Book Tags

I Mustache You Some Questions Tag

11:00


A while ago the lovely Theepika from It's Theepika nominated me to do the I Mustache You Some Questions tag. I’m a sucker for a great pun, so I’m super excited to be nominated for this tag!


Four jobs I would like to have:
1. A zoo-keeper: who wouldn’t want to spend all day with animals?
2. An editor: I love changing people’s work, and I think it would be amazing to be paid to read!
3. A journalist: I like writing and I’d really like to get my opinions out there.
4. A librarian: I love libraries so much and I’d love to help everyone out too.


Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. Turner and Hooch: an absolute classic, and probably my favourite film.
2. My Neighbour Totoro: I love Studio Ghibli and this is on TV so often!
3. Mamma Mia: I have this on DVD and it’s just such a feel-good film (and who doesn’t love musicals?).
4. Harry Potter: I don’t think it’s humanly possible to not have seen all the HP films at least once.

Four books I would recommend:
1. First Year by Rachel E. Carter for a really original fantasy.
2. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran for some vulgar British humour.
3. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill for a feminist dystopian done right.
4. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli for a super cute, light-hearted romance.
Four places I have visited:
1. Paris, France
2. Tuscany, Italy
3. Edinborough, Scotland
4. Lake District, UK

Four things I don’t eat/drink:
1. Pancakes (they’re just so disgusting)
2. Bananas (again, ew)
3. Milk (it’s so gross)
4. Tea/Coffee/Hot Drinks

Four of my favourite foods:
1. Chips!
2. Cake
3. My Mum’s homemade pasta sauce
4. Curry


Four bands/artists I listen to (I’m changing this one because I don’t watch much TV):
1. Halsey (aka Queen)
2. Twenty One Pilots
3. All Time Low
4. My Chemical Romance
Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Christmas
2. The holidays!
3. Carry On being released
4. Panic! At the Disco’s new album

Four people I tag:
2. Anna @ Enchanted by YA
3. Carrie @ The Book Goddess
4. Shikha, Leah, and Nina @ Book Baristas
Also, if you enjoyed reading this post, consider yourself tagged! Make sure to leave the link below to your posts so I can check out your answers. 

4 stars

Review: Maybe Someday

18:47

Maybe Someday
By Colleen Hoover

 Source: Personal purchase, e-book,
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, 

Goodreads Synopsis:

At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her—and she’s forced to decide what her next move should be.

Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

A passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance, Maybe Someday will immerse readers in Sydney’s tumultuous world from the very first page.
My review:

I expected to enjoy this book, but I never expected to enjoy it as much as I did. This was my first Colleen Hoover book, so I was expecting really great things because I know how much everyone loves her. After reading this, it’s fair to say that I’ll definitely be reading more by her in the future! This exceeded my expectations greatly, and I really enjoyed the book.

The plot was done so well. Although I would class it as a romance book, we weren’t too overwhelmed by the romance, and there was definitely no insta-love. I thought the way the book was written in Sydney and Ridge’s POV was done really well, and I feel that it was definitely needed. Sometimes this way of writing gets tiresome and confusing, but I instantly knew who I was reading about, and enjoyed both chapters equally.

My favourite character was Maggie. Although she was a side-character, I enjoyed every scene with her in immensely. She was really complex and well developed, so every time I read about her she seemed so real. I liked her much more than Sydney (even though I still liked Sydney), and could definitely read more about her!

The ending was so perfect. It was not rushed at all, instead heartbreakingly beautiful. It was just how I’d hoped everything would turn out, and had my heart ache. At times I felt it might have even bit a bit slow and dragged out, but I think that is just me, and I know it’s impossible to be displeased with the way things ended. I really enjoyed the book, and it was a great way to end. I know that I’ll be reading more of the author in the future!

 Rating:


4 stars

Review: Ready Player One

16:49

Ready Player One
By Ernest Cline

 Source: Library, paperback,
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, 

 Goodreads Synopsis:

It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late twentieth century. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle.

Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions - and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.

My review:

There was so much hype around this book, so I was expecting it to be amazing. I really love dystopian and science fiction, it was perfect for me. I did expect the world building to be a little slow, so it didn’t come as a surprise, but I didn’t find it boring at all. There’s so much hype around this book so I knew I just had to read it.
The concept was really cool. Although the idea about the human race failing to technology was not the most original, the spin that this book put on it made it so much more original. It was very predictable, but I didn’t mind because I wanted to find out how the characters got to that ending.


The book was filled with geeky ‘80s references that I didn’t get all the time, so they mostly blew over my head. I think this means that although most people class this book as Young Adult, I’d definitely recommend for all ages, especially adults. It wasn’t crucial to the plot, but I know that if I was older I would have gotten more out of the book, because I know they would have been right up my street.


Although the book was slow in some parts, there was lots of action. Every time I was about to get a little bored, a fast-paced fight scene appeared and I was instantly hooked again. The writing style was very addictive so it was relentlessly readable.

The way that the book is set in the future, yet gives a message about today’s society was truly haunting. I know this book won’t be for everyone, but I definitely really enjoyed it. Also, I believe it’s being made into a film, and I think it will work really well, so I’m really looking forward to that!

 Rating:

2 Stars

Review: Queen of Shadows

09:17

Queen of Shadows
By Sarah J. Maas

 Source: Personal purchase, paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, 

Goodreads Synopsis:

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

 My Review:

I had such high hopes for this book. I loved the rest of the series, so this was easily my most anticipated read of this year. I even paid extra money to get it to ship quicker, and cancelled a previous order! Looking back, I think my hopes for this book were too high, because I was so disappointed.

The book got off to a good start. I was enjoying the direction the book was going in, and I found it to be addictive and fast paced. Although there was no clear direction for the book, I hoped that the only reason for this was because I hadn’t read much. I kept telling myself that it’s really long, so there’s plenty of time for something to happen. I honestly don’t really know where it went wrong for me.

There was nothing that specifically stood out as something that I disliked, though I think my main problem was the pacing. About a quarter of the way in, nothing had happened. Although there were small action scenes, and little plot twists here and there, there was nothing major that stood out to me as exciting. All of Maas’ books are slow to start with, so I really hoped that it was going to get better.
By a fair amount of the book (at least over half way), nothing had happened. We’d had a few speeches about how great Aelin was (which was really starting to get tiresome), but really nothing drastic or noteworthy. The plot was going nowhere, and looking back, I really can’t tell you things that happened. I was just so bored.
I was also disappointed with the way all the characters have changed. Although character development is to be expected, I didn’t like the way Aelin now hated Chaol (it’s as if Crown of Midnight didn’t exist) - in my opinion, I feel Maas just changed her mind halfway through the series.

The romance was just really unpleasant to read about. I didn’t like the people involved together, so for me, I would have preferred if it was left out. Although there really wasn’t much romance, it didn’t add anything to the story, and I was just skimming over the scenes. The next books in the series promise steamy romance, and I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.

I didn’t enjoy this book, but nothing really stuck out as terrible. There were some exciting parts, but much more excruciatingly slow chapters. I will be reading the rest in the series - somewhat because I’ve invested too much already to just give up on it - as I still hope that it can claw its way back again, and that I can enjoy the rest. I know some fans will really enjoy this, just not me.

Rating:

4 stars

Review: An Ember in the Ashes

12:37

An Ember in the Ashes
By Sabaa Tahir

Source: Personal purchase, ebook,
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Dystopian, 

Goodreads Synopsis:

Laia is a slave.

Elias is a soldier.

Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

My review:

From the moment I began this book, I knew I was going to absolutely adore it. Everything about the book was perfect - the writing was vivid and beautiful, and it was fast paced so I was never bored. There was lots of action which was really exciting, so I constantly wanted (needed!) to read on.

