Books I’ve DNFed

I used to never officially DNF books, I’d just put them down and say I’d pick them up later. As such, they haven’t really been included in my wrap-ups. But I’ve been DNFing books more of late (though I still struggle to do it). So I’m just going to talk about the books that I have DNFed and my reasons for doing so.

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The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but not so much this second one. This was quite a few years ago, it’s one of the few books that I DNFed back then. I’ve been thinking of re-reading the series and giving them another chance, but I’m not sure, we’ll see.

Nicolae by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

This is a series that I thought had an interesting premise, but I just found the writing really annoying and the characters dis-likeable. I read the first two books in the series, but gave up halfway through the third one. This is another one that I DNFed quite some years ago.

The Inca’s Legacy by Karl May

I really loved Karl May’s Winnetou books. I read them multiple times and it was one of my favourite series growing up. So I really wanted to like this. But I could not get into it. I tried at least 3 times and never got further than maybe 30 pages in.

Closer by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

Another series I really loved as a kid. For some reason though I just didn’t finish this. It got to a point in the story that dragged a bit and I didn’t own the book, I was lending it from my cousin, so I ended up giving it back cause I was taking too long to read it and I just never picked this series up again. I probably would have finished at least this book if I had owned it, but alas, that ship has sailed because there’s no way I’m re-reading this series just so I can finish this book.

Inferno by Dante Aligheri

I tried. I really wanted to enjoy this. But I just don’t really like stories told in verse. Maybe if I can find a version in prose, I’ll consider reading it, but who knows.

The Game by Terry Schott

I don’t remember much about this other than that it was terrible. I managed to get through maybe 80% of it, but man was this a mess of a book. I know it’s about a VR game, like so many other books. But it’s just so bad.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Really liked The Raven Boys, but this one was just bad and boring and… basically twilight but with werewolves rather than vampires.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

I wanted to like this. The premise was really cool and I still think it’s a great concept, but the story itself and the characters were just not great. The MC (I forget her name… was it Gewn?) was so annoying. There was insta-love. It just wasn’t for me.

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

I have huge respect for Terry Pratchett and I have enjoyed some of this other books, but this one wasn’t for me. It’s not by any means a bad book, but it’s just one I don’t have the patience for.

The Bat by Jo Nesbo

This was recommended to me by one of my friends and I wanted to like it, but I found it boring and not at all thrilling. Cop thrillers have to be really good for me to enjoy them. I can watch 10 seasons of Criminal Minds, no problem, but usually police procedural books have some tropes I just despise.

State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury

I even unhauled this. I didn’t like Melinda Salisbury’s other book either, The Sin Eater’s Daughter. She always has these really cool premises, but the books themselves are so bland and the characters I just find insufferable. It’s a really pretty book, but I couldn’t get past the 50 page mark.

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken

I wish I’d liked this more than I did. I got about halfway through it, but it just failed to keep me interested. I could have finished it, it wasn’t bad, I didn’t hate it. but I also just didn’t really care, so I decided to just DNF it. This is also one that I will be unhauling soon.

The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chackraborty

I read the first book and it was a pleasant surprise for me. I really enjoyed it. This one, I just lost interest. Kind of like with Prosper Redding, It couldn’t hold my attention and I just stopped caring. It was too slow to get to the point, I think. There were a lot of things going on that I didn’t care about. And I didn’t really care about the characters. And since I’ve resolved to DNF books I’m not enjoying, I’m DNFing it.

Viper by Bex Hogan

I did a read a chapter challenge a while back and this was part of it. I had decided to keep this and give it a chance, but when I tried and read a few more chapters, I just wasn’t feeling it, so this will be unhauled soon as well.

Series I want to catch-up on

A while back, I did yet another series I need to finish post in which I talked about series that are completed. In this post, I’ll talk about series that are currently ongoing, but I still have books to catch up on.

