Saturday 28 February 2015

Game of Thrones Read-a-Long

Game of Thrones Read-a-Long

There is a Game Of Thrones Read-a-Long happening over on BookTube which involves the reading of book 1 in The Song of Fire and Ice Series. What's happening is that there is a period of a whole month (March 1st - March 31st) to read A Game of Thrones and throughout your reading you can pop in and discuss or watch videos about the book. 

There are a range of different hosts and even a goodreads group for this read-a-long which you can find here

So what this post s really about, is for anyone who has yet to read A Game of Thrones (like me) and who would like to read it in a group can join up on the goodreads group and basically start talking. 

Just remember 'Winter is coming.'

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #6

Top Ten Tuesday #6

Top Ten YA Heroines.


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and consists of them picking a topic each week for us bloggers to list our Top Ten.

This list is going to consist of the names of heroines in YA books which I've read and which instantly came to mind when I saw this, so of course, there are a load more awesome YA heroines which I won't be able to mention because heck it says Top Ten.....

1. Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass
2. Tessa Gray from The Infernal Devices
3. Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief
4. Georgia Mason from The Newsflesh Trilogy
5. Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy
6. June Iparis from Legend Trilogy
7. Em / Marina from All Our Yesterdays
8. Emily from Since You've Been Gone
9. Josie Moraine from Out of the Easy
10. Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy.

And along with that list there are many other amazing heroines like Cassie and Ringer from The 5th Wave, Ava from The Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Kai from Gates of Thread and Stone, and so on and so forth because that list would just keep going on and on.

I must saw that we girls really have some awesome characters on our sides!!!

Tuesday 17 February 2015

Versatile Blogger Award

Versatile Blogger Award


Thank you so much Rachel (Rachel's Reading Corner) for nominating me for this award!!!

What you have to do is simple:
  1. Nominate 15 bloggers which are relatively new to blogging.
  2. Let these bloggers know that you have nominated them.
  3. Tell 10 random facts about yourself.
  4. Thank the blogger which nominated you.
  5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post.

The Bloggers I Nominate Are:
I'm not sure if I will have 15, sorry guys.....

Random Facts: 
(Most you already probably know.)
  1. I'm Irish.
  2. I can't play any musical instrument bar the tin whistle.
  3. I love to read, write, draw and take pictures.
  4. I eat weird pizzas because I don't like the tomato sauce on the pizza.
  5. I am currently doing an Animal Care course which has changed my views on so many things - Everyone should watch 'The Earthlings' which is available on Youtube, but prepare yourself...
  6. I have the following goals for 2015 - read the full Harry Potter Series, Ace my Animal Care Course, Start a little business for myself & Learn how to drive.
  7. I would be lost without my family, friends and blogger friends.
  8. I often think about the future and panic.
  9. I also contemplate a lot about that we can't be the only planet with life on it and what the others must be like. 
  10. I have a dream course to apply to in the near future because it requires me to move out of my home country and that is International Wildlife Biology and hopefully I'll be doing this in 2016 :D
And that is it!!! :D Thank you again Rachel :)

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Book Related Problems I Have.


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and consists of them picking a topic each week for us bloggers to list our Top Ten.

My, my where do I start. I may not even be able to think of 10 coherent problems or I may be able to think of  a thousand. It depends on how this post goes......

1. TBR MOUNTAIN!!!!
Yup, I said it I've got a TBR Mountain, not a list, not a pile but a mountain, although I might be making a mountain out of a molehill but who cares my TBR pile is still huge and way too much for me to handle. I get stressed when thinking about and then there's all these new books coming out and they have to be added and then it just........ Ya so, currently I have 127 books on my physical TBR in my room, 3 which I'm currently reading, and 231 books which I don't own but which I must get as they consist of series I want to finish and new series I want to begin and standalones and everything....

2. All Outta Cash...
I think nearly all of us book lovers know of this problem where we are all officially always broke because we buy books and then when a new book releases we still have no money. To battle this crisis I have the Project 10 Book with a twist. I read 10 book and for every book I read I save a euro in my little book buying purse so all is good peeps!!!

3. Where, Oh Where, is .... Will Herondale???
Yup, I have so many fictional crushes that a real life guy doesn't stand a chance. How could they possibly live up to the likes of Will Herondale. Someone answer me that??

