City of Lost Souls

*Disclaimer* This is the fifth book in “The Mortal Instruments” series so if you haven´t read the other four books yet, please be aware of spoilers. I would not advise reading if you want to start this series without being spoiled, but if you don´t mind feel free to continue on, just be warned. However if you have read City of Fallen Angels, this review won´t spoil the book.   

Title: City of Lost Souls

Author: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 554

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Rating: 4/5 Stars

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Cassandra Clare has done it again. Even though The Mortal Instruments is certainly not the best series I have ever read, Clare manages to make each book better, which is something I am in awe of. City of Lost Souls is my favourite instalment in this series so far. As some of you might know by now, I don´t particularly love how Cassandra Clare constructs her plots. I find them to be a bit too slow building to grab my full attention right away. But with this book it was a bit different. Clare uses multiple POVs to showcase different story arcs that at the end come together beautifully to build the finale, which to be honest wasn´t as great as the previous one in City of Fallen Angels. Still I found the overall plot in this book, to be probably the strongest in all of her books I have read so far. 

This book also gives the reader more of a background knowledge of different characters, which I very much appreciated. Once again Clare highlights a certain character, in the last one it was Simon, in this one it is Alec. We haven´t seen as much of Alec as other characters, so it was nice getting to know him and the way he thinks more.  But where this books really shines is in Jace´s character development. We see him and Sebastian being melted and separated and melted and separated over and over again, so I wasn´t quite sure how much of the real Jace was left. But in the epilogue we see how much he has grown due to this circumstance. I reckon if I would reread this book, I would be able to pick up on a lot more subtle hints that point in this direction.

So what else is there to say? Well the classic things that Cassandra Clare is known for. It is a really funny book, I am a fan of all the relationships (seriously I ship them all) and I LOVE the nudges to the Infernal Devices, those are so great. Also it was really fun seeing bits of every city they went to.

What is your favourite ship from TMI? Let me know in the comments down below!

Read on xx

Lena

August Releases

A bit late, but but at least you can already get most of these releases now, right? ;)

Enter Title Here, by Kanakia Rahul

As the end of summer approaches, so does the time where we grab for the last contemporary book on our TBR-Piles. But which book would be better to chime in the beginning of fall/the start of the new school year than a combination of contemporary and school. Rashmi is the typical over the top-perfect-in-everything kind of student, who just wants to go to Stanford. So to get herself a head start she gets herself a literary agent. But to write a more relatable novel she starts doing all the typical American girl things like get a boyfriend.

Published August 2^nd

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22060619-enter-title-here

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Enter-Title-Here-Rahul-Kanakia/dp/1484723872/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470843968&sr=1-1&keywords=enter+title+here

It Ends With Us, by Colleen Hoover

Have I ever read a Colleen Hoover book? Well…. no. But with such a huge following, like she has I would think it is safe to say, that her books are quite enjoyable. From what I have heard so far it seems as it is another crowd pleasing favourite, which is enjoyed better the less you know about it, so we are going to leave it at that.

Published August 2^nd

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27362503-it-ends-with-us

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ends-Us-Novel-Colleen-Hoover/dp/1501110365/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470843950&sr=1-1&keywords=it+ends+with+us

Attack on Titan, Volume 19

I have by no means caught up with this series yet, but it is always nice to have another volume of this AMAZING series. After Titans destroyed most of humanity, Humanity has withdrawn into one last city. The story picks up five hundred years later, when suddenly a colossal titan appears, who destroys the saving wall. I would highly recommend this series, especially if you liked the Mistborn series, by Brandon Sanderson.

Published August 2^nd

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833731-attack-on-titan-volume-19

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Attack-Titan-19-Hajime-Isayama/dp/1632362597/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470843929&sr=1-1&keywords=attack+on+titan+19

Nevernight, by Jay Kristoff

This book! It has everything I could ever want (except for maybe dragons and ice cream, but I haven´t read it yet, so who knows?): an assassin, a boarding school AND magic? Heck yes, sign me in! But I am still a bit anxious, as the reviews so far have been really split. It seems that people either love or hate this book, so we will see.