The characters were so well-developed and complex. I loved all the characters we were supposed to like, and I loathed all of the characters we weren’t. I cared about them all so much because of the way they were so cleverly written - I had sympathy and empathy for them, even though I’ve never been in a situation like it.

My favourite character was Helene. She was fierce and independent, yet was flawed in a way which made her so much more realistic. Although she was a side-character and sometimes got overlooked, I would much enjoy a book entirely centered around her because there was so much depth that we didn’t get to see.

The romance was done so well. It didn’t distract from the main plot, though did take up a significant amount of the book. This was the perfect balance for me - I was invested in it (though I really didn’t mind who Elias and Laia ended up with - everyone was great!), yet didn’t want it to be the main plot. The love triangle was done really well because there was no deliberating over who to choose, which can sometimes get boring.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Everything was perfect, so I’d recommend to fans of The Wrath and the Dawn, or The Winner’s Curse (though this is so much better in my opinion). It ended on a huge cliffhanger, so I’m extremely glad that it has been announced that the book is turning into a series! I know I’ll definitely be impatiently waiting for everything to do with it.

Rating:

August

August Favourites

12:00

So instead of doing a monthly wrap up, I’m going to share my favourites from this month with you (which I think, is way more interesting). I had a really good month of August, so I’m excited to share with you all of the things I did/bought/watched etc. Hopefully I’ll make this a monthly thing, but I’m so rubbish at keeping up with things (R.I.P Top Five Friday...) so I might forget (not making any promises here...)
1. I got a kitten!
This is definitely the best thing that happened this month. After my cat George passed away in March, I’ve been really missing my pet, so getting a new kitten was such a good idea. He’s called Sebastian, we got him on 22nd August, and he’s 6 months old. We think he’s a Short-haired British Blue too, but we can’t be sure. I absolutely adore him!

2. Being adventurous:
I’ve been doing lots of adventure activities in August too (though I do every month). For the first 5 days of the month, I was camping in France (also in July I was away, which explains my sudden hiatus). I had an amazing time, and loved being able to get away from everything.
On 31st August, I went to Go Ape, which is an adventure course set in the treetops (just Google it to find out more). I really enjoyed that too, though I got very dirty!

3. Music I’ve been loving...
Halsey released her album on 28th August, so I’ve been listening to it on repeat ever since then. It’s fair to say I’m definitely in love with Badlands!
Atlas Genius also released their debut album - Inanimate Objects - on the same day, so I’ve really been enjoying that to. It’s a really nice record to listen to when reading.

4. On the blog
In August, I completely changed my blog’s design. I’m super happy with it, as it’s professional, yet I think it’s cute and girly too. I also made a blog button to match (which you can see on the sidebar), so you can grab it to put on your blog. I designed the button myself (the image is from Freepik), and I’m actually quite proud of myself!
I also did some reviews:
And a tag and got nominated for some (thankyou!):
5. Monthly haul
This month I bought some really cool things, but my favourite purchase was a book of cute sticky-notes (pictured on the left). I think they will be really handy for school work, and I can tab my books with them too. They were such a bargain - only £2 for everything!
I also bought some books (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Landline, and The Good Luck of Right Now), and pre-ordered Carry on and Queen of Shadows.

6. A good reading month
This month I managed to read 13 books, which I’m quite pleased with! I read 8 e-books:
1. Grasshopper Jungle - 3/5
3. An Ember in the Ashes - 4/5
4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (re-read) - 5/5
5. Becoming Death - 3.5/5
6. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock (re-read) - 5/5
8. Maybe Someday - 4/5
And 5 library books:
1. Vicious - 4/5
4. Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) - 4/5
5. Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) - 5/5
My favourite read of the month was Shadow Kiss (excluding re-reads).
What did you get up to in August? What was your favourite read? Do tell me in the comments below!