4. Do I Spot a Bookworm???
I am a big bookworm geek as many of you can tell and well before I found myself in social media in the likes of Goodreads and Blogging, I had no one to talk to about books. Because of this I still have a major habit of searching for people who might share in this passion. (If someone is holding a book that I am interested in or have loved, I will approach them....)

5. A Bomb Has Just Hit This Place!!
That is what I feel like saying every time I look at my shelves. There's a lot and yet not enough. During the summer I went through a complete re-organising fit just to fit books on shelves and today I am about to do a bit of arranging again because my bookshelves are a mes.......

6. When Did I Get That Book Again???
I am ashamed to say that I have books on my shelves which have been there for over 5 years unread.....Dun Dun Dun.....and what's even worse is that I bought those books when I was like 14 and have no more interest in them but I will read them, sometime....
And what's even worse still is that books that I've recently bought are probably going to end up the same way O.o

7. Am I Sick Or Is This A Hangover?
Funny thing is, I don't drink so I've never actually felt the brunt of an alcoholic hangover and what's more to the point, I rarely get book hangovers but when I do, I get them bad.....real bad....so bad there's is heartbreak too.

8. I'm A Goldfish!!!
Actually goldfish have very good memories. But mine ain't and it's the worst thing when reading a series. If there's no recap at the beginning, sometimes I can get very lost. Take the following for example. I read The 5th Wave in 2013. I then read The Infinite Sea then in December 2014. I could not remember who the hell Ringer was!!!! I shamefully have to say that after about 20 pages and me still not remembering who she was, I searched online and found The 5th Wave Wiki to enlighten myself.....This can happen a lot when there is a massive gap between me reading one book and the next.

9. Match Them Up, Biatch!!!
I have got a problem when it comes to my series matching. They have to!! So I have a real problem when it comes to the point that a publisher decides to change the cover on the last book of a series!!!! VAMPIRE ACADEMY!!!!! Damn you. The weird thing is though, my most favourite series are mismatched like TMI, the first two books are the old covers, then the fourth book is a hardback and the 5th and 6th book are large paperbacks but as of now I pride myself in keeping my series matching...

10. All Editions of a Book Should Be Released on the Same Day!
For some reason I've just noticed that hardbacks are released sometimes as much as a year before the paperback releases. I am a paperback girl. I like my paperbacks.... I do not like the wait when is situation occurs.

So these guys are some of my book problems in my life. Let me know if you guys have any of these or any other ones by commenting below :)

Sunday 15 February 2015

Book Review - Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction.

Published: February 12 2013

Pages: 346 pages (Paperback Edition) (Penguin)

Read: February 2015

Rating: 5 Stars



It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. 

She devises a plan to get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. 

Book 6/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

**Thanks to Penguin fora copy of this book. This has not affected my rating or thoughts on this book**

I actually received this book last year from Penguin to use as a giveaway for my book club YA Book Gang!! and I posted it as a giveaway and there was a winner but I waited for two months for the winner to contact me back with no success and then I couldn't open up the giveaway again because my financial situation changed and posting books to other countries became difficult. So I kept the book, and I read it and now here I am reviewing it. I hope nobody minds but what else was I supposed to do. 

Out of the Easy is a historical fiction novel set in 1950 in New Orleans. It follows our main character Josie Moraine as she struggles with her life and her dreams and everything in between.

I started this book and immediately fell in love. The writing style of Ruta Sepetys kept me hooked. She has that type of style that keeps you interested and tat makes everything beautiful even the worse situations. And because of this writing style and the character development in the book I connected with Josie Moraine.

Josie Moraine was a formidable character. This book isn't a paranormal or fantasy or anything like that, she was just a normal human being, but she was a strong human being. She dreamed big dreams which many of us are afraid to do. She stayed herself, even in a world which told her to be something else. She was just an amazing, inspirational character. Josie had a hard life, that was easy to see from the very first pages and that hardship continues on in the book, but not once does she actually give up, even though she thinks it sometimes and who wouldn't in her situation (you'll understand once you read the book).

But Josie wasn't the only connectable character. By God, there was a lot more - Willie, Cokie, Patrick, Jesse, Charlie, the list could go on much further and each character made the story complete. Each character added something different and each character meant something different to Josie which we can see in the book.