Published August 11^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114463-nevernight

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nevernight-Jay-Kristoff/dp/1250073022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470843559&sr=8-1&keywords=nevernight+by+jay+kristoff

The Bronze Key, by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

I read the first book, called “The Iron Trial”, a couple of months ago. It is a fun Middle Grade series, in which the main protagonist Callum goes to this magic school. It reminded me a bit of Harry Potter, so if you have already finished the Cursed Child and can´t let go this one offers a similar premise.

Published August 30^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13612965-the-bronze-key

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bronze-Key-Magisterium-Book/dp/0545522315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470843589&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bronze+key

Furthermore, by Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh Mafi is best known for her bestselling Shatter Me series, which once again: I have not read yet! So I can´t go off that but the synopsis sounds cool. Apparently colour plays a big role in this one so that will be a new concept, that I have never seen done before.

Published August 30^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28110143-furthermore

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Furthermore-Tahereh-Mafi/dp/1101994762/ref=pd_sim_14_70?ie=UTF8&dpID=614dj-RRpOL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR106%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=JM4AZW6JPHZM2RWR150D

July Wrap-Up

If I were to summon up my reading habits this month the only way I would be able to describe it were: Weird.

Hey guys, how are you? Long-time no see. I am sorry, but my computer had to be repaired and it took longer than I thought it would. But at least I read a lot! Especially during my vacation, but after that things got strange. I fell into a reading slump, but only kind of. I wanted to read, but no book grabbed my attention so I started I think five different ones until I finally committed and finished a book. But since then the only thing I have read this month are graphic novels/comics. Nothing wrong with that, but it I would rather read novels. Anyway, moving on to what I actually read:

City of Lost Souls, by Cassandra Clare          4/5 Stars

Once again a great book by Cassandra Clare, really liked the plot (Review to come)

The Neverland Wars, by Audrey Greathouse           2.5/5 Stars

Got this one as an ARC, this one just kinda fell flat. Pretty forgettable

The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson       4.5/5 Stars

While not as good as the first book, this was a really great high fantasy book (Review to come)

Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella     5/5 Stars

ReadbyZoe on YouTube read these books a while ago so I wanted to pick them up as well. LOVED it. Really fun and fast read with loveable characters

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, by Sophie Kinsella    4/5 Stars

This one repeated lots of things from the first book, so while still enjoyable, it just wasn´t as refreshing and fun

Shopaholic Ties the Knot, by Sophie Kinsella          4.5/5 Stars

The plot goes into a different direction and shopping takes the backseat, once again really great (I think I might review the series as a whole, or maybe in pairs, not sure yet)

My Life Next Door, by Huntley Fitzpatrick            2.5/5 Stars

This was the book that helped me start reading again, but it wasn´t pretty good to be honest. The characters were really cliché and the plot felt unnecessarily stretched out. (Review to come)

Graphic Novels:

Attack on Titan Vol 1, by Hajime Isayama    4/5 Stars

I started watching the anime again, so I knew what was going to happen; While really great, the art style was confusing at times

Attack on Titan Vol 2, by Hajime Isayama    4/5 Stars

I really appreciated the scene that was left out of the anime, it gave me a better understanding of Mikasa; I think I still prefer the anime though because the manga isn´t as suspenseful and emotionally gripping

East of West Vol 3: There Is No Us, by Jonathan Hickman         3.5/5 Stars

I took too much time off this series, so I was quite confused by what was going on, but I got back into it by one point; Finally, the threads are intertwining!

East of West Vol 4: Who Wants War? by Jonathan Hickman      4.5/5 Stars

Loved the information (maps, history etc.) at the beginning. Some of the story arcs are becoming understandable, but there is still lots of mystery around what´s really going on; Can´t wait for Volume 5!

Fables Vol 1: Legends in Exile, by Bill Willingham          5/5 Stars

Great first instalment, I can definitely see myself becoming obsessed with this series

Fables Volume 2: Animal Farm, by Bill Willingham         5/5 Stars

This volume was even better!

Seconds, by Bryan Lee O`Malley        4/5 Stars

A really quirky and cute graphic novel. The art style portrays the characters similar to chibis, which is sweet. The dynamic between Katie and the narrator is unlike anything I have read before. Recommend especially for people who want to get into graphic novels!!!

