January Wrap Up 2017

A good start to the reading year this month! Well... start as one means to go on, I suppose.

November 9- Colleen Hoover
**** (4.5 stars)
While I technically finished this on the 31st December, it wasn't included in my December Wrap Up so I'm adding it in now.
I loved this book so freaking much! It was cute, funny and so much more thoughtful than I was ever expecting it to be. I've heard a lot of hype about Colleen Hoover and, now that I've read one of her books, I can safely say that she deserves every good review she gets.
I have a Book Talk which I'll link here in case you missed it.




Angelfall- Susan Ee
***(3.5 stars)
I got this book for Christmas and decided to jump straight into the series. It gave me The 5th Wave vibes and it was a quick and enjoyable book.
I have a Book Talk for this as well which I'll link here if you want to check it out!

Till Death- Jennifer L. Armentrout BOOK TRAILER REVEAL

I'm so excited to be exclusively revealing this book trailer because Jennifer L. Armentrout is my all time favourite author (author of The Lux series, The Covenant series, The Titan trilogy, Don't Look Back, The Dead List etc). She's written over 46 books and I still haven't read all of them yet! JLA is a master of writing books- she publishes about 4 a year- which is brilliant.
Till Death is her new adult standalone coming out on the 28th February and it looks oh-so cool- though I would expect nothing less.
I would definitely recommend looking into JLA's books if you haven't yet- there's enough to pick from!
The cover, description, JLA social media links and pre order links are all below the trailer for you to check out!!
So, sit back, relax and enjoy the trailer...

Direct link: https://video214.com/play/nWBQQPmNYruuznYL0PEY8Q/s/dark

January Birthday Bookish Haul 2017

This month it was my birthday so I got significantly more than I usually get. I'll get straight into the haul so that this post doesn't go on forever...
In addition to all the amazing gifts I got, I received a hefty amount of book gift cards that add up to an amazing £85. I'm pretty sure that everyone is terrified of buying me books due to me being 'picky' about their condition, so everyone gives me money to spend on books instead. Added to the Christmas book vouchers I got that I haven't yet spent, I have a lovely sum of £125 to spend on books!!!!!

BOOKS

The Rest of us Just Live Here- Patrick Ness
I actually didn't receive this for my birthday but from Kaitlin over at Liber Amoris as she had a double. I've been meaning to read this for ages so, thank you!!!!!








The Tales of Beedle the Bard- J.K. Rowling
My brother got me this and I'm so excited to read it. My Harry Potter collection is growing and I'm pretty sure it'll never stop.



 

FOREVER FICTIONAL #REBRANDING

For a while, I simply haven't been happy with my blog title and have wanted to change it but couldn't think of what I wanted it to be. I didn't want to specifically refer to books because I like to touch upon other things- tv shows, movies, writing, etc.
I also thought, it'd take a long time- and it will. I'll have to go through all of my old links in posts, change my email, change profiles on blog depositories but I think it'll be worth it in the end.
Predominantly, this blog is for me. It gives me a chance to keep a track of my passion and if I'm not happy with the title- I should be able to change it. It's as simple as that.
I don't know why I'm so nervous to now change everything and it will take some time getting used to but I think it's the best decision.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please comment! Thank you and stay amazing!
Chloe

World After- Susan Ee BOOK TALK

***
World After is the second instalment in the Angelfall trilogy and...it's a victim of the second book slump, unfortunately.
I have to admit that I'm a tad bit disappointed with this series so far. I've heard a lot of hype about this trilogy so I've built it up in my mind to be a lot better than it is. I had pretty high expectations and I don't think that's helped. But don't get me wrong; I like these books. They're just not as good as I'd expected.
World After was very very slow and it took a good 200 pages to actually get to anything moderately exciting. It dragged massively for me and really put me off the series.
I have a Book Talk for Angelfall which I'll link here in case you missed it!

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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I don't have too much to say about this book because... not much happened.
One word springs to mind when I think about this book. Slow.
Not much had really happened and I was 200 pages in. We'd been to the Resistance camp and achieved nothing, Paige had been taken (again...) and then Penryn, her mum and Clara had been caught. That was it. A bit disappointing really. It felt like there wasn't really much to happen and the writer was simply trying to take up page time so she could make it into a trilogy. This series really didn't need to be three books.

