Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

So, I'd heard about this book a lot, and when I went to Waterstones to buy a few books, it caught my eye and I decided to buy it.

I do love bigger books, as I'm a quick reader, and so that definitely made me want to read it more. (my work bag was quite heavy for the time I was reading it though).

Here it is:

It was on her nineteenth birthday that the soldiers came for Kelsea Glynn.

They came to escort her back to the place of her birth - and to ensure she survives long enough to take possession of what is rightfully hers.

But like many nineteen-year-olds, Kelsea is unruly, has high principles and believes she knows better than her elders.

Unlike most nineteen-year-olds, she is about to inherit a kingdom that is on its knees - corrupt, debauched and very dangerous.

Kelsea will either become the most fearsome ruler the kingdom has ever known... or be dead within the week.

Okay, so, this book... it was a rather quick read for me once I got into it. It follows a young female, Kelsea, as she learns to come into herself more after being isolated and hidden away for all of her life. It really does follow her personal journey from a young, untested girl, to a Queen, and when you come to end of the book you can really see her come out of her shell and actually become the Queen she is meant to be.

As you may know by now, books about personal journeys are some of my favourites, and I absolutely love it when a character really comes into herself as the book goes along. I especially love it how in this book Kelsea also learns to gain support from her Queen's guard, who, throughout the book, have been listening to Mace (the head of the guard) rather than Kelsea herself.

Having just mentioned Mace (or Lazarus, whichever you prefer he be called), I must admit he is my favourite character. I have no idea why this is, but I just like the idea of him, even if at one point I was really annoyed he didn't trust Kelsea's judgement nearer to the end of the book, despite everything they had gone through together at that point. But, even with that, I loved him, and I really hope he ends up sticking around in the next two books in this series.

We also learn little tidbits about the Red Queen in this book, and I am really intrigued as to how this character will pan out in the future books, as she so clearly wants Kelsea dead, and wants Kelsea's mysterious crystals, for an unknown reason.

So, all I can say is I'm definitely intrigued by many things, and I can't wait to see how everything all fits together in the next few books!

I give this book: 4.5 cats!

Have you read this book? Or the others in the series? What do you think of them? And who is your favourite character? Comment below!

Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

So, guys, I did warn you in my first ever post about my favourite re-reads (see HERE) that I would most likely at some point be re-reading Harry Potter, and the time has come.

And, if you didn't know by now, I shall say it for the millionth time: I am a giant Potterhead!

But, I've been a bit lax, and I haven't re-read Harry Potter in years, so in a way, reading this was like going back to my childhood, and I loved that.

Here it is (for those that may have never read it before):

Harry Potter is an ordinary boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs at his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house, which he thinks is normal for someone like him who's parents have been killed in a 'car crash'. He is bullied by them and his fat, spoilt cousin Dudley, and lives a very unremarkable life with only the odd hiccup (like his hair growing back overnight!) to cause him much to think about. 

That is until an owl turns up with a letter addressed to Harry and all hell breaks loose! He is literally rescued by a world where nothing is as it seems and magic lessons are the order of the day. Read and find out how Harry discovers his true heritage at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, the reason behind his parents mysterious death, who is out to kill him, and how he uncovers the most amazing secret of all time, the fabled Philosopher's Stone! All this and muggles too. Now, what are they?

So, I have this cover, and old cover I know, and this copy of the book is much loved. I've had it for as long as I can remember, and I will be gutted if it ever gives up on me. I remember there were two different back covers for this, and I got the edition with Nicholas Flamel on it.

Anyways, that's enough about the cover.

I don't even know how to begin with reviewing this book, as it is so loved, and it has been read so many times, that I don't think I can put into words how much this book means to me. It has literally been a big part of my life since I was a child, and it still is a big part of it.

But what can I say about the book? I feel like I always say books are amazing, but with this one I mean it. It's just a magical world that I have always wanted to be a part of, and I still want to be a part of.

