A Little Something Fun #2

My this weeks A Little Something Fun is...... a picture! I found it on EpicReads the other day and thought it was so funny, not to mention so, so  relatable!

By the way this was totally me after finishing the Red Queen and a whole bunch of other books - I was stuck for days* 

Top 10 Mondays: Writers

1 .Amy A. Bartol - if you've been reading this blog for a while, then you'll know how much I love her writing. 'Nuff said 

2. Jennifer L. Armentrout - I love how even though all her books are paranormal -fantasy based, they still have a bit of humour in them and there's always this occasional funny line that makes you laugh. 

3. Cassandra Clare 

4. Victoria Aveyard- even though she's only released one book, I loved it so much that she just automatically earns a spot on my Top 10 Writers

5. Susan Ee- her writing style is amazing and I love the descriptive language of her work 

6. Sarah J. Maas- her stories always have an incredible plot that always leave you with the biggest book hangover ever and you don't even know what hit you 

7. Tahereh Mafi - The Shatter Me series was absolutely gold 

8. Michelle Hodkin 

9. Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles 

10. Marie Lu, author of the Legend series  

Review: Darken The Stars by Amy A. Bartol

Darken The Stars by Amy A. Bartol

Book 3 of the Kricket Series

Kyon Ensin finally has what he’s always wanted: possession of Kricket Hollowell, the priestess who foresees the future. Together, their combined power will be unrivaled. Kricket, however, doesn’t crave the crown of Ethar—she has an unbreakable desire to live life on her own terms, a life that she desperately wants to share with her love, Trey Allairis.

As conspiracies rage in the war for Ethar, Kricket’s so-called allies want to use her as a spy. Even those held closest cannot be trusted—including Astrid, her sister, and Giffen, a member of a mysterious order with a hidden agenda. But Kricket’s resolve will not allow her to be used as anyone’s pawn, even as the Brotherhood sharpens its plans to cut out her heart.

As the destiny prophesied by her mother approaches, Kricket will backtrack through her fiery future to reshape it. For she knows one thing above all else: the only person she can truly count on is herself.

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I received this e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Please excuse me if nothing I write here make sense because right now my thoughts are a huge blubbering mess.I finished the book and when I reached the last page and read the last sentence, my reaction was literally 'What? IS THIS BOOK MISSING A PAGE OR SOMETHINGS?' I should probably start this interview though by saying how much of a fan of Amy Bartol's I am, whether be it of her amazing Premonition series or the books from her Kricket series, I love everything she writes and if you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know how much of I love her works. 

That being said, it makes me really sad to give this book such a low rating - 2.5-3/5 stars. Why you may ask? 

Throughout the whole book, I was seriously confused and had absolutely no idea what was going on. Really. I feel like Kricket is jumping back and forth between Kyon and Trey, and I have absolutely no idea what to think. You know how usually when you read a book with two male main characters competing for one female character's attention, you will have an obvious favourite right? 

Usually, at the back of the mind you already know who you want the female character to end up with.But no, not in this series. For the first two books of the series, I really wanted Kricket to end up with Trey and I was so sure she was going to end up with him, until I read Darken The Stars, and BAM now I'm in an absolute mess and I've no idea what to think.

So basically this series starts of with this girl named Kricket, who is actually from this planet called Ethar but her parents brought her to Earth to protect her but they've supposedly died, leaving her an orphan. One day, she meets Trey and his group of military guys (their called Cavars in the book) and they end up kidnapping her to bring her back to Ethar to face her crimes because her mother was from Almeeda and ran away with Kricket's father, who was from Rafe. Now let me explain about the houses of Ethar: Ethar is split up into several houses, the main ones being Almeeda and Rafe. They're not just any two houses, no they're sworn enemies. 

Anyway, so there's a prophecy that one house will fall and one will rule all, blah blah blah (you know, the usual.)So anyway, Trey brings Kricket back to Ethar and of course, they fall in love despite all the complications they face.  One of them being Kyon.And this is where it gets complicated. So Kyon is from the other house, Almeeda and wants to bring Kricket to Almeeda because she has gifts- she's a soothsayer, and later in discovers that she has the gift of precognition as well. And that's not all! Kyon also wants to make her his consort, and yes, it's as creepy as it sounds.

OKAY, so now that I've given you guys the background information to the story, especially for those of you who haven't read the first book, let me get down to the actual review of Darken The Stars.My first thoughts when I finished the book: it wasn't terrible, though the plot was as confusing as anything. The thing that I had the most problem with was Kricket's 'love life', we could call it. 

She keeps jumping from one guy from another and it's really confusing me.I get that she doesn't know who to choose and all, but she does rash things in the book without any explanation that makes absolutely no sense to me.Darken The Stars starts off with how Kricket was captured by Kyon, and he brings her to his island-resort thing so they can have private time and get to know each other. 

She tries not to fall in love with him, as she loves Trey (or at least that's what we thought) but inevitably, she falls in love with him and becomes his consort, EVEN THOUGH she's promised herself to Trey and even though she and Trey didn't have the ceremony, they were as good as married.

 But no, Kricket ends up SLEEPING with Kyon and falls in love with him, and later on when she meets up with Trey (because she's on this undercover mission to assassinate Kyon's father but that point is irrelevant at the moment) she asks him of one things in case she doesn't make it, and I quote:

"PROMISE ME YOU'll PROTECT KYON AFTER I KILL EXCELSIOR"

I mean, come on woman for the love of dear god why would you say that to him? I was practically screaming "You love Trey god-dammit woman what's wrong with you!" the whole time and came very close to wanting to bang my head against my laptop screen.  

Kricket was basically transformed from a very likable main character to this whiny, indecisive girl that quite frankly really irritated me. And what's more important - Amy took away one of the parts i love the most about the book - the Cavars: Trey, Jax and Wayra. 

Their interactions and conversations with each other and Kricket was one of the things I loved the most about the first two books, and yet they barely appeared in this third book even though I'm pretty sure they play a major part in the story! 

I can only pray and hope that this is not the last book, because if it is I swear I'm going to become a monk and run away to the far far east because I'll never be able to face life again if this book doesn't have a fourth instalment. 

Interview Fridays: Jem from Lime Light Literature (Round 4)

Hey! It's Friday and you know what that means.....interview time! Today is our 4th and last round of Q&A for me and Jem, and after this we'll be announcing something fun that hopefully you guys will all enjoy as much as this!

Anyway, here is the Q&A! As usual, links are below.

1.     What books have you read so far this month? Any favorites?

My August TBR consisted of 4 books, 2 of which I have read already.

I read Oleah Chronicles: Truth by Michelle Johnson which in all honesty isn’t my normal type of

read BUT I am sooo happy I did read it! The storyline and characters were all so captivating. I will 

admit there were a few times I cried. GUILTY AS CHARGED haha

I look forward to the recently announced sequel!

I also read If I Stay by Gayle Forman and WOW. I finally realise all the rave around it! The writing

style was so different but I really enjoyed the perspective and flashbacks. I definitely cannot wait to

get the rest of the series!

2 2. Which book character do you think you relate to the most/and are most similar to? From which book?

Damn, this is a hard one…I think I am most similar to Sydney from Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. My reasons for this are that I find a lot of myself in her in the sense that I like to stay home and be in my own company. My passion for songwriting is easy relatable to Sydney.

Final reason: Ridge. I mean come on. Is there any other reason, he’s intelligent, witty, romantic, adorable and he really opens your eyes up to the life without hearing.

Tbh, I’m so obsessed with Griffin Peterson’s music, it has become the only thing I listen to most days.

3 3. Who are your top 3 favourite female characters? Why?

·      Sahara Winters – From Harvard To Whoredom by Candice X. Sahara is from such a different background to most of us and I completely admire her strength to go through with what she has.

·      Angel Seriki & Mrs Seriki – Oleah Chronicles: Truth by Michelle Johnson. Honestly, this family has to endure so much throughout the story, both these characters have developed incredibly as the story progresses!

4 4. Do you set a goal for the number of books you read per month or do you just pick up whatever you see when you want?

When I first began book blogging and really got into the avid reading side of things, I was just picking up a book whenever I felt like it.

However, I am an incredibly organized person and I like to set myself a schedule/deadline so I try to read a maximum of 4 books each month or 5 if I’m lucky enough to read quite a quick and small one.

   5. Do you prefer reading hardcover books or softcover books? Why?

Well to be completely honest, I don’t have a huge amount of hardcover books though I wish I did have a lot more. So you can imagine that I read a lot of paperbacks instead but I do enjoy the hardcovers more, due to the spines not bending so easily and there are just so many beautiful hardcovers out there!

6 6. If you had to pick one genre to read that wasn’t YA, what would you choose?

Young Adult, I do have a few New Adult books and I love them so much. Not only because they are full of swoon-worthy sexy men but also because there is just something beautiful about the characters connection.

For example, Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James.

It’s the book that everyone thinks is purely all about sex, sex and more BDSM. Whereas I find it to be more about Ana and Christian’s connection - how she uncovers his secrets and opens him up to a better light.

7 7.   What’s your favorite non-YA genre book? Why?

One Night Promised by Jodi Ellen Malpas. I mean the story honestly couldn’t get much sexier, emotional and the characters really developed well. Can’t wait to read One Night Denied and One Night Unveiled.

8 8. When you read, do you listen to music? Any particular songs?

Yes! I love listening to music when I read! It’s calming and relaxing to read along with. As I said in Question 2, I have been listening to Griffin Peterson a lot, as well as Iwan Rheon – Game Of Thrones FTW! and I listen to a lot of Christina Perri and Ellie Goulding – BAES <3

9 9. Is there a certain time you prefer to read (weird question I know but I feel like it’s important ;)

I read during my lunch breaks and just before I go to bed each night.

10. If you could recommend one book to a person who hates to read, which book would you recommend and why?

Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. A light, humorous contemporary romance that is sure to win anyone over.

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And that's it for this weeks Q&A session!

You can find Jem at her lovely blog limelightliterature.blogspot.com or at her instagram instagram.com/bookishromantic

Other book bloggers, as always, if you would like to participate please drop me an email at thatcrazbookobsession@gmail.com or drop me a little note on my social network sites below!

Instagram: instagram.com/thatcrazybookobsession

Twitter: twitter.com/evergracefully

Bookmarks from Shelly Crane!

So this isn't actually a book review or anything but it's book related and I'm super happy about this so I thought I'd just share it with all of you!

About a month ago (back in late June), I was stalking all my favourite authors like every good reader does and went to all of their websites, only to discover that Shelly Crane, author of the amazing Significance series said that if you sent her a self-addressed envelope along with a little note to tell her which bookmarks you wanted, she would send the bookmarks you requested (signed!) back to you!

Upon reading this I was super excited and sent the letter to her, asking for a couple of bookmarks and a book plate. Over the next couple of weeks, I completely forgot about it and the letter dropped right out of my mind, right up until this afternoon when I got back from school and found this prize of a letter sitting in my mailbox!

Inside the envelope were three signed bookmarks, a temporary tattoo and a sticker which was also signed by the one and only Shelly Crane herself! When I opened the envelope, I literally had to stop myself from screaming out loud! 

She was very sweet- she wrote me a little note on one of the back of one of the bookmarks and signed the others! - I'm planning on framing these up and hanging them on the wall because I'm going to keep them forever! 

AREN'T THEY BEAUTIFUL? 

Anyways, just wanted to share this with you guys, because I'm in love with these bookmarks and Shelly Crane's books are terrific! Here's the link to her website in case you wanted to take a look: http://shellycrane.blogspot.hk/

Hope you guys enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing about my bookmarks (and no, that doesn't sound creepy at all.)! 

Waiting On A Wednesday: Never Never by Colleen Hoover

Never Never by Colleen Hoover

Book 1 of the Never Never series

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. 
Complete strangers since this morning. 

He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget. 

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So it's been a while since I've done one of these- actually, it feels like forever. Schools just started and I have to say that it feelings like I'm approaching my impending doom. Anyway, back to today's book for my Waiting On A Wednesday post: Never Never by Colleen Hoover.

I picked up this book a while back and read it with a little reading group on Goodreads, and I have to say I have kind of mixed-feelings about it. Basically, this book is about this boy named Silas and a girl named Charlie. They've been in love since they were young (the best friends turned boyfriend type of thing) and then one day, poof, they forget everything and can't remember what happened, who they are and who the other person is. They become total strangers, but for some reason, even with their memory gone they're still drawn together so this book is about how they try to find out what's happened. (Spoiler alert: this is only part 1! There's a part 2 to this book that came out not too long ago if I'm not mistaken.)

The thing about this book is that while I love the premisis of the story, the actual thing wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Maybe because I built it up in my head and set a such high expectation for it, but whatever it was, the book just didn't really do it for me. It's not a terrible book, and I don't dislike it, it's just that I don't love it.

I promise I'll do a full review of this book soon - I know I've been saying this about all the books I talk about but I promise I'll get down to it someday. In the mean time... *whips out popcorn and laptop and starts binge watching Freaks and Geeks* 

A Little Something Fun #1

Round 1 of my new 'A Little Something Fun' here we go!

Okay so for this weeks something fun, I decided to go with this quote I found on Tumblr, by Rosemarie Urquico.

" If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM, clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She'll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are." 

I think this quote is absolutely beautiful, and honestly sums up everything perfectly. It's actually a small part of a longer quote, which you can read here on Goodreads.  I first heard of this quote actually because apparently Robert Pattison said it once, which lead me to find the whole passage/full quote, and I fell in love instantly.

So that's it for my this week's "A Little Something Fun"! Hope you guys enjoyed it, let me know what you think in the comments below!

Interview Fridays: Jemma from Lime Light Literature

So apparently Interview Fridays has become Interview Saturdays- someone's really got to give me a good knock to the head I'm so terrible with dates!

Here's Round 3 of my little Q&A session with Jemma from Lime Light Literature -links are all below- and hope you guys enjoy this as much as we enjoyed writing it!

1 1.  If you had to choose an actor to play your favorite male character in any book of your choice, which actor would you pick and which character?

Ooh tricky question!

I think I’d have to go with Keanu Reeves as Miller Hart from One Night: Promised.

2 2. If you had to give up books or food, what would you pick (I’m really interested to see the answer for this one!)

Food, easily. I could live without food because I already survive on small meals anyway, plus books are my main life source. Not oxygen, not food, not water. BOOKS.

3 3. What books are on your bedside table at the moment?

Currently, I have P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern – I just finished it so I need to keep it there to remind me to review it.

Other than that I have my TBR Jar containing the next book I shall read – as I am answering this in advance, I have not yet picked out a book!

4 4. Which book/books have you read the most number of times?

The Fifty Shades trilogy by EL James, Switched by Amanda Hocking and Anna and the French Kiss.

5 5.  If you could be best friends with a character from a book, which character would it be and from which book? Why?

Meredith from Anna and the French Kiss – she’s just so laid back, she adores books and I just think I’d get along with her really easily. I’d love to have her as a best friend.

6 6. What’s your favourite line/quote from a book?

Not surprisingly it is a quote from Anna and the French Kiss – don’t judge me it’s one of my all-time faves! Actually I have 3 quotes!

·      “I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.”

·      “We both got our wishes – each other. He said he wished for me every time.”

·      “For the two of us, home isn’t a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”

7 7. Which book has given you the biggest book hangover? Why?

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa was so hard for me to overcome, the emotions, the characters, EVERYTHING! It took me a whole month before picking up a book to read.

8 8. Would you rather an e-reader or a physical book?

*cue Olivia Newton-John singing* Let’s get physical! Physical! Let’s get physical!

Physical copies are so much better in my opinion, I prefer to actually be able to hold the book, to turn the pages between my fingers and feel the cover, spine and blurb in my own hands.

I do however use an e-reader but I don’t usually read on it – I just save it for times when I’m in a slump and need a book to go to that I can just flip through easily.

9 9. If you could marry any fictional character, who would it be and from what book? Why?

WHYYYYYY THIS OF ALL QUESTIONS WHYYYYYY *sobs in corner*

There are so many characters I could choose from but after a long debate with myself I have chosen.....Gabriel De’Angelo from From Harvard To Whoredom by Candice X.

Although he has his rough side to him, he cares about his loved ones so much that he’d take a bullet for them. In the beginning of the book you meet him and he seems like a real jerk but as the story continues he develops into this much more refined, caring and loving gentleman who I would definitely marry. Not for his fame, not for the money, purely for him. Sahara is one lucky woman!

   10. Do you read one book at a time or several at once?

One at a time, if I read more than one…it just confuses me with the storyline of each book.
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You can find Jem at her lovely blog limelightliterature.blogspot.com or at her instagram instagram.com/bookishromantic

Other book bloggers, as always, if you would like to participate please drop me an email at thatcrazbookobsession@gmail.com or drop me a little note on my social network sites below!

Instagram: instagram.com/thatcrazybookobsession

Twitter: twitter.com/evergracefully

Interview Fridays:Jem from Lime Light Literature!

Hello lovelies! So this is my super super late Interview Fridays post that was supposed to be up last Friday on the 7th but being the forgetful person I am I forgot! So anyway it's interview day with Jem from Lime Light Literature (whose blog URL and Instagram links are below)! I hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as Jem and I enjoyed writing and answering the questions!


1. When a book is adapted to a movie and you haven’t read the book yet, will you read the book first or watch the movie? 

I try to read the book first if I can, but if it isn’t possible I’ll just go watch the movie then read the book.

2. What is your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Why? 

Harry Potter! It’s a classic series that brought imagination to life all around the world. The cast and characters influence people so much to this day and have influenced my life in many ways.

3. Which book do you think should be adapted into a movie? Any particular reason why? 

Hmm this is actually a really difficult question because I love some books so much that if they were made into a movie, it would just ruin my idea of the characters. However, if I had to choose it would of course be Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series, the book has so many twists and turns throughout it. The description of creatures, settings and characters is exquisite and I could totally see it being adapted into a movie!

4. If you could only read the first page of the book or the last page of a book which would you read and why? 

Oh the first page easily! There’s no way I’d ever want to spoil the ending!

5. If you could only choose one book to read for the rest of your life, which book would it be? 

Anna and the French Kiss, this book is full of humor and just so gushy and romantic vibes are thrown at the reader.

6. Which books are at the top of your TBR list? (Give your top 5!)

I actually don’t have a list as such but I have a jar to pick out at random.

However, my most anticipated TBRs are:

 All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

 Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

 Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

 You’re The Kind Of Girl I Write Songs About by Daniel Herborn

 Grey by EL James

7. What are you favorite series/trilogies? 

1. Fifty Shades trilogy by EL James

2. One Night trilogy by Jodi Ellen Malpas

3. This Man trilogy by Jodi Ellen Malpas

4. Anna and the French Kiss trilogy by Stephanie Perkins

5. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

8. If you could be a character from any book, which character would you be and from which book?

HOLY MOLY! This is going to be a toughie! I’ve actually got like 50 answers running through my head…I kid you not. *internally screams whilst thinking*

After a lot of thinking along with the help of my best friend I have decided on...Anastasia Steele from Fifty Shades and Olivia Taylor from One Night!

I know you it’s meant to be one but they both are fairly similar and I relate to them so much!

9. If you could read any other genre of book besides YA, which genre would you read? Why? 

Contemporary, there are just so many brilliant books out there in the contemporary genre that not many people take a hold of! They miss all the different stories because they stick to one genre only.

10. Which was the first book that started you off on the YA genre?

Anna and the French Kiss, as soon as I started reading the book my friend swapped with me, I had to go out and buy my own copy!
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You can find Jem at her lovely blog limelightliterature.blogspot.com or at her instagram instagram.com/bookishromantic

Other book bloggers, as always, if you would like to participate please drop me an email at thatcrazbookobsession@gmail.com or drop me a little note on my social network sites below!

Instagram: instagram.com/thatcrazybookobsession
Twitter: twitter.com/evergracefully