Planned Reads For November.

Halloween may be over, but I'm still very invested in Horror as a genre at the moment. That's definitely a big influence on this month's chosen reads but I have picked some others I've been wanting to read for ages too!

1. 'The Dead House' by Dawn Kurtagich. I'm actually quite a way through this book now but sadly didn't quite manage it in October. Nevertheless, I'm excited to get through it and am liking it a lot so far. It's definitely an interesting story with plenty of twists, and I'm looking forward to an unexpected conclusion told in a unique way.

1. 'The Lie Tree' by Frances Hardinge. Another leftover book from last month's list, but this one looks far too good to pass up! Hardinge's writing really impressed me in 'Cuckoo Song' and I feel like this plot synopsis is equally as intriguing. It also won the Costa 'Book Of The Year' Award, which is known for picking some real gems as it's winners so I'm excited!
2. 'Bazaar Of Bad Dreams' by Stephen King. Thanks to an Amazon mix-up, it took me far longer to get hold of this book than I'd originally hoped. It's another spooky read I've had my eye on for a while, but this time involving short stories. My favourite kind when it comes to the spook factor. My last Stephen King read, 'It', left me with mixed feelings so I'm hoping for a better experience this time!
3. 'Illuminae' by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff. I have heard so many amazing things about this sci-fi pick, and I couldn't help but pick it up when I went to YALC this year. I haven't read a book that is duel-authored for a while either so it should be an interesting experience. After my last few disasters, I'm hoping that this will restore my faith that co-authoring can yield good results again.
4. 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell. Frankly, I think reading a book by this lady is long overdue. 'Fangirl' is the perfect place to start because it's the one synopsis of hers that has really caught my eye and caused me to want to read her stories in the first place. My sister has read and loved it (she's normally pretty good at picking books that are worth reading) along with plenty of other bloggers whose opinions I trust. I'm excited!
5. 'Memories Of Ash' by Intisar Khanani. I love Intisar's work and for the last few months I've had this book on the list but not got round to it. I cannot allow that to continue because even now, I'm still dying to know what happens after the amazing introduction to this world introduced in 'Sunbolt'. Khanani's penchant for strong characters, diversity and amazing world-building has never failed me.
6. 'We Should All Be Feminists' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. After watching her talk on TED and seeing so many good reviews for the various books she's written, I saw this in Waterstones while shopping with my sister and couldn't help myself! Feminism is very close to my heart as a discussion topic and I figure it's time to do some actual reading around the subject.

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.

Last Week's Shenanigans (24th October - 30th October)...

This week has been fairly uneventful for me, so I'll keep it short and sweet! Monday was my only day off! I made the most of that time to myself by relaxing and recuperating as much as possible, because I knew I was going to be totally knackered after six days of work (I was right, I am). I managed to read a lot this week though, and Mat and I are drawing ever closer to the conclusion of Luke Cage. In our annual small celebration of the arrival of Halloween weekend, Mat and I sat down to watch our traditional Halloween film: The Nightmare Before Christmas. Don't worry, we'll be watching it at Christmas too!

Of course, today IS actually Halloween, so I hope everyone enjoys theirs. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I Read...

I Received...

--

Book Review: A Monster Calls; Patrick Ness.

This is the second book by Patrick Ness that I have read. It's also the second time that Patrick Ness has caused me to have some kind of embarrassing incident on Public Transport: the first being a panic attack triggered by the intense first chapter of 'More Than This' and the second being this book, which had me bawling on the Tube. I don't fault him for it though. In fact, it's because his writing is SO good that I have these reactions.

SOURCE: Bought
TYPE: Paperback

TITLE: A Monster Calls
AUTHOR: Patrick Ness
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Walker Books
PAGES: 415
GENRE: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary

RATING: 5/5 Stars

Blurb:
Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don't quite seem to be working. 

But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there's a visitor at his window. It's ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. 


