Sunday 30 September 2018

Quote Sunday #4

Quote Sunday is a post I do every two week's where I post one of my favourite quotes. This week's quote is from:

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi



I spent my life folded between the pages of books.  In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association.


What are some of your favourite quotes?

Saturday 29 September 2018

Book Review: Reign of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles #2) by Helen Scheuerer

Book: Reign of Mist
Series: The Oremere Chronicles book 2
Author: Helen Scheuerer
Genre: YA Fantasy
The realm’s darkest secret is out. 
The cruelty of the capital and the power-hungry King Arden have scattered Bleak and her companions across the continents. 
On the run in a foreign land, Bleak finds herself tied to some unexpected strangers. When the answers she yearns for are finally within reach, she must face the hard truths of her past, and take her fate into her own hands before it’s too late. 
Meanwhile, secrets and magic unravel as a dark power corrupts the realm. Bleak’s friends are forced to decide where their loyalties lie, and who, if anyone, they can trust. 
But one thing is certain: war is coming, and they must all be ready when it does.


My Rating: 5/5 STARS

My Review:
I loved Heart of Mist so I had high expectations for Reign of Mist and it still surpassed them, Reign of Mist was amazing.

Reign of Mist picks up exactly where Heart of Mist leaves off.  Bleak ends up washing up on the shores of Oremere, half dead and fighting for her life while a mysterious stranger looks on.  After escaping the King's castle Henri starts a journey to a potential ally for her Valian and Swinton is guarding princess Olena.

This book (like Heart of Mist) never failed to surprise me.  The characters grew so much from the first book especially Bleak.  In Reign of Mist she really grew into herself and became more confident and it was done in such a natural way.  Her character progression from Heart of Mist to who she was at the end of Reign of Mist was an exciting journey to witness.  We also see more sides to Henri in this book, we get to see a softer side to her and find out what brings that out.  I was also surprised that some characters showed more of a darker side to them in Reign of Mist.  

A lot of new characters were introduced and I liked how each one added to the story and had their own background with different characters.  They were all interesting in their own way and I'm excited to read more about them.  There were also some animals added to the story and I liked how important they were.  I loved reading about Bleak and Rion, a teerah panther, and the close bond they had.

The storyline was even more epic than the first and there were a lot of twists that happened.  The story was action packed and I really liked the pacing of the book.  I loved the descriptive writing and how the new places the characters went to were described.

Overall I loved Reign of Mist, it was an amazing sequel to Heart of Mist.  The character journeys and the epic story made me wish the book didn't end.  If you loved the first book, you'll definitely love this one.

Friday 28 September 2018

Friday Excerpts: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Today I'll be sharing some book excerpts with these bookish features:
➢ Book Beginnings is a weekly feature (hosted by Rose City Reader) where you post the first sentence of the book you're currently reading. 
➢ The Friday 56 is a weekly feature (hosted by Freda's Voice) where you get a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on ereader) then post a interesting sentence from that page with no spoilers. 


Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children book 3) by Seanan McGuire



Blurb:

Beneath the Sugar Sky, the third book in McGuire's Wayward Children series, returns to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children in a standalone contemporary fantasy for fans of all ages. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the "real" world. 
When Rini lands with a literal splash in the pond behind Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, the last thing she expects to find is that her mother, Sumi, died years before Rini was even conceived. But Rini can’t let Reality get in the way of her quest – not when she has an entire world to save! (Much more common than one would suppose.) 
If she can't find a way to restore her mother, Rini will have more than a world to save: she will never have been born in the first place. And in a world without magic, she doesn’t have long before Reality notices her existence and washes her away. Good thing the student body is well-acquainted with quests... 
A tale of friendship, baking, and derring-do.



Beginning:
Children have always tumbled down rabbit holes, fallen through mirrors, been swept away by unseasonal floods or carried off by tornadoes.  Children have always traveled, and because they are young and bright and full of contradictions, they haven't always restricted their travel to the possible.


Friday 56 (5-6% on my ereader):
Maybe here, though...maybe here she could be.  Maybe here she was allowed.  Everyone else was fighting toward their own sense of safety, of beauty, of belonging.  Maybe she could do that, too.


My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and I've only just started this one which was why I chose my Friday 56 line from 5 to 6 percent way through the book instead on 56 percent through.  I've heard that this is a lot of people's least favourite is the series so I've lowered my expectations of it but I'm still excited to read it.


Have you read Beneath the Sugar Sky? 
What are your thoughts on the quotes from it? 

Tuesday 25 September 2018

Top Ten Tuesday- Books By My Favourite Authors I Still Haven't Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is: Books By My Favourite Authors That I Still Haven’t Read. 


The Glass Spare (The Glass Spare book 1) by Lauren DeStefano
I love Lauren DeStefano's writing, her writing is so quotable and The Glass Spare sounds great.

City of the Lost (Rockton book 1) by Kelley Armstrong
I've read a lot of Kelley Armstrong books, she's probably my most read author so I really want to read City of The Lost.

Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children book 3) by Seanan McGuire
I read Into the Drowning Deep and the first two books in the Wayward Children series this year and enjoyed all of them so Seanan McGuire has only recently became a favourite of mine but I'm excited to read more of her books.

Wildcard (Warcross book 2) by Marie Lu
This one has only recently came out so I have an excuse for not reading it yet but I've loved all of Marie Lu's books that she has written so I can't wait to read Wildcard.

What books by your favourite authors have you not read yet?

Monday 24 September 2018

Book Review: Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire

Book: Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Series: Wayward Children book 2
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: YA Fantasy, Horror

Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. 
This is the story of what happened first… 
Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline. 
Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got. 
They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted. 
They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.

My Rating: 4/5 STARS

My Review:
Down Among the Sticks and Bones is about Jack and Jill and shows their journey of how they became lost in their world and what happened to them while they were there.

I liked this book just as much as the first.  I really enjoyed seeing how Jack and Jill became the way they were.  I felt more connected to Jack and Jill than Nancy (the mc of the first book) and I think the reason for that was mainly because we got to see Jack and Jill in their world and got to see it from their eyes, from the moment they entered it until the moment they left.  We really got to experience just how creepy the world was.

While I was reading I kept picturing the Halloween town from The Nightmare Before Christmas movie because that was the atmospheric vibe it gave off.  I liked a lot of the new characters introduced and I really wanted to read more about them especially Dr Bleak.

It was interesting to read about the different lives each girl lived, both in the real world and in the world they stumbled upon.  The way their parents treated them throughout their childhood was sad to read.  The writing was still as captivating and I loved it, you just can't help but get sucked into a story with this kind of writing.  

Overall I really liked Down Among the Sticks and Bones.  Even though the first book was dark, I really felt the storyline of this book had an even more dark and creepier edge to it than the first.   

Tuesday 18 September 2018

Top Ten Tuesday- Books On My Autumn 2018 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is: Books On My Autumn 2018 TBR.


The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle 
Paper Girls Vol 4 by Brian K Vaughan 
The Wrong Stars (Axiom book 1) by Tim Pratt
The Thief (Black Dagger Brotherhood book 16) by J.R. Ward
Renegades (Renegades book 1) by Marissa Meyer



Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
Floored by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood
Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children book 3) by Seanan McGuire
Lifel1k3 (Lifelike book 1) by Jay Kristoff 
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R Pan


I also plan on reading some new releases in autumn as well, you can check out my Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2018 post to see what new releases I plan on reading.  I feel like I have quite an overly ambitious autumn tbr but I hope I can get to most of the books on this list.

What books are on your Autumn TBR?

Sunday 16 September 2018

Quote Sunday #3

Quote Sunday is a post I do every two week's where I post one of my favourite quotes. This week's quote is from:

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven



You are all the colours in one, at full brightness.


What are some of your favourite quotes?

Friday 14 September 2018

Friday Excerpts: Heart of Mist by Helen Scheuerer

Today I'll be sharing some book excerpts with these bookish features:
Book Beginnings is a weekly feature (hosted by Rose City Reader) where you post the first sentence of the book you're currently reading. 
The Friday 56 is a weekly feature (hosted by Freda's Voice) where you get a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on ereader) then post a interesting sentence from that page with no spoilers. 

