Tag: books

#SixForSunday – LGBTQ+ Books on my TBR

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

How are we in June already? 🙃 A new month brings a new Six For Sunday theme and so befittingly for June we are celebrating all things Pride related. 🌈

I don’t tend to read much LGBTQ+ representations in literature and before anyone @’s me I have no prejudices whatsoever but I do feel that whilst YA is starting to feature these voices more and more, there is only now beginning to be a greater representation of these characters within the more mainstream fantasy books that I read. I could be wrong so please feel free to respectfully educate me!

With that in mind, this week’s Six For Sunday is focused on books on my TBR which have an LGBTQ+ representation. For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is a weekly list-based meme created by Steph @ALittleButALot and has a different weekly prompt based on a monthly theme.
Title headings link to Goodreads.

  • Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
    Anything to do with royals immediately grabs my attention and I liked that this read sounded fun and contemporary which is why it has found it’s way onto my TBR.
  • Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
    This has been on my TBR since it came out in a Fairyloot box quite a while ago. I’m going to use my typical ‘I-can’t-start-another-series-just-yet’ excuse before starting this one!
  • The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
    I recently read Circe and loved Madeline Miller’s writing style. She made me feel such empathy towards the main character and everyone I have spoken to has said that The Song of Achilles is even better so I can’t wait to pick this one up.
  • The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
    This is where I had to start trawling Goodreads to find LGBTQ+ representations in books that I had wanted to read. There seemed to be quite a bit of hype surrounding this series so I’m intrigued to see what it’s all about.
  • Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    I had no idea that this would fit this week’s Six For Sunday brief despite it being on my want to read pile for ages now.
  • The Trials of Apollo Series by Rick Riordan
    Again, another series I didn’t know would be relevant here but I feel like I need to read the Percy Jackson series first before following up with this. All the new hype surrounding the PJ Disney+ series is making me want to channel my inner Camp Half-Blood mindset.

Completio! Would you recommend me any of these series or are there some here that are also on your TBR? What’s your favourite type of LGBTQ+ representation in literature? As always, leave your link below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

 

May Wrap Post & Haul!

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Hey Bibliofriends!

May was such a brilliant reading month for me. It seemed that some of my bookish and blog goals were coming together as I managed to read some of my first NetGalley requests and also got approached by some authors and publishing companies through both my blog and Twitter! It’s definitely helped me to keep topping up my blog content and I’ve found a brilliant way to utilise my FairyLoot Reading journal as a blog planner so that I can keep track of my reading and blogging all in one place!

May was also my birthday month as it seemed a little strange not being able to go and celebrate with all of my friends together however I did have a wonderful picnic and walk through our local countryside with my family. I’m so lucky to live in a place with lots of hills and woodland on my doorstep. The sunshine has been pretty spectacular too!

So with birthday presents and all, this month has seen a pretty spectacular book haul which is why this post may be super long. There’s a kind of contents list below so you can skip to any part you wanted to! Thanks for reading about my topic month!

  • Books I Read in May
  • May’s Book Haul
  • Movies I Watched

Books I Read In May

The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary
Rating: 📚📚📚

After the absolute mission that was OWLs Readathon I felt like I needed something light and funny to kick off May. I’d had a chapter sampler of this sent to me pre-publication and it was brilliant. I liked the uniqueness of Leon and Tiffy’s situation. Read the review here.

The Carpet Cipher by Jane Thornley
Rating: 📚📚

I requested to read this through Netgalley and managed to get through it in about 2 days. To be honest, I don’t think my read pile would have been terribly sad if this wasn’t in it. I rarely get annoyed by a book but there was so much promise for this from the blurb but for me, it raised more questions than actual enjoyment. Read the review here.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Wow, wow, wow! This book was the dark, delicious poisoned apple offered by the Wicked Queen that I devoured. Luxurious, deceptive and romantic; if you love a Slytherin romance with a determined and headstrong character then you need to add this to your TBR. Read my review here.

The Spaces Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

It’s been a while since I read something purely sci-fi without the fantasy element and this was my first actually accepted request from NetGalley!!! *still jumping up and down in excitement* I loved idea of the book set in a multiverse of 382 Earths and the idea of being able to walk in all of the worlds your doppelganger no longer occupied. The mixture of scientific and spiritual was really well-balanced and I enjoyed the journey the main character took into finding her identify and place in the world. Traverse on over to the review here.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

May was a super lucky month for NetGalley approvals as I also received this book which had been on my TBR ever since its first release date in 2019. Descendant of the Crane did not disappoint. This book is more of a slower-paced read as there was a lot of description and information to digest as each new revelation was revealed. At the centre of it all was a trial and investigation into who killed the King which led to lots of other backstories and crises of revolt and impending war upon the country of Yan. If you like lots of world-building and information interspersed with plenty of action in a deliciously oriental palace setting, then check out my review on 10th June to see if Descendant of the Crane is right up your literary street.

Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart
Rating: 📚📚📚.5

As part of my mission to try and finish off some of the series that I had already started I read this sequel to Grace and Fury. I managed to steamroller my way through this book really quickly. I absolutely love the whole concept of Mount Ruin, not that it’s a prison (obviously) but just the role it plays in the story. Review coming up soon!

A Touch of Death (The Outlands Pentalogy) by Rebecca Crunden
Rating: 📚📚📚.5

I am so grateful to Rebecca for approaching me to read this first book in her series. I had so much fun getting to know the characters and explore the Kingdom of Cutta. The book had a fantastic dystopian vibe and it was wonderful to read something which seemed to balance both ends of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre quite well. I’m currently in the process of writing my review which will be coming up later this month!

May Book Haul

With it being my birthday this month, the rule about not-buying any more books was not just broken, but annihilated! Some of these were treats to myself and some of them were birthday gifts. Many of these were sequels that I purchased specifically just to try and finish some off before starting others.

Physical Books

Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie [Fairyloot March Box – Exclusive Edition]
Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart (sequel to Grace and Fury)
Shadow and Flame by Mindee Arnett (sequel to Onyx and Ivory)
These Divided Shores by Sara Raasch (sequel to These Rebel Waves)
Rage by Cora Carmack (sequel to Roar)
All the Wandering Light (sequel to Even the Darkest Stars)
Given to the Earth (sequel to Given to the Sea)
Cloak of Night by Evelyn Skye (sequel to Circle of Shadows)
Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (Book 2 of The Infernal Devices trilogy)
FairyLoot’s April Box Book (I kept this one spoiler free for now!)

E-Books / E-Arcs

The Spaces Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (NetGalley e-arc)
The Carpet Cipher by Jane Thornley (NetGalley)
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He (NetGalley e-arc – rerelease)
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott (NetGalley e-arc)
Ignite the Sun by Hanna Howard (NetGalley e-arc)
Twelve: Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale by Andrea Blythe (Netgalley e-arc)
My Fence is Electric by Mark Newman (Short Story Collection: ePub thanks to Odyssey Books)
A Touch of Death (The Outlands Pentalogy) by Rebecca Crunden (thank you Rebecca! ☺️)

Movies I Watched in May

Having the Sky Cinema bundle on NowTV has been such a lifesaver for my film addiction whilst in lockdown! Some of the films are brand new streams and some were a little older.

Dora The Explorer: City of Lost Gold
Darkest Hour
Stuber
Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw
Hudson Hawk
Closer
Hotel Artemis
The Meg
Escape Room
Captain Marvel
Avengers: Endgame
Spiderman: Far From Home
American Made
The Billionaire Boys Club

Back at the tail end of 2019, I purchased the Marvel Cinematic Universe boxsets on Blu-Ray as I hadn’t seen them all. Making my way through all of the films across the four boxsets reminded me a little of the guys that paint the Forth Bridge in Scotland; once they get to the end, it’s pretty much time to start repainting again from the beginning – it’s taken me so long to get through the entire Marvel Universe that now I feel that I need to go right back and watch them all in chronological order! 😂

What has been your highlights of May? Did you get an impressive book haul or achieve any of your bookish goals? What are you looking forward to in June? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Friday56 – The Space Between Worlds

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I’ve got that feeling again guys – it must be Friday!

