March Wrap-Up.

I've had another tough month reading-wise and it was my final two reads that stopped it from being a complete disaster! A bit too much of a close call I think! However, I did manage six reads, five of them being from my original choices and one short extra!

1. 'Homecoming' by Claire Legrand. I read 'Winterspell' a long time ago and have been waiting with baited breath for the next book in the series that was promised. Sadly, this was never to come. Instead, Legrand did release a short 'epilogue' that tells the story of Clara's return to Kane and reunion with Nicholas. It was very sweet and just what I'd hoped though I was disappointed that it was so short. 3/5 Stars.
2. 'Ash' by Malinda Lo. I have to say, despite high reviews, I didn't actually go into this book with really high hopes, which is why I ended up being absolutely blown away. Fantastic world-building, great characters, an original take on the classic tale 'Cinderella' and best of all an LGBT relationship that feels real. The only thing that stopped a five star rating was the ending, where the choice that Ash ended up making had absolutely no consequences for her whatsoever. 4.5/5 Stars.
3. 'The Rest Of Us Just Live Here' by Patrick Ness. As I've come to expect from Ness now, the writing was just as good as his other books. I don't think it would be possible to read a disappointing read from this guy. There's some great diversity in this book (as is found in all Ness books) and I enjoyed the interesting perspective on mental health and being a teenager. Definitely an original take on a traditional 'teen supernatural romance' story. I didn't like the characters so much though, and actually there wasn't much of a plot. 4/5 Stars.
4. 'Radio Silence' by Alice Oseman. This was by far the best read of the month, if not 2017 so far for me! Why didn't I read it sooner? I've had a great run of contemporary YA reads so far this year and this was no exception. Great characters, amazing LGBT coverage, oodles of diversity, and best of all a good parent-child relationship. I adored this book! Anyone who is like me and still hasn't found time to read this book, then make time because it's so awesome! Also, bonus points for it's 'The Sims' mention and the fact that it's set in Kent!
5. 'Not If I See You First' by Eric Lindstrom. Another good contemporary read that I probably should have read sooner, but I'm glad to have got to this now. It started off as a less enjoyable read because frankly I didn't like the MC. Lindstrom did a great job at allowing me to read from the viewpoint of a blind girl, but did she have to be so bitter, obnoxious and rude? Seriously, Parker was the biggest bitch I've ever read. At first. This is actually a great story, about self-discovery, trust, friendship and accepting your limitations as well as finding your strengths. Also I thought it was going to be a sickening love story but that was not the focus and I'm so pleased. 3.5/5 Stars.
6. 'Blood For Blood' by Ryan Graudin. Finished on the same day, this read I enjoyed a little more. I loved the first book in the series, 'Wolf By Wolf' and had a good feeling about it's sequel! I'm glad I got into this book, it was a great read: thrilling, fantastic writing, memorable and unique characters and amazing world-building. It didn't have the spark of book one, nor the plot direction so I deducted some points there. In fact, I found that a little disappointing, as was the predictable 'big twist' at the end. Still a great read though! 4.5/5 Stars.

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read three books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to ten. My reads were:

- Radio Silence

- Not If I See You First

- Blood For Blood

This month I have read zero books for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to two.

This month I have read four books for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to four. My reads were:

- Homecoming

- Ash

- The Rest Of Us Just Live Here

- Radio Silence

This month I have read six books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to fourteen. My reads were:

- Homecoming

- Ash

- The Rest Of Us Just Live Here

- Radio Silence

- Not If I See You First [Optional Mini Challenge]

- Blood For Blood

Next up, here's how I'm getting on with the Bookish Bingo card and my finished Story Sprites board!