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The Folk of the Air by Holly Black

 

I’ve read the first one and really loved it. I think this is a 3 book series and the third one will be released in 2020. I’m waiting to be in a fae mood, I haven’t been craving fae books lately which is why I haven’t continued with it yet.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

 

I’ve read the first 2 books and then I kind of just wanted to wait until we at least had a publication date for book 4 before reading book 3. It’s really weird, I still have to wait the same amount of time to continue with the series, but psychologically, knowing that I could continue at any time makes me feel better lol But now there are rumours that book 4 is coming soon. So hopefully I’ll continue with this soon.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

 

I’m currently on book 2 of this monster series. I think book 4 will be released in 2020, so I don’t know if I’ll read the 3rd one until maybe a few months before the next one is released. Although, I might not be able to resist because these books are just so good.

The Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty

 

Read City of Brass and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to continuing with this series. I believe 2 out of the 3 are currently out.

Impossible Times by Mark Lawrence

 

All 3 books are due to be released in 2019, with the final book being released later in the year. I’ve read the first one. They’re super short, fast reads, but I haven’t yet bought the second one. I’ve been in a fantasy mood, so I’m waiting for a sci-fi mood to hit me.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

 

I’ve read the first 2 books. The fourth one is being released later this year. I don’t know if there will be more books after that, but I really enjoyed the first 2 books. I’m waiting to be in a bit more of a romance mood, since the romance is quite a big part of it. I really like the romance, I think it’s cute and the banter is great. But I just have been avoiding romance lately.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

 

I’ve read the first 3 volumes of this graphic novel series. I think there are 9 out and they’re currently on hiatus, but they do plan to return to it. So I’m trying to pace myself.

Monstress by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

 

Another graphic novel series. I’ve read 2 of the 3 currently published volumes. Volume 4 is being published later this year. This is such an amazing and weird graphic novel series. I want to see it as an anime.

The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen

 

I think the final volume is being released this autumn. I’ve only read the first one and I didn’t love it. I loved the art and the concept is really cool. But I was a bit confused about what was going on. I don’t know if that was by design and things will get clearer later on or if I just didn’t get their way of story-telling. But I definitely want to continue with this and see if things become clearer.

 

I did it! I found the BEST book on Goodreads!!

I’ve done it guys! I managed to find the absolute, purest, most wonderful book that ever booked. BEHOLD! And learn. Authors and publishes both, learn how to books.

Birth Control Is Sinful in the Christian Marriages and Also Robbing God of Priesthood Children!!

First of all, let’s stop and acknowledge those two exclamation marks. That’s what every title needs. Publishers, get on to that, it’s the next big thing. And of course, you have to pair that with a swanky cover vv

Make sure the exclamation marks are there and make sure it’s all in caps, because otherwise people won’t understand the message. Make sure that the cover looks like it was photoshopped by a 12 year old to give it that authentic feel. WE’RE NOT FAKE HERE. WE ARE ALL ABOUT TROOTH!! And finally, for the cover, you have to ensure that the readers are immediately aware of how qualified the author is to write the book. Make sure you include that title. Because who is better qualified to comment on marriages than MS. STRONG-ANDERSON?!!

The next thing you want to focus on now that you’ve made this great first impression, is of course the synopsis. first thing’s first… you need to get your punctuation right.

This is a Holy Spirit Manuscript book: when you buy this book you will be 
reading a Holy Spirit directed book from God & Christ Jesus.

You gotta make sure to include a colon at least once per sentence because it makes you sound intelligint. Everyone knows that only intelligint pepls know how to use colons. Then be sure to project confidence. You know that people are going to buy your book. It’s a given. Make sure people know that you know that.

BIRTH CONTROL SINS HAVE CURSE THE CHURCH WITH SPIRITUAL WHOREDOM & FALSE
WORSHIP. RESULTING IN THE PERSECUTIONS: AGAINST THE HOLY PEOPLE. THIS BOOK
MAY BE REVISED: BECAUSE OF COMPUTER DICTATORS: MANY WORDS IN THIS BOOK:
MADE HAVE BEEN CHANGED: TO DISCREDIT: THE AUTHOR. BUT IN TRUTH: I AM A 
HOLYSPIRIT CHOSEN ANOINTED DISCIPLE FOR GOD & CHRIST JESUS. EVEN FOR JEWS, 
MUSLIMS & GENTILE SINNERS.