Sweet Tooth Vol 1: Out of the Deep Woods, by Jeff Lemire        3/5 Stars

Didn´t really like the artstyle, but it does fit the story well

Sweet Tooth Vol 2: In Captivity, by Jeff Lemire      3.5/5 Stars

I liked this one better; Also we got some backstory, which is always nice

Sweet Tooth Vol 3: Animal Armies, by Jeff Lemire          3/5 Stars

Didn´t like it as much as the second volume

Chew Vol 1: Taster´s Choice, by John Layman       3/5 Stars

This was a difficult one, I appreciate the plot and the characters, but I wasn´t a fan of the art and it is just a bit too gross for my taste (pun intented), I´ll probably read Vol 2 and then decide if I really want to continue on, I would still recommend it though, because it is by no means a “bad” comic

Y: The Last Man Vol 2: Cycles, by Brian K. Vaughan      4/5 Stars

Even though I didn´t like it as much as the first Volume, I still really liked it! It wasn´t as humorous and I can´t comprehend Hero´s actions. Also: Not cool Yorrick! What about Beth?

Y: The Last Man Vol 3: One Small Step, by Brian K. Vaughan   4/5 Stars

I think this is my least favourite volume in this series yet, it was great until that part with the theatre. That turned me off a bit, but apart from that: Great Volume, great series!

Y: The Last Man Vol 4: Safeword, by Brian K. Vaughan  4.5/5 Stars

The beginning was strange, but after they leave 711 this volume did everything right again.

As you can see, I was pretty busy this month. Do you want me to review any book/comic in particular? Let me know down below and we can discuss it together!

Read on xx

Lena

June Releases

New June Releases

June has arrived, which means I can finally eat tons of ice cream without feeling judged. But apart from that the arrival of this new month also brings new releases for us to devour during the holidays. These picks are mostly YA, since I enjoy reading that genre most, but not all of them are, I promise. Plus they are listed in order of publication.

London Belongs to Us, by Sarra Manning

Sunny has always been a bit of a push-over. But after she sees a picture of her boyfriend kissing another girl, she knows she has to act. And so, a troublesome night in London begins. In the course of twelve hours she visits countless places in London in order to get her romantic revenge.

I read a couple reviews of this book, before putting it on this list and from all I could gather this book is a fun, fast-paced and especially light read, which most people seem to rush through. I reckon it would be a great beach read, especially for people who don´t read very fast.

Published June 2nd 

Gr: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26177619-london-belongs-to-us

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/London-Belongs-Us-Sarra-Manning/dp/1471404617/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465055034&sr=1-1&keywords=london+belongs+to+us

This Savage Song, by Victoria Schwab

Kate and August have something in common: They are both heirs to their divided city. But while Kate just wants to be as ruthless as her father, who lets humans pay for his protection from the monsters, all August wants is to be human and not one of the monsters. When he gets the chance to protect the Troublemaker Kate he grabs it. But after a failed assassination the two now have to flee in order to try to protect their lives.

This book kicks off Mrs. Schwabs new series “The Monsters of Verity” and it sounds like the perfect action packed Urban Fantasy ready to kick off this summer.  With all the praise Victoria Schwab has received for her previous works, even though I have read none of them yet, I believe this will be a great book as well.

Published June 7^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28696452-this-savage-song

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/This-Savage-Song-Monsters-Verity/dp/0062380850/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465055190&sr=1-1&keywords=this+savage+song

The Leaving, by Tara Altebrando

Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing. There hasn´t been a single clue leading to them. Now five of them turned up again. Not one of them remembers the sixth victim, Max. Everybody wants answers, especially Max´s sister Avery, who doesn´t really believe in the whole loss-of-memory-claim.

This novel sounds like it would be a very gripping, fast-paced thriller, which is definitely something I enjoy reading during the summer months. I have not really heard something about this book either so if you want to be the first to discover the next big thing, this may be a contender.

Published June 7^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26073074-the-leaving?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Tara-Altebrando/dp/1619638037/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465055015&sr=1-1&keywords=the+leaving

You Know Me Well, by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

“You Know Me Well” is written in a dual POV. Mark and Kate have set next to each other for years, but their paths have just never crossed outside of class and even there they have never talked to each other. When they meet each other thousands of miles away from home, just after Kate fled from the chance to meet the girl, she fell in love with from afar, for the first time and Mark may or may not be in love with his best friend, they discover that it just doesn´t have to be family or friends who know you well.