ACOWAR COVER REVEAL!!!!!!

The cover of Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Wings and Ruin (the third book in the ACOTAR trilogy) was released today and I just had to talk about it!
I'd predicted that the cover would be either black or purple. Black because the series is just so dark at times and I predict a lot of death (*sobbing*) in the future. I also thought purple would be good to signify the royalty of the series and *cough cough* our High Lady!!!!
But this green is super pretty and the cover is gorgeous! I love the tattoo on Feyre's arm- the feels!!- and I love that she's holding a weapon in this cover- it just shows how far she's come and that she's prepared to fight for her court! This book is going to epicness on toast!
The US version is darker and more detailed- as with all the editions from the US- but...I'm not bitter. Nope. Nope. Nope.
The High Lady dress is also amazing and is actually inspired (it's actually exactly the same) by a fanart by Charlie Bowater of Feyre as the High Lady (see left picture). I love that they've included an aspect from a fan's own image of the character and I've also heard that some of her other fanarts are being included in the colouring book...
I'm super excited for this finale and I'm counting down the days until May!!!
I have a Book Talk for ACOMAF which I'll link here if you haven't already seen it!

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe

Angelfall- Susan Ee BOOK TALK

*** (3.5 stars)
I'd heard a lot of great things about this series and it's been a while since I've jumped into a book about angels so it was a perfect time to pick this trilogy up.
Essentially, Angelfall is a dystopian where Angels have fallen and want our world- in a nutshell. Angelfall follows Penryn- a girl surviving with only her crazy mother and disabled sister. When her sister is taken by an angel, Penryn will do anything to get her back- even enlisting help from the enemy.
This series- especially this first book- reminds me a lot of The 5th Wave because the protagonist is trying to save the sibling and seeks help from the opposition.
As a whole, this book was generally cliché and trite but was enjoyable at the same time.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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Penryn was a pretty awesome protagonist. She was kick-ass, strong and sassy. She was very family orientated- which most protagonists are nowadays- and she was smart which I liked.
I liked Raffe but didn't love him. He's an okay character but there weren't any major 'oh my god, I love you' moments. I also found his name very frustrating because, even in my head, I couldn't decide how to pronounce his name. I know it was said in the book but I just didn't like his nickname- he should've just been called Raphael- but that was a really tiny detail irk.
Yes, it was super predictable that there was going to be a romance between the two of them. It was so obvious!!!

November 9- Colleen Hoover BOOK TALK

*****
This book made me feel all the freaking feels. Never has a book made me laugh, cry, laugh again and made me feel such gut-wrenching terror about what was going to happen next.
Colleen Hoover is such a popular author at the moment and I've finally read one of her books (now I know what the fuss is all about). November 9 has made me want to buy all of her books so that I can read them all in one sitting and torture my heart beyond compare just as this one has. Yay.
I would say that November 9 gave me Beautiful Disaster (Jamie McGuire) and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (Jennifer E. Smith) vibes but was generally so much better than these books.

My favourite quote (not spoilery) because it's just too beautiful for words:

" She 'loved me' in quotations.

  She kissed me in bold.

  I TRIED TO KEEP HER all in caps.

  She left me with an ellipsis... "

 

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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THIS WHOLE BOOK MADE ME GIDDY!!!
I'm going to go through this book Novemberly- which essentially means I'll talk chronologically about each November. I've included a lot of my favourite quotes from the book because the dialogue was so funny and the writing so compelling.

First November:
Their relationship was so sweet, even from the beginning. I loved it when Ben interrupted her dinner with her dad and defended her! Obviously, later we find out why he did that but I think it was sweet nonetheless.
I loved both of their humours. They were so deadpanned and witty- it had me laughing the entire time.
And of course I'd fall in love with a writer.  "I just sometimes find it difficult to control my indignation in the presence of absurdity." Isn't that the epitome of a smooth-talker?