What I Liked:

• This book is, in every sense of the word, stunning. Ness paces it perfectly, throwing the reader into the heart of the action by beginning it mere days away from it's conclusion, and yet it's build of tension and heartbreak is slow. There are a lot of themes covered here in a way that will make readers ache: terminal illness, grief, loneliness, betrayal and even bullying. Ness writes poetically and pays a great homage to an idea originally fostered by the late, great Siobhan Dowd whose book 'A Swift Pure Cry' remains forever in my heart.
• The characters, considering the short length of this book, were intriguingly complex and shone as individuals. I loved watching their relationships develop over such a short space of time. The relationship between Conor and his Mother was the most enjoyable, though I have to say that in terms of interesting, the monster wins. His wild nature, interesting stories and unknown intent made him my favourite of them all. There was some very witty dialogue that helped to break some of the sadness and tension too and that mostly came from him.

What I Disliked:

• It's short length wasn't a huge issue for me, but did leave me feeling a little disappointed at the end. I wanted more. Of course this works phenomenally as a stand-alone and would hate a sequel, but I feel that an extra chapter of closure wouldn't have hurt at all. Especially after meeting so many characters, I would have liked to have seen more of those. Even Harry and Lily would have been welcome, perhaps as Conor returned to school? I completely understand why Ness left it where it was though and it was still a phenomenal ending!

Overall Conclusion:

I don't think I can sing this book's praises any more than I already have. Everything just worked. In some ways it was a  children's story, but the handling and exploration of such dark themes as the ones found in these pages definitely pushed it towards a Teen or YA audience for me. This was my second read by Patrick Ness. It certainly won't be my last.

Book Review: The Graces; Laure Eve.

This book took me by surprise because it was not at all what I expected it to be. I had been so excited to read it after going to YALC and seeing so much hype about it there, but I was also a little worried because reading the synopsis put one book in my mind: 'Twilight'. Let me tell you, this book is NOT like 'Twilight' and that is most definitely in it's favour. Also I'm entering it into the 'Monthly Motif' challenge.

SOURCE: Illumicrate
TYPE: Paperback

TITLE: The Graces
AUTHOR: Laure Eve
SERIES: The Graces (#1)
PUBLISHER: Faber & Faber
PAGES: 415
GENRE: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller

RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
'Everyone said the Graces were witches.

They moved through the corridors like sleek fish, ripples in their wake. Stares followed their backs and their hair.

They had friends, but they were just distractions. They were waiting for someone different.

All I had to do was show them that person was me.'

Like everyone else in her town, River is obsessed with the Graces, attracted by their glamour and apparent ability to weave magic. But are they really what they seem? And are they more dangerous than they let on?

What I Liked:

• Laure Eve sure knows how to write! Honestly, from the beginning to the end of this book, I was 100% invested in what was going on. Fellow readers will agree with me when I say that certain books give you a certain 'this is going to be good' feeling and I definitely got that from paragraph one. The structure and pacing were nicely done, and the mini cliff-hangers at the end of chapters really worked to give the book a thriller-esque tone to it which I enjoyed. Dialogue was nicely penned too which can be difficult to pin down.
• River, whose real name I believe we are never told, is as interesting a narrator for this story as we can get because she is an unreliable narrator. I was not expecting it in the slightest but wow, from the get-go you know she is manipulative, two-faced, needy and pretty paranoid too. She is damaged but shrouded in mystery, even to the reader so that we are never sure exactly why or how. Every word I read, I found myself asking 'Is she telling the truth? Is this whole book a lie?'. The focus of the book is on a particular family that may or may not be witches and I love how rumour and gossip became such an important plot device.

What I Disliked:

• I didn't hate the ending but for me, I liked not knowing whether magic was a thing or not. The 'big reveal' at the end confirmed it in one way or another for me and in that sense, I felt disappointed. I would have liked everything to remain a mystery. More-so in some ways, River's 'gift' felt a little too ridiculous. I'd hoped for something more subtle and clever after such a great lead up.

Overall Conclusion:

This book blew me away in more ways than one, and proved that tropes we've long come to see in books 'copying Twilight' are not always what they seem. It contained gorgeous writing, complex and diverse characters and well-penned dialogue as well as an intriguing and mysterious plot. The ending could have been a little more understated in my opinion but I did like the 'twist' at the end and am so glad that it lived up to my post-YALC high expectations!