It was great to go back and see the beginning of the friendship of the Golden Trio, and just see the dynamics between the group beginning to grow, especially when you know just what will happen in the later books.

And, just because this review could go on forever, I shall leave you with my favourite lines of the book:

And of course, I give this book 5 cats!

Comment your favourite part of the book, or your favourite lines!

Sunshine Blogger Award!

So, I was nominated for this lovely little tag by Elise and I thought it was the cutest thing so I'm very glad to do this particular book tag!

The rules:

Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their post.

Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.

Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.

List the rules and display The Sunshine Blogger Award in your post and/or on your blog.

So, without further ado, the questions Elise gave me were:

Do you like Taylor Swift? (because I’m listening to her music right now and that’s all I cant think about… XD)

I like some of her songs, but I'm not her biggest fan, so you could say I'm just inbetween

(I know we should stay positive but…) Are there any super popular books that you just CAN’T STAND?

nope! I have actually never had a book that I hated or couldn't stand, I think I just love any and all worlds thought up by authors!

Ever been to any book conventions? If not, are there any you’d like to go to?

no, unfortunately, though I am now planning to go to YALC next year, and there are so many blogger events I want to try and go to.

Do you collect book/movie posters? What about other merch?

Not at the moment as I have like no room for anything, barely have enough room for all of my books! But I'd love to get some merch for my favourite books, I always try and enter competitions for them, even if I'd have to hide it somewhere in the house until I have more room!

Other merch though, is a thing for me, I just started collecting pops, and (I know this is still book merch but I count it as it's own category) I collect quite a lot of Harry Potter merchandise, though yet again I can't put it all out at the moment </3

Do you prefer physical planners or digital ones? Or are you some crazy person who doesn’t need a planner? (TEACH ME YOUR WAYSSSS!)

I don't tend to use planners at all, though if things are planned well in advance I do need to put the reminder in my phone because I may forget. But, in general, no planners for me!

(K these questions are too normal… I must ask something super random…) ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE BLASPHEMING PEOPLE WHO LIKE PIZZA WITH NO SAUCE? HOW DO YOU DO IT?

I have had a pizza with no sauce before, but I didn't like it! I am all for the sauce, especially if it's home made, I love making my own pizza sauce when I get round to making pizza!

What would your dream house look like? (Did someone say a cold dark cave full of books?)

Oh, this is a hard one! But I would love to have a study with a reading nook in it, and lots of bookshelves to put all my books in. I've also always wanted a reading window, I think it would be amazing to just sit in there on rainy or sunny days when I didn't feel like going outside and reading with blankets and a tea!

I'd also love a nice little covered patio bit where I could lounge on nice days with a little fire burner and maybe a little swing, all very comforting things so I can read outside on a bad or good day if I felt like it.

(notice how I just want comfy places to read)

Name some underhyped books everyone should read!

Hm, I'm not sure if it is underhyped, but I adore the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix! If you haven't noticed it is on my constant re-reads list, as I've read them so many times!

One other that I've not heard many people talk about is the Study Series by Maria V. Snyder, I've only read the first 3 books in this series but I absolutely adore them and I've read them at least 10 times each.

Have you ever thrown a book across the room due to rage?

No! Never! I would never ever throw my books, I love them too much! If I get angry, the most I do is throw them onto the sofa next to me in a rage, but that's a nice soft surface :')

What’s one outfit from a book (or movie) you wish you could have?

I would love love love to have Belle's dress from Beauty and the beast. No idea if it would suit me, but it is so beautiful I would love to have it anyways!

ARE YOU SECRETLY A DRAGON IN DISGUISE?!

No... of course not...... *coughs* 

Nominations, I tag:

Zoe

Amy

Nicola

Danielle

Rebecca

And anyone else that wants to do this tag too!

