2016 is Nearly Over...And I Still Haven't Read These Books!

Hi all!

So somehow it is already nearly September, and I am woefully behind on my Goodreads challenge.

Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration; I've read 33 books this year, and my goal is to read 50. But the reason why I'm on track is because I read the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy novellas which count as separate books, and there are so many books I want to read but haven't done yet!

My Mid-Year Book Freak Out tag is coming out soon, but I thought I would tell you the 8 books I am desperate to read before the year is out!

1. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas - I have been determined to catch up on this series this year,
 and so far I'm doing well! I finished Heir of Fire a few weeks ago, and while I'm not loving the direction the series is going in I do love the world and want to carry on with the story. I also want to read it before Empire of Storms comes out and be up to date for once!

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Everyone adores this book. It's all over Instagram and booktube, and I love love love the sound of it - thieves stealing something dangerous? Yes please! - but for some reason I've never picked it up. I have read Shadow and Bone and didn't mind it, but I think I was worried that I had to finish that trilogy to read Six of Crows. Now that I know I don't, I badly want to pick it up and find out why everyone loves Kaz so much!

3. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye - Fantasy Russia? Two players in a game where one will die? What's not to love about the premise of this book? I've heard people compare it to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern which is my FAVOURITE books (review can be found here) so obviously I need to read The Crown's Game.

4. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - This was in my Illumicrate box (unboxing can be found here) and it looks STUNNING. The cover is so detailed, and there are two maps in it. As well as that, the story sounds amazing and various Instagrammers have raved about it! I feel like it's going to be a good winter fantasy read too, so I'm very excited to read it.

5. A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab - How have I not read this yet?! I loved A Darker Shade of Magic, it was one of my favourite books of 2015 and I loved every part of it (mostly Kell <3 My thoughts on ADSOM can be found here!). I want to find out what happens to Kell and Lila and Rhys, and I've heard that there's a new character that people love introduced in this book, too.

6. This Savage Song by VE Schwab - Another probably marvellous VE Schwab book that I have yet to read! This Savage Song sounds incredible, and I think it has something to do with music and monsters which should be a great combination.

7. Unrivalled by Alyson Noel - Unrivalled is blurbed as being similar to Pretty Little Liars and
Gossip Girl, two of my favourite TV shows. I love scandal-filled contemporary books, they're my guilty pleasure, so I am super excited to see how Unrivalled plays out.

8. Summer Days & Summer Nights, an anthology - Summer is nearly over, so I need to get my skates on if I want to read this soon! I read my True Love Gave to Me at Christmastime and I love how the season plays such an important part in the stories. Also some of my favourite authors - Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Stephanie Perkins - have contributed to the collection.

These are the eight books I'll hopefully read before 2016 ends, but this next school year is going to be absolutely manic, so I don't know how successful I'll be! As well as this I would like to reread The Infernal Devices as I read them in winter last year and think it would be a nice tradition.

Do you see a book on this list that I need to read tomorrow? What book are you hoping to read before the year is over?
Thanks for reading (:

Beautiful People: August Edition

Hi all!

For the past few Beautiful People editions I've focused on my female main characters, but this time I'm going to show one of the men in my story! Thank you as always to the hosts, Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In !

There are two main male characters in my story (well, technically there's three, but one isn't as important in the first book!) and this time I'll be looking at Henry Krendale, an exiled lord who also happens to be a psychic. As he is closely linked to Esme, I figured I'd include her in here too (also because she is my favourite character and she was the first one I created so I'm allowed to include her in everything!).




1. Give a brief overview of their looks. (Include a photo if you want!)

 Henry's looks have changed since I started writing, mainly because of Pinterest! At first, he had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, but then I realised that a) he would look too much like another character, and b) I had pinned Aaron Tveit and Max Irons, who don't fit that initial description! So now he has light brown hair and green eyes, and is tall and a little gangly.

Esme for me has always been similar to Lily James looks-wise, as she has blonde hair that goes past her shoulders and brown eyes. She is quite curvy and average height.

2. Share a snippet that involves description of their appearance.

(This is when I realise I need more description!)
Henry: 'his hair was slightly curled at the edges, and Esme noted with worry that he seemed more tired than usual, his eyes framed by glasses he usually only used to read.'
Esme: 'touching the twist in her hair, she checked her reflection in the mirror and found it was already drooping. And she shouldn't have worn this dress; the empire waist just drew attention to her hips.'


3. What is the first thing people might notice about them?

 The first thing people would notice about Henry would be his height, as he is tall and the fact that he's pretty skinny emphasises this. People would probably notice Esme's eyes first, because she nearly always maintains eye contact when holding a conversation.

