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?

I Wish I Could Revisit These Characters

It's time for Top Ten Tuesday and this weeks topic is:

Characters I Wish I Could Revisit As Adults

Sam & Jase from My Life Next Door

This is still one of my all time favourite books, it's such an adorable and moving contemporary YA book. I adored both Sam and Jase as characters, and thought they made such a wonderful couple. I would love to revisit them both as adults, to see if they managed to go the distance. To see if they're both happy. I'd also love the chance to see George Garrett all grown up, and just revisit all the awesome Garrett family.

Katniss & Peeta from The Hunger Games

I know we kind of get to see a little of this in the epilogue, but I want more. I want to see how Katniss and Peeta are doing together. How are they coping after everything they have lived through. Are they happy, despite everything they've seen and had to deal with. I just love these two characters and would love any excuse to get to read about them once more.

Mia & Adam from If I Stay

Okay, so we kind of get this in Where She Went - but that book was horribly depressing at times, which is saying something when If I Stay involves a car crash that kills people. I want to revisit them again, once they are older and happier and settled.


Maya from Forbidden 

I may have mentioned a few hundred times that Forbidden is a favourite of mine. That book was heartbreaking but beautifully written. I just loved it so much, even if it pained me so much to read it. I would love to revisit Maya as an adult, I have wanted more of her story since the moment I finished the book.

Ridge & Sidney from Maybe Someday

They technically are adults, but I'd love to revisit them again ten years in future. Actually, I'd revisit them any time or at any age. I have wanted more of their story since I closed the book and I would happily take whatever Colleen Hoover gave us.

Nastya & Josh from The Sea of Tranquility

At this point I would just have Katja Millay release another book. Seriously, woman, I am desperate. But this book just had such a big impact on me and I still think about it, months and months after finishing it. I would love to be able to see our two lead characters later in life, to see how they are both doing.

I Want These Characters To Have Coming of Age Stories

James, Lily, Severus, Lupin & Sirius from the Harry Potter series

Harry Potter is basically my life so of course I would go and choose these guys! I want all of their stories. I want to see how James, Lupin and Sirius became friends. I want to see how James and Lily came to be together. I want to see how Severus and James came to hate each other so much. I want to see Lily and Severus as friends. I just want a HP prequel so badly it hurts. 

Voldemort from the Harry Potter series

Of course I want a Voldemort coming of age story, the guy is fascinating as fuck. How did he become such a terrible human being? I want his childhood, and all those little events that led him to becoming the Villain we know. I just think Voldemort's younger years and rise to power would make for a fascinating story. 

Haymitch from The Hunger Games

HAYMITCH!!! Oh, Haymitch. Who wouldn't want to see his Games?!?! I am desperate for this to be a thing that happens. I don't think Collins will write it - does that woman even write any more? But they do want to milk the movie franchise for all it's worth, so I could see them doing his story as a prequel movie. I can deal with that.

Which characters would you like to revisit? Or are there any characters who you wish you could read a coming of age story for? My list would be endless if I included TV and film characters too. 

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.

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

Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

You want to know something, I am actually really looking forward to writing this review. I do love a review where I get to gush endlessly about how much I loved a book. Sadly, City of Glass is not one of those books. It does make the list as one of those books so horribly disappointing that I actually look forward to writing my ranty review about it. BRING IT ON!*

*Quick note people: This book pissed me off, and when I am pissed off I swear a lot. Ooops. Sorry, not sorry. Fuck you, Clare!

First, let me start with some less detailed and non-spoilery points about this book. Here is a quick list of all the reasons I ended up hating this book:

• Clary: STILL AN ANNOYING BITCH WHO SEEMS INCAPABLE OF THINKING OF ANYONE BUT HERSELF.

• The pacing: I don't know if Clare will ever understand the importance of narrative pacing, but she really needs to hurry the hell up and try to at least learn. PACING IS EVERYTHING, WOMAN! And your books are paced so awfully, I could strangle you out of pure frustration.

• Valentine: One of the most annoying, contradicting bastards I have come across in a long time. He also says some of the stupidest things I have ever heard.

• The incest fetish: Seriously, Clare, you have a problem!

• The anti-climactic ending: Or, as it could be known, the Stephenie Meyer complex. Lets have hundreds of pages leading up to something that's over in minutes. YAY! 'Cause that's not fucking annoying. 

Okay, now I am going to go into actual detail about this book. If you haven't read this book yet, you might want to leave if you don't want to be spoiled. Or you can stay and read it and save yourself the trouble/torture of reading the book yourself. 

Weekly Recap: Blogger Made Me Its Bitch!

Hellooo, fellow readers, how has your week been treating you? I have had a week of working, reading and being totally frustrated. My week has honestly been crap, sprinkled on top of crap, caked on top of more crap. I have all the hope that this bank holiday weekend will be relaxing and make up for it, but I doubt it.

The fiance and I are gaining a flatmate in the form of his brother - not by choice. His brother needs a place and you don't turn away family. But neither of us is looking forward to sharing our flat with another human being. We have got used to having our own place, our own space and it just isn't as comfortable when you have someone else living with you. I always stress out about everything, so this is just a nightmare for me - especially since this could end up being way more long term than either of us would like. Wish me luck, internet!

Weekly Recap: Awesome Graphic Novel Steals My Heart!

My Saga feels summed up in gif form!

Hello, peoples of the internet, how has your week been? Mine has been long and boring, as I have just been working - and work is never fun. Why I can't be paid to just sit around and read all day is beyond me. But, alas, I have yet to make that dream a reality. I have been trying to keep up with my reading, despite working a lot and being inexplicably  tired. My newest obsession has quickly become Saga, the graphic novel series. It is actually incredible and AMAZING and speaks to my very soul. The characters are becoming my favourite things in the entire universe, as they are hilarious and make me laugh so much. I read the first one and immediately went online and bought the next two in the series - I would have bought them all if I wasn't super broke! They came and I literally jumped up and down with excitement... And then proceeded to read both straight away. I NEED MORE!!!