First Class Post - because this post is first class!
Books Purchased:
Physical copies:
The Real Witches' Handbook by Kate West (5th February 2001)
After loving Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, and being reminded that I find the occult completely fascinating, I bought this book to learn more. I don't think I believe in it all, but I think it will be really interesting to see what witches believe, and this is full of folklore, myths, fesivals, beliefs and practices. I'm really looking forward to learning more.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (9th September 2012)
Again, I asked for recommendations after finishing Spellbook of the Lost and Found, and I was told The Raven Boys has a samiliar feel to it. I'm really hoping I enjoy it, because I've had bad luck with Stiefvater in the past. Fingers crossed.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (2nd May 2017)
I am so excited to read this! I absolutely love this series, and I was so excited when I heard there would be a third book! Really looking forward to reading it!
Our Dark Duet by V. E. Schwab (13th June 2017)
Bought while I was reading This Savage Song, when I still thought I would end up enjoying it. Turns out I was disappointed, and I was disappointed with this, too. My review.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab (27th February 2017)
Bought the same time as Our Dark Duet. This series is raved about, too, and I was recommended it by a customer at work, so thought I would give it a go.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (13th May 2014)
I don't know much about this book. Very little is given away in the blurb. But my colleague at work enjoyed it when she read it when it first came out, so I've always intended to give it a go. When a teen customer and her dad, who had also read it, both told me that it was brilliant, I had to get it. They were both so enthusiastic! And, you know, her dad had read it, and he enjoyed it. That's just pretty awesome.
Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance (1st October 2013)
With my disappointment of The Monsters of Verity duology by V. E. Schwab, and how I felt it wasn't as good as some of the other urban fantasy series I've read, I decided it was time to catch up on some old favourites and to buy the latest books in a couple of series I love. This is the sixth book in the Cassie Palmer series, and I'm so looking forward to it! Though it's been several years since I read the previous book, so I'm a little worried about being able to follow the story. I'm sure it will be fine!
Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost (28th February 2017)
This was bought at the same time as Tempt the Stars for the same reason. This is the fourth and final book in the Night Prince series, and oooh, I'm so looking forward to reading it! But it will be another of Frost's series that I'll have finished, and that makes me sad. Will have to say goodbye to all these characters for good.
Books Received for Review:
Finished Copies:
Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari (1st June 2017) (UKMG)
This sounds really good! Diverse, and looks into Laila's grandmother's activism, and how that inspires Laila and her friends. I'm really interested!
Thornhill by Pam Sym (29th August 2017) (UKYA)
This looks so exciting! It tells two interconnecting stories, of Mary, in 1982, through her diary entries of being an orphan in Thornhill Institue and the revenge she exacts on her bully, and of Ella, in 2016, through illustrations only, who's just moved to town and can see Thornhill institute from her house, and wants to befriend the girl she can see at the institutes window. How exciting is that?! It sounds so mysterious and looks so atmospheric! It's in hardback, too, and is such a tome!
A Change is Gonna Come anthology* (10th August 2017) (UKYA)
Yes, I did get this through NetGalley last month, but now I have a bookseller's reading copy, too! I am so excited to read this, you have no idea!
It's All In Your Head by Rae Earl (10th August 2017)
I am really, really looking forward to reading this. Non-fic from Rae Earl on mental illness - her mental illnesses, other mental illnesses, and how to look after your brain. As someone who has a mental illness, I'm really looking forward to reading what Earl has to say.
Proofs:
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert* ()
This sounds so mysterious and intriguing! I just hope it's not about fae. I'm not big on fae anymore.
The Fandom by Anna Day (18th January 2018) (UKYA)
This one unsolicited, and I am intrigued, but also confused. Violet and her friends go to Comin-Con to see the stars of her favourite movie, The Gallows Dance, accidentally kill a star, and then find themselves actually in the story? Something like that. I'm not quite clear. But intrigued! (Not pictured)
Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga (16th November 2017)
This was unsolicited, but it looks like it could be interesting. About a girl who finally meets her rock star dad after writing to him for thirteen years, and is asked by him to meet the family she's never known.
T is for Tree by Greg Fowler* (10th August 2017)
This book is terrible. About a boy with Down's Syndrome, but it's harmful and offensive, and just disgusting, really. I hated it. My review. (Not pictured)
The Invasion by Peadar Ó Guilín (27th March 2018)
The sequel to The Call! I still haven't read the first one, but I have heard so many great things about it! So I'm glad I have the sequel to jump right into afterwards. Though it's publication date is a long way off.
Potter's Boy by Tony Mitton (2nd November 2017)
This was a unsolicited review copy, and I can't work out if it's my bag or not. About Ryo, who sets his heart on training to become a hero after seeing a lone warrior scare bandits away, and his journey shows him a better understanding of what following his dream means.
eProofs:
Another Place by Matthew Crow (3rd October 2017) (UKYA)
This sounds so intriguing! About a girl who goes missing, and the town secrets revealed in the investigation, plus Claudette, who has come back home to town after escalating depression left her unable to cope. Really looking forward to it!
Tangleweed & Brine by Deirdre Sullivan* (7th September 2017) (IEYA)
This sounds so good! Twelve dark, feminist retellings of fairy tales! What more could you want? I am so excited!
