March Wrap Up 2018

I read a lot this month and then some... and I mean a lot. I didn't watch as much but I'm super pleased with how many books I ploughed through- a record number of 14 books!!

BOOKS
Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6)- Morgan Rhodes
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I started the month by finishing off the Falling Kingdom series and, boy, was it satisfying. Everything tied up beautifully into this epic finale and I even sense a spin-off series coming following characters' children... which would be amazing and I can't wait to see where it takes us into this world!
Book Talk coming soon!

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda- Becky Albertalli (Book of the Month)
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This was mine and Kaitlin's (Liber Amoris) book of the month for March and I quite enjoyed it. It's certainly a quick and cute read but don't go jumping into it expecting lots of depth and philosophical meaning- it's not quite a John Green book. But still, I enjoyed it and can't wait to see the movie adaptation.
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda Book Talk

Riverdale 1x02 'Chapter Two: A Touch of Evil' TV TALK

This was such a strong episode to follow the pilot- the plot thickened and we learnt a lot more about the mystery that's unravelling in this town.
So much happens in this show- it's only been two episodes but so much has freaking happened that I can't wrap my head around it! I did grow to like the characters a little more in this episode because I had serious cynical issues with the first episode and how cliche and sketchy all the characters were. This episode didn't need all the character introductions so we got to delve a little deeper into who everyone was which is fun to watch.
This series is an addictive mystery thriller and I'm already trying to figure out the murderer even though I have no idea at all... I can just feel like it'll be a big surprise. So far, this show has really impressed me.

TV TALKS

Season 1: 1x01

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I spent the entire episode mainly sceptical over Betty's mum. There was the whole thing where she bribed the autopsy guy for some reason and there would be a clear motivation because of what happened to Polly but... I think it's too obvious to be her. We're only at episode two and having such an obvious person end up being the killer would be a little anticlimactic. In shows like this, you want to be totally shocked at the final reveal. So, Betty's mum may be a complete bitch but I don't think she killed Jason.

March Book Haul 2018

This may be the shortest book haul I've done in a long while but... look at me having all this newfound self-restraint when it comes to buying books. (Or it could be because I'm broke but we'll skip over that...) So, this month, only one book to haul (although, it's a damn good book).

The Prophecy (Titan #4)- Jennifer L. Armentrout 
You may or may not know that Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favourite authors (along with Sarah J. Maas) and that means I had to buy this book immediately- it's basic loyalty. The Titan series is a spin-off series to JLA's the Covenant series so you'd have to read those books first but it's completely worth it! Trust me- those books are amazing. The Titan series basically follows the same characters but focuses on a different two- telling a new story in their perspectives.
The Titan series is a New Adult series compared to the Covenant books being Young Adult so these books and a little bit more... steamy, shall we say.
I love this series so much and I'm so sad to see it ending- these characters mean the world to me. They've inspired me, cheered me up and I'll always wish that they were real and that I could be their friends.
I'm so excited to read this finale and read the (hopefully) happy ending that these characters damn well deserve. And no doubt, it'll be amazing because every single one of JLA's books are stunning.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts- what books did you get this month? Stay amazing!
Chloe

Westworld Season 2 Predictions and Theories!!!

You have no idea how excited I am for this next series!! We've had a few trailers and they all look stunning which is completely unsurprising with this show. Season 2 looks like it will be just as unpredictable and addictive as the last and there are many theories on what could possibly happen...

For obvious reasons, Season 1 spoilers ahead, as I go on to discuss what could happen in Season 2.

TV TALKS

Season 1: 1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09  |  1x10

1. Elsie and Stubbs
Both Elsie and Stubbs were taken in season 1 while they were in Westworld and it's common knowledge that they're suspected to still be alive. We saw a glimpse of Stubbs in the first Westworld trailer which pretty much confirms his presence but still nothing on Elsie.
Personally, I think she definitely still has to be alive and there's also been hints on the Westworld website to imply that she's coming back. I really hope she returns because Elsie was such a great character and we didn't see enough of her in season 1.

Game of Thrones 4x02 'The Lion and the Rose' TV TALK

This episode, overall, was very well executed and fun to watch. We had a couple of scenes and characters that I just wanted to skip over but, for the most part, it was as funny and clever and intense as it always is.
This episode in particular was extremely satisfying and will lead to such a great season ahead.

