5 Reasons Why You Should Absolutely Bookstagram!

Hi all!

I started off on bookstagram before I created my blog, and it has a special place in my heart. If you didn't know what bookstagram is, it's the book community on instagram that all post under the hashtag #bookstagram, and I thought I would try and convince you why you should definitely start a bookstagram account!

1. The community is one of the nicest you'll find on the internet (in my experiences anyway). Everyone is supportive and nice, and there are people who have made lifelong friendships through bookstagram! And if you ever lack inspiration, there are amazing photo challenges you can take a part in that bookstagrammers create every month! (Because they're incredibly creative and nice like that).

2. You can discover new hobbies! There are so many talented people on bookstagram that make me want to try drawing, calligraphy, and so many other new things.

3. You can connect with authors and publishers. I can't tell you how rewarding it is when an author likes or comments on your photos. The other day I posted a photo saying how much I liked Radio Girls, and the author saw it and commented, and I was really happy; not only are my photos gaining recognition, but the author has received a compliment too!

4. You can discover your new favourite book! I have lost count of the amount of times I've read a book because I've seen it on bookstagram, and while there are a few that were flops most of them have been great. Some popular series on bookstagram include the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer (my review for Cinder, the first book in the series, can be found here) and the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas (my review for the fourth book, Queen of Shadows, can be found here!).

5. You get to talk about books! No one minds if you ramble about your favourite series, no one minds if you squeal about a plot twist, and no one minds if you yell at them to beg them to read your favourite book EVER (and no one minds that actually you have ninety favourite books because they're in the same boat!). My friends read, but not as much as me, so bookstagram has given me an outlet to discuss my love of books with people who understand.

My bookstagram account is @Bowlerhatgirl1 if you want to follow me (shameless self-promotion there!).

Have I convinced you to join bookstagram? Or if you already have a bookstagram account, what's you're favourite thing about it?
Thanks for reading (:

Queen of Shadows - Review!

Hi all!

I finished Queen of Shadows a few days ago, and it was EPIC. I know now why everyone loves this series! I've heard that this is the book that divides people; you either love it or you hate it. Personally this and Crown of Midnight (the first half anyway) are my favourites in the series, and I would say that if you weren't too keen on Heir of Fire you might like Queen of Shadows more. I don't know what it was with this book. I don't know why I loved this book so much more than the others - but I did. My review will have minor spoilers in it but I don't reveal any major plot points or characters.
So in case you didn't know, Queen of Shadows is the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, which means I can't really say anything about the plot without spoilers, except that Aelin kicks ass as usual and the plot is pretty explosive!

The characters: I will admit that the Rowan in this book felt completely different to the Rowan in
Heir of Fire, but his character changed for the better so I actually finally liked him! The same goes to Aelin - I FINALLY LIKE HER GUYS. (It's only taken me four books but shhh). Manon continues to be a badass witch, and I loved how we got to see more of Asterin, Sorrel and the Thirteen. The new characters like Nesryn and Elide were really great too, and Dorian broke my heart in Queen of Shadows!

And then there's Chaol. For those of you who don't know, he is basically my favourite character in this series. As in I love him a lot and worry about his safety. He's complicated, tries to do what he thinks is right, and cares so much about Dorian. They're friendship is one of my favourite things in the books. Before reading Queen of Shadows I read a few reviews, and they were negative about what happened towards him, so I was worried. I have to admit that the chapters in the start were a bit rough on my still recovering Chaoleana heart, but by the end of the book I was happy with how the plot played out (although the ending broke my heart!).

The Plot: I couldn't not read this book, that was how riveting the plot was. Sarah J Maas linked everything together and foreshadowed events beautifully, and I loved what happened. I liked how Manon's story finally linked in with the rest of the crew (or Aelin's Squad as my friend calls them!) and Elide's subplot was really interesting. The results of the events in Queen of Shadows are definitely going to have repercussions in Empire of Storms, and I'm both nervous and looking forward to seeing what happens next.

The Writing: As usual, Sarah J Maas's writing style draws you in and doesn't let you go! There was only two really minor things that bugged me - that everything Aelin does is with 'feline grace' and that there was a lot of 'incarnates'  in there. But these were minor issues that didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

Overall, I am really excited to see what happens in Empire of Storms and I am so pleased that I loved this book!

Bookish Resolutions 2016!

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all have amazing 2016s filled with equally amazing books.

1. Conquer my TBR list! It feels like I have a million and one books to read - okay, maybe only

   

   (Some of the 70-80 books I need to read!)

   70-80 books - and this fact is stressing me out a bit. So this year I have a plan to Read More, Buy Less! I doubt this will work, given all of the incredible books that are coming out in 2016, but I want to try and limit my book buying, maybe only buying as many books as I read in a month? I'm still not 100% about how to go about this, though.
2. Read the Harry Potter series - Don't kill me, but I haven't read the Harry Potter books! *runs away from angry mob* I never really had an interest in reading them, but this year I have decided to try them
3. Read Crown of Midnight (and reread Throne of Glass) - I read Throne of Glass last year and, while I thought it was all right, I was not blown away by it (unlike most of the book community!). However, I want to give this series another try to see what everyone loves about it.
4. Be a better book blogger - A little bit of a vague resolution, but I want to post more often and develop a posting schedule, and maybe write more review and tag posts. I haven't devoted enough time to this poor little blog!
5. Finish the novel I'm currently writing - This story feels like my first proper attempt at writing a full-length novel, so I really want to finish it! (I have a bad habit of starting stories and then forgetting about them for years...and years). I may participate in NaNoWriMo - although I already know I'm going to be so busy in November - and, if I finish it, I may post up a couple of chapters on Wattpad.

Let's see how many of these I end up completing by the end of the year! (Probably not many, but I can dream!) I've set my Goodreads challenge to 50 books, as I know I'm going to be busy this year, but it would be nice if I read more! In 2015 I read 61 out of 60 books. Do you have any bookish resolutions for 2016? What have you set your Goodreads challenge to?
Thanks for reading(: