We Are Not Okay: Review an Q&A with Natália Gomes!

When I first heard about We Are Not Okay, I was really curious to read it!

It was marketed as four female voices with unique stories to tell, and the short snapshots about each character sounded really intense and interesting. So when an opportunity to review an advanced reader copy came up, as well as to quiz the author, I jumped at it! 

Thank you to Harper Collins Publisher HQ for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

BLURB

If only they could have spoken out.
Lucy thinks she’s better than the other girls. Maybe if she’s pointing fingers at everyone else, no one will see the secret she’s hiding.
Ulana comes from a conservative Muslim family where reputation is everything. One rumour – true or false – can destroy futures.
Trina likes to party. She’s kissed a lot of boys. She’s even shown her red bra to one. But she didn’t consent to that night at Lucy’s party. So why doesn’t anyone believe
her?
Sophia loved her boyfriend. She did anything for him, even send him photos of herself. So why is she the one being pointed at in the hallways, laughed at, spat at when it was him who betrayed her trust?

Bullet Point Mini Reviews // Water Outages, Arranged Marriages & Mystical Wars!

Hello book friends! I hope ye are fairing well. 

I feel like I’ve been devouring books at a fast rate lately, gobbling up stories like they’re my last meal for the next month, desperate for more characters and more amazing worlds.

Yep, I am a book glutton. 

Anyway, as much as I would love to write reviews for every book I read, alas, this thing called time is against me, and I am a pawn to its whims.
Still, I’ve read so many good books lately that I couldn’t let all of them go without giving the nod to AT LEAST SOME OF THEM, and others, I really just wanted to share with you!

So read on for my latest adventures!

The 10 Stages of Being a Newbie on Bookstagram // Aka an Emotional Rollercoaster!

Guys, for the longest time, I was totally against getting an Instagram account and joining the Bookstagram community.

I have enough social media to contend with already, I said.
When will I even have enough time to take my own pictures anyway, I said.

But about 6 months ago I caved, and oh boy, I have been utterly enraptured since!!!

I check in on the app AT LEAST once a day to stare at all the pretty shiny things on there, and wow, looking at everyone’s accounts makes me feel so inspired.

Learning how to use, cope, and post on this site has actually felt like a real journey, which is kind of a weird thing to say about something that is essentially a social networking platform! However, I have a feeling a lot of you will:

a) empathise with my struggles
b) feel a little less alone by reading them or
c) find them highly amusing.

…and that’s why I’m bringing this post to you today! So without further ado, here are the 10 stages of being a newbie on Bookstagram from yours truly!

Book Review: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (a favourite author of mine), was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. It contains all my favourite things after all:

1) Lots and lots of pages…!
*My arms are so much stronger after reading this, no lie.*

2) DRAGONSSSSS!

3) Complex female character narrators (yay!) with the bonus of an f/f romance *fist pump for diversity!*

I counted down the months, weeks then days until I finally got my hands on this 830 paged beauty, and when its gorgeous cover was in my hands, I disappeared from the internet and dived in!

So, did it live up to my expectations? Eh, I’ll be honest with you – it didn’t. Read on to find out why!

Samatha Shannon in Conversation: London Launch of Priory + UK GIVEAWAY!

Hello, book dragons!

I’m bringing this post to you a little later than intended because life has been super busy *SHAKES FIST*, however, I’m extremely excited to be giving you the inside scoop on the Samantha Shannon in conversation event I attended at the end of February, celebrating her new release The Priory of the Orange Tree!

For those of you that don’t know, Priory is a high fantasy standalone novel that’s loosely based around the myth of George and the dragon, which is pretty freakin’ awesome!

I’m still quite new to attending bookish events and I do get a little nervous about them, but the team at London Waterstones Picadilly made everyone SO welcome, even offering us a free glass of wine. Um, VIP TREATMENT OVER HERE!?!

My friend and I arrived pretty early but the room was already half full, buzzing with excitable energy. When Samantha walked onto the makeshift stage there was a large whoop and a round of applause. Joining her and chairing the interview was Alwyn Hamilton. While I haven’t read any of her novels, I really want to now because she was such a funny and vibrant speaker and really set the tone for the evening!

The Pancake Book Tag // Pairing Books with Sweet Treats!

 

Hello everyone! Today is Shrove Tuesday, hurrah!

