Sunday 29 September 2019

Weekly Recap: 9/16 - 9/29

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

I am trying to get back into blogging and I managed to get up one post this week, which isn't much but it's a start. I've also been busy with my new job which is part-time but it's still gotten some getting used to for me.

Now, let's get into recapping.


New Books

Purchased:




Library: 



Received for Review: 




In Case You Missed It
This Week I Read



This Week I Watched


 



This Week I Listened To 

Descendants 3 Soundtrack
I Warned Myself by Charlie Puth
Kill my Mind by Louis Tomlinson
Princesses Don't Cry by Aviva
Don't Call me Angel by Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, and Miley Cyrus
Looking at Me by Sabrina Carpenter
Fingerprints by Kita Klane


Next Week I'm Reading




Upcoming Reviews



Upcoming Posts


Monday: TBD

Tuesday: TBD

Wednesday: TBD

Thursday: TBD

Friday: TBD

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Recap



Around the Blog Community

Tracy over at Cornerfolds did a review of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo


Book, Movie, and TV News 

Nothing This Week!

Saturday 28 September 2019

ANTICIPATED RELEASES FOR THE REST OF 2019!

Hey guys! I have a lot of anticipated releases for the September-December of 2019. There are quite a few books on this list so I decided to split it up by month. 

Let's get into it. 

SEPTEMBER





1.  Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin  ~ September 3, 2019

This is a book about a witch and a witch hunter and I have already heard great things about it. Also there's an enemies to lovers romance which is basically my favorite trope. Apparently there's also a really interesting magical system in the book which sounds so exciting. 


Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young was a book that I was greatly surprised by and I am excited to see what Adrienne Young is going to do with this companion book. I've heard that it's good and I am excited to read it!


This is the fourth and final book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. While I haven't caught up on this series yet, I will eventually purchase and read this last one. 


I'm an avid watched of Marvel movies and Loki is one of my favorite characters so I was very excited when this book was announced. This follows Loki long before he ever threatened the Avengers and it's set both on Asgard and nineteenth-century London!

5. American Royals by Katharine McGee ~  September 3, 2019

American Royals reminds me a lot of Royals by Rachel Hawkins and I am very excited for it. It's supposed to be if the United States had a monarchy instead and it seems to be very interesting and dramatic. 

6. Bid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis ~ September 24, 2019

This is the sequel to Give the Dark my Love which was such a good book that I read at the beginning of this year. I am very excited to see if Nedra will continue to embrace the darkness or if we will get to see her redemption arc. Also, I can't wait to see more of this world!

7. The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring ~ September 24, 2019

This book promises to be a gothic psychological thriller which is one of my favorite YA sub-genres. It's also apparently set in some sort of isolated boarding school which is always a creepy setting. I am very excited for this one and I hope it doesn't disappoint. 


OCTOBER




1. The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh ~ October 8, 2019

Renee Ahdieh wrote some of my favorite books and I am so excited to see her next book. This is set in 1872 New Orleans which is such an exciting setting and I can't wait! It also is about vampires and though it seems like that ship has sailed awhile ago, I think this will be so good! 


Alexandra Christo's book To Kill a Kingdom was one of my favorites of this year and I am very excited to try her new book. It's apparently a lot like Six of Crows and Ace of Shades, in that it's a gangster fantasy! 

3. Shadow Frost by Coco Ma ~ October 1, 2019 

This is a book about a princess who is heir to the throne and discovers she has the power to defeat a beast that is terrorizing her kingdom. Then on the way to defeat it, she discovers a plot to assassinate her. This sounds so interesting and though there are a lot of similarities to other books I've read, I think this one will be super good. 

4. Rebel by Marie Lu ~ October 1, 2019

When I heard that Marie Lu was continuing the Legend series, I was so excited but also nervous because Champion wrecked me. I am very ready to see more of Eden, Day and June! 


The Never Tilting World is apparently a mix of Frozen and Mad Max and that sounds very promising. It's also about two twin sister goddesses and it sounds so interesting! 


This is set in a North African inspired fantasy world with two sisters who must fight for the crown. It's a dark sibling rivalry in a fantasy world which sounds reminiscent of Three Dark Crowns and Rule

7. Crier's War by Nina Varela ~ October 1, 2019

I've already heard really good things about this book from people who got early copies and it sounds promising. It's set in a world run by Automae who usurped their human owners and now the humans work for them. 


