Sunday 29 May 2016

Book Review - Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, #1)Lady Midnight

(The Dark Artifices #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal. 

Published: March 8 2016

Pages: 720 pages (Paperback) (Simon & Schuster)

Read: March 8 2016 - May 1 2016

Rating: 5 Stars


The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.


Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…


Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?


Book 11/65 - 2016 Goodreads Reading Challenge

This book is currently the only book that I have pre-ordered in 2016. I pre-ordered this book with a ticket to see Cassandra Clare at a signing event. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances I wasn't able to attend this signing but I will get to meet Cassie again, I'm sure. With all the books that she is bringing out she will definitely be out touring again!

I know looking above it does appear to seem that it took me a whole two months to read this book but this is not due to a fault with the book at all. Truth is this book arrived on my doorstep the day of its release which was the day after I just started working in a new job and circumstances as they were it took me a long time to schedule myself back to normality and back to where I actually had time for my favourite hobby.

But boy, boy, boy, this book was fantastic. It was fabulous and I just fell in love with it. I loved the fact that this was the first time we were seeing the story of the Shadowhunter realm through a born and bred Shadowhunter. Emma Carstairs grew up as a Shadowhunter and knew all about the world of Downworld and so on from a very young age, unlike our previous two protaganists, Clary, who found out she was a Shadowhunter or Tessa, who fell into the hands of Shadowhunters and was actually a Downworlder. So I found this to be extremely refreshing to see from an already established Shadowhunter, not someone who was just discovering a world for the first time.

I will admit that I was a bit iffy starting out with these characters. There were so many in the Blackthorn family that for some reason at the beginning I found it hard to establish who was who and to separate out all their different personalities, but as the story went on each and every one of these characters grew on me and I literally have added them to the pile of characters that I care so much about.

I was also so scared when I began reading this book. Cassandra Clare is just such a favourite author of mine and I love her previous series and I was just thinking in the back of my mind while reading 'what if I don't like this? what will I do?' But alas, obviously, that was not the case, especially towards the end of this book.

I found that the beginning of this book did go a bit slow, but I love slow books as much as I love action packed, fast ones, so this was not a serious problem for me. I found that we needed that slow beginning to build relationships, to familiarize with new characters and to learn all about these characters, their situations and what was going to unfold in front of them. I actually loved the amount of diversity seen in each and every one of the characters in Lady Midnight and I applaud Cassandra Clare for adding such diversity to her books. But anyway, going back to the plot wise, once the action started, boy did it start. There were so many plot twists and turns and mysteries solved and questions left unanswered and I was a big mess by the end of this book and just needed the next one as soon as I read that last word!

Where is the second book? I honestly don't think I can wait that long for the next book.


Let me know down below what you thought of Lady Midnight? Did it live up to your expectations? Are you craving for the next book like I am? Let me know all of your thoughts down below!

Wednesday 25 May 2016

BEA

BEA

One year, I swear, one year I will make it to BEA. It may take me about 10 years to save up for it but I will get there, just wait!

I don't know about you guys but some of you may remember my post last year about BEA & Bookcon. If you can't remember, check it out - BEA & Bookcon -How It Affected Me!!

This year, what my discussion is going to be about is basically just all the new books that I found out about and am now really anticipating from watching all the BookTube hauls. Seriously, people, one of my most favourite videos of all time - BEA Hauls!!

But anyway, here are the books that I found out about and now really, really want....


  • THE FORGETTING BY SHARON CAMERON
  • REPLICA BY LAUREN OLIVER
  • FROSTBLOOD BY ELLY BLAKE
  • GIRL IN PIECES BY KATHLEEN GLASGOW
  • THE HATCHING BY EZEKIEL BOONE
  • THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR BY NICOLA YOON
  • MY SISTER ROSA BY JUSTINE LARBALESTIER
ReplicaThe HatchingThe Sun Is Also a Star

There was of course the ones that I knew were going to be there and really enjoyed seeing such as Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Heartless by Marissa Meyer, A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir, The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis and so on.
And so my wishlist tbr has soared even higher after BEA. And that is just life...

Guys, let me know if you've heard of any of these or even if you say anything else that really caught your attention or even if you were at BEA, let me know below!

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #7

Top Ten Tuesday #7

Top Ten Books I Plan To Read On The Beach (Not Literally!).


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and consists of them picking a topic each week for us bloggers to list our Top Ten.

This week is beach reads week! And that means a tbr of light summer reads and just those feel good books, sometimes. I chose the topic of ten books that I plan to read on the beach, but there's no way that I would be able to read 1 book on the beach let alone 10, but here's my tbr all the same.

1. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
One of the most recent books that I picked up. I searched everywhere for this book on release day but could not find it anywhere local to me, but fortunately I found it a few days later and I can't wait to delve into this once I get into a summer mood.

2. These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
As I said I'm not the type to have just fluffy contemporaries on my tbr. A haunting historical fiction is needed too for the summer months.

3. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Of course Sarah J. Maas's new book will be added to the summer reading list, especially when it is about faeries. There is nothing more summery than faeries!

The Unexpected EverythingThese Shallow GravesA Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)


4. Whisper To Me by Nick Lane
And back to contemporaries with Nick Lane's new book. I honestly just picked this book up on a whim and am really excited to read this during the summer (on the beach...??)

5. The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
I find time travelling adventures just perfect for summer and even just looking at the cover for this book all I can think of is summer, adventure and the beach.

6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Magic, magic, magic. There is nothing more fantastical and summery than a little bit of magic and I believe The Night Circus will fill that void for me while I'm (on the beach!)

Whisper to MeThe Girl from Everywhere (The Girl From Everywhere, #1)The Night Circus

7. Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard
A book all about friendships! Honestly there is nothing better to read during the summer (on the beach) than a book like this and I'm excited to read it!

8. The Diviners by Libba Bray
Yup, we just have to add something scary to the mix!

9. An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Ancient Rome is all about the good weather, am I right? So might as well read one of the hottest books on 2015 on a hot day on the beach right?

Beautiful Broken ThingsThe Diviners (The Diviners, #1)An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)

10. Book of Lies by Teri Terry
I have no idea what this book is about and did just pick it up on a whim and we'll I might as well read it on the beach :p


Book of Lies


What books are you guys reading on the beach?? 

Monday 23 May 2016

I'm Back - Life Update

I'm Back - Life Update

Hey everyone! I know I said that I was going on a small hiatus and that small hiatus became a very large hiatus but now I miss blogging and plan on being back and staying back. 

A lot has been happening in my life lately, I turned 20, am one step closer to taking my driving test, I got my first job and I have applied for college. All in all, with plenty of other things and well, it has been taking up a hell of a lot of my time. 

I have barely read anything in these past few months and that in itself reflected on my blogging and well I am now becoming organised. I was so behind before that I scrapped everything that was coming before and have just started afresh. 

But anyhoo, I am so happy to be back and I hope you guys have all been keeping well too!