Top Ten Tuesday- Characters I’d Like To Switch Places With

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is: Characters I’d Like To Switch Places With.  I only chose a few characters for this week's topic since it was hard to choose because most characters go through some very bad times.

Clary (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare) - I know a lot of people don't like Clary's character but I do and I loved reading about how she became introduced to the Shadowhunter World and I think she'd be a good character to switch with because then you'd get to experience that firsthand.

Angel (I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman) - I'd like to switch places with Angel because in the book she meets her favourite boy band and that would be great to experience. (Totally not imagining myself meeting GOT7 or BTS right now).

Lou (A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood) - A Sky Painted Gold in set in the 1920s and Lou attends some great summer parties.

Harry Potter (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling) - Harry Potter goes though a lot over the HP series but I think it would be interesting to experience all that magic.  From learning he's a wizard, practising magic and attending Hogwarts, would all be amazing.  

What character would you like to switch places with?

Book Review: Song of Sorrow (Sorrow #2) by Melinda Salisbury

Book: Song of Sorrow

Series: Sorrow book 2

Author: Melinda Salisbury

Genre: YA fantasy

{I was sent a free copy of this book by the publisher but all thoughts and opinions are my own}

Sorrow Ventaxis has won the election, and in the process lost everything... 

Governing under the sinister control of Vespus Corrigan, and isolated from her friends, Sorrow must to find a way to free herself from his web and save her people. But Vespus has no plans to let her go, and he isn't the only enemy Sorrow faces as the curse of her name threatens to destroy her and everything she's fought for.

My Rating: 5 STARS

My Review:

I loved Song of Sorrow, it was such an exciting read.  Song of Sorrow begins with Sorrow trying her best to hold Vespus off on his plans whilst also trying to protect her friends and from the very start, where we see the fallout of the ending of State of Sorrow until the end where everything is wrapped up, I was so engrossed in the story.

I was already so attached to the characters in the first book but I loved them more in this one.  I loved how we got to see all of Sorrow's friends interacting together and I thought those scenes were so fun to read.  Sorrow and Irris's friendship was still heavily focused on in Song of Sorrow which I was glad to see because I love their friendship.  We also see more of Luvian and his family in this book and I loved reading more about him.

There are so many great characters in this duology and I loved how well written they all are.  I liked how much Sorrow grew from the beginning of this book and where she is at the end, her character journey was so nice to read about.

The plot was full of surprising twists and turns like the first one and I loved how in Song of Sorrow you could really feel the stakes were raised.  

Overall I loved Song of Sorrow and I think it's a great ending to the duology.  If you liked the political intrigue in the first, you will love this one.  I thought it was an exciting read from start to finish with amazing characters that I'm going to miss reading about. 

February Wrap Up 2019

What I Read:

Nana vol 1 by Ai Yazawa - 3 STARS 

Nana vol 2 by Ai Yazawa - 3 STARS 

I did like the first two volumes but I don't feel fully connected to this series yet but I definitely think it's a series where the characters grow a lot as the series goes on so I'm hoping I'll love the next few volumes more.

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman - 4 STARS

Starfish is one of those hard hitting emotional books that talks about a lot of heavy topics so at times it was tough to read but I'm really glad I did read this book.  I loved the writing and I really liked the way the author described anxiety in this book.

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 4 STARS

I liked the overall plot of this book and the premise of how your life could be different had you made another choice.  I loved the writing, it felt so easy to read and flowed really well, I quickly flew through the book.

In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children book 4) by Seanan McGuire - 5 STARS

This is my favourite book in the Wayward Children series, I loved the other books in this series but I felt a special connection to this one.  I loved Lundy's story, it's so beautiful and bittersweet and I loved the world and the characters Lundy made friends with.  

State of Sorrow (Sorrow book 1) by Melinda Salisbury - 4 STARS

I reread this book for a readalong this month and I enjoyed reading it again.  It's a great fantasy with a lot of political intrigue and interesting characters.

Song of Sorrow (Sorrow book 2) by Melinda Salisbury - 5 STARS {I was sent a free copy of this book by the publisher}

I loved Song of Sorrow and thought it was a great end to the duology.  I was so engrossed in this book and loved reading about all the characters, I'll be posting my full review of it soon.

My Bookstagram pictures for February (xo_reader_kyla):

TV:  I watched some great TV series' in February, like:

Tidelands- I started watching this on a whim, I didn't know too much about it but I really enjoyed it.  It's a series about Sirens and it's full of mystery, I liked a lot of the characters and the last few episodes were full of action and twists.

Strong Woman Bong-soon - This is now one of my favourite kdramas, I loved it so much.  I loved the overall storyline and loved the characters, I didn't want this series to end. 

The Umbrella Academy - This has been getting a lot of hype recently and I have to say it definitely deserves the hype.  I now have quite the obsession with this series.

MUSIC: I loved the comebacks of MONSTA X (Alligator) and Dreamcatcher (PIRI) this month, I've been obsessed with these songs.

I'm happy with my February wrap up, I read and loved a lot of the books and found some favourite TV series in February.  I hope March will bring the same.  What did you read or watch in February?

