February Wrap Up 2017

Despite February being the shortest month of the year, I managed to do pretty well. Probably because I was alone on Valentines- I had plenty of time by myself to read ;)



The Darkest Minds- Alexandra Bracken
****
I finished this book at the beginning of the month and loved it. It was my favourite of the trilogy and it was such a refreshing and enjoyable read. Once you get 100 pages through, you're flying. It's a dystopian-esque/post-apocalyptic novel full of supernatural powers and awesome road trips. Would recommend giving it as try.
Book Talk link





Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2)- Alexandra Bracken
***
Never Fade was my least favourite of the trilogy but it still wasn't too bad. It had a bit of an iffy plotline- one that I certainly didn't like too much- and it lost it's direction a bit during the span of this book. Having said that, it did eventually pick itself up in time for the ending and, if anything, this book just felt like a long build up for the final book.
Book Talk link

Greatest YA Relationships GUEST POST

https://curiosityquills.com/greatest-ya-relationships/

Another month, another guest post.
This month, I was again lucky enough to do a guest post on the Curiosity Quills blog. If you didn't quite catch my guest post last month, Writing Resolutions, I'll link it here for you to check out.
This month was all about relationships- what better month than near Valentine's day? I listed the favourite and power ships of YA in this post and why we love them so.
I'll link it here for you to check out: GREATEST YA RELATIONSHIPS
I'd really appreciate it if you could have a read of it!
Thanks! Feel free to comment! Stay amazing!
Chloe

https://curiosityquills.com/2017-writing-resolutions/
https://curiosityquills.com/greatest-ya-relationships/

The Walking Dead 1x05 'Wildfire' TV TALK

On the lead up to the season finale, we see new faces and tense interactions. This episode was more character based and had a lot less 'blow out zombie's brains' scenes which, depending on how you see it, made it less interesting... Still, it built up nicely for the season finale.




TWD 1x01 TV TALK  |  TWD 1x02 TV TALK  |   TWD 1x03 TV TALK  |  TWD 1x04 TV TALK

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
This episode probably wasn't my favourite mainly because it didn't have as much action when compared to the other episodes- I need more Walkers!!!
The episode started off pretty depressing if I'm going to be honest. Everyone was mourning everybody. My heart went out to Andrea but, insensitively, I was more hoping that they would just chop off Amy's head before she turned into a Walker. It was sad to watch Andrea shoot Amy in the head but.... *shrugs*... it had to be done.
The camp was also tense- specifically between Shane and Rick. I love how Dale caught Shane aiming his gun at Rick and he so didn't believe Shane's excuse that he thought he was a Walker. You better watch your back Shane!

February Book Haul 2017

I got a lot of book money for my birthday last month and, naturally, I went out to spend it! I haven't spent much of it but I made a good start!


Quiet Power- Susan Cain
I forgot to mention this last month, but I received Quiet Power for my birthday and have already read it (and loved it!) since then. It's essentially a self-help book for introverts and I found it really useful. There are so many insightful observations and tips that really helped me.
Non-spoiler Book Talk








Cruel Beauty- Rosamund Hodge
I've seen this quite a few times within the YA community and it's supposedly really good. I love a good retelling (this being a spin on Beauty and the Beast) and, though I don't know much on what's it's about, I'm excited to jump into it.

The Walking Dead 1x04 'Vatos' TV TALK

And I thought that this was going to be a boring episode.
Boy, was I wrong.
Going into it, it was cool- it was fine. We had a mission going on, a weirdly unhinged Jim back at camp and we were having a stand-off with a scary but care-y group. At that point, it wasn't my favourite episode and it was simply average.
Then...
The end happened!!! It scared the life-long crap out of me and I literally screamed at the TV. It was horrific.
In short: this episode was amazing.


TWD 1x01 TV TALK  |  TWD 1x02 TV TALK  |  TWD 1x03 TV TALK

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
I found Jim to be hecka creepy through this episode. Even when he wasn't all aggressive due to 'sun-stroke', he kept looking at the kids weirdly and his whole demeanour just unnerved me.
I have to say, Daryl grew on me in this episode. He had a bit of a temper-tantrum at times but he made laugh quite a lot- and that's what counts.

The Walking Dead 1x03 'Tell It to the Frogs' TV TALK

Half way through the first season already! Why does this season have to be so short?! I could watch this forever (which is good because I have to catch up to Season 7).
We had a lot of drama this episode and I just cannot express how much I love this show right now.

