Owlcrate November 2020 Unboxing | Growing Wild

I knew as soon as the theme for November was announced I knew that I was going to love this box. I love everything floral and fairytale-esque so I was very impatient waiting for this box to arrive! I swear, these artwork cards get more and more beautiful every month, the illustrations are just gorgeous. This month's theme was Growing Wild which perfectly describes the collection of items we received this month, everything is wonderfully presented and fits the theme so well. Let's get into the items...

The first thing in the box was of course, another item with incredible packaging (I hate throwing them away every month cause they're just so pretty!) which contained a little flower press kit designed by Peppermint Lines and is inspired by A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab. I've never tried my hand at flower pressing so I don't know how much use I'll get out of it but it would be fun to give it a go at some point. I do really love the design as well, it's beautifully drawn. 

I am obsessed with that box, it's designed by Studio Kyra and features a quote from Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore! It's so cute and the gold lettering is stunning. I'm definitely going to have to keep it if only as a little trinket box.  I was so suprised by what was inside though, we have a lovely dandelion pendant necklace that I can actually see myself wearing a lot. I don't wear jewelry often but when I do I like it to be slightly quirky.  

Next, we have some beautifully illustrated botanical postcards created by Rheannon Ormond and inspired by the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. I actually really like these and I think I'm either going to stick them on my wall or properly display them in frames cause they have a gorgeous vintage feel to them. 

I've got so many things to display this month as I think i'm going to stick this print up there as well. Everything in Owlcrate is always so stunning to look at and even things like this that aren't technically made for displaying are just too beautiful to hide away in a drawer. This is just a little sneak preview at the Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert which is releasing in January and i'm definitely highly anticipating it. I love anything fairytale inspired so I can see myself loving this collection of original tales a lot.  

My favourite item this month is definitely the wonderful reading planner that's included every year in an Owlcrate box. This was designed by Blue Star Press and is such a useful item. I usually just plan everything out on my phone and on a spreadsheet but I'm so looking forward to using this next year. There's something a little extra special about having a planner dedicated to my reading and it's really going to help with keeping track of everything I need to do in terms of blogging too. It's got lots of different sections for all your reading needs such as spaces for TBR's, wishlists, book reviews, quotes, wrap ups and more. I love the style of it as well, it's well set out and has plenty of space so I don't have to worry about running out if I read a lot of books one month. 

Our last main item this month is these stunning stickers created by Pipsticks that are perfect for this month's theme and again, are just gorgeously drawn and printed. I'm looking forward to using these in my planner next year. I especially love those little bees!

 

We also have have the montly enamel pin which this month was designed by Morgane Brret Shop and is a little bear (a character from the book) in a beautiful floral and pastel pink design. This might just be my favourite pin yet, it's so cute!   

Finally, we have this month's book which is Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston! I couldn't contain my excitement when I found out what book it was this month, I have been eyeing up this book for so long and I finally have a beautiful edition of it. Owlcrate have switched the white background for black, enhanced the purple, blue and pink shades and added some extra gold detailing. I actually prefer this edition to the original a lot, I feel like the colours are a lot more vibrant and it gives it a more fantastical feel.    

We also have the splendid artwork on the reversible dust jacket as well as gorgeous deep pink sprayed edges. The artwork was designed by Cathrin Peterslund and I can't describe how stunning it is, it's so much better in person rather then my shoddy camera work! It's truly something else and possibly my favourite out of the three reversible dust jackets we've got over the last three months.

 

Lastly, we have the little sneak peek at what's in store for December's box. Next month's theme is Love is a Battlefield and I have a pretty good idea of what the book is, it's been hyped so much so I'm excited to get my hands on a copy. It's also revealed that the box will include an item from Fiction Bath Company, a company that was featured in September's box, so I'm looking forward to another beauty item. 

 

That's everything for this month! Look out for my December unboxing to find out everything included in that box. Happy Reading!    

Book Review | Spin by Colleen Nelson

Title: Spin 
Author: Colleen Nelson • Author's Site 
Publication Date: August 10th 2019 by Dundurn
Format: Netgalley ARC
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary  

Goodreads • Waterstones • Blackwells

 

Fifteen-year-old Delilah “Dizzy” Doucette lives with her dad and brother above their vintage record store, The Vinyl Trap. She’s learning how to spin records from her brother’s best friend, and she’s getting pretty good. But behind her bohemian life, Dizzy and her family have a secret: her mom is the megafamous singer Georgia Waters. When this secret is revealed to the world, Dizzy’s life spins out of control. She must decide what is most important to her — the family she has or the family she wants.

 

Rating

My Thoughts

"Slipping from my fingers, you leave / we'll meet again, I have to believe."

 

I'm slowly making my way through all of my Netgalley ARC's from last year and this one was up next on my list. I'm not sure why I requested this one, maybe I was just in the mood for some contemporary with music as a big part of the storyline. If that's what I wanted then I definitely got it.

Spin is mainly Dizzy's story. She's a fifteen year old who dreams of becoming a DJ star but has always felt a hole in her life due the fact that her mother abandoned the family when Dizzy was very young. Now, her mother is a worldwide singing superstar and her latest tour has brought her to the city Dizzy lives in and she's determined to get some answers whatever it takes. 

 

There were a lot of components that I really liked about this book. Firstly, we do actually get three POV's; Dizzy, her older brother Lou and their dad Ray, which I wasn't expecting. It worked really well as we got to see how Georgia's departure affected the whole family and how they're dealing with their own problems. It meant the story had a few layers to it but they came together to make a whole picture. I think all three perspectives were all really strong as well. There wasn't a time where I just wanted to get back to another POV because I was interested in each of the characters individually. 

 

Another element I really liked was the relationship between Dizzy and her best friend Maya. It really spoke through the pages how much Maya cared for Dizzy and the lengths she would go through to help her friend. She was a really selfless and kind character and she's someone I wished appeared more in the book. I also really liked Ray's group of friends, they were like a group of fun uncles that gather at the family's record store to jam out all the time. 

 

Music obviously plays a big part in this story. Dizzy's mum Georgia is a singer, her day Ray always has his saxaphone ready to play a tune and Dizzy is beginning to find her rhythm with spinning records. The way music flows through this family is pretty special and it really spoke of how much they live and breathe music and use it to tell stories and create messages. I enjoyed seeing how music had a different meaning for each of them whether it's an escape, a way of life or a way of expressing themself.  

 

Dizzy was an interesting character too. It's her story and she was an incredibly determined and passionate individual that really wanted to find her roots and discover who she really is. She refused to give up on what she wanted and could be a little sneaky in getting it too. I think her age definitely showed through at times though. She could be very rash and naive with her actions, she often didn't think through what she was doing or the consequences for her dad and brother. Whilst these scenes did frustrate me, I think it also made her pretty realistic. As a teenager your emotions are definitely overwhelming and can lead to some pretty bad decisions at times!        

 

"She had that spark that made her special. Maybe it was guts, or just being ballsy, but failure was not an option for Dizzy."  

 

I think teenagers will really connect with the characters in this book, it's got a lot of heart and emotion at it's core with really strong writing. It's fun to see three characters at different stages of life and their family bond. It has really strong themes of family, frienship and of course, music, that will speak to a lot of people.

WWW Wednesday | 09/12/2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

 

What did you recently finish reading?

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater is my most recently finished book, I finally finished it on Monday. It took me a little longer to read this one then the others, I think but that may be because I've been kind of slumpy and putting off reading. This is the final book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series (if you don't count the companion novel, Sinner) and again, this was a three star read just like the other two books. The series as a whole is fine, it's enjoyable for someone who loves paranormal romance but I'm just not really that person. This did kinda wrap things up nicely and was a decent conclusion to the series but I still have some unanswered questions left. 

 

What are you currently reading?

I decided to borrow Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber from my library's ebook app totally on a whim a couple of weeks ago even though I'd heard absolutely nothing about it. Big suprise, I'm really enjoying it. It's a physchological thriller that follows the daughter of a murder victim ten years after the murder and how her life is turned upside down after a podcaster begins to reinvestigate. This is incredibly readable so far and I'm loving the podcast elements included in between chapters and snippets of the interviews and such. It's really good so I'm just hoping the ending isn't a disappointment!

 

The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden was one I was trying to get started on over the weekend but it didn't end up happening. I still haven't technically started it yet but I will be hopefully reading a chunk today to make up for lost time. I loved the first book so I have high hopes for this one too.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Snow Rose by Lulu Taylor is going to be my next physical read after The Girl in the Tower. My sister lent me this book a couple of months ago but I've been saving it for when the cold weather hit. I don't know too much about this book or author but my sister is a big fan. I think this is a mystery/thriller that follows a mother and daughter on the run and they end up squatting in an empty house before other people start showing up. Maybe? That's what I'm getting from the synopsis. 

