May Wrap Up + June TBR

I only finish 8 books this month, I'm so not counting the random smutty romances I've read because I don't want to go over those. *Shudders* Anyway, I just had a lot of school happening, plus a lot of partial rereads. It eventually added up.

1. Chloe by Sarah Brianne

I gave this book 4 stars. It is the third book in the Made Men series. I can't say much about this other than that it really gets into Chloe's background, we find out a lot more about her past. I thought it was a very necessary book to have despite it not really getting into the whole love triangle thing.

2. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

I gave this book 3 stars. It was just depressing. I mean, I was bored and then I was sad. There were some funny and touching moments which saved it from getting one or two stars. I wouldn't really suggest reading this.

3. The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz

I gave this book 5 stars. Guys, I can't even get into this one or I'll have to read it again. It's intense. Read it. You don't need to know anything other than it's got some adult content *wink*.

4. Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley

I gave this book 4 stars. I've been meaning to read this book for like 5 years and finally I read it. It didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was good in its own ways. I really wish there was a sequel though.

5. The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I gave this book 5 stars. It was exactly what I needed to read and it was classic Jennifer L Armentrout. Meaning the love was steamy, the main character goes through a lot of stuff, but comes out the other side better for it. Fantastic.

6. The Crown by Kiera Cass

I gave this book 5 stars. It was everything I needed but didn't know I needed. Since this is the last book in the series I really can't say anything other than I was very satisfied with how things ended.

7. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

I gave this book 5 stars. Once again a sequel, can't really get into it. I loved this book a lot more than the first book. I didn't think that the first one was the best, and this one definitely topped that one.

8. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Finally, I gave this book 5 stars. Just finished this one. Oh my gods, best book I read this month. That's a high compliment considering all the good books I read this month. If you haven't read a Court of Thornes and Roses yet, go do that then read this immediately. Do it.

As for my June TBR I have:

1. The Book Thief

I've already started this one, so I better finish it this month

2. The Last Star

Next on my TBR. Maybe third actually, depends on my mood.

3. The Martian

I so badly want to read this, I might even bump it up to second if I get in the mood to read it. I want to read it so badly, plus I really want to see the movie.

4. A Little Life

I want to read it, but I don't know if I will be in the mood for it, so this one is just a maybe.

5. The Mark of Athena

Seriously, I need to catch up on everything. I feel like I'm missing out on this huge inside joke. I need to be let in on this secret.

Well I maybe shouldn't have that many books on my TBR because I know for a fact I'm going to read other books not on my TBR and I have finals that I need to think about. Where has the time gone?

Top 10 Favourite Main Characters

10. Juliette

She just had some of the best character development I've ever seen and I loved it. At first I was a bit iffy since she was kind of whiny and liked Adam, but then she became a badass and liked Warner, like she should have from the beginning.

9. Mara Dyer

She is damaged and mysterious and snarky. She is the person I aspire to be. I think she deals with her situation pretty well. She is a little bit angry and a big part confused, but that it mostly just her being a teenager and I relate to that.

8. Harry Potter

Harry is honestly such a sweetheart. Everyone covers that up by mentioning angsty fifth year Harry or his stupid decision making skills. But did everyone forget that he brought us all on an unforgettable journey? We learned about love and friendship along side him and I love him more for that.

7. Kricket

Kricket may not be a physical badass, but she is one of the smartest main characters I've ever seen. She just surprised us all with her thoughts and ideas and battle strategies. She is brilliant and witty and just fantastic.

6. Callum

He is just so snarky and moody, I can't help but to relate to that. Some of the things he does I'm just sitting there saying 'same' ten thousand billion times. That's how much I relate to him.

5. Feyre Acheron

At first I was not her biggest fan, I mean I never disliked her, but there was no defining factor that made her a favourite character, until I read A Court of Mist and Fury. Fey went through so much character development. She has become a much stronger person, she is different and those changes were good to her. She earned her way onto this list.

4. Tessa Gray

She took in this whole new world, and was like "yeah, I got this" just so chill, and composed. She fricken got Will Herondale. Will, the guy who swore he would never love anyone ever again other than Jem. Tessa knows how to put a person in there place and she knows what she wants.

