December TBR

Hello my lovely readers;

So December has begun and I have a huge reading pile to get through before January... plus a few other things that MUST get done... so lets crack on and get into all the books.

Firstly, the most important thing I must complete this month is my epic first generation pokemon cross stitch; I am aiming to have this complete by the 10th however the 15th is looking more likely due to university and work commitments. So I am currently devoting every waking minute to get stitches into this beast and I will be extremely happy when its done because that means I can read all the books.

After my pokemon project is complete I will be taking a month or two away from cross stitch to focus on my uni work and to focus on getting my enormous tbr pile down... hopefully to below 50 books... but I keep buying books... can someone come and take away my card?!?

So the books...

I plan on participating in the harry-xmas-readathon; if you would like to check out the announcement video of this read-a-thon please follow the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY9c1Fo8F8Q

 

So if you've done that (or are already aware of the read-a-thon) you'll know I plan on rereading all 7 Harry Potter books this month!!!!!

 

So for those who need a recap this is the epic adventure of one Harry Potter who discovers that he is in fact a wizard and is sent off to the magical school which is Hogwarts. Now Hogwarts seems all well and good until you through an evil wizard who both killed Harry's parents and practically took over the magical world! The seven books cover Harry's journey through the years at Hogwarts and his battles with both himself and Voldermort and there is only one way this could end... 8 epic films... that's how it ends!!

 

So yes I plan on reading from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone all the way to the Deathly Hallows... but I also plan on watching each film after reading the book.

 

However this challenge is not the only books I plan on reading... yes I think I have gone a little crazy.

 

To round my TBR list to a nice round 10 books I plan on reading:

• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
  This is an epic adult fantasy based in Scion London, following a 19 year old Paige who is clairvoyant and constantly committing treason... sounds like the start of a very good series.
• Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
  Another first of a series being started here... when I first picked it up I didn't realise it was the start as it was from a charity shop and didn't say it was... not good since I was on a series buying ban at the time... oops.
• VIII by H.M. Castor
  And finally a stand alone historical novel based around Henry the eighth with a magical and dark twist.

So this month is going to be busy... uni... work... stitching... and a tone of reading.... oh and Christmas (nearly forgot Christmas)

 

Would love to know which books you plan on delving into before the end of the year.

 

Good Luck,

Helen x

'Matched' review... no spoilers

'Matched' by Ally Condie

 

So this will be a really quick review because I did not like this book; I finished it but I felt no love for it. I don't feel like anything substantial happened in this book and I just haven't been able to force myself to continue with the series.

 

Matched trilogy, by Ally Condie

Okay, so matched is a dystopian novel set in a world where there is only 100 left of everything cultural; 100 pieces of music, 100 pieces of art... and there is no writing. The art of picking up a pen or pencil and writing your words died when every student received a tablet computer to type instead.

This is Cassis's story of being matched; the society chooses your future partner however you can also choose not to be matched and cannot have children or a wife in the future. So on Cassia's seventeenth birthday she is matched but when things start changing and the truth starts emerging Cassia's life is turned upside down.

However I felt that this book had an abundance of potential however it failed to reach this? I also feel that it has a similar basis to Divergent but they just couldn't pull it off in a unique way.

Parts of this book have stuck with me long after reading but it was the world that has stuck with me and nothing to do with the actual plot... which is extremely disappointing.

I feel that the hype that surrounded this series set it up to fail.

I give matched 2/5 stars because it couldn't hold me and started a really bad reading slump for me. I think this is a book that falls into the category of poor first books; where the focus has been too much on developing the world instead of the plot.

What are your thoughts on this book?

