The Inventory Series by Andy Briggs: Review, Giveaway & Guest Post

Titles: Iron Fist, Gravity & Black Knight
Author: Andy Briggs
Publisher: Scholastic

The Rules: if you find a secret inventory of utterly deadly battle tech. 1) Do not try it. 2) Do not tell anyone. 3) Do NOT let thieves in behind you. What’s more secret than top-secret? The Inventory. Home to the deadliest inventions the world isn’t ready for. Invisible camouflage. HoverBoots. Indestructible metals. Plus a giant creature of chaos: war robot Iron Fist. No one has ever broken past the state-of-the-art AI security system. (Seriously, most bad guys have no idea this stuff is even there.) Problem 1: the security robot wasn’t ready for a gang of kids wandering in. Problem 2: they’ve ONLY brought the ruthless Shadow Helix gang in behind them. Seriously dumb, but it’s a bit late for ‘sorry’. Say hello to trouble: the Iron Fist is in the wrong hands!

The Inventory series by Andy Briggs is one of those action-packed books that is just perfect for its middle grade audience. I am actually starting a new job next week, managing a Secondary School library and I will be buying these in straight away if they don't have them. The Inventory is basically a huge storage facility where technology deemed 'unsuitable' or too dangerous for use is stored. Now this includes dangerous weapons, crazy inventions and incredible pieces of tech. Dev has lived with his uncle his whole life, and his uncle is charged with watching over the Inventory. Dev has never really made friends, so it comes as a surprise when two classmates show up at his 'farm' one day. It just so happens to be the day the Inventory is attacked by Shadow Helix, a group determined to break in and steal the Iron Fist, a piece of technology even Dev doesn't know what it can do. When they capture Dev's uncle it is down to Dev and his two classmates, Lot and Mason, to outsmart the bad guys and protect the Inventory.

Me at almost every page!

This book is honestly just perfect for the age range. A group of teenagers working together, with all this advanced and rather incredible technology, to take down a gang of adults and protect the world. Seriously, perfect! And it is done soooooo well. There is action on every single page, there isn't a boring moment at any point during the book. I also loved watching Dev, Lot and Mason work together throughout the book. And that is continued on in the sequels, where they are helping to trach down items from the Inventory. The first book is set almost entirely within The Inventory, but with how big that actually is and the exciting inventions inside, it seems like such a bigger world and you don't get bored, instead you kind of wish you could peer into every corner of the Inventory and see all it offers.

These books are fast-paced and action-packed. I could get through these books in one sitting, without even realising it. It is hard to put them down because you are always in the thick of the action and there never seems a good time to step away and take a breather. I am actually so excited by this series, it is one of the best middle grade series I have read in a long time. I can't wait to start my new job and start recommending these to the kids I'll be working with, I know they're going to love them. Anyone looking for an exciting, adventure series then this is one I highly recommend.

7 Tips for Aspiring Authors
by Andy Briggs

1 - Finish your book. 

While on the surface this may sound like completely pointless advice, you’d be surprised. Touring around the UK, I meet many people who excitedly tell me that they’re writing a book. You meet very few people who have actually finished one. While it’s great that so many people are writing, it takes a lot effort to actually finish a book. Just remember, once you have completed your epic, you’re in a small select group of people who have actually done so – regardless if you’re published or not!

 2 - Write different things.

It seems that publishers all want are series. So, of course, everybody pitches their series ideas and then are surprised when they’re turned down. The thing is, publishers want material that has the potential to be a series, but stands up as a strong single book. One of the unexpected things writers get asked, shortly after being rejected by an agent or a publisher, is “what else have you got?”. If you’ve just been rejected for your dystopian vampire love story because there are billions on the shelves already, make sure you have something different (and preferably complete) in your back pocket – a story about a talking horse perhaps, make it something very different from your first offering. If the agent/publisher is asking that question, it’s because they like you and your writing, so don’t disappoint them.

 3 – Experiment.

