More Breakfast & Books: The Waffle Book Tag

As some of you may have seen, I recently completed the pancake book tag. Well, I have now discovered that there is in fact also a WAFFLE BOOK TAG (courtesy of Kat at Novels & Waffles). So I thought, why let the breakfast book tag train stop at pancakes when we can make this a sweet buffet of fluffy goodness? Exactly. Both Eleven and Nina Zenik would approve.

The Rules

1. Link back to Kat @ Novels & Waffles
2. Feel free to use Kat’s adorable waffle graphics (and I shall, thanks Kat!) just make sure to credit her
3. Tag as few or as many people as you’d like to partake in the waffle-y goodness

Okay, grab your fork and some syrup, and let’s get going!

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As someone who isn’t usually one for classic novels, I’ve got a limited pool to pick from on this one. In the end I’ve decided to go with good, old Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. While I do find it difficult to sift through the older style language and the wordy descriptions, as I do with classics in general, I actually like the characters (especially Elizabeth) and story in this one. It has some amusing dialogue and it’s certainly enjoyable seeing Lizzie and Darcy slowly re-evaluate their opinions of one another. Plus, I’m always a sucker for a slow burn romance.

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I heard the word wholesome and my mind immediately jumped to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, because how could it not? I first read this book on a cruise through the pacific islands, the bulk of it by the pool, and it was an absolutely perfect fit – adorably sweet, funny, romantic, and light enough to get through in a short period of time. There’s also the added bonus that it’s virtually impossible not to have an enormous smile on your face for hours after finishing it.

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I’m going to bypass my typical answer for this one, Harry Potter, and go with something different. In my teen years, like everyone else, I was completely obsessed with The Twilight Saga. Ga-ga for it. As I’ve gotten older I’ve definitely come to realise the problems with the series and the central relationship but still, reading it always takes me back to crazy, teenybopper Ashley. I can’t help but feel extremely comforted by it. Weird, I know. I guess reading something about 100 times will do that to you…

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Cress from the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is the very definition of sweet. She’s so freakin’ adorable and naive and loveable that I can’t help smiling whenever she’s in a scene. Her getting excited about seeing a tree for the first time and calling everything she sees in the desert beautiful is ridiculously cute and endearing. I also love her interactions with Thorne because she’s pretty much every reader of the series with how much she swoons for him.

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I loved Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer but it was certainly an emotional ride for my poor heart. Sure, it has a happy ending, but we’ve got a roller coaster of feels to get there. Juliet’s still dealing with her mother’s death and trying to reintegrate into the world, Declan’s got all this family baggage, anger and guilt, and then there’s Rev’s trauma, and it all just HURTS, OKAY? But it’s also super cathartic, so at least there’s that.

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The Wicker King by K. Ancrum is certainly different. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this in terms of both content and presentation. It’s dark and deep and takes an interesting look at mental illness and toxic relationships. Structurally it’s broken down into very short chapters, sometimes only a page long, and visually the book uses photographs, handwritten notes and other inserts along with varying degrees of black ink around the page edges to supplement the story.

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There are quite a few series that I’ve seen all the way through to the end but Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead is easily one of my favourites. I fell in love with these books, campy as they are, when I was in high school. At the time only three of them had been released and I anxiously waited out the remaining years as each of the remaining 3 came out. A butt-kicking heroine, funny dialogue, a fabulous friendship, some great romance, and a super entertaining plot – it’s got everything I need, and vampires to boot.

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Hm, this is hard. While I love my Kindle and collection of wooden bookmarks, for practicality reasons I have to go with my booksleeve. I do most of my reading on the train and to do so I keep my books in my handbag. Before getting my sleeve, my books would end up scratched, bent, and sometimes even the coating on the covers would start to peel up. It’s so much better being able to pop my books inside and know they’ll be protected. Also, bonus points because my sleeve has a HP marauder’s map design on the fabric.

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We made it! And once again I’m left with an unbearable craving for sweet, fluffy breakfast food smothered in maple syrup or Nutella. Yum-yum. I’ve really got to stop doing this to myself…

Want to get in on the waffle and bookish fun? (Because, of course, you do). If so, I tag you!

The Fellowship of the Ring Tag

This fabulous Lord of the Rings themed tag (and it’s lovely graphics) comes from Nandini @ Unputdownable Books. As I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of the LotR books (too wordy and too much info dumping, although they do have some really wonderful individual quotes, as you can see from this post) but I looooovvveeee the movies so when I stumbled across this, I knew I had to do it. Nandini’s also added in Gollum just to round out the question total.

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Gandalf – A Book that Taught You Something

The Harry Potter Series – J. K. Rowling

I’m going to double down on Nandini’s obvious answer for this one with good old HP. I grew up with this series and I think I learned a lot about bravery, friendship and loyalty from it. Hermione, in particular, taught me a lot about having a great work ethic and not being ashamed of being smart. Luna showcased the fact that it’s okay to be a little bit quirky and not to worry about what others think of you when you have good friends who accept you as you are. From Neville, I learnt that you can still be brave even if you’re scared and that it’s important to call people out on things even if they happen to be friends. Honestly, I could keep going but better not otherwise we’ll be here all day. 

Frodo – A Book that Left a Mark on You

Sadie – Courtney Summers

Sadie was such a raw, emotional and unflinchingly honest read. The book goes to some pretty dark and deep places, and tackles some heavy topics. I don’t think I’ve read many things like it. As a result, it really burrowed its way into my thoughts and emotions. Even without the sudden and open ending, I still think this book would have been playing on me for a long time afterwards. It’s definitely not something I’ll easily forget for a long time.

Legolas – A Book You Finished in One Sitting

The Selection – Kiera Cass

I find it difficult to get enough time to read books in one sitting because of my schedule but also because the books I read are often a bit too big. So, instead, I’ve picked something I raced through like there was no tomorrow (which also happens to be very short). The Selection is not well written and its main character, America, can be extremely frustrating, but it’s just so darn addictive in its trashy-ness. I mean, it’s the dystopian Bachelor. I had an absolute ball reading this book and finished it in no time at all.  It’s comfort fiction at its best.

Gimli – A Book that Features an Unlikely Friendship

Zelie & Amari (Children of Blood & Bone – Toni Adeyemi)

While I didn’t absolutely adore Children of Blood and Bone in its entirety, one of the parts I really enjoyed was the development of Zelie and Amari’s friendship. These two are from very different worlds and part of a social structure that puts them at odds with one another. When the book starts out, Zelie is extremely judgemental and resentful of Amari, treating her like the snobby and useless princess she believes her to be. However, over time she comes to realise that Amari is a lot more than this. Zelie helps Amari to come out of her shell and be brave. In turn, at the end of the book when Zelie needs it most, Amari is there for her and pushes her to stay strong even when it seems like all hope is lost.

Merry – A Book that Pleasantly Surprised You

Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell

I went into Fangirl thinking it’d be another cute, fluffy YA contemporary book that I’d enjoy but because of the hype would likely end up feeling a bit overrated. In the end, I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it (a lot) but especially by the fact that it actually covered some more serious issues like mental health, broken families, and binge drinking. This book gave me some serious fanfiction nostaglia and while I’m not crazy about it like some people are, I wouldn’t say it’s massively overrated. Also, Levi = major love heart eyes.

Pippin – A Book that Made You Laugh

The Hating Game – Sally Thorne

Books rarely manage to make me laugh out loud beyond a casual snort, or maybe a slightly heavier breath, but as I mentioned in my recent review, The Hating Game did it on multiple occasions. I just love the banter and snark between Lucy and Josh – they have fantastic chemistry and although the barbs can be brutal on occasion, I can’t help cracking up when the real winners come out. Lucy, as a narrator, also manages to come up with some pretty funny commentary on events, while even some of the situations themselves are just amusing on their own (e.g. paintball warfare).

Boromir – A Book/Series that You Think Ended Too Soon

Shades of Magic Series – V. E. Schwab**

Okay, with already three books in this series I’m probably just being greedy. Also, considering the fact that a lot of series go on far too long beyond where they should have finished, Schwab likely did the right thing going out on a high. Still, I want MORE. *spoilers* A Conjuring of Light ends with Kell and Lila going off to explore the world together. Rhy has become king and is back together with Alucard. I would love to have read about Kell & Lila’s adventures, seen more of the world beyond the taste we got in book 3, and found out how Rhy rebuilt Red London/learned how to be a ruler. *end spoilers* I also feel like there’s a whole bunch of questions I’d really like to get answers for, in particular about Kell’s and Lila’s backgrounds.

** Okay, in the process of writing this post, I’ve actually just realised (HOW DID I MISS THIS) that last year Schwab signed a book deal for three more novels set in the same world as ADSOM. It’ll be called Threads of Power *jumps up and down and screams in excitement*. Okay, it’s not a direct sequel but I’ll take it!

Sam – A Book with Memorable Side Characters Who Stole the Show

The Shadowhunters Books – Cassandra Clare

Last year I re-read the first two books in this series (I will eventually re-read/read the rest, okay! I’m slow!) and realised that my favourite characters actually weren’t in them as much as I remembered. Over time, I think Cassie realised that although Jace, Clary and Simon were her leads,  people really loved Isabelle, Alec and Magnus, and as a result, they became much more present as time went on. Honestly, Magnus and Alec are so shortchanged in the early books, it’s almost criminal. I’m so glad that over time they got more page time to properly develop their stories and relationships.

Aragorn – A Good Book with a Bad/Average Cover

Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead

I’ve mentioned my eternal love for the Vampire Academy books repeatedly on this blog. It’s one of my absolute favourite series (exciting plots, fantastic characters, dramatic and funny writing, fab ships, and a great friendship at its heart) but the one thing I just can’t get behind is the covers. *sigh* Especially the first book in the series. What is it about YA books and their tendency to put random models on covers in awkward or weird positions? Worse, they’ve been recovered a couple of times and can never seem to come up with a winner. Even the 10th-anniversary edition is lacking a wow factor. Just because a book has vampires in it does not mean it has to look seedy.

Gollum – A Book that had Great Potential but Disappointed You in the End

Sabriel – Garth Nix

Sabriel is one of those books in fantasy circles that people seem to really talk up and Garth Nix isn’t exactly an unknown author either. The book has an interesting concept, too, and with all this in mind, I thought I’d be in for a really great read. Parts of it were good but on the whole, I had such a hard time getting into it and often found myself bored. The magic system that I’d heard so many amazing things about massively confused me and the world itself just felt a little odd. If there was one thing I did quite like it was Mogget, Sabriel’s massively powerful magical companion trapped in a cat’s body.

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And there we have it. Done and dusted. You guys know I’m not one for tagging people but if you’re a LotR fan and would love to do this tag, I highly recommend it- just make sure to link back to Nandini’s original post.

Who’s your favourite member of the fellowship? Mine is definitely Sam – that sweet little hobbit, saving the world with his heart of gold and a frying pan. But if we’re talking movies,  I should also mention that I’m with you, Eowyn – Aragorn is a total dreamboat.

Top 10 Tuesday: Favourite Friendships in Books

This week’s TTT topic, thanks to host Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl, is platonic relationships in books. I’ve decided to go all basic and just do friendships because there are few things I love more than balanced, well developed and amazing friendships in the books I read. So here are ten of my favourites, of which there are TOO many (and yes, expect to see a lot of frequented choices, sorry not sorry).

