Title: Rule of Wolves

Series: King of Scars #2

Author: Leigh Bardugo

he wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

I didn’t not like this book, anything regarding the Grishaverse and I’m there for it shaking my pom poms but I guess I just expected this to be different, but that’s on me!

So in this book we have 3 point of views, Nikolai, Zoya and Nina and there is a lot happening!

These are just a few of my thoughts:

I think I wanted more Nikolai than this, I mean wasn’t this meant to be his book?

My Nina. My lovely, heartbroken queen. The Queen of Mourning. I mean I don’t mind that she has her happy ending, I’m really happy that she’s happy but I really wanted Matthias resurrected!!

I initially didn’t like Zoya but that had changed  she has grown on me! But…..DRAGONS! Could I be more excited?! The answer is no! 

There was one part where I cried out in anger, why oh why kill off someone else?!!  I mean I know its a world of basically war but noooo!!!

So not much of a review but to do want to say there was the same great writing, great word building and fab banter and loved seeing old friends and old enemies!

And that SoC bit at the end!!!! Happy dance!

I’ll leave you with one of my fave lines:

‘Nikolai followed his Queen through the mountains.’

Title: Ironside

Series: Modern Faerie Tales #3

Author: Holly Black

In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben’s coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing — her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can’t see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn’t exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth — that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother’s shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben’s throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.

So, am back in this world after loving the first 2 books.

Before I started, I admit the premise of this book irked me that Roiben had to give Kaye a quest to prove her declaration to him. I would’ve told him to get on his bike and stick it!

But then I guess we wouldn’t have a story and also because I wanted more Roiben, I dived in….and in the end, I wasn’t disappointed….

‘I taught myself to feel nothing. And you make me feel.’

But…..I didn’t love this as much as the first book and I can’t even put my finger on why. The shining light for me in this book was Corny. Just fabulous.

This was dark, full of death and torture and was an enjoyable read!

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 : Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences 

Just a short one today from me (and no pics, I’m sorry!) because I am running out of time to get all the stuff I need to, done.  Work is hella busy at the moment so my apologies!

I’m not really sure I totally understood this but these are my offerings!

---

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time by Kylie Scott
Josh and Hazels Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
The Beginning of Everything by Kristen Ashley
I Like Big Dragons and I Cannot Lie by Lani Lynn Vale
Until the Sun Falls From the Sky by Kristen Ashley
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Depends on Who’s Asking by Lani Lynn Vale

I thought I’d do a tag in May and what better than Meet the Blogger tag! I wasn’t tagged but got from Lou’s Book Stuff, check her out here.

Rules

Nominated bloggers can nominate up to ten other bloggers.

Use the same questions from the tag.

Here we go……

Who is your all-time favourite book character?

I think mine is a romance book character, Joker from Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley. I love him!

• 

If you were stranded on a desert island, which book would you take with you? (Survival books do not count!)
I’m cheating here and choosing a series! Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas.

What’s your most unpopular book opinion?
I cant get on with dark academia. I’ve tried and I’ve tried but it’s not for me!

What’s your weirdest bookish habit?
I must know how many pages are in a book. I don’t mind if there are 150 pages or 950 but i have to know!!!!!

What character would you bring to a family event as your fake partner?
Oh gawd, maybe Rhysand. He would certainly shake things up. Especially if his wings popped out!!!

What made you decide to start a book blog?
I started out on a FB page in 2012 for just romance books and branched out to WordPress because I wanted to crow about my other preferred genre, YA Fantasy! I still have my FB blog but to be honest I’m totally disheartened with it as I pour hours into it and, because of the algorithm, no one hardly sees my posts so am thinking about giving it up.

What about reading and books do you love the most?
The feeling of reading a fab story, of being totally invested in a story in a different world. Can’t beat that feeling!

What is your field of study/desired profession/current profession?
Currently I am a project manager for an insurance company but if I could do it all again  I would like to go into graphic design.

What are some book recommendations that became your favourites/obsessions?
From Blood and Ash series has become a huge obsession for me!

What is the book you shove down everyone’s throat?
No doubt, House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Can’t tell you how much I love it and that it’s like a breath of fresh air.

Just a short one to say….

• 

SIX YEARS ON WORDPRESS!

Happy Blogiversary to me!!

For the first 2 years I was only posting content from PR companies and I realised I wanted to make the blog my own voice so changed it up to (sort of!) what you see today!

I love seeing your posts, replying to comments and have made some fab online friends!

Here’s to 6 more years and I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Hi everyone!

There are so many fab books being released in June but I really, really need to curb how many books I am buying because I am running out of space to put them!

Then I thought I’d just buy the e-book which is fine for space but then my tbr is creaking at the seams!

So I am going to try and be so good and make sure I utilise my wishlist more than I do now!

Anyway, I’ve narrowed all the books that are being released in June down to 2 that I must have!!!!

Broken Web by Lori M Lee

Daughter of Sparta by Claire M Andrews

What books are you looking forward to releasing in June?

(Please don’t make me add more to my tbr!!!!!!)

Title: Fake

Series: West Hollywood #1

Author: Kylie Scott

He walks the red carpet. She’s more familiar with vacuuming one.

When a scandal tarnishes the reputation of hot as hell A-lister, Patrick Walsh, he needs a reputation rescue, pronto.

Enter waitress Norah Peers–a nobody who’s average with a capital A. She’s available, dependable, and has sworn off men for the rest of her natural born life. In other words: the perfect match for a no-strings fake romance.

For the right amount of money, she can avoid waitressing and play the part of his dependable down-to-earth girlfriend. What she can’t avoid–dammit–is the growing steam between them.

But being hounded by the paparazzi and having your life dissected on social media is a panic attack in the making. And while Patrick might be a charming rogue on screen, in real life he’s a six-foot-two confusing, gorgeous, brooding grump, who keeps her at a distance . . . but also makes her feel like this bond between them might be more than just an act.

Being dumped on cue should be no big deal. Except being fake with Patrick is the realist relationship Norah has ever had. What’s a girl to do, but flip the script, and ask for a rematch made in Hollywood?

‘He walks the red carpet. She’s more familiar with vacuuming one.’

I mean how could I resist that?!

There was a lot of things I loved in this book. Let me list because who doesn’t love a list?!

Norah loved her: ‘I need a whole team to fix how I look? I laughed, because, awkward. “Things are really that dire?,
Loved Gran,
Loved the photographer in the bushes,
Loved Mei,
Loved Jack,
Loved Cole (who I bet we’ll see next!),
Even loved Angie in her own way!

But I especially loved Patrick. Ole Paddy was one brooding, moody hunk o love!

This was a whirlwind of hilariousness and I loved every second!

Title: The Bear and the Nightingale

Series: The Winternight Trilogy #1

Author: Katherine Arden

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

I was entranced! I loved it so much!

I tried to listen to the audio of this book but just couldn’t get on with it, but when I was reading this I realised why. This book needs to be read! My eyes needed to see those beautiful words and take them all in.

This is Russian folklore and a fairytale come true in the shape of demons and spirits. It was spellbinding.

Vasilisa is the hero of our story and she is just the most fascinating character I’ve read about. We see her from childhood to almost womanhood, the way she is, her thoughts, her gifts, her being. She was just utterly so well written I could cry.

Morozko is her saviour in many ways, love him already and I really hope there is a love story blooming here although I’m not really sure how that will work! We don’t see much of him but I hope to see more:

‘Sleep is cousin to death, Vasya. And both are mine.’

On the subject of Morozko, I have an art print from a book box that I’ve kept for a while as I really liked it, although I had never read the book (lets just say Morozko is painted in a very good light!)

I think it was an omen. I fell in love with the art and now I’ve fallen in love with the book.

 

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 with Nature on the Cover

 

This actually was quite easy (at last, a subject I didn’t struggle with!)

 

Venom and Viper by Bex Hogan – snake

 

Crave by Tracy Wolff – flower

 

The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa – raven

 

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab – cat

The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young– sea

Moti on the Water by Leylah Attar – beach/sea

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert – leaves

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo– crow

The Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley– tiger

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater – hawk

Some others to mention:

• All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace- water
• The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison –  butterfly
• The Vine Witch by Luanne G Smith – vines
• With Everything I Am by Kristen Ashley – forest
• The Dragon Republic by R F Kuang –  dragon

 

What would your books be?