- 'Golden Son'; Pierce Brown. I have slightly mixed feelings about this series, though I always end up giving the books good ratings in the end. Brown is a master at world-building (or should I say Universe building) and he's really put a lot of thought into how the economic & political system and social/historical context works. Characters and plot pacing were also impressive but for some reason I'm just not a fan of Brown's actual writing style. There's too much dramatic rambling and I don't enjoy the use of short sentences. 3/5 Stars.
- 'Seven Ways We Lie'; Riley Redgate. This book was just phenomenal. Redgate writes from seven viewpoints, a mammoth enough task, but she then proceeds to give each such a distinct, unique voice that I fell in love with each one. There is so much diversity in this book too in terms of the characters' ethnicity, sexuality and mental health. It gave a really realistic, clear picture of the lives of teens. 5/5 Stars.
- 'Read Me Like A Book'; Liz Kessler. My second YA Contemporary this month was a less successful read for me. The subject matter of discovering sexuality I liked, but sadly I don't think it was handled well. The characters were in no way relateable, especially the selfish, horribly naive main character. The world-building had a few errors too and in the end, I didn't particularly like Kessler's writing. This was a real shame as she's a critically-acclaimed author whom I thought I would enjoy. 2/5 Stars.
- 'Siege & Storm'; Leigh Bardugo. I have so many regrets about the fact that it took me so long to read this book. It's the second in the series but it's a really great installment in what promises to be an amazing Fantasy set of books. I'm so excited to read 'Ruin & Rising' and the introduction of great characters like Sturmhond makes me think that 'The Six Of Crows' is going to be a great read! I'm still not keen on Mal, but he's not my least favourite love interest of all time. 4/5 Stars.
- 'The Invasion Of The Tearling'; Erika Johansen. Despite a decent-ish review for 'The Queen Of The Tearling' I wasn't sure whether to continue this series because I didn't love it. There were a couple of issues in Book One that really became a problem in this book: the fixation on beauty and the setting. The flashbacks to Lily Mayhew were unnecessary and something I would have liked to read separate from the story, and Kelsea turned into a character that I intensely disliked. And of course she had to transform into society's expectations of beauty because heroines can never be overweight or have an oddly shaped nose now, can they? 2/5 Stars.
- 'The Tropic Of Serpents'; Marie Brennan. Thank goodness for this book. As soon as I started reading, I felt like I was visiting an old friend in the older, wiser Isabella Trent. Her spirit and curiousity are infectious and I love her sense of humour as well as the comments on her stubborn, flawed younger self. The world-building for this series is excellent and for anyone who likes adventures, consider reading this series. 4.5/5 Stars.
- 'Golden Son' by Pierce Brown
- 'Siege & Storm' by Leigh Bardugo
- 'The Tropic Of Serpents' by Marie Brennan
This month I have read three books for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to six. This month's reads were:
- 'Seven Ways We Lie' by Riley Redgate
- 'Read Me Like A Book' by Liz Kessler
- 'The Invasion Of The Tearling' by Erika Johansen
This month I have gained eight points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to twenty two. This month's points were as thus:
- +2 for 'Golden Son' by Pierce Brown
- +2 for 'Siege & Storm' by Leigh Bardugo
- +2 for 'The Invasion Of The Tearling' by Erika Johansen
- +2 for 'The Tropic Of Serpents' by Marie Brennan
This month I have read one book for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to four. This month's read was:
- 'Seven Ways We Lie' by Riley Redgate
This month I have read zero books for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to two.
And here's my updated Bookish Bingo card and finished Story Sprites board!
Second Chance: The Invasion Of The Tearling; Erika Johansen.
Book Towards Another Challenge: Golden Son; Pierce Brown.
Freebie: Siege & Storm; Leigh Bardugo.
MC Shares Your 1st Initial: Seven Ways We Lie; Riley Redgate.
Written Under A Pen Name: The Tropic Of Serpents; Marie Brennan.
Stand-Alone: Read Me Like A Book; Liz Kessler.
Book With A Gay/Lesbian Romance: Read Me Like A Book; Liz Kessler.
>500 Page Book: The Invasion Of The Tearling; Erika Johansen.
YA Sci-Fi: Golden Son; Pierce Brown.
Clairvoyance/Sixth Sense: The Lovely Bones; Alice Sebold.
Dragons!: The Tropic Of Serpents; Marie Brennan.
Single Word Title: Dot; Araminta Hall.
First Book In A Series: Wolf By Wolf; Ryan Graudin.
Novel With A Rebellion: Winter; Marissa Meyer.
Single Word Title: Dot; Araminta Hall.
First Book In A Series: Wolf By Wolf; Ryan Graudin.
Novel With A Rebellion: Winter; Marissa Meyer.
Characters With A Code Name: Seven Ways We Lie; Riley Redgate.
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.
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.
Prince Or Princess: Siege & Storm; Leigh Bardugo.
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.
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.
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