There were up and downs in this book that kept me on a roller-coaster of emotion. I felt happy, giddy, love-struck, sad, betrayed, worried all while reading this  and it's what made this so good. It's what kept me hooked to the pages and wanting to continue reading every second I had. I would have finished this book a lot sooner only I was really busy with coursework last week but I'm glad that I did get to read this book in the end.

I have added Ruta Sepetys to my list of favourite authors and that is saying something. Since I've just read one of her books, but I really want to get my hands on her other book Between Shades of Grey and am highly anticipating her new novel also.

So guys, if any of you have read this book, let me know what you thought or if you have read Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys, would you recommend it?? 

Below is a link to buy this book from The Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780399256929/?a_aid=yabookaholic123 

Book Review - Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

Crash Into Me

Author: Albert Borris

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Contemporary.

Published: July 7 2009

Pages: 257 pages Paperback Edition) (Simon Pulse)

Read: February 2015

Rating: 2 Stars


Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae have one thing in common: they all want to die. When they meet online after each attempts suicide and fails, the four teens make a deadly pact: they will escape together on a summer road trip to visit the sites of celebrity suicides...and at their final destination, they will all end their lives. As they drive cross-country, bonding over their dark impulses, sharing their deepest secrets and desires, living it up, hooking up, and becoming true friends, each must decide whether life is worth living--or if there's no turning back. "Crash Into Me puts readers in the driver's seat with four teens teetering on the edge of suicide. But will their cross country odyssey push them all the way over? Only the final page turn will tell, in Albert Borris's finely-crafted tale of friendship forged from a desperate need of connection. 

Book 5/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge


I read the back of this book and it instantly interested me and so I bought it. This was a long time ago though, a time when I didn't really consider the books I was buying and just bought anything which interested me. Which for this book wasn't a good idea.

The plot behind the story is interesting. Four suicidal teens going on a road trip to ultimately end their lives. Yup I thought it was going to be good but it wasn't. It really wasn't. Because what else do you need to make a book good??? While some things include a nice writing style and interesting characters, both which this book lacked.

The writing style, I found, never fully engaged me. It went from the here and now to random IM messages. This which I'm guessing was a way to give the characters a back story fell flat. In all honesty it could have been executed better, much better. So as I was saying, the writing style was not for me. It just didn't work for me as I read it.

Then, the characters. The characters were neither interesting or connectable. I felt nothing for none of them. If I had to even chose a favourite, I wouldn't be able to. That was how bad these characters were. They lacked all sense of depth and emotion and everything that would have made them connectable.

This review just seems so negative but I did give this book 2 stars, which means I did finish the book, even though I didn't necessarily enjoy it. It was a meh from me and I won't be rereading this in the future. I probably won't even keep it on my shelves to be honest.

If you would like to give this book a try and purchase it, the link is below:


http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781416998273/?a_aid=yabookaholic123 


Saturday 7 February 2015

2015 Releases I Can't Wait For!!! January & February

2015 Releases I Can't Wait For!!! January & February

I found this book wheel where there's like suggested books for everyday of 2015 and well I have been scrolling through that list and I have found some amazing 2015 releases!! By the way the list was made by Epic Reads and it's called Epic Reads Presents 365 Days of YA, is anyone else would like to go and take a look :)

Now releases!!!! I am going to even post up the January releases too, be aware that some of these books are the paperback release date and some may have already been released in 2014 but I still have to wait for them because it's all paperbacks that my bookstore stocks sooooo let's get this ball rolling!!!


The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - January 13th 2015
Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.
Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.
At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.
Until one day, he does…
As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?


Talon by Julie Kagawa - January 15th 2015

‘There are a dozen soldiers hiding in that maze All hunting you. All looking to kill you.’
To the outside world Ember Hill is an ordinary girl, but Ember has a deadly secret. A dragon hiding in human form, she is destined to fight the shadowy Order of St.George, a powerful society of dragonslayers. St. George soldier Garret is determined to kill Ember and her kind. Until her bravery makes him question all he’s been taught about dragons.
Now a war is coming and Garret and Ember must choose their sides – fight to save their bond or fulfil their fate and destroy one another.


