Reading round up (81)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. 

22nd June

I'm reading The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent, which I'm really enjoying. I read 28% today and I reaaaally like Finn (though the body swap thing is making me feel ICKY. Like, you're kissing strangers and not really him...)

23rd June

Today I read 32% of The Stars Never Rise and finished it. It wasn't exactly what I expected but it was so, so good. I also started The Cage by Megan Shepherd (23%) and I like it so far.

24th June

I read 37% of The Cage and I am REALLY into the shiny gold alien. How could this happen? How could the attractive human be a complete jerk and make this metallic alien seem like a much nicer dude??? Megan Shepherd, why???

25th June

I read 23% of The Cage and I am 100% in love with Cassian, send help.

26th June

I finished The Cage (17%), and despite its imperfections it was perfect to me. I love it. 

I also started Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (13% read) because I am way overdue reading this and it felt like the right time to start it.

27th June

I read 12% of Red Queen, and I think I like it but I'm not sure yet.

28th June

Wasn't in the mood for Red Queen, so I started Invasion of The Tearling by Erika Johansen (7%). I totally forgot the heavy atmosphere of these books and how much I love it.

Books finished this week: 2
Books DNF'd this week: 0

For review:

Zeroes | Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, & Deborah Biancotti

Free on Amazon:

The Key | Jennifer Anne Davis

The Stars Never Rise (4 STARS)

The Stars Never Rise (ARC Review)

The Stars Never Rise: The Stars Never Rise | Rachel Vincent

Published by: Mira Ink, June 18th 2015

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Dystopia, Demons

Pages: 368

Format: Ebook

Source: Harlequin UK, via Netgalley

There’s no turning back…

In the town of New Temperance, souls are in short supply and Nina should be worrying about protecting hers. Yet she’s too busy trying to keep her sister Mellie safe.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their existence, she’ll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal church.
To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a mysterious fugitive who has already saved her life once. Wanted by the church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she needs Finn and his group of rogue friends.


But what do they need from her in return?

The Stars Never Rise was so not what I was expecting. It was a lot more terrifying dystopia than dark fantasy, and it was so tense. I was on edge for a good portion of this book, expecting things to go wrong. Usually, they did.

The Stars Never Rise starts off pretty heavy. We're in a new nightmare world where souls are sparse and have been consumed by demons during a war, and to save humanity the Church has risen and not controls literally every aspect of everyone's lives. Which would be scary enough without factoring in the women must be pure specimens and if you have the tiniest thing wrong with you (bad eyesight, for example) we're going to make it so you can never conceive thing. That's just one example of how this new world utterly sucks for women. But what's new with women getting the worse end when it comes to rules of religion?

There's a few plot twists in this book, and I saw literally none of them coming. One of them should have been obvious from the get-go. And THE OTHER. I don't wanna spoil anything but the love interest is ... weird. And that situation is only going to get weirder through the series. I kind of can't wait for the next book, because I love the world Rachel Vincent has built, and I like the characters, and I realllly do like the romance, but ... I'm a little nervous of where the love is going to go. Like how can you fix that? Spoiler: How is she not going to keep kissing strangers, and even worse people she knows. One minute you're joking with a friend and the next you're kissing your soul-bf in your friend's body. LIKE WTF??? It makes me want to shudder with every kiss.

I really, really liked this book. It wasn't what I expected but it was amazing and exciting and totally different. I'm dying to read the next book - this series is going to be awesome.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world-building ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★☆

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Release Day Blitz: Forget Me Knot

Forget Me Knot by Ruth Silver

(Royal Reaper 2)

Expected June 23, 2015 from Booktrope

   Don’t mess with death. When Wynter explores his newly developed dark angel powers, regret soon fills his heart and mind. Saving a soul isn’t what he imagined it to be, and it puts the grim reaper he loves in grave danger. Obligated to take the throne as Queen, Mara must face the truth and unravel secrets she may not be ready to accept. The second book in the Royal Reaper saga takes you on a paranormal fantasy adventure into a world of grim reapers, dark angels, and undead trucidators.

Scroll down to the bottom for an excerpt!!

Also available on Barnes & Noble and iBooks

About the Author

Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of the Aberrant trilogy. With a passion for writing and a love of story-telling, Ruth is actively writing two series: Royal Reaper and Orenda. She also writes The Federal Agent Chronicles and Palace Secrets, both of which are adult romance under the name Ravyn Rayne for Blushing Books. Her interests include traveling, reading, and photography. Her favorite vacation destination is Australia. Ruth currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois. 

Follow Ruth here: 
http://writeawaybliss.com 
http://facebook.com/writeawaybliss 
http://twitter.com/writeawaybliss 

Looking for a steamier read? Check her out here: 
http://ravynrayne.com 
http://facebook.com/ravynraynereads 
http://twitter.com/blushingravyn

Click to read an excerpt of Forget Me Knot!!

Reading Round Up (80)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. 

15th June

Today I read 39% of The Lying Game, and finished it. It was way better than I expected. A really good mystery.

I also started Arena One: Slaverunners by Morgan Rice because I'm still in the mood for a good post-apoc and Ashes didn't deliver for me. I read 20% of this and I like it.

16th June

I read 15% of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, and I'm so happy that the missing letter F in every word isn't holding my reading back. 

17th June

Read 30% of ACOTAR and IT'S SO GOOD. I'm irrevocably in love with Tamlin. I'll go to the ends of the earth for this baby.

18th June

FLEW through ACOTAR today, and read 40%, bringing me to 90%. I was DYING to finish it but ran out of hours in the day and didn't wanna meet the sunrise tbh.

