April Wrap Up

April Wrap Up

This month with regards to reading got off a little slow. From the 10th to the 17th I participated in a Read-a-thon and then my reading picked up after that. This month I have finished 15 books and 3 audiobooks.

Below is my wrap up list in order of completion, books then audiobooks:

The Masked Truth – Kelley Armstrong

This is a psychological thriller. It is actually a really good book. The narrative is centred in mainly one location so there is a lot of focus on the characters.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs

This is the book I chose for my Reading Challenge for April. I have a full review posted for this novel.

Necking – Chris Salvatore

I wanted a change and definitely got it in this light hearted vampire comedy/ romance.

Allegiant – Veronica Roth

With the movie coming out this month I had to re-read this novel before I watched the film.

A Darker Shade of Magic – V.E. Schwab

This author has been on my TBR pile for a while now. I’ve finally managed to pick this book up and was not disappointed.

Second Chance Summer – Morgan Matson

I read this as the Booksplosion Book of the Month for April. I am happy I have read this and will absolutely be picking up more books from this author.

Across the Universe – Beth Revis

This is my TBR Jar pick for April. It is a story about a girl brought out of cryogenics hundreds of years early on a spaceship in the middle of space. I enjoyed it, didn’t love it but will finish this series.

This Is Where It Ends – Marieke Nijkamp

A shocking novel from multiple points-of-view about a school shooting.

The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan

The other book club I participate in is the Purustopia Book. This was the April book. Surprisingly I have never read this series even though I love Greek Mythology. I have since purchased the next two books in this series with every intention of reading them soon.

The Shadow Queen – C.J. Redwine

Wow. Read my review. A wonderful fairytale retelling.

Firstlife – Gena Showalter

Gena is an excellent author and this new book to a brand new series is no exception. I need more.

This Is Where The World Ends – Amy Zhang

This is the April book from the YA Chronicles Subscription Box. It is the combination of a tragic love story and a psychological thriller. The prose and points-of-view are masterfully done.

Pretty Baby – Mary Kubica

My local bookstore -QBD- had this as their book of the month. I decided to give it a go. I finished it in under 24 hours. A psychological thriller which delves into the human condition.

Undead and Unappreciated – Mary Janice Davidson

I’m continuing this series and loving this author all the more.

X-Treme Dating – Cathy McDavid

A quick funny romantic read.

And now for the audiobooks:

Slave to Sensation – Nalini Singh

This series is a re-read or listen of this series. I love this series and listening gave it a whole new perspective.

Vision of Heat – Nalini Singh

Continuing this wonderful series.

Carassed by Ice – Nalini Singh

Listening to this series is just all the more excellent. 😍

April Reading Challenge

April Reading Challenge

This month the reading challenge was to read a book that is being adapted into a movie or TV Series in 2016.

To complete this challenge I chose the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – By Ransom Riggs. This is being adapted into a movie and will be out later this year. Also, the movie is directed by Tim Burton.

Publisher: Quirk

Date Published: 7th June 2011

Pages: 352

Blurb:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen year old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for a good reason. And somehow – impossible though it seems – they may still be alive.

Review:

I saw the trailer to this movie as soon as it had been released and was immediately enthralled. I always prefer to read the book before seeing movie or TV adaptation and saw this as the perfect opportunity.

I was enraptured with the way Ransom Riggs tied the old style photographs into the story, giving the story a whole new style. These pictures are eerily beautiful and full of intrigue.

At times I felt the plot was lagging a bit and just wanted to get back to the House. I understand the need for the times away from the Peculiar children but I still wanted to spend more time with these children.

Talking about the children, I have heard some criticism about the “Peculiarities” these children possess. There is criticism that these abilities are not desirable and therefore there would be limited interest for these children.

I found it was the opposite for me. I thought that the lack of desirability for some of these gifts led to a conflict under the main storyline that these are part of the individuals that they have to manage and live with every day.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this novel and have picked up Hollow City (the second book in the series) and will certainly be continuing this series. I am giving this book a rating of 4/5.

Also, if you haven’t yet seen the trailer to the movie here is a link:

http://www.variety.com/2016/film/news/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children-trailer-tim-burton-1201730867/

The Shadow Queen By C.J. Redwine

The Shadow Queen – By C.J. Redwine

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Date Published: 16th February 2016

Pages: 387

Blurb:

Lorelai Diedrich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common – magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire have ever seen.

In the neighbouring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding Ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic – and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the Queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman… And bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected – beautiful, fierce, & unstoppable – and despite the dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled King. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman – who she likes far more than she should – Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

Review:

Wow, what an epic read. This was so much more than I went in expecting. I love fairytale retellings, and this took the tale of Snow White to a new epic level.

Let’s first discuss the characters:

Lorelai – she is the kickass heroine. The character is well rounded through the use of her family as motivation. The component of magic gives Lorelai a weapon to use and a skill to master.

Kol – HE IS A DRAGON!!!!!!! Epicness, do I even need to say more?

Irina – A villain with a mushy gushy centre. Irina has a love interest and weaknesses which makes her character all the more realistic and relatable.

There are other supporting characters such as Leo who were so loveable and drew the reader in. Such a well-rounded set of characters.

The world building had me enthralled from the first page. The cross-country trip to seek revenge and retribution on Queen Irina left our protagonists in some wonderfully hot water.

Loved this unique retelling of a classic tale. I am so glad I gave this story a go. I’m giving this book a 4/5 rating.

April YA Chronicles Unboxing

April YA Chronicles Unboxing 

I have received my April YA Chronicles Subscription Box.

