Favorite Books of the Year (so far!)

So as we have reached the middle of the year (how!?) I'd thought I'd share with you some of my favorite books of the year so far. Usually I would pick 5-10 of my top books so far however, so far this year I have only read 10 books because of my massive slump. So because of this I will only be choosing 3. So without further ado here are my top 3 books of the year so far. 

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Star Rating - *****

Review

This is my only 5 star read of the year so far. I absolutely loved this book! It was deliciously dark and magical. Holly Black really does have a way with words and the worlds she creates just suck you in hook, line and sinker. Couple this with some fantastically morally grey characters that you can't help but love then you know you're in for a winner! 

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Star Rating - ****.5

Review

Another brilliant YA fantasy, there's definitely a theme with my reading at the moment! This was another one that was delightfully dark and fantastical. The writing was great and so was the world building. The characters really grew throughout this book too and that's something that I really love to read about. 

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Star Rating - ****

Review

This one really gave me all the feels and I felt several different emotions whilst I was reading it. It was very atmospheric as well as feeling quite thrilling and creepy in some parts and this made for quite an interesting reading experience. The writing was great, it was very emotive, and I admire the author for being able to evoke so many different feelings.  

So they were my top 3 reads of the year so far. I seem to be well and truly out so my slump now and I'm really enjoying by current fantasy binge so I hope this continues throughout the rest of the year. 

Review - Jiddy Vardy by Ruth Estevez

Jiddy Vardy by Ruth Estevez

Published 21st June 2018 by ZunTold Publishing

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 13/75

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

1779. On tumultuous waters a girl is born as pirates board the ship . . .

Jiddy Vardy is a survivor.

Rescued at birth, she grows up in Robin Hood’s Bay, a community which harbours a dangerous secret, one that could get you killed.

Always the outsider, with her dark skin and hair, at sixteen Jiddy is clever, brave and headstrong, soon risking her life and freedom to play her part in the Bay’s clandestine activities.

Then, just as romance blossoms and Jiddy finally feels like she belongs, figures from the past threaten to tear her world apart, and she has to decide where her loyalties truly lie.

A thrilling tale of one girl’s search for identity and love, set against a backdrop of wild seas, smuggling and violence.

My Thoughts

So it took me quite a long time to finish this one, I'm not sure why as I enjoyed it, it just wasn't quite what I expected. The synopsis of this book really drew me in. Pirates are one of my favorite things to read about so I was really keen to dive in however, even though pirates are part of the story, they are not the focus. 

To me this was quite a character focused story, as opposed to plot heavy and this is why I think I read it slower than I would normally do. That being said, the author did a fantastic job at developing these characters. I particularly enjoyed the characters Jiddy and Jonas. I though they were quite complex and I loved their relationship. The author did a great job at writing their emotions and you could really feel what they were feeling during their scenes. The one thing I wasn't so keen on however was the love triangle written into the latter part of the book. I'm not a massive fan of love triangles anyway, unless they are done very well, and I didn't feel this one added much too the story. I would of also liked a bit more development of the relationship between Jiddy and her mother. I don't feel we say enough of this part of the story. 

Along with the great character development the descriptions within the writing were also really good. The author did a great job of bringing scenes to life, making aspects of the story vivid and easy to imagine without causing the writing to be overly flowery. There was several times when I really felt I could insert myself into the story. 

Overall I enjoyed this book but as I said before it wasn't quite what I expected. I'm not usually a massive fan of character driven stories, often preferring more plot focused books. However, the well developed characters and immersive writing definitely made up for this and I really felt I was able to enjoy this story. I would recommend this one, especially if you enjoy character driven stories but I would also urge you to give it a go if this isn't usually your thing as you may be surprised.

Overall Rating 

Weekly Book Haul 24.06.18

So here's week 2 of my weekly book hauls and I have some quite exciting additions to my TBR this week including some book swaps, new releases and review copies. 