TWD 1x01 TV TALK  |  TWD 1x02 TV TALK


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I love Glenn, I really do, but I was shouting at him for so long to turn the damn car alarm off! Did he want every Walker to follow him there?
We finally had the reunion!! I've been waiting for this reunion for ages and it was such a tear-jerker. I'm upset we didn't get a nice Rick/Shane hug, though- they are supposed to be best friends (isn't that right, Shane?)

The Walking Dead 1x02 'Guts' TV TALK

If you haven't heard, I'm am now super obsessed with The Walking Dead. While I did prefer the first episode, this one was still fantastically gripping and I can officially say that I'm addictively invested. This episode wasn't as scary and even looking back at the first episode, I don't think of it as scary anymore. Yes, the Walkers are as creepy as hell and I'd be terrified if I was in this situation but...I'm not so...I'm good.
We met a group of new characters which was exciting and I can't wait to see how the series develops from here.
TWD 1x01 TV TALK

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I feel like Rick was so lucky that Glenn and co. were there. He'd be super dead otherwise.
At a first glimpse, the new crew is pretty cool- I like how we now have some female strong characters to make an appearance.

In The Afterlight- Alexandra Bracken BOOK TALK

*** (3.5 stars)
In the Afterlight is the final book in The Darkest Minds trilogy and it was good!! I much preferred it to Never Fade- things really picked up again- but I still stand by the opinion that The Darkest Minds is the best in the trilogy.
This book was fast-paced from the very beginning and while it still took me a while to read, I really enjoyed it. The characters did annoy me greatly at times but, overall, it was a lighter and more kick-ass story.
The Darkest Minds Book Talk  |  Never Fade Book Talk

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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For some reason, it was really difficult to pick up this book. I spent a good 5 days procrastinating and simply being not in the mood to pick up this finale. And I don't know why. Once I started reading it, it was fine! I could spend over an hour reading it but I just couldn't originally motivate myself to pick up the book.

The Walking Dead 1x01 'Days Gone By' TV TALK

Yes, I'm super late to this train. This first episode premiered in 2010 and 7 seasons have gone by so far. And I'm now just watching this.
I'd head about it for a while but never wanted to invest myself in a series that was so far through already. But... it was on demand and I figured, as I could watch it for free, I would give it a try. I never expected the very first episode to be so terrifying and gripping.
It was overall scary but I don't usually watch 'horror' things so it was definitely terrifying for me. It's also a very graphic TV show so if blood and gore isn't your thing (seeing zombies eat a horse's insides for example) then maybe this program isn't for you.
But it was so gripping too! I became invested so quickly and I couldn't get enough of it! It's one of those programs where you scream at the characters and fidget around a lot because you want the characters to move. I'm glad I watched this when I was in the house alone because I was ordering the characters around like hell and shouting swear words every other second.
So, basically, I loved this premiere.
Would recommend watching it!

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I don't know what I was expecting but it was not that!

TVD 8x07 'The Next Time I Hurt Somebody, It Could Be You' TV TALK

A Stefan Salvatore quote to title this episode and it works well.
This episode was the mid-season finale, Christmas special and I loved it! We had sarcasm (bucket loads of it) in this episode and it was so entertaining.
Yes, this review's a bit late but... better late than never!

TVD 8x01 TV TALK  |  TVD 8x02 TV TALK  |  TVD 8x03 TV TALK  |  TVD 8x04 TV TALK

TVD 8x05 TV TALK  |  TVD 8x06 TV TALK

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It's always going to be an interesting episode when we begin with a flashback of the glorious Ripper of Monterey. Though, Stefan definitely needed a shave. And to not, you know... kill an entire camp on Christmas Eve. But no one's perfect, am I right?
What I loved most about this episode was how cheerfully sarcastic everyone was! It was tense but everyone was trying to be polite whilst keeping the holiday spirit! Especially, Caroline.
And of course there's a random Seline and Stefan history! What a small world this is! This show is the epitome of convenient backstories.
It seems like every evil villain that comes onto the show wants Stefan to be a ripper so they can be killing buddies. Cut Stefan some slack, guys!
I think the deal of only 'one year' was mighty generous- though I understand why he did it. We're going to have a nice drama ahead of us with emotionless Stefan. Though, he deserves that deal after Cade took away his last day even when he said Stefan could have one last day with Caroline.
Why am I sad that the twins forgot about Seline? Why is Seline growing on me?
This was such a great mind-season finale and I can't wait to see what the next half has in store for us.

