Saturday 30 January 2016

Literary List #3 - Books with Beautiful Maps


For this weeks Literary List I thought books with beautiful maps would be a great topic. A book with a great map speaks to me on a spiritual level. All of the books I chose for this I have yet to read so theres that. *looks at the shameful TBR jar*


1. Armada By Ernest Cline.


 2. A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney.


3. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien. 



 4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.



5. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. 



Do any of your books have beautiful maps in them?

Katie x

Wednesday 27 January 2016

January YA Book Haul


I did bad things. I did very bad things. Just when I thought my TBR list was big enough already, the pretty books called to me.

1. Lumberjanes Volume One: Beware the Kitten Holy by Stevenson, Ellis, Watters and Allen.

A graphic novel following a group of girls spending summer at a scout camp and the strange creatures and encounters they have.

2. Lumberjanes Volume Two: Friendship to the Max by Stevenson, Ellis, Watters and Allen.

I'll be mentioning how much I love Noelle Stevenson's art style in my January Wrap up. (Shock horror: I still need to read Nimona.)

3. Spook's The Dark Army by Joseph Delaney.

The second novel in the spin off series set after the events of the final installation of the Wardstone Chronicles.  For more information on this series click here.

4. Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

I've been wanting to read this ever since I heard Jessethereader on Youtube talk about it. I love the fact it has pictures too.

5. My Heart and Other Blackholes by Jasmine Warga.

Trigger warnings for suicide with this one. I will say the premise sounds very interesting but I envisage many tears.

6. The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

Hunger games meets Pans labyrinth?

7. The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough.

This sounds so interesting. The idea of love and death being at war is so cool!

8. The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson.

I haven't yet read a novel with transgender themes so I'm excited to get into this one!

9. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton.

I've heard this described as a western in the desert. Sold.

10. Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick.

The sea has risen and Norwich is now an island. Zoe's parents are gone and now she wants to find them.

Those are the YA books I got this month.

What books did you get?

Katie x

Saturday 23 January 2016

Literary List #2 - Characters You'd Go On A Date With

I know I'm not the only person who wishes characters in book were real. Most often than not I find myself wishing some of the most swoon worthy guys were real. So for this weeks Literary List I'm giving you the Top 5 characters I'd go on a date with.

1. Cal from Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen.

That fiery spirit is just so dan wonderful.


2. Damon Salvatore from L.J Smith's Vampire Diaries. 

Everyone loves a bad boy, am I right?


3. Dimitri Belikov from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy. 

That brutish strength. Strigoi killing fabulousness. 


4. Rowan Whitethorn from Sarah J. Maas' Queen of Shadows. 

Sarah J. Maas simply writes the most wonderful male characters. Honestly, I'd date most of them. 


5. Mather from Sara Raasch's Snow Like Ashes.

His protectiveness is just so adorable. 


Those are the five characters I'd go on a date with. Let's be serious there are so many more but these are just a selection. 

Who would you go on a  date with?

Katie x

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Best Books of 2015


These are my favourite books I read in 2015, they aren't necessarily books published this year. They aren't in any particular order though.

If I have reviews for any of these I'll link them.

1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Review

I adore this. Such a complex world. Mare is a Red, a worker in society. However she isn't a normal red, nor is she the only person like this. The Silvers, the nobles and the royals don't want people to find out though so they adopt her. Though it's more like a prison, she must play the part of be killed.

2. Lexicon by Max Barry. Review

A world controlled by words. Words that have the power to do anything and when they get into the wrong hands it isn't ideal.

3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Review

I have professed my love for this more times than I want to admit..

4. Golden Son by Pierce Brown. Review

This one too.

5. The Disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. Review

Fabulous feminism. A cast of witty characters. What more could you want?

6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Review

A beauty and the beast retelling but with fae and Sarah's writing style. Hell yes.

7. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. Review

The most recent, and in my opinion the best of the Throne of Glass series.

8. Snow like Ashes by Sara Raasch. Review

Kingdoms at war and royalty in refuge. Only by uniting both half of the conduit can the Kingdom of Winter be rebuilt.

9. Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury.

If you were told that your touch could kill what would you do?

10. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab. Review

Three versions of London only travellers can cross between. They are known as the Antari and they are very far and few between.


Those are my top ten favourite books of 2015.

What were yours?

Katie x

Saturday 16 January 2016

Literary List #1 - Books You Wished Had A Spin Off Series


I wanted to start a new feature here on my blog called Literary List. Every Saturday I will post a list of books based on a specific idea. For this one I'm going with 'Books That I Wish Had A Spin Off Series'. 


1. Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin. 

I know we got the beautiful hardback history book and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms but how cool would an entire series be set during the wars of Westeros. 


2. Harry Potter by J.K Rowling. 

Literally anything. Dumbledore's childhood. Harry as an adult. Anything. 


3. Die for me by Amy Plum. 

I think seeing how each of the characters became revenants would be awesome. 


4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah  J. Maas.

Seeing the courts in their full power before everything hit the fan would make an awesome novella.


5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Previous Hunger Games? Yes please. 


That concludes my first literary list. If this takes your fancy please feel free to give it a go or simply leave your responses in the comments below. 

Katie x 

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Review: Golden Son by Pierce Brown


Name: Golden Son
Author: Pierce Brown
Pages: 442
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Del Ray Books (US)
ISBN: 978-1-444-75903-7
Rating: 5/5


I'm not going to give a synopsis of this as its the second instalment in the Red Rising Trilogy and I'd hate to spoil anything for you. Instead, I'll just begin my fangirling again. 