Happy reading

Helen x 



My Current TBR shame

So here is a comprehensive list of all the books on my TBR pile that I need to read... before I should buy any more (but like that is really going to happen... cough.... just placed an order from the book depository):

• The Lord of The Rings Series by Tolkein
• Ravaged/ Cursed by David wellington
• Pendragon legacy by kathrine Roberts
• The Assassins blade/ heir of fire by Sarah J Maas
• Bones of the Lost/ Devil bones by Kathy Reichs
• The Book theif by Zusak
• The Cuckcoo’s calling by Robert Galbraith
• Secrets of Sapphires by Leila Rasheed
• Scarpetta by cornwell
• Fallen be Karin slaughter
• The girl with the dragon tattoo by Larson
• Natural causes by James Oswald
• Big girl by Steel
• Insignia by Kincaid
• Granny by Nicholas fisk
• Sweet venom by childs
• Elites by Natasha ngan
• VIII by Caster
• The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers
• Shatter me/ unravel me by Mafi
• Lionboy by Corder
• The Burning by Jane Casey
• The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs
• The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
• Panic by Lauren Oliver
• Inquisition by Toby Green
• Thief’s magic by Trudi Canavan
• City of heavenly fire by Cassandra Clare
• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Susan Collins (the last 1.5 books)
• The Poison Study Series by Maria V. Snyder
• Fang by James Patterson
• The Fallen Blade/ The Outcast Blade by Grimwood
• The Finisher by Baldacci
• The Inheritence series (Eragon) by Paolini
• Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
• The Immortal Rules by Kagawa
• House of Night Series by PC Cast (cant remember up to which one I have read so going to start from the beginning)
• Covet/ Crave by JR Ward
• Chocolat by Harris
• If I should die by Amy Plum
• The Demon King by Chima
• The Dark Divine by Despain
• Infinite days/ stolen nights by Maizel

OMG that's a total of 78 books.... ermm that's not good.

What's on your TBR... if not everything what you desperately want to read.

Don't forget to follow, like and leave a comment x

Helen x

So whats been going on...

Firstly I'd like to say a huge sorry to all of you wonderful people that read my blog... because I'm a negligent blogger and have not blogged about books in what feels like an eternity. Well I have a few reasons and these are in no way excuses but they will make it seem a little clearer:

• The start of university: Well I have gone back to university for my final year studying psychology and this entails some rather LARGE pieces of work including one which is a 10,000 word thesis on my area of expertise... as you can imagine this amount of work takes up a lot of time and right now it has to take priority. I haven't spent £9,000 a year to not complete and work my ass off for my final grade!
• Starting work: As many of the earlier posts may have made people aware, I haven't been in work for over 2 years and finally I have started a part time job in a local shop; although its only part time hours they are the usual hours where I find I read the most and hence has really disrupted my routine... but hey... MONEY... you know what that means right?!? Book haul blogs coming your way soon... hope you like.
• Stitching disaster: Well as you know I am also an avid stitcher; and in some ways I am currently more 'addicted' to stitching than reading... dom..dom...dom!!!! However I have undertook a huge piece for Christmas; for a lady who purchased the piece for her son who has 'special needs', I use quotations as I see this as a false label and a way of separating one version of normality from another... lets not start that rant! So as you can imagine I am getting rather close to the deadline and I still have a lot of work left to do and that is taking up the precious minutes I have to myself recently. Once its complete though I plan on slowing my stitching once more and focusing more on my reading and writing... I promise.
• A really big reading slump: Okay, so I know that people have really good motivation all year round for reading... but I've found that after read-a-thons and especially BookTubeAThon I hit a slump and unless I find the perfect book to fill the void immediately after I hit a wall and it can take a while to get out! Well I hit the wall and I hit it hard! To the point that a lot of books got packed away when I questioned why I needed so many? Happy to say I'm clawing my way out of this slump with some magical realism books and some high fantasy books!!!

My current TBR pile consists of two books; one of which I have already completed:

1. 'The Iron Trial' by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare:  This is the first in the 'Magisterium' Series which looks epic; I have completed this book just today and if I could sum it up in a few words it would be 'a dark Harry Potter'.
2. 'The Queen of Tearling' by Erika Johansen: I picked this book up a little time ago after hearing about it across BookTube and I never started it... however after hearing the movie adaptation will be soon I wanted to read it before then... then to make it even more important... Emma Watson will be starring as the main character which is frigging amazing!!!!! I honestly cannot wait for this to happen!

So I know I have just got back from a long break but please click the follow button --> and get my posts as soon as they are posted... please check back as I have several reviews and tbr's and personal challenges for next year; coming up soon.

