Book Review: Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff

Book: Nevernight
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle book 1
Author: Jay Kristoff
Genre: Adult fantasy

Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death. 

Destined to destroy empires, the child raised in shadows made a promise on the day she lost everything: to avenge herself on those that shattered her world. 

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, and Mia must become a weapon without equal. Before she seeks vengeance, she must seek training among the infamous assassins of the Red Church of Itreya. 

Inside the Church's halls, Mia must prove herself against the deadliest of opponents and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult. 

The Church is no ordinary school, but Mia is no ordinary student.

My Rating: 4 STARS

My Review:

I enjoyed Nevernight immensely.  I already knew before reading that it takes a while to get into the book and I'm glad I knew that before reading.  It definitely takes a while before getting into the story but that's understandable since it is an adult fantasy, but after the first 100 pages I was very captivated by the story.

I was surprised that the majority of this book takes place in a school/academy, I wasn't really expecting that but I ended up loving that part of it.

Nevernight is definitely a book that centres on one characters journey and that is Mia.  I loved reading about Mia and her learning all these new skills and honing her old ones.  And I loved reading about her relationships with the other students.  Her abilities as Darkin are still so mysterious that it makes me really interested in where the storyline is going to go with that.  Mister Kindly is an interesting companion, I liked his sarcastic interactions with Mia.

Nevernight has a lot of twists and turns that always leave you hooked and the storyline is fascinating because it doesn't go where you expect it to.

Overall I think Nevernight is a great fantasy.  The characters were very interesting especially Mia and her story is very intriguing.  When I got to the last page I just wanted to keep reading.  If you're a fantasy reader I would recommend you don't miss out on Nevernight.

Easter Readathon TBR

I recently heard about the Easter Readathon, which is hosted by Kate at Reading Through Infinity, and it sounds like such a fun readathon that I really want to take part in.  It starts on Friday the 19th and goes on to Monday the 22nd, you can find more information on it here.  There are a few challenges to go along with the readathon but you don't have to do them.  

My TBR:

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Nana vol 3 by Ai Yazawa

Wildcard (Warcross book 2) by Marie Lu

I don't know what it is about readathons but they always make me think I can read a lot more than I can so I've had to stop myself from adding too many books to this list, if I read these books then that will be more than I usually read within a couple of days so I'll be happy.  And I'll be updating my progress on my Twitter (x_Kyla_01).

Are you participating in the readathon? What are you planning on reading?

Book Review: The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

Book: The Wicked King
Series: The Folk of the Air book 2
Author: Holly Black
Genre: YA fantasy

Jude has tricked Cardan onto the throne, binding him to her for a year and a day. But the new High King does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her, even as his fascination with her remains undimmed. 

Meanwhile, a traitor in the court is scheming against her. Jude must fight for her life and the lives of those she loves, all while battling her own complicated feelings for Cardan. Now a year and a day seems like no time at all . . . 

My Rating: 3 STARS

My Review:

I read The Cruel Prince last year and liked it a lot so when I heard people saying The Wicked King was even better I was very excited for it.  I did like the writing of The Wicked King a lot, it was very easy to get immersed into the story again which made the book a very quick read but I was disappointed by it.

I didn't feel attached to any of the characters.  There have been a few books where I disliked the characters but still loved the book but I feel that there needs to be a connection or an understanding of a character and I really don't feel that with this series.

I also felt that none of the relationships developed much in this book.  I was expecting some kind of talk or discussion between Jude and Taryn but nothing really happened.  Also Madoc was barely in this book so there wasn't much focus on his fatherly relationship with Jude.  

Even though I felt like nothing much happened I still found the story entertaining to read and the plot twists were very surprising which kept me intrigued in the story.

Overall I didn't like this book as much as the first.  I felt that there was a lack of development with the overall storyline and character relationships but I thought it was an entertaining read with good writing and it did have some very interesting plot twists.

Top Ten Tuesday- Rainy Day Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is:  Rainy Day Reads.  

I think everyone has their own view on what a rainy day read is and for me I don't mind reading any book on a rainy day so I just chose some books that would be great to get lost in on a rainy day.

Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children book 1) by Seanan McGuire

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

State of Sorrow (Sorrow book 1) by Melinda Salisbury

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files book 1) by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Darkfever (Fever book 1) by Karen Marie Moning

Caraval (Caraval book 1) by Stephanie Garber

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

What books would you recommend to read on a rainy day?