The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn - January 22nd 2015
If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?
Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs. 
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.
When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.
But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.
As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.


Volition by Lily Paradis - February 9th 2015
You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach that stays with you, then tears you apart slowly at first, and all at once shreds every fiber of your being? 
It’s because you’re contradicting the universe. 
Everything lines up so perfectly that you couldn’t have imagined it to work out better, but then you have to go and do everything humanly possible to ruin it because you can’t stand to have it go right? 
That’s what I did. 
I did it because there’s a darkness that surrounds me, and I think I want it there. 
My name is Tate McKenna, and my soul is blacker than my heart.



The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons - February 10th 2015
The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.


The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead - February 10th 2015
The epic conclusion to Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series is finally here...
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.
After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world.



Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - February 12th 2015
A thrilling new fantasy trilogy for fans of DIVERGENT and THE HUNGER GAMES.
This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.
The poverty-stricken Reds are commoners, living in the shadow of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from the Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Then Mare finds herself working at the Silver palace, in the midst of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control. 


The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury - Feburary 24th 2015
Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.
She’s the executioner.
As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.
But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.
However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?


These are the releases I am really looking forward to, even though most of these are out already but sure hey, I don't have them yet so :P Has anyone gotten these books yet or are they on your wishlists??? Let me know down below :)

15 Books I Must Read in 2015

15 Books I Must Read in 2015

I've seen these posts and videos going around these last few days and I've just decided what the heck let's join the bandwagon!!

Below I'm going to list 15 books (some of these may be series instead, so there's going to be more than 15 books) And nearly all of these books are already on my shelves so there'll be no new releases but damn there is some good 2015 releases coming out!! I may do another post on the ones I am currently looking forward too today as well :)

Now, down to this list:

  1. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
  2. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
  3. Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper
  4. Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick (3 Books)
  5. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
  6. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
  7. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
  8. The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
  9. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
  10. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
  11. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
  12. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
  13. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
  14. Deadline / Blackout by Mira Grant (2 Books)
  15. The Harry Potter Series (7 Books) (And yes, I have not read the Harry Potter series yet....)(And these are the only books mentioned which I don't own either)
And there are my books that I must read in 2015. Let me know if you guys have any must reads books for this year that are already on your shelves :)

Monday 2 February 2015

Book Review - Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

Gates of Thread and Stone

(Gates of Thread and Stone #1)

Author: Lori M. Lee

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance.

Published: August 5 2014

Pages: 335 pages (Hardback Edition) (Skyscape)

Read: February 2015

Rating: 4 Stars


In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.

Book 4/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

I waited for this book in high anticipation for it's release. I checked every book store around me and then finally gave in and got one of them to order it for me....in hardback!! Yes because this is the only beaut of a book that I've wanted in hardback edition so far....

I settled down in the end of January to read this beautiful book and was hoping to have it read before the end of January came about but college assignments piled up and I had to sacrifice my reading. (This is currently happening this week too......damn) But yes, the lengthy time I spent reading this book was not because I wanted to take a break or because I didn't enjoy the book or that it didn't interest me, it was because I had to finish my assignments...

Now, down to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. From the start I was wrapped up in the world which Lori M. Lee created and fell in love with the characters, especially our main ones. Yes I'll admit as the book progressed our main character, Kai, made some choices that made me cringe an made me want to shake her. But in the end, I grew for these characters which the story revolved around, each and every one of them.

The plot was very interesting. As seen from the blurb, this is set in a fantasy world, a world which is well built also. Kai, our heroine, is different and when her brother goes missing she is determined to find him....I did not spoil anything there, all of this is mentioned in the blurb. So, the book does stick to this main plot as Kai goes to all lengths to find her brother. But there is more to this plot than this which is revealed in a massive plot twist at the end. I did not see it coming!!! I didn't see any of the ending coming!! So the plot and story is extremely interesting and something that will keep you stuck to the pages.

In the end, I loved this book. I enjoyed it so incredibly much and I felt so much emotion at the end that I can't wait to read the next installment 'The Infinite' which comes out in March and which I have already pre-ordered!! Yay!!

I would highly recommended this book to all YA Fantasy lovers. Go for it guys!!!


http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781477847206/?a_aid=yabookaholic123