Reading Wrap Up | April 2016
Unknown
15:35
Considering that I am being thrown into my A-levels I have read a fairly large amount this month and I wasn't reading until a good week and a bit into the month too.
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyles
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
I started this in March when I was in Iceland but I sort put it aside so I only finished it at the start of this month. However I can happily say that this book will always hold a special place in my heart considering how breathtaking it was. Though I'm going to say that I did not expect that ending! This book left me as a blubbering mess ... in a good way and it definietly deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've been waiting to get my hands on this book for months now; since I finished Winter in fact. And it did not disappoint. No suprise on the rating that I gave it. It deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir
The Curse of the Sphinx, by Raye Wagner
How long can a monster stay hidden in plain sight?
Seventeen year old Hope Nicholas has spent her entire life on the run. But no one is chasing her. In fact, no one even knows she exits. With her mom, she's traveled from town to town, barely staying long enough to meet anyone, let alone make friends. And she'll have to keep it that way.
It's safer.
When her mother is brutally ripped away from her, Hope's life shatters. Is this the fulfillment of Apollo's curse? Is Hope, too, being hunted? Orphaned and alone, Hope flees again, but this time there's no one to teach her who to trust-or how to love.
In a universe still ruled by the Greek Gods, mytholody is more than just a course in high school. Demigods, monsters, and shadow-demons from the Underworld are urban realities that threaten Hope's very existence.
When the handsome Athan Michael comes to her aid, she must decide if safety is worth the sacrifice of love? Can Hope find a way, or will Apollo's curse rob her of everything she's ever wanted?
A free book is something that I will always jump at but I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. Greek mythology I do love you. Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab
Kell is one of the last Antari, a rare magician who can travel between parallel world: hopping from Grey London - dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George - to red London - where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire - to White London - ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne, where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back - and back, but never Black London, because travelling to Black London is forbidden and no one speaks of it now.
Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they'll never see, and it is this dangerous hobby that sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-pruse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to take her with him for an adventure.
But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save both his London and the others, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive - a feat trickier than they hoped.
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyles
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
I started this in March when I was in Iceland but I sort put it aside so I only finished it at the start of this month. However I can happily say that this book will always hold a special place in my heart considering how breathtaking it was. Though I'm going to say that I did not expect that ending! This book left me as a blubbering mess ... in a good way and it definietly deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stars Above, by Marissa Meyer
The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realise their destinies?
The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realise their destinies?
I've been waiting to get my hands on this book for months now; since I finished Winter in fact. And it did not disappoint. No suprise on the rating that I gave it. It deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir
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 realise that their destinies are intertwined - and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
The writing in this book was breathing but the characters and the plot .... not so much. I didn't mind Elias' story but Laia I just found and pointless really. There was no love for me she didn't develop as a character it was just a *zap* and she'd changed. It was not realistic. Sabaa Tahir did have an amazing style of writing that made the book feel so realistic but that was about it sadly. Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kindred Spirits, by Rainbow Rowell
If you broke Elena's heart, Star Wars would spill out.
So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she expecting a celebration with crowds of people who lost Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does.
What she's not expecting is to be last in a line of people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the ways she feels.
Who doesn't love a good romance by Rainbow Rowell? This had the same feel as Fangirl and Eleanor and Park but in a short form. The main thing that annoyed me was that although there was flirting there was no love and it was described as a romance. This wasn't a normal romance, especially from Rainbow. I expected there to be a kiss or something but it was a little anti-climatic. It was cute but that was it.
Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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 realise that their destinies are intertwined - and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
The writing in this book was breathing but the characters and the plot .... not so much. I didn't mind Elias' story but Laia I just found and pointless really. There was no love for me she didn't develop as a character it was just a *zap* and she'd changed. It was not realistic. Sabaa Tahir did have an amazing style of writing that made the book feel so realistic but that was about it sadly. Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kindred Spirits, by Rainbow Rowell
If you broke Elena's heart, Star Wars would spill out.
So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she expecting a celebration with crowds of people who lost Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does.
What she's not expecting is to be last in a line of people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the ways she feels.
Who doesn't love a good romance by Rainbow Rowell? This had the same feel as Fangirl and Eleanor and Park but in a short form. The main thing that annoyed me was that although there was flirting there was no love and it was described as a romance. This wasn't a normal romance, especially from Rainbow. I expected there to be a kiss or something but it was a little anti-climatic. It was cute but that was it.
Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor
On the one hand, Karou is a seventeen year old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to Brimstone, a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family.
Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimestone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she's whole.
Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.
This was not what I expected at all.So many people raved it and it was okay but the characters were not believable. Laini Taylor has an amazing writing and her world building it was so good. But the characters were just a let it down. The only one I particularly was Brimestone. But even though I flew through this books really quickly, I didn't love it. This is way I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On the one hand, Karou is a seventeen year old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to Brimstone, a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family.
Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimestone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she's whole.
Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.
This was not what I expected at all.So many people raved it and it was okay but the characters were not believable. Laini Taylor has an amazing writing and her world building it was so good. But the characters were just a let it down. The only one I particularly was Brimestone. But even though I flew through this books really quickly, I didn't love it. This is way I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins
Budding designer Lola has an outrageous sense of style, a hot rocker boyfriend and big plans for the future. Everything is perfect - until Cricket Bell returns to the neighbourhood. When he steps back into her world, Lola must reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. And perhaps discover that true love can be closer than you think.
Anna and the French Kiss was a book that I adored last year, it was so good and I've been wanting to pick up Lola for so long. And it had the same adorable style but it just wasn't as amazing as Anna. Lola just wasn't the sort of girl I could easily fall in love with unlike Anna. Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Forsaken, by Jana Oliver
Budding designer Lola has an outrageous sense of style, a hot rocker boyfriend and big plans for the future. Everything is perfect - until Cricket Bell returns to the neighbourhood. When he steps back into her world, Lola must reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. And perhaps discover that true love can be closer than you think.
Anna and the French Kiss was a book that I adored last year, it was so good and I've been wanting to pick up Lola for so long. And it had the same adorable style but it just wasn't as amazing as Anna. Lola just wasn't the sort of girl I could easily fall in love with unlike Anna. Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Forsaken, by Jana Oliver
Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she already following in his footsteps as one of the best.
But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her life.
One thing's for sure - if she doesn't keep her wits about her there'll be hell to pay ...
A reread of one of my favourite series that was as amazing as I remember. It definitely deserves this rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead.
But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderers still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family.
This book was another that I started in Iceland last month but I didn't finish it until the end of the month because I didn't love it. Don't know why but I just didn't. No where near as good as people said it was. Okay but not amazing. That's why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead.
But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderers still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family.
This book was another that I started in Iceland last month but I didn't finish it until the end of the month because I didn't love it. Don't know why but I just didn't. No where near as good as people said it was. Okay but not amazing. That's why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Curse of the Sphinx, by Raye Wagner
How long can a monster stay hidden in plain sight?
Seventeen year old Hope Nicholas has spent her entire life on the run. But no one is chasing her. In fact, no one even knows she exits. With her mom, she's traveled from town to town, barely staying long enough to meet anyone, let alone make friends. And she'll have to keep it that way.
It's safer.
When her mother is brutally ripped away from her, Hope's life shatters. Is this the fulfillment of Apollo's curse? Is Hope, too, being hunted? Orphaned and alone, Hope flees again, but this time there's no one to teach her who to trust-or how to love.
In a universe still ruled by the Greek Gods, mytholody is more than just a course in high school. Demigods, monsters, and shadow-demons from the Underworld are urban realities that threaten Hope's very existence.
When the handsome Athan Michael comes to her aid, she must decide if safety is worth the sacrifice of love? Can Hope find a way, or will Apollo's curse rob her of everything she's ever wanted?
A free book is something that I will always jump at but I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. Greek mythology I do love you. Hence why I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab
Kell is one of the last Antari, a rare magician who can travel between parallel world: hopping from Grey London - dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George - to red London - where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire - to White London - ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne, where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back - and back, but never Black London, because travelling to Black London is forbidden and no one speaks of it now.
Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they'll never see, and it is this dangerous hobby that sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-pruse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to take her with him for an adventure.
But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save both his London and the others, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive - a feat trickier than they hoped.
I don't know if I'm the only one who felt this whilst reading this book but to me it felt as if I was reading something based on the Lord of the Rings. It didn't feel all that original. The plot line was good and I liked the characters (they weren't my favourites but they were okay) but it had such a slow pace. I really couldn't get through it fast enough. And that's why k gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (I'd give it a half of I could).
This month I read and amazing 10 books. How on earth did I manage that? How did everyone else do with their reading for the month of April?
-IAMAGEEKINGGINGER!
Book Total of 2016 - 35
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