Book Review: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Edition: Hardcover, 442 pages
Published by: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Classics, Fiction, Romance
Completed: 6th June 2020
My Rating: 3 stars

“You and Papa, and my sisters, must come down and see us. We shall be at Newcastle all the winter, and I dare say there will be some balls, and I will take care to get good partners for them all.” – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited. Darcy finds himself indifferent to Elizabeth Bennet’s good looks and lively mind. And later when Elizabeth discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she dislikes him more than ever. In the comedy of misdirected manners that follows, Jane Austen shows readers the error of judging by first impressions.

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I steered way from reading Jane Austen because I felt like her books might be too romantic for me (I don’t like romance novels unless its combined in a fantasy), however Pride and Prejudice seems to be her best book and I felt like it’s classic I need to read!

Book Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Edition: Paperback, 535 pages
Published by: Orion Books, 4th May 2017
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Completed: 27th May 2020
My Rating: 4 stars

Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

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Whoa! Saints, this book was absolutely insane, crazzzzzzy and I loved it! Six of Crows was the starter but Crooked Kingdom was the main course.

Wanderings: London’s Hampstead Heath

This is a non-bookish post about places I’ve visited. I will still continue to waffle and gush about books on this blog but I want to combine some things I love as well, such as minimalism, travel and photography. I did have a separate blog for that, but its not inactive at the moment and it’s just easier to post everything on one blog.

Before lockdown, my friend and I both had a free day and we arranged a day to visit Hampstead Heath. I am on a mission in finding all the hidden gems in London because it is one of the best cities in the world and there’s more to London than just Oxford Circus. Once you leave the tube station, it’s like a little village (an affluent at that) and you have to do lots of walking around to come across little boutique shops and houses.

What I’ve Read in Quarantine

Hello bookish friends,

I have not properly blogged in so long and I’ve kind of missed it! I posted a review here and there but haven’t properly gotten back into the swing of blogging. I’ve just got so busy with life and didn’t have time for it anymore until now. During these uncertain times with what’s happening in the world, being in quarantine and being stuck at home, a lot of people have more free time to do all the things you don’t usually have time for like reading. I’ve been more creative with drawing than I’ve ever been, which is weird! And recently I’ve spent a lot of time reading and I think I’ve fallen back in love with the joy of reading! I wanted to share some of what I’ve enjoyed reading during quarantine:

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

I first read this trilogy back in 2013 as ebooks but as I loved it so much, I asked for it for my birthday and plus a reread was overdue. I binged this trilogy and enjoyed rereading this so much! Cassandra Clare’s writing improved so much since the Mortal Instruments and it was obvious that she’s done a lot of research on London in the Victorian era. The writing is beautifully written and sets the scene and tone of the books. The characters are wonderful and so memorable, I loved them all especially Will! Sighs. But I have to say the side characters were more interesting than Tessa!

Book Review: City of Bones by Cassanda Clare

Edition: Paperback, 442 pages
Published by: Walker Books, July 2007
Rating: 4 stars
Completed: 23rd October 2019 (2nd reread)

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

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The first time I read City of Bones was back in 2009; it was after I read Twilight, so I was in need of a new series to get back into reading and the Mortal Instruments was just the perfect series. I really enjoyed it. It has a good combination of adventure, fantasy and romance. It’s been a very long time since I read this series and the Infernal Devices, so I thought it was overdue for a reread!

Book Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

Edition: Paperback, 266 pages
Published By: Penguin Books
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Rating: 2 stars
Completed: 20th April 2017

In a village without sound…

For as long as Fei can remember, no one in her village has been able to hear. Rocky terrain and frequent avalanches make it impossible to leave the village, so Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink. Many go hungry. Fei and all the people she loves are plunged into crisis, with nothing to look forward to but darkness and starvation.

One girl hears a call to action…

Until one night, Fei is awoken by a searing noise. Sound becomes her weapon.

She sets out to uncover what’s happened to her and to fight the dangers threatening her village. A handsome miner with a revolutionary spirit accompanies Fei on her quest, bringing with him new risks and the possibility of romance. They embark on a majestic journey from the peak of their jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth will change their lives forever…

And unlocks a power that will save her people.

I was already fully aware that this book has a lot of mixed review – mostly negative, which is the reason why I wasn’t that interested in reading it because I trust the reviews. However this was a Christmas gift so I had to read it. My friend knew I enjoyed the Vampire Academy series a lot and thought I’d like this one. I thought oh its only 266 pages; it can’t be that bad, right? It was.

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

No one tagged me, I just really wanted to do this tag because it seems like fun. We always hear about people’s positive thoughts of books but its interesting to also hear about other people’s unpopular opinions as well.

1. A Popular Book or series that you didn’t like.

I am going to get my head bitten off and possibly run over by a car for saying this! Everyone and their mother loves this book so much, so I expected nothing but fantastic things about it. I thought ‘right, this is it. This is the John Green book I will love!‘ But by the time I read it however, I was so underwhelmed. I’m a not cold person; I do cry in books and films (sometimes) but I just could not get into it. John Green books are just not for me. I know, I know, could could I NOT like The Fault In Our Stars?! Believe me, no one is more disappointed than I am.

