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

 

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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/

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.