My Weekly Recap: 28/02/2015

I've been really happy with this week as I feel like I've actually managed to accomplish quite a lot, for once. I've not only been working a lot, I've also managed to get 4 posts up since last weeks recap, 5 including this one. Whilst also trying to go visit as many bloggers as possible. But I'm still working on that aspect of it, so if you're a fellow blogger feel free to leave a link below so I can come check it out!

Not only do I feel like I am getting back on top of the blog, but I'm also making progress in other aspects. My notice has been handed in at my current job, my last official day being the 26th March. I start my new job on the 30th March, but get 12 days off inbetween to relax, prepare and do whatever the hell I want. I've also bought myself a new hoover, a new toaster, a wonderful computer chair and a shredder. At 23, I'm suddenly starting to feel like a grown up when my money goes on hoovers instead of books!

I've realised my book buying had got a bit out of control recently. Since Christmas, I think I have acquired over 150 new books. But I've literally only read 14 so far this year. I already have three bookshelves fully packed, and I mean PACKED. I have a row of books at the front of each shelf, then 3 columns of books are stacked behind those. So I'm trying to be better and order less books. I'm not on a ban exactly, I'm just trying to think carefully about whether I really need a book or not before I buy it. I did get to reorganise my shelves though and I LOVE them.

On Instagram:

This is just some of what I have been getting up to over on Instagram. I'll be showing off my reorganised shelves on there as well. Plus I've got a giveaway coming up soon!

I'm linking up with Tynga's Stacking the Shelves and the Caffeinated Book Reviewers The Sunday Post.

Unleashed by Sophie Jordan

Title: Unleashed (Uninvited #2)
Author: Sophie Jordan
Publisher: Harper Teen
Buy this book: Amazon (US) / Amazon (UK) / Book Depository

Davy has spent the last few months trying to convince herself that even though she tested positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS), she wasn't the murderer everyone saw her as. But they may have been right about her all along. Because now Davy has killed.    On the run from a brutal military training camp for HTS carriers, Davy meets a band of rebels led by the charismatic Caden. He encourages Davy to join his group and fight for carriers, but as Davy struggles to trust Caden's violent world and her growing feelings for him-she also questions her own potential for violence, which could be lying dormant just below the surface. But if she doesn't belong with Caden and his followers, is there anywhere she can call home? 

When I saw Caden in the blurb and not Sean.

I know quite a few people didn't enjoy book one in this series, Uninvited, but I absolutely loved it. Most people weren't happy that there wasn't an explanation provided about the HTS gene and how that is even supposed to work. But I'm the girl who enjoys superhero movies, if I was going to sit there and question the actual science behind them then I wouldn't enjoy them half as much. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the story for what it is, a piece of fiction. My review for Uninvited was really glowing, I was completely won over by all of the action, but also by the romance between Davy and Sean. So imagine my surprise when the plot summary for book two doesn't even mention Sean once. I was not happy with that and I became very nervous to start this book, especially with the mention of a new male character, I began to worry that this was going to turn into another horrid love triangle book and I was not looking forward to it.

I wish that I was able to say that I enjoyed Unleashed just as much as I did Uninvited, but I would most definitely be lying. I was so disappointed by this book and part of me really wishes that I hadn't read it and had just made up my own conclusion to this duology. We come into the story right where book one left off, Davy and the others have managed to escape the training camp and are about to make the crossing into Mexico. It's painfully obvious from the blurb that she's not going to be sticking with these guys for too long, and that happens by about page 70. Davy finds herself in trouble and is rescued by a guy who just happens to be part of a resistance cell and is going to go out of his way to save her from everything.

When I realise a books going to be ALL romance.

What I really liked about book one was the fact that the romance in it wasn't the main focus. I've said time and time again that I don't mind romance in my reads, as long as that romance only takes up a small part of the plot. Uninvited did this well, the romance was there but it was more of a slow build and wasn't the focus of the story. I liked that I couldn't put the book down because it had a lot of action to it. As Unleashed was the concluding book to the series, I assumed it would be packed full of action and I'd be reading into the early hours of the morning, unable to put the book down. I couldn't have been more wrong, this book became all about the romance. What makes that a million times more frustrating is the fact it's a completely new romance to book one. Maybe some authors can pull of introducing an entirely new love interest and get you to suddenly root for them, but this did not work here.

