Down Among the Sticks and Bones - by Seanan McGuire

Title: Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #2
Published: 13 June 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.
This is the story of what happened first…
Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.
Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.
They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.
They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.

I listened to this as an audiobook. It was read by the author which I found a nice little touch. I'm loving these covers though!

This book is a prequel and follows Jack and Jill from the previous book, showing that their home life wasn't all rainbows and daisies. Their parents essentially wanted the "perfect family".

These two sisters manage to stick together throughout their childhood and their slight sibling rivalry. The book also shows why children should be able to choose who they are for themselves and what they do and don't like. This book shows you that there's a million ways to be a girl, but none of them are wrong.

Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world.

Having to earn a vampire's name is an idea I hadn't thought about before too.

I like that Dr Bleak lets Jack try and work out the bath for herself. She's never had to do that before but she wants to learn new things. He gives her all the tools to do what's needed, but lets her work out how - better than her real parents were.

Finding out about Mary was definitely a bit of a shock.

Time keeps moving through the door too which is interesting. I would have thought that if you go through the door at twelve years old, then you'd go back to your original world still being twelve. But that's not how it works. Jack and Jill managed to go from twelve to seventeen - having to go through periods, hormones, friendships or lack of them, and relationships, all while in The Moors.

A single revelation does not change a life. It is a start.

Spoilers!

I don't think Jack's sexuality is stated for sure, but Jack having a relationship with another girl didn't feel like it was forced on the character or like it was an afterthought to the story as it flowed well.

End Spoilers!

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All books in this series:

    1 | Every Heart a Doorway
    2 | Down Among the Sticks and Bones
    3 | Beneath the Sugar Sky
    4 | In an Absent Dream

4.5 | Juice Like Wounds
    5 | Come Tumbling Down

    6 | Across the Green Grass Fields

    7 | Where the Drowned Girls Go

What If It's Us - by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Title: What If It's Us

Author: Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Published: 9 Oct 2018

Series: -

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis:

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.
Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?
What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?
But what if it is?

What if we haven’t seen the best us yet?

I received this book as an ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Arthur James Seuss: a 5’6” Jewish kid with ADHD and the rage of a tornado. Ben Hugo Alejo: a freckle faced Catholic Puerto Rican. The book centres around both of these boys but you manage to love the secondary characters just as much as the main ones.

Dylan: On the sad scale, how are you feeling today? Opening-montage-of-Up sad? Or Nemo’s-om-dying-sad?
Ben: …last-five-minutes-of-Toy-Story-3 sad.

There are also many references in the book too. Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lyft, Avenue Q, Titanic, The Fault in Our Stars and a few more.

Dylan acts how most best friends would (and how mine definitely does) – asking about how their friend’s date went. “Who is he? Name. Address. Social security number. Twitter and Instagram handles.”

I loved this book and there were so many themes that should be shared around so that the entire human race finally hears them and hopefully finally absorbs them!

1. Not everything is love at first sight
2. You can still be friends after you break up
3. Not being ready for sex is okay
4. Asking about things to do with sex is okay
5. LGBT+ should be able to come out when they’re ready and not be pressured into it
6. Everyone doubts themselves about something
7. Take people as they are! Not everyone from a certain race etc can speak the language or follows the religion etc.
8. Not kissing someone before you’re ready to is okay
9. Some people are able to jump into love and others have to take their time
10. Sometimes you just need time to love yourself before you can love someone else

I also love that Juliet is biromantic ace.

Plus I think the treasure hunt was probably my favourite part of the book. I’m a sucker for cute things like that.

Maybe it’s all about people coming into your life for a little while and you take what they give you and use it in your next friendship or relationship. And if you’re lucky, maybe some people pop back in after you thought they were gone for good.

Spoilers!

I did guess that Arthur was going to meet the actual Hudson, but the meeting was more amusing than I thought it was going to be.

Also, I very much wanted to scream at the man on the train that was being super rude and anti-gay. You can have your own opinions about sexuality etc, but there’s definitely no need to shout it at someone and make them feel terrible just because you have your own opinion of something. We are called individuals for a reason!

End Spoilers!

Every Heart A Doorway - by Seanan McGuire

Title: Every Heart A Doorway
Author: Seanan McGuire
Published: 5 April 2016
Series: Wayward Children #1
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis: 
Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.
No matter the cost. 

This world is unforgiving and cruel tho those it judges as even the slightest bit outside the norm.

I listened to this as an audiobook.

My favourite character in Every Heart A Doorway is definitely Sumi. I love how bubbly her personality and the alliteration is an interesting quality for her to have. Kade would probably be my second favourite character.

