Monthly Wrap Ups

August and September Wrap Up!

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. My goodness it has been a busy couple of months, and being that busy has meant my reading has taken a backseat.

In August I started three or four different books and I was just… bored quite honestly, I couldn’t get through them and I don’t think that is anything about the books themselves I think it was my tired brain. So, I decided not to do an August wrap up and now it is October so I am going to do the books I have read in August and September all in one big wrap up!

So, August!

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this book

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – I was not in a fantasy mood at all.

Ninth House by leigh Bardugo – Same point as above

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn – I did not read this book either but I am very excited to get around to it hopefully soon

The Library of the Unwritten by A J Hackwith – Another book I did not read in August (this was a very common theme this month)

Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco – I did not read this. I don’t know why I put so much fantasy in my August TBR because I obviously wasn’t going to eat it.

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I did not read this book either

Crownbreaker by Sebastien de Castell – this is one of the books that I started reading, I got about halfway before I stopped

Six Tudor Queens Katherine of Aragon by Alison Weir – I did not read this book either

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – there was no way I was going to read this book in August

By the Book by Amanda Sellett – I actually did read this one, in August and September

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett – I did not get around to this but I am excited to.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this

Small Favours by Erin A Craig – Another book I did not read

The Shadows between us by Tricia Levenseller – I did not read this either

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey – I did not read this

The Falconer by Elizabeth May – I did not read this either

So, also in this month I read The Very Nice Box (review is already up) and Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah which brings my total books to 3.

September!

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price – I did read this and by the way, I loved it!

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton – I am currently reading this so technically I read this in September

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – I did not read this

Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson – I would have liked to get around to this one but unfortunately I did not

It sounded better in my head by Nina Kenwood – I did not read this

Down comes the night by Alison Saft – I did not read this

Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – I did not read this.

So in two months I read five books which is pretty good considering everything else I have been doing.

What was your August/September reading like? let me know in the comments!

Monthly TBRs

August TBR

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. Today I am bringing you my August TBR, there’s a lot of fantasy on it this month which I haven’t been reading a lot of in the past few months so we will have to see how that goes but overall I am pretty excited about the books on my TBR for the month.

August TBR

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

Library of the Unwritten by A J Hackwith

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Kingdom of The Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell

Six Tudor Queens by Alison Weir

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

By the Book by Amanda Sellet

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Small Favours by Erin A Craig

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

That’s it for my August TBR, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly TBRs

April Wrap Up!

Happy Sunday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day. Today I am bringing you my April wrap up and I’m so glad to say that my reading has been a little bit better this month, not amazing to the extent that I was at this time last year but so much better than March and February. So I’m going to get straight into which books I did and didn’t read in April!

  • Small Favours by Erin A Craig – I did not read this book – I just wasn’t in the mood for this style of plot this month
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – I finally managed to read this book, my review for it will be up soon but I really enjoyed it
  • Daughters of Night by Laura Shepard-Robinson – I have started this book but I haven’t finished it yet, it’s a pretty big book so it might take me some time
  • Rose by Holly Webb – I did read this book
  • there was a non-bookish prompt and for this I had a nice warm bath and I watched some videos
  • Lily by Rose Tremain – I did read this book too so a review of this book will also be up soon
  • The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros – I did not read this book
  • The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant – I read this book too!
  • Down Comes the Night by Alison Saft – I did not read this book
  • Nine Lives by Peter Swanson – I did not read this book and I’m sad about that because I am really excited for it
  • Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell – I am currently 3/4 of the way through this book and it is also on my May tbr so I will be finishing it in the next few days
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – I did not read this book
  • The Five – I did not read this book
  • A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske – I did not read this book but it is on my May tbr
  • Cecily by Annie Garthwaite – Again I didn’t read this book but it is on my May tbr
  • Only A Monster by Vanessa Len – I didn’t read this book
  • Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I did not read this book
  • Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore – I did read this book!
  • An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – I did not read this book
  • Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – I did not read this book – I did take it all the way to London with me and then still didn’t read it
  • House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this

So that was what I did and didn’t read in April. I ended up reading 5 books and started two others, one of which I will finish in a few days so I am really happy with that.

Book Tags

Easter Time Book Tag!

Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am bringing you an Easter themed book tag that I found on My Reading Escape.wordpress.com

I hope you will all have a wonderful Easter weekend with however you will be spending it, I will probably be spending mine eating a lot of chocolate and using my new coffee maker.

1. Easter Egg: Book that feels like a hidden gem

I have to choose The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson for this one because it is a wonderful book that I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone else talk about

2. Bloom: Debut Novel You Loved:

I chose The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant for this book because I received it in an Illumicrate box and I read it in one sitting. It is a retelling of Les Miserables set in a beautifully described France.

3. Chocolate Bunny: Book so good you didn’t want it to end

I chose Caraval because it is one of my favourite books and as the prompt says, I didn’t want it put it down! This series is so magical I wanted to keep reading it for as long as I could.

4. Cheap, Cheap, Cheap: Book you bought for super cheap:

I actually was given this book for free by a really lovely bookseller, I was given a few of the little world book day books and this was one of them, I have already read it.

5. Jelly bean: Book you thought was sweet:

This book has a lot of lovely, sweet themes so Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell was the first book I thought of for this prompt.

6. Easter Basket: Filled with many surprises:

For this one I am choosing the entire A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas because although I have only read the first book, I have heard that there are many surprises throughout this series and I am excited to read them.

7. Rabbits: Books you wish would multiply (have a sequel):

I chose House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig because ever since finishing it I really wished there had been a sequel, I just felt there were questions left unanswered.

8. Hunt: Book that was hard to get hold of:

I had to look everywhere for this book, there was only one bookshop that had it and the drive was over an hour, then when we got there I forgot to look for this book (I know, I couldn’t believe I did this either) and so I had to order it.

So that’s the end of this Easter book tag! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly TBRs

April TBR!

Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my April TBR which includes what books I will be reading for the prompts of the Easter readathon I am co-hosting this month.

Once again, my TBR game gave me a lot of rolls so there are quite a few books to read this month, I am hoping that my reading will improve this month.

So, onto my TBR!

  • Flower – first book you look at: Small Favours by Erin A Craig – I read her first book, House of Salt and Sorrows and really enjoyed it so I am looking forward to this one
  • Chocolate – Plot twist: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – this is a book that I have been putting off but I am looking forward to reading it
  • Cake – Multiple POV: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepard-Robinson – I think this book has multiple points of view but also, it is a haunting, dark victorian mystery so it sounds right up my alley
  • Bunny – a short read: Rose by Holly Webb – I read this book when I was younger but I love this story
  • The sun – a non-book, self care prompt: I am not sure what I will do for this, probably watch some bookish videos and have a warm bath
  • Moon – a mystery: Lily by Rose Tremain – I am so excited to read this book
  • Carrot – a title starts with a c: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
  • The Mapmakers by Tamzen Merchant – I loved the hatmakers so I am very excited to continue this series
  • Down comes the night by Alison Saft – I love Victorian, gothic themed novels
  • Nine Lives by Peter Swanson – I love his books and the premise of this book sounds really good
  • Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell – I am two books away from finishing this series so I would love to read this one soon
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – this is another book that has been on my TBR for a long time
  • The Five: the untold story of the victims of Jack the ripper – I love anything about the jack the ripper mystery and I think it is great to see the women he killed as women
  • A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske – I got this in my Illumicrate box and it sounds very interesting
  • Cecily by Anne Garthwaite – I am looking forward to reading historical fiction again
  • Only A Monster by Vanessa Len – this sounds very dark and fantastical
  • Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I am excited to start reading the Hobb books
  • Bringing down the duke by Evie Dunmore – this will be interesting to try and read another genre outside of my comfort zone
  • An enchantment of ravens by Margaret Rogerson – the cover is beautiful and I love this author’s writing
  • Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – this book looks like it has a morally grey male lead that I think i will like
  • House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – carrying on over from March TBR

That’s it for my April TBR!

Bookmas 2021

Merry Bookmas Day 7 – 7th December – The Best Book Covers of 2021

Happy Tuesday bookish people! Merry Bookmas day 7. Today I am going to be showing you what I think are the best book covers of 2021, now I’m not just showing books that were published in 2021, I’m not even sure if there are any published in 2021 on my list, but the books that I have read in 2021. I have chosen my top ten and it’s a collection of books I wanted to read and books I was on a book tour for.

Up first is…

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig

This book is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses and it has one of the most beautiful covers of all the books I own.

