Tag: ACourtofThornsandRoses

November 2017 TBR!

mylifewithbooksblog3 Comments

Ah! October really just flew by and I am scrambling to catch up. November means colder day, NaNoWriMo, and less time for reading…but I am really hoping to get a good amount of books read this coming month!

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 

Image result for clockwork prince

As I have mentioned in my previous reading updates, I am currently re reading The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare, and am loving it! Clockwork Prince is the second in the trilogy, which follows the prequel, Clockwork Angel. Clockwork Angel follows Tessa Gray, an American girl sent to London to visit her brother, but upon her arrival is kidnapped by the “Dark Sisters” for her mysterious shape shifting talents. These books take place in the late 1800’s in London, which makes it that much better too!

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia 

Image result for eliza and her monsters

I am in the mood to re read, so I decided to pick up a fun contemporary as the days get darker and colder. Eliza and Her Monsters is about a girl named Eliza who is the anonymous creator of the online webcomic phenomenon “Monstrous Sea”. She is awkward, quiet and very relatable. This book has some romance sprinkled in as well, but ultimately it is about feeling comfortable with who you are. I read this back in July for the BookTubeaThon and absolutely adored it so I am looking forward to revisitng these characters.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas 

Image result for a court of thorns and roses

This was a book that I read only a few months ago as well, but I really want to try reading the second one again so I thought diving back into the first one would make that process easier. A Court of Thorns and Roses is about a girl named Feyre who goes hunting in the woods, only to shoot a wolf that is really a faerie. Killing a faerie is a crime, so when she is given the option to die or live out the rest of her mortal life in the faerie realm as a punishment. She chooses to live, and as the story goes on she realizes that her captor may not be the beast she thought he was. This is a very steamy fantasy book and I am really looking forward to refreshing my mind on this world!

Since November is going to be a very busy month writing and school wise, I want to keep by TBR low so I don’t disappoint myself too much…hopefully I will be able to squeeze a few more books onto there but only time will tell. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: NaNoWriMo Prep #4!

Fantasy Recommendations for Fall/Winter!

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

Fall and winter are the perfect time to snuggle up with a good fantasy read, so here are a few recommendations to get you going!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

a court of thorns and roses

Sarah J Maas is excellent at writing these dark and addicting fantasy reads. This is a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and follows our main character Feyre who while hunting, kills a wolf that turns out to be a faerie. Her punishment for this is that she can either die or live out the rest of her mortal life in the faerie realm. Choosing to live, she moves in with a faerie who seems like a monster at first, but she realizes there may be more to him than she thought. A Court of Thorns and Roses is such a swoony book that will leave you wanting more and more. There are also two other books in this trilogy so you can binge the whole thing!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare 

Image result for clockwork angel

I realized that I rarely recommend this trilogy on my blog, and that is because I haven’t read it in forever! I have decided to reread it though this month, so I thought I would recommend it since it is such a dark, cozy read. Clockwork Angel takes place in London, which screams fall with its dark, rainy days (usually). It follows Tessa, a girl from America who receives a letter from her brother telling her to come visit him in London so she does, only to discover it is a trap and is kidnapped. However, Will Herondale, a Shadowhunter, saves the day and brings her back to the institute where he lives. There we are introduced to more Shadowhunters, more action and adventure, and even a heart wrenching love triangle. This trilogy is amazing and if you haven’t read it, definitely check it out!

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 

Image result for miss peregrine's home for peculiar children

This book is a perfect fall/winter read because it is definitely on the darker and peculiar side (haha). Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children follows a boy named Jake, who visits his late grandfather’s home country of Wales after his mysterious death. There, he finds the gateway to an alternate time where he meets the peculiar group of children who grew up with Jake’s grandfather. I haven’t read this book in what feels like ages so I have the sudden urge to re read this one too as the days get darker!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 

Shatter-Me-2

Another trilogy I haven’t read in ages and am dying to re read. Shatter Me follows a girl named Juliette who has been locked up for over a year because of her powers, alone, until a boy named Adam is brought in with her and breaks her out. I really enjoyed the Shatter Me trilogy, which is actually soon going to be a series! It was fast paced, fun but also on the darker side that makes it a perfect read for the fall/winter time.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales by the Grimm Brothers 

Image result for grimms fairy tales

Fairy tales are the perfect stories to read during the fall/winter time, especially Grimm’s fairy tales because they are so dark and twisty. There is Little Red Cap, Rapunzel, Hansel and Grethel, etc. They are all stories we know and love, but there are also some in there I guarantee most of you haven’t read. So snuggle up and crack open this magical book because it will give you the cozy vibe you need during the colder months,

Those are a few recommendations for the fall/winter time and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: NaNoWriMo Prep #2!

