Magical Readathon – Charms Extra Credit Wrap Up!

October 15, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

So for the Magical Readathon I was hoping to try and read five books and that will give me a five day head start next year. Alas that didn’t quite work out. I read three books from my TBR, started the fourth and then also finished a book that wasn’t on my TBR at all – so let’s take a look at the books I managed to read.

Challenge #4 – Rictusempra (a book that tickles you in the right way i.e an exciting trope/genre/theme)
For this I went for The Wicked Deep by Shea Earnshaw because I love stories about witches and I got this book for my birthday. I thought it would be totally up my street and I was absolutely right. It was full of surprises, it was so atmospheric and beautiful and I flew through it. I gave it 5/5 stars and a full review for this book will be coming really soon!

Challenge #2 – Accio (Read a book at the top of your TBR)
For this I read Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller. I read Daughter of the Pirate King earlier and the year and have been dying to pick this up. This was another birthday book so I was really excited to get to it. The second instalment was a lot darker, dealing with the horrible things Alosa’s father has done. I enjoyed it a lot, but not as much as the first book in the series, so I gave it 4/5 stars.

Challenge #5 – Lumos (Read a book with a light cover)
I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a while so I went with One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. This book is so twisty and turny, I really had no idea who was behind the murder and who was telling the truth. I also liked the romance aspect of the story, it was nice to have that additional layer to the story. I read this one really quickly and gave it 4/5 stars.

Challenge #1 – Alohamora (Read the first book in a series)
Now I had originally planned to read Mirage by Somaiya Daud, and I have started this and am really enjoying it, however I did end up starting and finishing Vicious by V. E. Schwab. This is the first in her Villains series with Vengeful having just come out. I was dying to read them both so who can blame me for picking up Vicious? I absolutely loved the complex morally gray characters and the dark plot of this story. Needless to say I gave it 5/5 stars and I can’t wait to read Vengeful.

So those are the books I managed to read for the magical readathon. I’m pretty pleased with my four out of five challenges complete and I really enjoyed all the books that I read. I’m still hoping to read the two other books I mentioned – Mirage and The Winter of the Witch – this month, so check back for my October wrap up and see if I manage it!

September Wrap Up!

October 7, 2018December 12, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 11 Comments

October is here! October is definitely my favourite reading month, I love reading a dark and spooky read with a cup of tea and a warm fuzzy blanket. I’m hoping to get through quite a few books in October but for September I managed to read twelve books and one short story. So without further rambling here are the books I read in September!

1. Ruin and Rising – Leigh Bardugo
I FINALLY READ IT. Even though I loved the first two books in the series and have read them more than once I had never read Ruin and Rising. I finally read it in September and it was amazing. I’ve grown so attached to these characters and I thought it was the perfect ending to the series. I’m so excited to continue on with reading Leigh Bardugo’s books because she does such an amazing job of creating these complex characters you can’t help but love. (5/5 stars)

2. Snapshot – Brandon Sanderson
This short little book is a science fiction story in which snapshots of an event are taken and police officers can enter the snapshot to find out exactly what happened and help to solve a case. The book does a lot in such a short amount of pages and the ending completely blew my mind. This is definitely a must read for Brandon Sanderson fans. (3/5 stars)

3. P.S. I Still Love You – Jenny Han
I picked up the next instalment of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series and I enjoyed this one just as much as the first. Sweet and cute, this is the perfect light and fun read. I raced through it and really liked the introduction of John. (4/5 stars)

4. Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
This is one of those well known books I’ve been meaning to read for a long time and honestly, I’m not really sure I got it. I didn’t like the writing style at all and I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Fight Club definitely wasn’t a book for me. (2/5 stars)

5. What If It’s Us – Becky Albertalli & Adam Silveria
THIS BOOK IS SO CUTE AND ADORABLE. I love Arthur and Ben so much. This story is so fun and enjoyable and I raced through it because I loved the characters so much. I did feel the plot was a little on the predictable side, but overall this is a gorgeous contemporary story that fans of these authors will absolutely adore. (4/5 stars)

6. Another Place – Matthew Crow
This was the first book I read for Contemporary-AThon and I really enjoyed it. The story is a mystery following the disappearance of a young girl and I enjoyed the twisty turny parts of the story. I won’t go into much detail because you can get more of my thoughts from my Contemporary-AThon wrap up here! (4/5 stars)

7. A Thousand Perfect Notes – C. G. Drews
This was another read for Contemporary-AThon. It was a really beautiful, emotional read and I’m so glad I picked it up after sitting on my shelves for a few months. It’s definitely stayed with me even after finishing it. (4/5 stars)

8. Easy Prey – Catherine Lo
I hadn’t expected to love this book as much as I did. This story follows three students blamed for releasing racy pictures of a teacher online and all three claim they are not responsible. The story jumps between time and character until the perpetrator is revealed and it was such a fantastic read. (5/5 stars)