I read “Every Day” by David Levithan, which I liked, and have heard only great things about Nina LaCour´s novel “Everything Leads to You”. Both authors are known for their good handling of LGTBQ+ characters and themes, so if you are interested in books with those this may be a good book for you.

Published June 7^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667779-everything-leads-to-you?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/You-Know-Me-Well-Novel/dp/1250098645/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465055150&sr=1-1&keywords=you+know+me+well

Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale, by David Kudler

Risuko is about a girl named Kano Murasaki, but primarily called Squirrel or Risuko, who lives in the Japanese countryside. We follow the fatherless girl as she gets dragged into the Japanese civil war that has roamed the country for centuries by now. She gets sent to a school, where everything is not quite as it seems.

Risuko is a Japanese inspired Middle Grade/YA book with elements of Fantasy and Historical Fiction. It seems like a book, for a bit of a younger audience (thirteen maybe?) but since I am a big fan of Middle Grade as well I am excited for it. I also really like Japan so the fact that it is Japanese inspired is another factor it has going for it.

Published June 15^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25700544-risuko

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Risuko-Kunoichi-Tale-David-Kudler/dp/1938808347/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465055057&sr=1-1&keywords=risuko+a+kunoichi+tale

            

                                        

The Vinegar Girl, by Hogarth Shakespeare

                                                                                  

Somehow Kate ended up stuck in her life, running the household for her eccentric scientist father and her younger sister Bunny. It isn´t helping either that she is always in trouble at work. Her father has to face another problem: His research is on the verge of a breakthrough and it could help millions, but not without his assistant Pyotr, who is about to be deported. So he comes up with a plan to keep Pyotr relying – once again- on Kate.

I don´t read a lot of Adult Fiction, which is a habit I am trying to overcome this year. And I think “The Vinegar Girl” would be a good to start, since I found its description quite interesting.

Published June 17^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26210464-vinegar-girl

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Vinegar-Girl-Novel-Hogarth-Shakespeare/dp/0804141266/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465055080&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vinegar+girl

And I Darken, by Kiersten White

This story follows the siblings Lana and Radu, two orphans, who ever since their father abandoned them were raised at the court of the sultan Ottoman. Their linage not only makes them special but inevitably makes them targets as well. Lana plans on taking down the empire that holds them captive until she meets Ottoman´s son Mehmed. Without knowing he now stands between Lana and Radu whose bond of loyalty and love is stretched to almost breaking point, transforming them from siblings to rivals.

I love my fantasy reads to have good political intrigues and this book sounds like it could deliver exactly that. Reading the synopsis gives me vibes of this dark political romance story, where our main character will have to manoeuvre this court trying to stay alive, while also being torn apart between family and love. I can´t wait.

Published June 28^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27190613-and-i-darken?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/I-Darken-Kiersten-White/dp/0553522310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465054993&sr=1-1&keywords=and+i+darken

Are you planning on picking any of these books up? If so, let me know which ones and what you thought of them in the comments down below!

Read on xx

Lena

My Summer TBR

Summer is now almost upon us, which also means one signifcant thing (apart from ice cream; ice cream is important the whole year round): SCHOOOOL´S OUT

Where I live, school ends at the first of July. Still a couple of weeks away, but not as far as one might believe, since time tends to fly, especially at the end of the schoolyear. But even though the holidays are still more than a month away, all the final tests and such end at the beginning of June. This means I will have lots of free time to spend on reading (and ice cream, once again ice cream is important). So I thought it would be fun to share what my reading plans are for this summer, so that in September I will be able to really see, which of my reading goals I accomplished. All of these books are in no particular order, as I really hope to get to all of them in the next few months.

Before you get into this list, I just wanted to let you know, that in this List there are only books included, which I either already own or want to lend from my local library, as I don´t really have enough money to buy most of my Anticipated BookReleases for this Summer. 
I am going to use #SeriesSummer to participate in the project started by JBookLover13 (Shoutout by the way, your videos are awesome). It is her way of keeping on track with reading all of her unread series and as I have some on my shelves as well I thought it would be a cool idea to participate. The goal of #SeriesSummer is to keep you motivated to read series, with no particular goals, except your personal ones.

