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"But I can now understand why people read, why they like to get lost in somebody else's life. Sometimes I'll read a sentence and it will make me sit up, jolt me, because it is something that I have recently felt but never said out loud. I want to reach into the page and tell the characters that I understand them, that they're not alone, that I'm not alone, that it's ok to feel like this. And then the lunch bell rings, the book closes, and I'm plunged back into reality."
"Flawed" by 'Cecelia Ahern'.
☆☆
#ceceliaahern #flawedandperfect #readingtime #readabook #read #realreadersbookclub #booklover #books #readforpleasure #readforfun #readforpeace #kitab #kitabeishq #happytime #happythoughts #lockdownreading #bookslover #bookrecommendations #bookphoto #bookloversindia
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I’d stop reading books, if my life story had the potential to be a bestseller. But I don’t see that happening.
So here’s to reading more books.
Here’s to falling in love with more fictional characters.
Here’s to escaping reality.
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Lore
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Published by: Quercus
Pages: 550
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★1/2
For centuries, Zeus has punished the gods with a game called the Agon, which turns them mortal for one week, and at the mercy of being hunted by those with godly ambitions. Only a handful of the original Greek gods remain, the rest replaced by the mortals who killed them and ascended.
After her family's sadistic murder by a rival bloodline, Lore escapes and vows to repay her parents' sacrifice by doing one thing - surviving. For seven years, she has pushed back dark thoughts of revenge against the man responsible for their murder, a man by the name of Wrath who has attained unimaginable power. Except for one week, every seven years. A week that is fast approaching ...
When Lore comes home on the first night of the Agon to find Athena gravely wounded on her doorstep, the goddess offers her an alliance; they have a mutual enemy, after all. But as the world trembles under the force of Wrath - a god with the power to destroy all of humanity - will Lore's decision to bind her fate with Athena's come back to haunt her?
My thoughts:
Every seven years, the Agon begins. Essentially this is a punishment created by Zeus for past rebellions. During the Agon, nine Greek Gods are forced to walk the Earth as mortals, all the while being hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines.
If a God is killed during the Agon, the hunter responsible for their death gets to seize their powers and immortality, thus becoming a New God.
Melora, known as Lore, is a part of the Perseous line. She is no longer participating in the Agon. Lore has left that whole world behind and kept herself hidden since the last hunt left her entire family dead in their home, including her two little sisters, murdered by a rival clan.
Living in New York City, Lore has done a good job blending in and has successfully flown under the radar of anyone related to the hunt. At least that's what she thinks. Over the course of the story, you really watch her character evolve from a damaged soul to a true force to be reckoned with.
I think readers will be surprised by just how brutal this story actually is. I mean, Greek gods are violent beings, and this story definitely leans into that side of them. I think it made the concept of the Agon that much more desperate and dangerous.
However, I do think the story could have benefited from dual POVs. Castor’s arc and development is too important to the story for him to just be a side character. I think if he had his own chapters, the world-building might have flowed a bit smoother, and his character would feel more real.
I was so intrigued about this whole concept and enjoyed seeing Lore emerge as a really interesting character.
I think Bracken did a great job of building this out and there was always plenty of action and intrigue to keep me wanting more. It was all very fast-paced, nonstop action. And yet, there were moments when the story lulled within the action. It all started blending together. Despite that, I wish there had been slower moments to better know the characters and history of the world. The pacing didn’t quite work for me, and I think the whole thing was just too long. There is a lot of information dumped throughout the book, and at times I felt I had to forced myself to keep going.
All in all, this was still a fairly fun read, and I would recommend it to fans of YA fantasy and especially anyone who’s into Greek mythology. It did, however, fall somewhat short of my admittedly high expectations.
