March Wrap Up

Here we are, my reads from this March. I'm very impressed with myself, actually, as I read a lot and because 2 of those books have been gathering dust on my To Be Read shelf. The other 4 were all brand new releases, so we definitely got off the press! 

What did I think of these? Well...very good things!

Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning

GoodReads rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was eagerly awaiting the release of this book, a continuation of the Fever series, but it actually took me a while to pick it up. I just wasn't in the mood. However, once I did pick it up I pliers through it quickly. If you haven't heard of the series, they are an urban fantasy series set in Dublin. The main character, Mac, is an American in her early twenties who flies to Ireland to try to investigate her elder sister's murder. This book is book 8 (I think) so to reveal the plot would be very spoilery. However, I was delighted by the appearance of a certain character, as I had imagined that happening many times, whilst daydreaming! I am still slightly frustrated by Mac's relationship with another couple of main characters, but I am hopeful these annoyances will either be plot points further along in the series or will get sorted soon! 

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

GoodReads rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Mercy Thompson books were the first ever Urban Fantasy I read. Or at least, books that I classified as such. I love Mercy's wit, bravery and attitude towards her life. I can't give much of this plot away, but I can say it's continuing Mercy's story in a world where werewolves and the fae are 'out of the closet'. War is brewing and Mercy is stuck in the middle.

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

GoodReads rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've wanted to read this book for a long time, but I've never really read memoirs before. I knew I'd want to read it without anynother books distracting me, but I'm rarely in a 'read an entire non-fiction book in one go' mood (I tend to dip in and out). So I'm very glad I made time for this! You can tell this is written by a young person, as the writing style is less established and polished. However, that almost makes it even more inspiring as it reminds you of how young Malala is and how English is not her first language. As a teacher, I found all the information about education and learning very interesting as well. Malala is very inspirational, and this book reminded me why learning is so vital.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent 

GoodReads rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on real life events, this book tells the story of a woman in Iceland who is sentenced to be executed for her part in a murder. She is sent to live with a family whilst waiting for the date of her death to be finalised. I was surprised by this book - the emotions and attachment really creep up on the reader AND the characters in the story. It was really interesting to read something based on a true story, because obviously we can never truly know the motives and feelings behind crimes that happened so long ago. I would recommend this to both fiction and history fans!

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

GoodReads rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can still remember the day that I first picked up City of Bones. It was literally the day it arrived in my local Waterstones - with the original UK covers! I actually ended up giving the book away (after devouring it in one sitting) because I was so horrified with the well known plot twist. Luckily, I still picked up book two when it was released and LOVED it. I resisted picking up this book for as long as I could - I know the pain of waiting for the next book in a Cassandra Clare series and I was trying to reduce that a little bit! It didn't last though :P I read this book either sat in a chair looking out over a beautiful Cornish beach, or on the 5 hour train journey back from Cornwall to London, and the time flew! 

Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr

GoodReads rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's been years now since I first read and fell in love with the Wicked Lovely series, and I've got to say I've yet to find a Melissa Marr series that I obsess over as much. I love those books! I really enjoyed this, but it didn't hit the same spot the WL books did. Perhaps it's because I was 16 when I read WL? I'll have to re read them and see if they have the same effect!

GoodReads Update: 27/100 read

2016 Reading Challenge:

A book and it's prequel - Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas (January) Assassin's Blade tbr soon!

A Book Written by a Celebrity - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

A Graphic Novel - River's of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch (January)

A Book Set in Europe - My Sword Hand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick (February)

A Book Set in the Summer - Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (February)

A Book Based on a Fairytale - The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire (February)
A Political Memoir - I am Malala (I think this counts!) by Malala Yousafzai (March)
A Book With a Blue Cover - Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (March)
A Book Set on an Island - Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning (March)
A Book Published in 2016 - Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (March)

2015 challenge continuation...

A Book I was Supposed to Read in School (I read all the books I was supposed to when I was a student in school - I've now read this as a teacher) - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

A Book Based on a True Story - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (March)

Books from 2015 that I didn't read:

• A classic Romance
• A book that became a movie
• A Pullitzer prize winner
• Antonyms
• Published in the year I was born
• A book that made me cry
• Originally in a different language
• A book that was once a play
• A banned book

March Wrap Up

As the title suggests, this is a wrap up of the books I read in March!

Here are the books I have physical copies of.

I read this book on my Kindle.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

