Anti-Haul Weekly

I was just thinking about anti-hauls and thought it would be fun to do sort of an anti- Waiting on Wednesday type of thing. Books I just don't think I'm ever going to read. Books I don't see myself looking twice at for whatever reason. I thought I'd do a weekly thing where I talk about books I don't want to read as a bit of a refresher. I'm always talking about books I do want to read, but rarely the ones I don't. So consider this week one!

So the first book I don't think I'm ever going to read is The Cuckoo's Calling

Synopsis:

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

My Thoughts:

There was a time when I wanted to read this book so bad, but that time has passed. If I had gotten this book when I really did want to read it I would have read it, but it's been too long and the author has just been too horrible for me to even consider reading this now.

On the off chance that you didn't already know, Robert Galbraith is the pen name for J. K. Rowling. If you haven't been paying attention to what she has been doing and saying, I will sum it up. She has just shown time and time again that she doesn't give a shit about active representation and gives even less of a shit about Trans rights. She writes these characters giving them no form of actual representation in her books and then goes on Twitter saying they are LGBTQ+ and all this other garbage, but refuses to actually include this in her books. She just does things that leave me to believe she is a horrible person. I don't want to support that. 

Not even taking her into account as the author, this book sounds like something I would rather watch as a movie than something I would read. Therefore I won't be reading this and I doubt I will ever change my mind. This book is nothing special and I can do without it. There are hundreds or even thousands of books that are probably covering the same topics and are just better written. I'm not going to be missing anything from not reading this book. 

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Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood Review

House of Earth and Blood

by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis:

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.

Spoilers

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. I was going to give this book 4 stars, but I had to give it 5 stars because of that ending. This book had me sobbing. Lehabah earned that fifth star. That fifth star is for Lehabah.

There were quite a few things that I liked but also quite a few I didn’t. 

I’m kinda disappointed. I was loving the friendship dynamic that was happening at the beginning between Bryce, Danika, Fury, and Juniper, but then that was all thrown out the window. The rest of the book was this weird mix of mystery and depression. It just wasn’t as lively as those first few chapters. Danika died and then Bryce’s other two friends sort of ghosted her for almost half the book so she was left without a friendship dynamic. There was no fun banter between friends. There was no actual excitement other than the curiosity about who killed everyone. I 100% think I would have liked this book more if Danika had stayed alive. I just think it was a bad move to kill her off. It’s almost like the book was colourful but then she died and the book was grey if that makes any sense. I get that’s the point, but still, it doesn’t leave a very good atmosphere. 

I didn’t really care for Hunt for most of this book. I don’t think he will be endgame. You know how I know that I don’t like him enough? I would trade him for Danika or Lehabah. 

Lehabah. She really snuck up on me. I thought she was kind of annoying at first, but by the end I accepted her. She was annoying and fun and her ending. It had me sobbing. Everything happened so suddenly. While she was kind of annoying that was the charm of her character. It really cut through the tension that Bryce was feeling throughout the book. When she would get to in her head about things Lehabah was there to lighten the mood. I just felt like she was such an important character in this book and losing her really hurt. I’m really sensing a theme in this book. All the fun characters die. Just a theory.

I really loved the dynamic between Bryce and her brother and her father. There was so much tension there. Throughout the book, we could tell there was something we didn’t know about Bryce and it had to do with her face side of the family. Her father wanted nothing to do with her. and her brother Rune had really hurt her in some way. Finding out that her brother was not the only “chosen one” in the family and that she too was just as worthy as he was felt really gratifying. Her asshole fae father threw her away because she was this halfbreed that he deemed to be below him. Only to find out that she was hiding this gift. It felt good seeing him eat his words. 

As for my feelings on Bryce. I'm not quite sure how I feel about her yet. I like her, but she definitely wasn't my favourite character. Kinda sucks since she is the main character. I still have high hopes though. There will be more books and I hope to see some positive character development for her. I feel like this book was just really hard on her. Her best friend died. She was going through some shit. There weren't very many positive moments in this book and that obviously weighs on a person. I would like to see Bryce having some better times, spending more time with her friends, coming into her powers, etc.