3. Clary Fray

On the flip side of Tessa Gray, Clary has no chill, she freaked out so badly when she found out about the whole Shadowhunter world, and honestly, Same. That is me 100%. Everyone always mocks Clary and talks about how she is their least favorite of the three female protagonists of Cassandra Clare's books. But I entered the world with her, so I'm always gonna have that fondness of her. The TV show may have butchered her character, but I loved her in the books.

2. Rose Hathaway

Rose has so much depth. On the surface she is carefree and a trouble maker, not to mention so fricken hilarious. A bit deeper she is a devoted friend willing to do anything for Lissa. Deep down, she is a scared little kid who wants her mother's approval and wants the love of her much older mentor. She has layers and I love that about her.

1. Celaena Sardothien/Aelin Galathynius

She is all about the revenge. I love revenge plots, some of my favorite books to read are about revenge. There is nothing more satisfying than bringing someone down to your level. Celaena does this exceedingly well. And at such a young age. She has a mind full of twists and turns and even as the reader it is hard to read her and what she is about to do. She realistically, like any teenage girl, goes through a lot of guys and I loved that shred of reality. She may not be a normal teen, but she does do some things like one.

A Court of Mist and Fury Book Talk

A Court of Mist and Fury
by Sarah J Maas

Spoiler Alert

Summary:

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. That doesn't even cover it. This book was phenomenal.

So right at the start of the book I could sense that there was tension between Feyre and Tamlin. Tamil wouldn't let Feyre do anything, he would barely let her leave the house. Seriously, all she does is plan their wedding and sometimes paint. Plus, she has these terrible night terrors, he basically ignores them and doesn't even try to comfort her. Shitty boyfriend much. Then when he has night terrors and she wants to comfort him, he totally just pushes her away. It pissed me off. He has such a clouded vision of her. I mean he still thinks that she loves all the gifts he gives her, he thinks that she loves those pouffy fancy dresses he has made for her. Totally oblivious. I mean, she didn't even feel like she could tell him when it was her birthday.

Now for the whole "I knew she would be with Rhys" Argument. Okay so the moment she escapes her wedding, she goes to the night court and one of her first thoughts is that it is the most beautiful place she has ever been. Also, she thinks that Rhys is the most beautiful man she has ever seen before. Plus, he made this deal with her so that she would have to spend a week with him every month, since they are mates, she would slowly realize she had feelings for him and would fall in love with him, which is pretty much what happened. He seemed to want something in the beginning. Something "Unknown" aka her. Plus Tamlin was treating her like fine china while Rhys was setting her free to do whatever she wanted or needed to do. Rhys is also being so sweet and charming, I initially didn't really like him, I didn't know him that well and he seemed pretty skeazy. As I got to know him in this book, I fell in love.

He studied my face. "There are a great many things that I wish to do, and don't get to."

Then Tamlin goes and locks her up in his house. Big no no. 

Feyre is like a bird. At first she was a bird in a cage, the way they aren't supposed to be, but then Rhys came and opened the cage and now she is flying around outside the way a bird is supposed to be. 

Then finally Feyre is starting to show her distaste to the new Tamlin, or the old Tamlin that she is now seeing from a different light.

"Yes. He'd given me everything I needed to become myself, to feel safe. And when he got what he wanted... He'd stopped. Had tried, but not really. He'd let himself remain blind to what I needed after Amarantha."

You know how I guessed the whole Rhys and Feyre mate bond thing? You wanna know? Well all you Rhys lovers out there are not subtle, like, at all. I mean, before the book, a smaller margin of people liked Rhys. Then after reading this almost everyone seemed to love him, which meant only one thing. Rhys was Feyre's mate, not Tamlin. Plus, the sexual tension between them was killing me, like, the entire book. I honestly don't think I've felt this way about a ship since Will and Tessa. New OTP coming through.

The plot was by no means original. I mean, one person rises above all to beat a powerful tyrant? Sound familiar? It should. But the way Sarah J Maas wrote it, made up for any lack of original plot. The way it was carried out was earth shattering. I had my fair share of moments when I thought "Wow, that was fantastic, Feyre has come so far." The character development, guys, the character development. 