Will Herondale & Jem Carstairs (The Infernal Devices Series – Cassandra Clare)

• They’re so close, they’re basically brothers
• Jem tells Will when he’s being ridiculous, risky and over the top (demon pox). Will encourages Jem to get out and have hope for the future even though he’s technically dying
• Even though they’re in love with the same girl, they’re both willing to accept Tessa’s choice and just be happy for their friend because they honestly believe he deserves it *heart tingles*
• Badass parabatai warriors

Rose Hathaway & Lissa Dragomir (Vampire Academy series – Richelle Mead)

• Rose dedicates her whole life to protecting Lissa and is willing to beat up anyone who hurts her (even emotionally)
• Lissa brought both Rose’s boyfriend, Dimitri, AND Rose back from the dead at risk to her own sanity
• Their skills and temperaments make up for what the other half lacks and when they work together, they kick ass
• They have a magical bond that allows Rose to know what Lissa is thinking and feeling, meaning she always knows when her friend needs support

The Inner Circle (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series – Sarah J Maas)

• They’ve managed to be friends for god knows how many years and still aren’t sick of each other (well, mostly)
• Snow ball fights and jokes about wingspans
• They perfectly span the spectrum of very serious to massive shit stirrer which makes for fabulous dinner parties
• Would die for each other
• Basically family and in some instances, probs a better family than actual family

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger (Harry Potter Series – J. K. Rowling)

• All bring something different to the table – humour, intelligence and…err, sass and chosen one-ish-ness in order to save the day, repeatedly
• Do not give two stuff about school rules
• Stick by each other even when things look awful
• Took down big evil wizard and saved the wizarding world together
• Bicker in a way I find very amusing
• Just generally give me life, okay

Sevro Au Bacca & Darrow (Red Rising Series – Pierce Brown)

• Sevro stops Darrow from getting a big head when things are going too well and Darrow stops Sevro from going on massive murder sprees except where it serves his agenda= goals
• Fought side by side during epic space battles and have saved each other repeatedly
• Trust each other so much they’re willing to follow the other person’s plans even when they’re absolutely insane and more likely to get them killed than succeed
• That banter

Nikolai Lantsov & Alina Starkov (The Grisha Trilogy – Leigh Bardugo)

Choosing to ignore the whole potential romantic interest thing and focus on awesome friendship instead because it was honestly one of my fave parts of this series.

• Can have serious heart to hearts but also two second later switch to Nikolai being a cocky bastard and Alina saying she doesn’t like him at all (LIES)
• Just generally get each other
• Alina not being freaked out by Nikolai even when he’s a flying, fangy, people eating darkness creature
• Nikolai following Alina around while being said people eating creature and still recognising her

The Losers club (IT – Stephen King)

• Teaming up to throw rocks at asshole bullies
• Brave enough to go into scary, dark, icky sewers looking for a child eating clown and to vow to come back and kill it if it ever returns
• Put up with Richie being a little pain in the ass with terrible impressions (who’s still loveable somehow)
• Help Bev clean her bloody bathroom after Pennywise badly redecorates

Anne Shirley & Diana Barry (Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery)

• Because they’re kindred spirits and bosom friends
• Anne saves Diana’s little sister’s life when she gets super sick one night
• Diana doesn’t get mad at Anne for accidentally getting her drunk off mulled wine when she thought it was raspberry cordial
• Diana indulges Anne’s insane dramatics and fantasies
• Anne encourages Diana to live a little and have fun, even though it may be bending the rules

Eragon & Saphira (Inheritance Cycle – Christopher Paolini)

• Can read each other’s thoughts – so basically know all the good and bad parts of each other
• Work in sync to be the dream team in big epic battles
• Tell each other when they’re being stupid – mostly Saphira telling off Eragon because he does a lot of stupid things and gives her plenty of opportunities for snarky commentary
• Just generally have a great dynamic

Kell & Rhy Maresh (A Darker Shade of Magic Series – V. E. Schwab)

Pretty much brothers but great friends too.

• Kell brought Rhy back from the dead by binding Rhy’s ife to his own. Now that’s friendship.
• Rhy tricks Kell into going out to bars, drinking and socialising = basically the kind of friends my introverted, couch potato self needs
• Kell is willing to threaten Rhy’s romantic interests with immense violence to make sure they don’t break his brother’s fragile little heart
• Rhy encourages Kell to enter a magic competition to blow off some steam even though it is clearly a very bad idea

SPECIAL MENTIONS: Frodo Baggins & Samwise Gamgee (LotR), Mia Corvere & Mr Kindly (Nevernight – Jay Kristoff), Madeline, Celeste & Jane (Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty)

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What are some of your favourite bookish friendships or other platonic relationships?

Let’s Talk: The Sins of Love Triangles

I’m going to suggest something controversial, so bear with me.

Love triangles aren’t as bad as we think they are.

Yep, that’s right. You heard me.

I can hear the collective gasp from here. But Ashley, you cry, love triangles are terrible! How can you say such a thing?!

Alright, put down those tomatoes you’re planning on throwing my way and hear me out.

Yes, I’ll be the first to admit that LTs are an extremely overused trope, especially in the fiction I tend to read, but as we all know, there are some tropes out there that are extremely enjoyable in their trope-ishness. So why’s this one so bad? Let me just throw something out there:

It’s because they’re not well written.

Uh, huh. I said it. A LOT of authors do not know how to write a good love triangle. Let me tell you why.

A Clear Winner

Plot complications are meant to create drama. They’re supposed to be an emotional roller-coaster. But you know what ruins the fun? Knowing exactly how the damn thing is going to pan out.

One of the main sins of many LTs is a glaringly obvious outcome. Most of the time the author already knows exactly which character is going to win their fair maiden or…er, fair dude’s heart and they’re so damn happy about shipping them that they do an absolutely terrible job of hiding it in their writing. Take Vampire Academy for example. Were Dimitri and Adrian both great characters? You bet, but was there ever a chance in hell Rose was going to end up with our favourite mopey, alcoholic moroi? Not one.

Even worse, once you know result, every bit of information or scene introduced to try and make it seem like the other side may have a chance (you aren’t fooling me red herrings!) feels like a waste of time and just ends up being extremely frustrating.

Sucky or Underdeveloped Suitors/Suitresses

In a well done triangle, readers should be able to root for both sides of the equation (how do you think Twilight got to where it was?). Going even further, they should be able to understand why the MC might end up with the either one of their potential partners even though it may not necessarily be the reader’s choice. One of the best examples of this is probably found in Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices Series. While I may have been drawing hearts with Will and Tessa’s names in them I also adored Jem. Why? Because both suitors were well written and likeable characters, given an even amount of page time, and had vastly different dynamics with Tessa. This meant that Jem as a final decision would have been fine as it made just as much sense as Will did.

