The Wanderers - Kate Ormand

Those of you who read my post about YALC will know that I won an advanced reading copy of this book from Kate herself. Needless to say, I started to read it straight away.

Flo is a shape-shifter - she turns herself into a horse - and travels with a circus of shifters. Now that Flo is sixteen, it is time for her to start performing - but she doesn’t feel ready.

Her performance involves jumping through a flaming hoop, and it won’t be lit until the performance. Practicing obsessively one day in the woods, she finds someone watching her from the trees - and they probably saw her shift.

This mysterious figure was most likely a hunter, who kill shifters. Naturally, the circus erupts in panic. Her boyfriend, Jett - a bear - wants to take her somewhere safe. But the elders don’t agree.

Flo worries so much about the possibility of hunters coming for her, that she messes up her routine. This gives the hunters a chance to make their move, and now the whole circus is in danger...

This book was so well-written and fast-paced, I was nearly late for work finishing chapters and wanting to go straight on to the next one. It was so difficult to put down!

I got so attached to the characters and their stories - how they came to the circus, what happened to their parents - especially the romance between Flo and Jett, who were my favourite characters.

Everything was well-thought out and thoroughly explained, so I never found myself getting lost or confused. I’d never read a book about shape shifters either, so for me, it was a new, fresh read.

I love this book so much. It isn’t out until September 1st, but please pre-order it here and support Kate. It’s such a brilliant story that you cannot miss out on! ★★★★★

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Top Ten Tuesday - Characters That Are Fellow Book Nerds

It’s another Top Ten Tuesdays, and this week’s post is ten characters that are fellow book nerds. This was much harder than I thought it would be, but it was so much fun to do! 

1. Matilda Wormwood

This was an obvious choice, but I idolised Matilda as a child. Roald Dahl taught me that reading was the perfect escape from any situation, no matter how bad.

2. Hermione Grainger

This is another obvious one, but I was just like Hermione when I was at school. And thanks to J K Rowling, I could be proud of being nerdy.

3. Klaus Baudelaire

Fictional boyfriend goals! I do love boys who read, and Klaus read any book that was given to him. That's what happens when you grow up with your own library, I guess.

4. Hazel Grace Lancaster

Hazel only reads two books throughout the Fault in our Stars - but the fact that she obsessively reads An Imperial Afflictiom just screams book nerd to me!

5. Cather Avery

Even though Fangirl focuses on Cath's love of fanfiction, she loves a book enough to want to write more about it, which makes her a nerd in my book (pun intended).

6. Tyrion Lannister

He may not be a nerd, but he sees the importance of books in the pursuit of knowledge, which is good enough for me!

7. Liesel Meminger

A girl that risks her life to get books surely must count as a book nerd! And her desperation to read those books is so touching.

8. Isla Martin

Isla loves reading books, especially ones with a happy ending! Like Matilda, she's looking for that perfect escape from reality.

9. Alaska Young

Alaska collected books, and had stacks of them in her room that she accumulated from libraries and other places. Imagine her book hauls!

10. Charlie Kelmeckis

I always liked how Charlie read above and beyond what was expected of him at school, with the help of his English teacher. He discovered so many great books that way.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, let me know in the comments what you thought! :)

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Nick and Charlie - Alice Oseman

This is IN NO WAY biased, even though I think Alice Oseman is the BEST AUTHOR EVER, and that Solitaire is my FAVOURITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. :)

For those of you who haven’t read Solitaire, what are you doing? Buy it now! It follows Tori Spring as she takes her A-levels and deals with Solitaire - a secret organisation that is sabotaging her school. Solitaire was described as ‘The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age’ by The Times newspaper, and I couldn’t agree more. Tori hides behind her tumblr account, which actually exists! Those who grew up with tumblr, like I did, will absolutely love Tori.

But this novella isn’t about Tori. She’s mentioned briefly, which is lovely because she’s one of my favourite characters in literature and I’d missed her terribly, but the Charlie of ‘Nick and Charlie’ is Tori’s younger brother. 

