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Book Roast’s Magical Readathon Introduction to the Challenge
Hey everyone, So I heard about this awesome book readathon hosted by Booktuber Book Roasts and I couldn’t resist joining in. This will be my first ever readathon, and I’ll be documenting it right on this page, with some lists, comments and maybe even some videos. The readathon is running from April 2nd til April 29th and you can find out more in her amazing video here. It’s Harry Potter themed, based on the O.W.L.S. If you decide to join in, please use the hashtag #OWLsReadathon2018
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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue Book Review
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee From Goodreads: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take…
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The Oddling Prince Book Review
The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer From Goodreads: In the ancient moors of Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. When a mysterious fey stranger appears to save the king, he also carries a secret that could tear the royal family apart. The kingdom’s only hope will lie with two young men raised worlds apart. Aric is the beloved heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is clearly of noble origin yet strangely out of place. The Oddling Prince is a tale of brothers whose love and loyalty to each other is such that it defies impending warfare, sundering seas,…
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Books I’m Super Excited For in 2018 Part Two: April- June
Hey everyone, So today I’m continuing with my summary of all the awesome books I’m looking forward to squealing about this year. Since it is such a huge list, I’ve decided to post it up in three month blocks to make it easier to digest/so my fingers don’t fall off from typing it all up at once. If you’re curious I’ve already done a list of the ones being released between Jan and March, which you can check out here. April: The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth. Released: April 10th I know, I know, the first book, Carve the Mark had some serious and problematic issues [if you want the full story you…
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The Smoke Thieves Book Review
The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green From Goodreads: A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict. In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell. As alliances shift and shatter, and old certainties…
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Renegades: Heroes Vs Villains?
Hey everyone, With the release of Marissa Meyer’s wonderful Renegades just around the corner [although I have seen some cheeky copies of it floating around my nearest Waterstones] Coffee Stars Books got offered some ARC copies and some bookish swag to celebrate the upcoming release. So I’m here today with my brilliant writer friend, Maddy to talk about some kick-ass heroes and some troubling villains. I read the book a few months back, so you can read a slightly spoilery review of the book here if you want to hear more. Personally, I think the Anarchists [the villains] have a valid point. Maddy thinks the Renegade superheroes have the moral highground here.…
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Wednesday Writing: Kill Your Darlings
So last Saturday I went to a fortnightly coffeeshop critique session with the university creative writing society. It’s always a great time, ideas flying around, caffeine being inhaled, cakes everywhere, and after a while discussion turned to the idea of killing your darlings [or, as someone rather alarmingly put it ‘smothering your babies’]. If you haven’t heard the term before, it means editing or cutting a piece of your writing that you love, in order to improve the overall piece. It can include wonderful lines of description, certain scenes you love which don’t match with the pacing or people think are irrelevant, or sometimes even whole characters. It’s a thing…
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Valley Girls Book Review
Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon Seventeen-year-old Rilla is a party queen, driven from her home in West Virginia to her park ranger sister’s place in Yosemite National Park. Determined to forge a new identity she can be proud of, Rilla charms her way into a tight-knit group of climbers. Talking to them, Rilla can’t help but be seduced by the unique opportunities she’s been granted. Not wishing to squander them, she sets her sights on climbing El Capitan, one of the most challenging routes in Yosemite, and her summer becomes one harrowing and ecstatic experience after another: first climb, first fall two thousand feet in the air, first love. Rilla…
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Furyborn Book Review
Furyborn by Claire Legrand The world will fall. Two Queens will rise. One of blood. One of light. When Rielle Dardenne foils an attempted assassination on her best friend, the crown prince Audric, she inadvertently exposes the secret her family has been keeping for most of her life: she is able to perform all seven types of elemental magic. The only people capable of such a feat are two prophesied Queens, but nobody can prove which one Rielle might be. With the government of Celdaria afraid that Rielle might raze their kingdom to the ground with her out of control powers, they offer her a way to prove she’s the saviour Sun…
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Outwalkers Book Review
Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw This is England in the near future. It is no longer a free country. With a chip implanted at birth, the Government can track anyone, anywhere. And children without two parents are sent to Academy orphanages, where they’re treated miserably and eventually groomed to work on fracking fields for the rest of their lives. Unless they can escape. Jake at least wants to give going on the run a try. Following the death of his parents in a car crash, he flees his Academy, pausing only to rescue his faithful dog, Jet. Once on the run, he makes trails to Scotland, a country free of the oppressive…