I absolutely love that asexuality and being transgender are present in the book - both with main characters. Another good thing is that the main character explains that being asexual and aromantic are two different things - which I think that some people in the real world should be told about.

I was a little confused at the start of the book as we don't see Nancy come back to her original world from her door, only that she turns up at Eleanor's home and the story is told from there.

Hope means you keep holding on to things that won't ever be so again, and so you bleed an inch at a time until there's nothing left.

No spoilers, but the characters that were killed did surprise me. One of the three did sort of  deserve it though - until it was explained where their door was. Then I felt bad for thinking that way.

Plus I loved that Jack and Jill were twin girls - their full names being Jacqueline and Jillian. Normally when we hear or think about the nursery rhyme, we think that it's one boy and one girl so it was nice to see that twist put in there.

I figured out who the killer was before it was revealed and I'm a little proud of that.

I'm a genius of infinite potential and highly limited patience. People shouldn't try me so.

Christopher's talent was quite cool, kind of like the pied piper from fairy tales. I also thought that Nancy and Christopher would be a cute couple together.

In the end, Nancy eventually goes back through her door, so we get to see pretty much her entire story.

Magic doorways to other worlds, murder, a little mystery, and belonging. I would definitely recommend this fun but dark little novella to everyone.

You're nobody's rainbow. You're nobody's princess. You're nobody's doorway but your own and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you.

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All books in this series:

    1 | Every Heart a Doorway
    2 | Down Among the Sticks and Bones
    3 | Beneath the Sugar Sky
    4 | In an Absent Dream

4.5 | Juice Like Wounds
    5 | Come Tumbling Down

    6 | Across the Green Grass Fields

    7 | Where the Drowned Girls Go

Twice Dead - by Caitlin Seal

Title: Twice Dead

Author: Caitlin Seal

Published: 18 Sep 2018

Series: The Necromancer's Song #1

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis:

Naya, the daughter of a sea merchant captain, nervously undertakes her first solo trading mission in the necromancer-friendly country bordering her homeland of Talmir. Unfortunately, she never even makes it to the meeting. She's struck down in the streets of Ceramor. Murdered.

But death is not the end for Naya. She awakens to realize she's become an abomination--a wraith, a ghostly creature bound by runes to the bones of her former corpse. She's been resurrected in order to become a spy for her country. Reluctantly, she assumes the face and persona of a servant girl named Blue. 
She never intended to become embroiled in political plots, kidnapping, and murder. Or to fall in love with the young man and former necromancer she is destined to betray.

I received this book as an ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I'll be the first to admit that yes, I did want to read this mainly because of the awesome name of the author (I may be biased on that point though) and the lovely cover. Then when I read the synopsis, I was definitely ready to read this one.

There were many sailing references to be found in this book, and you didn't have to be a sailor to understand them which was good.

I also liked that there were runes to bind a person's spirit to their body once they were dead. It's probably the first time that I've read where that needs to happen for a spirit to stay bound. Plus the carvings in wraith's bones was an interesting thing to read about.

One thing I didn't like was only a small thing, but for some reason in the things I see or read recently there seems to be a mad king for one reason or another so I felt kind of meh about that when I saw that come up.

Corten seemed pretty nice though and I think I probably liked him more than I liked Naya. Plus I loved that Lucia and Alejandra were together and made me like Lucia a little more than I already did - I don't know why that's the reasoning, but I know it helped.

The reason behind Naya being able to do things that other wraiths can't was an interesting twist and I liked that point quite a bit.

By the time the glass bird that Corten had made was brought up towards the end, I had pretty much forgotten about it - whoops!

Overall, I definitely loved the story though and I was very into it. There were time that I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. That cliffhanger has me stuck though and now I seriously want to find out what happens next!

Spoilers! 

My first thought when we find out that Lucia literally sings Naya back to not-quite-life, was that Naya was probably one of the undead - turns out she's actually a wraith.

The almost insta-love between Corten and Naya did annoy me a little though.

It would have been nice if I was interested in Corten just a little more as it probably would have made his death sad for me to read if it was.

End Spoilers!

