Top 5 Authors Discovered in 2016

I know these posts are usually reserved for the end of the year, but we're most of the way through 2016 and I just know I'll forget to write this post if I leave it for December. Plus, I've already discovered some pretty amazing authors.

Hailey Edwards

I've loved every single book of hers I've read. The best kind of urban fantasy.

Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of The Sands is EPIC. Romantic and dangerous and just thrilling. I met Alwyn at YALC this year and she was super nice.

Eliza Wass

In The Dark, In The Woods is one of the best books I've read this year. Haunting and unsettling and beautifully written. A must-read.

Brittany Cavallaro

A Study In Charlotte was everything I want from a modern day Sherlock Holmes. Cute romance, quirky and awkward friends, MURDER.

Pippa DaCosta

City of Fae and City of Shadows blew me away. Sexy and dark and scary as hell in parts. Plus super, super inventive and unique. I'm dying to read more of her books!

Bonus: Jov Skovron, whose Hope & Red I completely adored, and Zoraida Cordova, whose Labyrinth Lost was a stand-out book in a very saturated genre.

The blog formerly known as Syntax Reviews...

New name, new schedule!

I'm really trying to not neglect this blog. I love reading and reviewing books but I struggle to find the energy for it. But I can now guarantee there will be a review on this blog EVERY SATURDAY. And with this new schedule, comes a new name. I worried Syntax Reviews was a little off-putting and didn't really shout 'YA BOOK BLOG' but I love Dust Jacket Reviews as a name. It just felt right when it came to me. I hope you like it as much as I do!

~Saruuh

4 Series Finales I'm Putting Off

Don't faint but yes - I have actual content for Syntax! When was the last time I didn't just round-up or review??? Has such a time even existed? Who knows. I'm hoping to post one of these type of posts monthly!

I can't be the only person who gets really excited about a last-in-series-book being released, buys it instantly, and then ... realises that if I read that book, the series will be over. I do it SO MUCH that I can literally compile a list - and have! Here are the series I love so much that I can't bear to say goodbye to them.

Altered series

I literally bought Reborn in hardback. And ... neglected it. My love for Nick is 100% to blame. How can there only be one book with Nick left???

Icons series

 I've owned Idols since the release day but Icons is one of my absolute favourites and there's only this one book so ... if I don't read Idols, I can pretend it's not ending, right?

Penryn and The End of Days

Who can say goodbye to Penryn and Raffe? Not me. It's been sat on my shelf since release and will likely be there for several more months.

After The End dulology

I'm so afraid for Miles. With the way After The End ended??? I am not brave enough to read Until The Beginning yet!

I really do need to suck it up and finish these series soon, though. Better that I finish the series than never read the books! Do you do this strange thing too? Are there any series finales you're putting off?

~Saruuh

Don't Fear The Reader: Favourite Not-So-Spooky film!

Halloween films are among my favorites ever. I'm none too fussed on horror, but I love a good spooky family movie, especially if they're about witches or the undead, and especially if they have humour and a good musical number. It's hardly surprising that Hocus Pocus is my favourite Halloween film OF ALL TIME.

From the Sanderson sisters to the black candle lit by a virgin to the ridiculously cheesy teen romance to the real stars of the show - Dani and Binx - this film can do no wrong. It's fun, it's light, and it reminds me of being a kid and going trick or treating. If you haven't seen this film (is there ANYONE who hasn't?) I do not know what you're waiting for. Watch it for Bette Midler if you watch it for nothing else.

Don't Fear The Reader is a Halloween bingo. Find more info here!

~Saruuh

Semi-hiatus!

This probably comes as no surprise, but I'm taking a semi-hiatus - essentially a break from regular posting. I'll manage to get some reviews scheduled and hopefully update my sidebar to show when they'll be posted, but I'm taking a few months out of regular posts because my life has got ridiculously busy and I have no time to write posts or my reading journal between frantically drafting two books simultaneously (!!!) 

You've probably noticed that there are fewer posts on here than there used to be, and there won't be a marked difference between the past month or so and the next few, but I just wanted to let you know. 

I WILL however be participating in a hella cool Halloween event, which is something to look forward to and keep an eye out for. And as I said, there'll be some reviews in the months to come.

~Saruuh

Why I've been missing...

If you're wondering why my blog has been severely lacking, this is why:

That's my laptop, Mars, and he is fucked, friends. Well and truly wrecked. The screen has come away from the actual laptop. I'm only writing this now because I've taken it back (broken screen and all) from the repairs shop because I am so far behind on my work that it's making be unhappy (and when i get unhappy, i get unhealthy...)

So, I have no idea when I'll be back to posting, as I've no idea when it'll be fixed. Any promotional tours or blitz events I was supposed to be taking part in, I'll have to miss, because I won't be able to get into my emails (or my Blogger account!) to create the post.

For semi-regular updates on general life stuff (and Mars progress...) you can follow my instagram, and I'm still able to update reading progress via Goodreads app, so add me there too! :)

Sorry about this blip. I'll be back to regular, scheduled posting as soon as I'm able.

~Saruuh

Reader problems tag!

I was tagged by the lovely Henna over at Howling For Books to do this tag post. It's been a fair while since I've done one of these so I'm pretty happy to have been tagged!!

1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?

Well I'm a mood reader, so I'd probably pick up whatever stood out to me or what I felt like reading. Which, to be honest, is what I do anyway - that's the reason I have so many TBR review copies.

2. You're halfway through a book and you're just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?

Quit. I made a promise that I'd never force myself to do anything that made me unhappy. If I'm not enjoying a book I won't waste my time finishing it. I'm sure I've missed out on some pretty decent books because of this, but I'd rather do that than force myself to finish a book I dislike.