Then of course, you need to remember your caps. We’ve already talked about the importance of caps. And obviously still keep the punctuation in mind, but the next important bit is remember the computer dictators. It’s a real problem. You have to mention them in your synopsis because that way they lose power. If you don’t, they will change many words. Especially when you’re a holyspirit chosen annointed disciple. That’s what the computer dictators are threatened by.

MANY PEOPLE WILL LEARN HOW TO> BECOME REAL BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN: 
THROUGH THIS HOLYSPIRIT BOOK & THROUGH THE PROTECTION & SUPPORT OF MY 
HOLYSPIRIT LIFE!!

SURELY YOUR NAMES WILL BE WRITTEN IN THE LAMBS BOOK OF LIFE!! 
*WHEN YOU SUPPORT & PROTECT MY HOLYSPIRIT LIFE.

Last, but not least, you need to remember that people need to know the important things right from the synopsis. They need to know the truth, the secret, the key to life. It doesn’t matter what book you’re publishing. This is the key message. This is what needs to be in every book synopsis. You NEED, it is absolutely CRUCIAL to support and protect MS. STRONG-ANDERSON and her holyspirit life. That is the key to success. That is how you go to heaven. The only path to salvation. The only hope. 

Forget Jesus, okay. There is no other truth. there is no other religion. But the one: the only: holyspirit life!! It must be: protected & supported!!

So there you have it. 10/5 stars. Best book ever. Go read it. Condoms are evil and the holyspirit life is everything. i’ve been doing Christianity wrong all my life. But this book has shown me the way.

5 Stages of a Reading Slump

I’ve been in somewhat of a reading slump for the past few weeks, which has been frustrating because I was doing so well with my reading challenge. I was ahead of schedule, I was going to finish it. But now I’m behind schedule and the end of the year is fast approaching. So anyway, I thought I’d break down for you the stages that I go through with reading slumps and I’m sure most of you can relate.

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1. Denial

Reading slump? Me? No. Pfft, I never! I’m totally enjoying all the 15 books that I’ve started in the past 3 days. I just like multi-tasking is all. It’s not that I’m in a reading slump, it’s just that I’m too busy. I mean, I would read, but I promised my friend that I’d catch up on the last 4 season of Supernatural and I just can’t let her down like that…

Am I the only one who just straight up bullshits myself when I feel a reading slump coming on? It’s not even that I say these things to other people. I lie to myself. Why? Don’t know. It’s silly and accomplishes nothing. But I do it nevertheless.

2. Anger

I WILL read this book and I WILL enjoy it. I’m gonna finish it. Today. And then I’m gonna start a new one. Do you hear? Stop being so WEAK. Just because you’ve been awake since 5 am is no excuse for you to not read at least like 50 pages tonight, do you even call yourself a reader. SHAME!

Another stupid thing I do. I get mad at myself for not reading. And I think this has partly to do with the fact that I know that I enjoy reading. That it normally provides escapism for me. So when I’ve had a long day or a tough week, I want that escapism. I want the pleasure that reading brings me. Except, I’m not in the mood to read, so I’m not enjoying it and that makes me mad.

3. Bargaining

Okay, just read like one chapter okay. You’ll see, you’re gonna get really into it if you just read a whole chapter. Really, come on. Just… one more page, okay. Just read until the end of this scene and then you can maybe pick up one of those other 14 books you started and give that a shot? Or, you could even start a new one. I mean look at all those shiny, unopened books. Full of possibilities!

This is usually when I spend an hour just staring at my books and trying to decide which one to read. I usually end up with a pile of them on my bed and I open each one in turn and try to convince myself to read.