In order for a triangle to work, all characters need to be given a little love by an author – they need their own stories and captivating personalities (I’m looking at you Mal from The Grisha Trilogy *glares* ). It sounds simple but so many authors fail to meet this, with members of their triangles ending up either two dimensional or just complete assholes.

Too Much Angst

It’s time for the worst reason of all. Angst. WHY IS THERE ALWAYS SO MUCH ANGST?? With a situation like a love triangle, of course there’s going to be some emotional turmoil. What would be the point of the plotline without it?

I mean, just sayin’, if there were two amazingly gorgeous men with six packs and killer smiles fighting over me, I’d have an intense internal dilemma too (if only, am I right?) and the same goes for if the person I liked was torn between me and someone else. The problem is, authors have a tendency to flog this emotional horse so hard that it’s died, zombified and then died all over again.

A little bit of pain and suffering among the characters is expected but so much moaning, back and forth, and whinging that I actually want to stab someone is NOT OKAY.

Writers tend to have this problem when they don’t resolve their triangle quickly enough or they fail to give the plotline an intermission (e.g. the MC dates one suitor exclusively for a while, one suitor exits for a book, etc.).

So let’s be clear – we want some angst okay, just don’t make us take a bath in it.

They Render the MC an Annoying, Senseless Idiot

Most of the LTs you find feature a female character at their centre. Yet, for some reason these storylines have a habit of turning once smart, witty and generally wonderful women into complete morons. Suddenly all they can do is think about their love interests, fall into pits of tear filled despair, and make some really awful life choices. It’s like, girl, get your ass into gear and worry about saving the world! BOYS CAN WAIT.

Then, even worse, there’s the MCs that become almost insufferable in the face of love triangle-dom. Case in point, America Singer from Kiera Cass’s The Selection series. Now there was a girl I wanted to hit with something heavy. Like a dictionary. Or a bus. JUST BLOODY PICK MAXON ALREADY, WE KNOW YOU WANT TO.

If a book has to damage the quality of its MC to make its LT work, it’s doing something wrong.

Let’s Stack Tropes

A LT is a well-used trope on its own. What potentially sends it heading for an iceberg is when authors layer tropes on tropes. It’s like playing a game of Jenga, you’re just waiting for that sucker to fall. One of the most common and annoying ones is the BFF vs New Shiny Object trope. How many times have you read a LT in which one of the suitors is a long-time friend of the MC who’s only just decided to make a move and the other is an intriguing newcomer to their life?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

I have faith in the idea that, one day, I will eventually find some other non-cringe worthy love triangle plotlines. ONE DAY. And sure, it’s always easier to criticise than to do but eh, that’s bookish discussions for you.

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Let’s Talk: Are you guys avid haters of the LT trope? What LTs out there have you found that defy the odds? What are some of the worst ones you’ve seen?

Top 10 Tuesday: Jaw-Dropping Book Endings

This week’s TTT topic (courtesy of of Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl) relates to commonly used words in the book titles of certain genres. I’m not really feeling this one so instead I’ve chosen a much older topic to have some fun with: jaw-dropping book endings. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a big, shocking, twisty ending? And by enjoy, I mean have a very complicated love-hate relationship with. Interestingly, there’s a lot of sequels on my list and because of this, and also the nature of the list, I’ll say up front, WARNING:

Alright, prepared yourself? Good.  Let’s go!

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments 1#) – Cassandra Clare

I still remember reading this book for the first time on a lengthy car ride to visit my grandparents. When the plot twist regarding Jace and Clary’s relationship was revealed at the end of the book, I was shocked. My first reaction was, wow, way to rip off Star Wars, my second was, WHYYYYYYYY????? A ship had crashed and burned in front of my eyes (well, or so I believed).

A Gathering of Shadows (A Darker Shade of Magic 2#) – V. E. Schwab

A lot of the stuff in this book is fairly light weight and unrelated to anything that happened in book one. Everything seems to be going okay and then all of sudden right at the end, it all goes to complete crap. Actually. It’s so bad that it takes all of book three for the characters to fix things. Safe to say, I was definitely keen to get my hands on A Conjuring of Light.

Golden Son (Red Rising 2#) – Pierce Brown

This book was seriously action packed and then just when you think everything’s settled down, it goes full throttle again in the worst (or is it best?) possible way. The main character is betrayed by a close friend, someone significant dies, and multiple main characters are left in an absolutely terrible position going into book three. I was just a little bit heart broken. 

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer 1#) – Laini Taylor

I only have myself to blame for this one as the ending is revealed at the very beginning of the book. Yet, for some reason I convinced myself that it must have been a dream or something else entirely. Nope, neither of these things. A major character died in a pretty awful way and one of the others was blackmailed into accepting a terrible bargain. Where’s book two already?

Handle with Care – Jodi Picoult

Jodi is known for endings that hit you like a stack of bricks. This was no different. I sat there shocked for several minutes and then just bawled. I rarely cry at books but this one got me, hard. After everything the characters go through in this story, it’s rendered insignificant in the space of only a couple of pages right at the end. Damn you, Jodi, you always know to hit where it hurts!

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy 3#) – Richelle Mead

While book two’s ending was definitely sad and shocking, it’s three that takes the cake. Dimitri and Rose are one of my favourite book couples and they end this instalment in an absolutely terrible place after a massive vampire attack on the Academy. I couldn’t believe what had happened and I was desperate for book four to make sure everything turned out okay. 

