August Wrap-Up!

To see all the books I've acquired in August, visit my bookhaul here.
August was a good reading month for me! I read nine books in total,, compared to my usual five or six in previous months, and the books were great. I think I read so much because I went on holiday at the start of August and got through four books alone in that first week!

• Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis - I'm working on a full review of this at the moment, and it was really good! Spooky, creepy and mysterious, the town of Blackfin was excellently created, and I look forward to reading Kat Ellis' new books, as Blackfin Sky was her debut novel. 4 stars.
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - This is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles series, and my full review can be found here. I loved Scarlet almost as much as Cinder, and I especially loved the introduction of Captain Carswell Thorne! If you're unsure about reading the Lunar Chronicles because of all the hype around it, try Cinder anyway, because I think it will live up to expectations. 4.5 - 5 stars.
• PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han - The sequel to To All The Boys I've Loved Before, PSISLY was just as sweet as the first book. Reading about how Lara Jean and Peter's relationship changed was fantastic, and I loved the points Jenny Han made about double standards. These books are not just a fluffy, cute romance (although they definitely have that in), but are about family and friends and high school. Family is definitely important in these two books. 4.25 stars.
• The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater - I'm also working on a review of the entire Raven Cycle so far. I enjoyed The Dream Thieves just as much as The Raven Boys, although it once again took me a while to get into the world again. Having just finished PS I Still Love You, where the love interest's surname is Kavinsky, it was quite confusing to read about another, much wilder, much less nice Kavinsky! I didn't like him at all, but I have to admit that his texts to Ronan made me laugh! Blue is such a strong character, and even though the concept of ley lines and Welsh kings are very confusing, the characters really make this series. 4.5 stars.
• Let's Get Lost - This was the perfect summer read! I loved all of the different stories, although I think Elliot's was the least satisfying. Leila was our main character, the one that linked Hudson, Elliot, Sonia, and Bree's lives together, but each of the others were well-developed and likeable. I think Leila's story was my favourite, although I loved her friendship with Bree. 4.75 stars.
• Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman - I have a more detailed review of this on my Goodreads account, but I enjoyed this book a lot! It was an interesting, well-written historical fiction novel and I'm very excited to read the second book in this series. 4.5 stars.
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - This is the third book in The Raven Cycle, and it. Was. FANTASTIC! All of the things I love about The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves - all of the funny dialogue, all of the intriguing characters, all of the mystery - was apparent in every single page of Blue Lily, Lily Blue. I think this is one of my favourite reads of 2015 so far, and I am incredibly excited for The Raven King! 5 stars.
• Panic by Lauren Oliver - This was so very tense! I flew through Panic as I just had to know what would happen next. The challenges were crazy and very, very dangerous, and Lauren Oliver's writing was wonderful. 4 stars.
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - Hex Hall was funny and entertaining. Jenna was my favourite character, and Sophie was a likeable protagonist whose sarcasm often made me giggle. There were several parts that felt a little tired, like I had read them before, but I can definitely see the potential in this series and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Sophie gets up to! 3.5 - 4 stars.
• A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams - I had to read this for school, and I wasn't expecting much. However, I was pleasantly surprised! A Streetcar Named Desire was an emotional whirlwind of a play, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It also took next to no time to read - maybe only an hour and a half! 3.5 - 4 stars.
• I'm currently reading 1984 by George Orwell, and according to Goodreads I'm 24% done with it. So far I'm not enjoying it as much as I had hoped, but I hope that will improve as I continue.

Those were the books I read in August! What books did you read in August? Have you read any I've mentioned? What did you think?
Thanks for reading(:

July Wrap-Up!

I read some incredible books this month, and found a new favourite to go on my favourites shelf (luckily it's small enough to fit!).

• Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver - I really liked this book. It was tense and gripping, and kept me wanting reading until the end. I adored Lauren Oliver's writing style, which makes me very excited to read Panic, and while I did guess one plot twist, I didn't guess the other. 4.5 stars.
• The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding (reread) - I just can't recommend this series enough! Seriously, if you like adventure books or historical books, please pick up The Diamond of Drury Lane. This is probably the third time I have read it (Excluding the times I've scanned through it to find scenes with Frank, my favourite character, in!), and I was still captivated by the plot and the setting. 5 stars.
• The Good Girls by Sara Shepard - The concluding part to The Perfectionists duology was amazing! I enjoyed these two books even more than the Pretty Little Liars series, because they had a stronger plot. That twist at the end of The Good Girls was completely unexpected for me (I was spoiled by a Goodreads review, and I still was surprised!), and I like how everything turned out. The ending wasn't especially satisfying, but I liked the openness of it and how it felt a little unsettling. It was better than The Perfectionists as there was more action and less of the characters discussing what to do. Sara Shepard does not disappoint (but I am a massive fan of her books)! 5 stars.
• Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer - I read this on the way back from YALC, and after about two hours I was already half way through. This was easy to read, fun, light-hearted...just like a fairy tale! I loved Oliver's world and found the whole premise fascinating. More of my thoughts can be found in my joint review of this and Off the Page, which is here. 4 stars.
• Off the Page by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer - Similar to Between the Lines, I really enjoyed this, perhaps more so than BtL as it felt like it had a stronger plot. 4 stars.
• The Secret Fire by CJ. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld - I was requested this from Atom so I could review it, and also because I wanted to give a book by CJ. Daugherty a try, having read Night School and not been 100% sure about it (my review is here). And I am SO glad I did! This book was amazing, and I'll be sharing my full review of it closer to the release date, the 10th of September. Keep your eyes out for this book; I think it'll be big! 4.5 stars.
• Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - This book was a fun, intriguing start to the Percy Jackson series and a good choice for #TBRtakedown. I loved all of the characters,Grover and Annabeth especially...I love how Annabeth a) is scared of spiders (like me!), and b) is completely kick-ass and sticks up for herself. Percy was really funny too, and so caring towards his mother. I am going to continue on with this series as I think it will get better and better. 4 stars
• Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender - Oh my goodness, this book. I read this as part of #TBRtakedown , and now I am furious with myself for not reading it sooner! I love love LOVE what I call ghosty books, and as ghosty books go, this one was pretty damn good. 5 stars, this is the favourite I was talking about at the start of the post. My review is here
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - I've only read about 46% of this book, and I put it down to read...something. I can't remember now! I think it was The Geography of You and Me, which I also put down after about two chapters. I just wasn't in the mood to read either of them, although I've kept the bookmark in The Bone Season. I was finding it quite confusing if I'm honest, but hopefully I'll pick it up another time and be in the mood to read it.

My favourite books of this month were The Good Girls, The Diamond of Drury Lane, and Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. What books did you read in July? Have you read any I've mentioned? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading(:

June Book Haul & Wrap-Up!

Another month has been and gone, and now we're past halfway through the year...that's scary! But, on a lighter note, I read (and bought) some great books in June that I can't wait to show you!

The Haul:

So, technically I wasn't meant to buy any books in June, but I finished my exams and went to a place with bookshops and lost all willpower. However, all of these books were on my big 'Books After Exams' list, so that kind of justifies them (it does not, but saying this makes me feel better
!).

• PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han - How could I not buy this? I need more Lara Jean and Peter feels! PS is the sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before, which I read last year (I think) and loved.
• Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas. I read Dangerous Girls at the beginning of the year, and it was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it, and I've been meaning to pick up Dangerous Boys for ages. When I saw it in not one but two bookshops, that was obviously a sign for me to buy it.
• The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith. I haven't read a book by Jennifer E. Smith before, but this sounds so wonderful and sweet and a perfect summery contemporary.
• The Dream Thieves and Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater. That's right! I finally own the other two books in the Raven Boys series (that are published). I really liked The Raven Boys and gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how the series continues.
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. This was not on the 'Books After Exams' list, and I wasn't intending on buying it, but I was at a car boot sale, and amid all the pottery and plants, I found a decent copy of Shiver in a box which was being sold for 20p. 20p! That's like...(*attempts maths to work out a percentage* *fails at maths and worries about exam results*) really cheap!

