Wednesday, September 30, 2020

September Wrap-Up

 

 

I didn't end up reading as many books as usual this month, mainly due to reading a book that was nearly 900 pages long. But I still managed to read a few books.

 

WHAT I READ



Chosen Ones (The Chosen Ones, #1) by Veronica Roth - eARC - 2.5/5 stars - read my review here.

Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer - eARC - 3/5 stars - read my review here.

A Deadly Edication (Scholomance, #1) by Naomi Novik - eARC - 3.5/5 stars - read my review here.


To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini - physical copy - 3/5 stars - read my review here.

Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1) by Kerri Maniscalco - eARC - 3.5/5 stars - review to come as part of the blog tour.




HAULED BOOKS

 


I got way more books than I meant to this month. Isn't that always the way?

Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1) and Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) by Kristin Cashore are books that I got from a friend's unhaul pile.

I was sent a copy of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini from the publisher.

I got Saga Volume 1 in a trade.

And the other ones I bought - A Snowfall of Silver being a pre-order, the Daevabad Trilogy are the FairyLoot copies which are stunning.

I also got the September FairyLoot book which I won't spoil here uncase anyone still hasn't got theirs.



What books did you read and haul in September?



 

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Review - A Deadly Education (Scholomance, #1) by Naomi Novik

 



Title: A Deadly Education (Scholomance, #1)

Author: Naomi Novik

Pages: 336

Publisher: Cornerstone Digital

Release Date: 29th September 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered.

There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal.

Once you’re inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die.

El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school’s many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions – never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school.

Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it... that is, unless she has no other choice.


Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US





My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley*





Galadriel 'El' Higgins attends a school for magic where there are no teachers, but there is an infestation of creatures that try to eat the students.

El doesn't have any friends, partly due to her prickly attitude, which is a problem if she wants to survive graduation. Which she does. El needs to make an alliance with some of the other students in order to make it through the infested graduation hall, something many students die attempting to do each year.

El is a powerful - evil sorceress powerful according to a prophecy - but can she control that power and use it to survive?


I nearly DNF'd this book after the very first chapter as it was pretty much a huge info-dump. However, I continued reading and I'm glad that I did.

El was a good protagonist and I liked her most of the time, but there were a couple of occasions when her prickly demeanour did grate on my nerves a little bit. However, I thought the way she acted was understandable given what she'd been through. I enjoyed reading El's interactions with other characters, especially Orion.

Orion Lake was treated as the school hero because he kept saving people from the student-killing monsters and it was interesting to find out more about him.

The setting of the school was interesting, especially the idea of there being no teachers and the students essentially being left to fend for themselves. I really liked the idea of some books disappearing for years at a time and having to tell them how special etc they are to make sure they stay with you.

The magic was intriguing, especially needing to have energy - mana (light) or malia (dark) - to be able to do spells. I liked that to get mana you had to do things like push ups and crochet.

The info-dumps were definitely my least favourite thing about the book - there were some in odd places and some that felt overly long (see the first chapter). There also wasn't really that much that actually happened plot-wise. This book definitely focuses on the relationships between the students, which was probably due to it being the first book in the series, and while I did enjoy getting to know the intricacies of school-life, I would have liked a bit more plot.

I liked the diversity at the school. El herself was half-Indian, half-British.

There was a hint of romance, which was just the right amount for me. I think any more wouldn't have worked.

The writing style was easy enough to follow, but most of the time it did feel like I was being told things rather than shown them.

I am planning to continue with the series, mainly because of the cliffhanger at the end of the book which has me very intrigued to see what happens next.

This may not have been a gripping, on-the-edge-of-my-seat read for me, but it was instead a book that slowly lured me in and kept me entertained.


This may not be a perfect book, but it was an enjoyable read overall.



Sunday, September 27, 2020

FairyLoot Unboxing - Let The Games Begin (August Box)

 

FairyLoot is a UK YA subscription box.
Each box contains a variety of objects and a book with an exclusive cover.  



 The August theme was
Let The Games Begin
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Here's what was inside . . .
 
 
 

 
A bath bomb inspired by the golden egg in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This was made by @littleheartgifts.
A magnet inspired by Scythe by Neal Shusterman which was designed by @taratjah.
Two carot cards, both inspired by Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. These were designed by Katherine Britt.
A book sleeve inspired by An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. This was designed by @monolimeart.




A metal bookmark featuring Mr. Kindly and Mia Corvere from Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. This was designed by @taratjah.
A pin inspired by Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. This was designed by @ironandinkdesigns.
A notebook inspired by and featuring a quote from Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco. The cover was designed by @noverantale and there is artwork on the inside by @taratjah.