The Mime Order (The Bone Season 2#) – Samantha Shannon

The Mime Order is vastly different to book one of the series but still remains a really engaging read. There’s a lot of new elements introduced but somehow everything manages to come together right at the end in an ‘oh, shit’ kind of way, converging the story lines of both books. Quite a few things click into place about people’s behaviour, motivations and plans, and it was certainly enough for me to go: Damn, better read book three. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter 7#) – J. K. Rowling

This was the book in which everything finally made sense and past events were given entirely new perspectives. The horcruxes, Dumbledore’s history, Harry’s importance, Snape’s true motivations, the reality behind Dumbledore’s death, it was A LOT to take in. Then there was the numerous character deaths and the fact that after that many years it was finally over. Done. Finito. If this book wasn’t a jaw dropper, I don’t know what is. 

Atonement – Ian McEwan

What a heart breaker, a soul crusher. The shock of this ending comes from the fact that all is not as it seems. It’s almost like a cruel joke on the reader disguised as a kindness by a major character. You realise that you’ve been reading a lie for quite some time and that not all endings get to be happy ones. You’ll stare at a wall for a while. Trust me. 

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games 2#) – Suzanne Collins

And so the revolution began, with a bang and important characters being left behind to be tortured by the Capital. There’s a reveal about the supposedly destroyed District 13, the destruction of District 12, and a spectacular break out from The Hunger Games arena.  We also find out that an important capital official was a rebel all along. All together, it’s a wow ending that sends you running for book three. 

Q: What were some of your biggest jaw-dropper endings? Did any of these books get you like they got me?

Top 10 Tuesday: My Favourite Series

Recently I stumbled upon an old video by book vlogger, Christine Riccio, in which she was talking through her top ten favourite book series. Suddenly I thought, you know what, why don’t I do that as a Top Ten Tuesday topic? (I mean, I never seem to do the set topics like I’m supposed to anyway…)

Of course, then I realised that picking my favourite series is actually ridiculously hard and involves a lot of questions of ‘would I rather read this or that’? And, ‘is it how I feel about the series now or are we going retrospective here’? Decisions, decisions… *shakes head* Anyway, so these are the ten I’ve ended up with and to my surprise there’s actually a lot of books I’ve only discovered in the last two years.

So the rules are simple:

1. The series must consist (or will consist once they’re all released) of at least three books. That means no duologies – sorry, Six of Crows.
2. I must have read at least two books in the series for it to count.

Sounds simple enough right?

Of course it’s not bloody simple. Being a bookworm is NEVER simple, I tell ya. But regardless, here they are, in no particular order (because having to do it like that might actually kill me):

As if you didn’t see this coming. HP is my favourite series of all time. I could read these every year until the day I die and still not get sick of them (…probably). I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up with them but they’re still just as good as the first time. Every time I read them, I laugh, fall into the pits of sadness, and experience that strange sense of wonder that only the magic of Harry Potter can provide. These are the ultimate comfort books and one day, if I ever have kids, I’ll be cracking out my illustrated editions to hopefully instil the same love and appreciation in them.

Ah, VA. You have such a terrible name and teenager-y covers and yet, the wonders you hold inside… I’ve read this series so many times and I love it. Love, love, LOVE it. So many vampire books from this period slowly became cliché or lost their “sparkle” as I aged (get it? I made a terrible Twilight joke) but these ones are still gold.  Rose remains one of my favourite protagonists, I adore the friendship between Rose and Lissa, there’s an adequate amount of kicking ass, and the dialogue is still hilarious. Plus, I’ll likely ship Rose & Dimitri til the day I die. In other words, it’s the perfect recipe for a great series as far as I’m concerned.

My discovery from 2017 and I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT IT. Book three doesn’t come out until later this year but good things come to those who wait. The series has a unique, amusing and sometimes brash narrator, world building based on ancient Rome, an absolute bad-ass main character in Mia, and really interesting magical elements.  Godsgrave was the first sequel in a while that I was desperately keen to get my hands on the day and minute it came out (and I wasn’t disappointed!), and I feel like that adequately sums up my love for these books.

Ah, Schwaby. Your novels make my little bookish heart sing. I adore the characters, world building, magic, and storytelling. Her writing is fantastic and I love it so much that I can’t wait to read them all again without having to wait in between novels.  This series has parallel universes, powerful magics, charismatic pirates, a thief, racially and sexually diverse characters, and an exciting plot in every book. Adventuring with Kell, Rhy, Lila and Alucard is where it’s at, guys.

I fell in love with this series when I was about ten years old and it’s still one of my favourites. Sure, it has a lot of stuff I now know to be fantasy tropes but I don’t really care. Alanna is the definition of a strong female MC – willing to spend years as a boy just to become a knight. There’s a love triangle with a prince and a thief, a war,  a conniving magician after the throne, quests to far off places, magical artefacts, goddesses, and well, everything my fantasy loving heart desires. Better yet, the books are super short and perfect for reading in an afternoon when you’re stuck at home.

Yep, I’m a cookie cutter YA fantasy fan. I ain’t ashamed  of it. You guys know all about this one, I’m sure. This series re-interested me in faerie stories. While book one was a bit average, books two and three are fantastic. The fantasy world is well developed, all of the major characters are fleshed out and loveable, there’s a strong and emotionally realistic female protagonist, and the romance is gradually built up and balanced. There’s magic (which I’m always a sucker for), battles, betrayals, many, many couples to ship, and emotional turmoil. Definite winner.

The newest addition to this list. I actually had to make some modifications to my original draft because I knew I needed this one on here. For the first 50 or so pages of RR I was so bored but then we hit Darrow’s transformation from red to gold and I was hooked. Space battles, squabbling and politics between powerful families, revenge vendettas, a group of rebels determined to overthrow a cruel regime, friendships and betrayals, gasp worthy twists, just everything really. Impossible to put down sci-fi.

Okay, I’ll admit, I still haven’t read the last book in this series – I WILL GET THERE! I’ve read book 3 once and I’ve read books 1 & 2 a bazillion times. Once again this is another series I now know has a lot of fantasy tropes in it but don’t care. I love it. It’s the definitive dragons in fantasy series for me. Eragon and Saphira make the perfect team and I love nothing better than following them around Alegaesia in their quests to overthrow the evil  Galbatorix. There’s also amusing dwarf sidekicks, MORE magic and an awesome warrior-elf princesses. Just don’t talk to me about that travesty of a movie.