I added this to my Goodreads list mainly because of the gorgeous cover, and then I read some people's early reviews and I got excited because people have really liked this book. I've also heard that it appeals to fans of Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera and Hades/Persephone and I am included in that mix. 

9. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo ~ October 8, 2019

This book is set in Yale's secret societies which is so interesting.  It's also a new adult fantasy! Also, I will basically read anything Leigh Bardugo writes so I really want to read this one!


NOVEMBER





1. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black ~ November 19, 2019

This is the third and final book in The Folk of the Air Trilogy and I am so excited to see how this all wraps up. 


As you might know, I am writing a King Arthur young adult retelling and I am so excited for this one! This is about Guinevere when she is navigating her new life in Camelot! 

3. Crown of Oblivion by Julie Eshbaugh ~ November 12, 2019

This is about a girl named Astrid who is part of a lower class of people who don't have magic or citizenship. She is the surrogate for the princess and bears the physical punishment if Reyna steps out of line. It sounds very interesting and is very different from Julie Eshbaugh's other books. 


Sara B. Larson has written some amazing books in the past and this one is about two sisters! From the summary it seems like it is a little like Rapunzel and that makes me very excited!

5. Coral by Sara Ella ~ November 12, 2019 

Books with mermaids or sirens are some of my favorites. It's a twist on The Little Mermaid by Hans Christen Anderson and I am very ready!


This is another book about sirens that is releasing in November! This book is about a girl who lives in an island town and is fascinated with sirens that lurk beneath the shores by the island! I've heard mixed reviews about this but I really want to try it for myself!


The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern's first book, is one of my favorite books as it was so immersive and I am very excited to see that Erin Morgenstern is back at it. This is a book set in an underground world with magic, pirates, and a whole cast of characters!

DECEMBER




YA Historical Romance books are some of my favorites and this one seems like an interesting new addition to the genre. It's about a young woman who loves to read the Jane Austen books and tries to apply them to her life. 


Do you want to read any of these books? 

Sunday 15 September 2019

Weekly Recap: 9/9 - 9/15

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

I haven't done one of these in so long but I figured since I've been updating more, that I should do one of these.

This week I started my new job and I also got some reading done!

Now, let's get into recapping.


New Books

Purchased:

 


Library: 



Received for Review: 




In Case You Missed It
This Week I Read




This Week I Watched




This Week I Listened To 

Lover by Taylor Swift Soundtrack
Descendants 3 Soundtrack
I Warned Myself by Charlie Puth
Shameless by Camila Cabello
Kill my Mind by Louis Tomlinson
Princesses Don't Cry by Aviva
Don't Call me Angel by Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, and Miley Cyrus


Next Week I'm Reading



Upcoming Reviews



Upcoming Posts


Monday: TBD

Tuesday: TBD

Wednesday: TBD

Thursday: TBD

Friday: TBD

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Recap



Around the Blog Community

CG over at PaperFury did a post about 10 Books She's Avoided Reading.


Book, Movie, and TV News 

P.S. I Still Love You snags a release date. 

Sunday 8 September 2019

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.



We Hunt the Flame
Written by Hafsah Faizal
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Pages: 472
Source: Library Hardcover
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!


Summary:

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.


Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

We Hunt the Flame has been a book with very mixed reviews all over the Internet which made me a little conflicted. I ended up reading it and greatly enjoying it due to its originality along with familiar fantasy aspects.

COVER

I think the cover is really pretty and fits with the overall world and plot. I like how mysterious it is and the darker colors that are used because it really enraptures the darker atmosphere within the book.

WORLD-BUILDING

We Hunt the Flame is set in a fantasy setting inspired by ancient Arabia called Arawiya. The world-building is done in such a way so there's just enough detail given to the readers but it doesn't dump all the information on them at once. I really liked that we got to experience so many different settings/places in the world of Arawiya and we got to see just where each one was located via the map at the beginning. All the settings were so lush and the descriptions easily let me become immersed in them.

Then there are the characters.


ZAFIRA

“If you want me obedient, Prince, kill me and carry my corpse.”

