My Weekly Book Haul: 15/08/2015

My life has really not been all that exciting lately, as I mostly just work and then come home exhausted and sleep. I was slipping back into a blogging slump these last few weeks, which really sucks. I have all these wonderful ideas for blog posts, a whole page of them in fact, but just couldn't get up the energy to actually do them. I feel a bit better now and am hoping to start writing up some of these posts soon. This has been another week of lots of reading, and since my last recap post I have read quite a lot. I reread the Throne of Glass books, which is a lot of reading when you consider how long those books are.

I did have a great evening out in London with my sisters and our partners. We went to this amazing restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, called Inamo. The food is delicious, even though the portions are tiny. But the thing that sells us on that restaurant is that the tables are all computers, where the screen is projected down onto your table. You can order your food through it, use the chef cam to watch the kitchen, or play games with the person across from you. It's a fun way to eat dinner!

One by Sarah Crossan 5/5 ¦ The Good Girls by Sara Shepard 3/5 ¦ Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch 4/5 ¦ Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch 3/5 ¦ Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 5/5 ¦ Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas 5/5 ¦ Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas 5/5

I had so much fun rereading the Throne of Glass series, and it made me love Heir of Fire more this time. The first time I read it I was a little devastated to see my ship being blow to pieces, but I knew what to expect now. I'm very nervous for Queen of Shadows, as it's sounding like the romance is going to someone I never even considered an option. I don't know if my heart is ready for that book yet. 

The One was just absolutely, heartbreakingly beautiful! Snow Like Ashes was quite good, I loved the world but was a little disappointed by the predictability of the storyline. The sequel didn't work for me, and I am not even sure why. It just seemed to drag a bit whilst I was reading it and wasn't what I was hoping for.

Night Owls by Jenn Bennett

Feeling alive is always worth the risk. Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists. But Jack is hiding a piece of himself. On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is.

I already have two ARCs of this, but it's become my top read of the year so I had to get a beautiful finished copy as well. There will be a review, author interview and giveaway on the blog very soon!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

One Life to One Dawn. In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all. Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

I have seen so many amazing reviews for this and so I just had to order myself a copy! I'm going to blame Cait for this one, her review convinced me to buy it!

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

I've bought this book in preparation for the sequel, as I have a review copy of that on the way. I am so in love with this cover, it's stunning.

Even When You Lie to Me by Jessica Alcott

Charlie, a senior, isn't looking forward to her last year of high school. Another year of living in the shadow of her best friend, Lila. Another year of hiding behind the covers of her favorite novels. Another year of navigating her tense relationship with her perfectionist mom. But everything changes when she meets her new English teacher. Mr. Drummond is smart. Irreverent. Funny. Hot. Everyone loves him. And Charlie thinks he's the only one who gets her. She also thinks she might not be the only one with a crush.  In this stunning debut, Jessica Alcott explores relationships-and their boundaries-in a way that is both searingly honest and sympathetic.

I went into the Piccadilly Waterstones whilst out at the weekend - HOW CAN I NOT!?! - and ended up picking this book up. I have an addiction, I see a book shop and I have to go in and I have to buy a book. I have a serious problem!

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has always loved Margo from afar. So when she climbs through his window to summon him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow. But the next morning, Q turns up at school and Margo doesn't. She's left clues to her disappearance, like a trail of breadcrumbs for Q to follow. And everything leads to one unavoidable question: Who is the real Margo?

I won this and the next book from Bloomsbury. I already own a copy, but now I have the movie tie in version too. I guess that means it is time to actually read this book, especially with the movie coming out very soon.

Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan

When Apple’s mother returns after eleven years of absence, Apple feels whole again. She will have an answer to her burning question – why did you go? And she will have someone who understands what it means to be a teenager – unlike Nana. But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother’s homecoming is bitter sweet, and Apple wonders who is really looking after whom. It’s only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is, that she begins to see things as they really are.

I just keep getting sent copies of this book, I have 4 copies of it now.

 

The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson & I Knew You Were Trouble by Paige Toon

My fifteenth birthday was the worst day of my life, and it's inconceivable to think that any single day in my future will ever be as bad. My mum was killed in a freak accident on her way to pick up my cake. Even when there was still no sign of her after two hours later, and my friends started to arrive at our house, it never occurred to me that she wouldn't be coming back.That was six months ago. My mum died without telling me who my real dad was. And for a while I hated her for it. I thought she's taken the secret of my father's identity with her forever. But she didn't. Holy hell, she didn't. Because three weeks ago I found out the truth. And I'm still reeling from the shock of it. My dad is none other than Johnny Jefferson, mega famous rock star and one-time serial womaniser. And now I'm on my way to LA to meet him and his family. 

I already had a review copy of I Knew You Were Trouble, but then Maximum Pop sent me a copy of both the first and second book. I will be reading both of these very soon.

Sunkissed by Jenny McLachlan

Kat can't believe her family are sending her to Sweden for the summer. But without her friends, or even a phone signal, can Kat make it on her own? In a land of saunas, nudity and summer sun, Kat soon realises she has nowhere to hide. It's time to embrace who she really is, underneath what she's been thinking people want her to be. Especially if she's going to win the heart of mega fit Swede Leo! Can Kat find her inner strength and prove she's got what it takes? Kat soon finds that when you're surrounded by phosphorescence and wonder it's easy to sparkle. Or maybe that's what happens when you fall in love . Or maybe you only shine when you're true to yourself. 

I got sent another copy of this, not sure why. I have already read it and I loved it, it's my favourite of the series so far. I am reviewing the whole series very soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly

Sherlock meets The Breakfast Club in this story of a wisecracking girl who meets a weird but brilliant boy and their roller-coaster of a semester that's one part awkward, three parts thrilling, and five parts awesome. After her parents get divorced, high school junior Zoe Webster moves with her mother from Brooklyn to upstate New York, determined to get back to the city and transfer to the elite private school her father insists on. But then she meets Philip Digby--the odd and brilliant and somehow attractive?--Digby, and soon finds herself in a series of hilarious and dangerous situations all centered on his search for the kidnapper of a local teenage girl who may know something about the tragic disappearance of his kid sister eight years ago. Before she knows it, Zoe has vandalized an office complex with fake snow, pretended to buy drugs alongside a handsome football star dressed like the Hulk, had a serious throw down with a possible religious cult, challenged her controlling father, and, oh yeah, saved her new hometown.

I'm really excited to read this one, I was really happy when Hot Key Books sent me a copy.

As Black as Ebony by Salla Simukka

Lumikki Andersson must uncover a dark personal secret to outwit her bloodthirsty stalker. Lumikki Andersson has a new boyfriend - easygoing, gorgeous Sampsa who adores her. But when her ex Blaze reappears, declaring his devotion, she doesn't know what to feel. She can't deny the chemistry between them, but does he deserve another chance? Then the threatening letters start arriving, from someone who seems to know her intimately. Suddenly Lumikki is more alone than ever, and it's not only her life on the line. To stop the killer, she must uncover a dark secret that has haunted her family for years . . .  AS BLACK AS EBONY is the final dramatic chapter in the thrilling, contemporary 'Snow White' trilogy.

I LOVED the first book in this series, Lumikki is a wonderful character and I am very excited to finish the series. I will then review the whole series and I can't wait!!!

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Top Ten Tuesday: My Most Read Authors

Mini Reviews: Hot Key Books Edition

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