Blood Rose Rebellion

Quick heads up: I actually had some pictures taken, but I had over exposed them and rather than not wait an extra day to post this I thought I would post without. 

Blood Rose Rebellion

Rosalyn Eves

Blood Rose Rebellion, Book #1

This book was full of surprises. Honestly, I went into it with a set of expectations based on other books that this sounded like and I had read in the past, which really isn’t the best way to go into a book because it’s pretty unfair to both the current read and past ones. But as I read it—and let me clear this up, I actually listened to it on audible (and the narrator is absolutely stellar)—I would make guesses about where it was going and the ilk, only to find myself pretty much completely wrong the entire time. And not because the book is trying to surprise the reader in the same way something like Game of Thrones is, but because the story was just that original. I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about this one because it definitely deserves a lot more hype. 

Legendary

Legendary

Stephanie Garber

Caraval, Book #2

Related Reviews: Caraval

I loved Caraval back when I read it, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I went into Legendary expecting to love it. I was feeling a bit iffy about Tella being the narrator because I really didn’t see much potential based on her role in Caraval, but that worry turned out to be totally unfounded as she turned out to be an awesome main character. I was also worried that the new setting wouldn’t be able to capture all the magic of the original, but, again, totally unfounded because I was as in love with this new city as I was with the last.

Dating Apps & Loving Myself First

This isn’t my regular type of post; in fact, it’s not book related at all. But it’s something I needed and wanted to get off my chest and this is one of my favorite digital spheres to inhabit. I’m not going to say this is the start of a new blogging “feature” per se, but I will warn you that I’m not closing the door to making more of these on here in the future. I doubt they’ll be very frequent, but I’m not closing the door on that either. Anyway, don’t worry, I have more bookish posts coming, but I needed to publish this first.

Rave Review: Vicious

Vicious

VE Schwab

The Villains, Book #1

I Love This Book. It is, in fact, one of the best books I've ever read and I have a feeling I will always rate it highly. Reading this book feels like keeping a secret close to your heart (although it's not a secret since everyone's pretty much already read this one, and also I alone have told about two dozen people they need to get on it). It's somewhat frightening, somewhat enchanting, and definitely extraordinary.

May and June Wrap Up + Updates

Hello dear readers! It's been ages since a wrap up, which is how I knew it was time to post one. I'm pretty proud of the amount of reading I've been able to accomplish this summer, and also the amount of reviews I've been able to write. It has been slow, but it's also been steady (and you can expect next month to have more posts because I have a bit of a backlog at this point, oops). I know the last wrap up promised a lot, but those promises have to stay on hold for just a little longer. My new job has kept me busier than intended and I'm still adjusting.

Finished

The Eye of the Queen

Tess of the Road

The Humans

All That She Can See

A Midsummer Night's Dream

To Kill a Kingdom

Assassin's Apprentice

The Dressmaker and the Prince

Circles in the Stream

Starlings

Be Prepared

Vicious

The Hunter's Moon

Blood Rose Rebellion

Leviathan Wakes

All Summer Long

Legendary

Upcoming Posts

Reviews for Vicious, Blood Rose Rebellion, Leviathan Wakes, and Legendary are in the works, as well as a combined review of The Dressmaker and the Prince, Be Prepared, and All Summer Long.

I'll also (finally) be posting my spoiler-filled review of Infinity War and another installment in "debut's to be excited for".

Currently Reading

I'm just shy of 100 pages in The Cruel Prince, which I'm enjoying but also not seeing what all the hype was for (yet, at least), and then I'll be reading West, My Lady Jane, and Caliban's War. I'm also hoping to stop at the library and stock up on some spur-of-the-moment books.

Upcoming Reads

I have a bunch of books I really want to get to this summer and while it's still to far away to say for certain when I'll get to them, I thought I'd share.

Letter for the King

Call for the Dead

Bluets

My Plain Jane

Circe

Google It!

Sky in the Deep

 The Wrath and the Dawn

Any books you recommend that I must, must, MUST pick up?

Starlings

Starlings

Jo Walton

Goodreads Link

I received an eGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

(This also means that any quotes may not read the same in the final copy.)

"[...] a universe without pain is a universe without change, without movement, without stories [...] What you have to ask yourself is whether the pain is necessary for the story."

Sometimes I request a book, receive it, and then forget why I requested it. It's a bad habit of requesting every shiny book that comes across my path and something I'm trying to stop doing. This book, though, was the most magical surprise and the best thing to come out of my bad habits. In fact, Starlings may be my favorite read of the year. It's definitely up there and it's definitely been something that changed my life for the better.

This book is a collection of short stories and poems by Jo Walton. I've never read Jo Walton before this (though I promise I'll be devouring everything she's put out). I do, however, work on a genre literary magazine for my school, and the stories here (the fact that they are not at all conventional short stories and genre short stories on top of that) reminded me of Quiver (my magazine) so much. It made my heart soar to find that in the wider world there is a home for stories like these.

Assassin's Apprentice

Assassin's Apprentice

Robin Hobb

Farseer Trilogy, Book #1

This is one of those series' I've had on my shelf for way too long. I bought them with the intention of reading them pretty much immediately and then never actually did. But a few weeks ago, in Gatwick airport, I was anxious for my flight and needed to buy something to calm myself down so I bought another copy of this book. And then I actually did immediately start reading it. I think I read more on that flight than any other flight I've ever been on, I was that engrossed in the book. And this book was nothing like I expected it to be. Not only was it a really good fantasy novel, but it was deep and dark and beautiful and it made me cry because of how close the story touched me. I don't think I've been this moved by a "traditional" fantasy novel in a long time.