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Showing posts from May, 2018

TO KILL A KINGDOM - by Alexandra Christo

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TO KILL A KINGDOM - Alexandra Christo
Published: March 2018 - Fiewel and Friends.
Genres: Young adult / romance / fantasy / retelling
Pages: 342.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Fantasy violence.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Jonathan Ball Publishers for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever. The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more th…
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The WIP Diaries: Dark thriller trilogy...

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This is another post in my WIP Diaries blog series where I talk about my writing and what I'm currently working on. Check out the previous posts here:

- MONSTROUS: a short story
- What I'm currently writing...
- THE WOODS Saga
- MORGANA series
- The CONTORTION trilogy
- JACKIE Aesthetics


Title: Not sure yet, but the series will be a trilogy.

Status: Brainstorming.

Genre: Thriller / contemporary







I went through a stage of rigorously working on these characters, but then other WIPs took over and I haven't thought much about it since. I do know that it'll revolve around two damaged detectives who work together to solve crimes in a small English town, while simultaneously battling their own demons, and it's a kind of Sherlock Holmes retelling that goes way darker. I love my characters though (even if I haven't decided on first names for them yet...... - Ellis, who's a battling alcoholic and lives with her single sister and niece, and Chase, new in town and running…
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THE ASTONISHING COLOUR OF AFTER - Emily X. R. Pan

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THE ASTONISHING COLOUR OF AFTER - Emily X. R. Pan.
Published: March - Orion Children's Books.
Genres: Young adult / romance / contemporary / magical realism
Pages: 480.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Strong themes of suicide and mental illness.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Leigh Chen Sanders is sixteen when her mother dies by suicide, leaving only a scribbled note: 'I want you to remember'. Leigh doesn't know what it means, but when a red bird appears with a message, she finds herself travelling to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. Leigh is far away from home and far away from Axel, her best friend, who she stupidly kissed on the night her mother died - leaving her with a swell of guilt that she wasn't home, and a heavy heart, thinking she may have destroyed the one good thing left in her life. Overwhelmed by grief and the burden of fulfilling her mothe…
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Weekly What's Up - school, rain, cold

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This week actually felt like winter. Cold, blankets, freezing to death, lots of rain.....HEAVEN. I adored every second and I hope it'll keep up.
I've been watching The Vampire Diaries on Netflix! Finally! I've just started season 2. The main reason I'm watching is because I want to address the problematic content in some blog posts, but I have to admit it's an entertaining show ;) I'm kinda addicted now. I hate Damon, hate Elena, but Stefan's okay and Bonnie and Caroline are amazing. I'm enjoying it.

Posts of the Week
I reviewed Bring Me Back, which was an extremely underwhelming thriller.

I talked about Rhysand's abuse of Feyre in ACOTAR.

I reviewed Batman Nightwalkerby Marie Lu. It was a buddy read with my squad <3

I reviewed Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.

I talked about Hollywood's remaking of male led film with women, and whether it's such a good idea.

I reviewed Children of Blood and Bone on Goodreads.

I reviewed Rebel of the Sands and …
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Female Film Reboots: Yay or Nay?

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Female remakes are a huge thing right now. Hollywood is literally churning them out. It's all to give women better roles, but is it the way to go? Do we need a Jane Bond when they could write an original female badass spy?

Leave a comment and let's discuss!


Examples
There's Ocean's 8. Admittedly, the characters are new characters, but let's face it - it's heavily. heavily inspired by the male-led series, and the name's a dead giveaway. Debbie Ocean is also Danny Ocean's sister. There's not much originality there.

There's James Bond. It doesn't been done yet, but there has been a lot of talk about making James a Jane.

There's Lord of the Flies. Just rumours and conjecture, but it's been mentioned.

There's Indiana Jones. Still just talk, but talk all the same. (FYI: I think Lara Croft already covers the female Indy. Just btw).

There's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. A female remake is being made starring Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway…
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SHATTER ME (Shatter Me #1) - by Tahereh Mafi

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SHATTER ME (SHATTER ME #1) - Tahereh Mafi
Published: 2012 - HarperCollins.
Genres: Young adult / romance / science fiction
Pages: 338.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Violence.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Penguin Random House SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a…
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BATMAN: NIGHTWALKER - by Marie Lu

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BATMAN: NIGHTWALKER - Marie Lu
Published: January 2018 - Penguin Random House.
Genres: Young adult / contemporary / retelling
Pages: 272.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Mild violence.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Thank you so much to Penguin Random House SA for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy. The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list. One by one, the city's elites are being executed as their mansions' security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family's fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he's forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city's most brutal criminals. …
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Romanticised Abuse: Rhysand and Feyre in ACOTAR

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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.