Overall I did like this book enough to give it five stars, but I still think it can go up.  The middle of this book wasn't the best but the beginning and the end were phenomenal. 

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The Aesthetically Pleasing Book Tag

Does anyone else feel like publishing companies are finally putting in more work to make covers prettier? Cause I do and I'm loving it. I love a pretty cover.  This book tag was originally from I believe Book Syrup. A booktube channel I don't think exists anymore. 

1. Best colour combo on a book cover

The first thing that really struck me about this book was the cover. The colour patterning on this book cover is one of the best I've ever seen. Honestly, I think whoever made this cover deserves a raise.

2. Best typography/font on a book cover

It's pretty simple but I love how the font really matches the book and what it's about. It's a book containing all these medieval stories and the font really tells you that. You would be able to tell even if you have never heard of King Arthur. 

3. Best simple cover

It tells you all you need to know. It's a poetry book so you really don't need any images. It has a nice font that takes up a good portion of the cover so it doesn't really need anything else. They could have added an image and while I don't think that would have taken anything away from the cover I do love the simplicity of the cover as it is. Honestly with a title like that you don't really need a fancy cover to draw you in.

4. Best Endpages

I decided to go with a Court of Wings and Ruin. While I have several books that have beautiful end pages, this one was the easiest for me to pull off my shelf. Also I just really loved that they used fanart in the book. I felt like it was a very heartfelt way of paying tribute to her readers. 

5. Best map

Honestly, I feel like all book maps are pretty much the same in terms of detail. However, since I do have a physical copy I decided to go with the map from ACOTAR. 

6. Best naked hardback

My favourite thing is when I take the dust jacket off of a book to see if there is anything cool underneath and there is. The Cruel Prince probably has one of my favourite patterns that I've ever seen on a hardcover book. It's so simple yet beautiful.

7. Best back cover

The Throne of Glass series. I love how the front covers work with the back covers. it really lets you have a feel for the book itself. On the front she is in her battle gear, carrying around weapons, but on the back, she continues to carry her weapon, but she's wearing a dress. It really does a great job of showing the duality of Celaena's personality. 

8. Best chapter headers

I love the six of Crows headers. At first glance, you see a crow's wing but as you look closer you can see that the image actually has these towers. I think this is an incredible display of artistry. Look how cool that shit is.

9. Best illustrations

The Harry Potter Illustrated Editions. I already have a full set of Harry Potter books, but when they started coming out with the illustrated editions I knew I needed to get them. Sadly I won't be buying anymore of them, but I do have the first four and I have to say that they are stunning. 

10. Best spine

One of my favourite book spines is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I just think it's kinda funny that there is a dragon on the spine of this book and there are a lot of people out there that get dragon tattoos on their own spines.

11. Favorite cover on your shelves

From Blood and Ash series. These books have such intricate covers. At first you just see a bit of patterning and it looks nice but once you take a closer look at them you can see all the little details that were included. I think they are beautiful covers.-

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Most Anticipated Books of 2021

I was considering just doing a top 10 post but I decided at the last minute that I would rather just talk about everything I was excited for. Who needs to limit themselves to 10 exciting releases? Not me. I don't have the self-control for that. Also, some of these covers look so cool. I never want to see an ugly book cover again. 

Fall Boys Penelope Douglas - Date Unknown

I can't tell you how excited I have been to read this series. This one doesn't have a cover or an exact date of release yet, but it is supposedly coming out this year. Fingers crossed. This is the spinoff series of the Fall Away series from Penelope Douglas. This follows the second generation. I can't wait.

Celestial Olivia Wildenstein - January 5th, 2021

So technically this one is already out, but I don't have it yet. I ordered it and it should be here any time now. This is the sequel of her book Feather. I loved Feather and I got really excited when I found out there would be a sequel following a new couple. You could probably read this as a stand-alone if you so pleased.  

A Court of Silver Flames Sarah J Maas - February 16th, 2021

This was sort of a no brainer for me. I've been waiting for this book for literal years. I believe this book is supposed to be following Cassian and Nesta, Feyre's sister. We previously saw the tension between them in the previous parts of this series and I can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans they get into. 