I liked Davy in book one, by the end she was becoming strong and didn't constantly need Sean to keep jumping in and rescuing her. I didn't like that we suddenly have a new guy show up who feels the need to constantly jump in and save her. You'd also think that being part of the group that's trying to take down the Wainwright Agency that Davy would get to play some role in this. She doesn't. Everything happens without her because she's too busy having yet another romance storyline with a guy I don't really care for. I was hoping for action, suspense and twists and turns, what I got was romance and melodrama.

2/5 Butterflies

I can't even begin to express just how disappointed I was with this conclusion. It had zero of what I was hoping for and just ended up making me really annoyed. Book one was really good, it was one of my favourite reads last year, and there's nothing more disappointing then when the conclusion to a series doesn't live up to your expectations. I received this book filled with excitement, so sure that I was going to absolutely love it. But, quite honestly, my feelings can be summed up in one gif:

Yay, this is going to be epic. Lets get my celebratory cake ready! Wait.... what? What? Ehhhhh, f*ck this sh*t.


*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favourite Heroines From Books/Movies/TV

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke & The Bookish.

This weeks topic is:

My favourite heroines from books/movies/TV.

Yay! Time to give some of the most awesome women some major love. I have no idea how I am supposed to pick only ten, that seems impossible to me. I am going to try my hardest to not go too crazy with this list, but you should probably know by now that I am not very good at restraining myself.

Hermione Granger

Hermione will probably always find herself at the top of my list because I think she's such a wonderful heroine. She's a total bookworm, which I can obviously relate to, plus she's smart, loyal and brave. She's also a brilliant friend to Ron and Harry and they probably wouldn't have gotten much done without her, something even they can acknowledge. She's a character that grows so much but is always true to herself, I always loved that about her. Her greatest moments for me are probably when she wipes her parents memories in order to protect them. And also when she refuses to abandon Harry, even when others do. 

Mrs Weasley

I have to give Mrs Weasley her own spot on this list because that woman is incredible! I can't really sum up just how much I love Mrs Weasley. Her greatest moment for me will always be the 'Not my daughter, you bitch!' moment because it's possibly one of the greatest book moments of all time. Mrs Weasley is one of my favourite heroines because she's a genuinely nice person, she makes Harry and Hermione a part of her family. She also loves her family so much, even when certain members (*cough* Percy!) aren't acting in a way that's worthy of it. I have so much respect for her as a character, the woman who just wanted to protect the ones she loved, whilst knowing that they needed to make a stand and fight. Bravo, Molly, bravo!

Luna Lovegood, Nymphadora Tonks & Ginny Weasley

Luna is an obvious choice, if you can't figure out why she makes the list then you've clearly never read the books. Tonks won me over the moment she appeared in the series and I know there will never be a time when she won't be one of my favourite heroines. I'm a fan of the brave women who put themselves in danger for the greater good. I'm probably a fan of them because they're a million times braver than me. I really like Ginny Weasley... IN THE BOOK. They ruined her in the movie for a many number of reasons, but the biggest one was poor casting. It's hard to get it right when you're casting so young, not knowing what will be expected of the characters later on. 

Celaena Sardothien 

If you have seen my flailing, fangirling reviews of any of the Throne of Glass books then you'll already know that I adore Celaena Sardothien. She is one of my all time favourite heroines. She could kick my ass, and I respect that, whilst also being way more girly than I could ever hope to be. She is also a lover of food and books, that girls got the greatest taste in all things - including guards! If I could pick one word to describe her then it would be strong, something she shows again and again throughout the series.

Arya Stark

I can't comment too much on book Arya, because so far I have only read book 1 in the series, but I am up to date on the TV show. I was always going to connect with and root for Arya, the girl who's a total tomboy at heart. I was such a tomboy as a child, I'd be the one wanting to learn to fight with swords if all the boys got to. She also has the strength to carry on and keep going, even when she loses some of the most important people in her life. 

