Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish

Hey guys! It is time for another TTT! This weeks topic is top ten books I liked/disliked more than I thought I would. I decided to go with book that I liked more than I thought I would! Without further ado and in no particular order…

10. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma – If you read the blurb… I think most people automatically go NOPE based purely on the subject matter. However, I had heard some amazing things about this book, and I went into thinking that they can’t even be remotely right because…incest?!? However, this book broke me and my poor little feelings in all the right places and I would definitely recommend it!

9.  Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley – I really detest this cover and it is a book that I really would never have even considered if I hadn’t seen a glowing review first. I still went into this book thinking I wasn’t going to get along with it and I absolutely loved it!

8.  Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill – I was expecting to like this book, but I was not expecting it to blow me away the way that it did! I was left speechless and I had no idea how to even form words – let alone write a review!

7.  Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas – Anyone who knows me knows that I love myself a good whodunnit. I think this one is absolutely my favourite and I think after everything that happened and the feelings etc. If you’ve read it, you’ll understand – I loved this book more than I ever thought I would!

6.  Follow me Back by A. V. Geiger – Admittedly, I finished reading this on Saturday… I went into this book with the usual expectations of a book of this nature… but I was left reeling by the end and I just NEED THE SEQUEL!

5.  Pretty Wicked by Kelly Charron – I actually lowered my expectations for this one because it’s really difficult to get the perspective right from which this book is written – and usually it’s done completely wrong! However, I was absolutely blown away by this and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

4.  This is Where it Ends by Marieke Niejkamp – I am always on the search for books of this nature, however, half the time, I’m left disappointed. This book, however, exceeded my expectations and I cried for so long afterward!

3.  Spelled by Betsy Schow – I have definitely read my fair share of Fairytale retellings, so I wasn’t expecting much different from this book. However, my poor ribs!!! I’m pretty sure I cracked one laughing!

2.  Everlasting Flame by Katelyn Anderson – I went into this expecting to like it because the blurb has everything I look for. However, Joan and Dane definitely have a special place inside of me and I could re read this 1,000 times over and never get bored!

1.  The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey – I was unsure about zombies in this. I doubted how well it could be portrayed considering all of the zombie films/ programmes there are out there. However, the way in which this is written etc. was absolutely amazing!

That’s it! I loved all of these books more than I was really expecting to and I am so glad that I picked these up! Have you read any of these? Did you enjoy them?

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish

Hey guys! It is time for another TTT and this weeks topic is new-to.us authors we read in 2016! I have so many different authors in mind for this it is crazy! Without further ado, and in no particular order:

10.  Leigh Bardugo – So, I recently read the Grisha trilogy and I absolutely loved it! I cannot even believe that it took me so long to jump on that bandwagon. Now, I am all set to read Six of Crows when my copy turns up from The Book Depository…

9.  Merrie DeStefano – I recently read her upcoming Lost Girls (approved via Netgalley) and I just can’t even describe the feels I had for this book… You guys all need to be adding it to your TBR’s and I need to be checking out more of her books!

8.  Candy Atkins – I adored The Lost Knight and to say I am excited for book 2 would be an understatement…

7.  Louise O’Neill – I gobbled up both Asking For It and Only Ever Yours and I need more from this author!! Please, someone tell me she is planning something fantastic!

6.  Elise Kova – I actually only read the AA series this year and I absolutely loved it. Whilst I did enjoy her upcoming The Alchemists of Loom, I wasn’t as blown away as I was by her first series!

5.  M. R. Carey – Because who doesn’t love themselves some zombies?? I am so glad I decided to read The Girl With All the Gifts!

4.  Luke Taylor – This author is extremely friendly and I am so glad I requested an ARC copy of his Vault of Dreams because I fell in love with it immediately!! I cannot wait for more of his upcoming books and to check out the ones that he has already released!

3.  Morgan Rhodes – After seeing all the hype, I obviously had to check out Falling Kingdoms! I am so glad I did because I loved it! I have the second book waiting on my shelf for me to read as well! 😀

2.  Betsy Schow – Spelled is one of my all time favourite retellings! I was crying, it was just that funny and I cannot even begin to tell you guys my excitement over Wanted!

1.  Karen Tomlinson – Ok, so technically she is a debut author, however, A Bond of Venom and Magic was my favourite read of 2016, so I just had to include her! I absolutely love this author, plus she is extremely friendly! 😀

That’s it from me! These were all new to me authors this year and I am so glad I picked up books from all of these authors! I look forward to reading more from them!

