Saturday, 3 March 2018

FEBRUARY '18 WRAP-UP



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

Phew! Another month has gone by and another wrap-up has been written. It's crazy how fast 2018 is moving already!

February was a difficult month as I had a lot of stuff to do and I also got sick halfway through. But, I enjoyed watching the Pyeongchang Olympics which were so much fun. I never knew I would be so into the halfpipe until this year. Some of the U.S. athletes were so funny this year.

I have also started planning out another part of Camelot Anew (one of my WIPs) as well as started planning out a sci-fi WIP. I am so excited to write both of these. I also did quite a bit of reading despite the Olympics and being bogged down in homework.

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 Love, Life and the List by Kasie West. I really enjoyed this one despite many people not enjoying it. I thought it was a cute quick read. I really liked the plot and I liked how she was an artist which was something that I haven't seen much of in YA books. I rated this one 4 Crowns. 

The second physical book I read was Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I decided to read this one because the movie adaptation comes out in March and I really want to see it. I also really liked this one. I found all the characters funny and I thought the plot was cute. I rated this one 5 Crowns. 

The third physical book I read was Meet Cute by Various Authors. I enjoyed most of these stories. They were all cute first meetings of people that were a little bit unrealistic but adorable nonetheless. Overall, I rated this book 4 Crowns.





The fourth physical book I read was Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller. I've read so many mixed reviews about this book that I was really unsure about whether I should start it but since I've had it on my shelf for about a year, I decided that it was time to read it. I ended up loving it which I should have expected because I love pirates. I rated it 5 Crowns. 

The fifth physical book I read was The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. This was a huge intimidating book but I ended up reading it rather quickly as it was intriguing. I loved the plot and the characters. Also, Harte and Esta are so cute. I need more. I rated it 5 Crowns as well.




The sixth physical book I read was Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon. I have had this book sitting on my shelf for a long time and I never read it even though my sister did. I finally decided to attempt to read it this month and I am so happy that I did. I enjoyed it a lot even though the plot was a little awkward sometimes. I rated it 4 Crowns. 

The seventh physical book I read was The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie. I loved the first book so much and this was just as action-packed and it totally kept me interested throughout the whole thing. I love Cas and Swift so much and I am really hoping she decides to write a novella or something with them. I rated this one 5 Crowns. 


AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE


ARC'S READ



The first and only ARC I read was Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island by Lisa Kessler. I loved the Emily Windsnap books when I was younger and I naturally had to request this one. I really enjoyed it as it had all the elements of the previous books and was just a lot of fun. I also wrote a full review of it which you can find on my blog and coming in my March wrap-up. I rated it 4 Crowns. 


REVIEWS IN JANUARY: 

NONE


MUSIC MONDAY:

NONE

TOP TEN TUESDAY: 

NONE

TOP FIVE WEDNESDAY: 

NONE


WEEKLY WRAP-UP:





DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:



FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:



NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S: 

Cooper from Love, Life and the List by Kasie West

Riden from Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Harte from The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell


NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Alosa from Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Esta from The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell


NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS: 

Alosa and Riden from Daughter of the Pirate King 

Esta and Harte from The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Swift and Cas from The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie 

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

Curious - Hayley Kiyoko

High Heels - JoJo

Capital Letters - Hailee Steinfeld and Bloodpop

Why So Sad - Halocene

The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey

Oh No! - Ali Bruofski


 BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH




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

Friday, 2 March 2018

Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island by Liz Kessler Review

I received an eARC from Candlewick Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks so much! This is a spoiler free review.





Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island
Written by Liz Kessler
Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Release Date: March 20, 2018
Pages: 320
Source: eArc provided to me from NetGalley and Candlewick Press
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 11 and up!


Summary:

Emily is headed to a tropical island for a relaxing vacation with friends and family. And this time, Emily promises her best friend, Shona, there will be absolutely no adventure — just plenty of fun. But somehow excitement always seems to find Emily, and before she knows it, she ends up on the other side of a powerful waterfall on a forgotten island no one else can get to. Well, no one that isn't a half-mer like Emily and her boyfriend, Aaron. The people who live on the island believe in a prophecy that foretells how they can be saved from an imminent, devastating earthquake — and this prophecy seems to revolve around Emily and Aaron, as well as a mysterious, mythic giant. Will they be able to find the giant — and fulfill the prophecy — before it's too late?

Review:

The Emily Windsnap books were a huge part of my childhood and I still own all of mine so when I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately requested it and read it right when I was approved for it.

COVER

The Emily Windsnap book covers are some of the most beautiful Middle Grade covers. I love how they all feature Emily as a mermaid on the cover with beautiful scenery. This one is also green which is different as most of the previous covers have been blues, purples and pinks.

