March Wrap Up

March was another great reading month for me, I seem to be on a roll at the moment. Not only did I read 7 books again but 6 of them were 4 stars and above. Here are the books I read in March.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
Published 18th August 2020 by Hot Key Books
Star Rating - ***.5
Goodreads Challenge - 22/50
Review - Blog Review

Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence

Published 14th November 2019 by 47 North

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 16/50

Re-Coil by J. T. Nicholas

Published 3rd March 2020 by Titan Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 18/50
Review - Blog Review

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Published 6th February 2020 by Macmillan Children's Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 19/50



Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (re-read)
Published 17th June 2014 by Square Fish
Star Rating - **** (original rating 3.5*)
Goodreads Challenge - 20/50



The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas (audiobook)
Published 31st July 2018 by Penguin Random House
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 21/50

Aru-Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Published 3rd May 2018 by Scholastic 

Star Rating - *****

Goodreads Challenge - 17/50

How many books did you manage to read in March? I'd love to hear about your favourites. 

January Wrap Up

We finally made it! January's finally over and, I don't know about you, but it felt like a very long month to me indeed. I did however have a very successful reading month. I managed to read 7 books, including some rereads and I stuck to my TBR! 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Reread)

Published 31st July 2019 by Indigo 

Star Rating - ***.5 (original rating 4*)

Goodreads Challenge - 1/50

Wolf Light by Yaba Badoe 

Published 4th April 2019 by Zephyr

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 2/50

Review - Blog Tour Review

Collision by Victor Dixen 

Published 18th April 2019 by Hot Key Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 3/50

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Illustrated Edition) by J K Rowling (Reread)

6th October 2015 by Bloomsbury

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge 4/50

The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes (Audiobook)

Published 12th February 2019 by HarperTeen

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 5/50

A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff

Published 21st January 2020 by Tor Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 6/50
Review - Blog Review

Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell

Published 5th September 2019 by Macmillan Childrens'

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 7/50

Currently Reading

Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness (Audiobook)

As you can see January was a great month in ratings too, with all but one of my reads being a 4*. I hope to keep this up this momentum into the rest of the year. 

What was your favourite read of January? I'd love to hear about it. 

A to Z Reading Challenge Wrap Up

We made it to the end of 2019! The year was a good one for me both in a reading way and a general life way. As you may be aware I signed up to the A to Z reading challenge hosted by Ginger Mom and Company at the beginning of 2019 and I want to wrap this up and let you know how I did. 

Below is a list of all of the books I've read this year that count towards this challenge and any reviews I've posted for these. I managed to complete 19 letter which I'm really pleased about. 

A. A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney - Review

B. The Beckoning Shadow by Katharyn Blair - Review 

C.

D. Damsel by Elana K. Arnold - Review

E. Enchantee by Gite Trelease - Review

F. Final Girls by Riley Sager - Review

G. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Review

H. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I. In Fallen Woods by R N Merle - Review

J. James Clyde and the Diamonds of Orchestra by Colm McElwain - Review

K.

L. Lord of Secrets by Breanna Teintze - Review

M. Music and Malice in Hurricane Town by Alex Bell - Review

N. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - Review

O. Origin by Dan Brown - Review 

P. Poppy Haviland and the Secret of the Lively Widow by Micheal Barra - Review

Q. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

R. The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons - Review

S. Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly - Review

T. Tangleweed and Brine by Deidre Sullivan - Review

U.

V.

W. The Wicked King by Holly Black - Review

X.

Y.

Z.

Did you take part in any challenges this year? I'd love to hear about how you did. 

Final Wrap Up of 2019

As with September and October, I didn't read a whole lot in November so I will be combining my November and December wrap up for what will be my final one of the year. 

December was a better reading month for me because of the Christmas holidays. I also decided to take part in the Winter Magical Readathon in December so I'll let you know which books I read for which prompts as I go along. 

Broken Homes By Ben Aaronovitch 

Published 25th July 2013 by Gollancz

Star Rating - **

Goodreads Challenge - 65/50

Winter Magical Readathon Prompt - Read an Urban Fantasy 

The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly

Published 26th March 2019 by Hot Key Books

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 62/50

Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller 

Published 27th February 2018 by Feiwel and Friends

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 60/50

The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons 

Published 31st October 2019 by Tor UK

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 62/50

Review - Blog Review

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black 

Published 19th November 2019 by Hot Key Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 64/50

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Published 30th October 2018 by Orion Children's Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 66/50

Winter Magical Readathon Prompt - Buddy Read or Read a Book Club Pick


Spellhacker by M.K. England
Published 21st January 2020 by HarperCollins Children's Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 67/50
Winter Magical Readathon Prompt - Pink or Purple on the Cover


Thorn by Intisar Khanani 
Published 24th March 2020 by Hot Key Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 68/50
Winter Magical Readathon Prompt - Pick 5-7 books, place in a circle, spin and pick one at random.


Lost Boy the Christina Henry 
Published 4th July 2017 by Titan Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge 69/50
Winter Magical Readathon Prompt - Friends Favourite Book

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale 

Published 8th February 2018 by Del Rey

Star Rating - ****.5

Goodreads Challenge - 61/50

How did you do in December? Did you manage to reach your Goodreads goal? I'd love to hear about your favourite of the month. 

Final Quarterly Wrap Up of 2019

So here I am with my final quarterly wrap up of 2019 which covers the months October, November and December. 

This quarter I read 14 books which is my worst reading quarter to date. I'm not sure why that is, I just seem to have been really busy however I hope next year will start off better. Here are my stats for this quarter.