This series is just so much fun. It’s funny, ridiculously action packed, and has actually managed to successfully get me with multiple plot twists. I mean, a hacker with pink hair, crazy AI, zombie-like outbreak, and an interstellar war. Who could say no to that? I’m really excited to get my hands on book three in March because I know it’s bound to be awesome. I also love the variations in writing style which are so different from the things I normally read and give the books a little something extra.

Everyone needs a guilty pleasure series and this is mine. Richelle Mead is one of my favourite authors. She writes complex, witty female characters (which Georgina is, for sure), and she’s always able to make me laugh out loud. I’ll admit that this series does have a bit of a weak point around book four but overall it’s fun, sexy and really entertaining. But then again, what else would you expect of a series about a succubus?

This was HARD okay. I just love too many books. AHHHH!! So two more bonus series just for fun.

This isn’t a series for everyone – there’s a lot of information to take in about the world itself but if you can get past that, it’s fab. The story evolves quite a bit over time with different elements of the world and characters being fleshed out as you go along. Paige is a solid protagonist in her balance between strong and vulnerable, there’s an interesting magic system, and a good blend between the bigger stakes of the dystopian world with the issues of the criminal underworld.

The good old Hunger Games. What can I say about this except that it’s a fantastic dystopian YA series with good world building, a strong protagonist, and a great concept. I’ve read these through several times and they’re still exciting reads that manage to drive knives through your gut (repeatedly) whilst still managing to give you some hope for the future.

Let’s Talk:

What are some of your favourite series? Are any of these in your top 10 or are you thinking about reading them some time soon?

The Fantasy Tropes Book Tag

I’m about to reveal something that will not shock you in the slightest: Fantasy is my favourite genre. And…that was the sound of no-one’s jaw’s dropping. When I came across this tag on Holly’s blog, Nut Free Nerd, I knew I just had to do it because not only am I a fantasy fan, I’ll admit that I’m also kind of susceptible to a lot of common fantasy tropes. I know that it’s wrong, okay! It just feels so right! Special thanks to One’s Particular for creating this awesome tag.

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The Lost Princess

A Book/Series you Lost Interest in Halfway Through

Air Awakens by Elise Kova – I read the first three books in this series and it started so promisingly!  I really, really enjoyed book one but all you have to do is look at my Goodreads ratings to watch them drop from a 4 to 3 and then finally 2 before I just stopped reading the series.

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The Knight in Shining Armour

A Hyped Book/Series you were Swept up by

The Red Rising Series. It had to be. I’d wanted to read RR for about a year before finally starting it the other week. I had a bit of a rocky start with book one now I’m just captivated. I finished book two earlier this week and believe me, I’ll be buying book three as soon as I’m next at the bookshop. The action, politics, romance, twists, characters, ah! It just has everything and more.

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The  Wise Old Wizard

 An Author who Amazes you with his/her Writing

I’m not sure whether this means I-love-this-author’s-books or whether it’s about amazement at the actual writing style. So here’s both.

Option 1: Victoria Schwab –  because I love everything I’ve read of hers. Her world building, characters, dialogue and plots are wonderfully done every single time.

Option 2:

Andre Aciman: I just finished Call Me by Your Name and it’s not even close to my usual book type but there are just some points I reached in the story where I couldn’t help but pause and go, wow, now that line is truly beautiful and gut wrenchingly real. It’s like poetry.

Laini Taylor: The writing in Strange the Dreamer, guys. It’s so magical and lovely – definitely befitting a title with the word ‘dreamer’ in it.

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The Maiden in Distress

An Undervalued Character you Wished had a Bigger Story Line

Marauders. As simple as that. We all know how it ends but I would love to read about the journey – schooling, creating the map, learning to become animagi, the war. I’d be so down for that.

**You guys should check out Viria13‘s other awesome fan art on DeviantArt

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The Magic Sword

A Magical Item/Ability you Wish Authors Used Less

Okay, I’m going to call this magic because it always seems to turn out correct – tarot card readings. I’ve noticed them cropping up in so many books now. The hero/heroine gets a reading from a mystic who somehow predicts the suffering, betrayal and romance to come. I wouldn’t say I’m sick of it, it’s just something I’ve started to notice authors using a lot.

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The Mindless Villain

A Phrase you Cannot Help but Roll your Eyes at

A) “You’re special/different,” – Aren’t they always? Damn, chosen ones.

AND

B) “I never should have trusted you.” Well, duh.

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The Untamed Dragon

A Magical Creature you Wish you had as a Pet

I would love to have a dragon but I feel like they’re so majestic and intelligent that calling it a pet would be pretty awful, more like a companion. So instead…Would someone just get me a niffler already? I mean, sure it’ll steal all my valuables but they’re so bloody cute, it’s worth it. They’re basically magical platypuses.

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The Chosen One

A Book/Series you Will Always Root for

I’m always using Harry Potter so I should probably spread the praise round a little. I’m going to go with Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead for this one. I fell in love with the series during high school and I’ve read it so many times since – still just as amazing as the first time. They’re full of action, magic, romance, humour, friendship, and are just generally great reads. *Waves pom poms and cheers*

If you love fantasy, TAG! You’re it. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Back to School

So, first up, sorry for the lack of posts last week. Turns out that getting home at 8 PM multiple days in a row is not conducive to publishing blog posts but I promise that this week I will back in full force – tags, memes, reviews and discussions. Let’s get the ball rolling with TTT.

This week’s topic is Back to School and the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish  have given us quite a bit of freedom as to how we interpret this. I’ve decided to go fairly literal and discuss books that involve schools or academies of some kind. It’s a bit of an odd collection of books but eh, my blog, my list. In no particular order…

1. Nevernight – Jay Kristoff

My current, amazing read. This novel features a “school” of sorts except that in this instance it’s focused on shaping its students into proficient assassins. With the teachers not above theft, poisoning, dismemberment, and torture, the trick is surviving the training process. Yikes!