Happy reading x

P.S. Would love to know what your reading... leave a link to your blogs or videos below and if you haven't got either of those feel free to just say what your reading... or even any views on the books in my TBR pile.

'The Demon Trappers' Series review

'The Demon Trappers' Series by Jana Oliver

 

This series is designed for young adults who are mature and can understand difficult situations; I do not recommend this series for younger readers as it does deal with adult themes and emotions. However; its more about maturity rather than age.

 

'Forsaken'

 

'Kicking hell's ass one demon at a time'

 

 
So I'm not going to put spoilers because this is a really under-rated series that deserves its recognition in YA community; this is the story of a female demon hunter who doesn't kill demons but rather catches and sells them to people who do the dirty work per-sae.

Its been a while since I read these books; as I didn't have a blog when I read them and I am only now slowly getting through some of my recent reads to get up reviews about these books. However I can still relate to Riley as if I had just closed the final page and I can still understand her story.

As a whole this book was a formidable way to start a series; its action packed and full of adventure and emotions; there are parts that really deserve recognition for being unique as well as heart breaking.

The way this book ends reflects the comedy within this series as well as the over-arching plot which is totally bad ass.  

'Forbidden'

 

'Hell has a plan for Riley Blackthorne...'

 



 

Is it strange that the ultimate human side-kicks are called 'Simon'?

Forbidden is an exciting second instalment of the demon trappers series; its fast paced and full of world-saving action... literally.

You really begin to fully appreciate Jana's writing and character development in this book; scenes that a lot of writers would make really awkward and may even struggle floated off the page with Jana's writing.

Riley, as well as her love and other characters who started as 'background' characters really came into their own in this book; in particular other demon trappers as well as Simon.

In this book I think Jana captures the relationship between parents and their children perfectly; the awkward love when they are there and the desperate need when they are taken... what child wouldn't fight to get back their only parent? This unique relationship begs for an audience who can appreciate this bond as well as deal with difficult decisions.

'Forgiven'

 

'The stakes are high when you bet on your soul...'

 



 

The plot has truly come alive at this point; if you thought the first two books kept you up reading all night you better pack lots of coffee because this ones even better!

 

This book in particular explores perceptions of heaven and hell in a way that the audience can both understand as well as appreciate. Where heaven isn't based on the perfect ideology of happiness and peace but rather its a constant battle ground which is in constant need for soldiers.

 

Forgiven I believe looks more at her relationship with Beck; another demon trapper who has been there for her since day one! In the final books there relationship develops and Riley starts to come alive in herself.

 

The end of this book demonstrates how Riley has developed into both a strong and loving character that can still pull a smile onto your face when your questioning whether their world will survive.

 



'Foretold'

 

'The end is most definitely nigh...'

 

 

 

This is how to end a series! I'm not going to talk much about the final book because my love is too strong and I am not going to spoil anyone...

 

Everything is questioned in this book and you truly learn the many faces of good and evil and how they can be confused... easily.

 

JUST READ IT!!!!!!!!!

 

As you can imagine I give this series a very solid 5/5 stars and cannot wait to re-read this series. Please show your support for under-rated writers and novels because they are suffering from other books being over-hyped (even when most do not deserve the hype!).

 

 





'The Screaming Staircase' review... no spoilers

'The Screaming Staircase' by Jonathon Stroud

 

'Hauntings are our business...'

 

This is Jonathon Stroud's newest novel released early this year/ late last year; its a young adult dystopian where the world is plagued with ghosts that only children can see. So children set up these organisations where they hunt and destroy sed ghosties and earn money.

This story follows a failing company in its attempt to solve one of the worst ghost occurrences since the plague started; it has already claimed countless other hunters but everything is not what it seems. It is the perfect mix of paranormal fantasy and mystery; the way the book is told helps with the extra-ordinarily.

This book does not go in a straight line; but rather contains flash backs and sections where the reader can make links easier than thinking all the way back to the first few pages to make a connection at the end. Now not many authors can pull this technique off easily, but Jonathon Stroud pulled it off amazingly.