Zafira is a young woman who disguises herself as a man known as the Hunter in order to feed the people in her village. If she's discovered to be a woman, her accomplishments will be stripped from her just because of her gender. Women in her caliphate aren't respected and they are usually married off to men if they exhibit signs of autonomy, which explains why Zafira would want to keep her identity hidden. Zafira is a strong independent young woman who does her best to help the people in her village and her family. Throughout the story, she is struggling with what it means to be herself outside of her identity as a hunter and she battles with her own personal darkness. Zafira is a character that goes through a lot of character development and is very easy to love.

NASIR

“If I told you my name, would you bow?” His voice was soft. A melancholy caress. He lifted his chin when understanding dawned on her face. “Or would you flee?”

Nasir is known as the Prince of Death and is the loyal assassin of the king, killing anyone who would dare to oppose/stand up to the word of his oppressive and tyrannical father. He pretends to be void of compassion for fear of facing his father's wrath. His subjects know his name and whisper it in fear, however, that isn't his identity at all. Over the course of the book, Nasir learns what it means to be himself without thinking about the vicious hold his father has on him. Nasir isn't as cold-hearted as people think and the character development he goes through is amazing. Nasir is a character that you can't help but love.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Zafira's family includes her village. She wants to feed and protect them which fuels her thoughts and actions throughout the book. However, she really cares about her two best friends who she thinks about frequently on her quest. Also, there's a beautiful female friendship in this book! I really liked her relationship with her friends as we could truly see how much she cared for them.

Nasir has a complicated relationship with his father as even though he is the prince, he's treated as more of an assassin, sent out to expel those whom the King distrusts. Throughout the book, you can see how he battles his duty with his own thoughts and feelings.

PLOT

“Love is for children, said the girl.
Death is for fools, said the shadow.
Darkness is my destiny, said the boy.
Allegiance is my undoing, said the eagle.
Suffering is our fate, said the beauty.
And they were all horribly wrong.”


We Hunt the Flame is about Zafira, a Hunter, disguised as a man, who goes into the dark and cursed forest of the Arz in order to feed the people of her village. Meanwhile, Nasir, known as the Prince of Death, is the son and loyal assassin of the King. As war and the forest of the Arz begin to creep upon the kingdom, Zafira is sent on a quest in order to retrieve a magical artifact said to restore magic to the kingdom. Nasir has also been sent to retrieve the artifact, however, he's also been sent to kill the Hunter. As an ancient evil has begun to stir, both of them realize that the artifact could be far more dangerous than either of them ever imagined. While many Fantasy plots include quests, magic and the like, this still managed to stand out.

ROMANCE

There is romance in this story however, it's still building and promises to be something much bigger in the sequel. Nasir and Zafira are clear opposites and enemies in the beginning due to Nasir being ordered to kill her, and Zafira knowing his reputation, however, the two begin to move towards something differently as they work together in order to complete their quests. I really enjoyed their relationship, especially since it's an enemies to lovers romance.

WRITING

Hafsah Faizal's writing is lush and descriptive which at the beginning made it a little hard to get into the story, however it grew on me. I really liked how she let us find out about the world and different settings throughout the book instead of dumping it all on us at once which really made me enjoy it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We Hunt the Flame is an addictive new fantasy read filled with lush but harsh settings, dark characters and an intriguing plot. It is a great new fantasy book to get lost in.

Quotes from the Book:


“Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies.” 

“We hunt the flame, the light in the darkness, the good this world deserves.”

"Be as victorious as the name I have given you, and bring the desert to its knees."





My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns

Saturday 7 September 2019

Summer Bookish Bingo Wrap-Up '19

Hello everyone! It is time for my wrap-up of the Summer Bookish Bingo which is hosted by Lock and Key.  Let's see how I did. 



COMPLETED READS

Pink Cover: Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen

Strong Parent Bonds: There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon

Speculative Fiction: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

Cover Change: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Animal in Title: Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Romance: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Fave Author: Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson 

Beach/Island: Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

Food on Cover: Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Reread: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Orange Cover: Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Free: Any 

Illustrated Cover: Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Bookish Themes: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

LGBT: The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

WOC Author: Nocturna by Maya Motayne

Blue Cover: Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Man vs. Nature: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizel

Page to Screen: The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

2019 Debut: Enchantee by Gita Trelease

Historical: As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber

Sunshine on Cover: The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon


DID I GET A BINGO?

Yes! 

If you participated in the Summer Book Bingo, how did you do? Tell me in the comments below!