 

Kate is on the run with her daughter, her identity hidden and her destination unknown to her husband and family. She's found a place where she and Heather can be alone and safe, a huge old house full of empty rooms. But it turns out she's not alone. There are the strange old ladies in the cottage next door, Matty and her blind sister Sissy. How long can Kate hide Heather's presence from them? And then the newcomers arrive, the band of eccentrics led by the charming and charismatic Archer. Kate begins to realize that she is involved in something strange and dangerous, and the past she's so desperate to escape is about to find her . . .

 

One Snowy Week in Springhollow by Lucy Knott is another library download that I decided to borrow because I was in the mood for some Christmas romance and this was the first one that I spotted. It's childhood best friends to lovers (I'm guessing) and it does sound pretty cute and wintery. It's a new release so it doesn't have too much feedback but hopefully it will give me all the feels. 

 

Tomboy Scarlett thought Devon would be her best friend forever. He was the only person in Springhollow who supported her ambitious artist dreams. But then one winter, Devon and his parents disappear without warning to start a new life in NYC and a devastated Scarlett is left alone to face her high-school bullies and overbearing mother.

Fast-forward ten years: Scarlett is playing it safe in her childhood village with a dull PA job and a wardrobe that passes her mother's old-fashioned standards. Meanwhile, Devon is a Hollywood heartthrob, starring in the latest superhero blockbuster. And he's finally coming home for Christmas...

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out!

Top Ten Tuesday | Holiday Romances

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This Weeks Topic Is...

Holiday/Seasonal freebie.  For some reason I've just been really drawn to christmassy romances at the minute, probably because we are coming up to Christmas and it's cold outside. It just feels like the right thing to cosy up with a hot chocolate and get lost in a cute, fluffy book. These are some that I have my eye on at the moment. 

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren 

Just a warning, I am probably going to be describing all of these books as adorable/cute/precious. Those are the only words that come to mind when I read romance synopsis's (I don't know if that's a real word but we're going with it). I haven't actually read anything by Christina Lauren but I know that they're a big deal in the romance circle so maybe this will convince me to finally give them a go. I'm definitely here for disaster main characters and a groundhog day style plot.

 

One Way or Another by Kara McDowell  

This was a book that I tried to get a copy of but struggled to find one in the UK so instead I settled for the next book in this list! This is in the style of Sliding Doors in that the MC splits off into parallel paths and we see her living two different Christmas vacations. I love Sliding Doors so I think i'm going to like this one too, plus there's nothing better then Christmas in New York. Or so I've heard, I've never actually been...

 

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston  

This was my backup holiday romance and I will be reading this some time in December which I'm really looking forward to. This plot sounds like a recipe for disaster, believe me I would not trust my family to set me up on multiple blind dates! I'm looking forward to unexpected romances though and it's gotten a lot of good reviews too. 

 

Ex-mas by Kate Brian

Why are holiday romances always so chaotic? Not that I'm complaining, it makes for some fun drama and more excuses to throw two exes together. Which is what this book is basically about. This is a little older then some of the others on this list but still just as cute and it really sounds like a movie script already!

 

My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins    

This is just a collection of short stories centered around christmas and blossoming romances. There are some authors that I love in here like Jenny Han, Gayle Forman and of course, Stephanie Perkins. I've been on the hunt for this book as well but so far no luck. 

 

We Met in December by Rosie Curtis   

More romantic hijinks (that's definitely a word, I googled it)! Falling for the guy living in your building is probably never a good idea but I'm here for the angst and longing that I'm sure will arise in this book. Plus, it's British which in my book makes it even better.  

Together at Midnight by Jennifer Castle

I think this may be more centered around New Year's Eve then Christmas but it's still holiday-esque. I love romances where the two love interests are thrown together unexpectedly and it's even better when their traipsing around New York together. I haven't even read the book yet but I'm already shipping Kendall and Max. I'm a hopeless romantic and I'm not ashamed of it. 

 

One Snowy Week in Springhollow by Lucy Knott  

This is a new release that I'd never heard of that I've just downloaded from my Library's ebook borrowing app thing. I told you, I was in the mood for Christmas romance so even though I don't really have space for another book on my TBR, I'm going to try and squeeze it in. It's just not the same reading these types of books past December. I'm not really sure about the synopsis (big time movie actor comes back to hometown and reconnects with childhood best friend, standard Hallmark stuff) but it could be cute.