Once we were introduced to all of the human queens, I was prepared to hate all of them, they seemed like bitter old hags, and moronic dunces. I have to admit that the "Golden Queen" was a very good actress. I hated her at first, but then I felt love for her. It was like that one episode of friends where Ross is really unstable and he finds out about Chandler and Monica's relationship and one second he is so mad he is about to punch Chandler's face in and the next, he like instantly goes to happily crooning, "My best friend and my sister." That's how I felt. Do you know what I'm talking about? You should.

Quotes:

"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, Lucien, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."

"I want you to know, that I am broken and healing, but every piece of my heart belongs to you. And I am honoured-- honoured to be your mate."

"You set boundaries if they cross a line, but you are their friend-- and my mate. They will protect you on instinct. If you kick their asses out of the house, they'll just sit on the roof."

"Love--love was a balm as much as it was a poison." 

Fictional Boyfriend Tag

1. Most romantic boyfriend

Aiden St. Delphi, it's just his personality. He is just such a good guy, sweet honest caring, but he would also fight to the death for you. He knows where it's at.

2. Dark and moody bad boy with a good side

Derek from the Summoning. The guy is so grumpy and maybe he isn't the best looking, but I have a weakness for him. No matter how moody he is.

3. Paranormal boyfriend

Kaidan Rowe, he is the embodiment of lust. Do I even need to say anymore?

4. Boyfriend you want to tame

I wouldn't really like to tame anyone. We should just go do crazy shit together. The only aspect I would tame anyone in is the love aspect. So I guess that would be Travis Maddox. He is always ready for a fight and I love that, but he is also very dedicated and sweet when need be.

5. Boy you friend zoned

Simon Lewis. I would never actually want to date Simon, because he is like my nerdy soul mate. If there is such thing as a friend soul mate, that would be Simon.

6. Your soul mate

Will Herondale, why else would I be completely obsessed with him? He loves books, he is so tortured, he never fails to make me laugh. He is good even if he can't see it at times. When he loves someone he goes all in. There are never any doubts with him.

7. Boyfriend you want to elope with

Finnick Odair. I would marry this man any day of the week.

8. Boyfriend you'd venture anywhere with

Noah Shaw, if I went traveling with him, my gods, he would give me a show. He is so sarcastic and funny, he makes the best out of situations, he seems to know so much about the world. The things he could show me.

9. Boyfriend you'd want to be stranded on a desert island with

Daemon Black, since he's luxen, he is hella fast. Since he is hella fast, that probably means that he can run on water. So, we could spend a while on that island together for some alone time, but then he could get us back when we really need to.

10. Most badass boyfriend

Dimitri Belikov, he is so badass I don't think I could even explain this to you. He could take down anyone he wants. He could take down groups of highly trained assassins, because he is Dimitri Belikov.

Hollow City Book Talk

Hollow City

by Ransom Riggs

Spoilers

Summary:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. Unpopular opinion: I was not the biggest fan of the first book. I don't know what it was, maybe I wasn't that engaged, maybe I didn't relate to the main character all the much. I have no clue. This book however, was infinitely better than the first one. I loved this.

Jacob and Emma are so cute together. He's kind of awkward and unsure of himself while Emma is so hot tempered.

Speaking of Emma, I felt a lot more connected to her during this book. She shed some light on her past and the shitty way her parents had treated her. I could only imagine. It makes me sad that she may never see her sister again. In the one sentence that she mentioned her sister I really liked her.

So I got the box set of this series which came with pictures of random peculiars. I find that it's a fun game to play, when I'm reading the book and I find out about one of the peculiars in the picture I have. Like "ohhhhh, that's how they fit into the story." It kept me engaged.

I feel like I got to know more about all of the Peculiars. In the first book it was a bit hard to keep track of them all because being introduced to a whole group of characters at once is a bit much to take in. In this book I learned about who had what gift, and what their personalities were like. It was much easier to follow along with them in this book.

The plot twist at the end with Miss Peregrine's brother made me so angry. I myself have a sibling and we may disagree at times, but the thought of totally betraying my sibling for power is just such a ridiculous notion. I really hate her brother. The fire is fueled for the next book.

This book took me a while to read because it wasn't the highest on my priority list. I don't know when I will get the time to finally read the third book, but I will do that this year. I promise.

Quotes:

"Strange, I thought, how you can be living your dreams and your nightmares at the very same time." 

