I received this book in my Fairyloot box and they have started to do book of the month readalong…what better way to get the book read!

I’ve never read this author before but OMG I fell in love with this book, just everything about it. The story, the characters, the world building, just everything and then went straight to Amazon to see what other books by this author I could get for Christmas!!!

 

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. This book wasn’t just amazing, it was THE best book I’ve read this year <—– yes, I’ve called it!
‘Claim the stars, Spensa’
Spin has spent her life fighting her Dad’s legacy, a coward. She gets her chance to attend flight school to fight for her desperately outnumbered and outgunned planet…..
I just want to tell you what I loved:

The writing,
The unique characters,
The plot,
The pace,
The world building,
The utter devastation I felt in parts,
The actual hope I felt,
The friendships,
M-Bot,
Doomslug,
The way I pictured Cobb as Mad Eye Moody!
So really……I loved it all. All.
You know I’m not sure I can wait a year for the next book. Now tell me…is it against the law to sit outside an authors house chanting ‘write, write, write’?!!
Signing off, callsign: Brit!

 

I had this series on my Beat the Backlist challenge and now I am really kicking myself for not reading sooner…..I LOVED IT!

Cress was by far my favourite character of the whole series, her and Thorne made my heart soar!

I don’t want to bore you to death with words upon words from my reviews so have just included the full reviews for Cress and Winter and just links to Cinder and Scarlet!

 

Here is my review for Cinder

Here is my review for Scarlet

My review for Cress

OMG could this series get any better?

More and more is revealed and my jaw was on the floor. In fact, I was at soft play when one bombshell was dropped and I looked up at the woman opposite me and she asked if I was ok!!!

In every story there is a hero and mine is Thorne. But he isn’t a typical hero. He was just mine. And Cress’s

‘If you honestly believe that, then you really don’t recognize true value when you see it.’

I need to read Winter immediately, she seems like a broken dove, and already I love that.

My review for Winter

‘The young princess was as beautiful as daylight. She was more beautiful even than the queen herself.’

The finale…..

I fell in love with Winter about 3 seconds after I read her, and it kept growing and growing. Lovely, kind hearted Winter….

‘Winter was a well-loved princess who was prettier than a bouquet of roses and crazier than a headless chicken.’

I hated Levana as much as I hated Circe off of Game of Thrones, and I hated her sooooo much.

The whole crew…Cinder, Thorne, Kai, Cress, Scarlet, Iko and Wolf. Wow. I never thought I would love all characters in a book, but I did. I laughed with them, I cried with them and I celebrated with them.

Omg it was intense!

It was perfect!

This series is everything!

 

 

Anyone else read and loved this series?

We all have lives, busy lives. The school runs, the traffic, the hustle at work, shopping, extra curricular kids activities, the washing, the housework and battling to get your son dressed before school (or is that just me?!), so you need a bit of relaxing time.

You pick up a book that you have had for a while on your shelf.

And then you experience the utter joy and happiness of reading a series that makes you actually sing with joy. Being emersed in another world, with other worldly characters who are just so amazing you have no idea where the words came from inside the author.

This is what this series is for me.

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas.

I joined the readalong on the Facebook Sarah J Maas page, not only to join in but to spur me on to read some of my tbr. I am so glad I did!

This series bought me back my love of reading in a time when I thought it was taking a nose dive and I might need to step back from the book world a bit. So for this, Sarah J Maas, I thank you. More than thanks, my utter, humble gratitude comes your way in spades.

I’ve rambled on and on here but I needed to get it out, therapy if you will! Here are my reviews, maybe a little disjointed as I couldn’t wait to pick up the next book and dive in!

Throne of Glass review

Crown of Midnight review

Heir of Fire review

Queen of Shadows review

Empire of Storms review

Tower of Dawn review

Now the wait for Kingdom of Ash……

I absolutely LOVED Warcross so was desperate to find out what happened next and how it all ended.

I think when I finished that I realized that Warcross was my favourite out of the duet but still agree that this is a must read.  Does anyone else agree?

 

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

4 ‘every problem has a solution’ stars!

I thought I’d write some bits as I went along…..

I’m 47% in and my mouth is agape. Never in a million years did I think this was all going to happen!

So far the story line has taken a different tack for Em…..she is now the follower and not the leader. It was an interesting change, and I like it!

My allegiances have been flying backwards and towards I must admit!

And Hideo, I love a bit of romance and this line really stuck with me
‘For a girl that you claim you don’t care about, that little wild card sure has a grip on you.’

60% if my mouth could hang open more I’d be surprised. Plus my eyes are popping out my head!

Oh jeez that last 20% was action packed. I couldn’t get enough!

So to sum up, action packed, some shockers and a great read!

And a sidenote. I love Jax.

 

This was a no brainer for me, my favourite villain and one of my favourite authors….

Here is the blurb (which I am sure you all know, late to the party again!):

When the Bat’s away, the Cat will play. It’s time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing.

 

 

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

‘Every good criminal in Gotham has a call sign. Let’s add this one to the mix. Catwoman. Has a nice ring to it.’

Catwoman is my fave baddie ever. I needed this book!

I didn’t know anything really about Batwing so reading this was like an education!

It was dramatic, maybe a bit dragged out in places but the secondary characters are amazing! In fact, Harley Quinn is my fave villian next to Catwoman. But a new contender entered the ring (for my heart!)….Poison Ivy. Like Batwing, I hadn’t known much about her before but she was just so endearing!

Not my fave in this series but a good read, Sarah captured Gotham brilliantly!

Wow oh wow, oh wow!

I’m going to make a bold statement…….this is my favourite book of the year so far!

IT.WAS.EVERYTHING.   EVERYTHING!!!!!

Here is the blurb:

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?

 

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

The blurb really made me smile so I knew I needed this and to simply put it, this is hilarious. Genius. Beautiful.

Hazel is just a scream! She actually made me out of breath reading her!!! In her words,
‘I tend to be too chatty, too silly, too exuberant, too random, too eager. Too Hazel-y.” I was worried she might grate on me but she didn’t, she was just so genuine that I loved her.

And Josh, his dry wit had me smirking. Their friendship, their love, just them! ‘We have nowhere to go but up.’

I picked it up to read a few chapters before bed and I nearly finished in 1 sitting (a girl’s got to sleep!) But I had a smile on my face from start to finish.

You need this book in your life. It is one hell of a pick me up!

Monsters of Verity Duet by VE Schwab

This Savage Song #1

Our Dark Duet #2

Ok so I am totally late to the party (again!) but I am so glad I picked these up, so refreshingly different and I LOVED them!

I wont bore you with the blurbs as I am sure you have either read or know what the books are about (if you haven’t check them out here and here.)

 

THIS SAVAGE SONG

Unputdownable <—— love this word, and it’s so apt for this book!

So I’ve never read this author before and decided to jump in with this duet…..omg I’ve been missing out!

August and Kate were fabulous in their own ways although August was my total fave out of the duo.

I don’t really know what to say, I don’t want to say anything about the plot but I will say it’s weird for me, a book with no romance, I can’t remember the last time I read a book with no love interests, totally refreshing!

‘I read somewhere, that people are made of stardust.
Really?
Maybe that’s what you’re made of. Just like us.
And despite everything, August smiled.’

And that ending. My eyes were popping out my head!

 

OUR DARK DUET

This book pick a up a few months after Our Savage Song and we find August and Kate kicking but (yes changed for my review!) separately……but their lives intertwine again when a new monster shows up…..

Whilst I didn’t love this as much as Savage Song, I still liked it, it was creepy and dark and had me hooked.

And that ending, just explosive! It didn’t conform to what people probably expected and it broke my heart but, oh my god, a fantastic conclusion to the duet!

 

Have you read?

What were your thoughts?      

 

Anyone else following The Shooting Stars series by Aurora Rose Reynolds? The last book came out in 2016 so I was gagging for this!  This is book 3 in the series and when I read the blurb I wanted to blub!!!

Here it is (keep tissues handy!):

Finding out my husband, my best friend, only had months to live was devastating.
Sitting out under the star-filled sky, listening to him wish on star after star, night after night, almost killed me.
He never wished to get better.
He wished for me to be happy.
He wished for me to find the strength to move on.
I told him his wishes were pointless, because happiness wouldn’t exist without him.
I found out soon after he passed away that I was pregnant.
But I had no idea his final wish would bring me something I never thought I’d find again.

 

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

It’s a shorty as I was a bit lost for words!

One look at this blurb and I knew this book would slay me!

 ‘I wished for you. When I was just a kid I wished on a shooting star that you’d notice me, I wished that you’d be mine.’

Bre and Denver’s journey is not an easy one but what it is, is truly emotional but oh so breathtakingly beautiful.