Series Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

This is my second time reviewing Lauren Oliver on this blog, and the reason would be that I genuinely love her writing. I loved Panic (to a certain extent) and I loved Before I Fall. But until last week I hadn't read probably her most popular series, Delirium. 

The Delirium series is set in a world where love is a disease. And to be immune to the disease, you have to get cured. The story follows Lena whose mother caught the disease when she was a child, and it's how she navigates her way through this dystopian world. 

Here's what I thought. 

Delirium 

95 days to go until Lena gets cured, but obviously things don't go to plan, or else we wouldn't have a book. 

This book is a four out of five, I liked this one quite a lot. At first, I wasn't too sure about Lena, I thought she was a bit too distant for us to become connected to her, but I was quickly proved wrong by how much she really grew throughout this book, she was unique and likable by the end. 

The world for this book was so interesting too, it was very different from any other dystopian book I had read. It was overall a really good read that made me excited for continuing the series. 

Pandemonium 

This book for me was conflicting, in some ways it was such a step up from book one. It gave us more development, more action and more drama. The ending literally left me speechless and I couldn't make any cohesive thoughts for a few minutes other than OH MY GOD. I really loved some aspects about this book, but there were also sections where this book fell flat. 

I felt that although the ending was incredible, there was something missing, the book was building and building for something that didn't arrive and it left me feeling a bit disappointed. 

I really liked Lena's character development and the introduction of Julian in this book. He was actually a character that I loved. 

Four out of five stars. 

Requiem 

It's always the last book in a trilogy that disappoints me. 

I felt cheated by this book. I was so into it until the last 20% and then it just died. It faltered and I couldn't get back into it. The whole thing with her mum in this book kind of messed me up because I wanted more. I feel like we were promised more from the beginning books in this series than this book gave us. 

I liked some parts about it, I liked getting to know Hana. I liked the little touches on relationship throughout this book but by the end of it I was just so cheated and disappointed that I found the ending anti-climatic and too vague for my liking. 

Three out of five stars. 

Overall Review: 

I wanted to love this so badly. 

But with hyped books, you always have to be careful and with this series I just gave it my heart for it to not live up to my expectations and the last book kind of just ruined it all. 

Overall series review: 3.5 stars. 

QOTD: Have you read this series, did you like it? If not, can you imagine a world without love? 

Links: 

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Review: Blackheath

Title: Blackheath
Series: N/A, Stand alone as of now
Author: Gabriella Lepore
Pages: 284
Publication Date: 20th January 2015
Publisher: Oftomes Publishing
Overall Rating: 5 stars

Evan…Joel…Ainsley…Pippin…

You can’t live in Blackheath and not know about the Tomlin boys. The boys with an absent mother, a creepy old house and mysterious powers. The whole town knows that they’re witches.

And Maggie has been plagued by bad luck lately.

When a psychic tells her she has been cursed, she decides to go right to the source…Joel. It makes sense, right? He’s a witch and the two have had their fair share of run-ins in the past. But when Joel begins to help her, breaking all of his coven rules to do so, he finds that this curse is more than they could have imagined. This curse means that there’s another witch in town…

Another witch who wants to claim Maggie as his own, and claim the Chosen One’s power. Unlucky for this other witch, Joel isn’t about to let Maggie or his brother be taken without a fight.

But to interfere with another witch’s spell might mean war…

I really loved this book!

I’m a massive fan of Gabriella Lepore, I’ve read just around half of her books and I’m yet to be disappointed. Blackheath was no exception to that! Not only was the plot fast paced enough to be able to read in one sitting, it was very eloquently written and it flowed incredibly well.

My favourite thing about Lepore’s writing is her ability to create characters that you care about. When I started reading this book, I was drawn to Joel immediately. His surly attitude and his thoughts made me really want to mother him. I love characters that have really strong emotions, and Joel definitely had some strong emotions.

I even liked Maggie, although at first I was a bit weary of her, but she had a lot of depth and I loved how she and Joel’s relationship flourished throughout this book. I love relationship development, I liked the humour and how it was based off a dislike at the beginning and how it developed into something so powerful and poignant.

Although I loved the things I’ve mentioned above, my favourite thing about this book was the emphasis on family. I feel that sometimes it takes a witch book to truly show the power of family as it’s something that can be overseen in YA. I loved Evan and Joel’s relationship, and I loved the little flashback of Joel finding Pippin, I really would read a whole book just about the brothers.

I’m so happy with this little surprise book release and I can’t wait to read more from Gabriella in the future! P.S. Major shout out to the cover designer for this book and keeping with the theme of long beautiful dresses and haunting buildings, I love it! 

(I also hope these characters come back at some stage because I’m incredibly selfish and love Joel far too much.)

QOTD: What are your favourite witchy read?

Links: 

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New Year, New Me? Probably Not, but also Book Anticipation.

People that know me know that I am not an advocate for change. 

I don't like change, but this is going to be the year that I embrace all things new, improved and maybe old too. 