TV TALKS:
Season 1:  1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09  |  1x10
Season 2:  2x01  |  2x02  |  2x03  |  2x04  |  2x05  |  2x06  |  2x07  |  2x08  |  2x09  |  2x10
Season 3:  3x01  |  3x02  |  3x03  |  3x04  |  3x05  |  3x06  |  3x07  |  3x08  |  3x09  |  3x10
Season 4:  4x01  |


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Starting with Bran because, let's face it, Bran has the boring story-line at the moment. Bran and his group have made it past the wall now and they're headed Gods know where. Bran warged a tree and now claims he knows exactly where to go. Super.

Agent Carter 1x03 'Time and Tide' TV TALK

This episode was a lot better and I'm enjoying this show so much! It's quirky, gripping and has spot on humour that makes the whole show. Peggy is such an empowering woman and stands up for herself which was even harder in this time period. I love being able to see her journeys after Captain America and it beautifully proves that you don't need a man to kick ass.

Cap mentions: 1

TV TALKS

Season 1:  1x01  |  1x02

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We started the episode at Peggy's new residence which is a lot stricter than I thought it'd be- a girl got kicked for a boy round?! How the hell is Peggy going to stay there? I also loved the opportunity to see more of Angie because I love the girl- she's so funny!
The SSR had found Stark's number plate in the previous episode, so their first point of call was Jarvis. I absolutely love Jarvis- he took being taken in for questioning like a champ! He has such a subtle humour. They bring up a file on him that they have for an act of treason which stumped Peggy and made her doubt him but... Jarvis always has a solid explanation.

Guardians of the Galaxy BOOK TAG

I had to do this. I just had to. I watched Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1 and 2 some time ago and I just had to do this tag. GotG has such a great set of characters that are so easily to fall in love with and this tag was so much fun to do.


1. Star Lord- An Unlikely Hero
Celestine- Flawed duology by Cecelia Ahern 
When going into Flawed, Celestine may seem a little spoilt and stuck-up to some people- definitely not hero material. But through the duology, I love how her character grows and how strong she becomes. She turns into a true heroine and I love her character development over the series.



2. Gamora- A Lethal Weapon of a Character 
Aelin Galathynius- Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
I was trying to refrain from mentioning Sarah J. Maas in this tag but I just have to when thinking of a lethal character because Aelin is just about as bad-ass as they come. Aelin is definitely lethal because she's kick-ass, powerful and undeniably clever. She's as cunning as they come and, similarly to Gamora, has a past of being an assassin, so Aelin just had to be the answer to this question.

Riverdale 1x01 'Chapter One: The River's Edge' TV TALK

I relented. There has been so much hype around this series and so, I naturally found myself edging away from it because I don't want to be in the mainstream movement of what everyone's obsessed with. But my mum started watching it, then my brother, and then I just felt left out.
Riverdale follows a group of students within this town after a recent murder has just occurred. It's full of mystery, secrets and very stereotypical characters. I will admit that this episode was kinda cliché, corny and hecka cheesy but... it works. For me at least. The cheesiness levels of it reminded me of shows like the Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf so, for me, it was more amusing and entertaining rather than irritating.
I feel a little conflicted with all the characters- I don't necessarily love any of them yet because they were all a little two-faced and secretive. Which... may be the whole point of this show but still. I really enjoyed the first episode- so much happened!- and I'm excited to see where the story goes.

To overview the very cliché but entertaining character stereotypes, we have:
the attractive-jock-musician-popular-dude, the bitchy-queen-bee-head-cheerleader, the new-rich-kid-with-attitude, the golden-girl-who's-pining-over-guys, the loner-guy-who-writes and, finally the -gay-best-friend. What else do you even need for a successful show?

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Starting with characters, I'll say that Betty and Kevin are the ones I solidly liked. I had issues with everyone else but these two seemed very genuine and their friendship was sweet.
At the beginning, I thought Veronica was very much a stuck-up snob but that gradually changed throughout the episode, I think. I began to like her more- her confidence and how she wanted to be a better person. I also liked her growing friendship with Betty.... until she ended up being a total bitch and kissed Archie even when she knew Betty liked him! Girl code! Veronica did have some of the best lines of the episode, though. And I loved the movie references as well.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda- Becky Albertalli BOOK TALK