Overall reaction:
#Lore#lorebookreview#yafiction#yafantasy#reading#lockdownreads#bookreviews#bookrecs#whattoreadinlockdown#readinginspo#greekmythologybooks#fantasyreading#bookstagram#bibliophile#bookramblingsbyolivia
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📚Absolutely loved reading this series of books by Jojo Moyes this year, her writing is comical in places and very dramatic in others. I had only seen the Me Before You movie before I had started reading these, now I can say that I much prefer the books! 📚 I will now include the different blurbs from each of the books, so you too can see how much goodness these books contain ✨
📚 Me Before You 📚”Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her Boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming keeps her sane. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now, and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time. “
📚 After You 📚”Lou Clark has lots of questions. Like how it is she’s ended up working in an airport bar watching other people jet off to new places. Or why her flat she’s owned for a year still doesn’t feel like home. Whether he family can ever forgive her for what she did eighteen months ago. And will she ever get over the love of her life. What Lou does know for certain is that something has to change. Then, one night, it does. But does the stranger on her doorstep hold the answers Lou is looking for- or just more questions? Close the door and life continues: simple, ordered, safe. But Lou once made a promise to live. And if she’s going to keep it, she has to invite them in...”
📚 Still Me 📚”Lou Clark knows too many things... She knows how many miles lie between her new home in New York and her new Boyfriend Sam in London... 📚
#jojomoyes#me before you#afteryou#stillme#trilogy#louclark#willtraynor#sam#newyork#London#sutton#castle#bumblebeestripedtights#patrick#runningman#leprechaunshoes#individuality#carreerdriven#exploration#lockdownreads#lovelybooks#laughter#drama#romance
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An end of the month Saturday shelfie which has us wondering... 📚 ❓How many books have you read this February, has Lockdown allowed you more time for reading? ❓What have been your favourite reads of the month? ❓What’s on your TBR for March? • #Bookstagram #FebruaryReads #LockdownReading #LockdownLife #LockdownReads #SaturdayStack #SaturdayShelfie #BooksToRead #NonFiction #Military #History #TBR #2021Reads #HistoryBooks #2021ReadingChallenge #MilitaryFiction #NonFictionBooks #HardbackBooks #PenAndSword #PenAndSwordBooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CLzJW0Dg7DX/?igshid=1c0g5uddml4fn
#bookstagram#februaryreads#lockdownreading#lockdownlife#lockdownreads#saturdaystack#saturdayshelfie#bookstoread#nonfiction#military#history#tbr#2021reads#historybooks#2021readingchallenge#militaryfiction#nonfictionbooks#hardbackbooks#penandsword#penandswordbooks
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When your fave discount book store is set to close down any day, you’re facing possibly months in lockdown AND you’ve still got Xmas gift money put away - things like this happen. Well... to people like me! #lol Isn’t it delightighful?!
#spentdamnneartwohoursfindingspacefortheminthebookshelves
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Autumn's Wish will be released on Amazon on March 5! Pre-order today 📚 Link in bio and below 👇🏽 Just 3 days before my birthday 🎂 It's a gift to myself 😂 https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08V1PR6F5/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_b08v1pr6f5 #authordeannamartinezbey #writer_deanna #amazon #amazonkindle #amazonauthor #amazonbooks #kindlepreorder #preorder #preordernow #bookrelease #lockdownreads #readingislife #selftransformation #womansfiction #contemporaryfiction #bookishquarantine #bookishcommunity #readersfollowwriters https://www.instagram.com/p/CLbuPWaAIZK/?igshid=tap412xrjs3b
#authordeannamartinezbey#writer_deanna#amazon#amazonkindle#amazonauthor#amazonbooks#kindlepreorder#preorder#preordernow#bookrelease#lockdownreads#readingislife#selftransformation#womansfiction#contemporaryfiction#bookishquarantine#bookishcommunity#readersfollowwriters
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My weekend plans 📖 #fashionary #fashionbook #lightreads #lockdownreads (at Berlin, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKWx6w8se7w/?igshid=1plyzsf8je6lj
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LOCKDOWN READS 2020
It is no surprise that time people spent with books has doubled in the current “locked down” environment. This surge in reading across the world is more than a way to kill time rather is reflective and therapeutic. Personally, I’ve always favored thrillers and crime novels which is obvious in this featured list.
Sheldon, Sidney (1987) Windmills of the Gods
“If something seems to be too good to be true, Mary, it probably is.”
Mary Ashley, a young ambassadress married to a doctor named Edward, unexpectedly faces her plotted destruction in the middle of a global conspiracy.