 

Trashy YA Novels

mylifewithbooksblog2 Comments

By trashy, I mean filled with YA tropes and clichés…but in the best way possible. I absolutely love trashy YA, I devour it because it is made of the most addicting things ever! Anyways, here are a list of five of my favourite trashy YA novels.

obsidian-cover5The Lux Series by Jennifer L Armentrout – These books are about a human and a hot, alien badboy falling for each other…how more cliché can it get? I read the first book in one sitting because I didn’t want to stop, and same with the second. The series falters a bit after the second, but I still really enjoy it overall. If you want a fast-paced, trashy YA series, definitely give this a go!

thesummeriturnedpretty

 

 

The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han – Cliché count…this books takes place in the summer(1), it has a love triangle(2), it has a good boy and a bad boy(3), it has a girl who doesn’t think she is pretty but really is(4)…the list goes on and on and on. This is a very controversial trilogy because some people enjoy it while others don’t, but personally I think it is a lot of fun.

a court of thorns and roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – This has a lot of romance in it, and also has the typical cliché of “good boy” and “bad boy” but I love it! It is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast and just makes you swoon. It is probably the least trashy book on this list, but still, it has its clichés that I adore.

selection-cvr

 

The Selection Series by Kiera Cass – I swear these books are the definition of trashy which is probably why I finished the first three books in two days…once you pick them up you do not want to put them down which is why I love all these trashy books. They always make me want to read. The Selection has romance and tension and is overall a really fun and entertaining read!

 

tumblr_mixxgtPAsX1s3jza0o1_500Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins – These are some of my favourite contemporary books, but they definitely fit into the category of trashy YA. They have such adorable romances and clichés that even though they are heavily used, you can’t help but appreciate. Once you pick up the first one, you want to pick up the next one right away and voila! You are once again sucked into the trashy YA’s.

Those are five of my favourite trashy YA novels, and I use trashy in a good way I swear. If you want to a quick, entertaining read definitely give these a try! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Reading/Writing Update!

 

Favourite Books of 2016!

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

I don’t plan on reading many new books this December, so I thought I ought to share my favourites from this year! In this blog post I will be listing my top 9 favourites from this year and then lastly my all time favourite book from this year so I hope you enjoy! (P.S. The top 9 are in no particular order!)

10. Winter by Marissa Meyer. This was the first book I completed in 2o16 and I thought it was such a satisfying and epic conclusion to the amazing Lunar Chronicles series. I am a huge fan of this series and while in my opinion, it started off slow, it definitely ended with a bang! I am so happy with this book and it just had to make my list.

9. Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout. I absolutely adore this book which is the first book in the Lux series. It is so fun and entertaining to read and it also has a really awesome cast of characters that I love to follow so much!

8. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – Oh my gosh I am obsessed with this story! I watched the movie numerous times before I finally picked up this short book but I am so glad I finally did because it met all the expectations that the movie set up for me. I cannot wait to purchase my own copy of this book because it follows such an interesting and important storyline and overall is a fantastic novel.

7. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead. This is the 3rd book in the Vampire Academy series and it is my favourite out of the entire series, with Spirit Bound right behind it. I love Vampire Academy and I thought the books were all so amazing but when I read Shadow Kiss I was fangirling and just devouring the whole thing.

6. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. Everyone was raving about this book because the movie was coming out so I decided to pick it up and read it before I read the book…let me tell you it was not a let down! I finished this book in 2 days and I would not have put it down for even a second if I got the chance. I don’t read to many adult books but this book is definitely the way to go.

5.A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. This book came to a very close tie with my all time favourite book of 2016 because this book is just so damn good! I started reading it in 2015 but put it down because I just wasn’t that into it, but then this past summer I picked it up again and could not stop reading it! It is a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast and was just everything a book needed to be to be perfect.

4. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. This trilogy is a lot of fun and very intriguing. I picked this up at my library just because I have heard about it a few times so I thought why not? Besides, before reading this I hadn’t read too many time travel books but when I read this book, it made me ONLY want to read time travel books…it was just so freaking good and I love this entire trilogy so much!

3. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han.  I have raved about this book plenty of times on my blog but I just can’t stop. I love to read contemporary but this book made me love the genre even more. It is everything you want in a good contemporary book…it has an adorable romance, a quirky main character, and many, many relatable scenes. I cannot wait for the final book in this trilogy because they are so flipping amazing!

2. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Unlike many other contemporaries I didn’t devour this book in one sitting. I wanted to always put this book down because I wanted to extend the story for as long as possible which just shows how amazing it was. I loved the 2 main characters and watching them get through a very dark time in their lives was very raw and real and just made the story 100% better.

1. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare!!! This fantastic book was my all time favourite book of 2016, and let me tell you why. I am a massive Mortal Instruments fan but even I didn’t expect to love this book so much. It was all I expected and more and I am ecstatic for the new book coming out this coming May!