 

Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss   

We love a good punny book title. I think this may be just an aged up version of 10 Blind Dates but I like the concept of both books so. I can see the ending from a mile off though...

 

All I Want For Christmas by Wendy Loggia   

This is one that I have on reserve at my library and I should be getting it just before Christmas Day so I may try and squeeze it in as well but at this point I have no idea if I'm going to get through all the books on my set TBR never mind new ones. The MC loves Christmas as much as I do therefore I feel like I'm gonna enjoy this one.

 

Do you like Christmas themed romances? Drop me some recommendations in the comments of your favourites. Leave a comment or link your own Top Ten Tuesday's for me to check out! Happy Reading!

#5OnMyTBR | Small Towns

This meme was created by E. @ Local Bee Hunter's Nook and you can find the announcement post here. Also, side note, these aren't necessarily books that I own physically but they're all on my Goodreads TBR and they'll mostly be the five most recently added.  

This Week's Prompt is...

Small Towns. I do really enjoy reading about small towns, there's something intriguing about everyone knowing each other and everyone's secrets or even a town that has a dark and murky past. I'm here for all of it so here's a couple on my TBR.

 

1. I Hope You're Listening by Tom Ryan

In her small town, seventeen year-old Delia “Dee” Skinner is known as the girl who wasn’t taken. Ten years ago, she witnessed the abduction of her best friend, Sibby. And though she told the police everything she remembered, it wasn’t enough. Sibby was never seen again.At night, Dee deals with her guilt by becoming someone else: the Seeker, the voice behind the popular true crime podcast Radio Silent, which features missing persons cases and works with online sleuths to solve them. Nobody knows Dee’s the Seeker, and she plans to keep it that way.When another little girl goes missing, and the case is linked to Sibby’s disappearance, Dee has a chance to get answers, with the help of her virtual detectives and the intriguing new girl at school. But how much is she willing to reveal about herself in order to uncover the truth? Dee’s about to find out what’s really at stake in unraveling the mystery of the little girls who vanished.

I'm always intrigued by stories that involve some kind of murder mystery/disappearence and this one is definitely high on my radar with the inclusion of a podcast element. If anyone has listened to the audiobook of this one, let me know your thoughts.

2. Don't Tell A Soul by Kirsten Miller

People say the house is cursed.
It preys on the weakest, and young women are its favorite victims.
In Louth, they're called the Dead Girls.

All Bram wanted was to disappear—from her old life, her family's past, and from the scandal that continues to haunt her. The only place left to go is Louth, the tiny town on the Hudson River where her uncle, James, has been renovating an old mansion.

But James is haunted by his own ghosts. Months earlier, his beloved wife died in a fire that people say was set by her daughter. The tragedy left James a shell of the man Bram knew—and destroyed half the house he'd so lovingly restored.

The manor is creepy, and so are the locals. The people of Louth don't want outsiders like Bram in their town, and with each passing day she's discovering that the rumors they spread are just as disturbing as the secrets they hide. Most frightening of all are the legends they tell about the Dead Girls. Girls whose lives were cut short in the very house Bram now calls home.

The terrifying reality is that the Dead Girls may have never left the manor. And if Bram looks too hard into the town's haunted past, she might not either. 

 

This is a January release that I need to get my hands on as soon as possible, I might have to save it until October though for maximum creepiness. 

 

3. Small Favours by Erin A. Craig

Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range--five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.

As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents' deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames. 

 

It's a rumplestiltskin retelling and it just sounds right up my street. I also really need to read House of Salt and Sorrows and I'm hoping this author could be a new favourite especially for fairytale retellings.

4. Midnight Crossroad by Charlene Harris

Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town.

There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).

Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth...

Whilst paranormal isn't generally my thing, this series has been on my radar for a while. I've seen bits of the tv adapatation which is made me even more intrigued to try the source material.

5. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

I have seen the Netflix adaptation of this book and I loved it so I definitely want to read the book at some point and it is one I already own. 

Which books set in small towns are on your TBR? If you've already read some of these, let me know what you thought! Leave a comment with your own #5OnMyTBR posts for me to check out! Happy Reading!

Down The TBR Hole #13

 

Current TBR shelf: 3950

Last week's TBR shelf: 3960

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

The Anti-TBR Tag

 

This is an original tag created by Nicole & Her Books over on booktube that I've seen a few people doing recently and I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the books I have no interest in reading or at least not reading any time soon.