Nick and Charlie have been going out for two years now. Nick is a year old than Charlie, and will be leaving soon to go to university. He is really excited, and that’s bumming Charlie out massively. Anyone who has gone through a similar situation, myself included, will relate to one or both of the boys as they struggle to keep their feelings to themselves.

This novella is available as an ebook on amazon, and at only 82 pages it’s a nice little read for over dinner or before bed. Sadly I had work, so I had to keep stopping - but it killed me to put the story down. It was so good, I loved both characters and I really hope Alice writes some more of Tori/Charlie/Nick...ANYTHING. I will read anything she writes.

You may notice I’m heavily fangirling in this blog post, but that’s because a few days ago I actually met Alice for the first time, and she was so amazing. I wish we could be best friends and go to Disneyland together, she’s THAT awesome.

And, I was also very lucky to win a piece of art that she made for the release of Nick and Charlie, and I’ll be showing you all either on Tumblr or Instagram when it arrives. Thank you so much Alice!

Nick and Charlie is amazing, so if you haven’t read Solitaire - read that, and then read Nick and Charlie. Because feels. ★★★★★

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My YALC highlights!

Last weekend, I went to the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) at London Film and Comic Con (LFCC). I would be here forever if I blogged absolutely everything, so I am going to just tell you my highlights of the weekend. This was really hard as I met so many lovely people that it was hard to choose who to include! All of the pictures are on my instagram if you’re interested.

I finally met Alice Oseman.

Many of you know will know that Alice is my favourite author. She was so lovely, and the panel she was on - YA: The Next Generation - was so interesting. I have my copy of Solitaire signed now, and this brilliant picture of the two of us - I’m going to have it printed and put on my bedroom wall.

I got my first ARC!

When I was scrolling through twitter on the beanbag chairs in the reading zone, I noticed that Kate Ormand was doing a giveaway of her upcoming book. The first person to ask her to join their circus would be given an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) of her book, The Wanderers. I looked up, and Kate Ormand was stood against a wall, so I sheepishly went up to her and forgot what I had to say because I was so shy! But I said it, and she was so lovely. I’m reading it now and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with all of you! 

Seeing Keris Stainton again

I absolutely adore Keris, I think she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I was so overwhelmed when she ran at me and hugged me on Saturday, because I knew then that our friendship was mutual. I am so lucky to know someone as amazing as her, and she kept checking on me over the weekend because I was rather ill (and still am, sadly).

Meeting Louise O’Neill

As soon as I found out Louise would be coming to YALC, I knew she was a priority to meet. I absolutely loved her book, Only Ever Yours, and now I have a signed copy to cherish forever. She was so nice, and she deserves all the love and recognition she is getting for her amazing book. I can’t wait to read Asking For It.

Meeting Carrie Hope Fletcher

I haven’t been a ‘Hopeful’ that long, but I was overjoyed to meet Carrie after not being able to go to her book signing in Birmingham. She signed my Elsa phone case, which has now been taken off my phone and is awaiting a replacement case. And she wanted to hold Pascal in the photo, which I think makes the picture even better.

Seeing Melinda Salisbury again

Mel is one of those people, that you don’t realise what you’ve been missing in your life until they’re standing right in front of you. She’s so witty, and such a wonderful role model (even if she is a Slytherin) - she gave me brilliant advice about my migraines and made me laugh out loud when she stood on a chair in the pub to make a point. I just love her millions.

Meeting Lauren James

I cannot wait for Lauren’s book, and she was such a sweetheart for sending me a signed bookmark for having already pre-ordered her book. After missing her a few times over the weekend, I finally got a chance to talk to her and have a picture, and she is so lovely. I hope we meet again in the future.