Paranormal: The Rest Of Us Just Live Here; Patrick Ness

Just Words On Cover: Not If I See You First; Eric Lindstrom

Series Finale: Homecoming; Claire Legrand

Thriller: Blood For Blood; Ryan Graudin

Freebie: --

PoC On Cover: Radio Silence; Alice Oseman

Retelling: Ash; Malinda Lo

Book With M/M Romance: Radio Silence; Alice Oseman

Book With Multiple POVs: The Bear & The Nightingale; Katherine Arden

A Retelling: Homecoming; Claire Legrand

Diverse Author: Ash; Malinda Lo

Story Regarding Anxiety: A Quiet Kind Of Thunder; Sara Barnard

'Chosen One' Trope: Ruin & Rising; Leigh Bardugo 

Mostly Yellow Cover: The Rest Of Us Just Live Here; Patrick Ness

A Science Fiction Novel: The Loneliness Of Distant Beings; Kate Ling

Story Centred Around Social Issues: The Bone Sparrow; Zana Fraillon

Male MC With Female BFF/Sidekick: Stargirl; Jerry Spinelli

Dark Contemporary: Under Rose Tainted Skies; Louise Gornall

Mostly Blue Cover: Rebel Of The Sands; Alwyn Hamilton
PoC MC: Orangeboy; Patrice Lawrence

Strong, Independent Female Lead: Not If I See You First; Eric Lindstrom

Wolf/Lupine Element: Blood For Blood; Ryan Graudin
Book Addressing Socioeconomic Topics: Saint Death; Marcus Sedgwick

February Wrap-Up.

I thought I was going to do a little better than five this month because I got off to a great start! Sadly, my reading flow sagged a little in the middle of the month and I ended up with the same result instead. Five isn't bad though, but I'd really like to read more in March! Most of this month's reads have been a little too far on the just 'okay' side of things, but there were a couple of gems!

1. 'The Loneliness Of Distant Beings' by Kate Ling. This is the first science fiction read I've tackled in a long time and I was actually pretty excited about it! And elements that I like about the genre it displayed pretty well (world-building, technical talk, space,etc.). The insta-love and lack of likeable heroine let this book down a little but I have to say that the final scene really hooked me and restored my desire to want to continue with the series. 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Under Rose Tainted Skies' by Louise Gornall. Attending YALC 2016 really got me excited for this book (in fact, I purchased it there) and it was well worth the hype I've seen on it around the Blogosphere. The second YA Contemporary this year to make me re-evaluate my usual mixed feelings on the genre, this book handled some sensitive (even dark) topics brilliantly. I will always root for books that highlight mental health issues and Gornall's debut has a cute, shippable romance to boot. 4.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Stargirl' by Jerry Spinelli. With so many mixed reviews on this book, as well as controversy and bans surrounding it in schools, I was surprised to find that I only found it a mediocre read. Spinelli provides a great analysis of human behaviour and the 'hive mind' feeling that can be found in both the classroom and society as a whole. The story was well written too and never got boring. However, Leo was a boring narrator with no dimension to him, and some of Stargirl's behaviour was...creepy. This made it harder to sympathise with her poor treatment. 2.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Orangeboy' by Patrice Lawrence. There were some great things about this book, and it's one I've been looking forward to for quite some time purely because of the PoC representation. Firstly, it's East London setting was wonderful because that's where I'm currently living! So many recognisable settings really helped me to envision the action. I also loved the strong women in this story, particularly Marlon's mother, who deserves a book to herself and a medal. Marlon himself however was less impressive, and become one of the most frustrating narrator's I can remember reading for a long time. 3.5/5 Stars.
5. 'Ruin & Rising' by Leigh Bardugo. Finally! I finished this series! It took me far too long I'll be honest, especially as I've ended up rating all three books so highly! Bardugo does a great job at writing a fast-paced, action-packed story with easy, humorous dialogue between characters and a lot of depth for a Fantasy. I love the world of the Grisha and can't get enough of the Russian cultural references. This was the perfect finale, though I still couldn't get on board with Mal. It's a shame because other characters such as the Darkling or Nikolai are crafted so much better! 4.5/5 Stars.

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read three books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to seven. My reads were:

- The Loneliness Of Distant Beings

- Stargirl

- Orangeboy

This month I have read zero books for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to two.

This month I have read zero books for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to zero.

This month I have read three books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to eight. My reads were:

- 'The Loneliness Of Distant Beings 

   [Optional Mini Challenge]

- 'Under Rose Tainted Skies'

- 'Orangeboy

   [Optional Mini Challenge]

Here is my finished Bookish Bingo card and continued Story Sprites board!