4. Depression

What’s the point anymore. I’m never going to get to all these books on my TBR and now the one’s I’ve already started are probably ruined forever and I won’t ever enjoy them. I just wasted money on them. I’m not a reader anymore. Who even am I?

Sometimes, being in a reading slump really upsets me. I’m not getting the escapism that I want, so the things that are already weighing on me, weigh all the more. And on top of that, there’s the (albeit irrational and unfounded) fear that I’m never going to enjoy reading again and that I’ve lost not only my favourite source of entertainment, but also part of myself. Which is absurd. But can’t argue with emotions.

5. Acceptance

Fuck it, I’m watching TV.

This is almost invariably what I end up doing instead and it’s when I finally get to this point where I just enjoy other sources of entertainment that I start craving books again.

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This is usually the progression of my reading slumps. Let me know how reading slumps go for you and how you deal with them?

Ten Books I Meant to Read in 2017 and Actually Read

Yesterday, I made a post about 10 books I meant to read in 2017 and didn’t get to. But I think I also deserve a bit of a pat on the back because I did read some books that had been on my list for a long time. So here’s a little self-congratulatory post. Go me.

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The Wrath and the Dawn by Reneh Ahdieh

I had been meaning to read this since I first heard about it in 2015 and last year I finally did. Yay!

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Another one that had been on my list for ages and I finally got to it. Hopefully in 2018 I’ll get to the rest of the series.

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufmann

As with the previous two, this had been on my radar for agesss and I’m so glad I finally read it because it’s amazing!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

I’m so glad that I continued with this series. I wish I’d read more than just one book in it, but at least I read one. Hopefully this year I will finish it.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I heard about this quite some time ago and I kept putting it off, even though I wanted to read it… but I was worried I wasn’t going to like it. I’m glad I read it though because I loved it so much.

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Just any Rick Riordan book really. I really want to get caught up with his book. Sadly, this is the only one I read last year, but I am current;y reading The Lost Hero and hopefully in 2018, I’ll read a few more of his books.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I’ve wanted to read this since first reading a V.E. Schwab book  a couple years ago and now I finally have (and loved it).

A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

Continued with this series at long last and I am so glad that I did. Hopefully, this year I will continue progressing with it.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Another one I’d had my eye on for a long time and had just never got around to. But I finally did and it was such an experience. I look forward to reading more of Selznick’s books in the future.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

I had my eyes on this one since it was announced and I’m glad that I got to it and read it the same year it was released.

 

Crows, Ravens and Shadows

Am I the only one who’s noticed fantasy’s fascination with crows, ravens and shadows? I mean, just the number of books that have one of those words in the title…

Shadow and Bone

Queen of Shadows

A Gathering of Shadows

Lord of Shadows

The Oathbreaker’s Shadow

The Shadow’s Curse

Shadow Kin

Six of Crows

A Feast for Crows

The Raven Boys

The Raven King

To name just a few. And not to mention books that have words related to those, in particular to shadow, such as darkness, night etc

Lady Midnight

Crown of Midnight

Twilight

The Night Circus

Nevernight

Queen of Air and Darkness

A Darker Shade of Magic

I’m sure I could find more if I dug a little. And these are just the ones that mention it in the title. There are so many that may not mention it in the title, but that feature these things as fairly prominent.

The Darkling from The Grisha Trilogy. The Three Eyed Raven from ASOIAF; Mia Corvere from Nevernight as well as her being a darkin; Rhysand’s darkness powers in ACOTAR as well as the Night Court; Shadowhunters.

Now that I think of it, there are actually several such themes running, particularly within the fantasy genre. Fire, mist, light, bone, blood, wind or air, time of day (dawn, midnight or just day). I think I might just compile a list of titles for each of these groups, just to see how they rank. I like lists and patters. So if you like lists and patterns as well, stay tuned for that, I guess.