This is the post where I talk about 2016;

• Expect to see me a lot more in 2016, I'm currently organising a timetable and putting posts in schedule, so expect to see me from two to three times a week.
• I will also be talking about some non bookish related things on this blog e.g. Makeup, Music, stuff like that!
• I will also be trying to actually review a lot more books this year, so expect more ARCs and other reviews!

I also joined the Oftomes street team, if you don't know what Oftomes is, it is a micro-publishing company set up by youtuber, Benjaminoftomes. 

And tomorrow, they're re-releasing Rising by Jennifer Wilson with a new cover! 

    Photo cred to @oftomes instagram

The story follows Phoenix, who witnessed her parents murder at a young age. She has spent her life since then obeying her mother's last words -Stay Strong and Survive. But to survive outside of the Sanctuary is close to impossible, a harsh city ruled by the motto, "Join or Die." 

Who can she trust?

I am personally very excited for this re-release and I'm pumped to get into this dystopian series! 

As always, talk to me below, and let me know your New Year's Resolutions! 

Links: 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20748319-connie

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Star Wars Book Tag!

So I wasn't actually tagged by anyone but in case you all didn't know, I love Star Wars. And when I was crawling around Booktube, I found a video from Elizabeth Paige with her Star Wars Book Tag, the video is found here: x

I didn't come up with this tag, I'm just sharing my answers with you all, go and check out her video for yourselves!

1) R2-D2: A book that made you laugh out loud. 

A book I'm going to pick for this question has to be Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, Rose is just such a funny character and it's hard not to laugh along with her witty comments and thoughts, even in the most serious of times. 

2) Padme Amidala: A kick ass female character. 

I'm going to be fairly obvious with my choice for this question and I'm going to say Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, she is your typical kick ass main female lead. She's smart, she's brave and she doesn't rely on a love interest to get her through the trials that she most obviously faces. I mean, at 11 years old, she basically faces death and doesn't even blink!

3) Leia Organa: Best or Worst Love Triangle 

For this one I'm going to do both. 

Worst:  Aspen, America and Maxon in The Selection by Kiera Cass just because I hated Aspen. He was quite possibly the most frustrating love interest ever, he was more whiny than the female lead, which is rare in YA. 

Best: I'm going to say Jem, Will and Tessa in The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare, both Jem and Will must be protected at all costs. 

4) Luke Skywalker: A rising star/new author that you love. 

For this one, I'm going to say Derek E. Sullivan, who is the author of a book called Biggie. I received a copy of that book from Netgalley last year and I absolutely loved it, the storyline was interesting, the writing was incredibly fluid, I loved it in general. I don't think he has any other books out at the moment. 

5) Anakin Skywalker: A book series that started good but ended bad. 

Can I just say that I love Anakin. 

For this, I'm going to give a similar answer to Elizabeth Paige and say, The House of Night series by PC and Kristen Cast. I hate this book series now, I'm on book 10 and I'm trying to find the strength to carry on with it. Book one, Marked, was incredible, it's still one of my favourite but of course it has to be awful now. 

It's so bad. I'm gonna say worse than Anakin.

6) Qui Gon Jinn: Worst character death. 

I'm going to say Dobby because you know, Dobby. 

But also Augustus Waters (The Fault in Our Stars,) Prim (The Hunger Games,) and also Finnick. 

7) Han Solo: A book with a lot of sass. 

I'm going to say The Rain by Virginia Bergin, I think that Ruby is a pretty sassy character who holds her own pretty well and although she annoyed me in places, I think her funny personality in the face of adversity gives me a lot of joy.

8) Emperor Palpatine: Best World Building.

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin is without a doubt one of the best worlds that I have ever read. The world of that series is so complex and intricate that it's almost possible to imagine yourself being there...Except I wouldn't want to be. 

Also, The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, who can beat Narnia? Very few people to be honest!

9) Obi Wan/Ben Kenobi: A book you went into with low expectations that blew you away. 

The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu, I didn't expect much, I never do for hyped books as often they're hyped for all the wrong reasons. But I was completely shot out of the water by this book series. I loved it!

10) Yoda: A book that taught you something/made you grow.

Ooooo here comes a choice that isn't YA or fiction, how different. 

I'm going to say Life With A Sprinkle of Glitter by Louise Pentland. And no, before you ask, I'm not a 14 year old who is obsessed with Youtube, I'm an 18 year old who is obsessed with Youtube. But this book, although not exactly a guidance book, did change my outlook on certain situations. I try and be a bit more positive, as I'm naturally quite pessimistic, and there's no way to read this and not feel optimistic. 

It's hard to describe, but definitely this book. 

11) Darth Vader: Your favourite villain. 

I have a lot of favourite villains. I'm sometimes more attached to the villains than I am the main character...for this I'm going to say Sebastian from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I really loved this villain, I still do. He was just so lovable and I think I liked him more than I liked Clary...Is that a controversial opinion? 

So, yeah! That was my Star Wars Book Tag, I tag anyone that reads this and thinks "Hey I like Star Wars and Books!" 

As always, let me know what your thoughts are and if you do the tag, send me the link!

Links: 

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Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy Friday!

Even if you don't celebrate anything at this time of year, I want to wish you all a happy and joy-filled day, no matter what you're up too. 

