A Magical World Of Words

Thank you to Genni for tagging me for this book tag. It's been a long time since I did one, and this looked great, so I thought why not!


Rules:

- Link back to Zuky HERE so she can read your posts!

- You can use your own graphics (like I have) or copy Zuky's. If you use mine, please credit me.

- Tag however many people you want!



Your Favourite Book

I have so many favourites! But I do love The Good Daughter <3 It's extremely underrated, and yet a real masterpiece. 



A Badass Female Character

Nina from Six of Crows is a badass all the way. So is Inej, but in a different way. Nina's got sass, spunk, and she doesn't take things lying down. She's unashamedly herself and is always prepared to fight for her friends.




Your Favourite Nonfiction Book

I read Jackie After Jack a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It's so incredibly compelling and interesting.



A Book You Adore And Recommend Everyone Read

I feel like I'm constantly recommending Letters to the Lost. I…

Today I'm sharing 5 reasons why you should read this stunning siren-pirate love story ASAP! I read it a few months ago and absolutely fell in love. Get your copy now.


Another mention about the South African Bargain Books Warehouse Sale coming up! If you weren't already planning to go, let me tell you right now that you do not want to miss it. There's going be a ton of books at amazing prices and it'll be a bookworm's heaven. A chance like this doesn't come along often. If you live in Cape Town, get down to the warehouse from the 17th to the 20th of December. You won't regret it.




TO KILL A KINGDOM by Alexandra Christo

Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depositiory

My Review

1: Squad goals
Guys, you know how much I OBSESS over amazing platonic friendships. This book serves them right up.

Lira has a terrific female friendship with her cousin Kahlia, Elian and Kye's bromance is epic, and Elian's friendships with all of his crew - Kye, Torik, and the absolutel…

A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY (#1) - Brigid Kemmerer
Published: January 2019 - Bloomsbury.
Genres: Young adult / fantasy / romance
Pages: 495.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Violence / mild sexual innuendoes.
Format: Paperback.
Source: ARC gift from the author.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets…

Sorry for being MIA the last couple of days. Some stuff's been going on, and blogging was the last thing on the mind. But because I'm usually rather pessimistic in these blog posts (sorry guys), I won't bore you with the deets.

Now.

The good news!

1: My Mac is fully "better" and I am back at the blogging and the writing and all that stuffz. Yay! I'm excited.

2: Have I mentioned I love Netflix? At the moment I'm back at Gilmore Girls (season 5). When I'm feeling down, it always helps to cheer me up :)

3: GUYS. I went for my first job interview. I survived. But ultimately decided it wasn't for me. However, I do have other places in mind that I want to apply to. So...a job is on the horizon!


Blog Posts
Book Review: SPINNING SILVER - by Naomi Novik
Book Review: ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS - by Clare Askew
For the Love of Gothic Literature
Book Review: THE SHIP OF THE DEAD - by Rick Riordan
Book Review: A SIMPLE FAVOUR - by Darcey Bell
Book Review: THE TEMP - by…

CATWOMAN: SOULSTEALER (DC Icons #3) - Sarah J. Maas
Published: August 2018 - Random House Books.
Genres: Young adult / contemporary / science fiction / retellings
Pages: 384.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Violence.
Format: eBook.
Source: Borrowed.
When the Bat's away, the Cat will play.
It's time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking. Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing's undoing.


This was a squad read with two awesome ladies, Di and Uma. Keep an eye out for…

Today I'm sharing 5 reasons why you should read the lovely Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith! Get yourself a copy ASAP because it's a romantic contemporary you can't afford to miss.


I also want to mention something that's for those of you who live in Cape Town (South Africa). From the 17th to the 20th of December, Bargain Books is hosting something amazing. Literally, amazing. For those 4 days you can visit two whole warehouses full of books marked down to ridiculously reasonable prices.
If you live in Cape Town, DO NOT MISS OUT. And hey, if you live elsewhere in the world and wanna fly down for this event, I'm not gonna dissuade you ;) It will be epic! Find out more HERE.





WINDFALL by Jennifer E. Smith

Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

My Review

1: Humour
I think humour works best when it stems directly from characters' personalities and interactions, not from ridiculous situations and lines forced onto them. Thankfully, Windfall follows the latter.

The humou…

I won't be posting Weekly Wrap-Ups anymore, so every now and then I'm going to do a Life Update post instead. Today, in the theme of Thanksgiving, I'm going to share some of the things I'm thankful for.