Chain of Iron Cassandra Clare - March 2nd, 2021

This was another no brainer. I am so excited to continue on in this series. Hoping that things will start to work out between the two leads. I just want good things to happen to all of the characters. Except a select few. The anticipation for this one is bubbling.

Bridge of Souls Victoria Schwab - March 2nd, 2021

This series is just so much fun. Maybe it isn't quite as heart-pounding and dramatic as others on this list, but it is a really good pallet cleanser. It has good vibes, interesting characters, fun settings. This is the book version of soul food. I really hope Victoria Schwab makes this series annoyingly long. I will keep buying them.

She Drives Me Crazy Kelly Quindlen - April 20th, 2021

This sounds like such a cute enemies to lovers LGBTQ+ high school romance. It sounds so good. I don't read a lot of contemporary anymore because I do feel like it gets pretty repetitive. This one, however, has some new and interesting aspects and I have already preordered it. 

Witches Steeped in Gold Ciannon Smart April 20th, 2021

They had me at Witches. I didn't even read what it was about before I preordered. I'm kidding. I did almost immediately preorder it though. You know how I am with Witches. Witch books are like catnip to me. Also, this book is about Jamaican-inspired witches. I've never read about Jamaican witches before so I feel like this is going to be incredibly interesting. 

The Crown of Gilded Bones Jennifer L. Armentrout - April 20th, 2021

This series just grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go. I need a conclusion. Especially after the cliffhanger, we were left with in that last book. I can't say too much without spoilers, but holy shit. Anyway April can't come soon enough.

You Will Get Through This Night Daniel Howell - May 18th, 2021

I'm not usually one to buy youtuber books, but I had to make an exception. In this book, Dan Howell is talking about his own experiences with depression and how he got through it and he had the help of a therapist when writing this. I just feel like it's going to be really good. 

Daughter of Sparta Claire Andrews - June 8th, 2021

I love a retelling. This one is supposedly a retelling of Daphne and Apollo. It sounds in 2012 terms "hella epic". Also, a bitch loves Greek mythology.

Any Way the Wind Blows Rainbow Rowell - July 6th, 2021

Another series that is coming to an end. The Carry On trilogy seems to be pretty divisive. Either people love it or hate it. I personally love it. I felt like that last book made me really love some of the characters more and I just want to read more about them. This series is just so fun and magical and I can't wait to read this conclusion.

Under the Whispering Door T. J. Klune - September 21st, 2021

A book about death with T. J. Klune's signature wit. That's all I want out of 2021. However, I have to wait till September so I guess these other books will have to tide me over until then. 

Untitled Crescent City Novel Sarah J. Maas - November 2nd, 2021

I just really need to know if Bryce is finally going to ditch Hunt. I just don't really like him and I think she can do better. Also, things got really interesting at the climax of the last book and I really hope that carries over into this one. 

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks Mackenzi Lee - November 16th, 2021

 I haven't actually finished the second book in this series. but I'm working on it. This is the book following Monty and Felicity's younger brother. We don't really know much about him from the first two books because he is so young during them. He's sort of this blank slate that we get to find out about in this new book. All we really know is he's the youngest and will be the heir to the Montague fortune. I have some high hopes for him. 

What books are you guys looking forward to in 2021? I would love to hear about them!

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Top 10 Favourite Books of 2020 + Giveaway

I know I pretty much stopped posting again, but I promise that won't last long. I just fried my brain from writing so many final papers for school, and the idea of blogging sounded mind-numbing to me. That's why I didn't make any of my other Top 10 posts for the end of the year. I'm going to post this and then I'm going to take a break for maybe another week or two and then I will hopefully want to start posting again. So this is going to be the list of my favourite books of the year! As always there will be a giveaway so don't worry! Also, I know last year I had my least favourite books included but I just didn't read enough books that I disliked to make a top 10 list. 

1. Chain of Gold

I loved this book so much. I know I say this every time, but you can see so much improvement with every book Cassandra Clare writes. I've never seen an author who has managed to up her game so much with each book she writes. Honestly, you can't even know how surprised I was when this didn't win the Goodreads Choice award. I was the embodiment of the surprised Pikachu face. 

