The Red Queen Series | Victoria Aveyard
14 November 2018
And it was a journey, let me tell you.
In my full review for Red Queen, I ended up giving the book three stars, because I decided I did want to know what happened next. So let's do a quick run down of the next books.
Glass Sword ★★
The characters that kept me reading Red Queen, I am afraid, may have been the Glass Sword's downfall. It took right until the end of the book for me to actually get behind Mare as she is really quite un-likeable, it was Shade's plot twist that really made me get behind the characters and that is very much at the end of the book.
As for the story, good lord it takes a bit of time to get through, so many people, places, locations and yet somehow it really is hard to picture and takes a long time. There were definitely times I wanted to give up, I even wrote a blog posts (unpublished) asking for opinions on whether you give up on a book you're not enjoying, but kind of want to know what happens.
But I stuck with it, and although this whole book feels like it could be a lot shorter and get through the first 85% a lot quicker.
That ending.
The ended had me driving to The Trafford Centre at stupid o'clock to pick up...
King's Cage ★★ and a half
King's Cage again suffered from far too much description in between each point of action, making the book feel more drawn out than necessary. I definitely enjoyed King's Cage more than Glass Sword, and thought that having Mare captured by Maven definitely made for interesting reading and an interesting dynamic between the two of them, when those scenes happened few and far between.
The punishment on the whole left me wanting, Maven is created as this utterly masochistic character, yet her only punishment seemed to be silent stone, and Maven, more or less, left her alone.
The premise of this book had me really excited, but I am afraid it didn't quite deliver on the scale I was hoping for. I did find myself reading this book far faster for Mare's inevitable escape, and I really did enjoy the dynamic between her and Cal that was being developed, but I still had a really hard time empathising with some of the choices Mare made, particularly when it came to her family.
With so much potential, and overall a fairly OK read, it's ★★ and a half.
War Storm ★★★
War Storm is definitely a book of two halves. Well, maybe three-quarters and a quarter. The last part of the book is page turning, fast, action-packed and I enjoyed it immensely. The culmination of the books means that the story does feel more exciting than the previous two, we know there is going to be a conclusion one way or another and...
I actually really loved the ending, I won't spoil anything but I thought that it was a really interesting way to finish the book and leave some interpretation to the reader (even if it left me a tiny bit frustrated at the same time).
There was also a part of me that was a tiny bit disappointed in the level of storm Mare could conjure. Now, I know conjuring lightning cannot be easy, but after all she had been through, in the final battle, I wanted no-mercy look-at-how-badass-Mare-is storms, but they never really came. It must have been a choice to keep her on a more level playing field with abilities but after the way she discovered them, I just wanted a little bit more.
I did like the multiple points of view, I know they have received mixed reviews online, sometimes it did feel distracting, but boy did it keep me page turning to get back to the point of view I was interested in. I also thought it was interesting to read from Maven's point of view.
The Red Queen Series ★★★
Well bookish people, we made it, I finished War Storm and the full series. If I had to come down on a side, as this is perhaps the most ambivalent I have been over a book in a while, I would say I am happy that I have read it, which is the reasoning for the three stars, but there were times when it definitely feel like a slog.
Overall, I cannot help but wonder what book we would have read had Maven been who he said he was, and Cal ended up being the tyrannical, murderous king.
Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard
24 August 2018
The world is divided by blood - red or silver.
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Intrigued? I was.
Coupled with the fact that I seemed to be seeing this book all over Instagram, I headed over to Waterstones and grabbed myself a copy.
I must admit, before reading this book I had seen Emily May's review on Goodreads (which is less than glowing), so my expectations were a bit all over the place.
Let me start by saying this book is a slow burner, it seems to take a long time for anything to happen and I honestly feel like things could have happened a little bit quicker, but I suppose the theory was character building, so let's talk about characters shall we?
The characters individually were one of the main things that kept my reading the book, I was interested in their different motivations, powers and following Mare was enjoyable for me. However, I really struggled through the book to believe the relationships between the characters, Mare seems to have all the boys falling at her feet for no reason I could quite figure out. I started to invest in the relationship between Mare and Maven, but I felt like I knew what was coming there (as much as I didn't want it to happen).