2. A Popular Book or series that every one else seems to hate but you love.

I was expecting to find All The Bright Places a bit ‘meh’ but I didn’t. I just felt like I really understood Finch and the book really struck a core with me. It made me cry so much! I know a lot of people don’t like this book because they say its romanticising mental illness and I understand why a lot of people have issues with it, as I had issues with it as well, in terms of the parents being crap, but overall I loved the story. I feel like I need to reread this to get a second opinion, as I did rate it 5 stars! I don’t rate books 5 stars at all unless I really loved it.

A Year in Books | Top 5 Books of 2016

Hey all,

First post of 2017.

I call this my top 5 books, only because I only read a disappointing 20 books which isn’t enough to say which are my top 10 books. Initially I wanted to read 30 books because 50 books last year was a bit too much! The last three months of last year was just crazy busy, so I wasn’t able to read as much as I’d like to unfortunately. I’m still literally still stuck on reading the Hero of Ages, much to my despair. Anyway here are my top 5:

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild 

This is hands down my favourite book of 2016! Its funny because its a children’s classic and not something that was released recently. I just adored this story so much. I rated it 4 stars but really it should be 5 stars. I saw the BBC adaption for it ages ago and its when I thought about re-watching it sometime last year that made me think oh I’d like to read the book for it! It’s a story about three foster sisters living in London who took it upon themselves to earn a living to achieve their dreams. Some of the themes in this book were ambition and determination, which is what I liked about it.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover 

Oh my god. This book actually teared me apart, which sounds pretty dramatic to say the least. I wasn’t expecting this book to be so thought-evoking and emotional. I just thought oh its probably some angsty new adult romance. I’m not going to say what it is about because its a major spoiler but it is about romance and it’s so much more than just that. I just had too much ‘feels.’ This book isn’t perfect, there are things I liked about it and things I didn’t like – one of which is that things escalated way too quickly. But its because of this book that I will (eventually) venture into reading more Colleen Hoover, despite the problematic storylines that I often hear about! I better brace myself…

The Shining by Stephen King

Okay, the reason why I even read the Shining is because of my only real-life bookish friend who is a massive fan of the King of Horror himself, Mr Stephen King. This book surprised me, I found myself really immersed and enjoying the story so much. The only thing is that it is really long. Funny thing, I could only read this at night time rather than during the day because I wanted to be scared and reading at night just sets the story so well. It is a scary book but I wasn’t that scared to be honest. I got a real appreciation for Stephen King’s writing style. Its amazing. So very detailed and descriptive as well. I was like I wish I could write like you.

One by Sarah Crossan

One is definitely the one (no pun intended) if you are looking for a diverse YA book to read. It’s a story that feels very real, unique and raw, and also very different from what’s currently on the YA bookshelves these days. It’s about conjoined twins, Grace and Tippy and their everyday lives, how they cope with being scrutinised by people but also making friends and falling in love for the first time. What I liked about it was the poetic writing style and how this story was not sugarcoated.

Never, Never Part 1 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher 

I really enjoyed Never Never Part 1. It was very mysterious from the start and I wanted to know more. It’s about Charlie and Silas who are supposedly meant to be in love but they have lost their memories. They don’t remember who they are, how they got where they are and who their friends and family are. Therefore, they are trying to work together to find out why this is happening to them. Part 1 and 2 were great reads, I really enjoyed them. There was so much potential to be an amazing story but part 3 did not deliver. Part 3 was a sorry excuse for a conclusion of a book, it was just lazy writing because the mystery did not add up and there were so many plot holes, which was very disappointing.

So these were my top 5 books of 2016. What were some of your favourites of last year?

Book Haul: February – September

I thought it was about time that I did a post on my second book haul. This haul took a lot longer to accumulate than my first haul because there have been books that kept me occupied *coughs Mistborn*. There were actually more books I wanted to buy but I know I’m not going to read them straightaway, so I’ll reserve to purchase them in my next haul (whatever that is). I think this haul is a good amount for now ^_^

The first thing I brought back in January is not exactly a book…but looks like one! It was this purple Penguin books bag, which is a colour I’ve been looking for a while! They also come in the classic Penguin orange, pink, green and red, which are very colourful and bright. I felt like the purple is more of a subtle colour. I really love this bag and have been wearing it quite a lot! It has a popper clasp on the inside of the bag, which helps it to be secure. They are retailed price at £12.99 in bookshops but you can get them cheaper at Amazon.

My Favourite First Lines

“An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” – Stephen King

Eliza from The Bookish Universe wrote a blog post on her favourite first lines. Since I read this article on why Stephen King spends months and years writing first lines in books, I’ve become interested with first lines. It’s a great way to draw the reader in, capture their attention and give them a reason to read on. It’s a significant part of writing a book. Before that, I never realised how important first lines were. I would read a book regardless of whether the first line was good or not.

To many, I was myth incarnate, the embodiment of a most superb legend, a fairy tale. Some considered me a monster, a mutation. To my great misfortune, I was once mistaken for an angel. To my mother, I was everything. To my father, nothing at all. To my grandmother, I was a daily reminder of loves long lost. But I knew the truth—deep down, I always did. I was just a girl. – The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Lesyle Walton 

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” – The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. – A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness

Every morning I wake up and tell myself this: It’s just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through. – Where She Went, Gayle Forman

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense. – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling

When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another. – The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

These are just some of my favourites. I have yet to discover more great opening first lines. What are some of your favourite first lines?

(Source: I found these arrow illustrations on Pinterest)