2. From Blood and Ashes

This was a complete surprise. You guys know I've loved Jennifer L. Armentrout's books a lot in the past. The first review I ever posted on my blog was for Obsidian. I've just felt in the past few years I had been outgrowing her books a little bit. But then. From Blood and Ashes came in and changed my mind. This book was New Adult and I felt so much joy when reading this one. Or rather listening. I listened to the audiobook for this one and it was so good. I finished it in maybe two days of non-stop listening.

3. Hunting Prince Dracula

I loved everything about this book from the setting to the vibes to the mystery. I also reading Escaping from Houdini this year, but I definitely liked this one better. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I want to live in a possibly haunted castle in Romania in the middle of winter. That sounds exactly like my vibe. 

4. Nightfall

The finale to one of my favourite NA romance series' of all time. It was long as fuck but it didn't even feel that long. We had so many characters and so many different secrets and stories that it worked. There was never a part where I wished it was shorter or that I got bored reading. Everything was so intentional and it built to this crescendo. It was amazing and I would gladly wait for it all over again. 

5. A Discovery of Witches

They had me at Witches. You guys know. You know. I am who I am and I doubt I'll change. Mention witches and I'm there. I understand why they decided to make this book into a show. Not that I'm for sure going to watch the show. I mean I probably won't. There is so much going on, a lot of it we still don't understand. It's a pretty long book, but we've barely scratched the surface. It's got such a fascinating world and I can't wait to read the other books. 

6. Tunnel of Bones

This is currently the only middle-grade series I am actively invested in. Much like a lot of the previous books, this series just matches my vibe. I love what this series is doing. This series is about a, I think 12, a year-old girl travelling the world with her parents as they check out the most haunted cities for their ghost hunting show. Little do they know she can see and talk to ghosts. This series is just so much fun and every time I read a new book I find so much joy in the little adventures she has.

7. Brothersong

I still love Wolfsong the best out of all the books in this series, but this book is still one of my favourites of the year. We finally got to see a full circle moment where all the dramas from the past books were finally resolved even if they made me cry. I mean, it's not like it's very hard to make me cry. This was a very good final chapter to the story though.

8. Praying for Rain

I'm sort of including the whole trilogy in this one. This trilogy could have been one long book. I'm not really a dystopian kind of girl anymore, but this post-apocalyptic NA romance was just an A+. It had everything: The apocalypse, a sketchy but attractive love interest, the main character that has issues but is still very lovable. It was just a really enjoyable series. My mind is a little fuzzy on some of the details since I read this one at the very beginning of the year, but I still remember that I really enjoyed it. 

9. Crescent City

I was debating whether or not to put this on the list. There were a lot of things I loved about this book but also a lot of things I didn't love *cough cough* Hunt. I loved the main character and her relationships with her friends. Her friends made this book a 5 star. I was really close to giving it 4 stars because honestly, this book was heavy and sad and I really don't like Hunt. Who was unfortunately in this book a lot. However, the good won out over the bad and I would feel guilty not including this one because it did really impact me. Despite the things I didn't like I would still say this was one of my favourites. I just hope things get better in the next book.

10. Beyond the Sea

This was a last-minute favourite. I originally had another book in this spot, but after reading this one I had to include it. If you want a good gothic romance this is it. I love a good gothic, I especially love a good gothic romance. This book takes place in a seaside town in Ireland. There's a creepy house and a lot of mystery. So good. It's so good. I listened to the audiobook and I had a great time. Have I mentioned I love Irish accents? If you would like to listen to a nice Irish lady read this book to you I would highly suggest listening to the audiobook. 

Now onto the part that everyone is probably the most excited for: The Giveaway!

Rules:

• The giveaway is international as long as The Book Depository ships to you
• You have to be following my blog
• You have to be 18 or have parental permission
• There will be two winners who will receive their choice of one of the books off my favourites list or a book that is in the same series as one of the books.
• This giveaway will run from January 5th, 2021 to February 5th, 2021.

Enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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