Weekly Book Haul w/e 24.06.18

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year so of course I was going to pick it up. I can't wait to read this one!

State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

I received these two from book swap groups of Facebook. I really enjoyed Melinda Salisburys Sin Eaters Daughter trilogy so I've been looking forward to getting to this one. Nyxia has also been on my radar for a while. 

The Golden Child by Wendy James

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik 

I received a couple of review copies too this week. I got The Golden Child from Harper 360 and Spinning Silver from Macmillan I'll be honest I squealed a little when I open Spinning Silver, it was completely unexpected and I'm so excited to read it. 

Have you read any of these? Are there any you would recommend? Let me know. 

Review - Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

Published 7th June 2016 by HarperTeen

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 12/75

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Two clans. Only one will survive.

The only life seventeen-year-old Kol knows is hunting at the foot of the Great Ice with his brothers. But food is becoming scarce, and without another clan to align with, Kol, his family, and their entire group are facing an uncertain future.

Traveling from the south, Mya and her family arrive at Kol’s camp with a trail of hurt and loss behind them, and hope for a new beginning. When Kol meets Mya, her strength, independence, and beauty instantly captivate him, igniting a desire for much more than survival.

Then on a hunt, Kol makes a grave mistake that jeopardizes the relationship that he and Mya have only just started to build. Mya was guarded to begin with—and for good reason—but no apology or gesture is enough for her to forgive him. Soon after, another clan arrives on their shores. And when Mya spots Lo, a daughter of this new clan, her anger intensifies, adding to the already simmering tension between families. After befriending Lo, Kol learns of a dark history between Lo and Mya that is rooted in the tangle of their pasts.

When violence erupts, Kol is forced to choose between fighting alongside Mya or trusting Lo’s claims. And when things quickly turn deadly, it becomes clear that this was a war that one of them had been planning all along.

My Thoughts

I've seen lot's of mixed reviews about this one but the unique setting really intrigued me so I wanted to give it a go for myself. It wasn't a disappointing read, there were some parts I liked although, there were also some parts I didn't like so much. That being said, I enjoyed it enough to finish it. 

I enjoyed the setting of this story, as I said before this is something that made me want to pick it up. It's set in the Neolithic era and that's not something that I've read before. It was interesting to see how people lived back then and it's obvious that the author has done her research however, there were some aspects of the story that felt a little bit too modern, particularly the speech and narratives. That being said I do think that the story would of suffered if it was written solely in the way people used to speak in that period of time. 

Having read some of the other reviews of this book a lot of peoples criticism is that this was marketed as a prehistoric Pride and Prejudice retelling and that's not what they felt this was. However, I'm not really able to comment on this aspect of the story as I'm not familiar with the story of Pride and Prejudice, having never read or watched it. So this aspect of the story didn't really come into play for me and I was judging the book of its own accord rather than as a comparison to the original tale. 

The author included some quite detailed descriptions of the world which I enjoyed however, there were also some quite detailed descriptions of hunting scenes which I didn't enjoy so much. I understand that this is part of the way of life in this time period however, they were a bit too graphic for me and that made me uncomfortable. 

This story was written from a male POV and after thinking about this I realised that most of the stories I read are from female POVs. It took me a while to get into the main characters POV. I found it difficult to relate to and the way it was written in third person was sometimes difficult to read, especially when he was talking about the female characters. However, I got used to it eventually and it didn't stop me from enjoying the overall story, it's just not my favorite type of writing style. 


Overall I did enjoy this one enough to finish it but as I said before there were some things I didn't enjoy. The story was enjoyable but it didn't blow me away, to me it was just an average read. I am considering picking up the sequel if my library has it but I won't be actively seeking it out.

