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The Belles Book Review
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton From Goodreads: Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the…
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YA Fairytale Retellings: Part One
Hey everyone, Today is Sunday, and that means another bookish post! There’s a huge trend in YA at the moment for fairytale retellings, so today’s post is going to look at YA recommendations based on different fairytales. Since it’s a pretty long list, I’m going to be splitting it into two sections, with the second part posted on Thursday. Some of these recommendations are based on things like Alice in Wonderland, but we’re so familiar with these stories that it makes sense to include them in this list too 😀 Please note that this post contains SPOILERS. Not for the books themselves, but some of them are second or third books in…
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The Summer of Us Book Review
The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse Five friends. Five European cities. Ten days. And a messy, complicated, can-this-really-be-happening love story or two… Since the moment they met, best friends Aubrey and Rae have been planning their inter-railing trip around Europe. With graduation just behind them, it ought to be the perfect summer to go on a last adventure together before university. But things are more complicated at eighteen than they were at ten. Accompanying Aubrey and Rae are other friends, each one carrying baggage they can’t put in a suitcase. First there’s Jonah, Aubrey’s popular and dashing boyfriend, and his best friend Gabe, who Audrey may have accidentally kissed. And then…
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UK Versus US Covers
Hey everyone, Today is Thursday, which means another bookish post. Do you ever get a book, and then see the overseas cover and wish you’d bought that version instead? In honour of that feeling, I thought today I could go through some UK and US editions of YA books, talking about each cover design and explaining which one I prefer. The US editions will be on the left, the UK ones on the right. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor …
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Ash Princess Book Review
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian One day, I will watch them all burn. Princess Theodosia will never forget the day the kingdom of Astrea was invaded, and her mother, the Queen of Flame and Fury, was murdered before her eyes. For ten years, she has survived, whipped for every futile rebellion and constantly humiliated by the Kaiser who conquered her beloved country. She is paraded around as the Ash Princess, a constant reminder to all of everything she’s lost. Meanwhile her people are enslaved, forced to work in the mines until there are no Astreans left alive. When the Kaiser forces Theo to execute her last hope of rescue, she vows…
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Big Bones Book Review
Big Bones by Laura Dockrill From Goodreads: A heart-warming teen story from the unique voice of Laura Dockrill, about Bluebelle, aka BB, aka Big Bones – a sixteen-year-old girl encouraged to tackle her weight even though she’s perfectly happy, thank you, and getting on with her life and in love with food. Then a tragedy in the family forces BB to find a new relationship with her body and herself. Moving, memorable and hilarious. Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note that this review will contain spoilers, so if you haven’t read the book and plan to, you should…
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May Book Box Club ‘Stargazers’ Unboxing
Hi everyone, I finally got my hands on the May Stargazers box from Book Box Club. The postman came a little later than usual, so I was out grabbing coffee with a friend when it came, but fortunately my boyfriend was around to answer the door, so I came home to this wonderful surprise of book box goodness. Obviously, since this is an unboxing post, there are spoilers for the May box ahead, so if you haven’t received your Stargazers swag yet, you might want to bookmark this post and come back to it later 😀 Awesome, now that we’ve clarified that we’re all meant to be here and spoilers…
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RIP It Or Ship It Book Tag
Hey everyone, So today I thought I’d bring you one of my favourite BookTube tags, RIP It or Ship It. The original tag was created by Emma’s Books, and since she posts some great stuff you should definitely check her videos out here. The rules of the game are simple. I’m going to put a lot of fictional characters’ names into a cup and draw them out two at a time. Once I have a pairing, I’ll tell you if I RIP it or if I ship it. There’s going to be names from a variety of YA fantasy novels and series, so hopefully there’ll be some interesting pairings…
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Smoke in the Sun Book Review
Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh Following Okami’s capture, Mariko has no choice but to infiltrate the Imperial Palace in the desperate hopes of rescuing him. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was held against her will by the notorious Black Clan, playing the part she was always meant to play– the dutiful, naive bride-to-be. While they try and decide if Mariko is still loyal to the throne, she must also unravel their secrets. Most importantly, she must learn the truth behind the assassination attempt on her carriage that led her to the Black Clan. While pretending to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials,…
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April Fairyloot ‘Whimsical Journeys’ Unboxing
Hi everyone, Today I’m bringing you an unboxing of Fairyloot’s April box, which was themed around ‘Whimsical Journeys.’ The reason this unboxing is coming to you so late is because there was an issue with one of the items in the box, so Fairyloot ended up sending them out a little late last month. Still, that just means that this month is going to be jam-packed with unboxings, woo! As ever, the box came with a gorgeous spoiler card from the usual Fairyloot artist. This one might be one of my faves so far, since it just captures everything I love about spring– the blossoms, the blue sky… I really…