The book of the month was Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar.
This exclusive FairyLoot edition is signed and has shimmery gold sprayed edges, as well as character artwork on the reverse of the dust jacket. 
The book came with a letter from the author which has art of the protagonist on the other side.



Here's everything all together:
 






What do you think of the August box?

I'm really happy with the book and love the bookmark and notebook.



 
 

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Review - To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

 

 


Title: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Author: Christopher Paolini

Pages: 880

Publisher: Tor UK

Release Date: 15th September 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds.
Now she’s awakened a nightmare.

During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.

As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.

While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope . . .


Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US





My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Pan Macmillan*




Kira Navárez and her crew-mates are nearly at the end of a mission to survey an uncolonised planet. Everything changes when Kira discovers an alien artefact and humanity finds itself fighting for survival.

Kira must do what she can to help and her journey will span different galaxies as well as put her and the people around her in great peril.

Can the humans win the war?

How will Kira's journey change her?


As a fan of sci-fi and the author's previous series, I was excited to read To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

Kira was a likeable and relatable protagonist who was certainly put through the mill. I thought her reactions were believeable and liked reading her interactions with other characters.

I liked most of the characters and enjoyed getting to know them, but I don't feel that I really connected with any of them, even Kira.

The scope of this book was truly epic, as was the setting which spanned several galaxies. There weren't as many planets featured in the book as I expected, but most of the book was set on a spaceship.

The plot was pretty good overall - there was a mix of action and slower moments. It was a little repetitive at times, but that was due to the novel being set in space. I stayed interested in what was going on, which can sometimes be difficult with a novel this length, and I didn't feel that it dragged or was overly long. There were some good twists that I didn't see coming, and I didn't know what was going to happen next.

The aliens were interesting and I enjoyed finding out more about them.

One thing that I found odd was when Kira and the other characters didn't talk about something that happened and it was quite a big thing that impacted what happened next.

While this was an enjoyable sci-fi read, it didn't grip me and I'm disappointed that I didn't like it more as it was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020.


Overall, this was an enjoyable read.


Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Can't-Wait Wednesday - A Snowfall of Silver

 

  

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: A Snowfall of Silver

Author: Laura Wood

Pages: 356

Publisher: Scholastic

Release Date: 1st October 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

A snow-dusted love story.

In the Autumn of 1931, eighteen-year-old Freya Trevelyan runs away from her home in Cornwall to follow her dream of becoming an actress. When she is invited to join a theatrical company about to head out on tour, Freya thinks the path to success is clear, and, amidst all the glamour and bustle of stage life, she finds - for the first time - a place to belong. But can reality ever live up to her expectations? What if her life - and falling in love - turn out to be nothing like she planned? An enchanting coming of age romance about following your dreams - even when they aren't quite what you expected.

 

 

Why I'm Anticipating This Book:

I love Laura Wood's YA novels. They have so much heart and I love the characters. Plus the covers are so gorgeous.

This book is all about Freya who is the sister of Lou, the main character in A Sky Painted Gold, so I'm intrigued to find out what happens to her.



 

 

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday - Books On My Autumn 2020 TBR

 

  

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.




This week the topic is
Books On My Autumn 2020 TBR
 
 
 
 
Here are my picks . . .

 

1. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust


Blurb from Goodreads:

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn't afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming . . . human or demon. Princess or monster.

 

 

2. Queen of Coin and Whispers (Queen of Coin and Whispers, #1) by Helena Corcoran


Blurb from Goodreads

 'She loved me as I loved her, fierce as a bloodied blade'

When Lia, an idealistic queen, falls for Xania, her new spymaster--who took the job to avenge her murdered father--they realise all isn't fair in love and treason.

Lia won’t mourn her uncle: he's left her a bankrupt kingdom considered easy pickings by its neighbours. She’s sworn to be a better ruler, but if she wants to push through her reforms, she needs to beat the Court at its own games. For years, Xania's been determined to uncover her father's murderer. She finally gets a chance when Lia gives her a choice: become her new spymaster, or take a one way trip to the executioner’s axe. It’s an easy decision.

When they fall for each other, their love complicates Lia’s responsibilities and Xania’s plans for vengeance. As they're drawn together amid royal suitors and new diplomats, they uncover treason that could not only end Lia’s reign, but ruin their weakened country. They must decide not only what to sacrifice for duty, but also for each other.

 

 

3. The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley


Blurb from Goodreads

Would she ever find a real-life husband? Would she even find a partner to dance with at tonight's ball? She just didn't know.

