An Apology & Life Updates

In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t posted on this blog in a while…quite a while, in fact. And I am very very sorry! I could give out some excuses (school is time-consuming, I’m tired six days out of seven etc.) but it’s mainly because I was too lazy to update. I haven’t actually read a book in at least a week either! But this will hopefully change. I’m going to try and post once a week in December – we all know that probably won’t happen, but I can dream – and, failing that, at least a bit more regularly than before.

To make up for my lack of posts, here are some life updates:

Reading:

-          I have almost finished Hamlet, some required reading I have to do – and should have done a few weeks ago – but apart from that November has not been the best reading month for me! So far I’ve got through The Accident Season and The Young Elites, as well as 70 pages of Winter, but I’m trying not to put any pressure on myself. Everyone goes through reading slumps, and I think it always makes things worse if you force yourself to read something.

Writing:

-          While not being a participant of NaNoWriMo this year, I have made quite a bit of progress with my current story! A couple of days ago I passed 20,000 words, and so far I’m liking how it’s turning out. Generally I start stories and never finish them, but I’m hoping this won’t be the case this time, as I’m finally starting to get into the first draft mentality that nothing will be perfect the first time around! I’ve struggled with this before, but now I’m trying to just go with it. (However, my notes are a mess and I've introduced a new character, so that’s an issue…ah well!).

TV Shows:

-          Recently there have been so many TV shows I have wanted to watch! I’m currently watching Scream Queens and absolutely LOVE it, and then I’m catching up on Teen Wolf. At the moment I’m only on series one but it is amazing, and Lydia and Stiles are brilliant! (I’m writing this will watching a pretty tense episode actually!). I want to catch up on Faking It too before the year is over, and I would love to marathon The Man In The High Castle because it sounds so interesting.

I hope this post marks the start of a more regular posting schedule! Also, what do you think of the style of this post? Are there any readers who like Teen Wolf or Scream Queens?

Thanks for reading(:

Fairest - Mini-Review!

Author: Marissa Meyer
Part of a series? The prequel novel to the Lunar Chronicles series.
Synopsis: Long before the events of the Lunar Chronicles, Levana was simply a Princess living in her sister's shadow. In Fairest, it is revealed how Levana went from that to the terrifying Queen she is now.
Rating: 4.5 stars.

This book was very creepy but very good! The backstory Marissa Meyer came up with is so twisted and brilliant that I completely didn't expect it, and I was constantly torn between feeling sorry for Levana and feeling horrified by her actions! I would definitely recommend reading this if you've already read the Lunar Chronicles as it adds to the world of Luna, as well as Levana's character.



*SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON!*

Fairest really toyed with my emotions! One moment I was pitying Levana, the pale girl that was always overlooked by her family, the girl who was hurt by her sister, the girl who had no idea what love was. And the next she was killing people and manipulating minds and goodness knows what else!! This book didn't make me feel completely sorry for her as in the end the things she did were too awful, but it did help me understand her more in a way. Levana is such a wonderful villain, and it was interesting to read about what made her become the way she is in the Lunar Chronicles (which is actually quite similar to the way she is in Fairest).

The world of Luna was explored more in Fairest, and it's so interesting! I love how fake everything in the court is, but how no one would dream of saying that, and the relationship between Evret and Winter (and SELENE!!!) was lovely to read about. The scenes between the two, and between Winter and Selene added a bit of light relief to an otherwise dark plot. Fairest didn't just give us a better view of Luna but of some of the characters we know and love already (or will do when Winter comes out!!) : Jacin, Winter, Selene. I can't wait for Winter to come out!

What were your thoughts on Fairest? Let me know in the comments(:
Thanks for reading(:

Burn for Burn - Mini-Review!

Authors: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Part of a Series? The first book in the Burn for Burn trilogy.
Synopsis: Lillia, Kat and Mary live on the picturesque Jar Island, where everyone knows everyone. The girls all want the same thing: revenge on someone who's done them wrong. When they find out that they can help each other, they team up and set out to take down the three people who have hurt them most - but soon realise that one simple act of revenge can spark off a whole chain of events.
Rating: 5 stars.

*Note: I wrote this a year ago when I had no blogging experience whatsoever. If I have any time in the future I'll try to do an updated review, but for now enjoy!*
So, first of all: this book is INCREDIBLE! The plot is so good, and it is very well-written; I think there was one paragraph that didn’t flow as well as every other one. It is told from three viewpoints - our main characters Lillia, Kat, and Mary - and each main character is easily likeable yet distinctly different. It’s interesting seeing how the three main characters interact with each other because they really are opposites - Mary is quiet, Kat is a rebel, and Lillia is popular - and how they changed throughout the book.
I could not decide throughout the entire book if I liked Rennie or not. There were points - such as when she was trying to catch Reeve’s attention - when I felt sorry for her, and other points - like when she ditched Kat - when I really didn’t like her.
The ending was… 0_0 (my face at the last few pages). I have no idea what will happen to Reeve in the second book, but I think he’ll pull through. And I felt for Lillia as she started to waver about all these schemes towards the end. And what is happening with Mary?! Are these powers real or in her head or–?
Overall, this is an amazing book, and I am so excited to read the second one! 5/5 stars.