A Magical World Of Words

ANNIHILATION - by Jeff VanderMeer
Published: February 2018 (Movie Tie-In)
Pages: 208.
Genres: Science fiction / adult / horror / thriller
Triggers/Content Advisory: Scenes of horror
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Jonathan Ball SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third expedition in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition. The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biol…

CITY OF BONES - Cassandra Clare
Published: 2017 - Margaret K. McElderry Books (10th anniversary edition)
Pages: 512.
Genres: Urban fantasy / young adult / paranormal
Triggers/Content Advisory: Fantasy violence.
Format: Hardcover 10th anniversary edition.
Source: Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

The tenth anniversary of Cassandra Clare’s phenomenal City of Bones demands a luxe new edition. The pride of any fan’s collection, City of Bones now has new cover art, gilded edges, over thirty interior illustrations, and six new full-page color portraits of everyone’s favorite characters! This beautifully crafted collector’s item also includes four bonus stories that have previously only appeared in limited distribution, and—best of all—a new piece written by Cassandra Clare. A perfect gift for the Shadowhunter fan in your life. This is the book where Clary Fray first discovered the Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of warriors dedicated t…

THE WREN HUNT - by Mary Watson
Published: 2018 - Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genres: Young adult / romance / thriller / mythology / fantasy
Pages: 432.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Violence
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Jonathan Ball SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Every Christmas, Wren is chased through the woods near her isolated village by her family's enemies—the Judges—and there’s nothing that she can do to stop it. Once her people, the Augurs, controlled a powerful magic. But now that power lies with the Judges, who are set on destroying her kind for good. In a desperate bid to save her family, Wren takes a dangerous undercover assignment—as an intern to an influential Judge named Cassa Harkness. Cassa has spent her life researching a transformative spell, which could bring the war between the factions to its absolute end. Caught in a web of deceit, Wren must decide whether or not to gamble on the spell and seal the Augurs’ fate.

Wow. W…

Our goal is to raise awareness and draw attention to romanticised abuse in films, books, etc, in order to fight it
- Join us! Start posting whenever you want.
- Share examples of romanticised abuse you've seen in books or films - doesn't even have to be a whole book or film; simply one scene is enough, if there's an instance of romanticised abuse in it. - Please link to my blog as the original creator. - This is not only about romanticised abusive relationships. It is about romanticised sexual assault, rape, and harassment, as well. - Please consider the following statement a trigger warning: this blog series explores and draws attention to themes of abuse in fiction. I will discuss sexual assault, abusive relationships, and rape. I will infrequently explore those topics in depth as the fictional example requires it. Please read on with care. These subjects could be triggering.



Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller is a Young Adult pirate fantasy novel that I've …

OVER RAGING TIDES (Lady Pirates #1) - Jennifer Ellision
Published: March 2018
Pages: N.A.
Genres: Pirates / fantasy / young adult
Triggers/Content Advisory: N.A.
Format: eBook.
Source: Netgalley.

The pirate crew of the Lady Luck lives by many rules, but chief among them is this: they do not allow men on board. That’s a rule that quartermaster Grace Porter is willing to break when a shipwrecked young nobleman offers her information of an omniscient map, stolen from his warship by an enemy vessel. Until now, the map was only the stuff of legend… but with its help, Grace may finally be able to hunt down the Mordgris, the sea monsters who stole her mother away from her. Unfortunately, some members of her crew have other plans... To find the map and face the Mordgris, Grace will have to confront her past, put the Luck between warring nations, and uncover treachery aboard the ship. And ultimately, her revenge and the destruction of the Mordgris will come at a hefty price: the betrayal of her …

I'm on holiday! Only for a little while, but still. I am so happy. I'm dying to spend time working hardcore on my writing and getting to sleep in a lot ;) I'm so looking forward to it. 

Posts of the Week
I reviewed Fawkes by Nadine Brandes, and found it so disappointing

I shared what I'm currently writing in my second WIP Diaries post.

I did two mini book reviews for Scarborough Fair and Don't Trust Me.

I give you 5 reasons to read the amazing KEEPER by Kim Chance.

I shared some incredible writing resources for all writers to check out!

I reviewed Blade Runner 2049. The film left me with mixed feelings.


Currently Reading
I'm still reading and enjoying The Wren Hunt, I'm so bored with Rather Me, and I've just started An Enchantment of Ravens (which is free on Rivetedlit.com till April 1st! So go read it!)








