Category: Reading

Life Lately #18

Life Lately #18

So considering this is my February ‘Life Lately’ post, I’ve left it pretty late. Mostly because time has really been getting away with me and it only just occurred to me that it’s the middle of March already, and I haven’t done this post! Not that I have a huge amount to report over February, other than the English weather getting pretty crazy. By that I mean a mix of weather ranging from snow, to the usual torrential rain and even the odd sunny day mixed in there. I’m hoping the days will start being consistently brighter soon, seen as… Read more »

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Mini Reviews: ‘The Cruel Prince’ and ‘One Dark Throne’

Mini Reviews: ‘The Cruel Prince’ and ‘One Dark Throne’

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake were both books I was super excited to read. There has been a huge buzz around The Cruel Prince in the blogosphere lately, whilst One Dark Throne is, of course, the follow-up to Three Dark Crowns, which I absolutely loved. Thankfully, I really enjoyed both of these books, although perhaps due to the immense hype and my own high expectations I didn’t love either of them quite as much as I’d hoped? Check out my reviews to find out more! The Cruel Prince by Holly Black  ‘What could I become if I stopped worrying about death, about… Read more »

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15 Incredible YA Quotes

15 Incredible YA Quotes

It really annoys me when people belittle the YA genre, and imply that it’s only for teens and is somehow ‘lesser’ than other kinds of fiction… For one thing, no one should be telling anyone what they should or shouldn’t be reading, and for another, they’re totally wrong. Yes, YA is primarily written for the young adult audience, but personally I think anyone can read and enjoy a YA novel, and take a lot from it. YA is in no way ‘lighter’ or ‘fluffier’ than other kinds of fiction, in fact often you can guarantee a certain level of depths… Read more »

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What makes a good plot twist?

What makes a good plot twist?

For me, a plot twist can really make or break a story: if it’s skilfully done, it can leave you reeling, and questioning everything that came before, but if not…well it can leave you feeling cheated and annoyed. But what separates the amazing ‘oh my god, how did I not see that coming?!’ twists from the ones that just fall flat? Well here’s a few of my thoughts on what makes a good plot twist: It mustn’t be predictable… The key to a great plot twist is that it shouldn’t be predictable. I mean, that’s the whole point of a twist,… Read more »

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My Hatred of Hardbacks

My Hatred of Hardbacks

Ok, so I feel like I might be a bit weird in this respect, but I’m going to come right out and say it: I really dislike hardback books. Yes, they look nice on your shelf and are much sturdier than paperbacks, but there are a number of reasons for my hatred of hardbacks: They’re so unwieldy. Hardback books are bigger and much more unwieldy than paperback books in my opinion, and are just much harder to read. You can’t open them as wide or as flat as a paperback, so I can personally never find a comfortable way to… Read more »

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Mini Reviews: ‘The Doll House’ and ‘The Housekeeper’

Mini Reviews: ‘The Doll House’ and ‘The Housekeeper’

I really have been on a roll with the thrillers lately! I didn’t enjoy The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan or The Housekeeper by Suellen Dainty as much as I enjoyed The Girlfriend and The Couple Next Door, but they were still great reads. Find out more below! The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan ‘This time the recognition is faster, the image pops straight into my head. It is small and blue, exactly as I remembered. A little door, broken off from its hinges, the edges of it sharp and splintered.’ Corinne is still reeling from the death of her father a year ago, and her three failed attempts… Read more »

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5 Genres I’d Like To Read More Often

5 Genres I’d Like To Read More Often

I think as bookworms we all have at least a couple of genres that we mostly stick in, and the big one for me is fantasy. There’s just something about kings and queens, and dragons, and magic, and sword-fights that I just can’t get enough of, and this has pretty much been the case since childhood when I became obsessed with The Lord of the Rings. I also have a pretty strong penchant for historical fiction (must be all those kings and queens and sword-fights again!) and YA (mostly fantasy YA, to be honest!), and for the most part, I seem… Read more »

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What makes a good villain?

What makes a good villain?

As surprising as it might seem, villains have just as big a role in a story as the hero. Yes, we may spend much more time with the hero, but essentially there is no story without the villain there to oppose the hero’s every move. But what makes a good villain? What is it that enthrals us so much, and makes us love to hate them? And what makes them fall flat and not seem like much of a threat? Well here are a few of my ideas about what makes a good villain! Essentials: Good villains have clear motives… Read more »

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Mini Reviews: ‘The Couple Next Door’ and ‘The Girlfriend’

Mini Reviews: ‘The Couple Next Door’ and ‘The Girlfriend’

I’ve been on a real thriller kick at the moment, and two of the best I’ve read have been The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena and The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances. The Couple Next Door was a fast-paced story full of dramatic twists and turns, whilst The Girlfriend was more of a slow-burning, yet captivating read, but both were absolutely brilliant in their own ways. Read on for my reviews! The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena ‘Everyone is faking it, all of them pretending to be something they’re not. The whole world is built on lies and deceit.’ When Anne and Marco Conti’s babysitter cancels on… Read more »

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My Best Reads of 2017

My Best Reads of 2017

It seems like just yesterday I was writing my ‘Best of 2016’ post and bemoaning what had globally been a terrible year, and here we are again! 2017 is rapidly drawing to a close, and whilst I wouldn’t say it’s been a great year worldwide (Donald Trump is still president, Brexit is still in progress and there has been a horrible spate of terrorist attacks and disasters), it’s been a reasonable year for me personally. Nothing groundbreaking happened, but nothing too terrible either. And as for reading: well 2017 has been a fantastic year! This has been the first year… Read more »

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