While I’m not religious in any way, I certainly jump on any excuse to have a sweet treat like a pancake or waffle, and I have a feeling you do too! 😉

(Literally drooling at this picture right now. Ahdfjdhfiufjf, NOM)

I was scratching my head trying to think of a themed post that I could do around pancake day (and treats in general) because sugar is awesome, and suddenly it came to me, A PANCAKE BOOK TAG.

So I had a little google, and it turned out that I couldn’t see that anyone had done this before, WHAAAAT. So now I feel like pancakes have been underrepresented in the book community, which is just not okay! Naturally, I felt I had to write this wrong.* Also, for the record, I think pancakes should be an all year thing. How do we overlook this?

*I have always been a champion of the underdog

So, I got down to business and created my first ever original book tag, which was kinda scary, but also, I had so much fun doing it and playing around with all the graphics! 

SO, if you’re into munching on pancakes, like reading awesome books, and like food-related puns, read on and discover all your favourite things! 

Accurate footage of me eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I am a monster.

ARC Review: The Quiet at the End of the World // A Fabulously Twisty Read!

I am quickly learning that when it comes to the author, Lauren James, you should always expect the unexpected!

After reading The Loneliest Girl in the Universe a couple of months ago and being thoroughly impressed with it, even considering I’m not a big science fiction reader, I was extremely excited to pick up James’s newest offering, The Quiet at the End of the World.

Lauren’s new book was certainly a rollercoaster, and I haven’t read a novel that has kept me guessing this much in a VERY LONG TIME.

Thank you to Walker Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy at their book blogger event! This did not in any way impact the thoughts in my review.

The Wonderstruck Book Tag // Ft. All the Taylor Swift GIFS!

Hello everyone! 

I came across this super cool tag recently created by the wonderful Purely Olivia. She has a fabulous book blog and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t come across it before!

This tag combines two of my favourite things – books and Taylor Swift songs.
I mean, win-win, right?!

Taylor Swift’s music saw me through most of my teenage years (alongside Paramore and The Pretty Reckless, I’m diverse Y’all). While I’m not such a fan of her newer pop albums, her country songs still make my heart SO HAPPY, and instantly transport me back to teen angst, first crushes, and belting out song lyrics with my friends at sleepovers! 😀

CONTENT WARNING: This post may cause you to unexpectedly burst into song, hum in public for up to 24hrs after reading, or get caught in a dangerous Taylor Swift Youtube cycle.*

*I may or may not have gone on a two day Taylor Swift music binge after writing this. BLAMING YOU, OLIVIA!

Discovering (and Loving!) My First Brandon Sanderson Novel: Elantris

I think anyone reading this post will agree that we all read a lot of books. The difficulty comes when there are SO MANY AMAZING BOOKS TO CHOOSE FROM!

There are some authors that you hear about, again and again, tagged along with endless superlatives, and yet somehow never get around to reading despite your best efforts.

Brandon Sanderson has always been one of those authors for me.

I’m a huge high fantasy fan and Sanderson’s work has been recommended to me since I started blogging 6 years ago. After seeing so many glowing reviews for a variety of his novels, I purchased Elantris because it was a stand-alone and I had far too many series on the go at the time.  Afterward, I was told that it wasn’t the best of his works to start with, and so there it sat on my shelves for, you guessed it, 6 years. HOWS THAT FOR PROCRASTINATION?!?

Fast forward to 2019 Becky tackling her backlist, and all I can say is that if this isn’t one of Brandon Sanderson’s best, I can’t WAIT to dive into to all his other books, because I enjoyed this immensely!

My Most Anticipated Book Releases of 2019 in YA & Fantasy!

Hello everyone! 

I hope 2019 is treating you kindly so far! We’re two weeks in now, and I kind of still feel like I’m living in some kind of post-celebrations fog??!?
THIS BOOKWORM IS NOT READY FOR THE REAL WORLD YET.

It seems fitting that my first blog post of the year is looking ahead at all the good things coming up in the book world. This is actually my first time doing one of these anticipated releases posts if you can believe it! This is mostly because I am a very unorganised lemon and I never get all my dragons in a row as it were.

However, this year, I seem to have amassed a rather significant list of amazing new titles that I’m desperate to get my hands on.

I’m so excited to discuss these with you so that we can be excited together! I’ve split my 2019 releases into fantasy and contemporary reads, and then within each section by publication date to make things fair.