Overall Rating

Weekly Book Haul 17.06.18

So I've decided to do my book hauls a bit differently for the time being. As we've had to move my bookcase and now that the spare room has been turned into the babies room I'm a bit limited as to where I can store my books. So, at the moment I think it will be easier to document the books I have coming in on a weekly basis so then I can pack them away. Hopefully this works but I can always rethink the way I do my hauls at a later date. So here are the books I have acquired this week. 

Weekly Book Haul w/e 17.06.18

I received the following from a book swap I carried out on Facebook.

Because you Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie

The Somnambulist by Essie Fox

All of This is True by Lygia Day Penaflor

I received this one from the publisher, ZunTold Publishing, for review. It sounds amazing I cannot wait to dive in!

Jiddy Vardy by Ruth Estevez

So that's the books I received this week. Check back in next week to see if I managed to acquire any more. 

Review - The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Published 23rd February 2016 by Razorbill

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 11/75

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. 

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

My Thoughts

This was a deliciously sensual novel that was full of deception, desire and forbidden love. The author did a wonderful job of weaving a magical story that flowed beautifully. The writing was exquisite. It was lyrical and whimsical and gave the book an almost poetic feel to it. I found the writing style quite unlike anything I have read before. Usually I find these sorts of books a bit too flowery for my liking, I generally prefer fast paced, action filled plots, but this one seemed to work well with the story line. 

This was quite a romance heavy plot and this also isn't something that I'm usually a huge fan of but again I enjoyed that way the romance was woven into this story. It wasn't just a straight forward romance either and that helped to keep my interest. I enjoyed the female characters too. I thought they were very strong willed and determined and the author did a great job of portraying their emotions. You could really feel their own wants and desires as well as their internal conflicts and how they overcame these. 

I've been on a bit of a fantasy binge recently, particularly retellings, and I think this was another good example. This one was a retelling of the story of Aladdin and it had enough aspects to tie it in to the original but with enough differences that it was a good story in its own right. If you are unfamiliar with the story of Aladdin then you shouldn't be put off reading this. I don't feel like you need to know the original in order to enjoy this one. 


Overall another really enjoyable standalone fantasy read, this one quite different to my last. Where as the last one was quite dark and gritty this one was much more lyrical and magical and it was a nice change. If your looking for a novel to draw you in with a beautiful poetic writing style and themes of desire and forbidden love then I would recommend this one. 

Overall Rating 

Review - The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Published 25th January 2011 by HarperCollins Publishers

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 10/75

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels. 

Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies. 

But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the vast forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?

Review

I picked this up because I was in to mood for a quick and easy read and that's usually what middle grade books are for me but unfortunately this wasn't as quick a read as I was hoping it to be. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the story but it just didn't blow me away.

It was a very simple story and because of that I found that it didn't hold my attention. I know that as a middle grade story it is supposed to be simple as it's aimed at younger readers however, I have read several middle grade books in the past that I've found really enjoyable. I also didn't really gel with the writing style. Every now and again we seemed to get some inner thoughts from the main character which seemed to go off on a little bit of a tangent and this affected the flow of the story for me. I also felt their were some aspects of the story which would of been a little bit to advanced for a younger audience.

That being said I didn't hate the story, I enjoyed it and was happy enough to keep going until the end, it just didn't excite me as much as I was hoping. Overall a pretty average read.

Overall Rating 

Review - Velocity by Chris Wooding

Velocity by Chris Wooding

Published 2nd July 2015 by Scholastic Press

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 6/75

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Cassica and Shiara have grown up in an outback settlement far from anywhere. Life's hard where they live, but these two girls have a dream. They want to take on the Widowmaker: an off-road rally through some of the most dangerous places of Earth. It's their ticket to fame and fortune. But it just might be the death of them...

Review

So this was the book I chose to get me back into reading after not even picking up a book for three months and this did exactly what I wanted it to do. I wanted something easy to read with a fast paced plot that wasn't too hard to follow or full of detail and that was just what this was. 