Now  I'm not saying this book is perfect; the characters were really quite good but it was hard to tell that they were children, most of the characters are pre-teen and yet they act and talk as if they are mid-thirties. There is only one element of the book where you can truly tell that they are children and that is a shame because I think this would be an element that could have been played with to a great advantage.

Overall I would give this 4/5 stars; to get 5 stars the characters would need a lot more development... however I have a feeling that this is the start of a wonderful series exploring this plague of ghosts.  



fifty shades of grey review

'Fifty shades of Grey Trilogy' By E.L. James -Review

 

Fifty shades trilogy- E.L. James

 

*** Please note that these books are not suitable for younger readers as they are erotic and contain a lot of sexual content***

 

 

As nearly all of my readers would have heard; the fifty shades trilogy is being made into movies to be released on valentines day... kind of appropriate don't you think?

 

Now there are three distinct stages to this story; the sexual stage, the character stage and then finally the plot. As every adult who has access to any internet and/or contact with others will know that this series is based on dominance and submission in the bedroom; which as a sexual preference is becoming more accepted and popular because of works like this.

 

Little to say this trilogy sparked a revolution in both sexual and literature acceptance; it opened up a word or sexuality that many did not even know existed however it led to a literal flood of erotic books being published. Like people were waiting for a book to be successful before being brave enough to attempt it themselves; and this may not be the authors but rather publishers that have never before published work like this, and we can thank the amazing E.L. James for this amazing change in views. It got that popular that the largest bookstore across the UK had to dedicate whole bookshelves for erotic books only; obviously far away from young adult and children books!

 

Well back to the series; I think the sexual element of the books were incredibly written; true many people believe that they don't represent the real thing... but do we want all books to sound like real life... 'he grunted and fell asleep' doesn't quite have the desired effect.... but I don't think the books rely on the sexual element.

 

True without the conspiracy of the forbidden love there wouldn't be the start of the story but my favourite book was 'Fifty Shades Freed' because it contained the least sex of the three books but with real focus on the story and it was truly an amazing plot.

 

The characters drove me crazy sometimes... like the female lead was infuriating at times... but the rest of the times she complimented the story perfectly. Now Mr Grey... hummm... I think he was written in such a way that encompasses everything anyone envisions as their perfect partner. This is because there is enough detail to get you started; but there are enough gaps that your forced to use your imagination! But this has led to some concern as to the effect of the movie... it will remove the readers need for imagination; after seeing the movie every scene they read will be with the actors face and not the face they originally saw!!!!! Beware it will never be the same again!!!!

 

Overall I give this series 4.5/5 because she was REALLY infuriating at times!!!! 



Bout of Books 11.0 Wrap-up

Okay guys, the end of our beloved challenge has come (and I know I'm a little late... shakes fist at internet box); and I know that I didn't report back for the last two days (I blame bad blogging!) but im here to do my wrap up!

Okay so ill start by giving you a little explanation... sunday I was out from before sun-rise to after sun-set; well I knew I didn't have much time to read to I left my book at home; if my niece didn't go and take my bookmark because she liked it!!!! So unfortunately I cannot give an accurate page count; however I can give an approximate.

So on Saturday I completed daughter of Smoke and Bone; which was 418 pages, now I cant say that I enjoyed this book immensely because I couldn't find a storyline that felt like it could hold its own! So when it came to picking up Days of Blood and Starlight I really struggled.

So on for the rest of Saturday I completed jut over 300 pages of Days of Blood and Starlight; however the incident above occurred on Sunday and it infuriated me too much to try and find my place!

So my total on day 5 was: 1883/ 2667

My total for days 6 &7 was approx. 718

Total for the challenge: 2601

The books I completed:

1. Prodigy by Marie Lu
2. Champion by Marie Lu
3. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan 
4. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
5. Play to Kill by P.J. Tracy
6. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
7. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Books started:

1. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
2. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz a

Where to get the books from this read-a-thon...

So many people would want to get there hands on some of these wonderful book; below I am going to place links to each of the books. I will attempt to fins the cheapest place to get the book however this will change depending on your country; I am from the UK and therefore please bear this in mind when attempting to buy from the links.
 