"Some truths are expressed best in the form of myth." 

"But you can't feel bad every second, I wanted to tell her. Laughing doesn’t make bad things worse any more than crying makes them better. It doesn't mean you don't care, or that you've forgotten. It just means you're human." 

"Do you ever find yourself climbing into an open grave during a bombing raid..and wish you'd just stayed in bed?"

Waiting on Wednesday

The Bronze Key

by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Since this book finally has a cover, I decided to do this one this week because this is one of my most anticipated books of the year. I'm so excited the first two books in the magisterium series were fantastic and I read them back to back, therefore I need this now. The end of August is too far away. I'm crying.

Top 10 Fantasy Books

I almost forgot to do one today cause I forgot that it was in fact Tuesday. Thank the gods that I didn't because it's a good one today. I'm counting series', because it's hard enough narrowing it down to the series'.


10. The Heroes of Olympus

I haven't quite finished the series yet. Okay I've only read two books, but I devoured those first two books, but since I've only read two, they are only 10 on this list. I still got them on here, okay? Fabulous books.

9. The Little Prince/Le Petit Prince

This book hit me right in that place in my chest that constricts when you feel deep emotion. You know that place, where it does the thing. Like that tight feeling in your chest when you really feel like crying. You know what I'm talking about. It's a children's book with an underlying message and it's beautiful. I think everyone should read this story at least once in their lives.

8. The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Also I found this gem. Gender bent from The Mortal Instruments.

Did you see the loophole? I found it and it is mine. I couldn't decide which series I should put on my list, the Mortal Instruments, the Infernal Devices, or the Dark Artifices. So I chose them all. I regret nothing because all of these books are in the same world and I love them all. I own every single one of the books in the series's.

7. Peter Pan

This is another book on the topic of growing up *cough cough* Little Prince. This one had no underlying message though. It's fairly straight forward. It's a fun and heartbreaking story. Some might not see it that way, but that was the way I felt. Peter didn't want to grow up, so he got left behind by everyone. Despite this sad ending, it was a real adventure. Few can partake in the joys that of young children.

6. Under Different Stars

One of my favourites, I loved everything in this series from the characters to the plot to the setting. it was magical. I can't really say anything that I haven't already said about this series.

5. A Court of Thorns and Roses

I haven't read A Court of Mist and Fury yet, but it's next up. So I guess that can be included. Anyway I love anything written by Sarah J. Maas. She could probably write a story sympathizing with Hitler and I would probably read it and love it. Actually no I wouldn't, but you get my point. So the moment I found out he had started a series other than Throne of Glass, I had to read this. It wasn't even a question and I'm glad I read it because it's amazing.

4. Six of Crows

I wasn't actually expecting to like this book. I honestly wasn't. I didn't hate the Grisha Trilogy, but it was far from my favourite. So tickle me surprised when I couldn't seem to put this book down. It went in a good direction and was an extension of the Grisha trilogy world that I enjoyed immensely.

3. Throne of Glass

Where do I even start with this series? I was apprehensive when starting this. I didn't think I was going to like it. It just didn't seem up my alley, or so I thought. I read the first two in a matter of days. it took me a bit longer to read the third, but that's just cause it was so much bigger than the first two. Then the fourth. Oh the fourth. I read that book in four days. That was me dragging it out. I savoured every page. There was not a single point in the book where I was bored.

2. The Name of the Wind

This book was amazing. Blew my itty bitty little mind to smithereens. It was so well thought out. I usually don't do so well when the protagonist is a guy. I don't know I have a harder time relating to what he is doing, well that kind of happened in this book because I decided that I shipped Kvothe with Ambrose and I know for a fact that that will never be cannon. I still ship it though. I loved everything else about the book though. The world building was exceptional. Probably one of the best aspects of the book.

1. Harry Potter

There is no choosing one book. I don't care about what you tell me, for all I know Harry Potter is just one big long book. I grew up with Harry. I went to school with Harry. I suffered and succeeded with Harry. There was no doubt what would be number one on this list. And if there was doubt, where is your mind at? Like, what? Harry Potter, number 7 on the quid ditch pitch. Number 1 in our hearts.


Well that got intense... I hope you enjoyed that?