Queen of Books

Sunday, 27 May 2018

Weekly Recap: 5/21 - 5/27

I have decided to start doing a weekly post called weekly recap where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

This past week was my last week of high school, ever, and I have got to say that I'm still confused and it hasn't hit me yet.

I am hoping that I'll have more time to blog and create more content.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review:

Saturday, 26 May 2018

APRIL '18 WRAP-UP

So, it's the end of the month and that means another wrap-up!

We're already in May so sorry that this is so late. April was the end of Spring Break as well as my music trip to New Orleans which was so much fun (minus the 26 hour bus ride back. Yikes!). I also was starting to prepare for my exams which were not fun.

This month I didn't read too many books but I did watch a little TV. I also saw Avengers Infinity War in theaters and it was so good but also really sad and I am still debating doing a review so stay tuned.

Join my book club: here.

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first physical book I read was The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orcey. A couple of years ago, I read a book that was a retelling of this and I didn't know the original story. I really liked this book even though it was a little hard to get into it due to it being slow in the beginning. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The second physical book I read was The Traitor's Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I went into this book knowing nothing but I came out of it very surprised and pleased. I really liked Kestra's strength as a character as well as the plot. I ended up rating this 4 Crowns.

The third physical book I read was Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre. I went into this book expecting something totally different than what I actually read. I ended up enjoying the world and the characters and it worked really well with no romance.

The fourth physical book I read was Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza. This is the sequel to Empress of a Thousand Skies and although I didn't remember much about the first book when I started, it all came back. I am satisfied with the conclusion of this series (or what I expect is the conclusion) and I loved it and rated it 4 Crowns.

The fifth physical book I read wasn't even a book, it was a play by William Shakespeare called Hamlet. I had to read this for my AP Lit class but I put it towards my reading goal. I liked this play a lot and I found it really funny despite being a clear Tragedy. I actually rated this one 4 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

The first ARC I read was Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie. This book is by the same author who wrote The Abyss Surrounds Us which I loved. This was totally different from that book as it was set in Space and the characters were basically upgraded humans (kind of like if humans could become robots). This was very family centered as well as saving the world centered. It releases on July 17, 2018 and I rated it 4 Crowns.

The second ARC I read was Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. This was practically a Viking story and I had so much fun reading it. I really liked the characters who are so strong and has lots important family relationships. I rated it 4 Crowns.

REVIEWS IN MARCH:

NONE

MUSIC MONDAY:

NONE

TOP TEN TUESDAY:

NONE

TOP FIVE WEDNESDAY:

NONE

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

NONE

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

NONE

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Simon from The Traitor's Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Fiske from Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Kestra from The Traitor's Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Eelyn from Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Simon and Kestra from The Traitor's Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Eelyn and Fiske from Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

WHAT BOOKS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

NEW BLOG FINDS

NONE

SONGS ON REPEAT

The Greatest Showman Soundtrack - Musical

Bloodstream - Transviolet

That Man - Caro Emerald

Heaven - Julia Michaels

High Heels - JoJo

Why So Sad - Halocene

No Excuses - Meghan Trainor

Monster - Frozen Broadway Musical

BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH

The graphics at the top belong to me. The background pictures for them, however do not.

Saturday, 5 May 2018

MARCH '18 WRAP-UP

So, it's the end of the month and that means another wrap-up!

We're already in May. 2018 is moving so fast and I am not particularly happy about it.

March was busy with homework but it also contained Spring Break which gave me a little bit of time to get some reading and writing done which was great. But I did watch a lot more TV than read more books and I watched two movies.

Join my book club: here.

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first physical book I read was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I read this in preparation for the movie adaptation which unfortunately I didn't have time to see. I really enjoyed it even though it is written for a younger audience than me. I thought it was a meaningful story and I liked all the characters. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The second physical book I read was Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. I have heard terrible things about this book but I knew I had to read it because I love Sasha's youtube channel and I had already bought it the day it came out back in January. I ended up really enjoying it despite all the negative reviews. I loved the characters and the plot was very fastpaced. The writing style wasn't perfect but it reminds me a lot of how I write. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The third physical book I read was Everless by Sara Holland. I had heard mixed things about this book but I ended up really enjoying it because it had such an interesting concept. I liked the characters. The plot was a little generic but then again it's hard to write something very original these days. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The fourth physical book I read was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I read this one for the adaptation as well which didn't stay in theaters that long. I didn't end up seeing the movie and the book was a little slow. I didn't like how long it took to get into the action but I liked the characters and the character development a lot. Also, the references! I rated this one 3 Crowns.

The fifth physical book I read was Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk. I really enjoyed this one. It was so original. I mean, a female Sparticus retelling? I needed it. I loved this book because it had so much female empowerment and it showed her struggles as she went from a princess to a slave and then gained strength. I also thought the romance was great. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The sixth physical book I read was King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard. I have put off reading this book for a year but I finally read it and I'm so glad I did. I loved diving back into the world and the characters and seeing where they are. Mare has grown so much and I love her character. She takes nothing from anyone and she has so much more strength. Maven is also such a complex character and I still love him. Cal has also grown and I'm not sure about it. I rated this one 5 Crowns and I will probably do a review.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

I read an audiobook this month and I am so proud of myself. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi is a re-read for me and I loved the audiobook version. Kate Simses is an amazing audiobook reader and I love how she brings the characters to life. I loved all the characters so much more and I felt Warner's complexity and Juliette's a lot more. I rated this 5 Crowns (of course!).

ARC'S READ

The first ARC I read was Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. I enjoyed this book a lot. I knew I wanted an ARC in any format when I first heard about this and I am so grateful that I got an eArc of this one which I read everyday on the metro. I enjoyed the premise and the storyline as well as the complex characters. I did write a full review on this one and rated it 5 Crowns.

The second ARC I read was Lost Boy, Found Boy by Jenn Polish and I did not like this one at all. I was just so confused throughout the whole book and I didn't really understand the story. I am very upset that I had to rate this one 1 Crown.

REVIEWS IN MARCH:

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody ARC: 5 Crown Rating

Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island ARC: 4 Crown Rating

MUSIC MONDAY:

NONE

TOP TEN TUESDAY:

NONE

TOP FIVE WEDNESDAY:

NONE

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

2/26 - 3/4

3/5 - 3/18