Age Demographic

Middle Grade: 1

Young Adult: 6

Adult: 7

Genre

Fantasy: 9

Sci-Fi: 1

Magical Realism: 1 

Mystery/Thriller: 2
Fairytale Retelling: 1

Source

Physical ARC/Finished Copy from Publisher: 5

Bought in 2019: 4

Owned Prior to 2019: 3 

Library Book: 1
Library Audio Book: 1

Star Rating

1 Star: 0

2 Star: 1

3 Star: 2

4 Star: 10

5 Star: 1

Top 3 Books of this Quarter

The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

So not my best for quantity but fairly good for quality, most of the books I read this quarter were at least 4 stars.

I'm hoping 2020 will be just as good as 2019 for reading, if not better!

September and October Wrap Up

Over the past couple of months my reading has slowed down dramatically. Over the months of September and October I have only read 7 books across the two months which is a lot less than I had been (I'm looking at you 13 books in August)! I think this is combination of being back at work full time after the summer holidays and being in a bit of a dreaded reading slump. 

Because of these things I have also slowed down with my blog, only posting reviews of books I received from publishers, and that is why there was no September wrap up. However, I feel like I'm coming out the other side of this blip now so here I am bringing you a combined wrap up of all of the books I've read in the months of September and October. 

Invisible in a Bright Light by Sally Gardner

Published 17th October 2019 by Head of Zeus

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 54/50 

Review - Blog Review

Evermore by Sara Holland

Published 3rd January by Orchard Books

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 55/50

The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt

Published 5th September by Pan Macmillan

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 56/50

Review - Blog Review

The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman

Published 8th October 2019 by Quirk Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 58/50

Review - Blog Review

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Published 28th February 2017 by Feiwel Friends

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 57/50

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff

Published 5th September 2019 by HarperVoyager 

Star Rating - 

Goodreads Challenge - 59/50

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Published 18th June 2018 by Harper Collins

Star Rating - *****

Goodreads Challenge - 53/50

Not a bad couple of reading months ratings wise but not great quantity wise. Hopefully the rest of the year will be better. 

I'm really pleased to have finished out the Nevernight Chronicles this month though definitely a series I would recommend. What was your favourite read of the month?

Quarterly Wrap Up

Here's the next instalment of my quarterly wrap up (sorry it's a bit late) for the third quarter of the year, July to September.

This quarter I read 21 books which is the most so far this year. I think that's due to the school summer holidays that happened during this quarter. Here are my stats for this quarter.

Age Demographic

Middle Grade: 2

Young Adult: 7

Adult: 12

Genre

Fantasy: 14

Sci-Fi: 1

Contemporary: 2 

Mystery/Thriller: 1
Fairytale Retelling: 1
Graphic Novels: 2

Source

Physical ARC/Finished Copy from Publisher: 15

eARC from Publisher/NetGalley: 1

Bought in 2019: 2

Owned Prior to 2019: 1 

Library Book: 2

Star Rating

1 Star: 0

2 Star: 1

3 Star: 6

4 Star: 12

5 Star: 2

Top 3 Books of this Quarter

Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan 



Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff



Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan

I'm fairly pleased with my reading this quarter. I focused mainly on reading my review copies and I think I managed to do that well. The ratings were quite average but there were definitely some stand out reads. 

What has been your favourite read so far this year?

August Wrap Up - N.E.W.Ts Readathon

August has been my best reading month so far! I've been on school holidays so I've had a lot more time to read so I think that helped, along with taking part in the N.E.W.Ts Magical Readathon. 

For the N.E.W.Ts I was aiming for 7 books to achieve my career as a Magizoologist and I managed to reach that along with 4 books for extra credit. 

The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart 

Published 11th January 2018 by Penguin Random House

Star Rating - **

Goodreads Challenge - 45/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt - O for Care of Magical Creatures - Bird on the cover

Review - Goodreads Review

The Edge by Tim Lebbon

Published 25th June 2019 by Titan Books

Star Rating - ***

Goodreads Challenge - 49/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt - A in Herbology - Green on the Cover

Review - Blog Review



Wonderland: An Anthology edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane
Published 17th September 2019 by Titan Books
Star Rating ***
Goodreads Challenge - 52/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - O in Herbology - Flower on the cover
Review - Blog Review

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

Published 1st October 2019 by Hot Key Books

Star Rating - ***.5

Goodreads Challenge - 50/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt - E in Herbology - Book between 350 and 390 pages

Review - Blog Review

A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause 

Published 6th August 2019 by HarperTeen

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 42/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt - A for Care of Magical Creatures - Book beginning with A

Review - Blog Review

All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell

Published 29th October 2019 by HarperTeen

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 43/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt - E in Care of Magical Creatures - Book under 300 pages

Review - Blog Review

The Folded Land by Tim Lebbon

Published 20th March 2018 by Titan Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 44/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - O in Charms - A paperback book

Review - Blog Review 

The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner

Published 23rd July 2019 by Titan Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 46/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt - A for Charms - Gorgeous Cover

Review - Blog Review

The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg

Published 29th October 2013 by Bond Street Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 47/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt - E for Charms - comic/graphic novel/manga

Review - Goodreads Review

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Published 7th June 2011 by First Second

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 48/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - A in Arithmancy - Ending on an even page number

Review - Goodreads Review

Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan 

Published 20th August 2019 by Titan Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 51/50

N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - A in History of Magic - A fantasy

Review - Blog Review

August is always my best reading month because of the school holiday and this time I read a lot of great books too. 

What was your favourite read of the month?