The Wrap-Up:

I read some fantastic books this month!

• (The Rest of) Night School by C. J. Daugherty. This only just makes it onto the June Wrap-Up as I finished it very close to the beginning of the month. I liked Night School, although it wasn't one of my favourites. My full review is here. 3 stars.
• A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab. This was a favourite! I adored this book; the world was so unique, as was the magic. I can't wait to read more about Kell's world and more books by V. E. Schwab! My full review is here. 4.75 stars.
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. This was a reread, as I read City of Bones last summer, and I have to say that it was more enjoyable once I'd read the other books in the series. I cared about the characters more knowing all the things I knew after City of Heavenly Fire, and I was more interested in the story because I knew where it would go, whereas before I had no idea. 4 stars.
• The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough. This, like ADSOM is now one of my favourites! I loved almost everything about it. My full review is here. 4.75 stars.
• Rook by Sharon Cameron. I had very high expectations for this book. First of all, it has one of the prettiest covers ever. Second, one of the first lines of the blurb begins with 'In the Sunken City that was once Paris'. I love books set in France, and I love books set in the French Revolution especially, so I really thought I would love Rook. Which I did...kind of. The concept was so interesting; a future that had returned to the ways of the past. And I did love the way that Diet Coca Cola bottles were treated as valuable antiques, and that the A5 was a deserted road. I thought the plot was strong, although at the end it did feel a little messy. I now want a pet fox like Sophia, our protagonist, has, and I admired Sophia for being very strong, independent, and smart. But Sophia and Rene's relationship felt odd, the viewpoints changed too often towards the end (although I liked how Cameron linked them together), and Spear was Gale. HE WAS ACTUALLY GALE (if Gale lived in the future in Europe). Overall, I am glad I read it, as I want to now read more of Sharon Cameron's books, but there were issues. 4 stars.

I would say that my favourite book of June was A Darker Shade of Magic, but it was a hard choice to make! That concludes my June Book Haul and Wrap-Up! June was a great reading month for me; how was it for you? Have you read any of the books mentioned? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading(:

May Book Haul & Wrap Up!

Despite being in the middle of exams, May has been quite a good reading month for me! I read four and a half books, and all of them were really good. I also seemed to have been in a reviewing mood this month; I reviewed three out of the four books I read! And yes, I know I said I was on a book-buying ban, and yes, it does say book haul in the title. BUT, I only received two books: Rook by Sharon Cameron, which I pre-ordered in April and looks STUNNING, and Night School by C.J.Daugherty, which I received from Atom books. So that's progress, right? Let's be honest, fellow booklovers, when we say, "I'm on a book-buying ban", we really mean, "I will be less books this month, but not none."


Onto the books I read in May!

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I LOVED this book. At first, I was a little unsure of what to expect as there has been so much hype around The Lunar Chronicles; I was worried that I wouldn't love it as much as everyone else. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised! I gave this 5 stars, and my full review is here.
• Fire With Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian.  It had been a while since I read Burn for Burn, but I really enjoyed it when I did, and this sequel did not disappoint. 4.5 stars. Full review here.
• And then I read Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian, the concluding book in the Burn for Burn trilogy, and...wow. 4.5 stars. Full review here.
• The final full book I read in May was The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan. Overall, I loved each story, and it was so nice to be back in the Shadowhunting world I love. The Bane Chronicles was humorous and full of the fantabulous High Warlock of Brooklyn, before he became the High Warlock of Brooklyn. The writing styles of the authors mostly blended together well, and there were malec feels, which made me very happy! And a certain wonderful Welsh Herondale in it, which made me VERY happy. I would have done a full review on it, but school got in the way. Anyway, I gave this book a 4.5 stars, which seems to be my average review rating of this month! What can I say? I read some great books in May!