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | Twice Dead
    2 | Trinity of Bones

The Siren - by Kiera Cass

Title: The Siren
Author: Kiera Cass
Published: 28 Jan 2016
Series: -
Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis: 
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Selection series comes this sweeping standalone fantasy romance. A girl with a secret. The boy of her dreams. An ocean between them.
Throughout the ages, the Ocean has occasionally rescued young women from drowning. To repay their debt, these young women must serve for 100 years as Sirens, remaining young and beautiful and using their deadly voices to lure strangers into watery graves. To keep their true nature secret, Sirens must never speak to humans, and must be careful never to stay in the same place for too long. But once her century of service is over, each Siren gets a chance to start over – a chance to live the mortal life that was almost stolen from her.
Kahlen became a Siren after her family died in a terrible shipwreck, decades ago. And though a single word from her can kill, she can’t resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live freely among them again.
Kahlen is resigned to finishing her sentence in solitude…until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and kind, Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. And though she can’t talk to him, they soon forge a connection neither of them can deny… and Kahlen doesn’t want to.
Falling in love with a human breaks all of the Ocean’s rules, and if the Ocean discovers Kahlen’s feelings, she’ll be forced to leave Akinli for good. But for the first time in a lifetime of following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart.

Kahlen: You provide the oven and utensils, and I'll bring all the ingredients?
Akinli: I will also bring my stomach, because cake > actual food

I liked the beginning section as we got to see her back story and how she meets the other girls in what is now going to be her new family.

Akinli was probably my favourite character as he was so sweet and caring. My second favourite was Aisling because she was somehow able to keep a secret from The Ocean for all her 100 years of service, plus she sounded like she would be a good friend.

The date that Kahlen and Akinli have together where they bake a cake in his dorm was quite cute and it sort of makes me want to have one too. But it's probably cuter in theory than in practice.

The dresses described in the book that The Ocean makes the girls sound beautiful. I definitely want one of those.

I liked the twist where both Akinli and Kahlen get sick and the reasons behind it though as I hadn't thought about that before.

It would have been nice to hear more about the siren world, but I did still like the book.

There's always room for love, even if it's as small as a crack in a door

The Paper Magician - by Charlie N. Holmberg

Title: The Paper Magician

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg

Published: 1 Sep 2014

Series: The Paper Magician #1

Rating: 2 stars

Synopsis:

Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic… forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined — animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
An Excisioner — a practitioner of dark, flesh magic — invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

The heart had the dark to balance out the light, the uncertainty to balance dreams.

The cover was what drew me in originally as it's a lovely cover. I liked the idea of the story and the beginning was quite good.Then I feel like it went downhill a little for me. Half the story was Ceony wandering around inside his heart and it felt like just a long backstory for Mg. Thane.

Ceony has recently graduated, and Mg. Thane feels like he should be in his 30s. So the bit of romance starting around halfway through wasn't for me. Plus after only being with him for about a week and thinking him really rude at the start, she shouldn't really say that she loves him, in my opinion.

The paper folding was nice and it was nice to see how a simple thing like paper could be turned into a skeleton butler or a paper dog or even to add magic to the front of the house to mask it. The magic was probably my favourite part about this book. It would have been nice to see what each of the different types were like a little more in depth though.

Also, the laundry and the cooking. I can understand cooking for Mg. Thane as it's a nice thing to do and it's easier cooking for two than for one, I think. However, I wouldn't be washing my boss/teacher's dirty laundry whether they asked me to or not.

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | The Paper Magician
    2 | The Glass Magician
    3 | The Master Magician

    4 | The Plastic Magician

2018 Reading Challenge - A to Z

Early this year, I saw a post online somewhere that people were trying to read a book for each letter of the alphabet this year. I decided that I wanted to try it too. I wasn't sure how I was going to go, but I think I've done quite well. If there's a book in the list that you'd like to see a review of but it hasn't been done yet, leave a comment and I'll review it.

The rules:

- The word "The" didn't count towards the letter T. For example, The Great Gatsby would be under G as Great Gatsby, The.

- At least one title per letter, not the author's name (although I may attempt that another year)

- You get one freebie to use as you wish. Only one though. Such as if you couldn't find a title beginning with Y that you wanted to read, you could use the freebie and use any book you wanted for that letter instead.

A

• A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) - by Claudia Gray
• Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) - by Beth Revis
• Angel Eyes (Angel Eyes #1) - by Shannon Dittemore
• And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street - by Dr. Seuss
• A Mother's Confession - by Kelly Rimmer
• Awakening, The (The Vampire Diaries #1) - by L.J. Smith
• Assassin's Blade, The (Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) - by Sarah J. Maas

B

• Before I Let You Go - by Kelly Rimmer
• Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners #3) - by Libba Bray
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) - by Holly Black
• Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3) - by Seanan McGuire

C

• Cleaning & Household Hacks - by Evelyn Craig
• Cat in the Hat, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Cat in the Hat Comes Back, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Celebrated Cases of Sherlock Holmes, The - by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Complete Sherlock Holmes, The (Sherlock Holmes #1-9), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) - by Sarah J. Maas
• Christmasaurus, The: The Musical Edition - by Tom Fletcher

