December Wrap-Up.

As is usual for December, I didn't manage all of my reads this year. That is in fact not surprising because Christmas month is always SO busy for me! Still, I managed a lot of reads (four of the original seven I chose, plus one extra) and I'm excited to talk about them all!

1. 'Dragon Slayer Number Nine' by Intisar Khanani. This book probably shouldn't count seeing as it was only four or five pages long, but I'm including it anyway because it was a pretty cool short, experimental story written by one of my favourite authors of all time (I can call her that now because I've adored everything she writes so far). I really wanted to get back into the Khanani mood and this piece seemed like the perfect way to do it. In fact, I'd love if she'd expand upon it because the problem with a story with ONLY dialogue is that it becomes exceptionally short. 3/5 Stars.
2. 'Memories Of Ash' by Intisar Khanani. After my little warm-up, I dived straight into the book I've been waiting to read all year. I read the first in this series, 'Sunbolt', quite a while ago and I've been hoping for a sequel much longer in length ever since. I certainly got that! Khanani took everything great from the original novella and expanded upon it in this. The characters are well thought-out (and she has the kick-ass female character thing down to a tee), the world-building absolutely gorgeous and Khanani just writes such strong story-lines. 5/5 Stars.
3. 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige. Sadly, my happy reading bout couldn't last long. I really didn't enjoy this book, which was sad because it could have made the perfect wintry read. Instead, it just disappointed me. The pace was way too fast, revolving an annoying, indecisive main character who jumps from scene to scene without fully being allowed to explore it. Not to mention the fact that she falls for every guy she meets. Ugh. The world didn't comprise of much more than lots of snow, coloured trees and a few penguins and became just a generic Fantasy world rather than having personality. 1.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Heartless' by Marissa Meyer. Marissa Meyer did it again. I was a little unsure going into this despite my love for Fairy Tale retellings because Wonderland is a difficult place to get right. It has to have the perfect balance of madness and sense, otherwise it will either be no fun/unrecognisable or just too ridiculous. Of course Meyer managed it perfectly and created the perfect origin story for the infamously cruel Queen Of Hearts. She also neatly slotted in some great references to other recognisable characters from Carroll's original novels and paid great tribute to him in the process. 5/5 Stars.
5. 'A Girl Called Owl' by Amy Wilson. My last read of the year was okay, and while I was hoping for something overwhelmingly positive, it wasn't a bad story. In fact Wilson had thought up some pretty neat ideas about the cycle of the seasons and how famed figures of folklore could actually be real. The problem was that I felt that Owl, the MC, was far too flighty and her feelings didn't fully match up to her actions. Many sub-plots were introduced but not for any real reason other than a device to keep Owl's story moving and other areas that I would have liked more development on didn't get enough attention. 2.5/5 Stars.

This month I have read zero books for Pretty Deadly Review's Backlist Challenge, bringing my yearly total to fourty four. 

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

- 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige

- 'Heartless' by Marissa Meyer

- 'A Girl Called Owl' by Amy Wilson

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

- 'Memories Of Ash' by Intisar Khanani (+2)

This month I have read two books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to seventeen. The books I read were:

- 'Memories Of Ash' by Intisar Khanani

- 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige

Note: I have not included 'Heartless' or 'A Girl Called Owl' as they are not released until 2017.

This month I have read two books for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to twelve. My reads were:

- 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige

- 'Heartless' by Marissa Meyer

I also started my new Bookish Bingo card, and here is the result.

Alternative Format: Dragon Slayer Number Nine; Intisar Khanani

Sequel: Memories Of Ash; Intisar Khanani

2017 Debut: A Girl Called Owl; Amy Wilson

GR Choice Nominee: Heartless; Marissa Meyer

White Cover: Stealing Snow; Danielle Paige

November Wrap-Up.

Things went a little off track this month in that while I'd planned reads, I ended up reading a fair few books that weren't on the original list. This meant that I only managed five of the seven reads from my Planned Reads For November post. However, that's actually not too bad, and I did manage a couple of other, much shorter reads on top bringing my total for the month to seven! Wahoo!