Alternative Format: Dragon Slayer Number Nine; Intisar Khanani

Set Abroad: Saint Death; Marcus Sedgwick

Sequel: Memories Of Ash; Intisar Khanani

Own Voices: Under Rose Tainted Skies; Louise Gornall

Banned Book: Stargirl; Jerry Spinelli

2017 Debut: A Girl Called Owl; Amy Wilson

Romance: Ruin & Rising; Leigh Bardugo

GR Choice Nominee: Heartless; Marissa Meyer

Pink Cover: A Quiet Kind Of Thunder; Sara Barnard

White Cover: Stealing Snow; Danielle Paige

Freebie: --

Science Fiction: The Loneliness Of Distant Beings; Kate Ling

Crime: Orangeboy; Patrice Lawrence

Survival: The Bone Sparrow; Zana Fraillon

Blue Cover: Rebel Of The Sands; Alwyn Hamilton

Nature On Cover: The Bear & The Nightingale; Katherine Arden

Book With Multiple POVs: The Bear & The Nightingale; Katherine Arden

Story Regarding Anxiety: A Quiet Kind Of Thunder; Sara Barnard

'Chosen One' Trope: Ruin & Rising; Leigh Bardugo 

A Science Fiction Novel: The Loneliness Of Distant Beings; Kate Ling

Story Centred Around Social Issues: The Bone Sparrow; Zana Fraillon

Male MC With Female BFF/Sidekick: Stargirl; Jerry Spinelli

Dark Contemporary: Under Rose Tainted Skies; Louise Gornall

Mostly Blue Cover: Rebel Of The Sands; Alwyn Hamilton

PoC MC: Orangeboy; Patrice Lawrence

Book Addressing Socioeconomic Topics: Saint Death; Marcus Sedgwick

January Wrap-Up.

Of the 7 picks for January, I actually managed 5 which is not bad considering the terrible start I got off to! I've read a lot in the past couple of weeks and I'm really pleased with all of my reads this month!

1. 'The Bear & The Nightingale' by Katherine Arden. This was a real anticipated read on my part that I'd been hoping to read during December, but I'm pleased I got to now. It focuses on Russian Folklore and provides a re-imagining of that world and way of life. The historical research was phenomenal and paired nicely with some gorgeous world-building. Whatsmore, the story and characters were really nicely explored. I can't wait for book two! 5/5 Stars.
2. 'A Quiet Kind Of Thunder' by Sara Barnard. Definitely my favourite read of the year so far, I'm shocked and amazed at how much I enjoyed this despite adoring Barnard's debut 'Beautiful Broken Things'. Guys, this is not just any old YA contemporary romance. This one grabs you in the feels. I loved the relationship between Rhys and Steffi, and also there is so much diverse representation in this book for BAME, the deaf community, those who suffer from anxiety and many more. 5/5 Stars.
3. 'Rebel Of The Sands' by Alwyn Hamilton. I've had this on the list for a while now, and looked forward to a possible combination of books such as 'Vengeance Road' and 'A Thousand Nights'. I was certainly not disappointed on that front as I saw a whole host of magical creatures as well as shooting action. I felt like the pacing was much faster than I'd have liked and didn't leave time to explore relationships in the way I'd have liked. Nevertheless, this looks to be a promising series. 3.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Saint Death' by Marcus Sedgwick. Even now I'm a bit unsure of my feelings on this one. There's no doubt that it's a powerful read with a serious message on the way that Mexico is frequently exploited by the USA and the sad lives that the people there lead. It feels especially relevant now and I liked the styling of it. I would have liked more of a story and better developed characters to get attached to but this has a feel of a classic in the making. 3.5/5 Stars.
5. 'The Bone Sparrow' by Zana Fraillon. While I didn't rate it as highly as my first two reads, this is definitely the book that has stuck with me. It's setting of an Australian detention centre, and similarities to the classic 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas' is harrowing considering how current this situation is. There were a couple of pacing issues that I had to look past, mostly due to the target audience between that fine line between Middle Grade and YA. 4/5 Stars.