This classic best-selling thriller will never disappoint with its thrills and spills from start to finish.
Sheldon, Sidney (1991) The Doomsday Conspiracy
“I’m tired of the lies and the cheating, and the broken promises that were never meant to be kept.”
This suspense-thriller novel revolves around an US Navy Commander, Robert Bellamy, who finds himself in the middle of an international conspiracy after being handpicked by the head of the NSA to track down and identify the ten unknown survivors of a weather balloon accident in the Swiss Alps.
With an easy-to-follow plot and great wicked twists that carry the readers on a luxury tour of Washington, this is definitely a page turner.
Pike, Christopher (1995) The Visitor
“All are doomed to love, all are doomed to die.”
Nope, it’s definitely not about Tom, the strange new boy in town, as the back of the book says, but instead it focuses on a story of many lives told through the eyes of Mary or Clareesh, who's engulfed in her grief and guilt over the death of her boyfriend, Jerry.
The writing style is twisted, but delightfully weird. Some stuff is brilliant, some is just bizarre. All in all, it’s a pretty groovy, high as a kite YA novel.
Pike, Christopher (1991) Die Softly
“He had smoked dope exactly twice, but stopped when he realized it was called dope for a reason.”
Herb Trasker, a senior in Alamo High who doesn't have much going for him except that he's a good photographer, decides to take pictures of cheerleaders as they shower in the gym locker room. He sets up his camera, sets the timer, and comes back to find out that he might have photographed a murder.
Definitely a dark and twisted thriller.
Pike, Christopher (1986) Weekend
“If I thought there was a chance, I would do it.”
A weekend of sun and fun in Acapulco turns into a nightmare when four guys and five girls are trapped in a luxury Oceanside mansion in Mexico and realize that they have been lured there for a deadly reason.
It is an excellent, entertaining, and swiftly moving thriller for older young adults who are a bit more worldly.
Pike, Christopher (1989) Scavenger Hunt
“Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they.”
With school nearly over, a secretive club on campus has organized a scavenger hunt for the whole senior class. The kids are led throughout the city and into the nighttime desert. Their goal is the wonderful prize promised to the winner. Soon, it transforms into a nightmare for Carl Timmons, a troubled young man weighed down by guilt and what ifs from his best friend's death, when he and his friends are lured a ruse by evil creatures from the time of the dinosaurs looking for their next victims.
This scavenger hunt from hell has a supernatural/sci-fi angle, an ending that is just beyond bizarre, and a weird spiritual angle which makes it worth the read.
Clark, Mary Higgins (2000) Before I Say Goodbye
“They use their little bit of authority on people like us who can't fight back. Expect it, Winifred. That's the kind of world it is.”
Nell McDermot probes into the mysterious circumstances of her husband's death when his private boat explodes. Thrown into a pit of grief, she seeks answers from a medium who claims to be his channel and has a message for her.
A host of characters keep the reader occupied and twists and turns galore in this gripping thriller. The plot was excellent and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. It is definitely a manna from heaven for suspense lovers.
Clark, Mary Higgins (1982) A Cry in the Night
"Please understand, Jenny," he'd begged. "Every artist needs a place to be totally alone."
Jenny MacPartland was a charming, divorced mother of two working at a New York art gallery whose struggle is not helped by her irresponsible ex-husband. Soon, she’s whisked away into a life of riches when she meets the man of her dreams, talented Erich Krueger. They marry quickly and Jenny plans a loving home on Erich's vast Minnesota farm but begins to notice his obsession with his dead mother.
This wonderfully creepy book story is filled with intrigue and mystery. This chilling portrait etched in terror proves that Clark is a real woman who loves her work and can't stop.
Clark, Mary Higgins (1997) Pretend You Don’t See Her
"The words refused to pass her lips. It was too late. Lacey could see that.”
The book, set in New York and in Minneapolis-St. Paul, is the story of Lacey Farrell, a young rising star on Manhattan's high-powered and competitive real estate scene. She becomes a witness to a murder and finds that what she's seen might make her the next casualty, putting her into the witness protection program.