How The King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories by Holly Black

This is a companion to the Cruel Prince series by Holly Black and depending on the version there are white, black and purple covers that I’ve seen.

Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu

This is an interesting books about witches and the power of women

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

This is a middle grade book that has a beautiful dust jacket and a beautiful cover under the dust jacket

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The colours on this cover are fantastic

Instructions For Dancing by Nicola Yoon

This cover fits the book perfectly – I have posted a book review for this book on this site this year as part of a blog tour

Secrets of the Stars by Maria Kuzniar

Charmcaster by Sebastien De Castell

The illustrations on these covers are so detailed

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holt

and finally…

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

That’s it for my favourite book covers of the books that I have read so far this year, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes 70 – 61

Happy Friday bookish people! We are getting very close to the halfway point in this list. Today is numbers 70 – 61.

I’m going to get right into it, I hope you enjoy it!

At 70 we have a quote from one of my favourite books…

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

70. “What blinds an oracle” – I love this quote because it kept me thinking about it all throughout the book.

At 69 is a quote from a book that I’m yet to read but is on my TBR this month…

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

69. “Our lives reflect our hearts”

68 is from a book that I read over a weekend readathon a few months ago…

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

68. “My soul sees it’s equal in you”

At 67 is a quote from a book series that I need to continue…

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

67. “The head is too wise, the heart is all fire” – I like this quote because of how real it is, the heart feels more emotion in the metaphorical sense.

Up next is from a book that I gave five stars…

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

66. “Mornings are wiser than evenings” – I like this one simply because I’m always awake early in the morning.

At 65 is a quote from a very popular series…

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

65. “we are the thirteen. From now until the darkness claims us”

the next quote is from a spooky retelling..

House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A Craig

64. “we are born of the salt, we live by the salt and to the salt we return” – I loved this book, it was spooky and wonderful and this quote sums the book up.

At 63 is another retelling, at least I think it’s classed as a retelling…

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

63. “All legends have a spark of truth”

62 is from a book that has just been turned into a tv show…

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

62. “when people say impossible they usually mean improbable”

At 61 is from a book I haven’t got around to reading yet…

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

61. “all you children playing with fire looking surprised when the house burns down”

That’s it for this weeks group of quotes, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Uncategorized

Book Review: House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig

Happy Monday bookish people! Still me, with another book review. The third review of today is for House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig. This is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses i believe and I was highly anticipating it so I’m glad I managed to read it in January.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review!

House of Salt and Sorrows Plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The plot of this novel is dark and enchanting. It has the feeling of a fairytale that is slowly merging with a nightmare. There are so many twists throughout this book I could not put it down. I made myself a cup of tea thinking it would be lovely to drink while reading but I was so hooked on the story that I forgot about my tea, anyone that knows me knows that me forgetting about a cup of tea is pretty much impossible. The dark atmosphere mixed beautifully with the whimsical elements of balls and new gowns and the churning sea. The story opens after a tragic event and the reader gets thrown into the middle of a story which is something I personally love. The slight hints of romance aren’t overwhelming to the plot but they add a nice layer to the plot. I enjoyed how as the story progressed it gradually got darker. I did feel that the ending was tied up too easily, there were a few elements at the end that I think were just used to make the ending the way it was however I still enjoyed it.

House of Salt and Sorrows Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Annaleigh, the main character that you follow, is headstrong and determined to figure out what is happening to her and her sisters which gave her motivation and made me really feel that I wanted the character to succeed. I felt that each of the sisters, including the ones deceased at the start of the novel, are fleshed out well and given strong and unique personalities. None of the sisters were forgotten about and each had an important part to play within the story. I enjoyed the sibling dynamic this gave the story. As I mentioned there is a slight romance subplot which created different atmospheres for the characters.

Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I loved the dialogue in this book. It felt natural and developed between the characters as the novel went on. It didn’t show the reader too much but gave all the information it needed to for the reader to realise what was going on, although I didn’t before the end which to me makes this book brilliant. The writing style was clear and easy to follow. It swept me along with the story.

House of Salt and Sorrows Overall Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I had to give this book four stars. For me the ending, although still good, let it down slightly. This book did put me into a reading slump for a week and a half but I enjoyed every minute, the story, the sisters, the romance, all of it.

Blurb/Synopsis:

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!
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