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'Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.'- Angela Carter

Friday 11 December 2015

BLOG TOUR: Review The Silver Witch - Paula Brackston

The Silver Witch (Shadow Chronicles Book 3)Title: The Silver Witch
Author: Paula Brackston
Series: Shadow Chronicles #3
Publisher: Corsair, Little Brown Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 3rd December, 2015


My mind is like the willow; it flexes and springs. My heart is a knot of oak. Let them try to wound me. Let them try. One year after artist Tilda Forwells loses her husband, she is finally ready to move into the secluded Welsh cottage they were meant to be sharing together. In the valley below her mountain home is a mystical lake which inspires a strange energy in her. She starts to experience potent dreams, visions, presentiments which all lead her to Seren, the witch and shaman who legend has it lived on this lakeshore in Celtic times. As Tilda explores the lake's powers and her own, her connection to Seren grows stronger. And when she comes under grave threat, she must rely on Seren and this ancient magic to save her.

Tuesday 1 December 2015

REVIEW: Beautiful Broken Things - Sara Barnard

Beautiful Broken ThingsTitle: Beautiful Broken Things
Author: Sara Barnard
Series: None
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 21st January 2016


I was brave She was reckless We were trouble Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.

Saturday 21 November 2015

REVIEW: A Girl's Best Friend - Lindsey Kelk

A Girl’s Best FriendTitle: A Girl's Best Friend
Author: Lindsey Kelk
Series: A Girl #3
Publisher: Harper Collins
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 5th November, 2015


A festive treat from the author of the bestselling I HEART series First Tess was a girl with a plan. Then she was a girl with a dream. Now she’s a girl who’s come back to earth with a bump. When the opportunity arises to join her best friend, Amy, in New York for Christmas, Tess jumps at the chance. The only fly in ointment is that Nick, the man who broke her heart, lives there. And Charlie, the man she turned down, has just started talking to her again. And she has just four days to take a photo for a competition that could save her career. But aside from that, everything is going to be great: it’ll be the best Christmas ever. Won’t it?

Friday 13 November 2015

BLOG TOUR: Guest Post - A Girl's Best Friend by Lindsey Kelk

Today I have the amazing Lindsey Kelk on my blog to talk about why she loves cats. Stay posted for my review of her latest novel A Girl's Best Friend.

Top Ten Reasons a Cat is a Girl’s Best Friend

Ever since I got my kittens, Belle and Anderson Cooper, back in May, I’ve become something of a nightmare. My phone is full of photos of them, my Facebook feed looks like a KiteKat commercial and I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve been late for something because one of them was being too adorable upon my person to leave the house. I’m a disgrace. But I digress. Everyone is super keen to tell the world how a dog is a man’s best friend but who’s standing up for the cats? Me, that’s who.

1. They have taken over the internet.

And I love the internet. No other animal has captured the heart of the information highway in quite the same way and for that, I applaud them.

2. They weed out undesirable suitors.
‘Oh, you have cats? Are you a crazy cat lady?’
‘No but you’re going home on your own, douchebag.’

Saturday 7 November 2015

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW: Ice Like Fire - Sara Raasch

Ice Like Fire (Snow Like Ashes, #2)Title: Ice Like Fire
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Snow Like Ashes #2
Publisher: Harper Collins
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 13th October, 2015


It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell. Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves? Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

Snow Like Ashes was one of my favourite reads of 2015, so when I was given the chance to read the sequel I didn't hesitate to accept! Ice Like Fire was everything I hoped for and more in a sequel. This was such an action packed and exciting book. I found myself turning the pages eagerly to find out what was going to happen next. The world building and character development was so rich; this is a world that I can picture so clearly in my head. I love it.

I loved seeing how Meira coped with being Winter's Queen and Conduit. Her battle between being herself and being who Winter needs her to be is so emotional. I felt so engaged with her. As well as this, I loved reading from Mather's point of view and seeing how he was coping after having his entire world turned upside down. I am definitely Team Mather and can't wait to see how things pan out here.

