It's been a while but I'm back!

So.. it's been a while, least to say, but I'm back! It's been a hectic year so far with just about, oh, I don't know, a thousand and one exams or so but here I am *pushes stacks and stacks of textbooks from the table*

Since I've been gone for quite a while, I thought I might do a quick sum up of the books I've read since I last posted (I'm so excited for this - I've picked up some really, really good books recently that I've really loved!) Some aren't quite my usual genre, but I still really enjoyed them (you'll see)

Without further ado, here's what I've read in the last few months or so:

1. Winter by Marissa Meyer 

I didn't actually enjoy the first book of the series, but as I read on, I grew to like each book more and more! - I loved this last installment of the series of the most, partly because it was when all the little parts of the story came together and all the characters met, and partly because my OTP for this story finally came together : Cress & Thorne! But if you haven't read it yet, I won't spoil it for you :) 

2. Colleen Hoover 

So as you can see I may/may have not gone on a little Colleen Hoover reading spree - it was just so hard to put down after the first book! I'll admit, I wasn't too sure about the books at first but once I started I just couldn't stop! I read Ugly Love and Hopeless in addition to the books above, but I'd have to say out of all of them my favourite would be either Maybe Someday or Confess. I love the characters so much and all of Colleen Hoover's books are a great romance to read! Some of them are a little more serious than the others, be warned. 

3. This Shattered World/Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner 

 
Again, I don't quite remember loving this series as much as I did when I read it this time round. I thought the first book was okay ; it wasn't terrible but it wasn't very striking to me but this series is one of those that the magic only starts to come in around the second or third book. By the second book you start to see how the story comes together and how everything is related, and I really like that about this book!

4. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

Okay so this is the book that is a little different from what I read - it's not the usual YA book by any means. Wait actually, scratch that. It's not a YA book at all, it's a fiction book but I just couldn't resist putting it on here because it's so, so, so good! The characters, the plot, the depth of the characters..... the list could just go on and on!

I have so much more to say about this book, so I'll leave it here for now but I'll definitely post a review later!









5. Stolen by Lucy Christopher 

Again, not my usual type of book. When I first read it actually, I was a teensy weensy bit disturbed by it if I'm honest. The book is written as a letter from this girl who was kidnapped by this boy, and she recounts everything that happens as she writes a letter to him the night (or day? Never mind, doesn't really matter) before he goes to court to receive his sentence.

I felt like it was a bit of a tough book to take initially, but the second time I read it I absolutely loved it. It's quite intense and heavy, but I love the plot and characters and would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a good read. - mind you, it may not be for everyone but it's worth a try!

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. 

Waiting On A Wednesday: Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Every Last Breath by Jennifer L.Armentrout

Book 3 of the Dark Elements Series


Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…

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Haven't done one of these for a while! So if you've been reading my blog for a while and following me on my social media, you know how excited I was for this book - the second the book came out I bought the e-book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I won't spoil it for you (a review of this book is coming soon!) but it was freaking amazing and I loved every second of it. I had the biggest and worst book hangover after I finished Every Last Breath, and I may or may not have been found on my bed stuck in a fetal position clutching the book when I finished.

Every Last Breath is the last book of the Dark Elements trilogy by Jennifer L.Armentrout, and is centered around this girl called Layla, who is supposedly half-Warden half-demon who is in love with Zayne, the Warden she can never have and be with because of her soul-sucking ability. That's when Roth, the Crown Prince of Hell comes in and she discovers that Lilith, a very very powerful demon is her mother and she is the key to releasing the Lilin and Lilith, and the story unfolds from there.

The whole series is heart stopping, with just the right mixture of romance, fantasy and supernatural-ness to draw you in completely and this last book was an epic conclusion for a fantastic series. The book could not have ended in a more perfect way!
 I definitely would recommend this if you enjoyed JL.A's other books or if you're looking for a good read.

“I, Astaroth, Crown Prince of Hell, am in love with you, Layla Shaw. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. A hudred decades from now, I will still be in love with you, and it will be as fierce today as it will be a decade later.”

Top 10 Mondays: My TBR List of July

1. The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
I've heard so much about this book, and it sounds so good! It came out around May and I've been dying to read it since then - I really need to buy the book. It's inspired by the story A Thousand And One Nights, and has a bit of forbidden romance as well!

2. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover 
I've only read one other of Colleen's books: Never Never, which I quite enjoyed and Ugly Love is supposed to be a romance as well.

3. Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
I need this book right now! The blurb sounds amazing (fear not this book is going to be featured in my TBR of the week post sometime soon, be prepared to hear me gush over how much I love this book)

4. Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Jennifer is one of my all time favourite authors (if you can't already tell from my previous posts!) so I automatically will read anything she writes.

5. Alienated by Melissa Landers
I've seen this book around a lot, on my favourite bloggers instagram and I've seen plenty reviews on it as well, so I'm excited to try it out even though the blurb makes me a little doubtful.

6. Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

7. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
I need to read this so badly! I've only read her other books, the Legend trilogy and after the ending of Champion I was so completely shattered that I couldn't pick up another book - if you haven't read it already you need to go and read it now!

8. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
This book came out last year and it's been on my TBR list for the longest time - I really want to read it this summer, sounds so interesting!

9. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

10. Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 
This book is on the top of my TBR list- it sounds so amazing, supposedly something like a cross between Game Of Thrones and Ocean's Eleven, which I love so much, so I'm dying to read this too.

I've got my summer packed full with books to read, can't wait to get started!

Waiting On A Wednesday: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

If you follow my Instagram, you'll know that recently I just ordered a whole crap-load of books from Book Depository as a little 'Yay you survived one more year of school!' treat for myself, and they just arrived yesterday. I've just finished the Jewel and I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this book.

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Book 1 of the Lone City series 

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.
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I won't bore with a long lengthy paragraph about my thoughts on this book (My review is soon to come!) but in short I quite enjoyed this book, even though I had a major problem with the romance. It romance happened so fast, like insta-love. There was no build up to it, it was just like "Ooh lookie hot guy!" to "Let's get together and make out even though it's forbidden" *Shudder* Definitely not a fan of insta-love. I feel like the 'insta-love' part of the romance is what brought down the book, and if not for that it would have been a lot better! On the plus side, I loved what happened after Violet and Ash (the main male character) fell in love and what happens after that. 

“It would be easier to forget you," he says to me, "and these past few weeks we've had together. It would be easier if I could hate you. But the sad truth is, I will more than likely love you for the rest of my life.”