 

25 Bookish Things About Me Book Tag (200 followers celebration!!!)

I was fully planning to write a review today. I sat down at my computer, I pulled up WordPress, I was ready to do this… and what do I see? A little notification telling me I have reached 200 subscribers. Oh. Em. Gee. You mean to tell me that there are 200 people who have come across my blog and have found its content worth following? That’s just… kind of really amazing. Thank you so, so much everyone! I appreciate it so much and I love chatting with you in the comments.

In celebration, I have decided to do the 25 bookish things about me tag. I’ve seen it around a ton and I thought it a good way of celebrating. So here we go.

1. The first full length novel that I read on my own was White Fang by Jack London. I was 6 at the time, it was right before I started school and I remember wanting to read a novel by myself before officially starting school because I was a little shit and I wanted to be better than everyone else.
2. I’m a pretty fast reader. I can probably get through about 1 and a half of your standard length YA novel in a day. Of course, it greatly depends on how interesting I find the book or if it’s a really complex or dense book, I might not be able to read as quickly. But generally speaking, I’m one of those people who can read 200 pages in an hour and a half and not even realise.
3. The longest book I have read in one day to date is I believe Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 
4. I used to read a lot of historical fiction, particularly French cape-and-sword type books a la Alexandre Dumas when I was younger.
5. I currently own around 300 books, I would say. Although, to be fair a portion of them are not technically speaking mine. They’re my family’s books. However, they reside in my room and I take care of them, so I consider them as mine.
6. I used to really dislike hardbacks for some reason. I have grown out of that.
7. I don’t like sitting in a chair while reading, if I can help it. I need an armchair at the least, though preferably a sofa or bed.
8. I love fairytales and folklore and some of the first things I ever read as a child were folklore and fairytales. I used to wake up early every morning to read one story as soon as I learnt how to read.
9. I learnt how to read quite early. I couldn’t pinpoint an exact age, but I was around 4 or 5 years old.
10. Fantasy is probably my favourite genre. Though I do read most genres.
11. I did not read Harry Potter until I was 15.
12. I have probably read around 500 books, if you include re-reads.
13. I do enjoy re-reading books. Oddly, I don’t always necessarily re-read my favourite books. Sometimes I re-read books that I found easy to read, that don’t require much thinking or effort beyond being able to read words. This normally happens when I’m in a reading slump and it can help me get out of one.
14. For some reason, I don’t really like paranormal fantasy. I don’t hate it and there have been some paranormal books that I really enjoyed, but generally speaking, it’s a genre that doesn’t appeal to me much. So is urban fantasy. Particularly vampirey, werewolfey urban fantasy.
15. I have a soft spot for elemental magic.
16. I really enjoy writing reviews once I start writing them and they usually flow, but I have a really hard time getting myself to start writing a review sometimes.
17. One of my happiest bookish memories is when my dad came home one day with all the Lord of the Rings books. I still have those books. They’re probably my favourite books that I own, even though they’re old and battered, but I even brought them with me to uni, even though I knew I was probably not going to re-read them anytime soon.
18. The book I have re-read the most is probably Twilight. This may come as a surprise, I’m not really a Twilight fan. I never really was a Twilight fan. I just found it to be such an easy book to read. I always had it on my phone or iPod or whatever as an ebook and I would read it whenever I was bored. At school, or waiting for food in a restaurant or whatever.
19. I’m very bad at reading out loud. My brain reads faster than my mouth can speak and it just ends up being a mess.
20. My all time favourite non-fiction book is A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis.
21. I have written an 50,000+ word novel in pretty much one month after marathoning Throne of Glass a couple years ago. I had such a massive book hangover that I could not read anything else and I just wanted a story about a badass lady protagonist. I was craving it. I needed it. So I wrote it for myself.
22. I’m very slow with reading historical fiction for some reason. I used to read historical fiction so much, but I just can’t do it anymore. And it frustrates me, because whenever I do read a historical fiction, I really enjoy it. I just don’t really seem to pick them up very often and when I do, it takes me uncharacteristically long to read them.
23. I adore very complex and complicated fantasy worlds (when done well, of course) and I think that stems out of my obsession love of Tolkien.
24. Also due to my deep love for Tolkien, I think at least partly, is my fascination with languages and how they work. I’ve always wanted to create a language, it’s one of my dreams and realistically, it’s probably never going to happen. But I always really admired Tolkien for creating his own languages. I think it’s the coolest thing ever and I wish I could do it.
25. I have never read anything by Neil Gaiman. I know. It’s freaking Neil Gaiman. But I just never read any of his books. I need to. I really need to. I just don’t even know where to start.