My questions (for if you want to do this tag) are:

1. If you could meet any author, which author would you choose?
2. Have you got any books that you could re-read any amount of times without getting bored?
3. What are your top 3 books on your TBR list that you're excited about?
4. Why did you decide to start blogging?
5. What book, if any, do you/would you collect multiple editions of?
6. Are there any book quotes that have stuck with you? If so, which ones?
7. Where is your favourite place to read?
8. What are you currently reading? And how is the book so far?
9. Is there a book that you are currently hyped about that will be released in the future?
10. If you could pick any book world to be a part of, which one would you choose?
11. Have you ever had any book crushes, if so, who? and What book were they from?

And that is that! Feel free to take part in this tag even if I didn't tag you!

ARC Review: The Fire Queen by Emily R. King

So I got this book from the publisher via Netgalley, in the form of an e-book, in exchange for a review.

And boy, was I excited I got accepted when I absolutely adored the first book in the series. This book is out on the 26th of September, and I highly suggest you read it, and the first book (my review for The Hundredth Queen can be found HERE).

So, anyways, here's the book:

In the second book in The Hundredth Queen Series, Emily R. King once again follows a young warrior queen’s rise to meet her destiny in a richly imagined world of sorcery and forbidden powers.

Though the tyrant rajah she was forced to marry is dead, Kalinda’s troubles are far from over. A warlord has invaded the imperial city, and now she’s in exile. But she isn’t alone. Kalinda has the allegiance of Captain Deven Naik, her guard and beloved, imprisoned for treason and stripped of command. With the empire at war, their best hope is to find Prince Ashwin, the rajah’s son, who has promised Deven’s freedom on one condition: that Kalinda will fight and defeat three formidable opponents.

But as Kalinda’s tournament strengths are once again challenged, so too is her relationship with Deven. While Deven fears her powers, Ashwin reveres them—as well as the courageous woman who wields them. Kalinda comes to regard Ashwin as the only man who can repair a warring world and finds herself torn between her allegiance to Deven and a newly found respect for the young prince.

With both the responsibility to protect her people and the fate of those she loves weighing heavily upon her, Kalinda is forced again to compete. She must test the limits of her fire powers and her hard-won wisdom. But will that be enough to unite the empire without sacrificing all she holds dear?

So, as you can tell from the Blurb of this, the Rajah from the first book is dead, and boy was I happy that happened! But it did leave me wondering just where the plot would go after that. And I was not disappointed at all.

In this book, you meet the Rajah's son, Ashwin, who will eventually go on to be the newest Rajah once he gains control of his city again. And Guys, I guessed correctly, there is a love triangle here! Granted, it's not much of one as Kalinda is still very much in love with Deven, but I can't wait to see where this subtle little triangle will go in the next book.

Because by now, you should know I love a good love triangle.

But, that's not all about the book that interested me of course, there was a new place to explore in this little world of Emily's, and with that came a whole load of new imagery, and a slightly different portrayal of the religious beliefs, and that's always interesting to read about, how different places differ in their ways of practising religion. (though this isn't a real religion, as stated at the beginning of both books)

But yes, I love the imagery in this, and I love the relationship between Kalinda and Deven as well, it's good to see the inner workings of it, especially when there is a new player in the game (Prince Ashwin).

It's not all about the love triangle though guys, you get to see the workings of Bhuta's a bit more in this book, especially in the new land where they are allowed to be part of the Sultan's guard, and it's great to see just how powerful they can be when they aren't shunned like they were in the first book.

Kalinda also definitely learns to grow into her powers in this, and I absolutely loved that about her in this book, She got to learn just how powerful she really is.

So, altogether, I give this book: 5 cats!

I just love that it goes into a bit more detail for everything in this, and I feel like the 3rd book is going to be amazing too when it comes out.

Don't forget, this second book is out the 26th September!

Have you read either of these books? Do you agree with me? Will you be buying this book when it's out? Comment below!

Review: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading

So guys, this isn't my usual book, as most of you may have guessed I am a fantasy girl through and through, and this book is definitely not in the fantasy genre (unless you count cursed gold as fantasy).