Those were my top 10 favourite books of 2016 and I hope you enjoyed!

Favourite Series by the Genres

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

I am a huge fan of so many series but I decided to pick my favourite from each genre so here are my all time favourites! BTW I do use some not as popular genres to fit in all of my favourites…I just had to add them all.

Fantasy: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare – I absolutely LOVE the Mortal Instruments series so much, therefore making Cassandra Clare my all time favourite fantasy author as well. I love her easy writing and how it just flows nicely together. She makes wicked characters and epic worlds and honestly, her books are just a gift to read.

High Fantasy (yes): A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – Yes, this is going to be separate from the regular ‘fantasy’ genre because Sarah J Maas is such freaking fantastic writer that I had to add in here. A Court of Thorns of Roses is by far one of my favourite reads of this year because it was magical, epic and just perfection.

Sci-Fi: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer – I don’t read much sci-fi but the Lunar Chronicles is definitely the way to go. This series incorporates fairy tales, awesome characters and just overall an amazing story line. These books are so much fun to read and Marissa Meyer just has such a captivating writing style!

Dystopian: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi – Again, I don’t read a lot of dystopian but the Shatter Me trilogy kept me entertained from beginning to end and I really just love these books. They are fun, gripping and just really easy reads. Plus Warner…

Middle Grade: Harry Potter by JK Rowling – YES this is counting as middle grade because technically it is along with fantasy AND I wanted to add my other favourite middle grade series in here too. But yeah! I am obsessed with Harry Potter, obviously, because how could you not love this epic world that JK Rowling has created?

Mythology: Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan – This has mythology and mythology is a genre so bam. Percy Jackson was the first series I read and the series that got me into reading so not including it would be a crime. Plus Rick Riordan has a way of creating the most lovable and amazing characters so…

Contemporary: Anna, Lola and Isla by Stephanie Perkins – Okay, so the titles of these books were waaay to long to put altogether but technically speaking this is a contemporary trilogy…I mean the stories all tie in together right? Anyways, I love all these books so much. They have awesome characters I relate to, they have Etienne and Cricket and they also just have cute scenes that make me all warm and fuzzy!

Those are all my favourite series/trilogies and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to comment some of your favourite series below as well 🙂

 

Top 5 Fantasy Books

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

Fantasy is an amazing genre and I am sure plenty of you agree. I’m about to share with you my all time favourite fantasy books. Some of these books might be urban fantasy, epic fantasy, middle grade fantasy but they are all the same fantasy. Don’t forget to comment below you’re favourite fantasy books!

  1. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare – This is the first book to Cassandra Clare’s new series and when I read it I thought I couldn’t love the Shadowhunter world more but I was wrong. I fell in love with this book and I just loved how quickly everything moved and the whole cast of characters. I adore this book just as much as The Mortal Instruments series but I can only pick one to my number 1 and I just had to choose this!
  2. City of Glass by Cassandra – Cassandra Clare is my favourite author and the book this series comes from (The Mortal Instruments) is my favourite series. This series may not have the best grammar and structure but the story itself is fun, unique and thrilling which is all I need. The characters are also super 3D and relatable and I don’t know how you could not like this series!
  3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – A Court of Thorns of Roses is such a fantastic novel that took me so long to actually complete but when I did I was smacking myself in the face. It’s magical, steamy, and just incredible! I recommend all of Sarah J Maas’s books to anyone but A Court of Thorns and Roses is my favourite of hers.
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling – I am currently re reading this amazing series and I just completed the 4th one, Goblet of Fire, and I forgot how much I loved it! I just find that watching the Triwizard tournament take place is so fun and exciting. I cannot wait to continue re reading this wonderful series but the 4th one is definitely my favourite of the 7!
  5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – Surprise surprise, another Sarah J Maas novel. Honestly though, Sarah J Maas just has such a beautiful, rich writing style that I cannot seem to get enough of. Also she writes fantastic characters like Celeana who is such a cool and strong female character that just really shines throughout this novel. I cannot wait to read the last book in this series but I am so sad it is coming to an end!

That is my list of my top 5 favourite fantasy books and I hope you enjoyed 🙂

Favourite Summer Reads!!!

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

Summer is sadly coming to a close but I did read a few pretty amazing books. I read a total of 13 books this summer, which I am very proud of and here are my top 5 favourites!