This week’s Friday 56 comes from The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. I was so thrilled to get approved for this book from Netgalley so big thanks to the publishers Hodder and Stoughton, Netgalley and the author for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

You  understand you’re alive, don’t you? she says, more than once. You are alive, Caramenta. You are still whole.
She calls me a dead girl’s name, and pronounces her alive. But even if she’d gotten my name right I wouldn’t really believe her. I used to be at least 382. Now I am 7. How can I possibly be whole?

The Space Between Worlds is a gripping dystopian Sci-fi novel set across a multiverse of 382 versions of Earth. This novel is action-packed with doppelgänger difficulties, raging wars and revolutions as well as some poignant ideas about the true meaning of finding yourself in a universe where 382 versions of you exist.

If this gets your Sci-Fi senses all a-tingling then check out my full review here!

How would you feel if there were 382 (or fewer!) versions of yourself out there in the big expansive void? Would being a world walker give you freedom or give you a bad case of the imposter syndrome? As always, leave me your #Friday56 links or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#BookTag – Books As First Dates

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Tuesday Bibliofriends!

This week’s ‘Books As First Dates’ Book Tag comes from @BooksAre42 on Twitter. You should definitely check out their blog as they have some amazing regular content and brilliant reviews.

I had a lot of fun doing this tag as it made me try to think outside the box for books that I normally wouldn’t mention.

This tag was originally created by Alice at Love for Words.

The Rules

↠Link back to the original tag.
↠Thank and link back to the person who tagged you.
↠Tag 5+ bloggers.
↠Have fun!

First and Last – A Book/Series You’ve Read and Enjoyed, But Can’t Bring Yourself to Read Again

The Caraval Series by Stephanie Garber – this series was so brilliant and fun to read but I just feel like I’m done with it now that I know what happens in the end.

With A Friend of My Friend – A Book/Series Someone Recommended to You That Turned Out to Be Different from What You Had Expected

The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth – I didn’t really know what to expect when I read this but I actually found it really enjoyable. I’m not normally a massive dystopian fan but I found this series to be such a gripping story. I think the films kind of spoiled it for me as some elements were good but others were a bit of a let down compared to the books.

Double Date – A Book Whose Sequel You Immediately Had to Read

I remember finishing Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and ordering Crooked Kingdom immediately afterwards. I could not put that series down and the ending practically ripped my heart out. 

Let’s Go to The Movies – A Book/Series That Should Be Adapted to The Screen

I recently read Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez and think this would make an incredibly delightful film. I could imagine the Bolivian backdrop being picturesque and spectacular; the weavings and animals could be wonderfully magical as well.

Dreamy Stargazing – A Book That Made You Go Ahhhh And Ohhhh

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas gave me all the feels! I think it’s probably the most swoonworthy book I’ve ever read!

Fun at The Fair – A Book Full of Colors

A slightly different stance on this one. The picture book The Day The Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers is one of my favourite books to teach with. I love the way all of the different colouring crayons are made to have different feelings and personalities.

Amusement Park Adventure – A Book That Was A Rollercoaster

The Descendant of the Crane by Joan He is a book I read recently and in my review I likened the pace of it to that of a rollercoaster. The first half of the book was like going up the steep incline and then the rest of the book is the dramatic drop, loop-the-loop and tunnel all rolled into one. It ends quite sharply too so a rollercoaster seemed the perfect way to describe it.

Picnic with Cherries – A Book Whose Food Descriptions Made You Feel All *Heart Eyes*

Either:
Wicked Like A Wildfire by Lana Popovic for all of the bakery references
Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye for the amazing Asian flavours
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal which is all about food and cooking
or the sticky cinnamon buns from Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin.