Heart of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles book 1) by Helen Scheuerer



Blurb:

In a realm where toxic mist sweeps the lands and magic is forbidden, all Bleak wants is a cure for her power. 
Still grieving the death of her guardian and dangerously self-medicating with alcohol, Bleak is snatched from her home by the Commander of the King’s Army, and summoned to the capital. 
But the king isn’t the only one interested in Bleak’s powers. 
The leader of an infamous society of warriors, the Valia Kindred, lays claim to her as well, and Bleak finds herself in the middle of a much bigger battle than she anticipated.



Beginning:

PROLOGUE-
The branches of the canopy were like springs beneath the balls of her feet, making her lighter than air as she leapt from one tree to another, towards her freedom.


Friday 56 (Page 56):
Behind them, Felder's Bay and its turquoise waters had long since vanished from sight.


My Thoughts:
I already read Heart of Mist earlier this year and loved it, you can check out more of my thoughts in my review of it here.  Although I'm not currently reading Heart of Mist, I am currently reading the sequel to it called Reign of Mist.  It was just released and I haven't read much of it yet but I'm so excited to see where this series goes. 


Have you read Heart of Mist? What are your thoughts on the quotes from it? 

Tuesday 11 September 2018

Top Ten Tuesday- Hidden Gem Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is: Hidden Gems.  I've already did a post about a year ago on some of my favourite hidden gems.  You can find it here.  As well as those books here are some more hidden gem books.  Some are new ones I've read and discovered and some I read years ago.



Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Perfect Ruin (The Internment Chronicles book 1) by Lauren DeStefano
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood



Heart of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles book 1) by Helen Scheuerer
Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky book 1) by Veronica Rossi
Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard


What are some hidden gem books you have found?

Wednesday 5 September 2018

Books That Recently Piqued My Interest - 05/09/18

Here are four books that have recently piqued my interest.  


Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
This book comes out at the beginning of October and has been getting some buzz recently so I checked out the description and now I really want to read it. 

Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
While checking out Sawkill Girls by the same author I came across this book and although I don't tend to read many children's books I thought it sounded like a really interesting read.


The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt
I read about this book on another blog and it sounded really epic.

The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles
This sounds like it would be an emotional read and I love books that are centred on friendship so this definitely caught my interest. 

I don't know when I'll get around to reading them, I do plan on reading the books on this list but I know my interest in a few of them might wane because I haven't checked them out in detail yet and once I do I might end up realising they aren't for me but for now I definitely want to read them all.

Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts on them?  

Sunday 2 September 2018

Quote Sunday #2

Quote Sunday is a feature where I post one of my favourite quotes from a book.  The last time I did a Quote Sunday post I said I would be doing it weekly but I decided to change it into every two week's instead.  This week's quote is from:

Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer



Just like that, things change--the faint, filmy bubble of summer pops, September's cool breath whooshes in, and life moves on.



What are some of your favourite quotes?

Saturday 1 September 2018

August Wrap Up 2018

What I Read in August:


The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds book 1) by Alexandra Bracken - 4/5 STARS
This was a reread for me and although I did enjoy it, I found some things annoyed me more this time around.  

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds book 2) by Alexandra Bracken - 3/5 STARS 
I didn't like this one as much as the first and because of that I don't plan on continuing with the series. 

A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood - 4/5 STARS
I really liked this book, I loved the writing and the story really drew me in.  It's a great read and I did a full review on it here.

Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant book 1) by Ilona Andrews - 4/5 STARS
I really liked this book much more than I thought I would.  Hugh was an antagonist in the Kate Daniels series so it was really interesting to read about how much his character changed in this book.  I really liked the plot and I liked a lot of the new characters introduced in it so I'm excited for the next one.


Here are some of my Bookstagram pictures for August.  You can find me at: xo_reader_kyla



I didn't really have the best reading month in August, I didn't read as much books as I wanted to but hopefully I'll read more in September.  

What books did you read in August?