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead – This is the final book in the Vampire Academy and I must say that it was one epic finale. I absolutely loved this book! Richelle Mead closed everything nicely and I felt completely satisfied with how it ended. Vampire Academy was such a fun and gripping series that I can see myself re reading in the future hopefully sooner rather than later. If you haven’t read this amazing series definitely check it out because you will not be disappointed! 4.5/5 stars

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson – I think I have raved quite a bit about this book but I can’t help it so I am going to fangirl over it a little bit longer. I cannot believe it took me this long to pick up a Morgan Matson book because it sent me craving for another one! I got a lot of comments saying to start with Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour or Second Chance Summer but I am really glad that I chose Since You’ve Been Gone because it was just…ugh, perfect! 5/5 stars

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen – This was my first Sarah Dessen book and again, really glad I started off with this one! It was everything a successful and entertaining contemporary should be and I just flew through it. I flipped each page wanting more and more and it made me laugh and cry and again, another amazing summer read! 4.5/5 stars

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – I am so mad at myself for not reading this sooner but I’m just glad that I did pick it up. It exceeded way, way, way above my expectations and I could not get enough of this book. Everything is just so…rich. The story itself, the characters, her writing…it was just a very satisfying and fantastic fantasy book! 5/5 stars

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier  – I’ve heard about and seen this book around and it was at my library so I just decided to take it out. BEST IDEA EVER! I really, really liked this book. It was compelling, humorous, and interesting and I am so excited to continue on with the other 2 books! I’m not a huge fan of time traveling books just because I find them somewhat confusing but this was written so well and told in an easy way to understand! 4.5/5 stars

Those are my top 5 favourite summer reads and I hope you liked it! Don’t forget to comment your favourite summer reads and check out my last blog post: My Go To De-Stress Books!

August Wrap Up 2016!!!

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

So I didn’t have a very good reading month…especially after reading 10 books last month. To be fair, I was busy about 85% of the time in August but still. Anyway I read a total of 3 books this month and here they are!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – I finally picked this book up after an entire year of purchasing it and honestly, I have no idea why I put this book off for so long! This book was fantastic and I loved every single part of it. It was interesting, entertaining and just amazing. I picked up the second book recently and now I cannot wait to dive into that one! 5/5 stars

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen – Since summer is coming to a close, I wanted to end with a nice, cute contemporary. Since I really enjoyed Saint Anything, I decided to try another Sarah Dessen book and since this was the only book at the library I picked it up. It was pretty good, not anything amazing but it was an easy read and was entertaining! 3.5/5 stars.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling – As some of you may know, I am reading a Harry Potter book a month before I read the last book and I just finished book 2. It was obviously amazing and while it took me quite a few days to read because I had other things going on, it was still easy and fun to read! 4.5/5 stars.

I only read 3 books but I am very satisfied with all of them! They gave what I hoped for and I was not disappointed. Don’t forget to check out my last post: Things Only Writers Will Understand and I will see you guys soon! 🙂

Top 5 Favourite Series

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

I really like making “Top 5…” lists so here is my top 5 favourite series! Don’t forget to check out my last post and comment what your all time favourite series is.

  1. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare – I don’t know if you’ve noticed…but I am obsessed with the Mortal Instruments series. It is such a fun and amazing series with fantastic characters and an overall intriguing story line. I first read this series around 3 years ago and it has been my favourite series since then.
  2. Harry Potter by JK Rowling – It’s not a favourites list without Harry Potter on it! Harry Potter is such an AMAZING series that I love to read over and over and over. If you have NOT read this series for some reason please do because it will definitely change your life and view on reading.
  3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – I absolutely LOVE Vampire Academy. This series is just so interesting and easy going and I loved every second of it when I was reading the series. Every end of a book kept me on my toes and wanting more desperately. I just love when books do that because it makes me want to continue with that series!
  4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan – This book series will always be on my favourites list for two reasons. 1) It was the series that opened the doors to reading for me and 2) it is just so darn fantastic. But seriously, Percy Jackson is one of my FAVOURITE main characters ever. He is sassy, sarcastic and amazing in all ways.
  5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – I have only read the first book so far in this series (out of 2) and it literally blew me away. It was a phenomenal book that made me want to keep reading and not stop. Sarah J Maas has such a beautiful writing style and unique storylines that I always enjoy. I cannot wait to pick up the second book in this amazing series!

Reading Update!!!

mylifewithbooksblogLeave a comment

I have been traveling for about 4 days now and then I am traveling for a few more days this week so sadly I haven’t gotten much reading done this week…but I mean, I read 10 books last month and that’s kind of hard for me to top so I am not too disappointed. I have read a book I have been wanting to read for so long now and I am very, very happy I finally did and that book is A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas! I absolutely adored this book. It was so beautifully written with a compelling story line that grasped me from the beginning. It took me 50 or so pages to really get into it just because I find high fantasy a little tough for me to get into, but once I pushed through the first bit I could not stop. It was just so amazing and I cannot wait to pick up the second book soon! Anyways now I am reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling and this book is actually one of my favourites of the series so I am excited to re read it!

I hope all of you are having a good reading month too and good luck!