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

Never Fade- Alexandra Bracken BOOK TALK

***
Never Fade is the second book in The Darkest Minds trilogy and, yes, it did sort of suffer the second book slump. It was still a great book but it didn't work for me personally simply because it had my biggest pet peeve that took a good 300+ pages to resolve itself. And that was 300+ pages too many. I didn't have too much time to read and it was such a struggle to find the motivation to pick this up. Once I did pick it up, however, it was still a good book and, overall, one I enjoyed.
We're introduced to new characters and the protagonist goes down a dark path in this book but I think this book is mainly a long set up for the finale.
The Darkest Minds BOOK TALK

GOODREADS

AMAZON

 

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found it really difficult to find the motivation to pick up this book simply because I didn't want to deal with all the emotional trauma and drama that was inevitable to come. But, somehow, I managed to pick it up and once I started, it wasn't so bad.
Ruby went down quite a dark path in this book and it was a lot less entertaining because this book was a lot less light-hearted than the previous road-trip style story. Everything/everyone felt so disconnected in this book and it didn't sit right with me.
We also met new characters in this book- characters that I wasn't really in the mood for but got anyway!

The Darkest Minds- Alexandra Bracken BOOK TALK

****
I loved this book. The dystopian/post-apocalyptic feel was great and it was such an original book which was super refreshing to read. I loved the protagonist- she was fierce and kick-ass- and the gang we established in this book was so amazing- all the characters were brilliant.
The story had great pacing and the road-trip was entertaining and also gripping. There were multiple plot twists and anticipating scenes through the entire book and it nicely kept the pages turning.
The Darkest Minds takes place after a new plague has taken out the majority of the population's children. But the kids that survived are left with powers and are put into cruel concentration camps to rid the world of these abnormalities. It's such an interesting concept and I'd recommend you pick it up!

GOODREADS

AMAZON

 

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This book started out a bit slow and confusing for me- it did take a while to get a grip of the story and where we were going with this idea. I thought we'd be staying with Cate, Rob and Martin for a big section of the book and was so happy when Ruby escaped- I didn't like them much.
The crew we established was much better.
Chubs is maybe my favourite character of the entire book simply because he's me. Constantly cynical, criticising everything and he made me laugh so much!
I picture Chubs as a human version of Simon from Alvin and the Chipmunks and that image will never change for me; that is Chubs.
Zu is super cute. She's quiet and sweet but underneath, she's got bad-assery that's just waiting to come out. I also adore how excited she gets over clothes and pink things- it's adorable! I was sad that Zu left with another tribe but it's obvious that we'll see her again some when in the series.
And Liam. Hey. *winks*

Bookish Pick Up Lines

In honour of Valentine's day (all of the TMI fandom are curled in a corner in terror), I thought I would post a fun little guide of bookish pick up lines. Some could actually work, some are clever but the majority are awful and simply exist to amuse me.
I'm a massive fan of books (as you already know) and puns. I have a great sense of humour (!!!) , by which I mean that I love really bad jokes.
We have a few rounds to these epic pick-up lines: the Internet Round (ones that I found when researching), the Brother Round (lines that my dear old brother kindly made up) and My Round where I attempted to make a couple up- those of which I'm proud of!
Let's get stared.


Internet Round
1. Look someone up and down and say "Well, the odds are definitely in your favour."
The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

2. I can live up to all your Great Expectations
For all you classic lovers out there.
Great Expectations- Charles Dickens

Quiet Power- Susan Cain Non-spoiler BOOK TALK

NON-SPOILER  |  NON-SPOILER  |  NON-SPOILER  |  NON-SPOILER

 

GOODREADS

AMAZON

****
This is the first 'self-help' book that I've really read but I enjoyed it! This book had many insights on what it's truly like to be an introvert and I found it to be so relatable and interesting to delve into. This book made me feel super proud to be an introvert and gave some great tips on how to better understand myself- especially in social situations that I find to be uncomfortable.