Cress- Marissa Meyer BOOK TALK

*****
Cress (the third addition to The Lunar Chronicles) is my favourite in the series so far. And this also happens to be my favourite cover.
This series is the avengers of fairtytale women and it is awesome!
We still got epic Cinder and Kai chapters with the extra addition of Cress who is such a sweetheart! She's a shy and pure genius and everything she did made me smile. Thorne was also a massive part of this book which made me so happy- he's my favourite male character in this series, I think (sorry Kai- you're a close second).
I love how we've slowly formed our crew bit by bit and, while the characters split up a lot in each book, they always come together and kick ass! I love how the characters split up into pairs and go in completely different directions (not intentionally) because it keeps everything interesting.
I have Book Talk for both Cinder and Scarlet which I'll link in case you missed them.
If you haven't already read this series, go read it. Just...now.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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Oh, boy. Oh boy. Oh boy.
I'm racing through this series so quickly it's ridiculous. Where to even start?
Cress is a sweetheart. I love her so much- she's so adorable. And as soon as she started fangirling over Thorne I knew that I was right about him being her love interest. It's so damn cute! It was only when Sybil referred to her as Crescent that it twigged in my brain- she's Dr. Erland's daughter! I was bracing for myself for an emotional family reunion that, in the end, wasn't really what I expected considering that Dr Erland was dying through it.

Mystery Blogger Award TAG

Another day. Another tag. I'm ready for it.
I was nominated by the lovely Kaitlin over at Liber Amoris (thank you!!) so be sure to check out her post. This tag was originally created by Okoto Enigma so I'll link their blog also.

Rules:
1. Put the award logo/image on your blog. (Right there →)
2. List the rules. (I'm doing well so far...)
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link.
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself. (See below)
6. Nominate 10-20 people.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog.
8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice with one weird or funny question (specify)
9. Share a link to your best post(s)


Three facts about me:
1. My favourite place in the world is New York (cue Alicia Keys' 'Empire State of Mind'...).
I went there on holiday and fell in love with the Big Apple almost instantly- I'm very much a city person. I loved falling asleep to the sound of yellow taxis honking their horns and the lights were awe-inspiring- it very much is the city of that never sleeps. I went to see so many amazing things- Empire State Building, Central Park, The Statue of Liberty- and I already know I'm going to visit there again someday.

My Blog Is One Year Old!!!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday, Fictional Fetish, happy birthday to me!
It's officially been a year since I posted my first ever post on Fictional Fetish- Book Newbie Tag!
I'm so proud of how much I've grown since then and how much I've achieved! In a year, my Book Talks and posts are much better (thank god!) and I've even written the first draft of my own book!
Here's to another successful year!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me and made this possible!
Chloe xx

Writing Diary #5 - The Painful Process of Editing and New Project!

Previous Writing Diaries will be linked beneath this post in case you missed one!

Okay. So.
It's been a while since I've done something like this because, honestly, I haven't done much writing.
I haven't been through any of the first draft since finishing it in August- not wanting to read through a crappy first draft and wanting to distance myself from it. I've spent a lot of time recently focusing on my blog and haven't found the time to physically sit down and simply read the first draft.
But a few days ago, after a breakthrough, I finally to started to read it- three months after I'd said I would. I'm writing notes as I read but am not changing anything just yet. I've decided to just power through and immerse myself in the story once more to see where I need to change things.

I've also been working on very extensive character profiles. I'm going to sketch out every single character arch and write down every major and minor detail about them. Hopefully this will help me a lot when altering things in the story.
I'm pretty worried about the editing part. I wouldn't even know where to start. I've been looking on the internet for editing tips so I'll just have to try and see how it goes.

Scarlet- Marissa Meyer BOOK TALK

*****
Scarlet is the second book in The Lunar Chronicles and it was good. Yeah. Good.
It still follows characters from Cinder (yay! We still see Cinder and Kai!) but adds in many more characters and their stories.
Originally I thought this series would be four separate stories but it's actually one giant story and, with each book, we gather more and more people to join our kick-ass crew (led by none other than Cinder and Captain Thorne).
I liked Scarlet (the character) and Wolf was okay but I can't say I prefer them over Cinder. I skim read most of Scarlet and Wolf's chapters simply so that I could get to another Cinder perspective. I also loved the new addition of Thorne- he added comedic gold and A+ sass to the books.
I have a Book talk for Cinder which I'll link here if you missed it!

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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Where do I even begin?
I liked Scarlet. I like Wolf. Do I love them? No. Honestly, all throughout this book I was skim reading their chapters until I got to a Cinder or Kai one again. I don't dislike them but I just didn't seem to care about what they were doing. I don't care about Scarlet's grandmother and Wolf was way too brooding for my taste. Wolf also has some serious anger management issues.