Which authors are new to you? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!

October Wrap Up

Hey guys!! So, I’m coming to you with this wrap up post a little late – but better late than never!! I had a bit of a slower month this month because of the alternating illnesses between me and my son!! So, hopefully November will pick up again!

Read:

The Girl with all the Gifts by M. Carey – 4/5 stars

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas – 5/5 stars

Everlasting Flame by Katelyn Anderson – Review copy received from the author, 4/5 stars

Water’s Wrath by Elise Kova – 4/5 stars

Crystal Crowned by Elise Kova – 4/5 stars – full review still to come!

These Great Affects by Andrew Toy – 4.5/5 stars (there is no goodreads page for this book! Also, the full review is to come!), ARC copy received from the author

Acquired:

A Bond of Venom and Magic by Karen Tomlinson – Physical Copy gifted to me by the author

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake – My pre order copy decided to show up a month later

Non Heir by Rachel E. Carter – This is not available for purchase anywhere, you must sign up for the authors newsletter if you would like a copy!

The Crown’s Dog by Elise Kova (ARC) – I received an ARC of this from Elise, and I am currently reading it!

The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury – I bought a copy of this from Amazon 😀

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes – Again, I bought myself a copy from Amazon

Special Posts:

A Bond of Venom and Magic by Karen Tomlinson – Release Day

Fall Activities Book Tag

That’s it for me!! Like I mentioned earlier, it was a bit of a slower month, so I’m hoping that November picks up for me! Especially because I don’t have long left to complete my Goodreads Goal!!

I also ordered the October box from Meraki Candles, however they had some issues with postal service, so I am hoping it arrives soon!! As soon as it does, I will be posting my very first unboxing! 😀

How did October go for you guys?

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and Bookish

Hey guys! It is time for another TTT! This week is it a Halloween freebie! So, I am going to go with top ten scary/creepy books the read around this time for year! Without further ado and in no particular order:

10.  The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich – This book had me wide awake in the middle of the night, with all the lights on in the house, on the phone to my husband asking when he is going to be home. To say it creeped me out would be an understatement!

9.  The Merciless by Danielle Vega – This book was creepy in the sense that it was gross and had my body tingling all over from what they did to that poor girl. Definitely Halloween material…

8.  The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey – Zombies and Halloween go hand in hand!

7.  Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog – Ok, so technically this book is being released November 1st… but, it is definitely a creepy read and the ending!!!

6.  Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill – This is not your traditional Halloween creepy, but I think everyone who has read this book will agree with me that it deserves to be up here!

5.  Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke – Three screwed up teens, what could go wrong? A lot… that’s your answer!

4.  Ten by Gretchen McNeil – A fast paced, whodunnit…

3.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn  – Do I really need to explain this one?!? Let’s go with one word: Amy.

2.  Say Her Name by James Dawson – Bloody Mary is tradition on Halloween…

1.  Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout – I really enjoyed this book and I was not expecting the ending!!

That’s it! These are my TT scary/creepy books to read around this time of year!

Have any of you read these? Do you agree? Are there any others I should read? Feel free to drop comments and links and I will check them all out!

The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey

Published: June 19th 2014 by Orbit

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her “our little genius.”

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children’s cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she’ll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn’t know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

I just want to say that I am an actual spanner. I completely forgot about reviewing this book because my son has had fever because of the injection he got and it just slipped my mind! I’m sorry. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book! I think this is the first book that I have ever read that includes zombies!! I was a bit worried about that aspect because I wasn’t sure how it was going to come across in fiction rather than on the big screen, but I think it was done pretty well… Also, can I just say, that ending?!? What the heck was that????

I really liked Melanie as a character. She was always so optimistic and bright and I absolutely loved her! I hated what the knowledge of what she is did to her because she lost her innocence somehow? She grew up way too fast for the age she was supposed to be and I hated the fact that she became as serious as she was. I did also enjoy the fact that she was a mini genius! I wish I was that smart at that age!! Also, what I didn’t get is why no one told her anything!! Like, she had to figure it out rather than someone being honest with her and it bugged me so much!