So many exciting and mysterious events unfold in the pages of Ice Like Fire. I was gripped from the very first page. It's a book full of suspense, magic, love and betrayal and I cannot wait for book three. This is one of my all time favourite series' and if you haven't read it yet I don't know what you're waiting for!

Wednesday 28 October 2015

REVIEW: Ruin and Rising - Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising (The Grisha, #3)Title: Ruin and Rising
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha #3
Publisher: Indigo
Source: Purchased
Publication Date: 1st September, 2015


The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Thursday 22 October 2015

Harry Potter #109

This is a meme hosted by me and the lovely Mimz at Lunar Rainbows :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here or to Mimz's blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

Friday 25 September 2015

REVIEW: Queen of Shadows - Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)Title: Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 1st September, 2015


Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . . She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return. Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Tuesday 22 September 2015

BLOG TOUR: The Girl in the Road - Monica Byrne

The Girl in the RoadTitle: The Girl in the Road
Author: Monica Byrne
Series: Nona
Publisher: Little Brown, UK
Publication Date: 1st January, 2014


Stunningly original and wildly inventive, The Girl in the Road melds the influences of Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and Erin Morgenstern for a dazzling debut. Meena, a young woman living in a futuristic Mumbai, wakes up with five snake bites on her chest. She doesn't know how or why, but she must flee India and return to Ethiopia, the place of her birth. Having long heard about The Trail -- an energy-harvesting bridge that spans the Arabian Sea -- she embarks on foot on this forbidden bridge, with its own subculture and rules. What awaits her in Ethiopia is unclear; she's hoping the journey will illuminate it for her. Mariama, a girl from a different time, is on a quest of her own. After witnessing her mother's rape, she joins up with a caravan of strangers heading across Saharan Africa. She meets Yemaya, a beautiful and enigmatic woman who becomes her protector and confidante. Yemaya tells Mariama of Ethiopia, where revolution is brewing and life will be better. Mariama hopes against hope that it offers much more than Yemaya ever promised. As one heads east and the other west, Meena and Mariama's fates will entwine in ways that are profoundly moving and shocking to the core. Vividly imagined and artfully told, written with stunning clarity and deep emotion, The Girl in the Road is a true tour de force.

Thursday 17 September 2015

Harry Potter #108

This is a meme hosted by me and the lovely Mimz at Lunar Rainbows :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here or to Mimz's blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

Thursday 3 September 2015

Harry Potter #107

This is a meme hosted by me and the lovely Mimz at Lunar Rainbows :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here or to Mimz's blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

Wednesday 2 September 2015

REVIEW: Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between - Jennifer E. Smith

Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In BetweenTitle: Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Series: None
Publisher: Headline
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 1st September, 2015


One night. A life-changing decision. And a list... Of course Clare made a list. She creates lists for everything. That's just how she is. But tonight is Clare and Aidan's last night before college and this list will decide their future, together or apart. It takes them on a rollercoaster ride through their past - from the first hello in science class to the first conversation at a pizza joint, their first kiss at the beach and their first dance in a darkened gymnasium - all the way up to tonight. A night of laughs, fresh hurts, last-minute kisses and an inevitable goodbye. But will it be goodbye forever or goodbye for now?

Thursday 27 August 2015

Harry Potter #106

This is a meme hosted by me and the lovely Mimz at Lunar Rainbows :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here or to Mimz's blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

Wednesday 26 August 2015

REVIEW: The Hive Construct - Alexander Maskill

The Hive ConstructTitle: The Hive Construct
Author: Alexander Maskill
Series: None
Publisher: Transworld Publishers
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 13th August, 2015


Winner of the Terry Pratchett Prize, a dark yet dazzlingly imaginative science fiction thriller by a furiously talented new young writer Situated deep in the Sahara Desert, New Cairo is a city built on technology—from the huge, life-giving solar panels that keep it functioning in a radically changed, resource-scarce world to the artificial implants that have become the answer to all and any of mankind's medical problems. But it is also a divided city, dominated by a handful of omnipotent corporate dynasties. And when a devastating new computer virus begins to spread through the poorest districts, shutting down the life-giving implants that enable so many to survive, the city begins to slide into the anarchy of violent class struggle. Hiding amid the chaos is Zala Ulora. A gifted hacker and fugitive from justice, she believes she might be able to earn her life back by tracing the virus to its source and destroying it before it destroys the city—or before the city destroys itself. With its vivid characters, bold ideas, and explosive action, The Hive is science fiction at its most exciting, inventive, and accessible.