Anna Austen has always been told she must marry rich. Her future depends upon it. While her dear cousin Fanny has a little more choice, she too is under pressure to find a suitor.

But how can either girl know what she wants? Is finding love even an option? The only person who seems to have answers is their Aunt Jane. She has never married. In fact, she's perfectly happy, so surely being single can't be such a bad thing?

The time will come for each of the Austen girls to become the heroines of their own stories. Will they follow in Jane's footsteps?

  

 

4. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo


Blurb from Goodreads:

 Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people...

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance-and Papi's secrets-the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they've lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

Papi's death uncovers all the painful truths he kept hidden, and the love he divided across an ocean. And now, Yahaira and Camino are both left to grapple with what this new sister means to them, and what it will now take to keep their dreams alive.

 

 

5. The Whispers of War by Julia Kelly


Blurb from Goodreads

 In August of 1939, as Britain watches the headlines in fear of another devastating war with Germany, three childhood friends must choose between friendship or country. Erstwhile socialite Nora is determined to find her place in the Home Office’s Air Raid Precautions Department, matchmaker Hazel tries to mask two closely guarded secrets with irrepressible optimism, and German expat Marie worries that she and her family might face imprisonment in an internment camp if war is declared. When Germany invades Poland and tensions on the home front rise, Marie is labeled an enemy alien, and the three friends find themselves fighting together to keep her free at any cost.

 

 

6. The Library of the Unwritten (Hell's Library, #1) by A.J. Hackwith


Blurb from Goodreads

 Join the library and raise hell in the first book of a stunning new fantasy series, where books unfinished by their authors reside within the Unwritten Wing of the devil's own library, and restless characters will emerge from out of their pages...

Every book left unfinished by its author is filed away in the Unwritten Wing, a neutral space in Hell presided over by Claire, its head librarian. Along with repairing and organizing books, her job consists of keeping an eye on restless stories whose characters risk materialising and escaping the library.

When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto. But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong, in a chase that threatens to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell... and Earth.

 

 

7. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier


Blurb from Goodreads:

 After a whirlwind romance and a honeymoon in Italy, the innocent young heroine and the dashing Maxim de Winter return to his country estate, Manderley. But the unsettling memory of Rebecca, the first Mrs de Winter, still lingers within. The timid bride must overcome her husbands oppressive silences and the sullen hostility of the sinister housekeeper, Mrs Danvers, to confront the emotional horror of the past. 

 

 

 8. Dune (Dune, #1) by Frank Hebert


Blurb from Goodreads:


Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe; a drug that does everything from increasing a person's life-span to making intersteller travel possible. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world Arrakis.

Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe.

When the Emperor transfers stewardship of Arrakis from the noble House Harkonnen to House Atreides, the Harkonnens fight back, murdering Duke Leto Atreides. Paul, his son, and Lady Jessica, his concubine, flee into the desert. On the point of death, they are rescued by a band for Fremen, the native people of Arrakis, who control Arrakis' second great resource: the giant worms that burrow beneath the burning desert sands.

In order to avenge his father and retake Arrakis from the Harkonnens, Paul must earn the trust of the Fremen and lead a tiny army against the innumerable forces aligned against them.

And his journey will change the universe.

 

 

9. Wicked Fox (Gumiho, #1) by Kat Cho


Blurb from Goodreads:

 Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret--she's a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.

But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead--her gumiho soul--in the process.

Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl--he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He's drawn to her anyway.

With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

 

 

10. An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1) by Sabaa Tahir


Blurb from Goodreads

 Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death.

When Laia’s grandparents are brutally murdered and her brother arrested for treason by the empire, the only people she has left to turn to are the rebels.

But in exchange for their help in saving her brother, they demand that Laia spy on the ruthless Commandant of Blackcliff, the Empire’s greatest military academy. Should she fail it’s more than her brother’s freedom at risk . . . Laia’s very life is at stake.

There, she meets Elias, the academy’s finest soldier. But Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined – and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

 

 

 Have you read any of these books?

What are you planning to read this autumn/spring?

 

 

 

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Can't-Wait Wednesday - The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

 

 

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 am anticipating . . .

    


 

Title: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

Author: Garth Nix

Pages: 416

Publisher: Gollancz

Release Date: 24th September 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn't get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan's search for her father begins with her mother's possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan's. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

 

 

Why I'm Anticipating This Book:

Booksellers that kick butt? Yes, please!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 14, 2020

Review - Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer

 

 

 

 

Title: Witches of Ash and Ruin

Author: E. Latimer

Pages: 384

Publisher: Freeform

Release Date: 3rd March 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 

Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.