Some people are desperate to be authors, but struggle to make it a reality. Constant rejections shouldn’t be the end of the dream, consider them a beginning. Writers create comics, non-fiction stories, magazine articles, screenplays, computer game scripts – and just about every other creative avenue requires writers. Spread your wings and experiment… you may find your niche in the most unexpected place…

4 – Don’t care, get it down!

I find it sad when I visit schools and see creative kids stymied by the ultra-important need to spell a word correctly and sharpen their grammar, because we all know that is much more important than creating anything original. The end result of their endeavours is a clinical lab experiment with no soul – accurately crafted sentences that are dull and unimaginative (and probably stolen from that movie the teacher hasn’t watched). I strongly recommend writing your story with no regard for spelling or grammar. Your goal here is to lay down your plot and bring your characters to life. Then you have the chance to rewrite, correcting spelling, grammar, and any other technical detail you feel is important. Oh, and by the end of the first rough draft… you have the pride of knowing that you’ve written a book!

5 - Write then rewrite. Repeat.

Following hot on the heels of point 4, rewriting is your friend. I know writers who hunch over their work, stressing about how they can make that next sentence perfect. As a result, days, weeks and even months pass with no progress – and the little demon called Writer’s Block has won once again claimed a victim. It’s best not to worry about perfection. You won’t achieve it. Write something, anything, then move on and you will soon find your rhythm. Remember, you will fix everything later in the rewrite, that’s the magic wand that makes your work even better.

6 – It’s a numbers game, not a word game.

When not stressing about their work, first-time authors stress about getting an agent or publisher. I don’t know any published author who doesn’t have a stack of rejection letters stowed away somewhere. You have to remember, most of these rejections aren’t a slight on your work (unless you get detailed criticism – in which case listen to it!), they’re simply stating a fact the market isn’t ready for yet another dystopian novel or an agent has exactly the number of clients they can comfortably manage. The harsh reality of this artistic endeavour is that it’s really a business and based on numbers. Generally, a rejection is not a rejection – it’s just a “this isn’t the right time” note. Write something else, and try again. Apply to other agencies and other agents within the one you have just been rejected by. Agents, like editors, have their own tastes. Just keep trying. Go to publishing events where you can mingle with agents and get to know them (before you insist they read your work). It’s just as much who you know as it is your quality of work.

7 – Don’t give up.

That should say it all. You never know when your break may occur. I used to think (and still do) that writing is an endurance game. Editors and agents move from place to place, and sometimes into completely unrelated jobs (I know one who now runs a pub!) – that means you have a clear playing field to start pitching your work all over again…

 Andy has extensive experience working on multinational co-productions and has worked in comics, books, TV, film and trans-media projects.
 Andy wrote and Executive Produced Legendary, currently the most successful independent UK/Chinese co-production. Released in China and grossing $5 million in the first week, with a theatric US release in 2014. With his brother he worked on Hollywood features such as Judge Dredd and Freddy vs. Jason and TV shows for the SyFy Channel and Netflix.
 He wrote and co-created Secret Agents, a trans-media interactive spy experience for children, currently on at the Discover Centre, Stratford. He has written 20 books and graphic novels published in the UK and around the world. In 2016 his latest feature, Crowhurst, will be released.

Win a copy of Black Knight by @abriggswriter 📚 RT + Follow to enter (UK only) pic.twitter.com/2LvDzzZ2SM

— Charnell (@reviewbookworm) April 29, 2017

Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman: Review & Giveaway

Title: Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined
Author: Danielle Younge-Ullman
Publisher: Scholastic

Ingrid has made a deal with her mother: she gets to go to the school of her choice as long as she completes a three-week wilderness programme. But when Ingrid arrives, she quickly realizes there has been a terrible mistake: there will be no marshmallows or cabins here. Instead, her group will embark on a torturous trek, with almost no guidance from the two counsellors and supplied with only the things they can carry. On top of this, the other teen participants are “at risk youth”, a motley crew of screw-ups, lunatics and delinquents. But as the laborious days go by, and as memories of her complicated past come flooding back, Ingrid must confront the question of whether she shares more in common with these troubled teens than she’s willing to admit.