Seeing James Dawson again

I saw James on the Saturday, but didn’t get a chance to speak to him, so I queued to meet him on the Sunday. He was in an amazing cosplay, naked Dany from Game of Thrones, and he absolutely killed it. I love his humour, and being around him always makes me smile - we always have artistic photos together.

Seeing Non Pratt again

It’s always a pleasure seeing Non, this is our third meeting now and I was so overwhelmed when SHE recognised ME! We talked about how much I loved Remix, and she was shocked to learn my favourite band is Bon Jovi. Yep, I was born long after my time... But Non, you’re incredible and I can’t wait to see you again!

Seeing Alexia Casale again

I love Lexi, and it’s always so lovely to see her. It seems incredible to think I’ve only known her a year, and I get on with her better than people I’ve known my whole life. That’s how lovely Lexi is, she will be nice to anybody. And her costumes were amazing!

I narrowed it down to ten things or else we’d be here forever! Thank you to everyone who made it such an incredible weekend, it really took my mind off things and I was so happy to be in a community where I belonged!

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Lorali - Laura Dockrill

This took me so long to read, what with my new job and the events of YALC (which I am writing a blog post on, it is coming!!) but I absolutely loved it.

Lorali is a mermaid princess, who has been transformed into a human. She meets Rory, a ‘Walker’ to her people, on a beach in Hastings, and he takes her in. Their first encounter had me in stitches, and I loved Lorali’s innocence. The story is told alternatively from Lorali and Rory’s perspective.

Most authors would just tell the story from their perspectives wouldn’t they? Not Laura. I found it slightly confusing at first, but as I got into the book I realised what a brilliant idea it was.

A third perspective, the sea, sees all and fills in the blanks that Rory and Lorali’s stories cannot possibly tell you. For example, the sea tells us about Lorali’s family’s desperate search for her, both in the sea and on land. 

She also explains how mermaids came to be, which I found fascinating, especially Lorali and her family’s individual stories. Personally, I think the sea’s narrative made this book as good as it is. It reminded me of Death narrating The Book Thief, making sure the reader is as well-informed as possible.

This book has romance, action, humour, and PIRATES. What more could you want? Nothing? How about some...FEMINISM? Lorali’s mother is the Queen of the Whirl, and there has only ever been female leaders under the sea - but that doesn’t mean that men can’t rule.

Although my stunted reading schedule meant I didn’t get into it as quickly as I’d hoped, once I got to halfway through the book I was HOOKED - Laura has done such a good job with this book, and I hope many of you will pick up this brilliant book.

My copy of this book, is signed and battered from the love I gave it reading. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did - buy this book! ★★★★★

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Top Ten Tuesday! Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish and there is a new theme every week, this week’s being the last ten books I bought or borrowed. This was so fun to work out, but I couldn’t even write it until Sunday because I couldn’t stop buying books!

1. Spotlight on Sunny

I ordered this book on amazon and it arrived on Sunday. It means that, for the moment, my Keris Stainton collection is complete!

2. On The Fence

This was another amazon order which came on Saturday. I am falling so hard for Kasie’s writing and I’m so excited to read this one!

3. More Happy Than Not

This arrived with On The Fence and I can’t wait to read it - I’ve heard so many good things about it!

4. The Red Queen

After saying I hadn’t read this in last week’s Top Ten Tuesday, and I decided to buy this when I visited Walsall Waterstone’s.

5. The Accident Season

My mom got me this while I was at work, when she visited Solihull Waterston’s. It’s packed ready to take to YALC.

6. Happy Again

This is the novella that follows This Is What Happy Looks Like, and it’s a kindle ebook - I finished reading it yesterday and loved it!

7. Lorali

I’m reading this at the moment, which my mom had pre-ordered for me on amazon and came on it’s release date. I had been waiting months for it to come out!

8. The Potion Diaries

Netgalley sent me this as an ebook, but I also bought the paperback from amazon. I finished reading it on Saturday, and I reviewed it here.

9. The Lost and the Found

I bought this in Bristol Waterston’s on my way back from Cornwall. They had it in early and I just had to buy it!