2. Vampire Academy Series – Richelle Mead

I was the biggest fangirl of this series in my mid and later high school years. You’d think it’d be the most trope-y, lame thing ever, but it’s not (well, in my opinion). This series was when I first fell in love with one of my favourite authors – Richelle Mead.  A school that teaches it’s students to use elemental magic and kill bad vampires, yep, sign me up.

3. This Savage Song – Victoria Schwab

To be honest I actually wasn’t expecting a school setting for the first half of this book.  I don’t know what I was expecting, really. Regardless, the two main characters meet at school while one is doing reconnaissance and it all ends up a mess from there (for the characters that is, not the plot because this book was great!).

4. Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult

Quite a socially relevant book for the United States when it came out, a time in which school shootings were regularly in the news. It’s an interesting look at the students, teachers and families linked to a high school in the lead up to and aftermath of a shooting by one of the students. Both emotional and a little scary.

5. Harry Potter Series – J. K. Rowling

I’ll probably use Harry Potter on almost every list I ever create from here until the end of time but I think you can see why it’s justified here. Hogwarts: the most awesome magic school in literature. Enough said.

6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

The events that make up this novel are triggered by the main character, Charlie, starting high school. It’s here that he meets the interesting cast of characters that we follow throughout that year. We get the usual high school story plot points – the big dance, relationship dramas, bullying, house parties – and yet they never seem to feel cliché here.

7. The Raven Cycle – Maggie Stiefvater

The focus of these books isn’t the school setting, especially considering the characters always seem to be busy dealing with other things like disappearing forests, mixed up timelines, searching for dead kings, and so on. However, Aglionby Academy does play a role in shaping the characters’ identities – Ronan’s disregard for his studies, Adam’s dedication to them, Gansey’s outward appearance as the almost stereotypical Aglionby student, etc. Plus, it’s the whole reason the boys are referred to as ‘The Raven Boys’.

8. The Austere Academy – Lemony Snickett

Across the thirteen books that make up A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Baudelaires find themselves in every possible setting you can imagine – a circus, a reptile house, ski slopes, a submarine, a mill, and of course, a prestigious preparatory academy. As with every book in the series, it’s weird and yet very enjoyable.

9. The Mediator Series – Meg Cabot

Going back to my tween years with this one. I used to love this series. Suze is a catholic school student with the ability to see ghosts. She often has to work with her school principal, Father Dominic, to work out what’s going on with restless spirits in order to get them to move on. The first book involves her trying to rid her school of a very angry former student turned poltergeist.

10. IT – Stephen King

I’m probably stretching things with this one but whatever. In one of the two concurrent story lines, the characters are all kids aged about 12 or 13 and attend the same school which is how they meet one another. It also means they all happen to attract the attention of the same awful, older bully.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Favourite Fictional Couples in Books

For those who don’t know (I’m not sure if there is actually anyone still out there), TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new topic is posted for people to express ten thoughts on a particular theme. The meme is on hiatus until August but because I’ve never done a TTT before there are HEAPS for me to choose from and have fun with in the meantime. The fictional world is full of wonderful couples that make us swoon, and squeal, and yell “I will go down with this ship!”. Here are 10 of my favourites (in no particular order).

1. Henry & Clare (The Time Traveller’s Wife)

“I place my hands over her ears and tip her head back, and kiss her, and try to put my heart into hers, for safekeeping, in case I lose it again.”

** *** **

“I hate to be where she is not, when she is not. And yet, I am always going.”

2. Jamie & Claire (Outlander)

“When the day shall come that we do part,” he said softly, and turned to look at me, “if my last words are not ‘I love you’-ye’ll ken it was because I didna have time.”

** **** **

“You are my courage, as I am your conscience,” he whispered. “You are my heart—and I your compassion. We are neither of us whole, alone. Do ye not know that, Sassenach?”

3. Feyre & Rhys (ACOTAR)

Rhys and Feyre by Charlie Bowater

“I fell in love with you, smartass, because you were one of us—because you weren’t afraid of me, and you decided to end your spectacular victory by throwing that piece of bone at Amarantha like a javelin. I felt Cassian’s spirit beside me in that moment, and could have sworn I heard him say, ‘If you don’t marry her, you stupid prick, I will.” 

4. Ron & Hermione (Harry Potter)

‘OK, write that down,’ Hermione said to Ron, pushing his essay and a sheet covered in her own writing back to Ron, ‘then add this conclusion I’ve written for you.’

‘Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I’ve ever met,’ said Ron weakly, ‘and if I’m ever rude to you again -‘

‘- I’ll know you’re back to normal,’ said Hermione.

5. Anne & Gilbert (Anne of Green Gables)

For a moment Anne’s heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert’s gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps…perhaps..love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.

6. Katniss & Peeta (The Hunger Games)

[W]hat I need to survive is not Gale’s fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. So after, when he whispers, “You love me. Real or not real?” I tell him, “Real.”

7. Rose & Dimitri (Vampire Academy)

“She was right about something else too,” Dimitri said after a long pause. My back was to him, but there was a strange quality to his voice that made me turn around.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“That I do still love you.”
With that one sentence, everything in the universe changed.

8. Alec & Magnus (TMI)

“What welcome?” Magnus asked. “I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you, but it wasn’t. Not that you aren’t all fairly charming, and as for you—” He dropped a glittery wink at Alec, who looked astounded. “Call me?”
Alec blushed and stuttered and probably would have stood there all night if Jace hadn’t grasped his elbow and hauled him toward the door, Isabelle at their heels. 

9. Kaz & Inej (Six of Crows)

“I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”

** *** **

“I can hear the change in Kaz’s breathing when he looks at you.”
“You… you can?”
“It catches every time, like he’s never seen you before.”

10. Will & Tessa (TID)

by Taratjah

“Marry me,” he said. “Marry me, Tess. Marry me and be called Tessa Herondale. Or be Tessa Gray, or be whatever you wish to call yourself, but marry me and stay with me and never leave me, for I cannot bear another day of my life to go by that does not have you in it.” 