Last Week's Shenanigans (17th October - 23rd October)...

Phew! What a week! It's been a bit of a mixed bag for me, mostly filled with work and the latter half tainted by a rather nasty cold. Autumn is well and truly here and thanks to that, a large portion of the people I know have fallen ill. Still, it's not been a terrible week and I'm feeling a lot better now. Monday was a lovely, relaxed day off with only a few chores to do and plenty of time to get on with other things. I also had the penultimate date for my management course which was a lot of fun and finished early, meaning I had a lot of Thursday afternoon to myself.

On Sunday, my official day off, I was unfortunately suffering the worst phase of that cold I mentioned before. I had to go to a training session that morning which was annoying because I hadn't slept very well the night before. Mat's family also came to visit, and we went for a very quick pub lunch before heading back to the flat for a catch up and hot drink. Mat and I have been watching a lot of Luke Cage on Netflix and are thoroughly enjoying the series. We're just over halfway through now, and it's getting so good. I hope it continues this way!

I Read...

I Received...

- 'The Loney' by Andrew Michael Hurley: Bought on Amazon (19/10/16)
- 'Bazaar Of Bad Dreams' by Stephen King: Bought on Amazon (19/10/16)
- 'A God In Ruins' by Kate Atkinson: Bought On Amazon (19/10/16)

Book Review: If I Fall, If I Die; Michael Christie.

I know I said that October was for scary reads, but in a way this was. There were no ghosts or monsters to be found here, but this book predominantly focused on the subject of fear and so it worked for me. It took me a while to read, but I really did like it a lot! Also I'll be entering this into the monthly 'Key Word' challenge.

SOURCE: Netgalley
TYPE: E-Read

TITLE: If I Fall, If I Die
AUTHOR: Michael Christie
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Cornerstone Digital
PAGES: 337
GENRE: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

RATING: 4/5 Stars

Blurb:
Will has never been to the outside, at least not since he can remember. 

And he has certainly never got to know anyone other than his mother, a fiercely loving yet wildly eccentric agoraphobe who drowns in panic at the thought of opening the front door. Their little world comprises only the rooms in their home, each named for various exotic locales and filled with Will's art projects. But soon the confines of his world close in on him. 

Despite his mother's protests, Will ventures outside clad in a protective helmet and braces himself for danger. He eventually meets and befriends Jonah, a quiet boy who introduces him to skateboarding.

Will welcomes his new world with enthusiasm, his fears fading and his body hardening with each new bump, scrape and fall. But life quickly gets complicated. When a local boy goes missing, Will and Jonah want to uncover what happened. They embark on an extraordinary adventure that pulls Will far from the confines of his closed-off world and into the throes of early adulthood and the dangers that everyday life offers.

What I Liked:

• The characterisation, without a shadow of a doubt, was the best part of this book. Both Will and his Mother, particularly for me, felt very relateable as characters. Will was a growing teenage by, clearly growing frustrated with his Mother as he fought for independence from her. But also his Mother's anxiety was a feeling I could relate to. I'm not agoraphobic, but her 'black lagoons' and desperation to rid herself of anxious feeling. Jonah and Angela were great side characters too and I really loved the diverse cast in this book.
• Michael Christie's writing was just wonderful. So quotable and I found that it read really well too. I loved that this book focused on so many themes: fear, mental illness, coming of age, friendship, and even touches upon small-town community prejudice/racism & terminal illness. All great themes to read about and combined they made for a wonderful YA read.

What I Disliked:

• Some of the plot points felt a little too out there for my liking, especially in the second half of the book, which felt very different from the first. The 'Titus' plot twist for one, and even some of the story regarding Butler and other villains in the book. While the second half of the book was an interesting mystery in itself, it felt very segregated from the first half and the ending seemed to diminish some of the characterisation that Christie had worked so hard to achieve.

Overall Conclusion:

This was a really good book. It took me a while to get through but I enjoyed it thoroughly, thanks mostly to the wonderful writing and amazing character work. I was a little disappointed that Christie decided to go down a different path in the latter half of the book, I can see that it provided a direction to conclude in, which I think might not have happened in a satisfying way were it not for the extra mysteries revealed.