It’s a mystery that's never easy to figure out and satisfying in the end. This book is no exception. Clark writes characters that I like - all of them - even the bad guys. My favorite part of this novel is that the ending is very unpredictable.
THE END
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The Queen of Nothing
Author: Holly Black
Published by: Hot Key Books
Pages: 308
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.
Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.
Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.
Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines, she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.
And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.
My thoughts
There are books that you eagerly binge in a day and books that you deliberately read slowly because you don’t want them to ever end. The Queen of Nothing is that rare treat of a YA fantasy novel that you want to both absorb quickly and savour slowly.
Enchanting from the very beginning, the Folk of the Air series has grown more exhilarating and more scheming with each book. It was always going to be difficult to beat The Wicked King, but all in all, this was such a fun read and everything I wanted from the finale.
Jude is back with a vengeance in The Queen of Nothing. She is probably the character who felt the most authentic from start to finish of the whole trilogy, and I really enjoyed her narration throughout. I think out of everyone in the book her character development was the best. I also loved the memorable introduction of Grima Mog, who is a complex and quirky character in this book.
In this book, the action that was so vivid in the first volume and slowed a bit down in the second one starts to pick up the pace again. But there is something different about the action of this third book. It feels much more twisty.
Feelings here just go deeper. They get intensified by the discovery of that fine line between hate and love. The whole blinding veil that’s been dropped over the slightly odd relationship between Jude and Cardan is lifted and now our two protagonists seem to really be on the same page. I routed for them in this book more than ever.
With The Queen of Nothing, Holly Black delivers what we’ve all been longing for. There’s action, romance, magic, double-crossing and intricate scene setting.
Black’s writing is basically fantasy perfection – always dark, beautiful and filled with enchantment. Any time you read a Holly Black book; you know you can count on fantastic world building and I’m always blown away by her creativity.
I really liked that there was more of a clash of Faerie and the mortal world in this volume. It added a nice element to the story and I enjoyed the light-hearted moments in the early chapters while Jude still remained in exile, living a mundane life in the human world. But of course I also loved being back in Faerie. This fae world is without a doubt my favourite and I'll always love how Holly Black is basically the master of creating all things faerie.
The Folk of the Air series really captured my imagination and I have enjoyed the trilogy immensely.
Thinking back on all three parts, perhaps my favourite aspect of the trilogy is the circularity of it. Everything ends in the same spot it started, and I’m not talking about a mental state but a physical one – the mortal world. With that, the circle is complete. And the trilogy is undoubtedly a total success.
I can’t believe it’s over. Concluding Jude and Carden’s story carries with it a sense of bittersweet finality but with all great series, it will be a pleasure to revisit as we live in hope of Black returning to her Faerie world in the future.
The whole trilogy is great. Holly Black is a gifted writer and I enjoyed her world-building, her plot and her characters very much.
Overall reaction:
#hollyblack#holly black#hollyblackbooks#reading#thequeenofnothing#thecruelprince#thewickedking#bookreviews#book reviews#bookreviewer#bookstagram#bookramblingsbyolivia#biblio#bibliophiles#lovebooks#fantasyfiction#lockdownreads#lockdownreading
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Review: The Last Girl (also released as The Mary Shelley Club) by Goldy Moldavsky
I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Egmont Publishing and to NetGalley for the opportunity.
I love a good horror story so of course I jumped at the chance to combine that love with my passion for Young Adult Fiction. The title “The Last Girl” wasn’t a title that immediately reeled me in, but the description of Scream meets Gossip Girl was intriguing. When I saw that the US version was released as “The Mary Shelley Club” I knew I’d made a good choice.
Rachel was attacked in her own home a year ago, by two masked men. She fought back against one, the other ran. Since then, she and her mum have moved to New York and Rachel has enrolled at Manchester Prep School where her mum is a teacher. Rachel feels like she doesn’t fit in among the rich kids that surround her, until she discovers the Mary Shelley Club. The club members are horror film fanatics but are also responsible for a series of pranks that they call ‘fear tests’ against people who upset them. Slowly the ‘fear tests’ begin to awaken her repressed memories of the attack and her fears about the second, never-unmasked, attacker. At the same time, the tests begin to spiral out of control.
