Reading round up (90)

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. 

7th September

This week I'm reading Cruel Beauty because I need a pick-me-up and this is one of my all time favourites. Today I read 136 pages.

8th September

I finished Cruel Beauty (154 pages), basically binge reading this, and I feel way better. I also started Queen of Shadows, because I feel a lot steadier emotion wise, and like I'm okay to handle book feelings as well as my own. I read 54 pages and it's already painful and epic!!


9th September

I read 108 pages of Queen of Shadows and I LOVE IT. Not seeing how Chaol has been ruined or twisted into someone completely different - he's clearly been affected by a deep, beheading-and-friend-enslaving trauma. That would fuck up anyone, so give the guy a break.

10th September

I read 102 pages of QoS. I like Elide. Huh. Never expected that. (also I thought Nesryn was Elide and I'm slightly grumpy that she's not.)

11th September

Read another 153 pages of QoS and this shit just got EPIC and HIGHLY DANGEROUS real quick.

12th September

I finished Queen of Shadows (I read a crazy 239 pages in one day!!) and everything is a little in pain right now. But happy ending? Thank you Sarah J. Maas, I can only assume this won't last.

13th September

I can't leave Erilea just yet, so I'm finally reading The Assassin's Blade. I read the first novella (77 pages) and oh no I like Sam. (I DON'T WANT TO BECAUSE HE'S GOING TO DIE AND IT'S GOING TO HUUUURT.)

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

For review:

Sequel to a book I enjoyed.

One (3.5 STARS)

One (ARC Review)

One | Sarah Crossan

Published by: Greenwillow Books, September 15th 2015

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Poetry

Pages: 400

Format: Ebook

Source: Greenwillow Books, via Edelweiss

Tippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends . . . even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.

Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it’s normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. The two sixteen-year-old girls have two heads, two hearts, and each has two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.

But the girls’ body is beginning to fight against them. And soon they will have to face the impossible choice they have avoided for their entire lives.

Everything you will hear about this will be true. One is poignant and moving and unflinching. It is just, unfortunately, not the greatest book for me. I could go on about how I connected with the characters but never cared much, about how the story was important but I wasn't all that interested, how the romance felt depth-less, but let me tell you about the writing instead. Because that is where I fell in love with this book.

Sarah Crossan writes free verse like a master. Seriously. Her way with words is astounding, and sometimes left me a little speechless. I have huge parts of this highlighted, and more than ten poems bookmarked, because I just fell in love with how it was written and I know I will go back and read those parts again and again. So while I didn't love everything about this, I can find no regret that I read it, and I will always remember One.

This story didn't resonate with me as much as it should have done, as much as it will with you, but for the writing alone I have to own and cherish this book forever. Read this book - you won't regret it! (Well, you might, at the end, when you're crying...)

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★★+

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Reading Round Up (89)

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. 

31st August

I started The Orphan Queen by Jodi meadows and read 102 pages. I love it so much.

1st September

Annnd today I finished OQ, oops. I read a whole 296 pages in a single day. Did I love this book or did I love this book? (I hated it; it broke me.)

2nd September

At some point my progress and reading got mixed up. Anyway, imagine this was all straight and yesterday I read 112 pages of Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, which I actually did read - but I can't have read basically all of OQ and HoF as well.

TODAY I read 137 pages of Heir of Fire. This is just as painful as I remembered.

3rd September

I read 92 pages. I love Rowan so, so much.

4th September

Read another 89 pages of Heir of Fire and ouch, thanks Sarah J. Maas. Why am I doing this to myself again?

5th September

I'm almost finished with Heir of Fire (89 pages read) which means I start Queen of Shadows tomorrow. OH GODS!!!

6th September

I finished Heir of Fire and started Cruel Beauty reread (52 pages) because I was feeling REALLY low.

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

For review:

Charlie N. Holmberg, 'nuff said.

The Wolf Wilder (4 STARS)

ARC August roundup

Books read in total:

1 -The Vanishing Island | Barry Wolverton

2 - Night Owls | Jenn Bennett

3 - The Accident Season | Moira Fowley-Doyle (DNF)

4 - A Riddle In Ruby | Kent Davis

5 - Polaris | Mindee Arnett

6 - Daughters Unto Devils | Amy Lukavics

7 - This Monstrous Thing | Mackenzi Lee (DNF)

8 - Undertow | Michael Buckley (DNF)

9 - The Unquiet | Mikaela Everett

10 - Lies We Tell Ourselves | Robin Talley

11 - Witch Hunter | Virginia Boecker

12 - Fire & Chasm | Chelsea M. Campbell

Faves of June:

The Wolf Wilder (ARC Review)

The Wolf Wilder | Katherine Rundell

Published by: Bloomsbury Childrens, September 9th 2015

Genre: Children's, Historical or Contemporary (I can't tell which, oops) (if it helps, it has a real Fantasy feel)

Pages: 256

Format: Ebook

Source: Bloomsbury Childrens, via Netgalley

Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans.

When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.

The Wolf Wilder is what children's fiction is all about. A sweeping landscape, an unforgettable main character, a budding revolution, and wolves!

This book held my attention from the first page, so much so that I read a huge chunk of it in one sitting (50%!) I was instantly drawn into the snowy wilds of Russia, and my heart attached itself to Feo and the wolves without my knowing. This book is just so unique, and genuine, and unlike anything I've read before that it was impossible to put down.

When we get into the second half of the book, we're made aware of the state of Russia, and how beaten they are by Rakov, the terrible tyrant who rules over Feo's little corner of Russia. And we meet a slowly-building revolution, with ordinary, and angry, children at the heart of it. This book, if nothing else, tells of the power of children. And it shows, when organised and determined, that someone small can accomplish something great and affect the lives of hundreds. Feo's bravery drove this story, but her love for the wolves, her mother, and Ilya really brought it to life.

Charming and magical, The Wolf Wilder is a captivating novel of courage and love for people of all ages. I loved it!

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world-building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆

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