The first I heard of this book, it was being pitched as The Breakfast Club meets camping, or something quite similar. To me, that is probably the perfect way to describe it. And it was a huge part of the reason I wanted to read it, as The Breakfast Club just so happens to be one of my all time favourite movies. I finished this book with tears in my eyes and an overwhelming feeling of happiness, this book didn't just meet my expectations, it exceeded them.

Ingrid has been sent off to camp, and she is not looking forward to it. She is imagining uncomfortable bunks, cabins and having to go to the toilet in an outhouse. None of them are pleasant ideas to her. She is determined though, she made a deal with her mother to do it. If Ingrid can make it through the two weeks at the camp then she can go to a prestigious school in London to study. The only problem is the camp turns out to be worse than she imagined. The camp is not a camp at all, it's a tiring two week trek through the wilderness, sleeping in tents and with no toilets in site. Ingrid's idea of hell. Not to mention she is in a camp with 'at risk teens', something she definitely wouldn't call herself. But Ingrid is stronger than she knows and there is more to her camp mates than she assumes.

I really liked Ingrid as a main character, especially since she is such a complex character. She clearly has a strained relationship with her mother at this time, given the fact her mum has sent her to the camp. She is also closed off, not willing to open about herself or what led her to the camp. She doesn't feel like she fits there, she sees herself differently to the others at the camp. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her character grow stronger, not just physically but emotionally. I loved seeing her open up to the others, standing up for herself and finding her voice.

This book also deals with some serious issues and I love it for that. It deals with depression, something I love seeing done well in YA books, especially as I have struggled with and used medication to help with depression in the past. It also deals so well with sexual assault, how that was handled in this book was just so perfect to me. Not to mention the perfect and complex mother daughter relationship here. Honestly, I am just so impressed with Danielle Younge-Ullman and I will read whatever she comes out with next.

This book was so much more than I had expected, I can fully admit that it didn't just hit me in the feels, it punched me so hard in them I wanted to double over in pain. I was a little bit of a weepy mess, but I kind of loved that. There is just so much about this book that I really loved. My only hang up is the same problem I have with almost every contemporary I read and that is that it felt too rushed at the end and there wasn't enough closure. It is the same with so many contemporary books, where you're holding just a few pages in your hands at the end of the book but feel there should be about another 30-50 pages to go. Don't get me wrong, the story wraps up and does it so well. I just felt maybe Ingrid's return from camp could have been given more time, so we have more time to adjust to that and see how it all plays out.

4.5/5 Butterflies

I am super lucky to be a part of the Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined blog tour, and Scholastic have been kind enough to offer a book for a giveaway. So one lucky winner could win a copy of this awesome book! The giveaway is for UK peeps only though, sorry international guys!

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Building My Own Army of Fictional Characters + GIVEAWAY

It's World Book Day! The 20th World Book Day to be precise. And what a wonderful day it is. A day to promote my favourite thing: BOOKS! This is always such a fun day, especially when you work in libraries, that was especially true in public libraries. I love watching all the little kids running around in their costumes based off of fictional characters. I still remember the year where I dressed up at work as a Hogwarts students, with full robe and wand. It was a wonderful day! I just love watching children get excited about reading, and I hope that excitement and love of reading stays with them into adulthood.

I was actually lucky enough to be approached by Egmont to see if I wanted to help promote one of the wonderful £1 books coming out this World Book Day. Hmmmm, do I want to promote books that help instil a love of reading in the next generation? OF COURSE I DO! So I said yes. I quickly said yes because the book in question is by Michael Grant, the man behind the fantastic Gone series. The WBD book is called Dead of Night and links into his Front Lines series. The Front Lines series is a young adult alternate history book set in America. It proposes the question, what if women had been allowed to fight on the front lines during WWII. It sounded incredible and I can't wait to read it myself, I am a huge fan of alternate history books, they are some of my favourites.

I was lucky enough to get sent a copy of Front Lines, as well as the sequel Silver Stars and the WBD short story Dead of Night. I am very excited to read them all. Here is a little more information on the first book:

1942. World War II. The most terrible war in human history. Millions are dead; millions more are still to die. The Nazis rampage across Europe and eye far-off America.