I loved how many horror films were mentioned in this book, some of my favourites among them. I would not be surprised if someone somewhere makes a list of all them for a Mary Shelley Club marathon. The discussions about horror story tropes are not unique to this book, I enjoyed them anyway.
Though the start of the book seemed a little clichéd, once the action got going, I became totally caught up in the story and the pages just flew by. I’m not going to lie, I saw the twists coming (it’s rare that a twist takes me by surprise), but actually that helped to ratchet up the tension for me.
One YA trope that the book succumbed to was criminally neglectful parenting. Rachel’s mum is sensitive and caring but doesn’t seem worried by her recently attacked daughter roaming New York at night. Without this, though, there wouldn’t be much of a story, so I will give this one a pass.
Rachel herself is a likeable character, remarkably outgoing for someone whose life has been threatened and then turned upside down by moving home and school. I felt for her feelings of being an outsider and wished good things for her.
This is a very visual book. I could see all through how this would play out on film. I would love it if this book was picked up for a film. I would have my popcorn ready quicker than you could say “I want to join the Mary Shelley Club!”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Last Girl/The Mary Shelley Club is due out 15th April 2021.
#@goldywrites#TheLastGirl#TheMaryShelleyClub#@Netgalley#@egmontbooksuk#book reviews#ya book reviews#ya horror#ya thriller#ya fiction#lockdownreads#quarantinereads#@catandkindle#TheCatAndTheKindle
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5 Best Travel Books You Should Read Now
Books are a man’s best friend because if you love reading books, you will never be alone. They take you in a totally different world filled with imagination and magic. It is like living a parallel life without having to teleport (obviously, not literally!). Apart from this, the other great thing in life is travelling. What if we combine the two?? Yes, we are talking about those books that inspire you to travel.
The best travel books are those that sweep you off to a faraway land, escaping your mundane life. Some of the best books motivate you to get off the couch, pack your bags and set out on your own fun-filled adventure. Here are 5 books that will simply arouse that wanderlust in you.
1. ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho.
This book narrates the enthralling story of a young shepherd boy who travels from Spain to Egypt in search of treasure. And while following his dreams, he learns the meaning of love and life.
Buy this book on Amazon India or Amazon US
Favourite quote: “If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man… Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living right now.”
2."Less" by Andrew Sean Greer
A 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner, "Less" follows Arthur Less on a journey around the world, from Paris to Berlin; a Moroccan ski chalet to a Christian Retreat Center in southern India.
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Two for Tuesday music memoirs for this week’s reading. Stoked! #lockdownreads #singbackwardsandweep #acidforthechildren https://www.instagram.com/p/CAp2bvFBkTk/?igshid=1sqnd4cpesbcr
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the quick by Lauren Owen summed up in four words; vampires, feel-good, kick-ass, and epic. Credits to the original owners/persons in each photo a 'quick' reminder that my code, dustedcovers30 will get you 30% off your purchase with the lovely the great north. #thequick #laurenowen #vampires #victorian #lgbtqbooks #spooky #goul #bookstagram #canadiansofinstagram #lockdownreads #the.great.north #discountcodes #vintageaesthetic (at Grand River North) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAf1iRgpicr/?igshid=xafo7tw7z4gd
#thequick#laurenowen#vampires#victorian#lgbtqbooks#spooky#goul#bookstagram#canadiansofinstagram#lockdownreads#the#discountcodes#vintageaesthetic
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🔆 LOCKDOWN BOOKS 🔆 📚 Free Ebooks, All Genres 📚 Discover new Authors, new Worlds, new Characters. Download as many as you wish. Enjoy! 🌏 sccunningham.com - blog - free books #freebooks #freebies #free #freebie #freeebooks #giveaways #prolificworks #lockdownreads #lockdownreading #lockdown https://sccunningham.com/free-books-helping-readers-and-authors-connect.php https://www.instagram.com/p/CLPBAvlFffY/?igshid=1cblxga2wz7bw
#freebooks#freebies#free#freebie#freeebooks#giveaways#prolificworks#lockdownreads#lockdownreading#lockdown
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