Who are some of your favourite couples in books?

The Disney Princess Tag

I had so much fun doing the dim sum book tag last week that when I saw Sydney @ Fire and Rain Books had done this particular one, I couldn’t resist trying it out for myself. I absolutely love Disney so why not blend it and books together? This wonderful tag is the product of a collaboration between the lovely Zuky from BookBum and Mandy @ Book Princess Reviews. Great job guys!

Rules:

1. Mention where you saw the tag/thank whoever tagged you
2. Tag Mandy & Zuky so they can track the tag fun across the blogverse.
3. Play a game of tag at the end!

So without further ado, let the tag begin!

Snow White

 This Book (Like the Movie) Started It All: Favourite Debut Book from an Author

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (J. K. Rowling): Yes, it’s a super cliché and obvious answer but I don’t think I’ll ever love a debut from an author as much as I did HP when it was read to me at age six.

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Cinderella

A Diamond in the Rough: Just Like Cinderella, You Either Didn’t Expect Much Out of this Character in the Beginning but they Turned Out to be a Total Gem 

Gilbert Blythe – Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery): When we’re first introduced to Gilbert he’s a typical, annoying schoolboy. He calls Anne names, tugs on her hair, and becomes her biggest rival at school. Eventually though he ends up being one of the best and most loveable characters in the series. Anne ❤ Gilbert forever basically.

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Aurora

Sleeping Beauty: A Book that makes you Sleepy or Just Could Not Hold Your Attention

Unearthly (Cynthia Hand): I just couldn’t really get into this one. I did manage to finish it but unfortunately I found the characters kind of boring and the story lacking. Today I barely remember anything about it, it was that unmemorable.

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Ariel

Under the Sea: A Book with a Water/Ocean Setting

Voyager (Diana Gabaldon): Okay, I seriously struggled with this one because basically nothing I read is set on around the water/ocean. Note to self: read more pirate and mermaid books. However, in this book Jamie and Claire spend some time travelling across the ocean to Jamaica and then eventually to America.

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Belle

Beauty and the Books: Name a Book with the Best Bookworm/Book Lover

Irene – The Invisible Library (Genevieve Cogman): Ordinarily I’d answer Hermione for this one but just for something different, I’ll say Irene. Irene has devoted her entire life to books, so much so that she’s actually lived inside a magical, interdimensional library. This is a woman who’ll fight off fey, dragons, werewolves and God knows what else just to get a rare copy of a particular book. Not only is she awesome but she seriously loves books!

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Jasmine

The Thief and the Princess: Name Book with an Unlikely Love Story (Either In Terms of Romance or a Book You didn’t expect to Love So Much)

Illuminae (Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff): I’m usually not much of a fan of books that like to play around with writing styles. I was super nervous when I bought Illuminae because I’d heard wonderful things about it but even just flipping through I could see that it had some weird things going on. I ended up loving it and have recommended it to people ever since.

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Pocahontas

The Real Life Princess: Name a Book that is based on a Real Life Person you Want to Read/Have Read

The Princess Diarist (Carrie Fisher): I don’t usually do non-fiction, however, I really love the Star Wars films and Carrie was always someone who really didn’t seem to give a damn what people thought of her. She was strong, sassy, and very intelligent. I think this would be a really fun and interesting read.

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Mulan

The Princess That Saved Her Country: Name the Fiercest Heroine You Know

This one was so hard because I’ve read about so many amazing heroines, I even did a post about them a little while back. So I’ll just mention two super awesome ones.

Alanna – Song of The Lioness (Tamora Pierce): Alanna disguises herself as a boy for several years so that she can learn to become a knight. She fights in a war, recovers magical artefacts, saves the royal family from a wicked sorcerer, and wins the hearts of both a prince and a thief.

Lila Bard – A Darker Shade of Magic (V. E. Schwab): She’s a thief, an adventurer, a pirate, and a magician. Doesn’t get any more amazing than that.

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Tiana

The Princess with the Coolest and Most Diverse Crew: Name a Diverse Book whether it is a Diverse Set of Characters (Like Tiana’s Group of Naveen, Louis, Ray, And More) Or Just Diverse in General

The Dregs – Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo): I know, I use this one a lot in my lists but I just love it so much! Each of the members of the Dregs are so different and yet they work together super well – a calculating thief, a silent spy, a religious convict, a gambling sharpshooter, an aristocratic runway, and a witch with a love for waffles. Such a wonderful cast of characters.

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Rapunzel

Let your Longggggg Hair Down: Name the Longest Book You’ve Ever Read

I’ve read quite a few long ones but try to avoid doing it too often. They take a lot out of me! Here are some of the biggest:

George RR. Martin: A Storm of Swords – p.1177

Stephen King: It – p.912

Diana Gabaldon: Drums of Autumn – p. 898

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Merida

I determine my Own Fate: A Book Where There is No Love Story/Interest or Isn’t Needed

This Savage Song (Victoria Schwab): Okay, so I haven’t actually read this one yet but I definitely have plans to get to it very, very soon. From what I’ve heard it focuses on a friendship between the two main characters rather than a romantic relationship which is kind of a nice change with all the romance you find in YA these days.

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Anna/Elsa

Frozen Hearts: A Book in a Winter/Cold Setting

Shiver (Maggie Stiefvater): I feel like this one speaks for itself just from the cover and title.

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Moana

How Far I’ll Go: A Character that goes on a Journey

Rose – Blood Promise (Richelle Mead): I love the VA books and I’ll admit that this one grew on me a lot more the second time I read it. Perhaps being older helped. Rose heads over to Russia in search of Dimitri. She travels across the country meeting new people and dealing with the fallout from the previous book.

Hurrah! All done. There were some really hard ones in there that I wasn’t expecting to be challenging when I decided to do the tag. Apologies for the lack of book covers, they just kept completely messing up the layout. 

Tagging:

Seeing as this is a bit of an older tag, I tag whoever wants to have some Disney Princess and bookish fun. Go for it!