspective and admit that I did enjoy it much more. Simon Snow is funny. He's the all-round typical Chosen One in that he's courageous, brave and loyal but on the flip side, he's sweet, charming and utterly clueless. He literally has no idea what he's doing romantically or otherwise. Baz is a bad-ass vampire and Simon's arch nemesis, but at the beginning of the book he's missing, something which drives Simon very much insane. I did enjoy the bond and the camaraderie between Baz and Simon, but what I wasn't too keen on is that it takes so long for Baz to make an appearance and that even when he does there isn't quite as much romance as I'd been led to believe. The story, being a fan-fiction/parody style story was fairly predictable and I felt the saving grace of the book was Simon and Baz's changing relationship, which should (in my opinion) have taken center stage. This I think became more apparent as the other characters in the book began to have POV chapters which I really wasn't a fan of. I didn't particularly like or connect with any of the other characters and just wish that the book had been solely from Baz and Simon's perspectives. It was Baz who kept me reading when things got a little 'slow' for me. Overall, I enjoyed the story, there were plenty of fun moments, and a few tender ones. I just personally felt that the romance was somewhat underplayed since that's what sold me on the book in the first place. As an after note, I will definitely be checking out Fangirl as soon as possible because I feel like there's a lot to offer from this author and I wonder if maybe I struggled to enjoy this book because I hadn't read that one. We shall see :) What did you think of Carry On? I'd love to know your thoughts! Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Legacy of Orisha How I got this book: Bought Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy. Children of Blood and Bone promised an epic YA, fantasy adventure filled with magic, revenge, and anger, and it did not disappoint.
But, be warned, you will need to prepare yourself for a monster cliffhanger at the end of this book that had me wanting to tear out my own hair! I absolutely loved the cultural insight that this book provides. The writing made me feel completely immersed in Orïsha, and in the lives of Zélie, Tzain, Amari and Inan. We're first introduced to Zélie, a strong-willed, short-tempered young woman who has suffered great loss at the hands of the King of Orïsha. We learn at the book's outset that she is strong, she is outspoken, she is fiery and passionate and that she is grieving for what has been ripped from her life. Her struggle with her brother Tzain is beautiful. Their constant battle to take care of each other and then dealing with the emotional fallout when something goes wrong is perfectly illustrated and only makes their bond stronger. I love them both equally, and especially love how Zélie continues to challenge the dynamic of their relationship, not allowing her bigger, stronger older brother to always be the protector. On the flip side, we have Princess Amari who upon our first meeting is demure, unwilling to speak out for herself, and always follows orders. She's almost the complete opposite of Zélie in every way, and her relationship with her brother Prince Inan (heir to the Orïsha throne) is nothing like that of Tzain and Zélie. All four characters change momentously during their journey. Through each experience, the characters develop, draw closer, push apart and learn who they truly are, and it's fantastic to see. The world-building in this book was stunning, from the small fishing village, to the temple, the campsite, the arena, the palace. Every scene captured me, immersing me in a new world and place until I didn't want to pull away. I felt that there were a lot of comparisons to The Hunger Games that could be drawn in this book, some similar themes and occurrences that I think work particularly well. On a side note, the creatures in this book are extremely cool - I wish they were real! The magic is brilliant, it's fantastic, unusual and intriguing, as are the battle scenes and I can't wait to find out more in book two. I also particularly loved the imagery in the dreamscape scenes, the way they worked was just beautiful. The romance in this book was a pleasant surprise, I like how naturally it seems to grow, although in one particular case there are two characters I really don't 'ship' and can really see someone else in that particular dynamic (but, we'll see). The cliffhanger ending really threw me. I actually didn't realise that this was the first book in a series whilst reading and so the ending was more than a little frustrating - I want answers, and I want them now! I feel like the author has perfectly captured this world of segregation, prejudice, hate and fear, and delivered it in such a way that not only do we get a fantastical adventure full of complex, stereotype-defiant, rich characters, we also get a very strong, poignant message that reflects the state of our society, of the real world and hopefully, with more books like this one, this message will resonate with our young adult readers, our future, who can work to make this real world that we live in much brighter for everyone. Side note: Mama Agba is a badass and I love her. Rating: 4.5 STARS & 5 STARS! Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Six of Crows Duology How I got this book: Bought
So, I finally got my head out of the sand and picked up these two books. Holy crap! Why did it take me so long to read these?!? I'm reviewing both books together because: 1 - I literally read them back to back with barely time to breathe between them. 2 - These two books belong together. So, let's start with Six of Crows! I finished this book a lot quicker than I expected to when I started. It's the first book I've read with quite so many POV's (there's 8 in total I think, although 2 are fleeting) and so at first, I found myself longing for more time to get to know each character. However, I think this flitting POV gives the book a fantastic pace, I was half-way through and wondering how I'd got there so quickly and after a short while, I'd really started to bond with the characters. I love them all, some more than others 💓INEJ💓JESPER💓!! I also love the pairings, the ships in this book are some of my favourite - EVER!! "I have beguiled you with my Grisha wiles!" 😂❤️" The characters are fantastic: Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina and Mathias. They each have fantastic personalities, wit, drive, passion and fears they need to overcome and work through. “They're all survivors. They adapt.” The world building here is amazing. The character building is even better. Six of Crows has intrigue, mystery, danger, friendship, misdirection and a whole hell of a lot of badass! This really was like a much better, more fantastical and cooler teen version of Ocean's 11 crossed with the Breakfast Club - some of the plot twists were great and I loved the character development and backstory behind each character. I'm slightly annoyed that EVERYTHING I've read lately ends on a cliffhanger...I need the next book, like yesterday! So, I immediately picked up Crooked Kingdom after finishing Six of Crows because my love for this gang was burning and I needed more.
This book has destroyed me. The ending was so damn bittersweet it hurts. Six of Crows was amazing, but Crooked Kingdom was everything, and in my opinion it made the first book so much better. I love these characters. I love their skills, talents, flaws, secrets and most of all their fiercely beating hearts. I have favourites (Inej and Jesper) but it's a close call as each character is fantastic in their own way. The world building continues to be brilliant and the way the author (and Kaz) keep you guessing until the very last minute is sheer perfection. There were some truly joyous moments in this book that built from the last and were all the better for the buildup. I love that you literally never know what to expect from the plot and the characters (particularly Kaz who is a phenomenal character). The ending literally made me cry with both sadness and joy, and whilst I won't spoil it for anyone, just make sure you have tissues close by, and plenty of waffles! The book ended in a place that made me think there should surely be more. A few things were left in a place that I'm just not happy to leave but then maybe that was the intention as I can now stress dream over what happens next!!! If you haven't read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom yet, just do it, you won't be disappointed. Leigh Bardugo is incredible and I NEED more! I guess it's only a matter of time now before I pick up the Shadow and Bone trilogy! "No mourners, no funerals." Rating: 5 STARS! Genre: YA Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from Hachette Children's Group via NetGalley I can feel it swimming through my veins like glitter ... it's liquid gold. When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom. She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility. From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady. As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all... It's a dirty business getting clean... I found this book whilst trawling through NetGalley and quickly read through the sample chapter. I loved it immediately! The protagonist is sharp, witty and ferocious when dealing with such a difficult subject matter and I was laughing almost immediately.
After reading just one chapter, I was completely invested in the main character and couldn't wait to read more. Thankfully, I was approved for a full ARC copy that I dug back into with relish. This book is bursting with teenage angst, grit and drama (think Gossip Girl) but it's so much more than that! It's diverse, deep, thought-provoking and above all else, realistic AF! Lexi is sarcastic, fiery, self-deprecating, badass and a complete mess. She’s 100% relatable despite her privilege and she won me over from the very beginning purely because she made me laugh. The British humour coursing through this book is fresh, unexpected and a perfect juxtaposition to the gritty, real, and varied themes and issues explored through Lexi each character she meets on her journey to recovery. This book won't be for everyone. It's harsh and real. It's a story about addiction in all its forms and the author doesn't shy away when things go wrong. What I love most about this book is how there's something for everyone inside. We all have flaws, triggers, damage, issues, and compulsions, and the author writes them in such a way that I couldn't help but draw comparisons to my own life. We're taken on a journey of self-destruction, self-realisation, hope and love with Lexi and the others, and upon finishing the book I felt like I learned something about myself and the rest of the world. “We aren’t broken. We’re just alive.” |
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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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