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I really enjoyed this book. I didn't love love love it like everyone else seems to but it was fun, cute and very easy to read. I will say that it was a little predictable because I knew the secret identity character from very early on but that didn't spoil it for me because it was nice to anticipate the finale reveal and pat myself on the back for being so smart (I'm saying that ironically... not).
It deals with a lot of great issues and has brilliant representation throughout which instantly gives it bonus points and makes it worthy of the praise and hype it's been getting. However, I found the plot to be a little simplistic at times and maybe a bit unoriginal (online relationship with hidden identities... how often does that happen?). I also found that a lot of the side characters weren't fleshed out enough and I forgot all about them as soon as they left the page.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read but it didn't leave any lasting impressions on me- I'll probably forget half of it by next week.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

 

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I didn't think the plot for this book was very complex- it was simplistic and predictable. However, that made it an easy read and I still quite enjoyed it.
We started with the blackmail from Martin which made me immediately hate him and... that didn't change. Sure, him and Simon became sorta friends but I never grew to like Martin. There was a scary moment where I thought Simon might be Blue but that wouldn't have made any sense, thank the Gods.  

Mother's Day Best Fictional Future Mums

I did a similar post a couple of years ago (Mother's Day Best Book Mums) but that feels like forever ago and I wanted to bundle up some content as Mother's Day is tomorrow in the UK. In that older post, I talked about the best mums in fiction but today, I'm going to look at fictional characters that I think would make great mothers. (Oooh, look at me, expertly recycling content and making it look original).
So, I've compiled a list of characters that currently aren't mothers but would take on a great parental role in my opinion. Let's go!


Claire Danvers (Morganville vampires- Rachel Caine)
We have hints to Claire's future of being a mother all through the series but I had to include her on this list. Claire would be such a cool and fun mum (especially with Shane being a dad as well) and any child would totally be able to get her help with any and all homework. Claire's child would grow up to be super intelligent but also very funny (because, again, Shane's the dad and that ace humour has to be genetic).




Clary Fairchild (The Mortal Instruments- Cassandra Clare)
This may be me thinking more along the lines that Jace would be a super fun dad, but I can totally see Clary being a great mum too. I can just imagine her doing arts and crafts with her kid and getting paint all over both of them. She'd also be really protective over her kid and would organise playdates with Simon and Izzy's kid which would be too adorable to handle.

Ready Player One- Ernest Cline BOOK TALK

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This book was a nice surprise. For some reason, I went in with very low expectations despite the major hype that's always surrounded this novel.
I'll be honest, it started off a little slow and there were massive chunks of exposition that I skimmed right through because my brain couldn't handle that much information. But, once you got past that point and the action finally started, I wasn't able to stop.
This book is perfect for gaming geeks and, even if you aren't one (like me), you'll still enjoy this book. Sure, a lot of the gaming references went over my head, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment at all.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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It took me a little bit of time to fully get into the story because there was a lot- and I mean a lot- of exposition. Sometimes, they was literally just pages of backgrounds and histories and information and, while I tried to focus on it as best as I could, it pretty much went over my head. I skim read all of those parts and it made the beginning feel a tad slow for me.

Book Recommendations for Spring Snow Days

Because the weather is crazy in the UK and has decided to mix up all the seasons (I'm convinced the apocalypse is upon us), I've decided to make the most of it and turn it into a book recommendations post. I'm going to recommend four books with wintery settings or covers that can get you into a wintery spirit even though it's spring... because that's how things are working this year.
(Also enjoy nice snowy photos of me along the way...)


Unravel Me- Tahereh Mafi
Unravel Me is the second book in the Shatter me series and I've picked it because it has a nice wintery cover which just happens to be stunning even if it has no regard to the plot whatsoever. This series follows Juliette who has a curse gift where everyone she touches dies. If that sounds interesting... read the books, because it is interesting. I love this series so much and can't wait for the fourth instalment, Restore Me, to come out this month.
Unravel Me Book Talk


This is What Goodbye Looks Like- Olivia Rivers
Switching to a contemporary stand alone, This is What Goodbye Looks Like, is actually set in winter for the most part. This means cute pictures and flirting with your ship in the snow. I've read this book twice and I loved it just as much both times. It has a lovely blend of romance, internal struggle and an edge of mystery that surrounds the whole thing.
The is What Goodbye Looks Like Book Talk

World Book Day Baking with Kaitlin!!