The green, untested American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled—the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

But something has changed. A court decision makes females subject to the draft and eligible for service. So in this World War II, women and girls fight, too.

As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering. Not one expects to see actual combat. Not one expects to be on the front lines.

Rio, Frangie, and Rainy will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. They will fear and they will rage; they will suffer and they will inflict suffering; they will hate and they will love. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.

As a little something fun for this World Book Day, I thought I would pose myself a question: If I had to go into battle, what women from fiction would I want fighting by my side? I am also linking this up with Top Ten Tuesday, as there is no prompts for the last few weeks. A brilliant question and one I took some time to think of. I realised I don't just need those who can wield a weapon, or who would march bravely into battle, I also need those smart women who can help from behind the front line. So, without further ado, here are some of the wonderful women of fiction that I would want on my side:

Artwork by Charle Bowater

Manon Blackbeach - Throne of Glass

I ADORE MANON!!! She is the best character in the Throne of Glass series now. Seriously, I just love her and Asterin. I don't just want Manon, I want her and her Thirteen. If I can get their Wyverns too then I would have an unstoppable force all of its own. But even if I could only have Manon, I would be happy. She has CLAWS! Giant nails that could slice my throat. She is loyal, she is brutal and she will fight till the death, and you can bet it won't be her death. She can be horrifyingly scary though, she would probably petrify me but I love her.

Celaena Sardothien - Throne of Glass

I think this one doesn't need too much explaining. Celaena Sardothien is an assassin, who seems rather unafraid to throw herself into battle. She is used to getting her hands dirty, watching her back and using the element of surprise to best her opponent. Of course I would want her to be on my team. Although I would spend the whole time worrying she might kill us all if she suddenly decided we weren't worthy or useful to her - the progression of that series proved to me that Celaena is either very forgetful, very fickle or very unloyal. But, hey, she can wield a blade and also has powers!

Hermione Granger - Harry Potter

I want Hermione on my side for so many reasons. She's kind, she's smart, she is loyal and she is so very brave. I don't like that many people just associate a 'strong female character' as basically meaning someone who can fight or wield a weapon. It isn't. Don't get me wrong, I think Hermione is skilled in magic and I wouldn't want to face her on a battlefied. Plus we all know she can throw a punch. But she is also ridiculously clever, she always seems to be thinking faster than everyone around her. She would be brilliant in a war, she's already faced one and won.

Artwork by Charlie Bowater

Lynn - Not a Drop to Drink

I really feel like the Not a Drop to Drink series is far too underrated and doesn't get nearly the love it deserves. This is such a beautifully written series, set in a dystopian future it is easy to imagine becoming possible. Lynn is such a fantastic character, she is such an emotionally strong person. The events she goes through and the things she endures would break me as a person, but she gets through it and helps others. She is skilled with a gun, she's also hilarious and someone I know I would love to spend time with. She also protects those she loves with everything she has, so she would be perfect.

Katniss Everdeen - The Hunger Games

Come on, of course I am not going to go into war without Katniss Everdeen. I LOVE that girl. I don't care what others say about her, I think she is a fantastic character. She is strong in so many ways, but she isn't indestructible. She does hurt, she does break, she forms emotional bonds but rarely, only to those she truly feels are worth her time. She can hunt with a bow and arrow, she has killed before. Sure, she is probably not going to provide the most small talk, you'd be lucky if she even spoke to you. I still want her on my team!

Artwork by PhantomRim

Mustang - Red Rising

Mustang is a pretty kickass character and I absolutely adore her. I didn't when she was first introduced, as I was still recovering from the events of the first half of Red Rising. She quickly grew on me, because she is just incredible. She is another wickedly smart character, who is actually has the brains and mind for politics, which could prove very useful. Plus if I befriended her during a war she might introduce me to my two favourite people: Darrow & Sevro! YES, PLEASE!

