February Wrap-Up.

I'm pleased as punch for the second time this year! I didn't manage all of my scheduled reads, but 6 out of 7 is great! Especially as I took some time out to visit family and go on holiday!

1. 'Wolf By Wolf'; Ryan Graudin. Wow, wow, wow! What a read! Normally I don't like to read Thrillers but this one had me on the edge of my seat and I'm so excited about the prospect of reading more from this series (i.e. the next book)! Thank goodness Illumicrate sent this book to me or I definitely wouldn't have read it for a very long time! Great plot and an imaginative idea of what history could have looked like if WWII had gone differently. 5/5 Stars.
2. 'Love Letters To The Dead'; Ava Dellaira. This was a well-crafted story with writing to die for! Dellaira covered a lot of sensitive topics in this story and handled them all really well. For me, the main character was the biggest issue because I didn't really like her all that much. She whined and cried a lot, and came across as ultra needy. The romance didn't really interest me either, I much preferred the complicated LGBT relationship between Hannah and Natalie, and I felt like more thought had gone into it. 2.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Beautiful Broken Things'; Sara Barnard. This YA contemporary read is one of the most talked about books of the month and it's very easy to see why when you read it. You won't find any tacky romances here. Instead, Barnard creates a beautiful, touching tale on friendship and the damaging effects of abuse and mental illness. I loved that Barnard included Social Media in this book, something that's often missed out in YA books: surprising considering the huge impact it has on the lives of young people. 4.5/5 stars.
4. 'Red Queen'; Victoria Aveyard. There were so many great aspects to this book: it felt like a great fusion between Fantasy and a Dystopian-like sci-fi. I really liked the characterisation in this one too, and Aveyard did a fantastic job at plot twists that actually took me by surprise. It was a bit of a slow starter and took me a while to get into it, but when I did I really enjoyed it. 3.5/5 Stars.
5. 'Under The Light'; Laura Whitcomb. I was a bit worried about reading this sequel because after reading 'A Certain Slant Of Light' I didn't feel like there could be much more of a story to tell. How wrong could I be? Jenny & Billy's story was so much fun to read, and Whitcomb's writing remained as beautiful as I remember it. Helen's inclusion puzzled me a bit because it didn't add much to the plot and mostly came in the form of flashbacks. Nevertheless, this was a wonderful conclusion to the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4/5 Stars.
6. 'Let The Right One In'; John Ajvide Lindqvist. Wow, what a roller-coaster of a story. Honestly, this was everything I wanted from a Vampire Romance. There were beautiful moments between Oskar and Eli, the complicated and well-constructed main characters of the book. There were also brutal, violent and shocking moments that were hard to read but added to the honesty of what I was reading. Definitely one of my new favourites! 4.5/5 Stars.

This month I have read four books for Pretty Deadly Review's Backlist Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to seven. This month's reads were:

- 'Love Letters To The Dead' by Ava Dellaira

- 'Red Queen' by Victoria Aveyard

- 'Under The Light' by Laura Whitcomb

- 'Let The Right One In' by John Ajvide Lindqvist

This month I have read one book for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to three. This month's read was:

- 'Beautiful Broken Things' by Sara Barnard

This month I have gained two points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to fourteen. This month's points were as thus:

- +2 for 'Under The Light' by Laura Whitcomb

This month I have read one book for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to three. This month's reads were:

- 'Beautiful Broken Things' by Sara Barnard

This month I have read zero books for the Daily Prophecy's Fairy Tale Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to two.

And here's my finished Bookish Bingo card and updated Story Sprites board!

Romance: Love Letters To The Dead; Ava Dellaira.

Snow On Cover: Dot; Araminta Hall.

Has Been Translated: Let The Right One In; John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Multi-POV: A Feast For Crows; George R.R. Martin.

Series Finale: Winter; Marissa Meyer.

Fantasy: Stealing Phoenix; Joss Stirling.

Pink Cover: This Raging Light; Estelle Laure.

2015 Release You Missed: Wolf By Wolf; Ryan Graudin.

A Friend's Fave: Red Glove; Holly Black.

Freebie: A Study In Scarlet; Arthur Conan Doyle.

White Cover: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Ken Kesey.

Book That Was A Gift: Under The Light; Laura Whitcomb.

2016 Debut: Beautiful Broken Things; Sara Barnard.

Graphic Novel: The Fox & The Star; Coralie Bickford-Smith.

Start A New Series: The Dark Days Club; Alison Goodman.

Royalty: Red Queen; Victoria Aveyard.

Blue Cover: The Lovely Bones; Alice Sebold.

Clairvoyance/Sixth Sense: The Lovely Bones; Alice Sebold.
Single Word Title: Dot; Araminta Hall.

First Book In A Series: Wolf By Wolf; Ryan Graudin.
Novel With A Rebellion: Winter; Marissa Meyer.
Book-To-Movie Adaptation: A Study In Scarlet; Arthur Conan Doyle.
Enchanted Forest: The Fox & The Star; Coralie Bickford-Smith.

Purple-Themed Cover: Love Letters To The Dead; Ava Delleira.

Scandinavian-Born Character: Let The Right One In; John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Novel With A Map: Red Queen; Victoria Aveyard.

Strong Female Friendship: Beautiful Broken Things; Sara Barnard.
Supernatural Feud: The Dark Days Club; Alison Goodman.

Last Book In A Series: Under The Light; Laura Whitcomb.