Book Review: State of Sorrow (Sorrow #1) by Melinda Salisbury

Book: State of Sorrow
Series: Sorrow book 1 
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Genre: YA fantasy

Sorrow all but rules the Court of Tears, in a land gripped by perpetual grief, forever mourning her brother who died just days before Sorrow was born. By day she governs in place of her father, by night she seeks secret solace in the arms of the boy she's loved since childhood. But when her brother is seemingly found alive, and intent on taking control, Sorrow has to choose whether to step aside for a stranger who might not be who he claims to be, or embark on a power struggle for a position she never really wanted.

My Rating: 4 STARS

My Review:

I really liked State of Sorrow and thought it was a captivating fantasy.

I was quickly drawn into the story by the prologue.  It provides an intriguing backdrop to the history of the world in this book and really sets the tone for the overall plot.

I liked the descriptions of the lands in State of Sorrow especially the two main ones, Rhannon and Rhylla.  I liked the contrast of them, Rhylla is described as being full of life while Rhannon being described as a place of dreariness and sadness.

The thing that I loved most about State of Sorrow was how much the book focused on the political side of things, I didn't expect it to be that centred on the politics of ruling a kingdom but I loved that it did.  I felt the political points of the story provided so much to the overall story because it set a lot of things into motion like the motivations of the characters and also the surprising twists and turns of the story.

I liked Sorrow and thought her story was very interesting as she had to navigate the complexities of trying to lead Rhannon while having to learn all the courtly schemes and politics.  I thought all the characters were written really well and I loved reading about Sorrow's friendship with Irris and I also liked Luvian's character a lot.

Overall I thought State of Sorrow was a great fantasy book and I liked the focus on the politics.  The characters were complex and I thought the plot was very intriguing and full of interesting twists.

Top Ten Tuesday- Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2000 Ratings on Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is: Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads. 

• A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood - I loved the descriptions of the summer parties in the 1920s in this book and I loved the sister relationship in it.

• The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven - The main character is this book is probably one of my favourites, she is so funny and I love the themes and important topics tackled in this book.

• Shades of Treason (Anomaly book 1) by Sandy Williams - The Anomaly series is such a fun action packed sci-fi series with the perfect blend of romance in it.

• Shades of Honor (Anomaly book 2) by Sandy Williams  

• Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer - This book is about friendships and time travel and those are two of my favourite things to read about so I really liked the combination of both in this book.

• Ice Massacre (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai book 1) by Tiana Warner - I loved how female centric this story was and I really liked reading about the conflicts of the war between humans and mermaids. 

• Reign of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles book 2) by Helen Scheuerer - This is the second book in the Oremere Chronicles and I loved the first just as much as the second.  This is one of my favourite fantasy series.

• State of Sorrow (Sorrow book 1) by Melinda Salisbury - I'm rereading this book now and I'm liking it just as much as the first time I read it.  It's a great YA fantasy with political intrigue.

I've loved all of these books and I'm so surprised that they don't have more ratings.  What are some books you loved that don't have many ratings?

Top Ten Tuesday- Favourite Couples in Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is: Favourite Couples in Books.

Kate and Curran (Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews)

Mercy and Adam (Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs)

Katniss and Peeta (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) 

Aria and Perry (Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi)

Will and Tessa (The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare)

Rose and Dimitri (Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead)

Jamie and Claire (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon)

Meghan and Ash (The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa)

Cat and Bones (Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost)

Jace and Clary (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare)

I have a lot of favourite book couples so it was hard to narrow it down to just ten.  Who are some of your favourite book couples?

Book Review: Enchantée by Gita Trelease

Book: Enchantée
Author: Gita Trelease
Genre: YA historical fantasy
Edition: ARC/uncorrected proof
Published: 21st February 2019

{I was sent an ARC/Proof of this book by the publisher but all thoughts and opinions are my own}

Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries – and magicians . . . 

When smallpox kills her parents, seventeen-year-old Camille is left to provide for her frail sister and her volatile brother. In desperation, she survives by using the petty magic she learnt from her mother. But when her brother disappears Camille decides to pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. 

Using dark magic Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine‘ and presents herself at the court of Versaille, where she soon finds herself swept up in a dizzying life of riches, finery and suitors. But Camille’s resentment of the rich is at odds with the allure of their glamour and excess, and she soon discovers that she’s not the only one leading a double life . . .

My Rating: 4 STARS

My Review:

Enchantée is a wonderful magical historical and I really enjoyed reading it.  The descriptions of the time period, from the scenery and places to the fashion and makeup, were so mesmerising to read and the writing made it so easy to imagine 1789 Paris.

I thought the characters were interesting and I especially liked the friendships that Camille made throughout the book.  I liked reading about her group of friends and wanted to read more about them.  I loved Chandon's character the most and loved reading about their friendship together.

The way the magic was described and how it worked was very exciting and I liked how Camille began to find out more about magic and the history of it as the book went on and I liked how the book entwined the magical elements with events in history.

One of the main themes of Enchantée is about the differences between common people and aristocrats and I really liked that part of the story and found myself fascinated by Camille's double life she was leading as she struggled to find where she fit in amongst both crowds and how torn she felt between the two.  I did sometimes find Camille to be very naive in her decision making but I liked how she took care of her sister.

Card games and gambling were another theme in this book and a lot of the storyline was referenced like a part of a game and I thought that made the story even more intriguing.

Overall I really liked Enchantée.  The descriptions of the time period and setting really stand out and the storyline kept me hooked.  The characters and themes of the book were very interesting to read.  It's a wonderfully described magical historical and I was definitely enchanted by Enchantée.