January & February 2017 - haul

Hi booklovers

This is my January and February 2017 book haul. 

After posting my TBR list I decided to cut back on my bookbuying, so in January I didn't buy any books except for the one I got in my very first FairyLoot box: Caraval.

I had heard about this book, but I don't think I would've picked it up, but I am glad I got it in the box. I'm looking forward to reading this.

In February I got the MyBookishCrate box and the book for February was Gilded Cage by Vic James.

I'd never heard of this book, but the premise sound really cool.

At the end of February I went shopping with my cousin and at Fnac I bought three books:

The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins. This is inspired by the Grimm Brothers' 'The Singing Bone'. I'm curious to see how this will be, I've never read anything by Wendy Higgins before.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I've heard a lot about this book and I was intrigued by the premise.

The Novice by Taran Matharu. I've had my eye on this book for a while now, simply because of the cover. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint.

What books did you get in the first two months of this year? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies

February 2017 - wrap-up

Hi booklovers

February has flown by, so I'm here with my wrap-up. I read a total of 5 books (thank you audiobooks :-D ).

Like I said last month I continued with the Black Mage series by Rachel E. Carter and I finished the second book Apprentice. This was my least favourite of the series (it was still a four star read) because Ryiah really got on my nerves. If you want to know why, just read my full review here.

Next I finished the audiobook for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Needless to say, this was a 5 star read. I don't know if it's possible, but I'm enjoying these books more and more every time I reread them.

Meanwhile, I was also reading book three in the Black Mage series: Candidate. This was a 4.5 star read. Ryiah totally redeemed herself in this story. It was so emotional, action-packed and fastpaced. You can find my Goodreads review here. I'll be posting a full review soon.

I started listening to the audiobook of Throne of Glass as another read for the OW Book Club, since February's theme was badass females. I really enjoyed the audiobook because I like the narrator - it's the same narrator who did Nina's voice in the Six of Crows duology. I gave the book itself 3.5 stars. I had completely forgotten how arrogant and shallow Celaena is at the beginning of the first book. I wanted to reread the first three books so that I can continue with books 4 and 5 and hopefully be caught by the time book 6 comes out. I found out this week that I still have ample time, since it won't come out 'till May of 2018. Ah well, that way I don't have to speed through them. I am going to continue with the the audiobooks since they help speed up my reading :-)

And the last book I finished - literally on the last day of February - was my favourite read of the month: book four of the Black Mage series: Last Stand. This book had everything: it was action-packed and fastpaced, emotional - like real, raw emotions - so well-written. This book ripped my heart out, broke it into a million pieces and put it back together again. I will be doing a full review soon. I already know this series will make it to my top 10 books of 2017.

These are the two physical books I 'read' as audiobooks, the other three I read on my e-reader and that doesn't do the covers justice!
 


March' theme for the OW Bookclub is retellings so I hope to read Winter by Marissa Meyer. This book is humongous, so I'm not sure what else I'll be able to read, but I would like to squeeze in The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.


How did your reading go in February? Did you read any good books? Let me know in the comments.
 
Bye for now
 
Annelies

February 2015 wrap up

Hi booklovers

During the month of February I was able to read 5 books, thanks to my midterm break and some shorter, quicker reads. I've added the links to the Goodreads pages so you can check out the synopses.

1) Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes: non-spoiler review / spoiler review.

2) Faking it by Cora Carmack. This is the second book in an NA companion novel series. I've read Losing it and Keeping her (a novella) last year. The first two books are about Garrick and Bliss and I really liked reading about them, so at first I was a bit hesitant to read the other stories. (I tend to have that reaction to companion novels, I had the same issue with Katie McGarry's books.) But while I was on the train to go to Waterstones Brussels the other day, I decided to read it on my e-reader. I was still reading Gathering Darkness at the time, but I didn't feel like taking such a chunk of a book with me, so I took my e-reader instead.
This story is about Cade and Max - it's written in dual POV - and I read it almost in one sitting. Cade is trying to get over Bliss but he has a hard time forgetting her. And then, all of a sudden Max comes into his life asking him a weird question.
Like Losing it and Keeping her this was a quick, fun, sexy read, but with a bit of an edge. I know most NA stories are about the same themes but this one didn't have the cliches that Abbi Glines' stories sometimes tend to have. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads. (Click here if you want to know how I rate books.)

Beware if you're a younger reader because this has sexual content.

3) Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes: non-spoiler review / spoiler review. (coming soon)

4) Finding it by Cora Carmack. In this book we follow Bliss' best friend Kelsey on her trip around Europe. On this trip she want to discover herself and find out what she's going to do with her life. What I like about this book is that although there is instant attraction between Kelsey and Hunt, they don't hit it off immediately. You have your typical characters weighed down by their personal histories, but it was so well written that this didn't bother me. My heart was trampled on a couple of times. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

5) Seeking her by Cora Carmack. This is a novella in which we get part of the Finding it story told from Hunt's POV. I really liked it because we get to know a bit of the story before the start of Finding it. It was nice to get to know the story from Hunt's POV and some of his back-story. The only problem I had was that I thought it ended at a weird point in the story. I would've loved to read a bit more. That's why I gave it 3.5 stars on Goodreads. 

All in all, February was a good reading month :-)

Which of these books have you read or would you like to read? Let me know in the comments!

Bye for now

Annelies

January - February book haul

Hi booklovers

During the months of January and February I bought 10 books.

Five of them I ordered at bol.com because for me that's the easiest way to order books.

I got:

 

  Splintered - Unhinged - Ensnared

by A.G. Howard

 

          Shatter me                                            Gathering Darkness

          by Tahereh Mafi                                    by Morgan Rhodes

The other day I went to Waterstones Brussels with one of my best friends and I bought five more books. I know I said I wanted to buy less books this year and knock off some books of my TBR list, but in my defense: my friend bought more books than me :-)

   

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour - Second Chance summer
by Morgan Matson

I haven't read any books by Morgan Matson yet, so I'm curious to see what her writing is like. I wanted to get 'Amy & Roger's Epic Detour' with the pink cover to match 'Second Chance summer' but this was the only one they had.

Noughts & Crosses

by Malorie Blackman

I got this one solely because I've heard Megan Olivier raving about it quite a few times and it's one of her favourite books. Maybe Bre Faucheux and I will do a buddy-read for this book.

    Shadow and Bone                                       Half-Blood

      by Leigh Bardugo                          by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I had a really great time at Waterstones, I love browsing through books and bookshops. Because Waterstones is one of the few English bookstores in Belgium I don't go there very often so I always cherish the time I get to spend there. I find ordering books online very easy, but going to a bookshop is just a whole different experience!

Which do you prefer: going to bookshops or ordering your books online? Which of these books should I read first? Let me know in the comments!    

Bye for now

Annelies