Indigo Donut by Patrice Lawrence (13th July 2017)
I love the sound of this! A biracial boy and a girl in the care system fall in love, and try to find out who she is.
The Huntress: Sky by Sarah Driver (7th September 2017)
This is the sequel to The Huntress: Sea. I've not read it yet, but I'm glad to have the sequel to jump into once I have!
Dark to Fall by Estelle Maskame (27th July 2017)
This book sounds gorgeous, and so moving! About love in the midst of death and grief. Really looking forward to it!
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (12th October 2017)
I am quietly hopeful about this book, but also wary. It's sold as being for fans of Harry Potter, which has me both excited and sceptical. Due to being born on Eventide, Morrigan is thought to be the unlucky, and is blamed for everything that goes wrong - but she is also due to die at midnight on her 11th birthday. But as she awaits her fate, Jupiter North appears and takes her to the safety of Nevermoor. She has been chosen to take part in four trials with lots of other children - children who have special abilities - to become a part of the Wundrous Society. If she passes, she gets to stay safe in Nevermoor, but if not, she must face her fate.
My Side of the Diamon by Sally Gardner (5th October 2017)
I am so intrigued by this book! Jazmin's best friend, Becky, jumps off a tall building and disappears without a trace. People plame Jazmin, but does it have something to do with Icarus? I cannot wait to read it!
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Books, David Fickling Books, Stripes Books, Hachette Children's Books, Hodder & Stoughton, Ink Road Books and Atom, Hodder Children's Books, Egmont, Black and White Publishing, Orion Children's Books, and Hot Key Books via NetGalley for the review copies.
Check out mail memes: The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves on Tynga's Reviews.
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On the blog:
Reviews:
For the most part, I had a pretty terrible reading month. Six out of the eight books I read were disappointing in one way or another, but I finished the month on a high!
- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - I was a bit disappointed with this, as not a huge amount happens. It's an important, powerful thought-provoking read, but it's a dystopian novel of it's time, I think. Because of today's dystpians, I expected more rebellion.
- This Savage Song by V. E. Schwab - Read because everyone raved about it, but I felt let down by the hype. It was good, but I have read better.
- Our Dark Duet by V. E. Schwab - This one was both better and worse than it's predecessor; it was darker, but I cared even less about the characters in this one.
Still disappointed. - The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy - This book had so much promise! A slow start but it really picked it. But such a disappointing ending. Too convenient, too easy,
everything solved and wrapped up in a matter of pages. - When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon - I had been so looking forward to this book! But I found it overly cute, with not much happening except the characters swooning and making moon eyes at each other. A secondary plot was thrown in at random. It just wasn't for me.
- T is for Tree by Greg Fowler - This book is disgusting. It has terrible, offensive and harmful representation of someone with Down's Syndrome. My review is full of spoilers.
- Guardians of the West by David Eddings - Having had a terrible month of reading, I decided to read something I knew I would love. A re-read of high fantasy books by the author who got me into reading. This book started off a little slow, but once it got into things, it was exciting! Eddings writes battles, and the strategising of them, so well!
- King of the Murgos by David Eddings - Continuing my re-read of the Mallorean series. This is the book where things really start to take off, and there was a lot about this book I had forgotten, so it was really awesome to rediscover it all again!
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What I've Been Reading Online:
Cover Reveals:
- The Defiant by Lesley Livingston on Penguin Teen.
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi on Teen Vogue.
- 50 Crucial Feminist YA Novels on Barnes and Noble Teen Blog.
- 13 Books to Read if you Love Doctor Who on Entertainment Weekly.
- 10 Great YA Novels with Transgender/Non-Binary Main Characters on Barnes and Noble Teen Blog.
- 25 of Out Most Anticipated LGBTQIAP YA Books of the Second Half of 2017 on Barnes and Noble Teen Blog.
- Sandhya Menon will be writing a companion novel to When Dimple Met Rishi - When Ashish Met Sweetie - on Publishers Weekly.
- 10 Female British-Asian Authors to Watch Out For on Jacarandar.
- Rick Riordan's Stonewall Award Acceptance Speech on RickRiordan.com.
- Jason Reynolds on "Miles Morales", Spider-Man, and His Secret Superpower on School Library Journal.
- I'm Not Interested in Characters Meant to Teach a Lesson by Heather Demetrios, author of Bad Romance, on YA Interrobang.
- What Should the Perfect YA Epic Fantasy Look Like? on Paper Fury.
- 10 Improvements that Would Make Goodreads 500 X Better (Or So I Say) on Paper Fury.
- Things I Like About Your Blog on It Starts at Midnight.
- Topics I Need More Of on It Starts at Midnight.
- Shattering Stigmas 3.0: Call to Action! on It Starts at Midnight.
- A 'Little Women' Reboot is Coming, and Here Are Your New March Sisters on Huffington Post.
- Jenny Han's "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is Going to Be a Movie, and We Can Hardly Wait on Buzzfeed.
- How Disfigured Villians Like "Wonder Woman's" Dr. Poison Perpetuate Stigma on Teen Vogue.
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