 

4. What are their unique features? (Ex: freckles, big ears, birthmark, scars, etc.)

 Henry has freckles when he's been out in the sun for a while and ears that stick out a little. Esme gains a unique feature (spoilers though guys, so I'm not telling! (; ) but when the series starts out she has a birthmark on the back of her leg.

 

5. How tall are they? What is their build (Ex: stocky, slender, petite, etc.)

 Given the fact that I can't judge any sort of measurements for some reason, I don't have an exact height for each of them. Basically: Henry=tall and slim, Esme=average and curvy.

 

6. What is their posture like? How do they usually carry themselves?

 Esme carries herself well, as her uncle taught her to make a strong first impression. She has a good posture which is mainly natural as she wants to always appear in control. Henry still keeps a relatively good posture from his days as a lord, but he stands quite defensively and often has his hands in his pockets or plays with the cuff of his shirt.

 

7. Your character has been seen on a “lazy day” (free from usual routine/expectations): what are they wearing and how do they look?

Esme would still wear a dress because she loves them, but it would probably be an old one that might not be in style or season. Henry would wear a plain shirt and trousers made from simple materials, forgoing a waistcoat or detailed designs.

 

8. Do they wear glasses, accessories, or jewelry on a regular basis? Do they have any article of clothing or accessory that could be considered their trademark? 

Henry needs glasses to read and often wears them if his eyes are tired, and he nearly always wears waistcoats over his shirts, but this is the fashion of the world so I don't know whether this would count as a trademark. Esme often pins her hair up but other than that she doesn't have a lot of accessories. As for her trademark, she always wears pretty dresses so maybe that's what she's known for.

 

9. Have they ever been bullied or shamed because of their looks? Explain!

Henry hasn't been bullied because of his looks because people have always considered him fairly good-looking (that fact that he used to be very very rich also helped this). Esme has lead quite a sheltered life so she has never really been bullied, although there was a time when she was younger that a group of girls picked on her because her clothes weren't in style.

 

10. Are they happy with how they look? If they could change anything about their appearance, what would it be?

 Henry is happy with how he looks as looks aren't the most important thing to him, but if he could change something about his appearance he would probably change his ears as he thinks they stick out. Esme isn't as confident in her appearance and she often feels insecure, especially about her figure, so she would change that if she could. (Although she becomes more confident as the series progresses).

So that's my Beautiful People post for the month! Let me know if you liked it, and how is your work in progress going? What are your main characters called?
Thanks for reading(:

Illumicrate Unboxing & Review!

Hi all!

A few days ago I received my Illumicrate box for August and - WOW. This box was so so good! It two books, as well as beautiful bookish extras that I can't wait to use or stick up on my wall!



*Note: This post will contain spoilers for the box, so if you haven't received yours yet wait to check it out!*




The Books:

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - This book has been all over bookstagram recently! I was already planning on buying it soon, so when I found that a HARDCOVER version of it was included in this box I may have squealed a little bit. Everyone has raved about it and I loved Illuminae, which Kristoff co-wrote with Amie Kaufman, so I have high hopes. Plus the cover is gorgeous, and there are not one but two maps! What more could a bookworm want?

The Graces by Laura Eve - The Graces is actually out in a month, so this book feels extra special! The cover is, again, stunning, and as I read the summary I realised I had meant to remember to buy this a while ago. The letter from the author added a nice personal touch to the box, especially as it was in her handwriting, and has really intrigued me about the book.




The Bookish Goodies!

Of which there are many, so I think I'm going to list them all briefly. In no particular order, I received:

• 2 Harry Potter coasters (which are as amazing as they sound)
•  A Nevernight poster and Bookmark
• A bookplate for Nevernight and for The Graces
• Absolutely beautiful posters for Red Rising by Pierce Brown (which I unfortunately haven't read yet, but they are gorgeous)
• Grisha and Six of Crows themed COLOURING-IN QUOTES. This was a highlight for me, even though I haven't read Six of Crows or completed the Grisha trilogy!
• Strawberry tea - I'm not a tea drinker but I'm up for trying
  
  a new flavour
• A tote bag which is apparently Gilmore Girls related (I have been catching up with the other GG - Gossip Girl - instead so I haven't watched it yet)
• A discount code for Unboxed by Non Pratt
• A discount code for a bookmark from My Bookmark

This box was jam-packed with wonderful things, and I'm so happy with it!

Did anyone else receive and Illumicrate? What did you think of it? What was your favourite item?
Thanks for reading (: