Sunday Post 15th October 2017

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader.

Last Week on the Blog:

• Monday Highlights #27
• How To Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
• Clare Reviews: S.T.A.G.S by M.A. Bennett
• Would Our Favourite Characters Survive a Horror Movie

Books We Got This Week:

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater: I have loved Stiefvater's other books so I've been eagerly anticipating this. I have already buddy read it with Vera @ Regal Critiques.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green: OMG THE EXCITEMENT! I have so far read the first couple of pages and loved them and cant wait to dive into the rest of the story.

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli: Dragons. This better be as badass as it seems because I have been disappointed in a few Dragon stories lately.

The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz: I'm a huge fan of ballet so the front cover of this immediately drew me in. I'm not 100% sure of the plot but it does seem October appropriate so I can read it and find out soon!!
The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle: My Mum is a big Christina Rosetti fan so when I heard this was based on one of her poems I had to give it a try. I am really hoping to read this soon because it sounds very intriguing.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: I am currently reading this and really enjoying it. I had to get it because I loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle so much!

Reading Update:

Ann:

Clare:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson: 5 stars, Just incredible. This is going down as an all time favourite and I've already shoved it at Ann! The relationship dynamics were amazing, the characters were dark and complex the story was likewise and the ENDING. I already want to reread this to pick up everything I missed. Also there's some great humour in there that made me laugh out loud. Which is rare.

Mass Effect Revelaion by Drew Karpyshyn: 3 stars, This was enjoyable but it's very much an opening book. There is a lot of time spent on world building and character creation - which is great for anyone coming in who hasn't played the games. But it did feel a bit info-dumpy at times.

Mass Effect Acension by Drew Karpyshyn: 4 stars, A definite improvement. The action picks up, there are some morally grey characters. Kahlee was a great character to read from the perspective of and had a much stronger voice than she did in the first novel.

Mass Effect Retribution by Drew Karpyshyn: 3.5 stars, OMG this book made me hate the Illusive Man so much. It's so interesting getting more in-depth with some of the peripheral or more mysterious characters from the game because it puts a different spin on so many things (which just makes me want to replay the games and see if any of my decisions change).

Mass Effect Deception by William C. Dietz: 2.5 stars, Definitely the weakest of the series. The writing is by no means bad but the author change is very apparent in the change of tone and the characters. I liked that everything was more or less wrapped up but wish this had been a stronger finish.

Mass Effect Andromeda by Jason M. Hough and K.C. Alexander: 3 stars, The characters in this were strong and it definitely put a new spin

The Stolen Throne by David Gaider: 4 stars, Strong enough that I think even someone who hasn't played Dragon Age would still enjoy this book. I really enjoyed reading the characters and discovering more of the Dragon Age world and will definitely continue the series soon.
All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater: 4 stars, Enjoyable, great characters and an excellent atmosphere. This felt very original and whilst I didn't love it as much as The Raven Boys it was still a good read.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: 5 stars, Why oh why did I wait so long to read this? Everything that can be said about it has already been said by someone else I am sure but I loved the characters and the tension and want to read more by Flynn!!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.