World Book Day is a momentous occasion for all book lovers so me and my lovely friend Kaitlin (Liber Amoris) always decide to do something to celebrate. In 2016, we went to a Rachel Caine book signing, meeting one of our favourite authors and getting our books signed and pictures taken with nervous energy. And in 2017, we went on an epic journey to the local shopping centre (admittedly not that epic) dressed as some of our favourite characters, all while getting odd looks as we took photos of our brilliant cosplays.

Now, you may be thinking, how do we top that? And the answer is: we don't.
This is what happens when you live where no author wants to come on a book tour and you have no money or travel to get you anywhere cool. Nevertheless, me and Kaitlin still managed to do something book related and we had a lot of fun doing it!

See all the pictures in the Gallery!

We decided that we'd bake some cupcakes and decorate them with bookish designs! Maybe not the most unique idea in the world but it was a lot of fun and actually was pretty successful (we were totally expecting it to fail epically).

March Releases and TBR 2018

RELEASES

Books
The Prophecy (Titan #4)- Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Restore Me (Shatter Me #4)- Tahereh Mafi
Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3)- Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I Have Lost My Way- Gayle Forman 
Not If I Save You First- Ally Carter
Season's End- C.L Norton  
(Claire runs the writing class I go to and she's super nice so definitely check out her book!)

Movies
Ready Player One
Love, Simon
Tomb Raider 
Red Sparrow
Midnight Sun


TBR
Simon vs the Homo-sapiens Agenda- Becky Albertalli (Book of the Month)
This month, me and Kaitlin have chosen Simon vs the Homo-sapiens Agenda to read for our Book of the Month! I've always wanted to read this and have heard only great reviews. Also, the movie adaptation Love, Simon comes out this month so it's an extra reason to get me motivated.

Control Freakz- Michael Evans (ARC Review) 
Michael Evans contacted me last month, asking whether I wanted to read and review his book and, admittedly, I don't tend to usually do this because it takes up a lot of my time and I have many others books I have to read. But Michael's book looked super interesting and I couldn't pass up reading it. I will also say that he's 15 years old (!!!!) so immediately, I was really impressed (and super jealous) because I'm an aspiring author at the age of 17. I know that young authors need all the support they can get and I'm very excited to be able to do that for Michael. (Also, his book sounds great).

February Wrap Up 2018

I feel like I did pretty well with reading and watching fiction this month- especially as it's the shortest month of the year! I feel like I read more than I watched which is another unusual trend but a great one because I really wanted to get back into reading lots.


BOOKS
Falling Kingdoms- Morgan Rhodes
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I got this book for my birthday last month and I really want to delve into it because I've wanted it for a really long time and I was also in a fantasy mood. It took a bit of concentration when going into it because there's a lot of characters and different things to remember about this world but, once you've got that down, this book is amazing! To me, Falling Kingdoms is a blend of Throne of Glass, Game of Thrones and Poison Study so it's definitely a fantasy read to pick up.
Falling Kingdoms Book Talk


Ready Player One- Ernest Cline (Book of the Month)
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This was mine and Kaitlin's Book of the Month for February because neither of us had read it and there's a movie adaptation coming out next month- so we really needed to get a move on. I've had this book for years and have just never had the motivation to pick it and.... I have no idea why because it was amazing! Sure, a lot of the video game references went over my head but it was still a fun and gripping book. But I'll also admit that I did skim read most of the exposition because... there was a lot of exposition.
Book Talk to come!!

February Book Haul 2018

I'll admit, I went a little crazy with buying books this month but, in my defence, I have lots of birthday money and gift cards form last month so it's a totally justifiable haul. I promise.

Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2)- Morgan Rhodes
Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)- Morgan Rhodes
Frozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms #4)- Morgan Rhodes 
It may be a little obvious that I became obsessed with this series this month (as you'll also see in my Wrap Up). But, as I stormed through the first book, I soon realised that I needed to marathon this series and went to work in acquiring all the books. These books are super hard to find in the UK, so I decided to order them from Amazon and they came just in time!!

Scythe- Neal Shusterman 
This is another book that I've wanted to for so long!! I have heard endless hype for this series and the premise looks irresistible to me! I've heard only great things and I'm so excited to pick this up soon. Plus, the cover is beautifully captivating to me and looks gorgeous on my shelf.

Agent Carter 1x02 'Bridge and Tunnel' TV TALK

I'm enjoying this series, but this episode wasn't as good as the pilot in my opinion. There were a lot of things that just went straight over my head. However, there was nice moments of humour that made it all the more enjoyable and I do love these characters that we've been introduced to. I think the series has a lot of potential and will get better as it goes along- every show needs time to find its footing.