Cal had the potential, but what happened with the dancing (trying to keep as spoiler free as possible) felt like it honestly came (a bit) out of nowhere, there was no real build up and I was left feeling a bit confused. Now they have some tension, I am beginning to invest in their relationship a little bit more.
Kilhorn, again, it's like we are just supposed to accept that they are besties and will constantly protect each other, but we are taken away from him so quickly at the beginning, I don't feel like we see enough evidence of that before we are expected to just believe it.
The revolution takes a bit of a back seat in the Red Queen, which is what I am hoping comes out in the next three (three!) books. I am going to purchase Glass Sword, give it a go and see if there is a bit more story to come out now we know the characters.
I am really hoping Red Queen is like the first episode of a TV series, lots of background and building so we can get into the good stuff in the coming weeks, so due to the fact that I read to the end, and I definitely want to give the next book a try, ★★★.
What I Learnt Planning My Sister's Hen Do
7 August 2018
Planning a hen do can feel like a giant thing getting closer and closer until you've suddenly got a second job you didn't plan on having and 20 people to organise and get to all be in the same place at the same time. So, I thought I would impart some of the knowledge I gained from planning my favourite person in the whole wide world's hen night.
You will get stressed.
There are no two ways around it, with all the best will in the world, you will find planning the hen do stressful. I found it best to feel the feelings, make a list and try and move through it.
Make lists.
Having a list infront of you with all your tasks on makes life so much easier. It also makes it easier to see if you could, perhaps, ask for help from other bridesmaids or attendees.
Let go of the little things.
I spent far too long agonising over what should be in the gift bags - and in the end it turned out to be the wrong theme and I couldn't send them back, so in the bag went a unicorn present for a mermaid themed hen night - but it didn't matter, people thought the gift bags were cute and a nice touch, so there was no need to worry!
Take a disposable camera.
The playlist for the barge was on my phone, and I was unable to take as many photos as I would have liked. I have all the photos other people took, and one or two that I managed to snap, but I really wish I had taken a disposable camera to take more. Also for the delayed gratification of looking forward to getting them developed.
People are there to have a good time.
Hopefully, all the people who are coming on your hen evening are there because they mean something to the hen. That means they all want both the hen, and themselves, to have a good time. You plan the actives, they bring the attitude to enjoy themselves.
If I could have, I would have given my sister the world, but unfortunately I can't. I did my best and everyone had a brilliant time and that's all you can do!
Have you planned a hen night? Do you have any tips?
Everless | Sara Holland
30 July 2018
Time is a prison. She is the key.
Ooooooooooooooh. Right?
I will try and stay away from spoliers, but there are definitely some hints in this review that may influence how you read the novel.
The world Holland creates is bloody gorgeous and clever, and I really do believe this would make a great film or TV series for the young adult audience. The play with time was very much my favourite part as I am fascinated with it to begin with, the characters bleed time out of their blood to keep the ruling family happy, and the metaphor for the class system and capitalism is something that is really beautiful throughout the entire book.
Jules as a main character is incredibly likeable, and I really enjoyed following her journey back to Everless. However, HOWEVER, the relationship with Roan felt like a vehicle for the story, rather than something believable.
HOWEVER again, Liam really felt like a much more fully formed character and subsequently, their relationship felt fully formed.
The villains in this novel (which I will definitely not be giving away) were the biggest twist for me, it also taught me that as I reader, I concentrated on the potential of romance and this feels like it is done deliberately by Holland and she sneaks the villains by you in plain sight.
I really enjoyed Everless, I did, I read it in two sittings and enjoyed sitting and falling into the world, however, there were a couple of things in the story that I was expecting (one twist I was expecting to be slightly more hard hitting than it was), and I found that for a strong female character, she was far too obsessed with a boy.
Other than that, I don't enjoy half stars, so due to the fact I am definitely looking forward to the second and it was such an intoxicating world playing with time, I am rounding up to ★★★★.
Brunch with Mamma | Wild & Wild, Congleton
2 July 2018 Congleton CW12, UK
Growing up in South Cheshire, I have always known Congleton, however in recent years it seems to have had a fair amount of regeneration (I may be very late to the lovely Congleton party but I am there, don't come for me please).
I took my Mum out on Sunday, we'd originally headed out to get supplies for my sister's wedding trial makeup party, but we decided that we would pop into Congleton for a spot of food at Wild & Wild first.
My Mum had stumbled upon Wild & Wild when taking my Aunty to buy some mobility apparatus from a shop in Congleton and had be waiting to take me because she said I would love it.
Don't Mums know best people?
I fell head over heels in love with the place the second I walked in, then I found out they did Yoga and they stole my heart (could I BE any more Millenial) ((the answer is yes, put a Friends reference in your sentence)).
The decor is exactly what I would like my house to look like, I am in two minds about ringing them and asking what the paint they used for their feature wall is, but I have refrained so far. If my house suddenly changes colour, you will all know where the inspiration has come from.
To drink I had a beetroot latte and for food I chose a Buddha Bowl to try and get a taste of everything. If you follow me on Instagram, you will know just the amount of love on my feed and in my stories I had for the beetroot lattee, it's making my mouth water just thinking about it. The whole baked cauliflower was definitely a highlight food-wise, and my Mum's peanutty wrap she had (unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me remember what that was called).
I did not try the unicorn cupcakes but look how cute they are?!
Could this place get any more Millenial cliche? Probably not.
Did I asbolutely love it both aesthetically and for the taste? Very much so.
If you're around Congleton, I definitely suggest heading in for a spot of lunch, it's not too pricey and the staff were all lovely. Just forgive that everything is a tiny bit on the hipster side if that's not your normal thing (it's definitely mine!).
Legendary | Stephanie Garber
14 June 2018
You're going to have to give me a moment, because it's taking all my energy to not just have this post all in caps declaring my absolute adoration for the perfection that is Legendary.
I DEVOURED this book. There's no other word for it.
I spend four wonderful evenings in the confliction between my eyes wanting to read every word faster, and my brain wanting to read slower just so I could stay in the world that little bit longer.
Before I held this painfully beautiful book in my hands, I must admit I was sceptical. In the first book, I wasn't really sure about Tella as a character and the thought that she was going to be the narrator in the second book put a small barrier up with me.
Good God was I wrong.
Tella is perfect as a voice to carry this story on and I fell head over heels for her charm, bravery, wit and feminist outlook on life (which, let's face it, is always important).
Dante... I don't even know what to say about Dante, other than I have purchased a candle based on him. So there's that.
Their chemistry is just gorgeous to read and I enjoyed every moment they spent together, and I also enjoyed every moment of discovery Tella had on her own.
The story was gripping, sexy, magical, beautiful and over all too quickly.
As much as I do not believe in perfection, I am nailing my colours to the mast and giving Legendary a big fat ★★★★★.
I bloody loved it.
What did you think? x
Why I've Gone Cruelty Free & My Favourite Cruelty Free Brands
7 June 2018
Firstly, I apologise for the click bait picture of my sister's dogs Casper and Luna (a picture that I give her full credit for), but this post will kind of be about animals, so I figure it isn't too bad of me to put
Secondly, I do not want this post to be preachy, I just want to help people see that going cruelty free isn't hard, and you can feel great for doing a tiny thing to make the world a better place.
Right, now they're out of the way, let's talk about going cruelty free.
I first went cruelty free when I saw quite a graphic post on my Facebook feed from The Dodo. It explained what *some* companies do to Beagles when testing productions on them, and that was pretty much it. That was my decision made to do my absolute best to never purchase a product that had been tested on animals again.
As you can tell from my (sort of) click bait above, I bloody love dogs.
So, here are some of my tips to try and live as cruelty free as possible (I am not perfect, I definitely do not know everything about animal testing but I am doing the best I can and trying to share what I learn as I go).
Blogs
Blogs like Cruelty Free Kitty are absolute bibles for me. As I said above, I am new to this and definitely don't know everything there is to know about the cruelty free world, so I research what I can and see what others are saying and blogs are a great way to do this.
Brands
Some brands are very transparent and open with their policy on animal testing and selling products into China. Here's where I am arguably a bit naive, but I trust their policies and feel far more comfortable shopping there.
Some of my favourite outspoke cruelty free brands include;
Make Up
Lush (yes, I know Lush can be Marmite)
Glossier
The Body Shop
Superdrug Own Brand
Stila
Charlotte Tilbury
Eyeko
Household
Method (absolute fave!)
Ecover
Aldi Own Brand
Once you start looking, it gets easier and easier to find products that you like, enjoy buying, and feel guilt free buying!
Don't get me wrong, it can be challenging when you have run out of hair shampoo and you are stood in the shampoo isle of Sainsbury's desperately Googling every hair brand they have on offer in the hopes that one will come back cruelty free. But I've made the break now, and I am never going back.
Do you shop cruelty free? Any tips?
Birthday Brunch | Pot Kettle Black
4 June 2018 Barton Square, Manchester M3 2BH, UK
It was my birthday not too long ago (I am a May baby and proud!), and to celebrate turning twenty-eight, we went to do one of my favourite things in the world... eat. I am an absolute sucker for brunch, cliche I know, but I love avocado, salmon, poached eggs and most of all mimosas.
Low and behold, nestled in Barton Arcade is a very photogenic brunch destination!
I am making it my mission to try every brunch Manchester has to offer, and in this instance, Pot Kettle Black in Barton Arcade was up.
Now for starters, I have lived around Manchester for most of my life, and I don't know how, but I didn't really know Barton Arcade was there, and so didn't know about Pot Kettle Black until I did a bit of googling to see where I fancied.
Low and behold, nestled in Barton Arcade is a very photogenic brunch destination!
If you can't tell from the first picture on this post, I decided to go for Eggs Royale, a flat white and a mimosa, because it was my birthday and I ordered all the drinks. The food was really lovely, if I am being honest, I could have done with a little bit more salmon, but the eggs were cooked beautifully and I really enjoyed it. The coffee was great and the mimosa was potentially the best one I've had yet.
My main recommendation would be to try one of the brownies, I went for vegan blueberry and honestly it is not only the best vegan brownie I have had, but is up there with the best brownie including dairy options (obviously not better than my boyfriend's which is perfection).
It was a really lovely way to spend my birthday and I am very glad I now know it's there.
Have you been? Do you have any other North West brunch recommendations? x
The Cruel Prince | Holly Black
31 May 2018
I hate that most of all.
I finished The Cruel Prince by Holly Black last night and oh my, I have a whole lot of feelings to work through.
If you haven't read this book yet, I would probably steer clear clear from the rest of my post, but to some it up in one line;
The book is compelling, complex and full of surprises. For me, the second half is definitely where the story really comes into it's own. The Cruel Prince really does leave you winded, and yet yearning for more. ★★★★
It is also worth mentioning that there are definitely trigger warnings in this book, it deals heavily with violence (in many forms) and may be YA, but this is definitely something to keep in mind when reading/recommending.
Ok, now onwards with you people who have already read the book (please leave comments, I am dying to talk to someone about it!)...
Firstly, lets talk about the ending. The ending has absolutely left me shook and desperately googling ways to see if I can get the next book. The final twist, surprisingly not by The Cruel Prince himself, left me feeling betrayed, and yet incredibly satisfied by the direction Black chose to take the book in.
Seriously, can I get The Wicked King now please?
I definitely got more swept away with this book the more I got into the story, but even with that said, the first half(ish) of the book definitely had enough to keep me turning those pages and I devoured the whole thing pretty quickly (I have a full time job y'all).
The Cruel Prince is definitely not perfect, I do think that the story line with Jude/Taryn/Locke jars for me, the relationship with the sisters needed to be developed a bit more, and I found the fact that they duelled over a boy rather frustrating. But here's hoping that this gets explored more in The Wicked King because I am more than happy to be wrong!
The world created is terrifyingly beautiful, and every character really buys into this theme as well, as Black never really affords us the luxury of trust as things start to unravel. There are definitely familiarities about the world presented, but to be honest, that is exactly why I picked up the book in the first place, it is the characters that really make this a stand out YA fantasy novel.
Have you read it? What did you think?
February Book Round Up
8 March 2018
(I don't have a great photo, my original idea was to Bookstagram the hell out of the ones I wanted to review, but I just haven't had the time and it's already the 8th March!)
The Girl of Ink and Stars | Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Starting with the hardest book to review. Hmmm. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this world, and the characters, and I am a sucker for a magical quest of some form, but there was just something lacking. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and decorated pages, and I am really glad I have read the book, but I don't think I will be in a rush to recommend the book to any of my friends, especially compared to the two other books in this review.
I am well aware that this is a children's book, and a really great one at that, but I don't think it quite fits into the young adult category that I was sold the book under, as I don't think it quite builds the world, the romance or the characters up enough to keep an adult completely engaged.
★★★
Heartless | Marissa Meyer
I will tell you what was heartless...THIS BOOK IS HEARTLESS.
The premise is a young Queen of Hearts, so I feel stupid telling you that whilst part of me knew going into the book that this could not end well, I was still absolutely heartbroken at how the book ended. I read on in naive hope, but the Queen of Hearts needed to become the character we all know from Alice in Wonderland, and whilst it was heartbreaking, it also left me incredibly satisfied.
The world is definitely easy to recognise as Alice in Wonderland, but I also really feel it would stand alone if you didn't have any real knowledge of the original story. The characters are well crafted and Jest is just gorgeous, I found myself, not unlike Catherine, flicking through the pages until he appeared again (and I am not sorry about it).
Heartless is easy to fall in love with and hard to forget.
★★★★
Caraval | Stephanie Garber I purchased this book on a bit of a whim in Waterstones when I was in a particularly bad mood and decided that books were what would cheer me up. I did a bit of googling before I began to read it (I couldn't help myself) and the reviews seem to suggest this book is Marmite to a lot of people.
I am definitely in camp love, I can see the faults, and I definitely think Emily May makes some good points in her review, but I found the book intoxicating, which made me forget a lot of the things I would normally be judgemental about.
The islands, the game, Scarlett, Julian, I just fell head over heals for them all.
I picked up this book with low expectations and in the mood to be proved wrong, and I read every page with wild abandon and let every ridiculous metaphor lead me into the world of Legend. I shall definitely be purchasing Legend when it comes out, even with my reservations of a change of narrator.
★★★★1/2
Guess I have had a pretty lucky month when it comes to the books I have chosen to read! What are you reading at the moment? x
NB I did not mean to put these in order of stars, that is not what I intended, it's just the order I read the books in.
Back To Blogging
20 February 2018
The world itself hasn't got any better,but my ability to deal with the anxiety about the state of the world has.
So, I am coming back.
I can't promise that I will post often, and whilst I am going to try and keep a general direction for my blogs; mostly books, food and house renovating; I will not be forcing myself to publish when I do not have content that I like, and I will not be judging myself against my own blog, or judging my blog against other blogs (which we all know if far too easily done).
Where have I been?
Well, Gareth and I bought a house! We purchased his Gran's house and have chosen to do a full renovation of a two-up two-down, so there will be many posts about things I have learnt, how to chose the right builder, and how to lay a slate floor evenly!
I have been reading a lot to try and both keep my brain active, and practice self care, as reading allows me to enter a little bubble of escapism. I am hoping to get more book reviews on here to kid myself into feeling productive and closer to a job where I just read books all day.
I have gone completely vegetarian. I don't think I have previously blogged about this, I think this has happened since my last post where I went silent. I had been toying with the idea for a while as I have always associated a certain amount of guilt with eating meat, and one day I woke up and just decided I wasn't going to do it anymore. This epiphany came about a week before my new chick babies (Oliver and Ginger if you're wondering) arrived. My family now also do not eat chicken. Of their own volition.
Before I make this blog an essay, I will wrap it up there. They are the three main factors in my life at the moment, but it will soon ramp up to include a baby shower, three important weddings and a very important hen, so I am sure I will find a blog post or two in there somewhere.
I also need a quick look back over the things I promised in my 27th year.
Thank you for reading x
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