Daenerys Targaryen

The woman has dragons.... DRAGONS?!? I'm sorry, but how could I not love the mother of dragons. I love her. Yes, my love is based entirely on the TV show but I don't care. I'm scared to see what becomes of this character as the series goes on, the ending to season 4 broke my little dragon loving heart a little bit. 

Lyra Belacqua

I still have so much love and respect for Lyra. I'm pretty sure if I have have a girl then she will be named after this wonderful character. She starts out as this, at times rather irritating, little girl and develops so much over the course of the series. She was one of my favourite characters as a little girl and she still comes to mind whenever anyone asks me about my favourite book heroines. 

Mulan, Merida & Belle

One of the few things I love as much as Harry Potter are Disney movies. How could I list my favourite heroines and not include a few Disney characters? I could probably list 20 of my favourites, but I'm going to be good and only name three. I pick Mulan because she goes to war in order to protect her father. I pick Merida because she wouldn't allow someone to tell her who she should marry or how she should act. I pick Belle because of her love of books, and that she tells Gaston where to go. 

Debra Morgan

I own every series of Dexter on DVD, except for the final season - I just continue to pretend that it never happened. Debra has always been my favourite character from that show, even more than Dexter. I love her entire personality, especially the part of her that can't seem to stop swearing. I like to swear, I do it frequently, so it's nice to find a kindred spirit in Debs in that regard. 

My Weekly Book Haul: 14/02/15

Invaded by Melissa Landers

Films for Thoughts on Thursday: Big Hero 6

My Weekly Recap: 21/02/2015

Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

The Taylor Swift Book Tag

I've got a UK only and an international giveaway on the blog at the minute - both are for copies of The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melissa Landers. For more details and to enter go here. 

The Taylor Swift Book Tag

Time for a book tag! WOOOOOOOO!

I am trying to be a good blogger and get back in to some kind of schedule. I've been having a lot of problems with blogging recently, I've gotten so behind on everything. I'm going to try and post at least four times a week now! That's my goal and I really hope to stick to it. Wish me luck everyone!

I absolutely love doing book tags, so today I am going to be doing the Taylor Swift book tag. I remember watching Christina do this over at Polandbananasbooks and thought it seemed like a fun tag to do. So let's do this!

1. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

A book or series that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then you wanted to break up with.

This has to be the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I read Divergent and really enjoyed it, I had such high hopes for the series. But Insurgent just wasn't anywhere near as good and disappointed me. I was hoping Allegiant might be able to rescue the series, but turned out to be one of the worst books I've ever had the displeasure of reading. 

2. Red

Pick a book with a RED cover.

I did this over on my Instagram with a few different books. I absolutely love the cover for The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

3. The Best Day

Pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic.

I'm going to be a good girl and not answer Harry Potter for this question! I'm going to go with The Sight by David Clement-Davies. It's a book I first read when I was probably 10 or 11. I can still remember finding that book whilst in a bookshop with my family. They were hunting for college books for my sister, so I sat in a corner and just read and read. Thankfully my parents bought it for me so I could finish it, and I happily reread that now.

Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Title: Never Never
Author: Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Buy this book: Amazon / Book Depository 

Charlize Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since before they could walk. They've been in love since the age of fourteen.But as of this morning... they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love... every memory has vanished. Charlize and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why. But the more they learn about the couple they used to be... the more they question why they were ever together to begin with. 

There have been a lot of books that I have found quite difficult to review, but those books were nothing compared to Never Never. It's hard to review something that isn't even a complete book, just part one in a serial that I have no idea how many more volumes are coming. But it's also hard to review something when you actually have no idea how you feel about the book. My opinion on this can be changed drastically if there isn't any good explanation for the memory loss they both suffer.

Charlie and Silas both find themselves in school, with absolutely no memory of who they are or why they are there. They don't remember each other, or the fact they have been dating for four years. They work together to try and find out why this has happened to them. But the more they find out about themselves and who they were as a couple, the more they begin to question everything. Now that is a rather interesting, if somewhat confusing, premise for a book and so I would have wanted to read it anyway, even if it wasn't by my auto-buy author Miss Hoover.