******* Please note that I am not affiliated to any of these places, I don't make any profit/ credit for purchases bought through these links, these are here for your benefits *******

 

 

The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu

 

Legend:

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Legend-Marie-Lu/9780142422076

 

 

Prodigy:

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Prodigy-Marie-Lu/9780141339573

 

 

 

Champion:

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Champion-Marie-Lu/9780141339627

 



 

Percy Jackson: By Rick Riordan 

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Percy-Jackson-Olympians-Rick-Riordan/9781423136804

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series: By Laini Taylor

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Daughter-Smoke-Bone-Trilogy-Hardcover-Gift-Set-Laini-Taylor/9780316286381

 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown: by Holly Black

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Coldest-Girl-Coldtown-Holly-Black/9781780621715

 

 

Play to Kill: by P.J. Tracy

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Play-Kill-Tracy/9780718152758

 



 

House of Silk: by Anthony Horowitz

 

http://www.bookdepository.com/House-Silk-Anthony-Horowitz/9781409135982

 

Okay so these are all the links to the books I have read in this read-a-thon; I will update this at the end of the week if I happen to read any additional books.

If you have found a cheaper place to get these novels please leave a link below.

And please don't forget to add me to your circles...

Many thanks and happy reading,

Helen x

 

Bout of Books 11.0- Day 5

So today was all about rest and relaxation since yesterday; I spent a lot of time in bed or lying on the sofa; true a lot of time was spent sleeping since I once again didn't get a good night sleep. However I am pleased to announce that I have completed more reading than yesterday.

So I sat down with 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' by Laini Taylor; and completed the last 305 pages; this seemed pass extremely quickly given that I still cannot fathom out the true/ main plot? There seems to be a collaboration of minor plots thrown together into one book. My other issue in the book was point of view; there was no indication that the point of view was changing; it started as just the main character, then another point of view and by the end there were several and I had no idea who was who; they didn't seem to have different speech patterns or thinking patterns which made it extremely hard to distinguish.

Well after finishing this I decided my eyes needed a break and had a well earned nap... if I don't say so myself; however as many of you could probably imagine my 10 minute nap turned into a 2 hour sleep. So when I awoke I dived straight into 'Days of Blood and Starlight'; the sequel to 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone'; so I completed the first 85 pages before my niece and nephews arrived to drive me crazy until not too long ago. I love having them round but they don't half distract you from reading.

Read-a-thon Stats:

Total books complete: 7

Currently reading: 2

Left on original tbr: 0

Total pages today: 390 pages

Total pages: 1883 / 2667

 

I do hope that you are all having a wonderful read-a-thon; I would love to know how you are doing. And please don't forget to add me to your google+ circles or follow me on twitter (@marsh_hm) to get the posts as soon as they go live.

 

Many thanks and happy reading,

Helen x 

Bout of Books 11.0- Day 4... worst day yet!

Okay ladies and gentlemen I'm going to take you through my day... I woke up at 4:30 this morning because of this stupid stomach bug I have which meant I was too tired to do anything; I managed to miss my mouth with my morning tea... jeez my mouth is big enough not to miss.

Then I find out that my entire family is going out for the day; one part going to the sea side and a long drive and the other going to London zoo which meant I was left to dog sit at my sisters which is a 20 minute walk from my house. But first I had to clean up as my family left without tidying anything; okay I didn't mind this what-so-ever because they have cleaned up after me loads of times.

So I leave for my sisters and I am tripped and gash my knee; and if I may say ruined my favourite jeans! So the 20 minute journey then turned into a 45 minute hobble since I twisted my other ankle as I fell... as this was another health problem I needed right now!

So I finally get to my sisters where I find that she forgot to put the dog in his cage before she left and so he had destroyed half of the living room; including several pairs of my niece/ nephew's shoes and clothing. I cleaned up... again. Do you know how hard it is to pick up torn up clothing when it feels like your knee cap is dislocated? It's difficult!

So I finally settle and manage to read the first 113 pages of 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' by Laini Taylor; however the day had started to get to me and I just couldn't make myself turn anymore pages, which may I add was nothing to do with the book because I found it both fascinating and thrilling to read. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to rest a bit more and complete the books I own for this series!

Read-a-thon Stats:

 

Books complete: 6

Books reading: 2

books left on tbr pile: 1

Total pages for today: 113

Total pages: 1493 / 2667 

 

I hope that you are all having a wonderful day... or at least better than mine.

 

Many thanks,

Helen x

Bout of Books 11.0- Day 3

Okay so everyone has good days and bad days... today was a bad day in comparison to my last two days; I spent the night throwing up and feeling that ill I wasn't sure if I was hot cold or dead???? So when it came to reading today I didn't push myself to do anything too extreme...

I started by finishing the last 70 pages of the 'Coldest girl in Coldtown' by Holly Black; although I struggled to find something that I could truly sink my teeth into... pun intended... with the plot line I found it an interesting read; and what I loved the most that there was no goddy love triangle that would make people heave... just a girls story of hell coming to life.

Well I slept for a few hours after finishing this; my head still wasn't feeling good but when I woke up I managed to dig myself into 'Play to Kill' by P.J. Tracy; now as crime books go it wasn't the worst in the world but again it lacked substance. The plot line got really twisted and the ending somehow left more questions than answers... and the epilogue just confused the crap-a-doodles outta me???!!!!???? However I still managed to read all 325 pages in one sitting!

Read-a-thon stats:

Completed books: 6

Books started: 1

Books left to read on tbr: 2

Total pages today: 395 pages

Total pages: 1775

 

I hope all of your reading is going well and that your all feeling well; please remember to add me to your google+ circles to receive my blogs as soon as they go live... many thanks x

Bout of Books 11.0- Day 2

So today has pretty much been a face in book day; I've hardly moved from my reading spaces and all the hours of seclusion in my books have been worth it... today was even better than yesterday. It started early this morning...

So I decided to pick up 'Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth' by Rick Riordan; being only 67 pages left I wanted to complete it before the morning was over; it took just over an hour to read but it was worth it. As the pages flew by I started wondering to myself why I had struggled for so long to finish this book? I still don't know but the ending of the book made my heart swell. I will be posting a review soon.

Well I immediately had to read 'Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian' by Rick Riordan; at first I was debating whether it would be a good read, I didn't want the series to end on a dull note... but Riordan made it heart fluttering and full of action. It ended the series perfectly and I am looking forward to writing the review for both this book and a full series review. Total page count for this book was 361 pages.

I finished the Last Olympian mid-afternoon and needed to delve into another book to make the most of the reading time I had; so I picked up 'The Coldest Girl in Coldtown' by Holly Black. It is now past 1am and I have just stopped reading to put an update for today; although I haven't managed to complete this book yet I have read 349 pages but I have mixed feelings towards the book as a whole. I'll explore these more when I do my review.

Read-a-thon stats:

 

Total books read: 4

Total books started: 2

Books left to complete (on TBR): 5

Total pages today: 777 pages

Total pages so far: 1380 / 2667

 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful read-a-thon... cant wait to see all of your progress.

 

Happy reading,

Helen x

Bout of Books 11.0- DAY 1

 

Day 1 in the Bout of Books house...

 

Well I woke up bright and early this morning and took full advantage of doctors waiting times, bus journeys and general waiting for friends to complete two books for today... kinda proud!

 

So firstly I started off with reading the last 211 pages of 'Prodigy' by Marie Lu; oh my... I was on a bus when I finished this and I wanted to delve into Champion immediately. However the fool that I am, I had left champion on my bed instead of putting it in my bag... face palm. A full review of this will be up shortly.

 

So what do you do when your desperate to read and now you have at least another hours on various buses and waiting time... you buy a replacement book; so I went into my local charity shop and bought 'The New Sherlock Holmes Novel: The House of Silk' by Anthony Horowitz'. Although this was never on my tbr for this read-a-thon I read 39 pages just to pass some of the time and to add to my page count. This book will be used for my travelling book; so when I'm out and about this is the spare book I will have in my bag... along with my current read (obviously).