And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer's motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don't stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.

With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that's impossible to put down.


 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

 

 

 


My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley*




Both Dayna Walsh's home-life and school-life are tough after someone told the town that Dayna is bisexual. On top of that, Dayna struggles with OCD and hasn't seen her mother for several years because her father sent her away to Camp.

The only thing that Dayna looks forward to is spending time with her Coven. Dayna can't wait to ascend and become a full witch, when she will come into her powers.

Things go awry when another Coven arrives in town, the leader of which potentially has a history of using black magic.

When a witch is murdered, the two Covens must work together to stop more witches from turning up dead at the hands of a serial killer.

Will Dayna become a full witch?

Can the Covens work together to stop more witches dying?


The premise of Witches of Ash and Ruin intrigued me - witches plus a serial killer seemed like a pretty good combination to me.

Dayna was a likeable protagonist and I felt sorry for her as she didn't have an easy life. I liked her relationship with the others in her Coven.

There was an interesting mix of characters and it was good to see how they clashed and interacted.

I liked the representation of OCD and bisexuality.

The magic was interesting, as were the different gods.

The plot was good overall and held my attention. The pacing was pretty good and there were some enjoyable action scenes, but I wasn't gripped by what happened.

The writing style was easy to follow and I liked the setting of the small Irish town, but we don't see much of it.

While I did enjoy this book, it didn't blow me away, but there were several elements that I liked.


Overall, this was an enjoyable, unique read.

 


 

Friday, September 11, 2020

Five More Books I Want To Re-Read

 
 Last year I wrote a post on five books that I wanted to re-read, which can be read here.

Here are five more books that I want to re-read and why:



1. Shades of Grey (Shades of Grey, #1) by Jasper Fforde

 


 Blurb from Goodreads:

 Shades of Grey tells of a battle against overwhelming odds. In a society where the ability to see the higher end of the color spectrum denotes a better social standing, Eddie Russet belongs to the low-level House of Red and can see his own color—but no other. The sky, the grass, and everything in between are all just shades of grey, and must be colorized by artificial means.

Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion.

Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey, which is low-caste in this color-centric world. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.

 

Why I Want to Re-read This:

Shades of Grey is my second favourite book of all time but I've only read it once.

I will definitely be reading it before the second book FINALLY comes out.

 

 

 

 2. Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1) by Garth Nix

 


Blurb from Goodreads:

Sabriel is the daughter of the Mage Abhorsen. Ever since she was a tiny child, she has lived outside the Wall of the Old Kingdom--far away from the uncontrolled power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead.

But now, her father is missing and Sabriel is called upon to cross into the world to find him, Leaving the safety of the school she has known as home, Sabriel embarks upon a quest fraught with supernatural dangers, with companions she is unsure of--for nothing is as it seems within the boundary of the Old Kingdom. There, she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life, and comes face to face with her hidden destiny.

 

Why I Want to Re-read This:

It's a long time since I've read Sabriel and in the past few years there have been two more additions to the series, and I believe that there will be another one coming out next year.

I definitely want to re-read Sabriel (as well as Lirael and Abhorsen) before I read the new books.




3. The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

 


Blurb from Goodreads:

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for . . .

 

Why I Want to Re-read This:

The third and final book in this series came out this year which I read and LOVED.

Having now read all the books in the series, I really want to re-read The City of Brass (as well as The Kingdom of Copper and The Empire of Gold) because I love the characters and adore this series. It will be good to read the books again to see if I can pick up things that I didn't notice the first time.

 



4. A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood

 


Blurb from Goodreads:

Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, seventeen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer - a handsome, dashing brother and sister - Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams.

But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions... And is there something darker lurking at the heart of the Cardew family?

 

Why I Want to Re-read This:

A Sky Painted Gold is such a feel-good book and I love the characters and the Gatsby-esque feel to it.

I partly want to re-read this because Laura Wood'd next book, A Snowfall of Silver, releases at the beginning of October and features Freya, Lou's sister, as the protagonist.

 

 

 

5. The Martian (The Martian, #1) by Andy Weir

 


Blurb from Goodreads:

 I’m stranded on Mars.

I have no way to communicate with Earth.

I’m in a Habitat designed to last 31 days.

If the Oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death.

So yeah. I’m screwed.

 

Why I Want to Re-read This:

This is possibly my favourite sci-fi book that I've read but I've only read it once.

I loved the action and Mark Watney as a character.

 

 

 Have you read any of these?