10. Deep Water

I got this on holiday in Truro Waterstone’s, but it’s with my auntie Vicki at the moment as she took it to Lu’s launch to get it signed for me (thank you!).

So those are my top ten, and we’ve learned that I buy all my books from amazon and waterstone’s, and I like to visit different branches of the store whenever possible. Thank you for reading!

The Potion Diaries - Amy Alward

Netgalley sent me an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review - and I also bought a physical copy as soon as it came out.

Samantha Kemi comes from a well-known family of alchemists, but business has been slow ever since synthetic potions took over. If it wasn’t for a few loyal customers that didn’t trust synths, there would be no business at all.

When Princess Evelyn accidentally takes a love potion intended for her best friend, Zain, she inevitably falls in love with herself. She has to be locked away, and the kingdom’s alchemists are summoned on a Wilde Hunt to find the cure.

Zain and Sam are on different teams in the Hunt. Sam is on the side of traditional, natural potions, along with her Finder, Kirsty. Zain and his father own the biggest synthetic potion company in the kingdom, and don’t know a thing about traditional potion making.

So when Zain and Sam become friends, it raised a Romeo and Juliet vibe in my heart. I really liked both characters, even more so than the others. 

It’s a dual narrative, which worked really well, but I much preferred Sam’s side of the story to Evie’s. Seeing her falling in love with herself was funny, but Sam’s story was much more interesting and gripping. 

This was a really unusual book, and I loved reading it. Buy this book! ★★★★

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The Last Summer of Us - Maggie Harcourt

Now that we are into the summer, there are a lot of summer reads cropping up in my TBR piles - here is my first summery read of July! I’m sorry I haven’t been able to post this review sooner, but I’ve been really busy with my new job - it’s definitely affecting how quickly I read and that saddens me :(

A day after her mom’s funeral, Limpet goes on a road trip with her best friends, Steffan and Jared. The journey will change their lives, as secrets unfold and grief gets the better of them.

Although this book is set in Wales, there isn’t much mention or detail of destinations, which I would have liked to see. I could have pictured places and scenes better that way, since I used to visit Wales a lot.

The Mile Long Bookshelf - who I love - described this book as ‘a sparkling debut with one of the best slow-burning romances on the YA scene’ and I couldn’t agree more. The romance was subtle, never overshadowing the plot, and by the end I was rooting for the characters to be together.

This book is equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking, I only wish that the Welsh element had been played on a bit more. Buy this book! ★★★★

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Top Ten Tuesday! - Ten Hyped Books I’ve Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, and this is my first post! Although I blog about YA, I’ve decided to include some adult hyped books in here as they were the easiest to think of!

1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

This is probably the most hyped book(s) of the decade, but I always have and always will refuse to read it. It may be popular, but it’s not my type of book.

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I actually own this book, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet - and I also haven’t watched the film. I don’t know if I’m going to like it so I’m putting off reading it.

3. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I own this book as well, but I am more excited to read this one - preferably in time to read Go Set A Watchman.

4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I don’t read a lot of dystopian novels, so I’m not sure whether I would like this. If you’ve read it, please let me know what you thought of it.

5. The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

I tried to watch the television adaptation of this and didn’t enjoy it, so I don’t think I will be reading this.

6. Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding

I know I should have read this, or at least watched the film, but I’ve just never got around to doing either - but I’m sure I will! 

7. Holes by Louis Sachar

I’m pretty sure I watched the film as a child, but I can’t remember if I liked it so I’m not sure whether to read the book.

8. The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

This book has recently been made into a film, and I’ve seen a lot of people talking about Kody’s latest book. I just haven’t been drawn to read this yet.

9. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

Again, this is a series of books that hasn’t really appealed to me, even though I liked what I’ve read of The Mortal Instruments.

10. The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I’ve heard this is a book for Game of Thrones fans, so even though I haven’t read it yet, I will read it in the future!

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