1. 'The Dead House' by Dawn Kurtagich. I started this spooky read in October and did end up liking it a lot, though not as much as I thought I would. It had a great premise - an unusual format comprising of diary entries, police interviews, etc. that told the story of a young girl living with an identity disorder trying to figure out if her extra personality is a 'symptom' or something more. There were too many aspects to the plot and Kurtagich kept introducing them, even towards the end. This meant that my attention waned and the 'finale' was pretty disappointing. 2.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Kindred Spirits' by Rainbow Rowell. This short story that I received at YALC for free had been playing on my mind, and while I was already borrowing 'Fangirl' to read later on in the month from my sister, I wanted to read this too. It's a very sincere depiction and I liked it a lot, as it introduced me to Rowell's writing style pretty well. The characters were well-rounded and considering it's length the plot was very succinct. The end was a little cheesy and I would have liked it longer of course, but they are called short stories for a reason. 3.5/5 Stars.
3. 'The Lie Tree' by Frances Hardinge. It is so easy to see why this one Costa's Book Of The Year award in 2015 and I'm so happy for Hardinge. I read 'Cuckoo Song' and enjoyed it a lot, but I think I liked this even better. It's set in Victorian Society (my favourite historical period) and Hardinge's characters were powerful and complex, her plot imaginative and her writing exquisite. I need to read more books written by this lady, she's clearly the kind of author whose books just work for me. 4.5/5 Stars.
4. 'The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams' by Stephen King. The often-called master of horror did not blow me away in the past with his book 'It' and I'd been afraid to go back for quite some time in case I was disappointed again. Finally I decided that this time I'd opt for some of his shorter stories and I did enjoy them a little more. They were each different, though linked by common themes and I don't think that I disliked any of them, though a few I loved more than others. If you're intimidated by King's larger novels then maybe this is a good place to start. 3.5/5 Stars.
5. 'We Should All Be Feminists' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I'm trying to read more non-fiction as I do enjoy learning about facts as well as through fiction. I am a feminist though until this book, I'd never read many essays or books on the subject and as I had already adored Adichie's TED talk, 'The Danger Of A Single Story', this seemed like a good one to start with. It's short but it neatly summarises what feminism is about Feminism, taking from Adichie's personal experiences and injecting her distinct style and wit. 5/5 Stars.
6. 'The Ice Dragon' by George R.R. Martin. I didn't think that George R.R. Martin, famous for his use of gore, adult scenes and killing off everyone's favourite characters mercilessly would be able to pull of a children's book. But he has. In fact, it had a fairy-tale like quality to it, reminding me a lot of 'The Snow Child'. I did miss Martin's attention to detail, time period and setting however and elements of the story were a little vague. A great read though, and Luis Royo (whose artwork I've always admired) illustrates this edition beautifully. 4/5 Stars.
7. 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell. My second Rowell book of the month and this one is significantly longer, which pleases me a lot. All I can say is that this lovely lady has a total mastery over realistic teen lives. The dialogues, characters, relationships and situational events such as first time going further than a kiss or first time at college felt so real. I related so much to Cath's anxious personality and honestly, it's a great depiction of how anxiety actually feels and why it's so frustrating for us when people thing we're just being difficult or weird. Loved the fanfiction element too, it brought back some happy memories. 4.5/5 Stars.

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

- 'The Dead House' by Dawn Kurtagich

- 'The Lie Tree' by Frances Hardinge

- The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams' by Stephen King

- 'We Should All Be Feminists' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

- 'The Ice Dragon' by George R.R. Martin

- 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell

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

- 'The Dead House' by Dawn Kurtagich

This month I have gained zero points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to sixty.

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

- 'Kindred Spirits' by Rainbow Rowell

This month I have read zero book for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to ten. 

I also updated my Bookish Bingo card, and here are this trimester's results!

Stand Alone: Fearless; Tim Lott.

Back List: If I Fall, If I Die; Michael Christie.

Killers: The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams; Stephen King.

Suspense: The Dead House; Dawn Kurtagich.

Sea Creatures: Dark Tide; Jennifer Donnelly.