D

• Diviners, The (The Diviners #1) - by Libba Bray
• Dream Thieves, The (The Raven Cycle #2) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Dr. Seuss' ABC - by Dr. Seuss
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) - by Seanan McGuire
• Dear Tiger: I Don't Think I'm Human Anymore (Letters Across Space #2) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Dear Tiger: Don't Look Back (Letters Across Space #3) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Dear Tiger: I Like Your Lab (Letters Across Space #4) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) - by Seanan McGuire [again]
• Don't You Cry - by Mary Kubica
• Dear Tiger: Let's Go A-Hunting (Letters Across Space #5) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Dear Tiger: Help Me Find My Sisters (Letters Across Space #6) - by Carlie Simonsen

E

• Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) - by Sarah J. Maas
• Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) - by Seanan McGuire
• Eve (Eve #1) - by Anna Carey
• Eve of Man (Eve of Man Trilogy #1) - by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
• Everything, Everything - by Nicola Yoon
• Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) - by Seanan McGuire [again]

F

• Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay - by J.K. Rowling
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Hogwarts Library) - by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)
• Foot Book, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Fawkes - by Nadine Brandes
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Hogwarts Library) - by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling) [again]

G

• Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, The (Guide #1) - by Mackenzie Lee
• Green Eggs and Ham - by Dr. Seuss
• Granny Finds a Gas Mask (Granny Finds Adventure #1) - by Carlie Simonsen

H

• Hunted - by Meagan Spooner
• Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) - by Ransom Riggs
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas - by Dr. Seuss
• Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) - by Sarah J. Maas

I

• Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! - by Dr. Seuss
• InterWorld (InterWorld #1) - by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
• I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1) - by Barry Lyga
• In Full Flight (Wings #3) - by Carlie Simonsen

J

• 
  

K

• 
  

L

• Last Academy, The - by Anne Applegate
• Lorax, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3) - by Ransom Riggs
• Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) - by Libba Bray
• LIFEL1K3 (Lifelike #1) - by Jay Kristoff
• Les Miserables - by Victor Hugo

M

• Marge in Charge - by Isla Fisher
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) - by Ransom Riggs
• Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? - by Dr. Seuss
• Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! - by Dr. Seuss

N

• Neverland - by Margot McGovern

O

• Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish - by Dr. Seuss
• Oh, The Places You'll Go! - by Dr. Seuss
• Oh Say Can You Say? - by Dr. Seuss
• Outliers, The (The Outliers #1) - by Kimberly McCreight
• On the Other Side - by Carrie Hope Fletcher

P

• Paper Magician, The (The Paper Magician #1) - by Charlie N. Holmberg

Q

• Queen Heir (NYC Mecca #1) - by Jaymin Eve & Leia Stone
• Quidditch Through the Ages (Hogwarts Library) - by Kennilworthy Whisp (J.K Rowling)

R

• Remains in the Pond, The - by Ann Swann
• Raven Boys, The (The Raven Cycle #1) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) - by Holy Black
• Ruby Red (Precious Stone Trilogy #1) - by Kerstin Gier
• Raven King, The (The Raven Cycle #4) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Rocky and the Raptors (Otherworld Adventures #6) - by Carlie Simonsen

S

• Siren, The - by Kiera Cass
• Something of Substance - by Tia Souders
• Splintered (Splintered #1) - by A.G. Howard

T

• This Night So Dark (Starbound #1.5) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• Threads We Weave, The (Starbound #0.5) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - by Sarah J. Maas
• Their Fractured Light (Starbound #3) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• Tales of Beedle the Bard, The (Hogwarts Library) - by J.K. Rowling
• Tiger Lily - by Jodi Lynn Anderson
• Talon (Talon #1) - by Julie Kagawa
• This Shattered World (Starbound #2) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• There's a Wocket in my Pocket! - by Dr. Seuss
• Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose - by Dr. Seuss
• Tattoo Thief, The - by Alison Belsham
• Twice Dead (The Necromancer's Song #1) - by Caitlin Seal
• Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things #1) - by Song Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton
• Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #2) - by Sarah J. Maas

U

• Unearthed (Unearthed #1) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

V

• Very Hungry Caterpillar, The - by Eric Carla

W

• White Cat (Curse Workers #1) - by Holly Black
• Whisper (Whisper #1) - by Lynette Noni
• What If It's Us - by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

X

• 
  

Y

• 
  

Z

• 
  

BOOKS COMPLETED: 21/26

The Dream Thieves - by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: 17 Sep 2013
Series: The Raven Cycle #2
Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis:
Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…




All of us have secrets in our lives. We’re keepers or kept from, players or played. Secrets and cockroaches — that’s what will be left at the end of it all.