Trip to The Museum – A Book That Taught You Valuable Stuff

The Secret History of the World by Jonathan Black was incredibly in-depth but had a really interesting take on the esoteric and religious symbology behind the different creation stories of the world. Stephen Fry’s Mythos was also a brilliant insight into Greek mythology.

What would make your Books As First Dates list? Would we be double-dating on any of the above choices? Again thanks so much to @BooksAre42 – check out their Twitter or Blog pages! Feel free to tag yourselves if you haven’t done this tag already and would like to!

T xx

Biblioshelf Musings – The Shadows Between Us

The Biblioshelf3 Comments

Howdy Bibliofriends!

This was my first time reading anything by Tricia Levenseller and if it’s anything to go by then it definitely won’t be the last time I read anything by her!

I received The Shadows Between Us in the Feb 2020 FairyLoot Rulebreakers box and can definitely see how this book fitted into the brief. Neither Alessandra or the Shadow King play by the rules or conform to convention. Billed as a Slytherin Romance I was expecting lots of sneaking, cunning and trickery throughout this book – let’s just say, it did not disappoint!

Book: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Genre: Fantasy, Romance (YA)
Publication Date: 25th Feb 2020
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends [FairyLoot Exclusive]
Pages: 326
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.
But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart.
And they never will.
I buried Hektor Galanis in a hole so deep, even the devils of the earth couldn’t reach him.”

When your protagonist introduces the book with these lines, you know you’re going to be dealing with someone who oozes sass and feistiness. Alessandra absolutely delivered on this – imagine Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary mixed in with dash of Bellatrix Estrange and a hint of Anne Boleyn… that’s your girl!

Her determination to reach her goal was relentless and nobody was about to foil her plans no matter how powerful or what role they had at court; ‘hell hath no fury’ and all that…!

I enjoyed the change in Alessandra’s character as parts of her plan had to evolve and things didn’t necessarily go her way. She had to undergo a transformation of getting over past hurts and learning the art of compromise and teamwork. Although Alessandra’s personality comes across to the reader through narration and interactions with other characters, it also comes through in the way that she dresses.

Clothing in particular plays a huge role in this story. I love the way Levenseller picked one element of her world to focus on as the main source of description throughout. Rather than write huge chunks describing, castles, towns and kingdoms, Levenseller shows the reader the vibrancy and attitude of the Shadow King’s court through fashion. In a way, this was a brilliant move. I am a massive fan of world building and would happily read a book with an extra 150 pages just so I can get a clearer picture in my mind of the way the author wants us to view their creative universe – but to see the way in which changes at court or in people’s emotions/feelings were reflected through what they were wearing added a decadent feeling to the whole narrative. This also echoes the importance of fashion and clothing throughout history. Think back to Tudor times when certain colours and materials were only available to those with the right money for dyes and textiles; then fast-forward to the present day and think of how haute-couture is only available to those who can afford the price-tag or garner the right publicity and influence.

The plot-line was a relatively simple one to follow and with most of the narrative being dialogue, it really helped to speed up the pace of the novel and digest what was going on. In true Slytherin style, the amount of deceptions and variety of motivations from different characters helped to keep me guessing who was actually trustworthy right until the very end – but even then I didn’t think the ending would necessarily be as simple as it was.

If you like your romances with a hint of black magic, then The Shadows Between Us would probably be right up your street. This was a wickedly dark, entrancing read which had me gripped right from the first page. It is filled with secrets, court politics and a romance developed from deception. I enjoyed the way that Alessandra was a woman championing her equal rights and standing up for herself and what she believed in. She came across as a woman with ambition who was willing to work her ass off to get there, rather than stomp around pouting with a sense of entitlement. The romance between her and the Shadow King is one of my new favourite relationships from the fictional world – they are so well-suited to each other and I’m a little gutted that there isn’t a sequel just so I can see what happens next.