Revenge: The Gospel Of Loki; Joanne M. Harris.

Horror Or Paranormal: A Monster Calls; Patrick Ness.

Freebie: The Star-Touched Queen; Roshani Chokshi.

Illustrated: The Ice Dragon; George R.R. Martin.

American History: China Dolls; Lisa See.

Friendship: Harry Potter & The Cursed Child; J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany.

Black Cover: The Graces; Laure Eve.

Fall Release: As I Descended; Robin Talley.

Creepy Cover: The Lie Tree; Frances Hardinge.

Short Story: Kindred Spirits; Rainbow Rowell.

College: Fangirl; Rainbow Rowell.

October Wrap-Up.

Once again, I managed a good five of my seven planned reads. It's a little disappointing because I know I could have managed more if I'd not spent so much time getting round to a couple of them. Still, I'm pleased that I got this many and actually, I had a really good month for reading!

1. 'China Dolls' by Lisa See. A leftover read from September, I'm pretty glad I stuck with this one. On the surface, the plot is not overly exciting but into this book Lisa has dedicated vast amounts of research and world-building. It really paid off. The main characters were interesting (though not necessarily likeable, and a little bit petty) and I really liked delving into this small area of American History, which is not normally the kind of Historical Fiction I like. 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'As I Descended' by Robin Talley. I heard a lot about Robin Talley's 'Lies We Tell Ourselves' though never read it, so when 'As I Descended' came to my attention, a YA Contemporary Horror retelling of Macbeth, I knew I had to read it. It was a pretty good read too, with plenty of scares and both obvious and subtle allusions to the play that it is originally based upon (my favourite Shakespeare Tragedy). I loved the supernatural, loved deciphering the deeper meanings, but sadly felt not even vaguely connected to the characters I was reading about. A diverse cast list scored it bonus points! 3.5/5 Stars.
3. 'If I Fall, If I Die' by Michael Christie. The cover caught my eye for this read on Netgalley and though it wasn't strictly a Halloween read, it focused on the one topic that is perfect for this month: Fear. The characters were really well-written and I really liked Christie's writing style too. I was deeply engrossed from start to finish. The only real flaw was the latter half of the book, in which the plot seemed to take a turn into the slightly ridiculous. Nevertheless, a fantastic book. 4/5 Stars.
4. 'The Graces' by Laure Eve. Ever since YALC I've been excited about this book. I was so excited when Illumicrate sent me an ARC, and Halloween month was the perfect time to read it! I don't read many books about witches, but when I do I normally enjoy them. This was an outstanding example which completely blew away my expectations. Eve writes really well, and her focus on the characters and use of an unreliable narrator made for a book that didn't turn out to be what I thought it would at all. 4.5/5 Stars.
5. 'A Monster Calls' by Patrick Ness. This is hands down my favourite book of the month. It's been on my TBR for such a long time, and I've been dying to read another book by Patrick Ness because I loved 'More Than This' so much. I loved this even more! Emotionally charged, haunting in it's writing and a simple yet dark and heart-wrenching plot that was a great way to pay tribute to the late Siobhan Dowd's original idea for the book. 5/5 Stars.

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

- 'China Dolls' by Lisa See

- 'If I Fall, If I Die' by Michael Christie

- 'A Monster Calls' by Patrick Ness

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

- 'As I Descended' by Robin Talley

- 'If I Fall, If I Die' by Michael Christie

This month I have gained zero points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to sixty.

This month I have read two books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to fourteen. The books I read were:

- 'As I Descended' by Robin Talley

- 'The Graces' by Laure Eve

This month I have read one book for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to ten. The books I read were:

- 'As I Descended' by Robin Talley

I also updated my Bookish Bingo card!

Stand Alone: Fearless; Tim Lott.

Back List: If I Fall, If I Die; Michael Christie.

Sea Creatures: Dark Tide; Jennifer Donnelly.

Revenge: The Gospel Of Loki; Joanne M. Harris.

Horror Or Paranormal: A Monster Calls; Patrick Ness.

Freebie: The Star-Touched Queen; Roshani Chokshi.

American History: China Dolls; Lisa See.
Friendship: Harry Potter & The Cursed Child; J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany.