I listened to this as an audiobook.

I sort of liked how Maggie put her own cars into it - the Mitsubishi Evo with the knife down the side and also the Camaro.

I haven't read a story before where a character can pull things out of their dreams and make them real and that seemed like a really cool idea. I like that we get to see more of Ronan in this book too.

"There aren't terrible ideas," the Gray Man said. "Just ideas done terribly."

Matthew is so precious and innocent and I want to wrap him in a blanket and cuddle him all day.

Chainsaw stacking random things on top of the cheese cracker she had - the sock, the bottle cap - so Ronan couldn't take it back as quite amusing to picture.

I never knew that Chainsaw was a dream object until they bluntly said it though, so that was a little annoying. But I'm not sure whether that's my fault for not realising or whether it just wasn't pointed out.

In the way of most families, he expressed his difference of opinion by raising a small army.

Originally, I didn't like Mr Gray, but then I starte to like him a little. But by the end I wasn't quite sure how I felt about him. Mainly because he changed his mind about Ronana too easily, and because of what happened at the end between him and his brother, I think.

It's unique that the ending music of the audiobook was done by Maggie Stiefvater, but I'm not sure how I feel about the music itself. I wouldn't have picked it for myself, but some parts of it weren't too bad. Other parts of it I just didn't want to listen to at all.

So many of the world's problems, he mused, were solved by sheer human decency.

__________________________________________________

All books in this series:

    1 | The Raven Boys

    2 | The Dream Thieves

    3 | Blue Lily, Lily Blue

    4 | The Raven King

Fawkes - by Nadine Brandes

Title: Fawkes

Author: Nadine Brandes

Published: 10 July 2018

Series: -

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis:

Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.
Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared, but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.
But what if death finds him first?
Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.
The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.
The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.
No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

Have you no honor to stand for your beliefs?

Standing for my beliefs isn't always the same as standing for truth.

I received this book as an ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

My favourite thing about this book is probably that Emma was a strong character who could look after herself and beat half the boys at their own game.

I really loved the idea of how the colour masks and Colour Test worked. The book is set in 1604, but doesn't have the 'ye olde english' feel to the words. Plus I adore this cover as it's so pretty.

There being a White Light as one of the colours was an interesting point to include in the book and how every colour apparently stemmed from it. I also loved its sass and how it sounded like a best friend would a couple of times. A couple of times I guessed that Guy Fawkes or Emma may have been White Light users too, but we do find out whether they actually are or not.

If someone, somewhere, somehow, can also make a Lady's Ball like how it was described in Fawkes then I will be very grateful as it sounded beautiful and definitely makes me want to go. Well, maybe make it without a few of the pieces we're told about.

I also cringed pretty hard at the end though when we find out how they attach the mask to the Gunpowder Plot plotter's faces. Plus the information we find out at the end of the book about the true story behind the book is pretty fascinating stuff too.

There has always been fear. There will always be fear. It's up to us to stand tall, even when the fear demands we bow to it.

Spoilers!

Norwood's death wasn't as sad as I sort of hoped it would be, but I still felt bad for Thomas.

I also guessed that Emma was black when my White Light idea didn't pan out, but it still surprised me.

Big question here though: How and why did Dee learn about and spread the Stone Plague?

But I loved that Thomas' mask was made from the same Stone Plague that had haunted him and been connected to him for years after he was freed from it.

End Spoilers!

The Raven Boys - by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: 18 Sep 2012
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis:
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

I listened to this as an audiobook.

I think that Ronan was possibly my favourite character. Seeing him stand up for Adam, wanting to help Noah (even though the way he planned to probably wasn't the right way), and the way that he cared for Chainsaw was lovely as he didn't care about much.

Noah was probably my second favourite. I don't think I could even tell you why, other than he's a softie who likes to pat Blue's hair floof and must be protected with love.

My hope is that in the next book that Ronan and Declan finally sort out whatever's between them and at least try and get along a little better.

I liked that the book was petty much about a self-made quest. It wasn't that they needed to do anything, it's that Gansey and the others wanted to do it. To find Glendover and prove that they've accomplished something.

Another thing that I liked about this book was the part about seeing someone on St. Mark's Eve if you weren't a seer. That you would either kill them or you were there true love. You never know which one it will be and my guess is that it would sort of plague you until you found out one way or another.

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All books in this series:

    1 | The Raven Boys

    2 | The Dream Thieves

    3 | Blue Lily, Lily Blue

    4 | The Raven King