Have you read The Shadows Between Us? Would you recommend any other Tricia Levenseller books? What other Hogwarts House romance are you craving in your bookish lives? As always, drop me a comment to chat! 🙂

T xx

#SixForSunday – Favourite Series

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

This month has been such a fun month for my reading! I’m really looking forward to posting my wrap post soon! 🙃

This week’s Six For Sunday was supposed to be about my favourite ever series, however as I think we may have already figured out this month… I haven’t read a lot of series all the way through and most of my favourite ones have already been covered throughout the previous S4S May weeks. With that in mind, I wanted to do something slightly different and decided to write about some of the standalone books that I wished were a series. For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is a weekly list-based meme created by Steph @ALittleButALot and has a different weekly prompt based on a monthly theme. Title headings link to Goodreads.

  • To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
    This book was so beautifully written and I fell head over heels in love it. It felt like there was so much potential to explore some other aspects of the world Christo built and I’d definitely be auto-buying a follow-up if ever there was one.
  • Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
    It was so fun to explore the Thorn and Elisabeth’s world – I need to know more about those grimoires and the libraries of their world… and of course, Silas!
  • The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
    This was such a wickedly delicious book. The Shadow King and Alessandra are probably one of my favourite newer romances in fiction. I would love a follow-up just to see what happened across the kingdom after the ending!
  • The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen
    I read this book on NetGalley and it was billed as a new series however I haven’t heard any info about a future sequel. I don’t think it had a particularly wide release however I really enjoyed reading it. 
  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman
    This was probably one of the first fantasy books to capture my heart and one where I feel the movie almost lives up to the book. It would be fabulous to return to the world beyond the Wall.
  • The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
    Zafón is one of my all-time favourite authors. His stories are so imaginative and he has a very distinct writing style which I love to read. Although The Prince in Mist is technically a series of 3 books, the stories don’t actually link together in any way. The setting for The Prince in Mist, an overgrown garden with a clown statue in the centre, was so mysterious that I’d love a follow-up from this world.

There we go, a slightly different take on this week’s Six for Sunday! What are your favourite series? What are some standalone you wish had a sequel? As always, leave your link below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

 

#Friday56 – The Shadows Between Us

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Happy Friday Bibliofriends!

I cannot believe May has flown by so quickly! Perhaps it’s because the days have all been rolling into one! This week’s Friday 56 comes from The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller which was the feature book in the February 2020 FairyLoot Rulebreakers box. This edition has a gorgeous purple cover (as opposed to the alternative red), artwork on the reverse of the dust jacket and an embossed rose design on the cover as well as being signed by the author!

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

Down the table, I watch pair after pair of eyes pretending not to be watching me. The men wonder what I’ve done to have the king claim me. The women watch my every move, wondering how they could get the king to claim them. 

I chose this quote from p.54 as I wanted to highlight Alessandra’s character. It really sets up the whole tone of the novel which was wickedly fun! Full review to come soon!

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

 

Have you read this book? Do you like your romances with a side of Slytherin? 😉 As always, leave me your Friday56 links or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Biblioshelf Musings – The Beholder

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Hi Biblioshelf Friends,

How is your week going? I have had lots of exciting book mail this week so I finally have enough to make a book haul post at the end of the month (for what feels like the first time ever!).

At the end of April, I finished reading The Beholder for the OWLs Magical Readthon last month (wrap post here if you’re interested!). I was so intrigued to get into this book and not just because my copy was the Fairyloot Exclusive edition with pink sprayed edges and rose gold foiling on the front. The idea of sailing off to different kingdoms to look for a suitor on a big ship sounded perfect for the prompt of a book set on the seas/coast. If you want a little sneak peek of the book then check out my #Friday56 post here!