First off, I just want to clarify that this discussion is about Feyre and Rhys in A Court of Thorns a…
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BRING ME BACK - by B. A. Paris

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BRING ME BACK - B. A Paris
Published: June2018 - HQ
Genres: Adult / thriller / contemporary / mystery
Pages: 384.
Triggers/Content Advisory: Violence
Format: eBook.
Source: Netgalley.

A young British couple are driving through France on holiday when they stop for gas. He runs in to pay, she stays in the car. When he returns her car door has been left open, but she's not inside. No one ever sees her again. Ten years later he's engaged to be married; he's happy, and his past is only a tiny part his life now. Until he comes home from work and finds his new wife-to-be is sitting on their sofa. She's turning something over in her fingers, holding it up to the light. Something that would have no worth to anyone else, something only he and she would know about because his wife is the sister of his missing first love. As more and more questions are raised, their marriage becomes strained. Has his first love somehow come back to him after all this time? Or is the person who took h…
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Weekly What's Up - sick, school, sleep

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The royal wedding. Let's talk about it. I absolutely loved it, thought it was amazing, and Meghan looked incredible. Also, couple goals <3 I melted a few times.  AND AMAL CLOONEY'S OUTFIT. Gosh. She was my fave - she looked sensational. Also, the Queen, Kate, Meghan's mother, Serena Williams......BEAUTIFUL.  
Apart from an amazing Saturday, it was hasn't been a great week for me. I've only scraped by with school because I was sick, and spent half of Friday in bed with a headache that made it impossible for me to get up. I hate flu because it's not just the nose you get - it's the aches, the headaches, the sensitive eyes, the temperature. And I slept so much.  But I'm already getting better :)    

Posts of the Week
I took part in the blog tour for My Sweet Friend.

I shared some aesthetics from my WIP...

I reviewed Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian.

Currently Reading
I didn't actually realise I was reading this many books until I collected their cover…
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ASH PRINCESS (Ash Princess #1) - by Laura Sebastian

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ASH PRINCESS - Laura Sebastian
Published: April 2018 - Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young adult / romance / epic fantasy
Pages: 432.
Triggers/Content Advisory: One traumatic whipping scene / mild sexual innuendos / mild violence
Format: Paperback ARC.
Source: Gift from Pan Macmillan.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner. For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside. Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weap…
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The WIP Diaries: JACKIE Aesthetics......

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This is another post in my WIP Diaries blog series where I talk about my writing and what I'm currently working on. Check out the previous posts here:

- MONSTROUS: a short story
- What I'm currently writing...
- THE WOODS Saga
- MORGANA series
- The CONTORTION trilogy


Today I'm sharing some character aesthetics! The peeps below are secondary characters in my WIP - Jackie - but since I haven't finished my heroine's one yet, she's missing from the group. I'm hoping to shows hers in a few weeks :)

In the meantime, here are the supporting cast: 

Cali (heroine's close friend and Tikee's sister) 



Liam (heroine's friend and love interest) 



Minh (heroine's best friend) 



Tikee (heroine's friend and Cali's brother) 





Are you writing anything at the moment? What's your WIP about? Do you like creating aesthetics? 
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Blog Tour and Intl Giveaway: MY SWEET FRIEND - by H.A. Leuschel

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Today I'm sharing an excerpt and international giveaway for this beautiful book! Read on to find out about the story...





A stand-alone novella from the author of Manipulated Lives...
A perfect friend ... or a perfect impostor? Alexa is an energetic and charismatic professional and the new member of a Parisian PR company where she quickly befriends her colleagues Rosie and Jack. She brings a much-needed breath of fresh air into the office and ambitiously throws herself into her new job and friendships. But is Alexa all she claims to be? As her life intertwines with Rosie and Jack's, they must all decide what separates truth from fiction. Will the stories that unfold unite or divide them? Can first impressions ever be trusted? In this original novella, H.A. Leuschel evokes the powerful hold of appearances and what a person is prepared to do to keep up the facade. If you like thought-provoking and compelling reads with intriguing characters, My Sweet Friend is for you.


Good…
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