9. Always and Forever Lara Jean – Jenny Han
I used the Contemporary-AThon to read the last book in this lovely series. It was bitter sweet and I enjoyed it so much. I’m definitely going to be picking up more Jenny Han books in the future. (4/5 stars)

10. The Gilded King – Josie Jaffrey
This fantasy novel blends so many different elements, from immortal vampires to a post apocalyptic world with zombies like beings. Told in alternating points of view it was such an intense, gripping read and I enjoyed it from start to finish. (4/5 stars)

11. The Sisters of the Winter Wood – Rena Rossner
This has got to be my favourite book that I read in September. The tale of two sisters who can shape shift – one into a swan and the other a bear – and what happens when they are left on their own while they parents visit a dying relative. It was dark, creepy and fairy tale like and I absolutely loved it. You can read my full review of this book here! (5/5 stars)
12. The Demon in the Wood – Leigh Bardugo
This is a very short story following the Darkling before the events of the Grisha trilogy. It was really fascinating to see another side to his character and learn more about his life with Baghra. My only complaint is that it was too short and I would love a whole novel about him and how he became the Darkling. (5/5 stars)

13. Slade House – David Mitchell
This is another book that has been on my shelves for ages. It follows a brother and sister who lure people into their house in order to use their souls to give them ever-lasting life. I listened to this on audiobook and while I enjoyed the story I think perhaps I might have enjoyed it more if I had read it rather than listened to it. (3/5 stars)

So that’s my wrap up for September! What did you read in September and have you read any of these? If you have let me know what you thought!

Contemporary-AThon Wrap Up!

September 28, 2018September 24, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 1 Comment

So last week I joined in with the Contemporary-AThon readathon. The goal was to read seven books in the seven days. I pretty much knew I wouldn’t manage all seven but I figured it would be fun to pick a TBR and give it a shot. I managed five and a bit books which I’m really pleased about, so here’s my readthon wrap up!

Challenge 1: Read a book with orange on the cover
For this challenge I read Another Place by Matthew Crow. This book was a really interesting blend of mystery and exploration of mental health. The story follows Claudette, a young teenager dealing with depression. On her release from a mental health facility she learns that her friend Sarah has disappeared. Desperate to know what happened to her Claudette delves into the seedier parts of town to discover the truth behind Sarah’s disappearance. This book was fast paced and intense and I really really enjoyed it. I ended up rating it 3.75 out of 5.
Total Pages: 288

Challenge 2: Read a book by a new to you author
For this I read A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews. This is definitely an emotional and hard hitting book. The story follows Beck, a young boy forced to play piano by his physically and emotionally abusive mother. He is incredibly unhappy, but when he’s paired with August to work on a school project, he glimpses the chance of something better. This book will definitely stay with me for a while and I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.
Total Pages: 570

Challenge 3: Read a book that is dark/spooky/taboo
For this I read Easy Prey by Catherine Lo which I absolutely loved. After a teachers nude pictures are leaked online, three students are deemed responsible. But each student swears they are not responsible, so who did it? I honestly couldn’t put this one down. It was such a twisty, turny read – jumping time and perspective. I gave this one 5 out of 5 stars and it was definitely my favourite read of the readathon.
Total Pages: 970

Challenge 4: Read a diverse book
I decided I would for once in my life complete a series and read the last book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. I really enjoyed Always and Forever Lara Jean, it was just as sweet and lovely as the other books and it really was a great end to the series. I’m definitely going to try and pick up more books from Jenny Han in the future. This one got a 4 out of 5 stars.
Total Pages: 1247

Challenge 5: Read a book in a non-traditional format
Now I had originally planned to read Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon on my Kindle but I didn’t get the chance to read it. Instead I decided to pick up a mystery graphic novel instead. The Woods Vol 1: The Arrow is a dark mystery story in which 437 students, 52 teachers and 24 additional staff all disappear without a trace. What happened to them and where are they now? This was dark and creepy and I loved it! It turned out to be less of a contemporary and more of a horror/science fiction but I’m still counting it because I read it for the readathon. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Total Pages: 1375

Challenge 6: Read a book with your initials on the cover
This is the challenge that I haven’t finished yet which is why I only completed five and a half challenges. For this challenge I picked The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente. The story follows a comic book artist who is framed for a murder at comic con. I found the story a little difficult to get into and I’m just over 100 pages in, so I’m hoping the rest of the book picks up.
Total Pages: 1475

Overall I’m pretty pleased with my ContemporaryAThon reading. If I hadn’t been at Bloody Scotland and doing some other bits and pieces I might have completed all the challenges but it was still really fun! Did you participate in the readathon? What books did you read? And if you’ve read any of these let me know what you thought!

The Bibliophile Chronicles

Tag: wrap up

Magical Readathon – Charms Extra Credit Wrap Up!

September Wrap Up!

Contemporary-AThon Wrap Up!