Friday 31 May 2019

May Wrap Up 2019

What I Read:


The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles - 5 STARS
The Air You Breathe is definitely one of my favourite books of this year, I loved it so much.  It's such a beautifully written story about complex friendship and the characters and story are very memorable.  I will be posting my full review of it sometime this month.

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate book 1) by Gail Carriger - 3 STARS
I thought this book was an okay read, the story was enjoyable but it didn't leave much of a lasting impression on me so I don't know if I want to continue with the series or not.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - 2 STARS
I was really disappointed in this book.  I know the premise is about these super rich families but I wasn't expecting to dislike every character, they were all a bit 2D and I also thought the main couple had no chemistry.


Blog Posts I Did in May:





My May Bookstagram pictures (xo_reader_kyla): 


I didn't have the best reading month in May but I did read one of my favourite books of the year (The Air You Breathe) and one of my favourite groups, GOT7, had a comeback in May with Eclipse and I loved it.
What did you read in May?

Tuesday 28 May 2019

Book Review: Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff

Book: Godsgrave
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle book 2
Author: Jay Kristoff
Genre: Adult fantasy


Conquer your fear, conquer the world 
Mia Corvere, destroyer of empires, has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry do not believe she has earned it. 
Her position is precarious, and she's still no closer to exacting revenge for the brutal death of her family. But after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself. 
When it is announced that Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself into slavery for a chance to fulfill the promise she made on the day she lost everything. 
Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold, secrets are revealed and the body count rises within the collegium walls, Mia will be forced to choose between her loyalties and her revenge.


My Rating: 5 STARS

My Review:
I loved Godsgrave and thought it was such an interesting sequel.  The two books feel like different stories but are both still so amazing.  One of the reasons why I think Nevernight and Godsgrave feel so different is the plot.  Nevernight was set in a school and was focused on Mia's training whereas Godsgrave is about Mia competing in a gladiator style championship to win her chance at the revenge she has sworn to exact.

I loved how far Mia has come, from being unsure and learning her skill set in Nevernight to becoming more confident and using those skills with a vengeance in Godsgrave.  She is solely focused on getting revenge in Godsgrave and it was interesting to read how far she was willing to go for it.

There were some really interesting character developments in Godsgrave especially the relationship between Aislinn and Mia.  I think that provided a whole new interesting layer to the story because their relationship has been so up and down throughout the course of the two books that you really can't second guess how they truly feel about each other.  There were a lot of new characters introduced in Godsgrave and I liked finding out more about each one as the story progressed.

Just like the first book there were so many shocking twists and turns in Godsgrave.  So many interesting revelations came to light all throughout this book.

Overall I loved Godsgrave.  It's so great to witness Mia's growth as a character and I loved being constantly surprised by the storyline.  I can't wait to see how the trilogy concludes in the next book.  If you liked Nevernight, I think you'll love Godsgrave.

Friday 10 May 2019

Kpop Fan Book Tag


I saw this tag over on iinktrailss and I loved how it combines two of my favourite things: books and Kpop.  The original tag was created by xonikkee on booktube and I'd suggest checking out her video because you can get more info on the Kpop terms.  I'm so excited to do this tag!


QUESTIONS:


1) Bias/Ultimate Bias - Fave Book or Series
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I always find it hard to pick just one favourite book so I went with the one that stood out most to me.  This book took me completely by surprise and made me feel all the emotions! 




2) Bias Wrecker - A Book That's ALMOST Your Fave
The Diviners by Libba Bray - Again it's hard to pick just one favourite or almost favourite so I just chose a random favourite of mine for this question.  I love this series, it's so atmospheric and has a great cast of characters.




3) Anti-fan - A Book That Everyone Loves But You Don't -
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa - I heard a lot of people rave about this book but I just found it very generic.  I much prefer Julie Kagawa's earlier series than her latest ones.




4) Trainee - A Book You Can't Wait To Read From A Debut Author
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman - This book was released last month and it sounds really good, I keep meaning to pick it up!




5) Rookie - A Debut Author You Read Recently And Loved
Enchantée by Gita Trelease - I received an ARC of this book earlier this year and was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  I loved the setting and how the magic was described.




6) Comeback - A Recent Release From A Well Known Author You Loved OR A Sequel You Loved
Song of Sorrow (Sorrow book 2) by Melinda Salisbury - I went for a sequel I loved for this question.  I loved Song of Sorrow and I feel like the Sorrow duology is so underrated.




7) Concept - Your Favourite Genre/Subgenre/Trope
Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal - Some of my favourite genres are urban fantasy and paranormal.  I don't really have much preference about tropes but some of my favourite buzzwords are time travel and strong friendships.