 

So when I got home I immediately put Sherlock down and picked up 'Champion' by Marie Lu; oh this book kept me going for hours, with all the feels and the drama... oh my... I have a new love for this series! I preceded to complete all 353 pages of Champion before midnight (by less that half an hour!). Also a review of this book and series review will be up within the next couple of weeks... probably after the read-a-thon; because who seriously has time to write the reviews these books need while in a read-a-thon???!!!???

 

Read-a-thon stats:

 

Total books read: 2

Total books currently reading: 2
Books left to read: 6

Total pages: 603/ 2667

BOUT OF BOOKS 11.0

So my reading friends, tomorrow is Bout of Books 11.0 and I know that I have already posted a tbr list however I have made a few changes and I'm going to go into a little bit more detail this time... particularly page count.

So firstly I have been reading the Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu; however due to time restraints I haven't managed to finish these before the start of the read-a-thon. So the first book is 'Prodigy'; I am currently on page 143 of 354 pages (total of 211 pages left).

Next I plan on reading 'Champion' by Marie Lu; the final book in the Legend Trilogy which has so much hype its unreal... I hope it lives up to it. (total 353 pages).

 

Next I finally plan on finishing 'Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth' by Rick Riordan; I am currently on page 275 out of 342. (67 pages left)

 

Then I can finally get onto 'Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian' by Rick Riordan; I have been waiting to get to this book for ages since being stuck on The battle of the Labyrinth for sooo long. (361 pages)

 

Those are the four main books I really need to complete in this read-a-thon; so those will be read first because they trilogy/ series have been in my 'currently reading' pile for so long its unreal. However I plan on reading much more than four books so the rest are going to be read in any order after finishing the first four...

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: 418 pages

 

 

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: 513 pages

 

Play to Kill by P.J. Tracy: 325 pages

 

 

The coldest girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: 419 pages

 

 

Rad-a-thon stats:

 

Total books: 8 books

Total pages to be read: 2667 
 
 
 
 
 
 

'Legend' book review... no spoilers!

'Legend' by Marie Lu

I have started a new method for doing my book reviews; firstly, the moment I finish a book I write a small paragraph about my immediate feelings about the books. After this I will then expand on these points and develop it into a full review.

"I couldn't get into the start of this book, however I feel that this is due to my recent finish of another series and I was still hankering for more. However after a day away from the book I found myself loving this book for what it is... I fell in love with the writing and the characters. I still feel my heart flutter at the thought of the intertwining emotion and action... I need more of this series."- less than 10 minutes after finishing Legend. 

 

A more detailed review...

 

I have already admitted that I wasn't caught by the beginning of this novel and I can honestly say that this was not the novel's fault but my own; thinking back over the event that occur in the first 50 pages there is action packed scenes that claw at the right emotions at the right time. Unfortunately my heart wasn't in the right place to appreciate this when I read these chapters.

 

I think the introduction to each of the main characters was detailed but not like a CV as I find many books are; authors tend to just list information about the character instead of weaving it into the story, however I can honestly say that Marie Lu is not one of these authors and has done a truly remarkable job of weaving just the right amount of information into the storyline. I especially like how the characters develop alongside each other in their personal discoveries; almost as if each is pushing the other to become better.

 

As the start of a trilogy I believe it leaves the right number of unanswered questions at the end to warrant additional books however I believe that this story is not truly dependant on follow up stories to make it complete; rather it stands its own ground as an individual book... which I greatly admire.

 

There is a physical element to the book that I really liked; the different fonts allowed for quick distinction between the two points of view; because at times you could mistake one for the other but only on the rare occasion.

 

Overall I'd give 'Legend' 4/5 stars; however it would make 4.5 / 5 if I had been able to fully appreciate the beginning. The reason it wasn't a 5/5 was because it couldn't draw me away from my previous book; maybe its not this books fault but I believe that in order to deserve 5/5 you need to be able to make the reader forget everything outside the book... including the last book you read!

 

I'd love to see your views on this book; please refrain from spoilers as I don't want any readers being spoilt as an air of mystery is needed to fully love this book.

 

Helen x 



Charity shops.... a book lovers dream... yes... another haul!!!!!!!

Okay so not all these books were bought by me... nine were bought by my mom and the other four were bought by me. Every book in this haul was bought from a charity shop and every book cost less than a pound... which is the reason I bought many as I haven't heard a single thing about them????