There you have it. 25 bookish facts about me. Thank you so much once again to all the people who follow me and read my posts and comment and talk to me, I appreciate it so much and I enjoy talking to you guys so much!

Even MORE Series I will probably not finish (Part 4)

Well, I was bound to have another one of these sooner or later. You can check out parts one, two and three if you like.

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1. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

I didn’t particularly like this book. It was too wishy-washy and insta-lovey for me. It had a pretty cool world concept, but it just wasn’t enough  to hold my interest. You can read my full review of it here if you are interested, but yeah… not likely to ever pick up the other ones.

Goodreads | Book Depository

2. Legend by Marie Lu

It’s not that I didn’t like this. I enjoyed it. It’s just that my focus has sort of shifted away from dystopian in the past year and I really don’t read dystopia anymore unless it’s some mindblowingly amazing one. And Legend was good, but it wasn’t by any means mindblowing. So I just don’t think I will ever get around to reading the other two books. I’m still holding out for The Young Elites though. It was so much better than Legend and it’s a fantasy dystopia and I don’t know why I haven’t read the rest of it yet, but I hope it won’t end up on my next “will not finish” post, because it would be a shame.

Goodreads | Book Depository

3. Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

UGH! I do not know how to tell you how much I hated this book. I actually haven’t even finished it because it’s so boring and annoying and Snow is so whiny and insufferable and stupid. *deep breath* Yeah, no. Not going to happen.

Goodreads | Book Depository

4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

I really enjoyed this book. But I read it quite a while ago and I haven’t picked up the other ones and I just don’t really see myself doing that anytime soon. I still might get around to reading it eventually. Though realistically, I probably won’t because you know… so many books, so little time. It’s like Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken. “Oh, I kept the first for another day, But knowing how way leads on way,/I doubted if I should ever come back.” I really like that poem.

Goodreads | Book Depository

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There are a few other candidates for this list, but I’ll hold out on them a little longer. Still, I reckon it won’t be too long before I have another one of these posts.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff – Book Review

Rating: 5/5 stars

Genre: Fantasy, YA

First published: 2016

Author: Jay Kristoff

Synopsis: Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

Book Depository | Goodreads

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I have been reading very little and updating this blog even less. This is the only book that I have read so far in February, but at least is was an awesome one. I had never read any of Kristoff’s works before, though I’d heard much praise for him. I can see why.

I have a weird and possibly disturbing fascination with assassins. And this book did not disappoint. Ah… so much murder. Okay, where do I begin reviewing this book? Let’s start with the world. It’s so freaking cool. It’s clearly inspired by Roman society, which I always find cool. I’m also getting a Venice vibe. Anyway, that’s not even the coolest part of it. The three suns that almost never set, I thought that was such a cool idea. And also, just the way the world was presented and built was amazing, I loved it. All the random little bits of history in the footnotes were awesome.

And speaking of the footnotes, it’s so cool how the book is written. I loved the footnotes. Let me say that again. I LOVED the footnotes! They added so much to the story and they were so funny. The writing and style is first class, I bow my hat to Jay Kristoff. Oh also, this was honestly THE most profanity-ridden book I have ever read, it’s fantastic. It makes it so much more hilarious. That’s one other thing I really love about it. There is so much humor in a book about death and a cult of murderers, but it’s not done in poor taste. It’s kind of… self deprecating? I don’t know how to describe it.