The book I'm currently reading is Night School by C.J. Daugherty, and a review of it will be up as soon as I can!


What books did you read in May? What was your favourite? Let me know!
Thanks for reading(:

April Book Haul & Wrap Up!

The end of April is upon us, and I have sadly only read 3 books (well, technically three and a half). But I gained lots of books (about 10 or 11), so yay for that!


The first part of this post will be my book haul. As it was April, I was allowed to buy books, which was good because it meant I didn't have to feel guilty when I splurged in Waterstones! These were the books I bought:

• Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver - I have managed to almost buy this book quite a few times, and I finally decided to give in and get it!
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - I've already read this, but I didn't have a physical copy, until now!
• The 100: Homecoming by Kass Morgan - It annoys me how none of The 100's covers match, but I want to see how the series ends.
• Dracula by Bram Stoker - Having read The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters, I really wanted to read Dracula so I could understand the references, and the copy I have is the gorgeous Vintage one!
• The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough - I found this book watching Katytastic's video on April Releases, and the synopsis sounded like The Night Circus. Therefore, I had to buy it, because The Night Circus is amazing and seems to appear in every post I do (sometimes intentionally, sometimes not).
• The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey - because why do you need to have read the first book to buy the sequel?
• We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach - The summary of this with all the labels of people was what made me want to pick this up. I think it'll be different to what I originally thought it would be like, but I'm still excited to read it!

And now for the three books that my dear mum gave me for Easter:

• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - There have been so many good reviews of this. I kept seeing graphics of it on Tumblr and I wanted to be a part of the fandom!
• The Mysterious Affair at Castaway House by Stephanie Lam - It's set in 1924 and 1965, which immediately intrigued me.
• A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab - I've seen this everywhere, and I loved the idea of parallel worlds. This also seemed like a good VE Schwab book to start with, as I've never read anything by this author before.

Onto my April wrap up! This month has not been particularly fruitful reading-wise, but the books I read were:

• The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters.This was as strong as Cat Winter's debut (In the Shadow of Blackbirds) and the world-building was once again powerful. I loved the characters (Henri especially), but didn't like the ending as much as I wanted to. For a full review, click here). 4.5 stars.
• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. This was partly a cover buy, and for the most part it didn't disappoint! While Gemma and the others were not initially likeable, they eventually grew on me. The magical elements felt unique to me and there were no weak points in the plot in my opinion. I'm looking forward to reading Rebel Angels, whenever I buy it! 3.75 stars.
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. It took me a while to adjust to Maggie Stiefvater's writing style, as it's more descriptive than other books I've read, but once I had done that I enjoyed it. The parts about ley lines were a bit confusing, but I was ill when I read it so not everything will have sunk in! The characters were what made this book; each was individual and interesting. My favourite was Noah or Ronan (every moment with that bird was sweet, and that is a hard thing to achieve when said bird is called Chainsaw and it's Ronan Lynch). 4 stars.
• 1/2 of The Mysterious Affair at Castaway House by Stephanie Lam. Now, this was the first adult book I tried to read, so that could have been why I didn't like it. There were certainly points where I felt it was a bit too...graphic, shall we say, which made me feel uncomfortable, but there was also a few plotlines that I felt were unnecessary and pointless. The whole book felt like two stories shoved into one, and while the central plotline was interesting and made me want to continue, every time something was revealed in one of the time periods, it would dart back to the other, which was really annoying. I put this down at about 51 % (I worked it out because my Goodreads doesn't seem to do it anymore). There's a chance I may pick this up again later on now that I know what to expect, but for now it felt better to put it to one side and start another book that I'm looking forward to reading, which is Cinder by Marissa Meyer!

Those were the books I read and the books I bought in April! Have you read any of the books featured in this post? What did you think?
Thanks for reading(: