TTT – Bookish Candles!

TTT

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Theme = Freebie!

As this was a freebie and I didn’t want to do a past topic I thought I’d do….

Top 10 Bookish Candles!

Azriel from ACOTAR from the Canvas collection  made by Flickerwix,

The Darkling made by Wordywick Candles,

The Darkness Between Stars inspired by Manon from Throne of Glass made by Grace and Honey,

The House in the Cerulean Sea made by Flickerwix,

Karou and Akiva from Daughter of Smoke and Bone made by Ember Stagg Candles.

Reid and Lou from Serpent and Dove made by Bookworm Candles and Craft

From Blood and Ash (Poppy and Hawke) from the Canvas collection made by Flickerwix

Squad 312 from Aurora Rising made by Midnight Flame Candles,

Warcross candle made by Book Nook,

Once Upon a Dream made by The Story Gift.

Closing the Chapter: May 2021

Welcome to Closing the Chapter! I hope you had a great reading month?

The last day of May! Time is flying!

May was an ok month, it was my birthday yesterday and I read 9 books which is over average for me so I am very pleased (and a great time was had!!!)

Apologies as most of my reviews are to come in June, need the time to write all the posts up!

Physical/ebook

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
See my review here

Ironside by Holly Black
See my review here

Fake by Kylie Scott
See my review here

(Sorry no pic as the cover was so distorted trying to add here!)

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
See my review soon!

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
See my review soon!

Venom by Bex Hogan
See my review soon!

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
See my review soon!

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
See my review soon!

Audio

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
See my review here

What did you read in May?

Haul: May 2021 (looking good!!!)

May is nearly over (and it’s my birthday tomorrow!) so I thought I would show you what books I got this month. More than I wanted to but I’m on course to read 10 books this month so that’s going in the right direction!

Physical/ebooks


Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levensellar


Ember of Night by Molly E Lee

Arcs


Son of Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa


Fairyloot


The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

What did you haul in May?

Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Review1

Title: Clockwork Princess

Series: The Infernal Devices #3

Author: Cassandra Clare

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Well I think my heart has just been wrenched out!

That’s what you get when you immerse yourself in a fictional world I find. I was so invested in the world, the plot and the characters that I lost myself there!

Let me tell you I couldn’t put this book down. It’s not often I read a near 600 page book in a day but I needed this story like I needed air!

Will, Jem and Tessa……

I didn’t warm to Tessa in book 1 or really 2 but in this book I did and my ‘team’ changed rapidly throughout this trilogy from Will to Jem and back again…..and in this book I realised I didn’t have to. The 3 of them are an actual whole, their love and devotion pulled at my heartstrings.

I even warmed to Jessamine and I never in a million years thought that would happen!!!!

I’ll leave you with this line that had me saying awwww out loud (to myself!!)

‘And I am – I am catastrophically in love with you.’

Birthday Giveaway!

BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY

It’s my birthday this Sunday so thought I would spread the love!

One winner will get a book of your choice up to the value of £20 from Book Depository (please make sure they ship to your country).

You can enter over on Instagram:

My user name is @CJRTB_Books


Long link: https://www.instagram.com/cjrtb_books

TTT – Books That Fit a Theme

TTT

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Theme – Books that Fit A Theme 

My theme is my Instagram (not very original I know but what can you do when you are really busy!)
Anyways…..hope you enjoy these!  You can find me on IG with user name @cjrtb_books

Would You Rather Book Tag!

Disclaimer – I can’t remember where I saw this tag or even if I was tagged but I do know it was  at the end of last year that I saw it and saved the questions but forgot who posted so please accept my humblest apologies creator!!!

But anyway, here we are….The Would You Rather Book tag

1 – Would you rather a series you love never get its final book, or have its final book with an ending you dislike?

Omg it’s Game of Thrones all over again!!!! But seriously I would rather have the book with an ending I dislike because, and even with GoT, I try to see the best in things!

2 – Would you rather your favourite series get a cheesy adaptation with the perfect cast, or an otherwise good adaptation with a cast you hate?

Oooh this is difficult! Probably good adaptation with a cast I hate!

3 – Would you rather cry at every book you read, or never feel strong emotions about any book you read?

Another hard one!!!! I’m not a crier at all so probably the 2nd option (which in itself is sad!)

4 – Would you rather meet your favourite author or your favourite character?

Author I think.

5 – Would you rather every book you read have romance, or never read a book with a romance again?

Romance. Give me all the romance!!!!

6 – Would you rather read a book with a great plot and unlikable characters, or a boring plot and amazing characters?

I guess boring plot and amazing characters? This is a really hard one which I have been going back and forth on! Let’s hope I never have to choose in real life!!!!

7 – Would you rather visit any bookish world you want, but only for an hour, or only visit one bookish world, but stay as long as you want?

With the first option could I keep going back?! I’d like to visit quite a few so first option with the chance of going back if I really like it for another hour!!!

8 – Would you rather never blog again, or have to post a blog post every single day?

Every single day please! I think I’d be lost never blogging again! But I do worry the content might get a bit rubbish if I had to post every day!

9 – Would you rather give up your blog and keep all bookish social media, or keep your blog and leave all bookish social media?

Oh gawd, whaaaaaaaat? Thing is platform popularity changes frequently. At the moment for me, FB is out and IG is in but WordPress has always been the constant. After having a war in my brain for a bit I’ve decided the 2nd option but I really wouldn’t want to do it!!!!

10 – Would you rather read outside on a sunny day, or inside on a rainy day?

Inside on a rainy day. Inside all the time in fact! My skin hates the sun (thanks immune system and sun allergy) so I can’t really read in the sun any longer.

Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Review1

Title: Clockwork Prince

Series: The Infernal Devices #2

Author: Cassandra Clare

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Will.
Will.
Will.

If I keep saying it you will understand the depth of my feeling for him now now that I understand him!

I learned a bit about myself with this book. I am fickle! Jem was my fave in Angel but after the revelations in this book I fell head over heels in love with Will and am now firmly in his camp!

So Tessa, I didn’t really like her in Angel, I thought she was rude and cruel and at the beginning I began to warm up to her, I mean it must be so hard being loved by 2 gorg Shadowhunters! But I feel for her. I really do.

Jessamine was less of a waste of space in this book but she is a horrid, selfish creature!

So anyway, this book basically broke my heart! Each book does this to me but I can’t get enough of this series. I think its turning me into a masochist!!!

20 Books of Summer: I’m in!

20 Books of Summer……
……but I think 10 for me this year!

Cathy746 Books is hosting 20 Books of Summer again this year – check out the details here. The challenge runs from 1st June to 1st September.

I’ve done this challenge for the past 3 years and hit 20 each time, however I’ve now turned into such a mood reader that I don’t think I could read 20 off a pre-chosen list so let’s hope I can even read these!

1 Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
2 City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
3 City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
4 Untethered Kaylynn Flanders
5 Lore by Alexandra Bracken
6 A Queen of Gilded Horns by Amanda Joy
7 Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
8 Namesake by Adrienne Young
9 Becoming his Monster by Amelia Hutchins
10 Hood by Jenny Elder Moke