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #61

I'm back this week for another Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Books that would be on my syllabus if I taught Gender in Literature 101. 

Monday 17 August 2015

REVIEW: Asking For It - Louise O'Neill


Asking For ItTitle: Asking For It
Author: Louise O'Neill
Series: None
Publisher: Quercus
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 3rd September, 2015


FROM THE WINNER OF THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR AWARD. It's the beginning of the summer in a small town in Ireland. Emma O'Donovan is eighteen years old, beautiful, happy, confident. One night, there's a party. Everyone is there. All eyes are on Emma. The next morning, she wakes on the front porch of her house. She can't remember what happened, she doesn't know how she got there. She doesn't know why she's in pain. But everyone else does. Photographs taken at the party show, in explicit detail, what happened to Emma that night. But sometimes people don't want to believe what is right in front of them, especially when the truth concerns the town's heroes...

Friday 14 August 2015

BLOG TOUR: The Hive Construct - Inspiration Behind Zala

Today Alexander Maskill, debut author and winner of the Terry Pratchett Prize to talk to us about the influences behind his protagonist, Zara. 

However much I try to insist that The Hive Construct (out now in paperback from all reputable booksellers!) is an ensemble work, I can’t pretend I didn’t realise that people would gravitate towards de facto main character Zala Ulora. She’s capable, she’s deeply flawed but capable of growth, she’s enough of an outsider to the setting that the reader gravitates towards her perspective most easily of all the perspective characters, she collides with the setting’s various factions without being directly beholden to them, and her story arc carries most of the heavy lifting regarding plot.

Thursday 13 August 2015

Harry Potter #105

This is a meme hosted by me and the lovely Mimz at Lunar Rainbows :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here or to Mimz's blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

Thursday 6 August 2015

BLOG TOUR: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Today I am so, so excited to host an audio clip and video for Dawn Kurtagich's phenomenal debut The Dead House. The Dead House is the chilling story of Carly and Kaitlyn  and what happened at 'the Johnson incident'. It's one of my favourite books of 2015 and it holds a special place in my heart. Before I go into it, here's what The Dead House is all about:


The Dead HouseTitle: The Dead House
Author: Dawn Kurtagich
Series: None
Publisher: Indigo
Publication Date: 6th August, 2015


Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . . Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers. Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’? Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you've finished reading..

Harry Potter #104

This is a meme hosted by me and the lovely Mimz at Lunar Rainbows :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here or to Mimz's blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

Wednesday 5 August 2015

BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: Drop by Katie Everson


Today the lovely Katie Everson has stopped by to chat about the things she tells herself pre-publication of her fantastic debut Drop. This book is a stonker and not one to miss! To top off a great post, the lovely people at Walker have given me x2 copies of the fantastic Drop to giveaway so don't forget to enter at the bottom! Enjoy!

Monday 3 August 2015

BLOG TOUR: Character Q&A with Jessie Jefferson

Hey guys! Today we have the lovely Jessie Jefferson accompanied by Paige Toon on the blog to answer a few questions. Hope you enjoy. 


Welcome back! For all of the new fans, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Jessie Pickerill and I’m 15. Some people have started to call me Jessie Jefferson because my biological dad is Johnny Jefferson, the famous rock star. I don’t know. I struggle with that a bit because it feels disloyal to my mum, who died earlier this year. It’s probably best that I don’t talk about that if you don’t want me to get upset.

Thursday 30 July 2015

Harry Potter #103

This is a meme hosted by me and the lovely Mimz at Lunar Rainbows :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here or to Mimz's blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.