Black Cover: The Graces; Laure Eve.

Fall Release: As I Descended; Robin Talley.

September Wrap-Up.

So I didn't quite manage all seven of my planned reads, which is pretty usual for me actually. On average I tend to manage about five books a month, and that's exactly what happened this September! There have been some great reads this month though, so I'm glad to have managed what I did!

1. 'The Gospel Of Loki'; Joanne M. Harris. I felt so much conflict while reading this book because while I did like it, I was expecting to love it and was, in turn, disappointed when I didn't. The unreliable narrator, characterisation of Loki and reinterpretation of some pretty famous Norse Myths was really cool to read. However, I wasn't a fan of the constant modern references and in the end, it was just a retelling with not a whole lot of fresh or exciting thrown in. 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Harry Potter & The Cursed Child'; J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany. I waited until I'd watched the play before letting myself read this, and that was definitely the best way of doing it. Unless you're familiar with reading scripts or have experienced it live, you're not going to appreciate this format nearly as much. I have some reservations about the slightly fanfiction nature of the plot but the characters were really well rendered, the world-building as magical as I remember and it deserves four stars for Scorpius Malfoy alone! 3.5/5 Stars.
3. 'The Star-Touched Queen'; Roshani Chokshi. This book was by far my favourite read of the month. Chokshi just did such an amazing job with the writing, world-building, plot and characters too! She really has an amazing talent when it comes to visual imagery too and I felt completely transported into the setting she chose. Not only that, but Chokshi packed this book with so many references to Indian Mythology and folklore. 5/5 Stars.
4. 'Dark Tide'; Jennifer Donnelly.  The third book in this series, and it's the one that has really sold it to me as a series to invest myself in, so it's a shame that book four will be the finale! Still, 'Dark Tide' has great character development and interesting plot action to keep any reader happy. Sure, the new romances felt pretty rushed but I could forgive it because everything else had improved so much! 4/5 Stars.
5. 'Fearless'; Tim Lott. This book has received a fair amount of negative reviews, but for me it only brought nostalgia. I read it when I was younger and remember really liking it, so it was nice to relive that! I also really enjoyed that despite it's Dystopian setting, there were a ton of Fairy Tale references and tropes that made it something extra special and magical. 4.5/5 Stars.

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

- 'The Gospel Of Loki' by Joanne M. Harris

- 'Dark Tide' by Jennifer Donnelly

- 'Fearless' by Tim Lott

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

- 'The Gospel Of Loki' by Joanne M. Harris

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

- 'The Gospel Of Loki' by Joanne M. Harris (+2)

- 'Harry Potter & The Cursed Child' by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany (+12)

- 'Dark Tide' by Jennifer Donnelly (+2)

This month I have read two books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to twelve. The books I read were:

- 'The Star-Touched Queen' by Roshani Chokshi

- 'Harry Potter & The Cursed Child' by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany

This month I have read two books for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to nine. The books I read were:

- 'The Gospel Of Loki' by Joanne M. Harris

- 'The Star-Touched Queen' by Roshani Chokshi.

I also updated my Bookish Bingo card and have the final results for my Story Sprites challenge board!

Stand Alone: Fearless; Tim Lott.

Sea Creatures: Dark Tide; Jennifer Donnelly.

Revenge: The Gospel Of Loki; Joanne M. Harris.

Freebie: The Star-Touched Queen; Roshani Chokshi.

Friendship: Harry Potter & The Cursed Child; J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany.

2016 Fantasy: The Girl Of Ink & Stars; Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Fairytale Retelling: The Book Of Lost Things; John Connolly.

Historical Standalone: Burial Rites; Hannah Kent.

Setting - 19th Century: The Jungle Books; Rudyard Kipling.

Villain Turned Good: The Girl With All The Gifts; M.R. Carey.

Book By Deceased Author: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Character With Physical Deformity: Sisters Red; Jackson Pearce.

Book Cover With A Face: Fearless; Tim Lott.

Book With Vampires: City Of Bones; Cassandra Clare.

No Romance: The Gospel Of Loki; Joanne M. Harris.