I enjoyed the fast paced nature of this book. I read it really quickly and it kept me wanting to turn the page. I was hooked from beginning to end and there wasn't any point in which I found the story beginning to drag or where I found myself loosing focus. As I said before this was an easy story to follow and it wasn't bogged down with detail which is what I wanted from this book however, I do feel it would of benefited from some more world building. We were thrust into this dystopian, seemingly post-apocalyptic, world in the aftermath of a robot war and that's as much information as we got. I would of liked to know a bit more, what started the war, how it ended and some more detail in how the society was divided. That being said it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. 

On the other hand I really enjoyed the characters and how they broke the gender stereotypical norms. The stories main focus is on this suicidal car race (think the film Death Race) and the competitors of this race and, this sort of thing is often seen as a very male heavy topic. However, our two main characters were female which I think was great, especially as someone who has an interest in cars and racing. They did experience some gender stereotypes within the story but nothing that they couldn't overcome and I particularly enjoyed their growth as characters throughout the book. 

Overall this book did exactly what I wanted it to do and that was to provide me with a fast paced story to get me back on my reading game. It offered me the escape I needed to realise why I love reading and hopefully this has now brought me out of the slump I've been in. Don't go into this book looking for literacy brilliance but if your looking for a fast paced, fun escape then I would recommend this one. 

Overall Rating 

May Wrap Up

I'm finally back on my reading game which is great and I think I've done quite well to read 5 books, especially as I didn't start reading right at the beginning of the month. I've also decided I won't be doing monthly TBRs anymore as I think this may have contributed towards my slump and I've been enjoying picking things off of my shelf as I feel like it. So without further ado here is my first reading wrap up in a long time. 

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Published 1st March 2012 by Vintage
Star Rating - **
Goodreads Challenge - 8/75
Review - Blog Review






The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
Published 25th January 2011 by HarperCollins Publishers
Star Rating - ***
Goodreads Challenge - 10/75
Review - Blog Review







Velocity by Chris Wooding 
Published 2nd July 2015 by Scholastic Press
Star Rating - ***
Goodreads Challenge - 6/75
Review - Blog Review







The Call by Peadar O' Guilin

Published 30th August 2016 by Scholastic
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 7/75
Review - Blog Review






To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Published 6th March 2018 by Hot Key Books
Star Rating - ****.5
Goodreads Challenge - 9/75
Review - Blog Review

Review - Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell 

Published 1st March 2012 by Vintage 

Star Rating - **

Goodreads Challenge - 8/75

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The Bigtree alligator wrestling dynasty is in decline--think Buddenbrooks set in the Florida Everglades--and Swamplandia!, their island home and gator-wrestling theme park, is swiftly being encroached upon by a sophisticated competitor known as the "World of Darkness." 

Ava, a resourceful but terrified twelve-year-old, must manage seventy gators and the vast, inscrutable landscape of her own grief. Her mother, Swamplandia!’s legendary headliner, has just died; her sister is having an affair with a ghost called the Dredgeman; her brother has secretly defected to the World of Darkness in a last-ditch effort to keep their sinking family afloat; and her father, Chief Bigtree, is AWOL. To save her family, Ava must journey on her own to a perilous part of the swamp called the "Underworld," a harrowing odyssey from which she emerges a true heroine.

Review

I was really hoping to like this book but it didn't quite hit the spot for me. Last year I read and enjoyed Karen Russell's short story in St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves set in Swamplandia so thats what pushed me to pick up the full novel.

I was actually enjoying it at the beginning but as it went on I found it starting to drag. I enjoyed the elements of magical realism, these intrigued me and that was the story line I was most invested in but as we progressed towards the end it felt unfinished too me.

About halfway through the novel split into two perspectives and I just found myself wanting to skim through the perspective set on the mainland. As I said I was more invested in the magical realism story line set in Swamplandia. 

Overall I was disappointed with the one which was such a shame because I enjoyed the short story but the full length novel just wasn't for me.

Overall Rating