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read four books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to four. My reads were:

- The Bear & The Nightingale

- A Quiet Kind Of Thunder

- Saint Death

- The Bone Sparrow

This month I have read two books for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to two. My reads were:

- The Bear & The Nightingale

- A Quiet Kind Of Thunder

This month I have read zero books for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to zero.

This month I have read five books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to five. My reads were:

- The Bear & The Nightingale [Optional Mini Challenge]

- A Quiet Kind Of Thunder

- Rebel Of The Sands

- Saint Death

- The Bone Sparrow

And I'm getting along nicely with my Bookish Bingo and Story Sprites cards too!

Alternative Format: Dragon Slayer Number Nine; Intisar Khanani

Set Abroad: Saint Death; Marcus Sedgwick

Sequel: Memories Of Ash; Intisar Khanani

2017 Debut: A Girl Called Owl; Amy Wilson

GR Choice Nominee: Heartless; Marissa Meyer

Pink Cover: A Quiet Kind Of Thunder; Sara Barnard

White Cover: Stealing Snow; Danielle Paige

Survival: The Bone Sparrow; Zana Fraillon

Blue Cover: Rebel Of The Sands; Alwyn Hamilton

Nature On Cover: The Bear & The Nightingale; Katherine Arden

Book With Multiple POVs: The Bear & The Nightingale; Katherine Arden

Story Regarding Anxiety: A Quiet Kind Of Thunder; Sara Barnard

Story Centred Around Social Issues: The Bone Sparrow; Zana Fraillon

Mostly Blue Cover: Rebel Of The Sands; Alwyn Hamilton

Book Addressing Socioeconomic Topics: Saint Death; Marcus Sedgwick

My 2017 Challenge Sign-Up Post!

I've been looking forward to this post, though this year I'm not going to join so many challenges. I like to use them as a guide to help me pick my reads, but I was beginning to feel like they were dictating it a little too much last year, so I've picked some of my favourites but I'm planning to be a lot more relaxed about them.

The first I've picked is the 2017 Key Word Challenge.

I adored this challenge last year and there are some interesting new picks this year round, so I look forward to being involved!

Next up, the 2017 Monthly Motif Challenge.

Another book challenge that I participated in and enjoyed last year, and just like the Key Word challenge, it's received a bit of a new look. These challenges really help me to narrow down the book pile when I choose each month, so I wanted to keep them around!

Thirdly, I chose a challenge that helped me out a lot last year by allowing me to keep up with some newer reads rather than just sticking to the old ones: the 2017 New Release Challenge.

I have really enjoyed this challenge during 2016, as during the first two years of my blog's existence I've mostly been catching up with my TBR pile from years before. I've still a long way to go, but it's nice to board the hype train and read what everyone else is reading now!

I am going to aim for the Newbie level (1-30 Books) because I'm trying not to pressurise myself too much.

My next chosen challenge is the Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading challenge.

Again, this challenge has been a big help in increasing my Netgalley ratio and I'd like to use it to do so even more. I'm currently on 45% so I still need a lot of work!

My aim is to reach Silver level (25 Books) because that will be a good half of the books I currently have lined up to read. Phew!

I'm trying hard to become a more diverse reader too, so I'm joining a couple of challenges that will help me do that. The first is the LGBTQIA Challenge which I saw but didn't sign up for last year.

This is a challenge that I want to take part in because this year, I'm interested in reading more fiction that is representative of minorities, including the LGBTQ+ community. The few titles I managed last year I really enjoyed, so I'm hoping for more like that this year.

I'm aiming for at least Orange (6 - 12 Books) so that a good fifth of my average yearly reads will involve LGBTQ+ characters!

I'm also joining the 2017 Diverse Reads Challenge for similar reasons!

This challenge is aimed at promoting all kinds of diversity: ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and both physical and mental health. Challenges like this is what is going to get books containing these things noticed and help them to become more frequent. I am very excited.

And that about wraps it up for year-long challenges I'll be joining. I'm also excited to announce that the Story Sprites Challenge is back, which involves a three-monthly board being released and I am most certainly joining in, so here is the board for January - March (Round Six)!

Gorgeous, right? This is going to be a really great board, I can tell! I can't wait to see how many I manage!

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.