Monday 30 April 2018

Monday Highlights #52

The idea is to just link your favourite blog post from the past week (for example a post you're very proud of or just had a lot of fun making) and then I, and hopefully others, can discover new blogs to follow and interact with and discover more posts from blogs we may already follow!

Sunday 29 April 2018

Sunday Post 29th April 2018

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
  • Clare Reviews: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Books We Got Last Week:

The Perfect StrangerThink of Me Demon (War of the Myth Book 2)SkylarksI Stop Somewhere
PacificaStyleThe Abyss Surrounds Us (The Abyss Surrounds Us, #1)The Edge of the Abyss (The Abyss Surrounds Us, #2)
Think of Me Demon was kindly sent to me by the author after I finished (and loved) the first book in the series. And then I went on a bit of an LGBTQ spree and got Skylarks which I've not heard of before but have high hopes for, Style which was recommended to me on Twitter and The Abyss Duology which I have wanted for the longest time. The Perfect Stranger, I Stop Somewhere and Pacifica were all impulse buys because they sound so good!


Reading Update:

The City of Brass by S.A. ChakrabortyElemental Claim (War of the Myth #1)
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty: 4.5 stars, I really enjoyed this. My review is already up - linked above - and I definitely recommend checking this out because it was a great read.
Elemental Claim by Miranda Grant: 4.5 stars, Honestly the best Paranormal Fantasy I've read in a really long time. I adored the characters a lot and the story was fast paced and well written. Review coming soon. 

Wednesday 25 April 2018

Clare Reviews: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)Title: The City of Brass
Author: S. A. Chakraborty
Series: The Daevabad Trilogy #1
Format: ARC
Source: Received in Illumicrate
Rating: 4.5/5
Blurb: Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. 
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass? A city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. 
In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. 
After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for . . .


The first thing I loved about this book was Nahri. We do get another character POV who I never got quite as attached to and there are numerous side characters who, again, never completely stole my heart. But Nahri herself was wonderful. She was so duplicitous and cunning and manipulative (basically everything my Slytherin heart wants in an MC) but also had a really good heart and she was just trying to survive. So often fantasy characters have such grand world-saving goals and I adored having a character who was just trying to stay afloat. 

The world building is incredible. We start in Egypt (Napoleonic era Egypt) and later move to 'The City of Brass' itself - Daevabad. I loved the small amount of time we spent in Egypt - it being one of my most-longing-to-visit places and the beautiful writing led superbly into the well-crafted world of the Daeva. Daevabad was such a unique setting. I honestly felt like I could visualise it in my mind - and not just the physical city but the warring factions and the rising tensions. Getting a view of all the sides of the issue made my head spin at times but I loved that there was no clear good or evil - just a whole city full of people trying to promote their own beliefs and the safety of their own family. 

The relationships between characters were intriguing but not necessarily my favourite part of the novel. The releationship between Dara and Nahri emerged rather quickly and was then never fully developed whilst her friendships with other people happened too quickly for me too. Which is weird because this is not a short book so I don't understand the need to rush the relationships. There are also side characters who have unique relationships between themselves and these did intrigue me although we saw only hints of them. I'm hoping that in a future book these are more thoroughly experienced. 

The main drawback for me is that there wasn't a whole lot of plot. This didn't hugely matter because the characters, the setting and the writing were all enough to keep me turning the pages eagerly. But looking back on it now I'm not sure what the plot was. Which again - brings me back to the length of the book. If, like me, you kinda love long books with lots of description and dialogue then you'll probably love this. But if you want your fantasy with a bit more direction then you might be disappointed. That's not to say there wasn't action. The first section of the book had plenty and the last few chapters were relatively blood soaked.

I went into this with no expectations whatsoever and came out having very much enjoyed the time I spent reading. This wont be for everyone but I highly recommend it for the gorgeous writing, the diverse setting and characters and the hints of a great series to come. 

Monday 23 April 2018

Monday Highlights #51

The idea is to just link your favourite blog post from the past week (for example a post you're very proud of or just had a lot of fun making) and then I, and hopefully others, can discover new blogs to follow and interact with and discover more posts from blogs we may already follow!

Sunday 22 April 2018

Sunday Post 22nd April 2018

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.

Over on The Regal Critiques this week I posted my review of My Lady's Choosing (which you might remember me raving about last week here) so definitely check it out here if you would like to know more about that book!!

Books We Got This Week:

Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1)Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet, #1)LizzieDread Nation (Dread Nation, #1)Starfish
Honestly this has just been the best week for new books for us. Ace of Shades is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and now I have a signed special edition of it (I'm dying of happiness right now), Aru Shah and the End of Time is one of those Middle Grade books that's making me want to jump back into MG in a big way. It looks incredible. Lizzie is a modern day Lizzie Borden retelling AND its LGBT so this is basically just my dream book. Likewise Dread Nation is diversity, history and zombies what more could I possibly ever want. And Starfish is one I've been going back and forth on wanting for a while but the author seems so lovely on Twitter that I decided to go for it. 


Reading Update:

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)
Not finished yet: City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty I am absolutely in love with. I'm about halfway through and trying to savour it. There's so much going on and the world is so rich and inventive. The writing reminds me a little of Laini Taylor if only in how incredibly unique and alive everything feels. And the characters are incredible. I will be posting a  review of this once I'm finished.

Monday 16 April 2018

Monday Highlights #50

The idea is to just link your favourite blog post from the past week (for example a post you're very proud of or just had a lot of fun making) and then I, and hopefully others, can discover new blogs to follow and interact with and discover more posts from blogs we may already follow!

Sunday 15 April 2018

Sunday Post 15th April 2018

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.


Books We Got This Week: 

Restore Me (Shatter Me, #4)The WindowActive Memory (Mirador, #3)
Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi: I LOVED the Shatter Me series so obviously hearing about this follow-up is both super exciting and makes me incredibly nervous. 
Window by Amelia Brunskill: This was pure cover lust combined with a sale. I know very little about this but I'm getting a Rear Window vibe from the cover so hopefully some of that?
Active Memory by Dan Wells: You know how you pick up a book at a charity shop because its an incredibly fun cover and then you get home and find out its the third book in the series? Cause yeah, that. Still I've ordered books 1 and 2 but they wont get here for at least a month (delivery times whyyyy) so it will be a while before I read this.
Olivia TwistThe Radical Element (A Tyranny of Petticoats, #2)My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel
Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon: I love Dickens novels and I love gender swapping classics. I've read Doon by Lorie Langdon and loved it so I have pretty high hopes for this.
The Radical Element: A Tyranny of Petticoats was one of my favourite anthologies. It had some less than stellar stories but for the most part was pretty impressive. This has a really amazing list of authors involved, I know nothing about any of the stories because I want to go in blind.
My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris: If you've been following the blog for any length of time you might know how much I love choose-your-own-adventure when its written for adults and this super delivered. I will be reviewing this shortly but if you love romance novels this is pretty much a must-buy. It manages to poke fun at the genre in such a loving way. This is the only book I read this week but it felt like reading multiple fully developed stories. 

Let me know what you've been reading and buying in the last week (why not add to my TBR even more) and if you've read any of these let me know what you thought of them!! 

Monday 9 April 2018

Monday Highlights #49

The idea is to just link your favourite blog post from the past week (for example a post you're very proud of or just had a lot of fun making) and then I, and hopefully others, can discover new blogs to follow and interact with and discover more posts from blogs we may already follow!

Sunday 8 April 2018

Sunday Post 8th April 2018

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.

Tomb Raider Review:

I had planned to have this posted earlier in the week but what with hospital appointments and other things keeping us busy we never really found the time. So instead here is a mini review of one of my most anticipated films of the year. 
I grew up solidly in the Tomb Raider era and have always loved the games. I'm a huge fan of the reboot as well which brings the series into a more modern time with a heroine to fit. She's still Lara. But she is a more relatable Lara now. And the movie did a superb job of adapting the new games. There were a few things missing (notably some of the female characters) but for the most part the spirit and the action of the game carried over really well. There were so many moments where the gamer in me freaked out (quick time events made into a movie are somehow super pleasing) and exploding barrels. 
Alicia Vikander is, for me, the perfect Lara. She was bold and sarcastic and vulnerable and I loved her. I've heard a rumor she won't be returning for the sequel which, if true, breaks my heart. Having seen her as Lara Croft I am having trouble imagining anyone else in the role. 
This is easily my favourite video game adaptation (although yes - there isn't much in the way of competition) and I am really hopeful for the second movie. 

Books We Got This Week:


You know how last week I had NO haul. Well buckle up folks cause I make up for it this week (I went out to the cinema which is right by a Waterstones. I accept no responsibility for this coincidence). 
The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost ShipWitchbornCleanLady Mary
Orphan Monster SpyMeet Cute: Some People Are Destined to MeetThe Astonishing Colour of AfterNot If I Save You First
The Adventures of John Blake by Philip Pullman was a must buy for me. I've been wanting it since I first saw it at YALC last year. I have just finished this and fully loved it (obviously its Philip Pullman - how could I not?).
Witch Born by Nicholas Bowling: I've been going back and forth on this one. On the one hand the punishment for witches WAS NOT BURNING IN ENGLAND. I will fight this battle forever. (Side note: some witches were burned but not for being witches. It was usually for a secondary charge such as heresy). On the other hand witches and asylums. 
Clean by Juno Dawson: We met Juno Dawson (briefly) at YALC last year and saw her on a panel and she was incredible. I've only read This Book is Gay by her before and this looks amazing so I'm excited to read it.
Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley: I love Lucy Worsley so freaking much. She is the historical version of David Attenborough for me (in that I cannot skip past her tv shows in the slightest and accept everything she says as truth) so of course when I saw this signed copy of Lady Mary I needed it in my life.
Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen: My friend and Regal Critiques co-blogger reviewed this and it got bumped to the top of my wishlist. You can check out her review here (which I recommend).
Meet Cute: Anthologies are always fun to dip into and this looks diverse as heck which is all I really want. Plus Nina LaCour contributed to this (amongst others) so I am very excited.
The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan: I was actually buying a copy of this for a friend and couldn't not buy myself one (wow double negatives yikes). I mean look at it - so pretty!!
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter: Actually bought this for Ann because she loves Ally Carter's books but may steal it once she has read it because it looks like a lot of fun. 





Reading Update:

The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship
The Adventures of John Blake by Philip Pullman: 4.5 stars, Once again I only managed one book but it was a really good one (again). The art style was perfect for me and I was instantly attached to the characters and engrossed in the story. This feels very different to Pullman's other work but is nonetheless delightful.