My Weekly Recap: 21/02/2015

This week has been filled with working, whilst also trying to get back into some kind of blogging schedule. I'm rather proud of myself as I posted two days in a row, have got this weekly recap ready to go and already have two more posts scheduled for next week. That's really good for me, especially considering how bad things had gotten blog wise. Hopefully I can keep this up and you'll be seeing me posting a lot more regularly!

I've tried to make time for reading as well, but that's been proving difficult. I did manage to finish Never Never and reread Uninvited. Never Never is a really strange one and one I found almost impossible to review, you can look out for my attempt tomorrow! I got 6 of these books in a 3 for 2 deal at WHSmith last week, but then forgot to add them to my haul. Ooops! But that was probably for the best, my haul last week was a little ridiculous.

I am especially proud I've managed to plan some posts this week, considering the fact I have discovered and become addicted to Community! I LOVE that show and it really deserves so much more recognition.

I'm linking up with Tynga's Stacking the Shelves.

Films for Thoughts on Thursday: Big Hero 6

This is a weekly meme that I am hosting here at Reviews from a Bookworm. To take part all you have to do is share a movie review once a week, link back to Reviews from a Bookworm and add your link to the linky tool.

This weeks movie review will be for:


Big Hero 6

If you've been following my blog for a while then you should already know that I am a big fan of Disney. And also that I am just a big fan of kids films in general. If a new Disney movie is released then it is guaranteed that I am going to go to the cinema and watch it. I have two friends who are also big Disney fans, and they are usually more than happy to come with me. But my sister had told me I had to see it and so did a guy at my work, so I caved and made the boyfriend take me after work on Monday. He definitely wins lots of awesome boyfriend points for coming, especially since he hates Disney.

Invaded by Melissa Landers

Title: Invaded (Alienated #2)
Author: Melissa Landers
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Buy this book: Amazon / Book Depository 

The romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them. Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

Sequel nerves.
THE PAIN IS REAL!!!

I doubt I'm the only person who gets really nervous before they start the sequel to a book they really enjoyed. Alienated was a read that had really surprised me, I ended up absolutely loving it and the romance in it totally won me over. I've been eagerly anticipating Invaded since I finished Alienated back in 2013, it had a lot to live up to and my expectations were ridiculously high. This book could only let me down, right? I am so happy to be able to tell you that this isn't one of those sequels that disappoints, it's one that surpassed my expectations and I ended up enjoying even more than the first book.

Invaded sees Cara and Aelyx separated, with Cara going to live on L'eihr, whilst Aelyx stays behind on Earth to try and salvage the alliance between humans and L'eihrs. I thought that I was going to be frustrated by the storyline, couples being separated during the second book in a series seems to be something that happens a lot. It actually turned out to be the smartest thing that Landers could have done, because it meant we finally got to have some secondary characters! I really did enjoy book one, but it was all about Cara and Aelyx. Their relationship felt like it dominated everything, you never really got to know any secondary characters and that had really bugged me whilst reading book one. Invaded allows us to meet a whole host of new characters, and also get to know old characters a little more. I liked the humour that some of them brought, the drama that others brought and the curve balls to the storyline that others brought.

My Weekly Book Haul: 14/02/2015

I have been failing at blogging, reading and everything internet related.... except Instagram and buying books online. I just haven't been able to concentrate on anything recently, I think I'm still freaking out about the fact I'll be starting my new job soon, and this time I'll be a manager and in charge of other human beings - that's a scary thought! I am hoping to take a week or two off between leaving my current job and starting my new one. In that time I'm hoping to catch up on some reading, actually schedule some posts (I'm laughing whilst typing that!), as well as play some games, watch a ton of TV and relax a whole lot!

I'm starting to realise that I have a very serious book buying problem. My owned TBR pile is more like two whole bookcases now, with books stacked up to the top. But I can't stop!!! I really should, but I can't. This week alone I have bought 6 books in a 3 for 2 deal at WHSmith, 6 books I really don't need and weren't really desperate for. I then had four review copies show up, as well as 8 books I've bought online and one I bought in Asda. I NEED TO STOP! The books all go to my parents house, so my dad is starting to threaten that he'll just throw them in the bin when they arrive. I think he's joking. I hope he's joking. Yeah, he's probably not joking.

