Frostblood by Elly Blake | An interesting read, though really quite similar to another popular book series…

frostblood

This was a bit of an odd one to go into. Not that the book is odd or anything, just my beforehand thoughts. I was sent an ARC of this book by the publisher (thank you!), and while I’d heard of the title SO many times, I didn’t actually know that much about the story itself. So I was very intrigued to see what all the fuss was about.

I did actually want to read this awhile ago, since I received it in June, but the book isn’t released until January next year. I always upload my ARC reviews about a month beforehand, so I didn’t want it sitting in the “scheduled” section for half a year.

But here we are today, at last!

So let’s talk about Frostblood!

Title: Frostblood

Author: Elly Blake

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Series Status: The 1st book in the Frostblood series

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Number of Pages: Approx 384 pages (according to Goodreads)

Release Date: January 12th 2017

Continue reading Frostblood by Elly Blake | An interesting read, though really quite similar to another popular book series…

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Bookish Gift Guide – because gift buying can be difficult, right?

gift-guide

EVERYBODY SING! “It’s the moooost wonderful timeee of the yearrrr”

– or at least, it is if you have your gift ideas sorted. If not, then it can be the most stressful time of the year.

Now, bookworms might seem like the easiest people to buy for. What do you get a bookworm? A book. Sorted! ….or is it? You might not want to get them a book. It’s a pretty predictable gift. You might have gotten them books for the last 5 christmases and want to change it up a bit. You might still be getting them a book, but want something else to go along with it. Or even if you want to get them a book, you might not know what sort of books they’d want. There’s a lot of things to consider.

So here are my gift ideas. Now, I do have to admit that I’m really bad at coming up with gift ideas. So I’ve honestly no idea why I’m doing this post. A lot of these you’ve probably heard of before, with the amount of gift guides out there, but I’ve tried to throw in a few new ideas!

Everything will be linked too in case you want to follow up any of these ideas!

Let’s get on with the gift guide!

Continue reading Bookish Gift Guide – because gift buying can be difficult, right?

Emma by Jane Austen | A really entertaining read, with some rather…interesting…characters

emma

Another one for the Austentatious Book Club!

I finished this just before the end of November, luckily. I don’t want to fall behind. Which is a very real struggle when I read classics so damn slowly. But I have my ways *insert mysterious eyebrow quirk*

Hint: Those ways are audiobooks. Shh don’t tell. 

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Let’s talk about Emma!

Sounds like we’re being mean, doesn’t it?

emma

Title: Emma

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Classic

Number of Pages:  474

Continue reading Emma by Jane Austen | A really entertaining read, with some rather…interesting…characters

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor | A weird & wonderful world that I have no chance of describing to you

daughter-of-smoke-and-bone

November seems to have been the month where I made my way through a lot of books I’d been meaning to get to for nearly a year. Example number 4 (after Stars Above, Between Shades of Gray and After You): Daughter of Smoke and Bone!

I GET IT. I FINALLY GET IT.

I get why everyone seems to know this book. Why it’s surrounded with hype.

And finally, I can be a part of that.

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Let’s talk about Daughter of Smoke and Bone!

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Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Series Status: The 1st book in the DoSaB trilogy

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Number of Pages:  418

Continue reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor | A weird & wonderful world that I have no chance of describing to you

After You by Jojo Moyes | Not a bad book, but I wish it had been left at a standalone instead

after-you

I’ve been reluctant about this book ever since I knew it was a thing. I couldn’t even decide whether to buy it or not. I only ended up getting it because it was half price. And I know they’re pretty biased terms to start on, but I couldn’t really help it.

And how did it work out? Well, that’s what we’re here to see, right?

Let’s talk about After You!

after-you

Title: After You

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Series Status: The 2nd book in the Me Before You duology

Genre: Contemporary

Number of Pages:  407

Continue reading After You by Jojo Moyes | Not a bad book, but I wish it had been left at a standalone instead

Let’s Talk: When are you classed as a “reviewer”? How do you decide which books to review?

which-books-to-review

Ready for a two-pronged sort of discussion, everyone?

I personally find these questions really interesting (obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t write an entire post about it). I love knowing how other people go through their reviewing process, but I never thought to much about the process of choosing which books to review. Everyone does it differently.  And how often do you have to review to be classed as a “reviewer”?

Well, let’s talk…

Continue reading Let’s Talk: When are you classed as a “reviewer”? How do you decide which books to review?

Relating to the main character so much it’s almost scary in…Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

northanger-abbey

So as part of the Austenatious Book Club, October’s book of the month was Northanger Abbey.

Again, I managed to finish this before the movie night where we watch the adaptation happened…though this time the movie night was at the end of the month so it wasn’t much of a problem.

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So let’s talk about Northanger Abbey!

northanger-abbey

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Classic

Number of Pages:  235

Continue reading Relating to the main character so much it’s almost scary in…Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

October Wrap Up – The one where October doesn’t exist and I become a bear cub

october

Okayy, but did October actually exist?

I’ve been thinking it September for the past month, and now suddenly we’re going into November…WHAT?! It’s nearly Christmas! (Yes, I’m THAT sort of person)

Weirdly enough, October just felt like it didn’t exist. I have a strange feeling that I didn’t read that much, even though this wrap up shows I very obviously did. October for me was just a vague noticing of the leaves changing colour and the temperature dropping rapidly. Lord knows what I did for the rest of it.

But here we are at my wrap up for the month, so let’s find out!

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There’s also a video version of this Wrap Up on my booktube channel, where I go into my thoughts on the books a little more. Click here to check it out!

Continue reading October Wrap Up – The one where October doesn’t exist and I become a bear cub

When lies get out of hand in the Victorian era all thanks to…The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

the-lie-tree

This book is one of those that has been sat on my bookshelves for many months now, and it was about time I finally read it.

Plus with it looking quite dark and creepy, I figured the lead up to Halloween was the perfect time for it.

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So let’s talk about The Lie Tree!

the-lie-tree

Title: The Lie Tree

Author: Frances Hardinge

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Number of Pages:  410

Continue reading When lies get out of hand in the Victorian era all thanks to…The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Let’s Talk: Your opinion on romance in books…do you love it?Does it make you cringe? Is it necessary?

romance-in-books

Here’s one of those discussions that’s entirely subjective. There’s no right or wrong answer, there’s no “popular opinion”. It’s just a thing to chat about really.

Romance.

Near enough every single book to exist has a romance in it somewhere.

So I’m asking you today…

What’s your opinion of romance in books?

Continue reading Let’s Talk: Your opinion on romance in books…do you love it?Does it make you cringe? Is it necessary?