But, it was the first time I'd been contacted to review a book, and it looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Here it is:

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climactic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves as Kitty prepares for her next adventure - flying around the world!

So, yes, definitely not my usual read. And it did take me quite a bit of time to get into this book. If I'm being truthful it took me nearly half the book to really get into it. But, that may have been because I started reading it during a slight reading slump I had.

However, as soon as I got into the nitty gritty of the gold plot, I got sucked in to the book much more.

That's not to say that the rest of the book was not interesting, in fact, it was! I learnt a lot while reading this book, and I do love learning new things. Specifically, when reading this you learn the odd few things about flying, and the odd few things about whales, and these little nuggets of knowledge were certainly fun to gain.

The imagery in this book is what got me. I've always wanted to visit some of the places mentioned, and I just loved the way the author wrote about them, his descriptions were amazing and just had me wanting to visit the places mentioned even more.

I did come to start loving the characters in the book too, even under the assumption that I was weird liking the kidnappers, but as Kitty began to start liking them, so did I. (and I'll definitely say I love how this book ended, as it justified my liking of the kidnappers - but I won't go any further in case I spoil the book). Plus, I did love Kitty's little voice in her head that guided her, it was rather sassy, and come on, who doesn't have their own little voice that tells you to stop doing stupid things? I do.

Overall, for me, it isn't a book that I would have picked up myself, and it did take a while to get into it even if I loved the ending, so I'm giving this book 3.5 cats!

Of course, if it was more of my genre, I would give it 4-4.5 cats, but as it took me so long to get into it, I'm giving it 3.5.

However, if you are a reader of YA adventures, or love to learn new things about nature, I would definitely say you'll be giving this book a much higher rating than I did.

I definitely recommend it for you if you like adventure books, and I will be thinking of reading the next book (where Kitty travels around the world). Have you read this book before? Comment below and we can compare opinions!

Disney Book Tag!

So, as you all may know, I am a tincey wincey (maybe a lot more than that) bit obsessed with Disney.

So, when I saw this tag on Megan's blog (Blue Eyed Demon) I knew I just had to do it, and although she didn't tag anyone, she tagged me on Twitter after I expressed interest!

I'll be linking to the goodreads page for each book if you want to check it out!

Onto the questions!

1. The Little Mermaid – A character that is out of their element, a fish out of water.

Okay so, my answer for this one is not going to be one that many of you know yet as it is a new book that I got as an arc from netgalley. And this is Talia from Book of Fire. I picked her because when she tries to save her family from the dome she ends up in a totally different place than what she is used to. She has lived her life in the forest, living life from the forest, whereas the people inside the dome use a lot of futuristic things, and she is totally out of her element when she ends up inside.

2. Cinderella – A character who goes through major development.

I have to say Feyre from ACOTAR. She begins the book being afraid and a bit hateful of Faeries, yet as you get through the books she learns more about them and even falls in love with one of them. Definitely a big development in my eyes!

3. Snow White – A book with an eclectic cast of characters.


Hm, this was a hard one, and I had to think about it, but I'll go for the Mortal Instruments, there's so many different types of characters trying to interact. (hope I got this question right)

4. Sleeping beauty – A book that put you to sleep.

No book puts me to sleep, I have a problem (well not really a problem) in that I have actually never not liked a book I have read! But I can also cheat and say all books, as I do love reading until I fall asleep at night time!

5. The Lion King – A character that had something traumatic happen in their childhood.

I took so long to decide this one, as all I could think of was books I'd already used in this post, and I didn't want to re-use them. So, I'm going to go with Celaena from Throne of Glass. Mainly because when younger she found her parents dead one morning, after crawling into bed with them, and the majority of her family is killed that night too. Also, she is then trained up to become an assassin rather than living in a loving home. So, not the most traumatic thing that I've read about, but still quite a big traumatic event!

