September Wrap-Up

 

 

 

 WHAT I READ

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint - eARC - 3/5 stars - read my review here.

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe - eARC - 3/5 stars - read my review here.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman - hardback - 2.5/5 stars.

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand - audiobook - 3/5 stars.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta - library hardback - 4/5 stars.

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams - eARC - 2.5/5 stars - review to come.

HAULED BOOKS

Physical books:

These were both pre-orders, The Man Who Died Twice the Waterstones exclusive and Certain Dark Things a signed copy.

BLOG POSTS

September TBR

FairyLoot Unboxing - Tales Retold (July  Box)

Can't-Wait Wednesday - The Apollo Murders

CURRENTLY READING

 

Dune (Dune, #1) by Frank Herbert

 

What did you read in September?

Can't-Wait Wednesday - The Apollo Murders

 

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a feature hosted at Wishful Endings where people showcase an upcoming book they are looking forward to.

 

This week I'm anticipating . . . 

 

 

 

 

Title: The Apollo Murders

 

Author: Chris Hadfield

 

Pages: 400

 

Publisher: Quercus

 

Release Date: 12th October 2021

 

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 

The far side of the Moon, 1973. Three astronauts are trapped in a tiny Apollo module, and one of them has murder on the mind . . .

From internationally bestselling astronaut Chris Hadfield comes an exceptional Cold War thriller from the dark heart of the Space Race. As Russian and American crews sprint for a secret bounty hidden away on the Moon's surface, old rivalries blossom and the political stakes are stretched to breaking point back on Earth. Houston flight controller Kazimieras 'Kaz' Zemeckis must do all he can to keep the NASA crew together, while staying one step ahead of his Soviet rivals. But not everyone on board Apollo 18 is quite who they appear to be.

Full of the fascinating technical detail that fans of The Martian loved, and reminiscent of the thrilling claustrophobia, twists and tension of The Hunt for Red October, The Apollo Murders puts you right there in the moment, a quarter of a million miles from home - a quarter of a million miles from help. Experience the fierce G-forces of launch, the frozen loneliness of Space and the fear of holding on to the outside of a spacecraft orbiting the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, as told by a former Commander of the International Space Station who has done all of those things in real life.

Strap in and count down for the ride of a lifetime.

 

 

 

 

 

Why I'm Anticipating This Book:

 

 I love a good sci-fi and the mystery/thriller element really appeals to me, especially as this novel is written by a real-life astronaut.

 

 

 

 

 

Review - The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

 

 

 

 

Title: The Girls I've Been

Author: Tess Sharpe

Pages: 336

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Release Date: 26th January 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Nora O'Malley is a lot of things. A sister. An ex. A secret girlfriend. Kind of crooked, but reformed... somewhat.

Nora O'Malley's been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up her mother's protege. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.

For five years she's been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:

#1: her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they've all been inseparable for months, Wes didn't know about her and Iris.

#2: The morning after, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised together. It's a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly.

Because #3: right after they get in the bank, two guys start robbing it.

But they have no idea who they're really holding hostage.

The robbers are trouble. Nora's something else entirely.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hachette Children's Group and NetGalley*

Nora O'Malley is at a bank with her girlfriend and ex-boyfriend when two men pull out guns and start a robbery.

Nora will have to use her past as a con-artist's daughter and all the different girls she's been to make it out alive and save her friends.

The premise for this book intrigued me so I decided to give it a go, especially as I'd been meaning to read a book by the author for a while.

The majority of the book is set during the bank robbery and I enjoyed the thriller aspects of this. There are also flashbacks to the different girls Nora was forced to be by her mother. These flashbacks were interesting and made me feel sorry for Nora who didn't get to really have a childhood. She'd been through a lot for someone so young.

Nora was a likeable and relatable protagonist who I enjoyed getting to know.

Other than Nora, my favourite characters were Lee, Nora's sister, and Iris, Nora's girlfriend, who were both pretty badass.

I liked the representation and thought the dark themes were handled well.

The plot held my attention throughout and while I wasn't gripped, I was interested to keep reading and find out what would happen. However, I wasn't invested enough to be shocked or on the edge of my seat.

The writing style was easy to follow and I would be interested in reading another book by the author.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, unique read.

Review - Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

 

 Title: Ariadne

Author: Jennifer Saint

Pages: 400

Publisher: Wildfire

Release Date: 29th April 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods - drawing their attention can cost you everything.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne's decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover's ambition?

 

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop | Waterstones

 

My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Headline and NetGalley*

Princess Ariadne and her sister Phaedra are the daughters of King Minos of Crete. Beneath the palace is the Labyrinth, home to the Minotaur, Ariadne's brother and Minos's source of power.

Every year the city of Athens is forced to provide sacrifices to the Minotaur and this year one of those is Theseus, the Prince of Athens.

Ariadne falls for Theseus and decides to help him kill the Minotaur and escape the labyrinth.

Betraying her family changes Ariadne's life in ways she could never have guessed.

Will Ariadne's future be what she dreamed?

As a fan of Greek mythology I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it.

Ariadne and Phaedra were both likeable and relatable characters. I enjoyed their stories, as much as anyone can enjoy Greek myths which are usual pretty tragic.

The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped and I didn't feel very invested in what happened. I'd heard of Ariadne in regards to the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, but I didn't know anything else about her or anything about her sister Phaedra, so I did enjoy finding out more about them.

The writing style was easy to follow and I would read another book by the author.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but I think my expectations were quite high given all the hype surrounding the book.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

FairyLoot Unboxing - Tales Retold (July Box)

  

 FairyLoot is a UK-based YA subscription box.

Each box contains a variety of objects and a book with an exclusive cover.  

 The July theme was

Tales Retold

Here's what was inside . . .

A tin inspired by A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and designed by @chattynora.

A pair of socks inspired by Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron. These were designed by @catarinabookdesigns.

An umbrella inspired by the Alice in Wonderland retelling Heartless by Marissa Meyer.

A pair of tarot cards inspired by Caraval by Stephanie Garber and designed by @morgana0anagrom.

A book sleeve featuring the main characters from The Blood of Stars duology by Elizabeth Lim. This was designed by @rosiethorns88.

A foiled art print by @kavon_kayleigh of the protagonist from The Star-Touched Queen series by Roshani Chokski.

The book of the month was Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim.

This exclusive edition has a unique cover, foiled embossing on the naked hardback, character art on the inside of the dust jacket, as well as sprayed and stenciled edges.

The book is signed by the author and came with a letter from the author that has character art on the reverse.

Here's everything all together . . .

My favourite item in the box is definitely the book which is absolutely gorgeous.

Did you get this box?

What is your favourite item?

September TBR

 

 

 

Here are the books I'm planning to read in September . . .

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman

Dune (Dune, #1) by Frank Herbert

What are you hoping to read in September?