19th June

Finished ACOTAR and it was perfect. So much more than I thought it'd be, and I thought it'd be everything. Alsooooooooooo .... I might be slightly in love with Rhysand. SLIGHTLY. This will not end well.

I also started The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent (5%), which is already preeeeeeetty cool.

20th June

I only read 7% of The Stars Never Rise today because I was busy with work.

21st June

Today I read 28% of The Stars Never Rise and the love interest is super cute, so I'm happy with that. Also the church IS SO SO WRONG AND TERRIFYING and wow I am glad I don't live in this world. This is a feminist's nightmare.

Books finished this week: 2
Books DNF'd this week: 0

For review:

Nothing!! Which is great because I have SO MANY books for review.

Bought:

Mortal Heart | Robin LaFevers

Mum gave me some money to treat myself so I got this baby. I can finally finish this series!! It's one of the best written series I've read it my life.

Emmy & Oliver (4.5 STARS)

The Lying Game (4 STARS)

A Court of Thorns & Roses (5 STARS+FAVOURITE)

Saruuh Explores NA: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ARC Review)

A Court of Thorns and Roses: A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah J. Maas

Published by: Bloomsbury Children's, May 5th 2015

Genre: NA, (very upper) YA, Fantasy, Retelling

Pages: 416

Format: Ebook

Source: Bloomsbury, via Netgalley

The breathtaking start to a seductive high-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author of Throne of Glass series.

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

*is an inconsolable puddle on the floor*

WHY DID IT HAVE TO END??

I put off reading this book for SO LONG because I thought it would never live up to my expectations. And it didn't deliver exactly the story I'd expected but it was way better, way way better, than any of my wildest dreams.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is perfect. The romance is natural and right and just lovely to read. The magic is traditional and feels vast and unpredictable. The main character is a sarcastic, smart badass whom I love dearly. And the villain is TERRIFYING. Everything about this is flawless.

Especially Tamlin, who I fell in love with completely. He's gruff and caring and everything a beast in Beauty and The Beast should be. But I also sorta accidentally love Rhysand, too, and I don't know when or how or why that happened, but it did. And I CANNOT WAIT for the next book, because I suspect it'll have loads more Rhys in it!!! But also Tamlin! Whom I adore, and whose story I am so eager to see unfold.

This book is so more than a series opener. Not only does it build up the world, characters, and threat without a single fault, but it delivers a series-finale-style ending IN THE FIRST BOOK. It's thrilling and scary as hell and my heart was in my throat at least three times. I can't say enough about this book.

Just read it.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world-building ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★★

This book counts towards my Fairy Tale Challenge!

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The Lying Game (Review)

The Lying Game: The Lying Game | Sara Shepard

Published by: HarperTeen, December 7th 2010

Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 307

Format: Ebook

Source: Purchased

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there's nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It's enough to kill a girl all over again. But I'm about to get something no one else does--an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma's desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me--to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she's the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, care-free daughter when she hugs my parents goodnight? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

Let the lying game begin.

I don't read many contemporary thrillers, or mysteries, or whatever this book actually is. So I don't have much to judge this against. But I REALLY enjoyed it. I expected the bitchiness of the characters to put me off and make me DNF but there's enough intrigue and suspicions to drive the story. And the characters aren't so much bitchy as psychopathic. I expected to guess who the murderer was right away but all the characters are so dodgy that I have No Idea. AND I reaaaaaaaaaaally like the love interest. Like really. He's a solid, supportive guy and he's an astronomer. I want one.

Loved this way more than expected. I'm surprisingly eager to read the next book.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world-building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆

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Emmy & Oliver (ARC Review)

Emmy & Oliver | Robin Benway

Published by: HarperTeen, June 23rd 2015

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Pages: 352

Format: Ebook

Source: HarperTeen, via Edelweiss

Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.

Well, this book just confirms it: I don't dislike contemporary novels, but I am seeeeeeeeriously picky about them. I need something to hook me in - for The Distance Between Lost and Found it was the survival element, and for this it was recovering from being kidnapped (by your dad!) My picky-ness means I'm 100% less likely to pick up your standard boy-meets-girl book than a boy-meets-girl-while-witnessing-a-murder-and-now-they're-both-in-witness-protection. Which is, coincidentally, a book I'd really like to read!

So, Emmy and Oliver - it tells the story of Oliver, who was kidnapped by his dad as a kid, and Emmy, who was his best friend but has been living in the fallout of his kidnapping for her entire life. I only really paid attention to this book after reviews started coming in (the cover didn't interest me and the blurb underwhelms this book.) It's a pretty serious story, and it's really, horribly sad in parts where you don't expect it. Most of this novel is a moving, compelling tale of friendship and self-discovery, but it has these pockets of absolute angst that sucker-punch you. I secretly loved those pockets, because it took Emmy and Oliver from pretty sweet to powerful, and it made you think about things you never would have. What would you do, for example, if one of your parents had kidnapped you as a kid? That's your parent - not a bad guy - so how could you ever hate them, when you've spent all your life loving them?

I liked the questions this book posed, and I liked a lot of stuff about it. Its characters were assholes in the way your best friends are assholes. It didn't have a plot like the books I usually read do, but it told a story in a way that made that irrelevant. It was tense toward the end, and had a slow burn of something-is-not-quite-right-here that's just enough to unsettle you. I just liked a lot of what this book did, especially how it dealt with what Oliver was feeling, and how stifled Emmy was as a result of her parents' fear.

I don't know exactly how to sum up this book, but you won't regret reading it. It's funny but heartbreaking, and it's just really really good.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world-building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