Besides that, though, I'be had a good weekend. I'm so tired and while school's going well, my sleeping schedule is all over the place. Saturday means I can sleep late, lol.
I'm also hoping to get early nights starting from next week, and then I should feel better during the day.

In other news, I've been re-watching TVD (loving it so so much) and I haven't been reading as much as I should be. Feeling guilty about that :( But I'm in a slump, I guess?

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Happy weekend!


Family & Friends
I am so grateful I have family and friends who love me, support me, teach me, and accept me. I would be lost without them. To often I take them for granted, and I need to remember how lucky I am.

Blogging Community
Even when I…

THE ENCHANTED SONATA - Heather Dixon Wallwork.
Published: October 2018 - The Wallworkshop.
Genres: Young adult / fantasy / romance / retelling
Pages: N.A.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Mild violence.
Format: ARC eBook.
Source: Netgalley.


Clara Stahlbaum has her future perfectly planned: to marry the handsome pianist, Johann Kahler (ah!) and settle down to a life full of music. But all that changes on Christmas Eve, when Clara receives a mysterious and magical nutcracker. Whisked away to his world—an enchanted empire of beautiful palaces, fickle fairies, enormous rats, and a prince—Clara must face a magician who uses music as spells…and the future she thought she wanted.

This novel had me at TheNutcracker and Pied Piper retelling. Literally screamed my name till I requested it. It looked wonderful.


The writing is a mix of good and bad. Of the good, the descriptions are gorgeous and the humour is on point. Of the bad, there's a lot of telling and many lines and phrases don't make sense…

THE TEMP - Michelle Frances
Published: November 2018 - Pan Macmillan.
Genres: Adult / thriller / contemporary
Pages: 464.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Mild violence / mild bad language / sexual innuendos.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wanted: Assistant to provide maternity cover for high-powered TV producer. Must be bright, creative, with killer instincts. 

Emma would do anything to work for the woman who has the job she wants. Carrie is at the top of her game, with a dream career, a baby on the way, and a handsome screenwriter husband. For Emma, with parents who don't understand her ambition and a serious misstep behind her, this temp position might be her last chance.
Carrie has given up more than anyone knows to get to the top of a ruthless business. She won't give up this baby too. But with Emma filling in for her at the office, her perfect life starts to unravel. Her bank account is inexp…

A SIMPLE FAVOUR - Darcey Bell.
Published: September 2018 - Pan Macmillan.
Genres: Adult / contemporary / thriller
Pages: 371.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Infrequent bad language / infrequent, explicit sex scenes.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
She’s your best friend. She knows all your secrets. That’s why she’s so dangerous.

It starts with a simple favour—an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another. When glamorous Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her son after school, Stephanie happily says yes. Emily has a life that would make any woman jealous. She is the perfect mother with a dazzling career working for a famous fashion designer in Manhattan. Stephanie, a widow with a son in kindergarten, lonely in their Connecticut suburb, turns to her daily blog for connection and validation. Stephanie imagines Emily to be her new confidante and is shocked when Emily suddenly disappears without a trace, leav…

THE SHIP OF THE DEAD (Magnus Chase #3) - Rick Riordan
Published: October 2017 - Disney Hyperion.
Genres: Young adult / mythology / fantasy
Pages: 410.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Fantasy violence.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Penguin Random House SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

My name is Magnus Chase. These days, I'm one of Odin's immortal warriors, but that doesn't stop people trying to kill me all the time. Loki the trickster god is free from his chains. He's put together a crew of giants and zombies to sail Naglfar, the Ship of the Dead, in a battle against the Norse gods. If he succeeds, the final battle of Ragnarok will extinguish all the worlds. With help from Percy Jackson and my cousin Annabeth, and with friends by my side, I have to sail across the oceans to reach Naglfar before Midsummer's Day. The only problems are the angry sea gods, hostile giants and evil fire-breathing dragon in the way. But even if we su…

Who loves Gothic romance? Years ago I went through a stage of absolutely obsessing over the genre. (I blame The Phantom of the Opera). I read every classic Gothic novel I could get my hands on (literally) and had a dozen Gothic romance ideas for my own books. While I'm not quite as passionate about the topic as I was then, I still love Gothic novels and themes. They're so rich and fascinating.


Today I want to give a shout-out to an amazing post that highlights the main elements of Gothic literature. The ingredients for writing your own Gothic novel, I suppose. Emma has written an excellent post and I can't wait for you guys to check it. Read it HERE.

Below is also an infographic she made. How great is this?! Just looking at it makes me grin like crazy - I love this topic so much.







Are you a fan of Gothic romance? Did you enjoy Emma's post?