Parks was a misunderstood character for me. He was definitely someone who I disliked at the beginning of the book and he grew on me as the book went on. He was someone who you really had to understand to like and once you understood him and his motives, it was basically impossible to dislike him – purely based on the fact that he was the poor sod who was forced to make all of the tough decisions that no one wants to follow… which just makes him look like he’s horrible when he really isn’t. I did not like the story he had at the end of the book and I was pretty dang miffed!! After everything he went through for both himself and the group, that had to happen!!! Really?!? -.-

The Dr was also someone who I believe was easily dislikable, who was a character that I absolutely hated, but I could also understand why she became the way that she became. She spent basically her whole career trying to find a cure to the disease with instruments that aren’t really getting the job done and stuff, and then it ends the way it did! Seriously!?! That ending really does have me miffed. Caldwell was still a psycho crazy Dr who scared me and is someone I wouldn’t want to cross, but she has really been through it and I GET wanting to find a cure to something as horrible as this disease… especially when you spend your whole career trying to find the cure!

I didn’t understand any of the technical stuff. I think it was too complicated for me and it basically flew over my head – I think maybe the book would have been better had the author dumbed it down a little bit, for want of a better term.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I was worried about the execution of zombies in literature, but I didn’t need to be! Seriously, it was amazing! I gave this book 4/5 stars.

September Wrap Up

Hey guys! It is time to wrap up the month of September! I managed to read a total of 9 books this month! Which is more than I thought I had read. One of those books did not get reviewed on my blog because I was so angry with it. It was insulting. Anyway, lets do this!

Read:

• Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova – I received an ARC of this via Sourcebooks Fire, 4/5 stars
• Dear Charlie by N. D. Gomes – I received an ARC of this via Netgalley, 5/5 Stars
• With Malice by Eileen Cook – 2.5/5 stars
• Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi, 4/5 stars
• The Lost Knight by Candy Atkins – I received a review copy of this book via Xpresso Book Tours, 4/5 stars.
• Pretty Wicked by Kelly Charron – I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley, 5/5 stars
• Winning by Lara Deloza, 3/5 stars.
• The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey, 4/5 stars, review to come!
• Jenna’s Truth by Nadia L. King, 1/5 stars (If I could give it 0, I would!). I feel like I need to explain this book. This book was never reviewed on my blog – I received an ARC of this via Netgalley. However, it was 34 pages long, and it was insulting to anyone who had ever been the victim of bullying, cyber bullying and sexual assault. If you really want to read the review I wrote for Goodreads’ sake, you can find it here.

Books I acquired in the month of September:

Physical:

• Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
• Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
• Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
• Spelled by Betsy Schow
• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
• Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
• Winning by Lara Deloza
• The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
• The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
• Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
• The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
• The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Kindle:

• Pretty Wicked by Kelly Charron – ARC
• A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe – I won this at her release day party on Facebook
• These Great Affects by Andrew Toy – This book doesn’t actually have a Goodreads Page. It is also an ARC.
• Consurge by D. T. Dylan – ARC Provided from the author.
• Jenna’s Truth by Nadia. L. King
• Escape from Witchwood Hollow by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek – Review copy provided by the author.
• Everlasting Flame by Katelyn Anderson – Review copy provided by the author
• Oak and Mistletoe by J. Z. N. McCauley – ARC provided by the author

Special posts:

Spotlight: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

Cover Reveal: Emerge: The Judgement by Melissa A. Craven

That’s it for me this month!! *Phew* I thought this post was never going to end!

How was September for you guys?

Find me here:

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Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Hey guys! So, I actually have a few books for you this week… because that’s how I like it! I am super excited about all of these!

Falling Kingdoms by Meghan Rhodes

With Malice by Eileen Cook

The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

I have already read the first two book in the Winner’s Trilogy and I loved them! I am looking forward to reading the final book within this series! I have also already started reading Falling Kingdoms (which I am currently reading) and I’m kinda grossed out by Magnus?!? I have also heard lots of great things about With Malice and The Girl With all the Gifts – so I am definitely looking forward to those!

Ebooks:

 Crystal Crowned by Elise Kova – Finally I can binge read the last two books!

 Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

 Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo – I bought the first book in this series for my kindle a while back, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet! Now I can just binge read the series!

 The Amber Project by J. N. Chaney

 Transient Echoes by J. N. Chaney – Both of these books I received from the author! I am definitely looking forward to them!

 Suspended by Sarah Noffke – Again, the was a freebie from the author; I absolutely love this cover!

I also received Signed and unsigned bookmarks from Karen Tomlinson for A Bond Of Venom and Magic which is being released later this year!! They’re so pretty!!

*Phew* That’s it for this week! Now, if someone can just find me enough time to actually read all of these… that would be great!

What have you guys added to your shelves this week? Feel free to leave links and comments and I will check them all out!