City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire, and the Infernal Devices Trilogy, all by Cassandra Clare

I finally decided to give The Mortal Instruments another shot, so I reread “City of Bones” and “City of Ashes”. Both of which I liked, but not really loved. But for the first time I continued and read “City of Glass”. And OH.MY.GOD. I get all the hype around these books now. It´s not as good of a series as for example the “Lunar Chronicles” in my opinion, but still really good. I found them to be more of a guilty pleasure series, that you need to be hooked on to love, but once I got into it, I was addicted. So now have to wait until Wednesday, because that´s when my package of the last three books will arrive. I also read that you are supposed to read Cassandra Clare´s books in order of publishing date, so that is exactly what I´m gonna do.

City of Fallen Angels

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6752378-city-of-fallen-angels?from_search=true&search_version=service

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/City-Fallen-Angels-Mortal-Instruments/dp/1481455990/ref=pd_bxgy_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0VFX6TYQD53PMYH4E3YQ

City of Lost Souls

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8755776-city-of-lost-souls?from_search=true&search_version=service

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/City-Lost-Souls-Mortal-Instruments/dp/1481456008/ref=pd_bxgy_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1QZ7YM1YM8VCE7G47CNK

City of Heavenly Fire

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8755785-city-of-heavenly-fire?from_search=true&search_version=service

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/City-Heavenly-Fire-Mortal-Instruments/dp/1481444425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463944013&sr=1-1&keywords=city+of+heavenly+fire

Clockwork Angel:

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7171637-clockwork-angel?ac=1&from_search=true

Clockwork Prince

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10025305-clockwork-prince

Clockwork Princess

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18335634-clockwork-princess

All of the Infernal Devices in a Boxed Set (I would recommend buying them book by book, for some reason it´s cheaper)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Infernal-Devices-Complete-Collection-Clockwork/dp/1481456601/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463943661&sr=1-1&keywords=the+infernal+devices

Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes

“Me Before You”, seems to have taken over every reader’s bookshelf, as I have seen it supposedly everywhere these last few months. And now that the movie is coming out soon, I decided I should probably finally read it. It is advertised as this great romance book, where Louise takes a job as a caretaker for Will, whom she is the first to treat like a normal person. They fall in love because it´s a Romance Novel and supposedly something sad happens and I am ready. Ready to cry.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15507958-me-before-you?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon (I only found this ugly movie edition sry): http://www.amazon.com/Me-Before-You-Novel-Tie/dp/0143130153/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51u6UWiKnYL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR182%2C320_&refRID=0BK4VAPA6R0XY5CWJ4VH

The Percy Jackson Series, by Rick Riordan

This is the only reread I have on this list, since I don´t particularly like rereading things, but I figured I should reread at least one book/series. It has been about seven years since I have read the series for the first time, gosh time really flies by, so I don´t remember a lot of details, which is why I chose this series. We follow our main character Percy, who finds out he is a demi god so he goes to this camp over the summer, Camp Halfblood. Camp Halfblood is a camp particularly for the children of other greek gods, like Percy. I remember this series being tons of fun so I am really pumped about reliving all of Percy´s adventures with him once more.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6443349-percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-boxed-set?from_search=true&search_version=service

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jackson-Olympians-Paperback-covers-poster/dp/1484707230/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464261942&sr=1-1&keywords=percy+jackson

Ruin and Rising and Six of Crows, both by Leigh Bardugo

As I have also mentioned in my post about My Top 10 Anticipated Summer Releases, I was surprised by how much I liked the first two books in this series. I was a big fan of the Russian setting and can´t wait to finally know how Bardugo is going to conclude this series. I can´t really talk about the plot, in fear of spoiling something, but just know that the Grisha Trilogy is set in a russsian inspired world, where there are people with magical abilities, called grishas. During the books we follow a girl called Alina, who finds out that she is the first grisha in thousands of years who can summon light. There is also this fold of darkness, and one of the best villains ever, but just know that you should read it.