6. Beauty and the Beast – A book that was a beast (a.k.a a big book that you were intimidated by but in the end found beautiful)

It has to be Inheritance. This is such a beast of a book, one of the biggest I have in my bookcase that isn't an illustrated version.

I had read the previous books in the series, but this one was giant and I wondered if I'd ever get through it, but in the end I did, and I loved it so much, I didn't even guess what would happen at the end despite my theories throughout the first 3 books.

7. Aladdin – A character who has their wish granted for better or for worse.

I would say Lirael for this answer from the Old Kingdom Series. She always wanted to just fit in with her family and find her place in the Glacier. In the end she does end up finding her place, just not in the Glacier with the Clayr, and instead fits in with her new family as an Abhorsen!

So it's kind of for the better but also for the worse as she did just want to have the sight for so many years of her life!

8. Mulan – A character who pretends to be someone or some thing that they are not.


Okay, so I'm going to go with Kalinda from the Hundredth Queen, or to be more specific the second book The Fire Queen. Mainly because when she finds out she is a Bhuta she hides it, and even when she later goes to another land she hides it still so her people won't hate her.


9. Toy Story – A book with characters who you want to come to life.

Omg this is so hard to choose. But, come on guys, I have to choose Harry Potter. Who wouldn't want to know some of them characters IRL and then you also get a chance to meet the ones you fell in love with in the book!


10. Disney Descendants – Your favourite villain.

oooooh this is a hard one! I do like Galbatorix from Eragon, I don't know why but I do, despite all the bad he's done. Maybe it is because of how he became a bad guy, the death of his dragon, I don't know, but he's one of my favourites!

I Tag (very long list here but links to blog are included) and anyone else who wants to do it!:
Sydney
Jess
Kyra
Megs
Linda
Jackie
Cassie
Sarah
Ash
Alice
Nicola

Feel free to comment on my crazy answers if you agree!

ARC Review: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

I got this book from Netgalley, for an honest review.

So, I am especially happy to be posting this as it was this book which was my first Netgalley acceptance, so, although I had to wait a while to post this review, know that I wanted to post it ages ago and share this amazing book with you.

And when I say amazing, I mean amazing. This was one book that pulled me in quickly and then left me wanting more at the end.

If you're a fan of the Maze Runner series by James Dashner or The Testing series by Joelle Charbonneau then I'm sure you'll love this series too.

So, here it is:

Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.

Forever.

Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.

But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

At first, when I started reading this book, I was worried I wouldn't be able to get into it easily, as sometimes I have trouble when a book has a male POV. But, my worries were for nought, I got sucked into this world so quickly, enough that I had trouble putting my kindle down! (unfortunately I had to as the week I was reading this was a full work week, so I had to read it during breaks - though I did end up being a bit late back from breaks because I lost track of time while reading this) 

But, isn't it just great when you find a book that you just don't want to put down? It just shows how amazing that book is.

I loved the way the author wrote the characters, especially the main character Emmett, it was so easy to connect to Emmett in the book, which was unusual for me as I sometimes have trouble connecting with with male characters. 

One thing I loved was the way that the author had Emmett filing away his emotions under different letters e.g A for Anger, it was an interesting way to get the reader to connect with emotions. In fact, I think it just helped to make this book an emotional rollercoaster, with all the ups and downs and different emotions shown throughout.

One thing I'm sure anyone would agree on who has read this or who will read this book is that there are so many twists and turns, and all because of the machinations of the company Babel, who was in charge of the space mission. Babel has so many secrets that it had me trying to guess them all while reading, and let me tell you, I didn't even manage to come close to guessing what the secrets were (of the ones that were revealed in this book). 

I've been left trying to guess what the other twists will be in the next book, and I'm sure that Scott Reintgen will not disappoint in that respect, but I just feel like I can't wait for the next book to come out!

I give this book: 5 Cats!

All I can say about this book is that it will leave you hooked and wanting more, so I think you should all read it if you love SciFi books!