Lisbeth Salander - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I honestly don't talk about the awesome Lisbeth Salander enough!!!! I think it is because I concentrate so much on young adult on here, I just seem to forget about her. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was an amazing book and introduced me to one of my favourite characters of all time: Lisbeth Salander. Now this girl is smart, so smart that I can't even fathom it. She is also an expert in technology, she could probably hack into anything she sets her mind too. She doesn't take any crap from anyone, which I love about her.

So there are just some of the wonderful women I would want on my side during a war. Which women would you want fighting by your side?

Now time for a giveaway:

Michael Grant Competition

Frost Like Night: Review & Giveaway

Title: Frost Like Night (#3)

Author: Sara Raasch

Pub. Date: September 20, 2016

Publisher: Harper360

Pages: 496

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

Angra is alive, his Decay is spreading—and no one is safe. Meira will do anything to save her world. With Angra trying to break through her mental defences, she desperately needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a mysterious Order from Paisly offers to teach her, she jumps at the chance. But the true solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth deep beneath the Season Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to enter the labyrinth, destroy the very magic she’s learning to control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.Mather will do anything to save his queen. He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no kingdom unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the war—and protecting Meira—slips farther and farther out of reach. Ceridwen will do anything to save her people. Angra had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a prisoner. But when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking truth behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.As Angra unleashes the Decay on the world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen must bring the kingdoms of Primoria together…or lose everything.

I always struggle so hard with finale books and put them off, there are just always so many expectations and hopes riding on it. You want the finale to be utterly satisfying, one that answers all your questions and leave you feeling happy with how it all ended. A bad finale can completely ruin a series (*cough* Allegiant), and an amazing one means it solidifies that series as one of your favourites, one you recommend over and over again. I was really nervous going into this one, as I had enjoyed book one but felt the second suffered from the oh so common second-book-syndrome. I knew that the finale of this was going to make or break this series for me and I am so happy to say that it made it for me.

This finale was exactly what I needed it to be. There was so much action in this book, more than the first two books combined. The pace, and pace is very important to me, was perfect and I found myself unable to put this book down. This book also gave us a new POV, as we get Meira and Mather, as well as finally getting Ceridwen's POV. I absolutely loved that, as she quickly became my favourite character and was so happy Raasch chose to give her a POV in this one.

Something I especially loved about this book was the character growth that we see Meira go through. She is getting more confident in her role of Queen, and the role she will need to play in order to destroy Angra. She is learning to use her power, to control it in a way she hasn't been able to before. I really came to like her character and connect with her in a way I hadn't been able to in the first two books. I have to comment on the romances in this book, as we still managed to have some adorable moments during all the action and bloodshed. I have had my ship from the beginning and felt quite confident in it. I was so happy with the romance in this book, both the main romances in fact. They were utterly adorable and great relief at times, as this book has a lot of twists, turns and shocks.

Me the whole time I was reading this book!

I really feel like this was the best book in the whole series, it is definitely my favourite of the three. It was just so perfectly balanced. It had all of the action that you could want, but then also found time to have those slow moments with characters where you can really connect with them, where you come and care for them so much. This book got me so invested in the characters and I got so scared to continue because I didn't want anything to happen to them, and I couldn't trust that they'd all make it out of this alive. This was an action-packed book and I absolutely flew through it, I just couldn't seem to put it down.

The only reason it didn't get a perfect rating was because I felt the ending was a little too predictable. I would have given it a much higher rating if I hadn't guessed how it would end, or if there had been a bit of a shock to the ending. I had another idea for how the series might have ended and a little part of me wished that it had gone that way. By the end of the book though, I was really satisfied with the conclusion and where my favourite characters ended up and I am glad the book ended how it did.

4/5 Butterflies

I felt this was a fantastic conclusion to this series and I don't think any fans of the series will be disappointed. It had action, twists, and romance; we see favourite characters grow and change in the best possible way. This book made me laugh, it made me tear up quite a lot and it had me hyperventilating as I worried so much for the characters. If you loved the first two books then you definitely don't want to miss the finale, it is an epic conclusion to a fascinating fantasy series.

Sorting TOG Characters Into SLA Kingdoms

For a little bit of fun, as part of the Harper 360 blog tour, I have sorted three of my favourite Throne of Glass characters into the Kingdoms they would be in. I have gone for Throne of Glass characters as I am still making my way through Empire of Storms.