 I also own “Six of Crows” which is the companion/follow up (?????) series set in the same universe as the Grisha Trilogy, after its events. All of the reviews I have read, were completely raving about how much better, than the Grisha Trilogy it is, so that makes me even more excited. This book basically follows a couple of different characters in pursuing a heist. And heist stories are my favourites so that´s that.

Ruin and Rising

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14061957-ruin-and-rising?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Grisha-Trilogy-Leigh-Bardugo/dp/1250063167/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51Hn89MFXPL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR212%2C320_&refRID=00JGK9F9FJ2BW4GSK957

Six of Crows

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23437156-six-of-crows

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Six-Crows-Leigh-Bardugo/dp/1627792120/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463943750&sr=1-1&keywords=six+of+crows

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruis Zafón

This is the first book of the month in the Uncovered Book Club, which is hosted by Max from WellDoneBooks and Raeleen from Padfootandprongs07. Both of them are Booktubers, whose content I really enjoy watching and I have had this book on my shelves for quite some time. It also has been recommended to me, so all in all I thought this read along would be to perfect opportunity to finally read this book. It is set in Barcelona during 1945, after the Spanish Civil War. A boy named Daniel finds this books. After reading it he looks for more books by the same author to discover that someone is destroying all of the author´s books.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1232.The_Shadow_of_the_Wind#

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wind-Carlos-Ruiz-Zaf%C3%B3n/dp/0143034901/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463943034&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shadow+of+the+wind

Since You´ve Been Gone, by Morgan Matson

This will be my first Morgan Matson book, but from what I have gathered all her books are the perfect light, but really fun, summer contemporary read. I can already picture myself laying in our garden, with some ice cream (hehehe) on a nice summer evening, reading this. The main character´s name is Emily and she is more of a wallflower, whose best friend Sloane suddenly disappears. But Sloane leaves her a list of tasks to complete, so Emily checks all of them of, during the course of summer in hope of finding Sloane in doing so. Have I mentioned that they are eating ice cream on the cover?

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18189606-since-you-ve-been-gone?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=since+you%27ve+been+gone&sprefix=since+%2Cstripbooks%2C356

Y-The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughn, Pia Guerra and José Marzán Jr.

The first and only graphic novel series on this list. I read the first volume a couple weeks ago and loved it, but haven´t been able to get to my local library since then to get the other volumes. The reason I picked it up, and damn am I happy I did that, is that the writer is the writer who also wrote Saga, which is my second favourite graphic novel series of all time. Even though it is not as great as “Saga”, which is mostly due to the artstyle. And my preference in fantasy, but mostly the art. But sill it is just as funny as “Saga”, if not even more. In “Y-The Last Man” all the man die. Just like *snap* all of them dead, on the floor. Except Yorrick and his pet monkey Ampersand. The story then follows, them finding out why they are still alive, while also fighting for survival.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156534.Y?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Y-Last-Man-Book-One/dp/140125151X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463943175&sr=1-1&keywords=y+the+last+man

Daughter Of Smoke and Bone Trilogy, by Laini Taylor

I got the box set from my mother for my birthday, and now it just sits on my shelf sits just waiting for summer holidays waiting to be marathoned. It has, as far as I know, only received praise, especially due to Taylor´s writing and is many people´s favourite series. I am not quite sure what it is about except that it is about this art student Karou, who draws monsters and collects teeth, I recall? It is also set in Prague and I have never read anything set there, but I think she will capture its essence just right.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20706293-the-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-trilogy?ac=1&from_search=truev

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Smoke-Bone-Trilogy-Paperback/dp/0316306428/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463941524&sr=1-3&keywords=daughter+of+smoke+and+bone

The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson

So far, the first book in the Mistborn Trilogy, is one of my favourite books of this year. It was everything I didn´t know I wanted and so much more. Again I can´t really go into the plot of this book, because spoilers, but I don´t even want to really know what it is about anyway. Just know that “The Final Empire”, the first book, is something every fantasy lover should read. The bad guy has won and has already ruled the land for hundreds of years. There is also this awesome thing were a few people can burn metal to access powers. A small gang of those people, group together to take down the emperor in a nearly suicidal heist. Picture it as an Ocean 11 with magic, which sounds like everything you could need in life, doesn´t it? Believe me it is.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68429.The_Well_of_Ascension?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Well-Ascension-Mistborn-Book/dp/0765356139/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463943194&sr=1-1&keywords=the+well+of+ascension

Rebel Belle, by Rachel Hawkins

I have owned this book for about six months now, which is quite a long time for not reading a book, which I am really excited for. But I am really scared of the sequels. From everything I gathered, most people loved the first book, but found the other two to be mediocre at best. So somehow in my head it seems like a rational decision to not read it, even though I want to!