I'm currently snuggled up in my new minion pjs watching children's films and thinking about books! Below I've included some of my favourite gifts and I thought I'd explain them a little! 

 

• The Legend Trilogy: The Legend Trilogy is one of my all time favourites, but I only owned a physical copy of the first one and in an unfortunate accident, i.e. me being clumsy, it got ruined by water. My parents bought me the whole trilogy!
• Nail Polish: I know I know, nail polish is such a common gift you're probably wondering why I included it, but I love make up, it's something I love owning and I love how it feels but I never get the chance to paint my nails because I work in a restaurant. These sparkly ones came with a note saying: "Wear me in uni, no restuarant work there. -Santa" I thought it was just a cute little thing my parents included. 
• Kylo Ren and BB-8: My best friend bought me these and it's because of one simple reason I love star wars. So much. 
• Scratch Map-Travel Edition: A secret Santa bought me this and I just thought it was so thoughtful, as a Geography student, I love maps and I love the planning my next adventure...
• Perfume: This perfume is heavenly

I also got clothes and little presents, but I just thought I'd share some of my favourites. My family don't tend to buy me books as you can probably see by my previous post, I have far too many!

I'm just feeling so blessed and lucky to be surrounded by love today and I hope you're having a good day, much love! 

(Excuse how cheesy I'm feeling today too.) 

QOTD: What is your obsessions outside of reading? 

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Book Shelf Makeover...Sort of...

Okay, I'll admit it. I've been very bad with organising my room lately. Ever since I moved out for University, coming home, I've just been using what I need and leaving it lying wherever I am at that time...

And unfortunately, that included my books as well.

With the new year coming up-I decided that it is time for a change. For a new year, a new me was needed...Well, at least me with a better organised bookshelf. 

N.B. Keep in mind that it isn't perfect/finished, but this is just to show my progress so far!

Before: 

As I said, I'd gotten into a bad habit of just leaving my books at my backside essentially. 

My desk, covered in books. 

Boxes filled with books.

Shame in a picture.

Even more shame in a picture. 

After:

To start the process, I moved my desk to the other side of my room, and put my two bookshelves in the corner together. 

Keep in mind my bookshelves touch the floor, so there are a lot more books than you can see in this photo. 

To each set of shelves, I added little personal nik-naks. On this one I have a teddy bear I got the day I was born, a plushie of Nyanko-Sensei from Natsume's Book of Friends, a TARDIS and a Harry Potter Box Set. 

This shelf has a Frozen mug I was given for my birthday (and the remains of a Lush Massage Bar,) fairy lights, a panda teddy, a large dalek and my personal favourite, my Jurassic Park boxset.

The side of the shelf is where I decided to stick my pass from the Fault in Our Stars movie screening, concert tickets and an All Time Low poster. 

So that's it for this little update!

As it was book related I thought I would share it with you all!

QOTD: How do you organise your  books? 

Links:

Goodreads: sunstormsandthunderclouds

Twitter: @conniedalt

Instagram: @conniedalt

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ARC Review: You Were Here

An ARC Review or a read to review book is one that was sent to me in exchange for an honest review, either from the author or publisher, but this in no way alters my review or thoughts on the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire. 

Title: You Were Here

Series: N/A, Standalone

Author: Cori McCarthy

Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Fire

Publication Date: 1st March 2016

Pages: 400

My Rating: 4 stars

Jaycee wants to do what her older brother Jake couldn't do.

She wants to achieve the things he didn't by carrying on his daredevil legacy. 

On the anniversary of his death, herself and four equally messed up classmates break into an asylum, which was his favourite hiding place. And she discovers a map explaining all the dares and adventures he wanted to have before his untimely death. 

Jaycee vows to complete them all.

Even if it kills her too. 

She treats it as a way to get close to him, to feel his spirit with her as she goes through these dares with the help of the friends that she has pushed away over the years. Maybe just maybe, these dares will help her live...just as they helped Jake die.

I have mixed feelings about this book. 

Right, now hear me out. I loved it on one hand. Stories about dead siblings for some reason seem to appeal to me. I like the gritty recovery and the grief process. I love hearing about how people find their solace in what is ultimately, a terrible situation. 

So you would think I would be over the moon about this book. 

But I'm not. 

I liked it enough to give it four stars, and usually that means I'm borderline obsessed with it. But there just wasn't enough about the book for me to give it any lower. 

• The writing: Brilliant
• The plot: Brilliant
• The format: Brilliant

I loved the use of different mediums, first person, third person, graphic novel, graffiti. I loved it all. 

But the reason I didn't like this book to the moon and back? The characters. 

I hated them!

All of them!

Even Jaycee. She was reckless and idiotic. She planned to do the same thing that got her brother killed just because she missed him? Her parent's had already lost a child! She was still alive! Natalie was just self centred and really annoying in some places. Bishop, I hated the least. Mik, or Ryan, or whatever his name was, was simply just annoying. I didn't like him at all in the end. Zach was also pretty dumb. 

So good book, bad characters. 

QOTD: Do you like books about siblings who have died? (I've read a few and my favourite is probably The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.)

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