The theme this month was “Journal Junkies”. In this box I received my monthly description card and bookmark, book washi tape, a notebook/ to-do list, currently reading stickers, the Penguin 2016 Superproof, & the monthly book.

The book this month was “This is where the world ends” – By Amy Zhang.

I just oust noticed in this box that the book has been embossed on the title page.

I am absolutely in love with this Subscription Box.

Genre-a-thon Read-a-thon

Genre-a-thon Read-a-thon

From the 10th to 17th of April I participated in my first read-a-thon.

The Genre-a-thon was a read-a-thon where participants were asked to read a minimum of three books. All books read must have been from different genres.

For this read-a-thon I read a total of three books from three genres.

The first book I read was Allegiant by Veronica Roth. This was a dystopian novel.

The next novel was a fantasy one. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab.

The last novel I finished on the 17th. It was a contemporary called Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson.

So, that was it for my first read-a-thon. It was interesting and I just may see what other read-a-thon’s there are later in the year.

A Darker Shade of Magic- V.E Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic – V.E Schwab

Publisher: Tor Books

Date Published: February 24th 2015

Pages: 400

Blurb:

Kell is one of the last Antari, a rare magician who can travel between parallel worlds: hopping from Grey London – dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George – to Red London – where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire – to White London – ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne, where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back – and back, but never Black London, because travelling to Black London is forbidden and no one speaks of it now.

Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see, and it is this dangerous hobby that sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to take her with him to take her with him for her proper adventure.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save both his London and the others, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive – a feat trickier than they hoped.

Review:

I went into this book with such high expectations. While I feel a little let down in some areas there are other areas where I was on the edge of my seat.

I found the character of Delilah to be an absolute delight. I loved her snappy sarcastic way. She was a great contract to the overrun magic wielding Kell.

The concept of four parallel worlds which can only be travelled to by a select few endangered people was unique and thought provoking. The way it was carried out was confusing at times for me but after I got into the rhythm of the book it got much easier. I was  enveloped in the world.

I want more of Delilah and will absolutely be picking up the sequel. I am rating this book a 4/5. A complicated concept with fabulous Characters.

April TBR

April TBR

Last month I had 5 books on my TBR. I completed all these books plus some. This month I am going to stick to the 5 books again.

The Shadow Queen – By CJ Redwine

This is a retelling of the Snow White story that came out earlier this year.

This Is Where It Ends – By Marieke Nijamp

This book sounds so interesting. It is a multiple point-of-view story about a school shooting.

Across The Universe – By

 This is my TBR Jar pick for April. A low class girl has to work her way across the universe on a spaceship.

A Darker Shade of Magic – By V.E. Schwab

I’m hearing nothing but good things about this author and this series. Can’t wait to crack the cover.

First life – By Gena Showalter

The premise to this book sounds amazing. Even if it s book cover is to die for… Beautiful.

So these are the book I am going to consciously make an effort to read in April 2016.

March Wrap Up

March Wrap Up

If I thought that February was a big month for reading for me than March was giant. In the month of March I read a total of 16 books and completed an audiobook. Below I will fill you in on what I read or listened to and my brief overview of my thoughts.

This is in reading order.

Throne of Glass – By Sarah J. Mass

A pleasure to read and explore this wonderful world. I have a review published if you want to hear my thoughts on the first book in what is going to be a breathtaking series.

These Broken Stars – By Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

A book that is so out of this world you cannot help but be dragged along.

Between the Lines – By Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

The book I read for my March Reading Challenge. Such an amazing concept. It is any readers dream to have the male protagonist of their favourite book actually talk to them!

Shiver – By Maggie Steifvater

The TBR Jar pick of March. This wouldn’t be my favourite book but I liked the werewolf mythology and the relationship between the two protagonists.

Insurgent – By Veronica Roth

I’m re-reading the Divergent series and loving every minute of it .

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – By Jenny Han

 Jenny Han writes contemporary YA literature so well. I loved reading every page.

Lady Midnight – By Cassandra Clare

As always… Outstanding… Loving the Shadowhunter World.

Passenger – By Alexandra Bracken

This book paints a picture of time travel so well. Such an in depth look at the the complexities of time travel.

The D.U.F.F – By Kody Keplinger

A beautiful heartwarming book about self-acceptance.

Vengeance Road – By Erin Bowman

I can honestly say I have never seen a YA Western before. This one was amazing to read.

The Wicked Will Rise – By Danielle Paige

The sequel in the Dorothy Must Die series. I am loving this new and intriguing Oz.

Lola and the Boy Next Door – By Stephanie Perkins

I’m enjoying Ms Perkins books so much. 😍😍😍

The Sidekicks- By Will Kostakis

This was my book from the YA Chronicles Subscription Box. I enjoyed the look at the response of three different boys when their friend did, but I can’t say I absolutely loved the book. It’s not something I normally read. But, it was a really good book in its own right.

Undead & Unemployed – By Mary Janice Davidson

I’m a late comer to Mary Janice Davidson. This is definitely an Adult fiction book, but with such tongue in cheek humour, what’s not to love.

Fantasy Lover – By Sherrilyn Kenyon

This is a re-read for me. I simply have a love affair with Sherrilyn Kenyons books. The Modern Day Greek Mythology in this series is amazing.

Slammed – By Colleen Hoover

Please read my review on this book. I flew through this book in one day, outstanding. I loved it.

And… The audiobook…

The Liar – By Nora Roberts

I am amazed by the mix of crime and romance that works so well in Nora Roberts books.

What a diverse range of books this month… From fantasy to contemporary, from western to time travel… What better way is there to escape from reality?