The story basically follows this southern “Belle”, named Harper, who on her Prom Night becomes a Paladin. Now she has to protect her arch enemy David, whose fate could very well destroy earth. Sounds so ridiculous, but awesome indeed.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8475505-rebel-belle?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Belle-Rachel-Hawkins/dp/0147514355/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463941209&sr=1-1&keywords=rebel+belle

What did you guys think of my list? Have you read any books on it? And what are you guys reading this summer? Let me know in the comments down below together with what kind of ice cream is your favourite! ;P

Read on xx

Lena

My Top 10 Anticipated Summer Releases of 2016

2016 has almost already reached ist halfway-point. (Ahhhhh who can believe that? It passed by so fast!) And as now summer is finally upon us, school is out. This means that there will also be more than enough time for friends, ice cream, summer adventures and the most important: lying in the grass on a nice summer day READING. So to get us ready, I decided to make my first real blog post about my Top 10 summer releases, just in case you are still hesitant which books you need to pick up to have the best Summer you could possibly have.

 As a disclaimer I want to add, that I personally define summer as the beginning of May until the end September, so not the “official” definition, but who cares? I also want to claim that, of course, dates can change. I am writing this post on May 22^nd so maybe the date that a certain book is supposed to come out will change.

Number 10:

The Raven King, by Maggie Stiefvater

Yes, this is lower than most people would expect, especially because most of the books I read are YA and this is one HECK of a popular series. I have only read the first two books “The Raven Boys” and “The Dream Thieves” and honestly I just found them to be….Nice. I do want to continue on so I am happy all the books are out now, so I can read the last two books in a row if I desire to do so.

Published April 26^th.

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17378527-the-raven-king?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Raven-King-Cycle-Book/dp/0545424984/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51ElpkATO3L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR116%2C160_&refRID=06Z3H3V3BA0B2KBZ3ZQT

Number 9:

Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo

Have I read “Six of Crows”? No. Have I finished the Grisha Trilogy? No. Have I at least started the series? Yes! And I absolutely adored the first two books “Shadow and Bone” and “Siege and Storm”. I just ordered the last book “Ruin and Rising” and already own “Six of Crows” and since I am very excited to read those, I found it appropriate to make “Crooked Kingdom” my number nine.

Published September 27th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22299763-crooked-kingdom?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crooked-Kingdom-Sequel-Six-Crows/dp/1627792139/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51uNAMQOafL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR214%2C320_&refRID=0ZG54FAFR5NYNWGQ7HGQ

Number 8:

This Savage Song, by Victoria Schwab

I haven´t read something by Victoria Schwab (but I own “Vicious” though!) Still this book intrigues me. With Urban Fantasy, conflicted main characters and all the hype that is around Vicoria Schwab´s writing style this book sounds right up my alley.

I also talked about this book in my June Releases so if you would like to read more about it please click here. (coming Sunday)

Published July 5^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23299512-this-savage-song?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/This-Savage-Song-Monsters-Verity/dp/0062380850/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463920675&sr=1-1&keywords=this+savage+song+victoria+schwab

Number 7:

Strange the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor

Two confessions: First, as it seems to be a trend, I haven´t read the “Daughter of Smoke and Bones” trilogy yet. Ugh, bad reader I know, but what can you do? Second, I don´t really know what this is about. Just something about a conflict between gods and mankind, alchemy and perhaps love? As I said, I don´t know what this is about, but that doesn´t mellow my excitement on bit.