Book With A Fantasy Land: Harry Potter & The Cursed Child; J.K. Rowling et al.

Female Empowerment As A Theme: The Star-Touched Queen; Roshani Chokshi.

Book With  Shipwreck: Dark Tide; Jennifer Donnelly.

August Wrap-Up.

This month didn't turn out to be so great, as I only managed 4 of the 7 chosen reads. However, I very much put this down to moving into my new flat, work, and the huge amount of social events I had going on! I'm not very annoyed at myself, because I'm trying to become more relaxed about how many books I get to read in a month.

1. 'City Of Bones'; Cassandra Clare. This book has been a pretty big source of contention for a lot of readers, with accusations of plagiarism and bad writing flying all around the Goodreads review list, as well as sentiments of love and devotion for the series too. Casting all of that out of my mind, I found I enjoyed this book and see great potential, though couldn't really get into Clare's character work (Magnus Bane aside). 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'The Book Of Lost Things'; John Connolly. I had high hopes for this book, especially as it came so highly recommended by a lot of bloggers. It turned out to be a hugely enjoyable read too, with clever, dark twists on classic Fairy Tales. I love symbolism and hidden meanings, so enjoyed deciphering what everything meant. I wish that MC David had been a bit more likeable so that I could truly root for him but all in all, a great read. 4/5 Stars.
3. 'The Girl With All The Gifts'; M.R. Carey. This is my favourite read of the month without a doubt, and a strong contender for the 2016 top spot! Wow! Carey wrote well and crafted not only an engrossing, heart-pounding story but some interesting characters, each with their own sense of morality and what is right. I loved the multiple POVs and look forward to reading more work from Carey in the future! 5/5 Stars.
4. 'Burial Rites'; Hannah Kent. This was the perfect end to a pretty hectic reading month, and as the first Historical Standalone I've read in a while, I loved it! Well-researched, a hauntingly beautiful story, and multiple characters that are both well-crafted and multi-faceted, the only complaint I had were the similar names that left me wondering who was who at a couple of points in the book. 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 thirty two. This month's reads were:

- 'City Of Bones' by Cassandra Clare

- 'The Book Of Lost Things' by John Connolly

- 'The Girl With All The Gifts' by M.R. Carey

- 'Burial Rites' by Hannah Kent.

This month I have read zero books for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to twelve. 

This month I have gained zero points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to forty four. 

This month I have read zero books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to ten.

This month I have read one book for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to seven. The book I read was:

- 'The Book Of Lost Things' by John Connolly.

I've also finished my Bookish Bingo card and updated my Story Sprites board!

Name In Title: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Aussie Author: Burial Rites; Hannah Kent.

Magic: Crow Moon; Anna McKerrow.

Historical Setting 1900s - 1950s: Salt To The Sea; Ruta Sepetys.

June, July or August Release: Notes On Being Teenage; Rosalind Jana.

Red Cover: Sisters Red; Jackson Pearce.

Part Of A 4+ Book Series: City Of Bones; Cassandra Clare.

Freebie: The Girl On The Train; Paula Hawkins.

POC MC: The Jungle Books; Rudyard Kipling.

A Book About Books: The Book Of Lost Things; John Connolly.

Over 500 Pages: Angels & Demons; Dan Brown.

Mental Health: All The Bright Places; Jennifer Niven.

Yellow Cover: The Girl With All The Gifts; M.R. Carey.

Outdoors: Thin Air; Michelle Paver.

Food In Title Or Cover: The Rosie Effect; Graeme Simsion.

Monsters: The Girl Of Ink & Stars; Kiran Millwood Hargrave

2016 Fantasy: The Girl Of Ink & Stars; Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Fairytale Retelling: The Book Of Lost Things; John Connolly.

Historical Standalone: Burial Rites; Hannah Kent.

Setting - 19th Century: The Jungle Books; Rudyard Kipling.

Villain Turned Good: The Girl With All The Gifts; M.R. Carey.

Book By Deceased Author: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Character With Physical Deformity: Sisters Red; Jackson Pearce.

Book With Vampires: City Of Bones; Cassandra Clare.