Book Review: Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin

Book: Other Words for Smoke
Author: Sarah Maria Griffin
Genre: YA fantasy/magical realism

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

The house at the end of the lane burned down, and Rita Frost and her teenage ward, Bevan, were never seen again. The townspeople never learned what happened. Only Mae and her brother Rossa know the truth; they spent two summers with Rita and Bevan, two of the strangest summers of their lives… 

Because nothing in that house was as it seemed: a cat who was more than a cat, and a dark power called Sweet James that lurked behind the wallpaper, enthralling Bevan with whispers of neon magic and escape. 

And in the summer heat, Mae became equally as enthralled with Bevan. Desperately in the grips of first love, she’d give the other girl anything. A dangerous offer when all that Sweet James desired was a taste of new flesh…

My Rating: 3 STARS

My Review:

The beginning of Other Words for Smoke has a really mysterious pull that makes you immediately interested in the story, I liked the overall premise of the book and that mixed with the atmospheric writing style definitely intrigued me.

The story is certainly unique. A story about a talking cat, a talking owl that lives in the wallpaper, witches and a house that has almost it's own personality.  I liked how eerie all these things added together made the story to be.  The house itself was very interesting and creepy and I thought the descriptions of the house were very haunting.

I felt like there was something missing with each of the characters that made me not care or feel connected to any of them.  I also didn't think there was much of a connection between Mae and Rossa despite them being twins.  I didn't like Bevan much and I felt that we didn't really find out much about her personality even though a lot of the book it told from her pov.

I did like the flashback scenes that took place to show Rita's past, I thought they were some of the most interesting parts of the book and I was disappointed that there were only a few of those scenes.

Overall I didn’t care for the characters much and I was underwhelmed by the overall storyline, I expected there to be more to things than there was but I did like the flashback scenes and the creepy atmospheric vibe of the book.  The writing was also intriguing.

March Wrap Up 2019

What I Read:

The Thief (Black Dagger Brotherhood book 16) by J.R. Ward - 2 STARS

I think this is definitely my least liked book of the BDB series.  I didn't really like Assail or Sola much before this book and my opinion of them still stands.  I don't hate these characters but there are definitely more interesting characters in this world that I would've preferred reading about instead.  I also really disliked the side story of Vishous and Jane and didn't like where their relationship went in this book.

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum - 3 STARS

I liked most of this book and really liked the way the story was told, it was very intriguing but the ending had me disappointed especially the reasons for everything and the whole ending section.

Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle book 1) by Jay Kristoff - 4 STARS

I had high hopes for this book because of the hype surrounding it and I'm glad it lived up to those.  It's a slow start but I knew that before reading and after the first 100-150 pages I was really into the story.  I liked how most of the book took place in a school and I enjoyed reading Mia's journey to become who she is. There were some really interesting twists in this books and I can't wait to see where the series goes next.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5 STARS

This was one of my most anticipated books so I was nervous to read it but I ended up loving it.  Taylor Jenkins Reid has such a way with words that makes these characters feel so real and like you're reading a piece of history that actually happened.

Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá - 4 STARS

I enjoyed this graphic novel a lot, I loved the artwork.  This story is about how there are so many different paths that a person could go down in life and it takes a look at the main character's life and what would've happened had he made different choices in life.  I really liked reading about that and find it such an interesting topic.

Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin - 3 STARS 

{I received a free copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review}

I liked the beginning of this book a lot and liked the creepy atmospheric feelings it gave off but I didn't feel connected to the characters.  My full review will be posted soon.

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments book 1) by Cassandra Clare {REREAD} - 5 STARS

I've been planning on rereading the Shadowhunter books since the start of the year and have finally gotten around to it.  I really enjoyed rereading City of Bones, I love this series so much.

Blog Posts I Did in March:

My Spring TBR 2019

Sequels I'm Unsure About

Song of Sorrow (Sorrow book 2) by Melinda Salisbury Book Review 

The 'I Should Have Read That Book' Tag

Top Ten Tuesday: Standalones That Need A Sequel

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I'd Like to Switch Places With 

My Bookstagram pictures for March (xo_reader_kyla):

I'm happy with my reading in March, it felt like I read a lot.  I didn't watch much in March but I have been finally catching up on The Originals, I've just finished season 4 and can't wait to watch season 5. I've been listening to a lot of March Kpop comebacks like Jus2, KARD and Stray Kids, I've been loving all their songs!

What did you read, watch or listen to in March?