Singing Fire- T.L. Martin BOOK TALK

I received a digital ARC directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.
****
I loved this book. Sure it was a bit on the cliché side of things (vampire/witch feud) but that didn't put me off at all. It was an original story and the well-worn genre didn't bother me at all.
This book was such a light and enjoyable read- it wasn't too strenuous on the emotional turmoil side of things. It was a quick, easy and fun read that you can simply fly through.
The plot was executed nicely and the cliff-hanger really hit me and means that I desperately need the sequel pronto!!
I would describe this book as a mix between The Morganville Vampires (Rachel Caine), Hexed (Michelle Krys) and a good ol' slice of Twilight (Stephanie Meyer) thrown in for good measure.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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I loved Charlie as a protagonist. She was kick-ass, determined and it was great to watch her grow into herself. She's usually very closed off and prefers solitude but, as the story progresses, Charlie really matures and becomes more confident which was wonderful to see.
As with any book that I'm suspecting a romance, I'm eyeing each and every guy introduced to see if they're going to be the one I fall hopelessly in love with (even Ray was a contender before I realised how old he was).

Cinder- Marissa Meyer BOOK TALK

*****
I bloody loved this book- but that was to be expected, right?
I love retellings, sci-fi, romance and fantasy so it was a match made in heaven. This book is a Cinderella retelling (if you hadn't gathered before) and it was just stunning. The whole fairytale and fantasy world was created beautifully and it gripped me from the very beginning.
I know I'm a bit late on this train but... better late than never, okay?
We've already seen hints of characters that I assume will be explored more in further books and I'm so excited! This is lining up to be an epic series and I'm so glad I've finally picked these beauties up.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

 

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I loved the blend of retellings and sci-fi. The prospect of cybonetic-organisms isn't too far off a realistic future for us- we already have prosthetic limbs so the idea of creating robotic parts to the human body isn't too far fetched and unrealistic (although outcomes like the Terminator come to mind...)

Most Anticipated Releases of 2017

2017 is going to be a stunning and heart-breaking year. Many series are ending (Sarah J. Maas, I'm looking at you) and we're getting some great sequels, novellas, finales and even colouring books! I'm going to be listing my top 6 most anticipated reads for 2017.


A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3)- Sarah J. Maas
This is hardly surprising is it? ACOWAR is going to be the finale of the ACOTAR trilogy even though Sarah has confirmed another three books set in this world (I'm thinking of them as two separate trilogies as opposed to one whole series as the next set of three follows different- but known- characters- my bet is on Cassian and Nesta). I'm so goddamn excited for this book and it's the one I'm looking forward to the most. I need it now!




Throne of Glass #6- Sarah J. Maas 
And, of course, the Throne of Glass series is ending! I can't believe these worlds are ending- it's going to be way to much for one year. My poor heart is going to be cracked and shrivelled by 2018. Empire of Storms finished so devastatingly and I can't wait to read the no-doubt epic and phenomenal finale!  

Book Related Money Saving Hacks for the New Year

Christmas has been and gone and, with it, all our money has slipped away from us. And all those new books we want to buy? A whole new year of amazing releases to buy? Where do we find the money?
Well (and I'm aware at how cliché this sounds), I'm here to help!
I'm undergoing a quick and easy money saving scheme this year in order to save money and plan a huge book spree at the end of the year.
The idea is pretty simple: Every time you finish a book this year, save one pound. For me, this means that by the end of the year I'll have saved roughly around £80 which I can then go treat myself and spend on books. Yes, I have to wait the whole year for the spree but it's an efficient way to keep saving whilst cashing out on the year's expenses.
And you can alter it to fit yourself! If you don't read many books a year and still want to save a lot, you could save £2 for every book you read. And depending on how much free change you have spare, you could save 50p every book- or £3! It can work in any way you wish and it's a simple way to collect a nice jar of money. (It could also be a nice incentive to read lots of books).
I'll be saving £1 for every book I read under 400 pages and £2 for every book over 400 pages to make a nice, sizable amount of money for the end of the year!
Good luck for 2017!

Thanks for reading- I hope you have a great 2017! Feel free to comment any of your own money saving hacks or how much you're going to save per book if you decide to go ahead with this! Stay amazing!
Chloe