The character development in this instalment was brilliant, the situations they were put in really displayed their beliefs and morals. I adore the Telemanuses, Kavax is my favourite without a doubt. The inclusion of the jelly bean eating fox Sophocles showed how gentle these lumbering giants could be. I mean who wouldn't want a jelly bean eating fox? Sevro. How can I profess my love for him without sounding like a deranged lune? Simply, I can't. His undying loyalty is phenomenal. I like how to most he's just a foulmouthed Goblin that scratches his balls far more than is healthy but Darrow sees the wisdom in him, the emotion. I swear, if Pierce Brown pulls a George R R Martin and kills off most of the characters I love I will riot. 

I really want to know how Pierce manages to keep up with everything that is going on politically with this book. I have never seen so many switches of loyalty, so much back stabbing and plans within plans. Golden Son is the film Inception when it comes to layers. 

Plans within plans within plans within plans within plans. 

How can one person manage to create such complexity without going insane?!

I don't believe I mentioned the technology in my review of Red Rising so I will address that in this one. Son of a biscuit. It's so cool, I love the idea of gravBoots, Razors, pulseFists of all of it. Yet it isn't infallible making the world far more believable. 

The ending of this book left me in tatters. All of the happiness leached out of me leaving only a human husk. However, it was brilliant. So well done, even if I now want to curse the creator and have mild anxiety awaiting Morning Star. 

Have you read Golden Son?

Katie x

Now to fangirl. 


*** SPOILERS***




**THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. SPOILERS**



OH MY GOD. 

Servo knows. He knows Darrow is a Red but still loves him anyway. 

Fitchner is Ares. I love it. I love it all. It makes perfect sense now why he chose Darrow for House Mars. But the ending. Poor Fitchner. I cried sobbed. 

I can't deal with Mustang. She wanted to know what Darrow was hiding so he told her and showed her everything but she couldn't cope with it. 

Roque. Son of a bitch. I knew it. I bloodydamn knew it. 

I don't know how I'm going to cope with the two month wait. I really don't. 

Wednesday 6 January 2016

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown



Name: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Pages: 382
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Del Ray Books (US)
ISBN: 978-1-444-75899-3
Rating: 5/5

Darrow is a Red. A Helldiver of Mars. A pioneer who has the foundations of society resting on his back. Only by bravely drilling for the Helium-3 can the Reds make Mars habitable for the rest of the Colours, the softer Colours. This belief is shattered when he discovers that Mars has been habitable for generations and ruled by the highest of all Colours, the Golds. Prime. Now Darrow has been tasked with infiltrating the Golds, becoming one of them and destroying them from the inside.

I tell you now this is going to be a small review and then a helluva lot of fangirling.

Never before have I read a book that has gripped me by the throat, and cut of my bloodydamn air supply as I read it. I was captivated from the very first page. Darrow's narration throughout the entire novel was phenomenal. The first person narrative demonstrated Darrow's inner turmoil brilliantly. He was meant to hate these Golds that have turned his people into slaves yet he feels such strong loyalties to certain characters.

For those who are not aware anything with slight inclinations towards Greek or Roman culture is my jam. I studied Classical Civilisations at A-Level and have a place to study Archaeology next year. Which is why the spelling of Demokracy made me so happy. It's so close to the original 'Demokratia' (Demos: people and Kratus: power.) More wonderful Classical-ness, Praetor and Imperator were positions in Roman politics. Praetor being the chap in charge of part of an army or a magistrate. The Peerless Scarred very much reminded me of a futuristic Praetorian Guard, without Sejanus being a pain. (Classics humour.) I find myself wondering if Mickey the Carver was a reference to Michaelangelo. Admittedly, my favourite aspect relating to Classics, aside form the inclusion of mythology was the rivalry between Tiberius au Bellona and Nero au Augustus. There was considerable friction between the actual Tiberius and Augustus. The people loved Augustus and deified him upon death but poor Tiberius was not deified and the chant "To the Tiber with Tiberius" was a popular one.

Moving on from my Greek/Roman fangirling. The references to other books were great, in particular the inclusion of William Golding's Lord of the Flies. One of my favourite books with a rather gruesome topic of children losing their humanity and attacking one another. Much like the Houses are forced to do to win ArchPrimus.

Characters. Sevro. I love him. He is the snarky little bastard everyone thinks is useless but my God does he show them up. #foreveraHowler I love his couldn't give a **** attitude and his undying loyalty to Darrow through everything. Having been referred to as a Goblin myself for my height I read the book permanently rooting for him to show everyone up. Us Goblins gotta stick together.

The plot. God have mercy on your nerves as you read. Fast paced and action packed but interspersed with great character building moments. I needed those desperately. I was getting 'The WalkingDead syndrome' every time a character left the main group.

I would recommend this to anyone. It's been described as having Hunger Games elements which I see but the story is so much more than that. Its a fight for power from the very bottom of society and a fight for the very top because how the hell can you win a game when the victor has been chosen since the beginning?

1. Red Rising
2. Golden Son
3. Morning Star (coming February)

Katie x





YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

You know I mean business with a book when I break out the Toy Story meme. The only other book to gain this ever so high honour was Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas.

Yep. Red Rising is that good.

Right so my favourite ship has to be Mustang and Darrow. They are so damn feisty. Honestly, I just think she's fabulous. Isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and a kick ass female. #Darstang (Sounds like Durmstrang Academy)

Sevro and Fitchiner related? Hell yeah. Those born without the beauty/stature of a Gold but are probably the most cut throat. I doubt you'll read this. Pierce Brown is anything happens to Sevro I will be inconsolable. That is all.

I must admit I'm still waiting Eo to reappear somewhere. Calling her Persephone, yes Hades kidnapped her for a bit but Demeter got her back for a few months!

Pax. The not so gentle giant that wept when he had to hurt his friend.

Mars is a poor mans Ares? Couldn't agree more. Greek myth all the way.

I could go on, and on and on.

Basically read it.