8) Fancam - A Favourite Interaction With An Author OR An Author You Would Like To Meet & Why
I haven't met any authors and I don't know who I'd want to meet because I feel like I'd be way too nervous, haha.


9) Fanchant - A Tagline That Pulled You Into The Book
The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles - I don't know if this counts as a tagline but I really liked this sentence that describes the book: 'The story of an intense female friendship fueled by affection, envy and pride--and each woman's fear that she would be nothing without the other.'




10) Visual - Your Fave Cover OR A Cover You Think Stands Out
Some of my favourite covers are: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood and Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer.





I love a lot of Kpop groups but my ultimate two would be GOT7 and BTS, I'm so excited for GOT7s upcoming comeback on the 20th of this month!  Do you like Kpop? What would be some of your answers to these questions?

Tuesday 7 May 2019

A Girl Called Shameless (Izzy O'Neill #2) by Laura Steven

Book: A Girl Called Shameless
Series: Izzy O'Neill book 2
Author: Laura Steven
Genre: YA Contemporary

It’s been two months since a leaked explicit photo got Izzy involved in a political sex scandal – and the aftershock is far from over. The Bitches Bite Back movement is gathering momentum as a forum for teenage feminists, and when a girl at another school has a sex tape shared online, once again Izzy leads the charge against the slut-shamer. This time she wants to change the state law on revenge porn.  
Izzy and her best friend Ajita are as hilarious as ever, using comedy to fight back against whatever the world throws at them, but Izzy is still reeling from her slut-shaming ordeal, feeling angry beyond belief and wondering – can they really make a change?


My Rating: 3 STARS

My Review:
The Exact Opposite of Okay was one of my favourite books of last year, I absolutely loved it.  When I found out about a sequel, I was kind of surprised since I thought The Exact Opposite of Okay ended really well and didn't seem to need a sequel but then I started to get more excited for the sequel because I wanted to read more about Izzy's story.

I did like A Girl Called Shameless but I was disappointed by it.  Even though some big things happen in this book (like standing up and trying to end things like revenge porn and slut shaming), I felt that there wasn't enough things happening to warrant another book and I feel that most of A Girl Called Shameless could've been told in an epilogue at the end of The Exact Opposite of Okay.

Like I said, I did like this book and I enjoyed reading Izzy's witty banter but I thought her personality was slightly dulled compared to the first book.  I also felt like we didn't see much of the vulnerable side to Izzy that had progressed so much in The Exact Opposite of Okay.

I did like the overall message just like the first book and I loved how Izzy fought to get stuff done but at the same time I felt that I connected with the important topic more in the first book because it was so personal for Izzy that it made me feel more emotionally invested in the story than I was in A Girl Called Shameless. 

Overall I enjoyed A Girl Called Shameless but not as much as the first book.  I still love Izzy and think she's a strong character.  And even though I didn't feel as emotionally invested in this book as I did the first, I still like the overall message and think it's an important one.

Wednesday 1 May 2019

April Wrap Up 2019

What I Read:


Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle book 2) by Jay Kristoff - 5 STARS
I loved Godsgrave and The Nevernight Chronicle series has quickly became a favourite of mine.  I loved the overall plot and the character development in this book and loved the new characters that were introduced.

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air book 2) by Holly Black - 3 STARS
I was disappointed in The Wicked King, I found it an entertaining read but didn't think there was much development with the characters and their relationships with each other. 

A Girl Called Shameless (Izzy O'Neill book 2) by Laura Steven - 3 STARS
I loved The Exact Opposite of Okay and I like Izzy's character but I don't think there needed to be another book.  I wasn't as emotionally invested in this book as I was the first book.


Summer Blue Bird by Akemi Dawn Bowman - 4 STARS
This book was a very emotional read and I really liked how it was about two sisters and what they meant to each other.  

Nana vol 3 by Ai Yazawa - 3 STARS
I am starting to enjoy this series more as it continues and I did like this volume but I don't feel fully into the story yet.

Wildcard (Warcross book 2) by Marie Lu - 4 STARS
I loved Wildcard even more than Warcross and I love how this duology ended.  I felt more attached to the characters in this one and I liked finding out more about their back stories.


Blog Posts I Did in April:



Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin Book Review {I was sent a free copy of this book by the publisher to review}




My April Bookstagram pictures (xo_reader_kyla):


I participated in the Easter Readathon in April and I'm very happy that I managed to complete all the books I put in my tbr.  What did you read in April?