I shall start with the books I bought myself...

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Larsson

 

I picked this up because I have been desperate to read the books since watching the movie. True I didn't find the movie that appealing however I saw that the story had potential as most book lovers will agree, the book is nearly always better. I am hoping to get the rest of this renowned trilogy as and when they cross my path.

 

'Devil Bones' by Kathy Reichs

 

"In the dark cellar, a ritualistic display is revealed. A human skull rests on a cauldron, surrounded by slain chickens and bizarre figurines. Beads and antlers dangle overhead." This is part of the blurb; I cannot admit that the blurb is purely what drew me to this book but rather its relation to one of my favourite T.V. series 'Bones'; it follows the same main character as the T.V. series Temperance Brennan who has inspired me to follow my educational path since I was younger. And then I learnt that there were many many companion novels to these... so now I have started to mission to collect and read them all.

 

'Cursed' and 'Ravaged' by David Wellington

 

I walked into the British Heart Foundation; as one of my local charity shops and found a complete duology selling for £1 for both books... what crazy person would pass a deal like that. True it was clear that all the books had been read before; but I was buying them out of a charity shop and I wasn't expecting brand new. But then I read the blurb on the back of 'cursed' and now I'm hooked.. 'There's one sound a woman doesn't want to hear when she's lost and alone in the Arctic wilderness: A Howl'... I haven't read a good werewolf story in a while... now I'm excited. 

 

 

 

Now onto the books my darling mommy bought me; she moans I have too many books and continues to buy them.

 

'Bones of the Lost' by Kathy Reichs

 

Well we all knew that the moment I sunk my teeth into the other Dr Temperance Brennan book I needed more; so when we found the newest book in a charity shop and the spine has not damage what so ever I begged until she bought it. The blurb is extremely mysterious; mentioning places abroad as well as a hint of history linked to the story... this will be intriguing.

 

'Inisgnia' by S.J. Kincaid

 

This book is based on World War 3 which is set in Space and when a recruit starts questioning things terrible and dark things start to happen. A tale of teenage combatants, virtual reality, spies and corruption... I think that is one hell of a mix.

 



 

 

'Grinny' by Nicholas Fisk

 

This is infact a bind-up of 'Grinny' and its sequel 'You remember me', however I don't know much about this book im afraid and the blurb gives nothing away expect the main character is an 11 year old boy who holds the fate of the world in his hands.  Can he handle it?

 

'Lance of Truth' and Crown of Dreams' by Katherine Roberts
 

These are books 2 and 3 of the Pendragon legacy; I now have to find the first book and the last so I can begin reading this fantasy series. All I can tell from the blurb is this; it is set in King Arthur's era and his daughter is battling great and terrible foes to protect the kingdom. I'm interested in seeing how this story is different and unique from other Excalibur tales.

 

 

 









 

'VIII' by 'H.M. Castor

 

I shall simply state the blurb and you can determine your own judgments of the book:

 

'VIII is the story of Hal; a young, handsome,

 gifted warrior, who believes he has been chosen

 to lead his people. But he is plagued by the

 ghosts of his family's violent past and, once

 he rises to power, he turns to murder and

 rapacious cruelty. He is Henry VIII.'

 

'The Elites' by Natasha Ngan

 

A book about fighting social norms in the perfect fantasy setting; but I think this book will go deeper than that. I must admit that I am quite looking forward to reading this book.

 

'Sweet Venom' by Tera Lynn Childs

 

'Meet Gracem Gretchen and Greer- three teenage decendants of Medusa who must embrace their fates in a world where mythological monsters lurk in plain sight'... oh my I've been looking for another mythical creatures and Greek Gods book to sink my teeth into. So excited!!!

 

'Secrets and Sapphires' by Leila Rasheed

 

The start to a historical contemporary I believe; this isn't my first choice of genre however I am determined to branch out more in my reading and this means adding some contemporaries to my reading. Lets hope this series is a good place to start...

 

Would you recommend any of these books? Have you read any of them or have a review? I would love to check it out before delving in.

Happy Reading

Helen x