This is the second book in the highly popular 'Outlander' series. Now, I read the first book in the summer, so I could read it before the TV series came out. I loved it, and I loved the TV version. Yet it has taken me until now to read book number 2. I think I was intimidated by how big the book was, and how much I loved book one. I needn't have worried - I loved this book. Not as much as book one, I have to say, but the first books in series can rarely get beaten when it comes to keeping you hooked. I loved the character development of Jamie and Claire, I loved the suspense of waiting for events to happen, and I loved the plotline. I have to say, this series is one that threatens to overwhelm if you don't really focus on characters, their names and their roles. As someone who tends to read books ridiculously quickly, in as few sittings as possible, this can be a challenge. I did get confused a few times, which I wasn't surprised about. There were new locations and new characters, and then reintroductions to characters or places that small parts of book one involved. I'm sure I would have found it less confusing if I'd taken my time (both with this book and book one), and if I hadn't left such a long time to read it. Anyway, overall I loved this book, and continue to recommend the series to friends.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is the author of the Shiver series, books about werewolves. Now, although I enjoyed number one in this series I didn't really like the rest of the Shiver series. I'm hoping this series does not go the same way, as I really enjoyed this book. The story is set in a town where a girl called Blue lives with her aunts, who are all mediums or fortune tellers. Blue is the odd one out, as she does not have any skills in these areas. On the outskirts of the town is a private boys school, who's students are known as the Raven boys (due to the schools logo). I cant really say much more without giving some of the plot away, but there is involvement with the supernatural, links to the legend of a Welsh king (I love mythology in books!) and a mystery element as well. The characters are all really engaging and interesting, and I can't wait to see what happens in book 2.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Heir of Fire is the third book in the Throne of Glass series. I was dreading reading this book, as the end of the second book made me worry about what was going to happen next. Not in a 'I don't like this plot' way, but in a 'I have become too emotionally attached' way. I can't really say too much, as it is the third book and I don't want to spoil the first 2, but I enjoyed reading it and was, again, very stressed by the ending. I am going to find it hard to wait for book 4!

Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

I have a bit of an obsession with Urban Fantasy. I'm sure it comes from my love of Buffy growing up, and the fact that these books can often be funny, tense, steamy and well written at the same time. Sometimes they have pretty off putting covers, with half naked men and women all over them, which might appeal to some. Patricia Briggs' covers never get too ridiculous - I've put the 2 different versions here so they can be compared. I have the simpler, more silhouette-y one, but the first isn't too bad - I think it just doesn't look how I imagined the characters in my head.
Anyway, the Alpha and Omega series is Urban Fantasy, involving many different 'creatures' but focusing on werewolves. They're a spin off of the Mercy Thompson series, so follow the same timeline and include a lot of the same characters. As with Heir of Fire, this is the third book in the A and O series, and it is actually the twelfth book in this 'world' (only taking full sized books into account). To say much about the plot is a spoiler. It is more of a story progression book, and doesn't really have the thrill of the first book, or any crazy plot development. It is, however, a good book that I enjoyed. The characters are interesting, and the main and new characters go through some good development. 

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire is the first in the Mistborn trilogy. set in an alternate world. It tells the story of an empire where, a thousand years ago, the 'bad guy' won. The upper class here often possess metal based abilities; by consuming metal they can draw on its power to use superhuman skills. However, sometimes these skills appear in the lower classes, which is a sign that a noble person somewhere has mixed their blood. This is illegal, and those with powers are often hunted down. People at risk of being murdered often join crime gangs, which is where we meet many of the characters. I enjoyed this book as I loved the idea of powers being used in this way, and the viewpoint of the main character Vin. Newly introduced to many of the other characters, she is the perfect eyes through which to see the plot unfold. I wasn't completely gripped by some of the story - I couldn't put my finger on which parts I didn't enjoy, I just know that I wasn't in love with the story. It wont stop my from continuing with the story, but it wont be at the top of my To Be Read list.

Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

This was the only book I read on my Kindle this month. Doon is about 2 best friends from America who travel to Scotland for a summer holiday. Weird choice of location for a summer get away, but I suppose if you come from a hot area of the USA then you can risk not having sunshine on your holiday. Before the holiday begins, one friend begins 'hallucinating' a rather attractive Scottish chap (in full kilt get up) following her around. She begins the holiday convinced she is going insane. However, a local folk tale from a neighbour encourages her to investigate more, and the story of 'Doon' is revealed. I had heard a lot about how good this series was, and wanting to read more about Scotland because of Outlander, I was excited. I was, unfortunately, a little disappointed. I normally love YA fantasy, despite the fact that at 25 I am no longer technically 'YA' (waaaaaaaaah) because they don't usually feel too young or too cheesy. In this case, however. I can't explain it. A good idea for a story (it's a retelling of the 'Brig' a Doon' tale, apparently) but the characters and plot felt flat and uninteresting. I'm not writing it off entirely as it wasn't badly written, but the plot and style of writing didn't fit what I was looking for.


It comes to my attention here that I read and reviewed The Mime Order in February...oops! 

Clair's 2015 Reading Challenge:

• A book you read in a day - Dreamfever/ Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning (3rd January 2015)
• A book with magic in it - The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan (9th January 2015)
• A book written by someone under 30 - The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (21st February 2015)
• A book with a colour in the title - The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (18th February 2015)
• A book that takes place in your hometown - The Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan (February 2015)
• A book set in a different country - Delilah by Eleanor Jong (15th February 2015)
• A book with nonhuman characters - Burned by Karen Marie Moning (February 2015)
• A book with a female author - A Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas (10th February 2015)
• A book published this year - Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs (2nd March 2015)
• A book set in high school (well, they're all high school age and some parts mention their school - that counts right) - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2nd March)
• A book with more than 500 pages - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (10th March 2015)
• A book a friend recommended - Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (12th March)
• A book by an author you've never read before - The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (17th March)
• A book with a one word title - Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon (30th March)

~to be added to as time passes~