Published September 27^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28145767-strange-the-dreamer?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Dreamer-Laini-Taylor/dp/0316341681/ref=pd_bxgy_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DPJZE163EHSR7FENGJE

Number 6:

The Crown´s Game, by Evelyn Skye

Remember when I just told you about how much I liked the first two books in the Grisha Trilogy? Believe it or not I was quite hesitant to pick it up. The reviews I had heard were mixed and I wasn´t sure whether or not I would like the Russian inspired setting. At the end the Russian aspects turned out to be my favourite part, hence why I am excited about the crown´s game (and the author studied Russian History in collage, so she probably knows her stuff). The story takes place in 19^th century Russia, where Nikolaj and Vika have to battle each other’s magic to see who will become the emperor’s enchanter. So not only has this book a Russian setting, it also has a love triangle, which I am a huge fan of, when done right, and magic. MAGIC!

Published May 17^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156203-the-crown-s-game?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crowns-Game-Evelyn-Skye/dp/0062422588/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463921633&sr=1-1&keywords=the+crown%27s+game

Number 5:

Summer Day and Summer Nights, edited by Stephanie Perkins

When I think of a perfect summer read, it either is a fun, fast paced fantasy story or a light, cute and fluffy contemporary. And Stephanie Perkins is surely the queen of the latter. The “Anna and the French Kiss” companions introduced me to her fabulous writing and since then I have been hooked and will read whatever the Queen of Contemporary chooses to publish. This is the second anthology she did, the first one set around Christmas, this one now takes place in the summer. There are 12 Love stories in this, including ones from authors like Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo (another reason to buy this!) and queen Perkins herself.

Published May 17^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25063781-summer-days-summer-nights?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Days-Nights-Twelve-Stories/dp/1250079128/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463922635&sr=1-1&keywords=summer+days+and+summer+nights

Number 4:

The Unexpected Everything, by Morgan Matson

But behold Stephanie Perkins! There is another Queen of Contemproray: Morgan Matson. Ok, I haven´t particularly read anything by her yet, but believe me “Since You´ve Been Gone” is one of the top contenders on my Summer TBR this year. “The Unexpected Everything” is about this girl Andie, who has her whole life mapped out. But then stuff happens and all these plans fly out the window and it just sounds like a really fun book, with all the themes Matson is supposedly so good at (family, finding oneself, and a little bit of love in-between)

Published May 5^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17838528-the-unexpected-everything?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Everything-Morgan-Matson/dp/1481404547/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Number 3:

Three Dark Crowns, by Kendare Blake

I haven´t really heard anything about this book until this week, when everybody came back from BEA.  This is about this island, on which every generation of the royal family there are triplets being born. So to determine, who becomes queen the three siblings have to fight each other. And the best part: They have MAGIC! (as by now it should´ve become clear that I really really like magic :P) It just sounds like a fun action packed YA Book, which is exactly the type of book I enjoy reading in the summertime.

Published September 20^th

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23207027-three-dark-crowns

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Dark-Crowns-Kendare-Blake/dp/0062385437/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463924539&sr=1-1&keywords=three+dark+crowns

Number 2:

A Court Of Mist And Fury, by Sarah J. Maas

This one is the only book on this list, which I have already read (watch out for my review to come). This is the second book in the “A Court Of Thorns and Roses” Trilogy and I was not a big fan of the first book. I had a lot of issues with it, found it very slow moving, except for the last 150 pages or so, and found it just ok. So I was hesitant whether to to continue on with this series or not. But boy am I happy I did! I don´t want to take away too many things from my review, but just know that if you didn´t like ACOTAR, this is a much better book, as this was everything I wanted from the first book and more.

Published May 3^rd

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17927395-a-court-of-mist-and-fury?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Court-Mist-Fury-Thorns-Roses/dp/1619634465/ref=pd_bxgy_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QQ8X5CT891NKZ0ENXSY

Number 1:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by J.K.Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

How can this one not be at the top of anyone´s anticipated releases! It´s Harry Potter! I don´t even really know what this book is about, but do I care? Hell no! Harry Potter is my All-Time-Favourite of every category ever, so of course I am going to devour it as soon as I get my hands on it.

Published July 31^st

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29056083-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Cursed-Child-Production/dp/1338099132/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463924421&sr=1-1&keywords=harry+potter+and+the+cursed+child

So, that is my list. What about you guys? What summer releases are you excited about? Have you already read any of the books on my list, and if so what did you think of them? Let me know in the comments down below!

Read on

Lena