For Review
I got these two eBooks on Netgalley... (I've already finished reading them ;)









Around the Blogosphere
Lauren reviews Orphan Monster Spy

Genn…

BLADE RUNNER 2049 - 2017
Director: Denis Villeneuve.
Cast: Ryan Gosling / Harrison Ford / Jared Leto / Robin Wright
Score: Hans Zimmer / Benjamin Wallfisch
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Content Advisory: R for very grisly images, language, sexuality, and nudity.
Source: Rented.

A young blade runner's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.




I didn't watch the first Blade Runner movie, but after all the Oscar nominations and buzz this film earned, I had to see it.


The best thing - by far - about this movie, is its production. The visuals are breathtaking. The cinematography is pure art. The scenography is impeccable. The sound editing is excellent. All in all, this film is a feast for the eyes, and a work of art to behold. It's gorgeous.

But the writing isn't so hot. The dialogue is good, yes, and the frequent absence of dialogue is effective, but the plot drags. I was confused, and I …

Today I'm sharing a number of indispensable writing resources for all writers out there! I did do a post similar to this one when I first started blogging, but it's now seriously outdated, so I thought an updated version would be more appropriate and relevant :)

Enjoy!



Caitlin @ Quills and Coffee - Caitlin is an amazing friend and writer, and her website is packed with invaluable tips on writing, querying, and more. She's always so willing to share what she knows, and she is such an inspiration.
Twitter / Facebook


Lara - I only recently discovered Lara but wow am I glad I did. Apart from having an absolutely gorgeous website, her free templates and worksheets covering all aspects of writing are so useful, and she's always so willing to encourage, inspire, and motivate aspiring authors.
Twitter / Instagram


K.M. Weiland @ Helping Writers Become Authors - K. M is the queen of writing info. Her website delves into all kinds of writing topics, and I found her articles about p…

Morning all! Today I'm gushing about a debut YA urban fantasy novel that came out in January and deserves all the love in the world. Not only is it a wonderful book, but the author is a amazing woman who inspires me so much.

SO. Without further ado, here are five reasons why you should read Keeper...



KEEPER by Kim Chance

/

Goodreads   /     Amazon    /    Barnes and Noble


My Review

1: Urban Fantasy at its best
You know how there are some urban fantasies that give you everything you want in an urban fantasy? Swoony romance, humour, lots of adrenaline pumping action, and an atmospheric setting? A world you can just lose yourself in? A magical story that simple sweeps you away?  This book has all of that. You'll race through it, but you never want it to end. You'll get all warm and fuzzy inside, then the next minute you'll be aching for the characters and their pain. You'll lose yourself in an incredible new world. 
It's escapism at its best and its urban fantasy a …

SCARBOROUGH FAIR - Margarita Morris
Published: March 2016 - Margarita Morris
Pages: N.A.
Genres: Young adult / romance / historical fiction / thriller
Triggers/Content Advisory: Mild violence / one scene of self-harm /
Format: eBook.
Source: Netgalley.

1899: Seeking sanctuary in the seaside resort of Scarborough, Alice discovers she is not safe from her fiancé’s jealous clutches. She jumps at the chance to run away with a man she truly loves, but when a plot to help Alice escape goes dreadfully wrong, she finds herself in terrible danger. 2016: Forced to spend the summer in Scarborough with her mother and grandmother, Rose doesn’t think her holiday is going to be much fun. Especially when she’s almost killed by a Ferrari driver on the first day. Things start to look up when she meets Dan and he asks her to go to the fair with him. But Dan’s father is mixed up with a criminal gang and Rose and Dan find themselves drawn into a life and death situation. For both Alice and Rose, the fun of Sca…

(I'm experimenting with image headers, so there might be a different one every week ;)

This is another post in my new blog series, where I share my writing updates, plans, and works in progress! Today I'm sharing some info about my current WIP.


Title: I'm going with Jackie for now, but that will definitely not be the final title.

Genre: Young adult / historical fiction / fantasy / action adventure

Status: Writing the first draft.





I'm only on Act 2 of this novel, and progress is slow. There are good days and bad days, obviously, but all in all I'm enjoying the story. I love my heroine, and I love my secondary characters even more. The themes of friendship and family are strong, the characters' secrets are destructive, and I'm so enjoying writing the action scenes.
Check out my Pinterest board above to see how I envision the characters and their story!

To give you a quick taste of the plot: My heroine and her three friends undertake a treacherous journey across …