The characters! Loved them. I love all of them, honestly. I don’t think there was one character I did not enjoy in this book, which is rare. They were all so unique and so… real. And they were all snarky little bitches. Mister Kindly is by far the sassmaster of this cast though. Love Mister Kindly!

Finally, the story. I thought it was a very well told story. Always the right amount of tension, the right pace, the right balance between action and exposition. Loved the flashbacks, I always think flashbacks are such a powerful tool for worldbuilding and character building and just showing the reader something rather than telling them, if that makes sense. But of course, they have to be done well, this book did not disappoint. There was also the right amount of stuff revealed and stuff going on that the book wasn’t boring or didn’t feel like it was stagnating, but also left plenty for the following one. It was very well balanced.

One last thing I have to mention is that gorgeous cover, I mean look at it! I walked into Waterstones and saw that glorious hardcover and spent the following 40 minutes perusing the shelves while clutching it tightly, lest anyone else should even look at it for too long because it was MINE! No regrets.

So, yeah basically… when can I get the next one?

The Valentines Day Book Tag

Yeah, I know Valentine’s Day is gone. But honestly, if you were expecting me to do this on time, you don’t know me very well. I actually have a couple of tags and a couple of reviews backed up that I just haven’t found the time to do. Soon, hopefully.

Anyway, I was tagged to to this by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek. Thank you so much Heather for tagging me. You can check out her blog, it’s cool. And now, onto the tag!

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1.) Stand Alone Book You Love

I’ve read a few great stand-alones, but the most recent and the first to come to mind is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I have a full review of this beautiful little book, if you want to read more of my thoughts on it.

2.) Dystopian Book You Love

Even after all this time (and many, many dystopians under my belt), I think The Hunger games is still my favourite. This is the series that really got me into YA literature and it will always be special to me. Plus, it’s awesome!

3.) A Book That You Love But No One Else Talks About

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, this series is SO underrated and it deserves to be talked about more. Go read Artemis Fowl!

4.) Favorite Book Couple

Feyre and Rhys.

Art by Charlie Bowater

5.) Book That Other People Love But You Haven’t Read Yet

There’s a long list of those. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken is on example. Or The Lunar Chronicles. I’ve read Cinder, but not the rest of them. And many others, really. There are a lot of popular books that I haven’t read yet. So many books, so little timeeeeee!

6.) A Book With Red on the Cover

I loved this book so much! Keep an eye out for my review which should (hopefully) come up soon. It was brilliant. I can’t wait for the next one!

7.) A Book With Pink on the Cover

The German (original) edition of Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. I’m currently (slowly) making my way through it. I don’t know why the cover is pink and not red, but there you have it.

8.) You were given a box of chocolate what fictional boyfriend/ or girlfriend would given them to you.

RHYYSSSS! Or Kaz Brecker from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

Rhys by taratjah and Kaz by Coralie Jubénot

9.) You are Single on Valentines Day. What Book would you read? What TV show would you watch? What Movie would you watch?

Well, to be honest I’m not that fussed about Valentine’s Day. Like… if you have a SO, then sure that’s great. Celebrate Valentine’s Day. But if you don’t, then it’s just another day really. It’s not special to me in any way. So I have no answer for this question. I would read whatever my current read is and watch whatever I felt like. For example, this Tuesday, I watched Life of Brian with my friend (Monty Python is everything).

10.) You are in the Book Store. All of a Sudden you get shot with an arrow by Cupid. What New Release will you love?

Oh boy. This sort of implies I’m aware of recent releases. Although, I was in Waterstones a couple weeks back and I saw this gorgeous hardcover of Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I nearly bought it, but there was also a gorgeous hardcover of Nevernight and I’d heard more about that one, so I ended up buying it in the end. Still, I’ve read some amazing reviews of Caraval as well, so if I found it again, I would definitely buy it.

I tag you, yes YOU to do this. Because our love for books is equal all year round, so who cares if Valentine’s Day has passed, right?