I'm linking up with Tynga's Stacking the Shelves.

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury: Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

Title: The Sin Eater's Daughter
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Publisher: Scholastic
Buy this book: Amazon / Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.She’s the executioner.As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company. But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen. However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

Me by the end of this book.

Damn you, Salisbury, damn you! It's been days since I finished this book and I am still completely unable to make up my mind about how I feel. This book took me on a rather wild ride and I was completely unprepared for it. It's one of those books where I thought I had some idea where the story was going, which it did, but then it quickly took twists and turns I never could have predicted. This is a strong debut, that makes me certain I'll be reading whatever Salisbury does next.

I'd had this book on my wishlist for quite some time, the premise sounded intriguing and that cover was just demanding I pick the book up and read it. This is a book that grabs you from page one and it's almost impossible to put it down. The world was one that I couldn't learn enough about, I was fascinated by it. World building is something I pay attention too, but I usually concentrate more on the characters and whether they work for me. It was refreshing to find a book that had me desperate to learn more about the world.

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Title: Alienated

Author: Melissa Landers

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Buy This Book: Amazon / Book Depository 

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

I've never really felt a need to go back and change or redo a review, but I've decided to make an exception for Alienated for one simple reason:

I reviewed it for the first time back in late 2013, and I've been rereading it so I can get to the sequel. I finished it and felt an urge to add to my review and improve it, but also to change it a little bit. After finishing the book for the second time, I still really enjoyed it but it didn't wow me as much as it did on the first read.That's probably because I've read so many incredible books since, and found some amazing romances (let's be honest, nothing can compete with the A Court of Thorns and Roses romance atm!).

Cara is a great character, and I thought she was hilarious the first time I read this book. She read like someone I would want to be friends with in real life. She has this really dry, sarcastic sense of humour which I really appreciate and it had me laughing a lot. But I am still irked by what I have come to call her Cara-isms: sucktacular, craptacular, ridic (you know, because ridiculous is obviously just too ridiculously long to use!). Those still get on my nerves and have me rolling my eyes at her. I still enjoyed the blog entries in this book (yes, this has blog entries!) because they just added that little something extra to it and made it feel all so familiar. 

Aelyx, although he doesn't make me swoon as much as he did on the first read, is still a great character. Who knew the idea of an alien race coming to Earth would suddenly seem so appealing. I can only assume that if Twilight managed to make millions of people over the world swoon at the idea of vampires, then this definitely has the potential to make us long for the discovery of an alien race. If this happens then they can sign me up for the exchange program - obviously if it's more Ryan Reynolds in the Nines than E.T!

                  This:                                                                                                        Not This:

Cara and Aelyx's relationship is one the progresses slowly throughout the book, which is the only kind of romance that really works for me. I can't be dealing with any more of these instant 'I love you, you're mine!' romances that I find so often in young adult books. But this has the slow build and the sexual tension, and the characters actually taking time to get to know one another. I approve. I was rooting for these two the entire time, even when they weren't. This is one of those books where I was itching for the two characters to get together, which doesn't happen often with me as I usually want the romance to take a back seat to the rest of the story. 

I really do enjoy Cara and Aelyx as characters, but if I were to talk about any fault with this book then it would be the fact that the secondary characters don't play much of a role in it. Cara's best friend seemed to have so much potential early on, she was funny and likeable, but she quickly disappears from this book. The same goes for Cara's boyfriend, the guy is like that token douche character, someone you can love to hate. But he disappears rather quickly too and doesn't have too big a role. This book really was Cara and Aelyx, something I'm not grumbling about because I really rather fell in love with them both. 

4/5 Butterflies

The first time I reviewed this book it got a 5/5 rating from me. I'm glad I took the time to reread it, I still love the characters and the story, but I've come to realise it feels more like a 4/5 read for me now. I feel that's probably because of how many amazing books I have read since, with romances that have won me over more. I still highly recommend this one though and can't wait to read the sequel to find out what's next for these two. 

*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.