3. The end of the year is coming and you're so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?

Eh, whatever happens happens. I can usually judge around October whether I'll complete or not so I might invest more time in reading from then on, or pick only books I'm certain I'll finish, so as not to waste time on DNF books.

4. The covers of a series you love do not match. How do you cope?

By throwing my toys out of the pram. I HATE covers that don't match so I usually get kinda pissy and rant about it a lot. I have to have a series that matched, even if it means having two or three copies of one book. This is actually the case with Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan.

5. Everyone and their mothers love a book you really don't like. Who do you bond with over their shared feelings?

I don't know. I'd probably just avoid reading reviews or buzz posts. There's never really anyone with the exact reading tastes as me so my friends could love a book I don't or hate a book I love.

6. You're reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?

Easy. I never read in public. 

7. A sequel of a book you love just came out, but you've forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!?

Reread for sure. I just reread the first two Mara Dyer books for Retribution, and I'm doing the same with Falling Kingdoms, although it was mostly an excuse to reread some of my faves.

8. You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people no when they ask?

No problem. I have no friends in my area, so nobody comes round!! 

9. Reading ADD. You've picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?

Mostly I cry and keep trying and trying again until I get one that sticks.

10. There are so many new books coming out that you're dying to read! How many do you actually buy?

I could probably afford like one a month, maybe, if they're paperbacks. If they're hardback, there's little chance I'll get it. Mostly I request them on Netgalley and hope I get approved, otherwise I'll be waiting a year/year and a half for the paperback.

11. After you've bought the new books you can't wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?

Depends. It's usually between a week to a month if I'm dying to read it, although sometimes it takes me a full year to read a book I own.

I'm not gonna tag anyone for this one, but if you wanna do it, feel free!
~Saruuh

Syntax Reviews is on Bloglovin!

Just a quick post to let you all know I'm now on Bloglovin. I'm a hundred years behind the times, I know, but Bloglovin is one of those things I never really got around to signing up to. But I have now, so if you've got a Bloglovin, leave a link in the comments and I'll be sure to follow you :)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

~Saruuh

Seven Deadly Sins Tag

Kirsty tagged by in this seven deadly sins tag post!! Thus, I ramble!! I love questions.

1. Greed – What is your most inexpensive book?
So this afternoon I got Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff in hardcover. From the pound shop. Yes. A pound. That is my bargain for the month.

2. Wrath – What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
Leigh Bardugo. I like her books, I like her characters, I like her world, but I just?????? I've read so many reviews about book three and I can't abide how she ended it. The convenient solve of the love triangle makes me mad (girl sacrificing great power and magic to be with a boy? GIVE ME A BREAK.)

3. Gluttony – What book have you devoured over and over with no shame?
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. My love.

4. Sloth – What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?
Last month I would have said Cinder, but I did actually read that. So I'll go with The Eternity Cure. It's sat right there on my immediate-tbr-shelf and I am just overlooking it.

5. Pride – What book do you most talk about in order to sound like an intellectual reader?
I don't read intellectual books ... I actually spend most of my life making myself aware of social issues and bullshit so I try to avoid books that are serious or intellectual. Maybe I would throw out some cosmology stuff, though.

6. Lust – What attributes do you find attractive in male or female characters?
I like tall people. If you're tall and either a) super cute or b) the meanest asshole ever, I will love you.

7. Envy – What book would you most like to receive as a gift?

Right now I'd love to get Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour, since her essay on love made me cry at least twice.

I'm tagging (as per usual)

Stasia @ StasiaLikesCakes
Jen @ Maizeandbooks

aaaaaand that's it because everyone else I'd tag has gone on holiday. 

YALC and London.

I don't usually post about my life outside of blogging and books, but this just had to be blogged about. Also it's partially about books because 1) I can't help myself and buy a tonne of books whenever I go away, and 2) YA lit convention!!

click photos to make bigger :)

Last weekend, I went to London for London Film and Comic Con, which just happened to have another con inside the con specifically for books. There were book stalls, lots of authors signing (Rainbow Rowell's and Darren Shan's queues were ridiculous. Kinda glad I'm not a huge fan of them now), publishers giving away swag like postcards, samplers, bookmarks etc. I got a super cool Skulduggery Pleasant wristband and some Angel badges!! I was exceptionally thrilled at my Iron Trial sampler.

I got books signed by Kim Curran, who was super nice and also gave me some stickers and bookmarks. It was blisteringly hot inside Earl's Court at that point, with bodies packing even more heat into a hot Summer day, so at one point I ended up fanning Kim Curran with my fan. Which was quite fun, not gonna lie. Hence the comment.

I also got my copy of The Oathbreaker's Shadow signed by Amy McCulloch, who was also really cool and nice (are all authors just really great people?). I'm pretty proud of how I stayed unnervous through both signings, and my voice didn't do that awful thing it tends to do when I meet people I admire, but I totally ran out of conversational material with Amy McCulloch. I think I may have perpetrated an awkward silence :( Sorry Amy!

I also bought Sinner, Idols, and The Lovely & The Lost, and went inside the fancy new Foyles flagship because I have absolutely no self control when it comes to books. These are all the new books I came home with:

that book right on the top was from the LFCC free books stall !! Ignore my messy wall.

There were also talks and workshops going on at YALC, though I didn't go to any of them because I didn't have time, but I bought so many things at the actual LFCC, had photos with cosplayers (ARROW!!), visited the popup Sherlock set, and almost had a photoshoot with Natalie Dormer - she cancelled.

All in all a really great con and a fun, if way too hot, weekend. And here's some bonus tourist photos:

Did any of you go to YALC or LFCC? Who did you get to meet?

~Saruuh