Cap mentions: 13
(I decided to add this Captain America counter for each episode because I find it interesting how much Cap influences this plot despite him not even starring!!)

TV TALKS

Season 1:  1x01  |

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The first thing I wanted to mention was the Captain America radio show threaded throughout the episode. I really liked it! I loved how Peggy would roll her eyes at hearing it and the show parallelled nicely when it came to the fight scene nearer the end.

Black Panther MOVIE TALK

82%
Me and my brother went to go and see Black Panther the day it came out and I was so impressed (not that that's a surprise because it's Marvel we're talking to about here).
Black Panther takes place after Captain America; Civil War and follows T'Challa on his journey to becoming King of Wakanda now that his father is dead.
I'll be honest, Black Panther will never be my favourite Avenger but he's stands tall on his own and I liked learning more about him as a character and the hidden country of Wakanda. This movie poses great things for Infinity War and I can't wait to see how he helps the fight against Thanos that is looming over all of us.
My favourite part of this film had to be how awesome the ladies were. While T'Challa is the main star, there were so many bad-ass women in this film and I loved this aspect! I would obviously highly recommend this movie!

TRAILER

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I have to start with how beautiful Wakanda was. They created an entire culture and civilisation and being presented with all those minor details that built up this country was stunning! The first shots we got of Wakanda were visually flawless and worked so well to capture the beauty of this hidden country.
My favourite character had to be T'Challa's sister, Shuri. She was so smart, beautiful and hilarious as well. I loved seeing a more human side of T'Challa when he was with her- that sibling bond that shined when they were in the same scene.

Falling Kingdoms- Morgan Rhodes BOOK TALK

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I loved this book. So blimmin' much. This book was such a great testament as to why fantasy is my favourite genre. It was complex, intriguing, surprising and exciting. I would describe it as a mix of Game of Thrones, Throne of Glass and Poison Study... meaning it was a whole lot of awesome.
Yes, it took some concentration to begin with because it takes time to learn all the names, rules and histories of the world but once you've got that down... it's so rewarding. There was a small character guide at the beginning of the book which was very handy to help me remember the names. It's true that fantasy books take longer to get into but that's just because you need to completely learn an entire world... and that takes time. But once you have, fantasy plots are the most intricate, rewarding and satisfying reads.
And that's why I'm so pumped to dive into the rest of this series.

AMAZON

GOODREADS

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When you have books with multiple narratives, there's always the ones you like more than others. My favourites at the moment has to be Cleo and Magnus! They're the most interesting and deep characters. Jonas is next on my list of favourites (sometimes he was a tad annoying) and Lucia comes in at last place. She was okay but I found her a little too pathetic for my taste. Who knows? Her character may grow a lot over the span of the series but, for now, the Cleo and Magnus chapters are the ones that have me grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Westworld 1x10 'The Bicameral Mind' TV TALK

This was 90 minutes of epic perfection! It was basically a movie that resolved the previous nine hours of the show.... and I devoured it whole. There was no slow moments in this episode- it was all action-packed, intense and totally shocking. The reveals and discoveries in this episode blew my mind even if a few of them were just confirmations of well-predicted theories. So many puzzle pieces were fitted together and my emotions were all over the place when watching this.
It's going to be a difficult episode to review because the plot lines and character are so complex and carefully interlinked but... I'll try my best.
I'll also be writing a separate post for season 2 theories so stay in tune for that- and feel free to comment yours!

TV TALKS

Season 1: 1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09

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Warning: This review will be all over the place because so much happened and I don't know where to start.
Beginning with Maeve, she wakes Hector and Armistice (Snake Lady) and they have a great break-out scene. It was the perfect mix if bad-ass and hilarious. They go to find Bernard, and Felix and Asshat (Sylvester) heals him so they can talk. Bernard reveals that Maeve's entire escape plan has been controlled from the start- someone has ordered her to recruit an army and escape- that none of her decisions have still been hers. After this revelation, the group runs and has a difficult time escaping when security locks everything down. Armistice gets left behind as her arm gets caught but she totally goes down fighting. Maeve also ditches Hector because she wants to go it alone and... he doesn't seem too bothered. Maeve says goodbye to Felix, gets onto the train and.... gets off again. She makes her first true sentient decision that she's going to find her daughter.