Celaena Sardothien - She would be in Winter, with her white blonde hair and blue eyes!

Chaol Westfall - I think Chaol would be in Cordell, as they are known for their brown eyes and brown hair.

Nehemia Ytger -Nehemia would find herself in Autumn, which sounds beautiful!

Title: Ice Like Fire (#2)

Author: Sara Raasch

Release Date: October 13, 2015

Pages: 479

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.
Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?
Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?
As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

Title: Snow Like Ashes (#1)

Author: Sara Raasch

Release Date: October 14, 2014

Pages: 432

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.
So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

About Sara:

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray, and the sequel, ICE LIKE FIRE, comes out October 13, 2015. Neither features her hand-drawn pictures.
Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Google+ | YouTube | Amazon | Reedsy | Wattpad

3 winners will receive a signed copy of FROST LIKE NIGHT, US Only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/12/2016- Young Adult at Heart - Interview

9/13/2016-  Reviews from a Bookworm - Review

9/14/2016- Fiktshun - Guest Post

9/15/2016- Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews - Review

9/16/2016- The Cover Contessa - Interview

Week Two:

9/19/2016- Quartzfeather - Review

9/20/2016- Writing My Own Fairy Tale - Guest Post

9/21/2016- Bookish Lifestyle - Review

9/22/2016- Two Chicks on Books - Interview

9/23/2016- Mundie Moms - Review

Weekly Recap: Time for Books, Glorious Books and Disappointment

Hello, hello, hello! I hope you guys have had an awesome week. Mine has been okay, not amazing but also not awful. I've just had a few very stressful days and a lot going on. The only really exciting thing to happen was that I had new shelves delivered, so got to spend a day and a half making my shelves look super pretty! This does now put my total number of  bookcases up to 9, which is too many according to anyone but a bookworm - there can never be too many bookcases! I also published my review of City of Glass, which I was a little nervous about as I didn't hold back at all! I'm totally not sorry, that book was horribly disappointing.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas - I have two copies of this for some reason, plus there is a hardback copy yet to arrive. One was sent to me by Bloomsbury for review. I am currently reading this one and really enjoying it - although Feyre is annoying the crap out of me!

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater - I bought this one to complete the series, even though I still haven't read any of these books. At least now I can binge read them when I do.

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh - I am looking forward to reading this as I really enjoyed the first book. I do hope this answers some of the plot holes made in book one - like why did he kill women, when the curse never mentions that at all?!?

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson - This was really great and my love of graphic novels continues! I have spent far too much money this month already on them. I'm still more in love with Saga, but this was great as a stand alone. It tells the story of a supervillain and his shapeshifter sidekick and it was rather awesome! ★★★★

Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass & Sorcery by Wiebe, Fowler, Bonvillain & Brisson - Yup, another graphic novel. I ordered the first three, but need volume two to arrive so I can continue. I really enjoyed this and the funny all female leads. ★★★★

Rat Queens Volume 3: Demons - Looking forward to Volume 2 to finally arrive so that I can continue this.

Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan - I am 100% in love with this series, it has just quickly become my favourite thing and I can't get enough with it. ★★★★★

Saga Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan - So good, I need the next one NOW!!! ★★★★★

 

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - This was a reread as I planned to continue the series. This is a fun and interesting start to the series and I am excited to continue the series. ★★★★

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - Another reread and I didn't love this as much as when I first read it. I gave it 5/5 and raved endlessly, but on the reread it got 4/5. I just didn't feel so strongly about it and was less sold on the romance. ★★★★

I Wish I Could Revisit These Characters

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare Review: I'm Horribly Disappointed

I have spoken a lot (I'm totally not sorry!) about my love of Instagram and how much I love taking bookish photos for it. I recently reached 6,000 followers on there and thought it was a good time to do a giveaway. I am offering £30 worth of books to the winner - the winner gets to choose their books from Book Depository. To find out how to enter GO HERE.

What have you been up to this week? Have you read any 5/5 read this week, if so, what?