Book: The Beholder by Anna Bright
Genre: Fantasy (YA)
Publication Date: 4th June 2019
Publisher: Harper Teen [FairyLoot Exclusive]
Pages: 429
Rating: 📚📚📚.5

Synopsis from Goodreads
Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after.
As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come. But when the night of Selah’s engagement ends in an excruciatingly public rejection, her stepmother proposes the unthinkable: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.
From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and even beyond borders of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But as she searches for her future husband, she realizes that her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks… and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

The Beholder is a tale which revolves around the main character, Selah, having to travel throughout the world on her ship (The Beholder) to try and find a suitor to marry. Selah is the Seneschal Elect who hopes to take over the running of the Ptomac community after her father. Unfortunately, she also has an evil, pregnant stepmother who wants to be rid of her whilst her father is getting increasingly ill. Selah hopes that by finding an appropriate suitor to take home, she will be able to assume her place as her Father’s successor before it’s too late.

This wonderful tale serves as Anna Bright’s ode to fairytale heritage. Chapter dividers and inserts offer little instalments and snippets from well-know folk and fairytales which foreshadow the events coming forth. To add to that, some of the main companions on Selah’s journey are named after some of the most well-known storytellers such as Perrault and Lang. I loved these little touches.

I was intrigued that the main heroine hailed from Ptomac as I haven’t read many mainsteam novels from that part of the world. The Arbor hall seemed to emphasise the ways the Ptomacs value the land and this is echoed in Selah’s agricultural upbringing as she looks after her community as one alongside her people. Selah’s character was honest and genuine throughout the start of the book. Her determination and will to not be beaten and take up her rightful role to aid her father was the driving force throughout her narrative. Her experiences of far-off places and the new world unfolded as she travelled to each destination. It was clear to see her turmoil and naivety through the way the potential suitors each individually influenced her attitudes and decision making.

For me, the first part of the book was really intriguing. I enjoyed the sense of journeying through different lands to find a suitor. But somewhere between the first and second/third kingdoms, I got a little lost along the way. Whether it was because I found things slightly repetitive or needed a few extra plot twists and turns to keep me going, I’m not sure. The extent of the story in a snapshot, is a good one; however, the big build-up I was waiting for from the third kingdom, which was feared so much that Selah didn’t even want to journey there, didn’t seem to fully reveal itself. Maybe it will in the sequel.

Either way, Anna Bright’s writing is immersive and lyrical, characters have enough depth, mystery and suspicion for your allegiances to keep shifting and the insights into different territories draws up a brilliant fantasy world based on our own familiar planet. For me, the novel seemed to split itself into two parts. The first half of the book was exceptional and really pulled me into the story, the second half didn’t quite balance with that but I’m still very keen to see where Bright takes this story next.

Have you read The Beholder? Is it on your TBR? Or do you feel like you really need a sailing trip around lots of new kingdoms right about now? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#BookTag – Tell Me About It!

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Hi all!

A week or so ago I was tagged for the Tell Me About It Book Tag by @Bookleit on Twitter. You can visit her original YouTube post here.

This was a really fun range of questions all about book genres so if you’d like to have a go then feel free to tag yourselves!

  1. Which genres are the ones you tend to pick up?

My favourite genres are probably Fantasy (YA/Adult), literally anything with magic, fairies, elves, witches and wizards, dragons, mythology – it’s the perfect escapism. My other favourite would probably have to be Historical Mysteries – think along the lines of Robert Langdon or the Scott Mariani books, those historical-type conspiracies where they’re so intricately designed that you could almost believe they’re real.

  1. Which genres are the ones you’ll pick up but aren’t your favourites?

I’ll happily pick up Science-Fiction, more traditional historical novels and even some types of crime fiction if it is a particular author that I follow.

  1. Which genres are the ones you’ll never pick up or maybe just a few times a year?

Genres I pick up a few times a year are the self-help style psychology books or memoirs and occasionally I’ll read some of the classics or noteworthy fiction titles from the most recent decades, Man Booker Prize winners etc…

  1. Which author do you feel you’ll always connect with? *The connection thing is up to your interpretation… it can be the writing style of the author, the plot of his/her books in general, etcetera*

I’ll always connect with anything J.K Rowling, Sarah J Maas and Carlos Ruiz Zafon are my main go-to authors. I’ll read absolutely anything they write because I just love everything about their stories – the plot, the characters, the writing style, everything! 😍

  1. Which author of one of your favorite genre you can’t connect with? *For example, if your favorite genre is ya fantasy… Which ya fantasy’s author you can’t connect with?*

I don’t know why but both times I’ve tried to read Laini Taylor or Renee Ahdieh, I just haven’t seemed to get to grips with their writing styles or the plots they create. It makes me a little bit sad as I know a lot of people who absolute adore their books.

