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'Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.'- Angela Carter

Friday 4 November 2016

REVIEW: The Black Key - Amy Ewing

The Black Key (The Lone City, #3)Title: The Black Key
Author: Amy Ewing
Series: The Lone City #3
Publisher: Walker Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 6th October, 2016
Series Reviews: The Jewel, The White Rose



The third book in Amy Ewing's New York Times bestselling Lone City trilogy, The Black Key is perfect for fans of The Selection and Red Queen. Violet and the Society of the Black Key are preparing to launch an attack on the royalty, and Violet has a crucial role to play. She must lead the surrogates as they infiltrate the Auction and break down the walls of the Lone City. But with her sister, Hazel, imprisoned in the palace of the Lake, Violet is torn. In order to save her sister, she must abandon her cause and her friends and return to the Jewel.

Thursday 3 November 2016

REVIEW: The White Rose - Amy Ewing

The White Rose (The Lone City, #2)Title: The White Rose
Author: Amy Ewing
Series: The Lone City #2
Publisher: Walker Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 1st October, 2015
Series Reviews: The Jewel 


Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Matched, this is the second book in the Lone City trilogy, following on from Amy Ewing's shocking and compelling debut novel, The Jewel. Violet, Ash and Raven have escaped the palace of the Duchess of the Lake, but Regimentals are hunting for them across the city. Nowhere is safe, and they are dependent on Lucien and his secret society for survival. If they can reach the safety of the White Rose then Violet may be able to help Lucien in his plan to rescue more surrogates. For one surrogate, however, it is already too late. Violet's best friend, Raven, is pregnant. And in the Jewel, surrogates cannot survive giving birth.

Monday 17 October 2016

Discussion Post: Homeless


For those of you who have known me for a few years, you will know that I've been living in London for roughly two years. London is a vastly different world to anything that I was used to back in the Welsh Valleys, but I've slowly but surely started making this place my home. The differences in behaviour, in the culture, the lifestyle and the scenery were all completely overwhelming to me. I loved that shops were now open late and the ease of public transport, but hated the fact that everything was so completely jam packed with people. I think the one thing that really hits me the most about living in London though, is the sheer amount of homeless people and the class divide.

Tuesday 20 September 2016

BLOG TOUR: Frost Like Night - Sara Raasch

Hi all! Today I'm taking part in the blog tour for Frost Like Night by Sara Raasch. Frost Like Night is the final book in the Snow Like Ashes trilogy and I'm so sad that it's ending! This has been one of my favourite series of the last few years and I'm so excited to see how it ends. Snow Like Ashes and Ice Like Fire blew me away and I can guarantee that the finale will be no different. Look out for my review coming up in future posts! Today I'll be sharing with you my favourite quotes from the series, ones which have really resonated with me and are so beautiful. 

Thursday 4 August 2016

REVIEW: Lie With Me - Sabine Durrant

Lie With MeTitle: Lie With Me
Author: Sabine Durrant
Series: None
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 28th July, 2016


It starts with a lie. The kind we've all told - to a former acquaintance we can't quite place but still, for some reason, feel the need to impress. The story of our life, embellished for the benefit of the happily married lawyer with the kids and the lovely home. And the next thing you know, you're having dinner at their house, and accepting an invitation to join them on holiday - swept up in their perfect life, the kind you always dreamed of... Which turns out to be less than perfect. But by the time you're trapped and sweating in the relentless Greek sun, burning to escape the tension all around you - by the time you start to realise that, however painful the truth might be, it's the lies that cause the real damage... ... well, by then, it could just be too late.

Thursday 14 July 2016

Top 5 Books: January-June 2016

Hi all! It’s been a little while since I’ve posted properly on here. It’s been difficult to keep it up with my job and also, my laptop conked out so it’s been a case of grabbing some time when I can to get material ready.

I thought I would do a quick round up of my top 5 reads of 2016 so far because these books have been BRILLIANT. It’s a fairly diverse mix of Young Adult and Adult, Contemporary and Fantasy/ Sci-Fi and I’ve found that the majority of them have been real thought provokers. 

Monday 18 April 2016

REVIEW: The Square Root of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood

The Square Root of SummerTitle: The Square Root of Summer
Author: Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Series: None
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 5th May 2016


My heart is a kaleidoscope, and when we kiss it makes my world unravel... Last summer, Gottie’s life fell apart. Her beloved grandfather Grey died and Jason left her – the boy to whom she lost her virginity (and her heart) – and he wouldn’t even hold her hand at the funeral! This summer, still reeling from twin heartbreaks, Gottie is lost and alone and burying herself in equations. Until, after five years absence, Thomas comes home: former boy next door. Former best friend. Former everything. And as life turns upside down again she starts to experience strange blips in time – back to last summer, back to what she should have seen then... During one long, hazy summer, Gottie navigates grief, world-stopping kisses and rips in the space-time continuum, as she tries to reconcile her first heartbreak with her last. The Square Root of Summer is an astounding and moving debut from Harriet Reuter Hapgood.

Thursday 14 April 2016

REVIEW: Underwater - Marisa Reichardt

UnderwaterTitle: Underwater
Author: Marisa Reichardt
Series: None
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 7th April 2016


“Forgiving you will allow me to forgive myself.” Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then herself. But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school. When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside. Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.

Wednesday 13 April 2016

REVIEW: The Winner's Crime - Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2)Title: The Winner's Crime
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Purchased
Publication Date: 12th March, 2015


Lady Kestrel's engagement to Valoria's crown prince calls for great celebration: balls and performances, fireworks and revelry. But to Kestrel it means a cage of her own making. Embedded in the imperial court as a spy, she lives and breathes deceit and cannot confide in the one person she really longs to trust ... While Arin fights to keep his country's freedom from the hands of his enemy, he suspects that Kestrel knows more than she shows. As Kestrel comes closer to uncovering a shocking secret, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. Lies will come undone, and Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them in this second book in the breathtaking Winner's trilogy.  

Wednesday 16 March 2016

REVIEW: Morning Star - Pierce Brown

Morning Star (Red Rising, #3)Title: Morning Star
Author: Pierce Brown
Series: Red Rising #3
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Source: Review Copy and purchased
Publication Date: 8th January, 2016


Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society's mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within. Finally, the time has come. But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied - and too glorious to surrender.  

Wednesday 2 March 2016

REVIEW: Golden Son - Pierce Brown

Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy, #2)Title: Golden Son
Author: Pierce Brown
Series: Red Rising #2
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Source: Purchased
Publication Date: 8th January, 2015


'I'm still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.'
Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind's last hope. Until Darrow discovered that it was all a lie, and that the Red were nothing more than unwitting slaves to an elitist ruling class, the Golds, who had been living on Mars in luxury for generations.
In RED RISING, Darrow infiltrated Gold society, to fight in secret for a better future for his people. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his dangerous work to bring them down from within. It's a journey that will take him further than he's ever been before - but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?
Hic sunt leones.
A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown's continuing status as one of fiction's most exciting new voices.
 

Wednesday 3 February 2016

BLOG TOUR: Dumplin' - Julie Murphy

Dumplin'Title: Dumplin'
Author: Julie Murphy
Series: None
Publisher: Harper 360
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 15th September, 2015


Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.