WORLD-BUILDING

We got to learn a lot about the people who live behind the falls but most of the other world-building had already been done in the previous books as this is the seventh book in the series.

Then there are the characters.

EMILY

Emily has always been my favorite character in these books. She deals with things a lot of other teenagers her age don't have to do. For one thing, her dad is a merman which sometimes makes her family a little strained due to him not being able to do everything that she and her mom can do. Emily is also a semi-mer which means she turns into a mermaid when she goes in the water. I loved Emily's bravery which was showcased a lot in this book but Liz Kessler also showcased her flaws because just like everyone else, she has her own flaws.

The other two main characters: Shona and Aaron are also very prominent in this book. Shona is Emily's best friend and is sick of being dragged into all of Emily's 'adventures' which causes a riff to open up between the two. Aaron is Emily's boyfriend and other best friend and he seems to support her throughout most of the book. We do get to see more of their personalities which is great.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Friendship and family are a huge part of these books. In this book, Emily has a hard time keeping her family and friends as a priority because adventure calls to her in the form of the falls. In the Emily Windsnap books, her friends are practically her family as they are always spending time together and they all know each other really well. I liked how Emily ultimately realized how important her family was to her.

PLOT

I thought the plot was very cute. Emily and her family and friends go on a vacation because they all need some downtime but this vacation turns into another adventure when Emily decides to investigate these beautiful falls that only appeared a year ago. This leads to a whole lot happening for Emily and her friends as they help save islands and the rest of the world from destruction.

ROMANCE

As I mentioned before, Emily and Aaron are a couple by this book but there wasn't really too much romance as they act a lot more like best friends.

WRITING

The writing is typical of a Middle Grade. It is simple enough to understand but still contains complex thoughts and ideas.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As you can see, I really enjoyed this book. I loved continuing Emily's journey with the seventh book in the series which is just crazy! I really enjoyed the plot and seeing my favorite characters again. If you love Middle Grade, mermaids and adventures and haven't tried this series, then you have to because it is perfect for you.

Quotes from the Book:

None At this Time





My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns

Winter Bookish Bingo Wrap-Up '18

Hello everyone! It is time for my wrap-up of the Winter Bookish Bingo which is hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews. I have no idea how I did so let's get straight into it to see. 



COMPLETED READS

Red Cover: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 

Death: The Death Cure by James Dashner

2017 Release You Missed: That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

Friend's Fave: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Cold Setting: Wintersong by S. Jae Jones

Winter Release: Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen

Green Cover: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Grauden

Fae, Faeries, Fair Folk: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Romance: Love, Life and the List by Kasie West

Black Author: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Free: Any book

Trees on Cover: Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Light Blue Cover: Duels and Deception by Cindy Anstey

LGBT: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Wintery Tale: Wintersong by S. Jae Jones

Holiday Theme: The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

2018 Debut: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Snow/Ice on the Cover: Wintersong by S. Jae Jones


DID I GET A BINGO?

Yes! 

See you soon for the Spring Bingo!

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


Sunday, 25 February 2018

Weekly Recap: 2/19 - 2/25

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.

I managed to read two books this week but I didn't write any posts which I'm trying to fix.

I did get to see Black Panther this weekend and it was so good. I really liked all the characters and I loved the representation in it. I might write a review so stay tuned.

Now, let's get into recapping.


New Books

Purchased:




Library: 








Received for Review: 





In Case You Missed It

NONE

This Week I Read




This Week I Watched

    



This Week I Listened To 

The Greatest Showman Soundtrack
High Heels by Jojo
Union of the Snake by Riverdale Cast
Bloodstream by Transviolet
That Man by Caro Emerald
Heaven by Julia Michaels
Why So Sad by Halocene


Next Week I'm Reading





Upcoming Reviews




Upcoming Posts


Monday: NONE

Tuesday: NONE

Wednesday: NONE

Thursday: NONE

Friday: Spring '18 Most Anticipated Books

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Recap




Around the Blog Community

Sunday, 18 February 2018

Weekly Recap: 2/12 - 2/18

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.

Since I didn't read at all last week, I read a lot more books this week. [Also, I was sick so there's that].

This week was difficult as I am sick and recovering but I ended up reading a lot and finishing my January '18 Wrap up!

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 

The Greatest Showman Soundtrack
High Heels by Jojo
Union of the Snake by Riverdale Cast
Bloodstream by Transviolet
That Man by Caro Emerald
Heaven by Julia Michaels


Next Week I'm Reading




Upcoming Reviews




Upcoming Posts


Monday: The Last Magician Book Review

Tuesday: NONE

Wednesday: NONE

Thursday: NONE

Friday: Spring '18 Most Anticipated Books

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Recap




Around the Blog Community