It made me feel proud to be an introvert when normally I think that introverts can be quite ashamed of what they're like. I feel like sometimes being extroverted is the desirable personality type as it's instantly synonymous with being successful and popular.
extrovert=popular=outgoing=confident=successful
It's like the simplest equation of life that's world-widely known.

The Sun Is Also A Star- Nicola Yoon Non-spoiler BOOK TALK

NON-SPOILER  |  NON-SPOILER  |  NON-SPOILER  |  NON-SPOILER

 

GOODREADS

AMAZON

***
I was a teensy bit underwhelmed by this book simply because I'd heard a lot of hype and it didn't live up to my high expectations. However, it was still a nice, enjoyable read and was very quick and easy to get through. Essentially, this book follows two characters from two completely different backgrounds and tracks their story during one day in their lives and how they meet and spend that day together.
I would say that it's kind of insta-lovey but I literally just read November 9 before reading this book and absolutely loved it so... I guess that's not a convincing and solid reason for why I didn't love this book. Although, I did feel like the 'love' was a bit forced onto the characters for the direction of the story and I don't see much realism behind the whole situation.
There also happened to be way too much coincidence involved and, while the book's general theme is Fate with a capital F, it just seems a bit too coincidental and fixed for my personal taste.
Let's get onto what I liked, shall we?
I loved how it strayed to so many different points of view- I'd originally thought that it'd simply follow Natasha and Daniel. The change of perspectives brought a whole new insight that made the book so much more profound and deep.
I also liked how philosophical it was. I find these insights so interesting and some things are so awe-inspiring that it makes you see the world in a completely new light.
This book was very insightful- it deals with so many different situations in people's lives and I really appreciate that in books.
Plus...it was set in New York which I loved!!!!

Overall, it was a smooth read and I'd recommend it for lovers of contemporary.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts! Stay amazing!
Chloe



End of Days- Susan Ee BOOK TALK

***
This was the finale to the Angelfall trilogy and it was probably my favourite in the series with Angelfall being a close second. This book was a lot better (a lot) better than World After and I was generally satisfied with how it all ended and tied up. It was a bit of a fast and rushed ending- especially since World After went so damn slow!- but it was still an enjoyable read.

Book Talk links: Angelfall  |  World After

GOODREADS

AMAZON

 

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Raffe annoyed me many a time in this book- which isn't the best thing when he's supposed to the swoony love interest. Raffe, I know you love Penryn and want to keep her safe but please cut the bull and make up your mind! He had around ten 'last' moments of weakness where he kisses Penryn and each one made me roll my eyes a little more. Make up your Goddamn mind Raffe!

February Releases and TBR 2017

Releases:
Kings Cage (Red Queen #3)- Victoria Aveyard
I still haven't read further than Red Queen but... I'll get there.
A Conjuring of Light- V. E. Schwab
Till Death- Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas
Empress of a Thousand Skies- Rhoda Belleza
The Wish Granter- C.J. Redwine
This book looks so interesting! C.J. Redwine was the author of The Shadow Queen (Book Talk here) which is a retelling about Snow White. This new book is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and has been described as epic, romantic and perfect for fans of The Lunar Chronicles. I may just have to get this book...


TBR:
Perfect- Cecelia Ahern
'What?' you ask. 'This book comes out in April.' Well, I'm super excited because I received a digital ARC!!!!! As soon as I finished Flawed last year (Book Talk), I desperately needed this book and it gave me a massive book hangover because I needed this sequel in my hands. I prayed to every Book God out there for an ARC and they listened! I can't wait to re-read Flawed and then jump into this book in February! So excited!!!!
 





Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy- Cassandra Clare & Co. (Book of the Month)
This book is going to be the Book of the Month for February- a monthly book that both me and Kaitlin over at Liber Amoris reads. Of course a Cassie Clare book was going to come up at some point- she writes so many! I can't wait to get to this!

Writing Resolutions 2017- You want a revolution, I want a resolution!

https://curiosityquills.com/2017-writing-resolutions/

This month I was lucky enough to do a blog post for Curiosity Quill's blog. This month's theme was 'Levelling Up' and I wrote a post about my Writing Resolutions for 2017! I'll link it HERE, on the caption of the picture I edited (no bragging) and below so you guys can check it out!
I'm so happy I did this guest post and it has already opened up some more opportunities that I'm excited for in the future (no spoilers).


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

https://curiosityquills.com/2017-writing-resolutions/