I’m also pleased to say that my list is a mix of both hyped and lesser-known novels, so I’m hoping that there may be a few on here you haven’t heard of yet!

SO READ ON TO DISCOVER AWESOMENESS! 😀

***Note: Full blurbs can be read by clicking on the drop-down arrows!***

2018 Wrap Up: On Books, Blogging & Exceeding all my Goals!

Hello everyone!

It’s that time of year where your inbox is being overwhelmed with blogging wrap up posts left right and centre. Why? Because December is a great time to reflect on goals both personal and bookish.*

*Also, analyzing your books and blogging stats is so damn satisfying.

So I’m sorry (but not sorry) that I will be joining the queue of bloggers discussing their books and blogging achievements of 2018! If you want to skip this post because you’re feeling oversaturated, I completely understand, but if not, I do hope you enjoy viewing what I’ve been up to, including the best books that I’ve read in 2018!

2018 has been a bit of a rollercoaster of a personal year. I lost two family members in Jan and Feb, and to be honest, 2018 never really recovered from that despite a lot of other amazing things such as mini breaks, theatre visits, gigs, etc.

But when it comes to books and blogging, 2018 was pretty incredible, and I’ve smashed a lot of my personal stats! I AM SO PROUD.

Mini Reviews: YA Books I’ve Been Devouring Lately!

Hello, readers!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the holiday season by eating too much, sipping on bubbly and just maybe, rewatching all the Harry Potter movies. 😉

If you’re anything like me, you’re currently in that post-Christmas but pre-New Years bliss where time slows down, you end up staying in your pajamas all day, and even forget what day of the week it is!

All of this, of course, is very condusive to quality reading time, and I’ve been zooming through an interesting mix YA books, some of which were noteworthy enough for me to share with you!

SO LET’S DO THE REVIEW THING *FIST PUMP*

Visiting Walker Books: My First Exclusive Book Blogging Event! *Cue Squealing*

I’d like to thank my mum, my dad, my boyfriend, the book community, and that guy I saw in Tesco’s that one time who gave up the last reduced pastry…

Haha no. But seriously, when I saw an invitation come into my inbox for Walker’s YA Wonderland, a festive evening of books, bubble, and bites to showcase their upcoming titles for 2019 presented by some of the authors themselves, it was like a golden ray of sunshine appeared and angels started singing.

I RSVP’d within about a minute of the invitation coming through without checking any of the details because come hell or high water, I WAS GETTING THERE.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best blogging moments I’ve had since I started this thing. I’ve seen plenty of bloggers invited to publisher events over the years, but I never thought I would be one of them and I feel so incredibly privileged to have been offered the opportunity. 

So, here’s you’re sneak peek into Walker Books and their upcoming releases (because I couldn’t go to a book event without sharing it with you guys, could I?!?) 😀

Book Review: Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Shadow of the Fox was my first Julie Kagawa book, and it did not disappoint.

With a blurb full of things like DRAGONS, and SCROLLS and MISCHIEF, where could it go wrong, really?!? This diverse read takes place in a beautiful Japanese setting which is utterly immersive, beautiful and unique.

Thank you to HQ young adult for giving me the opportunity to review a copy!

A single wish will spark a new dawn.
Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns…and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto.
The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret. Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure – one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.

5 Reasons I Couldn’t Stomach The Price Guide to the Occult (Plus, 5 Reasons You Just Might Like It?)

Oh man. The disappointment of this book. I can’t even handle it.
The thing is, I thought this was a slam dunk for me because:

a) GORGEOUS COVER. Doesn’t it just make you want to pick it up and stroke it immediately?
b) I love stories about witches, curses and forbidden spellbooks and I rarely find a book focussing on these things that I dislike.
c) The author’s debut book was SUPER POPULAR and highly praised.

Um, well I hate to be the one to burst everyone’s pumkin, but while The Price Guide to the Occult may look cute on the outside, it’s kinda rotten, smooshed and disorganised on the inside.

Not only was this my first 1-star read of the year, but it’s also the first ARC I’ve ever disliked. So while I’m thankful to the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review, I am unfortunately unable to say much that’s positive about this novel. However, I am going to do my best to both outline the issues I have with it, and also highlight some reasons why you might get on better with it than I did!

*TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains self-harm and child abuse and I will be discussing it.*

So, what’s it all about?