  1. Which book or books do you feel are overhyped?

The Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo I feel was massively overhyped – Alina just outright annoyed me and in no way was I swooning over The Darkling. It just didn’t happen for me. That being said, I couldn’t put the Six of Crows duology down, they were brilliant!

  1. Which book or books do you feel are underrated?

Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic – I thought this was so beautifully written and really made me want to visit Kotor in Montenegro.

Roar by Cora Carmack – I loved how the different types of weather influenced the magic and I grew really attached to the band of characters.

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – I absolutely adore Zafon’s writing. He definitely has a particular style which probably isn’t for everyone but he is one of my go-to authors and I think his books deserve a little bit more airtime than what they’ve received.

Huge thanks to Bookleit for the tag, make sure you stop by her Twitter and YouTube channels!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone! ☺️

T xx

#SixForSunday – Favourite Characters in a Series

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

I can’t believe we are nearly at the end of May. It seems that so many things have happened this month yet it has been relatively chilled at the same time.

This week’s Six For Sunday is all about my favourite characters in a series. I am a massive fan of all of the big-name series out there which made it slightly difficult to pick just one favourite so there may be a few ‘special mentions’.
For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is a weekly list-based meme created by Steph @ALittleButALot and has a different weekly prompt based on a monthly theme.

  • Severus Snape (Harry Potter)
    There should be absolutely no surprises here. He is dark, complex, sneaky and loyal and although many people disagree, I still resolutely champion him as a flawed hero.
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  • Manon Blackbeak (Throne of Glass)
    When she was first introduced there was no way that I would ever say Manon was my favourite character, but as the series developed and the layers of her character unfolded, she really grew on me. The kinship she had with her coven and her dragon Abraxos was endearing even thought you knew that she had a heart shrouded in steel. Such a great character to read about.
    iu-2
  • Gandalf (Lord of the Rings)
    What a character arc this guy goes on. I mean, Ian McKellan’s portrayal of him in the films is one of my key reasons for choosing him rather than the writing of him but for me he is one of the greatest wizards in literature.
    Special mentions from this series must go to: Arwen, Aragorn, Eowyn, Elrond… perhaps just everyone (apart from Saruman obvs!)
    iu-3
  • Nina Zenik (Six of Crows)
    There was so much I loved about Nina’s character. I especially loved how the relationship between her and Matthias’ unfolded. For someone who could be pictured in a superficial way, she had so much depth of character that you knew never to underestimate her by her appearance or looks alone.

    “No, I don’t mean in the big ways.” Nina’s eyes took them all in. “I mean the little rescues. Laughing at my jokes. Forgiving me when I was foolish. Never trying to make me feel small. It doesn’t matter if it’s next month, or next year, or ten years from now, those will be the things I remember when I see you again.”

  • AIDAN (The Illuminae Files)
    Now AIDAN isn’t necessarily on here because I champion him as a character – in a way he can be seen as one of the villains of the series. The reason he makes my list is because of his sheer audacity and resolve. He’s one of the most unique characters I’ve come across and definitely deserved his place on my favourites list.
    iu-4
  • Cassian (& Azriel) (ACOTAR)
    These guys have bromance down to a tee. They’re such a pair that I couldn’t separate them from my favourites list. I love the humour they bring the tale and they way they support the rest of their group. They bring some pretty special moments to the series and I love them for it.
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There we go, tell me your series faves! Here’s your change to fangirl/boy about them! Are there any of my characters that you just can’t stand? As always, leave your link below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx