It' hiatis time...kinda

First of all, Happy (belated) Easter! I hope you all had a lovely time with friends and family, enjoying the lovely long weekend and all.

Anywho, back to the point. I'm sure you've noticed that for the past couple of months, this blog has been pretty empty. And anything I do happen to post is either late, or a half arsed effort. It's just that real life is hella hectic right now. Uni has swamped me with all the work, and I'm finding it harder and harder to not only schedule time to post, but to find time to read. Initially I tried to push through, but you know when you feel like you're obligated to do something, it becomes less and less appealing? This blog has become this for me. Even though I thoroughly enjoy posting anything and everything related to books, I can't even find the time to read at the moment, let alone write posts. There's just too much going on right now. 

So, I'm going to be taking a step back. I'm going to try to actively read more, but you probably won't see that many posts, let alone regular postings. If I have time I might be able to write review posts every now and then, but for the next couple of months, it's going to be fairly quiet around here. 

Wishlist Wednesday (43)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...


All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

Summary from Goodreads:

"Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last."

Why I'm Wishing for It:
I've recently heard a bit about this, and a lot of it is positive. That cover though, it just pulls you in. And then the synopsis sells the story to you, and you just have to add this to your TBR!

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?

Book Review: The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Release Date: 18th December 2012

Publisher: Hyperion
Format: Paperback
Pages: 488
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 RC and 2014 SSC

Summary from Goodreads:

"When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living."

Review:

It's been quite some time since I read this, which makes writing this review so much harder. So, let's keep this short and snappy.

• I rather enjoyed our plot and the world in which it took place. Tragic, but pretty cool, and very well done.
• I rather liked out lead character's. Ruby is great, just because her back story is pretty dame tragic. Suzume was another fave of mine, but so was Liam, and Chubs as well. Actually, I liked the entire gang. 
• Bracken did something interesting in there with a love triangle, which actually managed to surprise me. I wouldn't mind this being explored in the sequels.
• The ending was a bit emotional, and I'm not an emotional reader, so that's saying something!
• Overall, whilst I did enjoy this, I was waiting with baited breathe for something amazing to happen because I've heard so much about how everyone loves this book. But, I was never completely blown away.

To conclude this extremely short review - this was pretty darn good, and I'll definitely continue on with the series. Definitely worth the read.

2014 Quarterly Challenge Update Post #1

This year I'm participating in three reading challenges (woot woot). Even with the tonnes of uni work I've had over the past month or two, I've still managed a fair bit

6/10 read for the Ebook Reading Challenge

9/20 for the Rewind Challenge

10/18 for the Seriously Series Reading Challenge

So far, I'm doing better than I expected. My reading time has seriously been cut short since uni started up, which isn't at all surprising since this is the final year of my degree. The only reason I've been able to still read one book a week is because I've been targeting all the shorter books on my lists - anything and everything 350 pages and under. Surprisingly, I have a lot of shortish books to read, but once I run out of them, all I've really got is 450 pages and over, which will take significantly more time to read. Here's hoping that I'll gain some more free time soon.

Anywho, here's what I've been reading, and what challenges they count for:

1. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell EBC, RC

2. Awaken by Meg Cabot EBC, RC, SSC

3. Pivot Point by Kasie West EBC, RC, SSC

4. Unhinged by A.G Howard SSC

5. The Maze Runner by James Dashner EBC, RC, SSC

6. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline RC

7. Cress by Marrisa Meyer SSC

8. Vortex by Julie Cross RC, SSC

9. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi EBC, SSC

10. Diva by Jillian Larkin RC, SSC

11. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare RC, SSC

12. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead EBC, RC, SSC

Wishlist Wednesday (42)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...


Half Bad by Sally Green

Summary from Goodreads:

"Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.
Easy."

Why I'm Wishing for It:
This has been on my radar for a little while now. The blurb is just so cryptic. I know it has something to do with this teenage boy who is half white witch, half black witch - which is bad, because you don't want to be a black witch? Or do you just want to be completely a white witch or black witch? See - cryptic. I need to find more out about this, it's quite intriguing!

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?

Book Review: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead

Release Date: 16th August 2007

Publisher: Razorbill 
Format: eBook
Pages: 183
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 RC, 2014 SSC and 2014 EBC

Summary from Goodreads:

"St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever."

Review:

This was not at all what I was expecting, and I mean that in the most positive of ways. I guess with the most prominent vampire-based book that I've ever read being the Twilight series, I really wasn't prepared for everything this threw at me. Strong female characters? Magic? A cracking mystery? So much snark and sass? I was not prepared for this.

I went into this expecting one thing, and what I got was completely different. And I absolutely loved it. Most of this book was a massive surprise for me. The plot, the character's, the back story, this world - all of it was much better than I expected. I knew this was a well-loved series, and the reason I finally decided to give this a go was because of the movie adaptation. But I really wasn't expecting that I'd be one of the people singing it's praises. 

I can even pinpoint for you what I loved so much about this book - it's ability to surprise me. As I've already said quite a bit, I wasn't expecting anything that happened in this book (except for maybe the romances, I could see those coming from a mile away). And I think I got so distracted by how unexpected this book was that I was truly surprised by the plot twist at the end. It hadn't even crossed my mind, and recently I've found that I almost always guess the twist at the end, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

Aside from it's ability to really keep me guessing, I loved almost everything else about this book. Especially our two main characters, Rose and Lissa. Rose is just so so sassy and snarky, and I honestly haven't read a character like her in a while. And Lissa is the polar opposite, which in itself is interesting to read. Add onto this that fact that everything about Lissa's story (which is mainly what our plot is focused on) is so tragic, strange, and mysterious, and you've got yourself two perfect leads. Where Lissa is weak, Rose is strong, and vice versa. The two of them together make for one powerful duo, which I'm sure will be explored in subsequent novels.

But even though I loved the plot twists that actually managed to surprise me, and our two heroine leads, I was never completely blown away by this book. This is so close to a 5.0 out of 5.0, but it's not quite there. That being said, I'm so excited to continue on with this series, and I really recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is definitely not the vampire story you'd expect. 

Wishlist Wednesday (41)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...


The Ring and The Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

Summary from Goodreads:

"Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? 

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. 

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one."

Why I'm Wishing for It:
I've been seeing this around a lot recently, which always sparks my curiosity. Plus it does also sound quite interesting. I simply have to check this out when it's released later this year.  

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?