1. A popular book EVERYONE loves that you have no interest in reading?

 

I've chosen Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston which I know is a super popular book in the book community. I have just no interest in it whatsoever. I think it's mostly due to the fact that I've figured out that I don't like contemporary books with alternate royal characters. I can deal with princes, princesses etc in fantasy and other genres but when it's set in our world and is supposed to be realistic, I just can't get behind it. I DNF'd American Royals for this reason and I can see myself disliking this book even more because Prince Henry is British and I know there's going to be things in there that are going to annoy me as a British person! I do want to try Casey Mcquiston though and her new book coming out next year sounds really cute.

 

2. A classic book (or author) you don’t have an interest in reading?

 

I actually really like reading classics so I kind of struggled with this one but Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad just sounds so boring and one I can see people just forcing themselves to read because they feel like they have to. From reading the synopsis as well, I just have no idea what this book is even about. If i'm struggling with the synopsis then I'm probably going to struggle with the book! Also, the cover of this edition is nightmare fuel. 

3. A problematic author whose books you have no interest in reading?

 

Colleen Hoover's books are some that I'm fairly certain I'll never pick up. Her books sound so cringey to me and I've heard some pretty bad things about them. You seem to either love her books or despise them and I feel like i'd fall into the latter category. I've heard that a lot of her books have controlling alpha males as the love interests and that they border on abusive at times. It's just a hard no from me. Also, I realise just how ironic it is that I chose Maybe, Someday to represent these books that I will never read! 😂

 

4. An author you have read a couple of books from & have decided their books are not for you?

 

I was going to choose John Green for this question but then I realised that I do still want to read Will Grayson, Will Grayson because I own it but after that I probably won't pick up anything else he puts out. I'd also probably mention Rainbow Rowell even though I've only read Fangirl because I just have no interest in supporting that author. I probably won't pick up anything else by J.K Rowling either for obvious reasons.

 

5. A genre you have no interest in OR a genre you tried to get into & couldn’t?

 

I don't really have much of an interest in reading any regency era historical romances. I'm already cringing at the covers and so I don't hold out much hope for the contents either. I am interested in watching the new Bridgerton series on Netflix which I know is a series of books but I don't know if I'm that bothered that I'd actually pick them up to read. I just know that I'm going to struggle with the pure romance but who knows, I may give it a shot one day just to say I tried it.     

6. A book you have bought but will never read? (this can be a book you have unhauled/returned to the library unread)

 

I bought Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell back when it first came out and it's still sitting on my shelf. Due to the controversy around it though, I'm not sure I'm ever going to read it. It's described as being really racist so there's my number one reason for not reading it but also a lot of people have said it's just not a good book in general so I will probably end up unhauling it soon. For different reasons I also have Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick on my shelf which I think was a gift but I've just heard a lot about how bad this series is and at this point angel romances just aren't my thing.

 

7. A series you have no interest in reading OR a series you started & have dnf’d?

 

I could answer American Royals by Katherine Mcgee for this question. I just found this book boring, there are four POV's but they all had pretty much the same storyline and I found most of the charcters super annoying as well. I also probably won't carry on with the Eve of Man series by Giovanna & Tom Fletcher because that was boring and cliche and just not for me.     

8. A new release you have no interest in reading?

 

 

I really struggled with this one because I don't like writing off books automatically without kind of giving them a shot first and especially with new releases for some reason. Because new releases don't have as many reviews and ratings yet, I just don't want to say I'll definitely never read them. Glitch Kingdom by Sheena Boekweg though popped up on a 2020 releases list and something about the cover automatically put me off  (which I know I shouldn't do but I just really don't like that cover) and the synopsis doesn't really do much for me so i'll more than likely never get to it.

 

I actually really enjoyed doing this tag although it's difficult when you're someone who pretty much reads everything! I don't tag people but if you do decide to do this tag, link it in the comments for me to check out! Happy Reading!

November 2020 Reading Wrap Up

I'll admit, I slipped a little in November unfortunately. I did read 11 books so it really isn't that bad but I'm just disappointed that I wasn't able to finish all of the books on my TBR. I did actually start I Am Malala but I just wasn't in the mood for it so I put it down and then time got away from me and I didn't manage to pick it back up again before the end of the month. I'm also in the middle of Clap When You Land at the time of writing this post so it will get finished but just not in November. I did have a few slumpy days in the middle of the month and so by the end I was rushing to squeeze everything in. There really does need to be more hours in the day! 

Stats

 

Horrid by Katrina Leno

I kicked off the month with my very first Owlcrate book that I received back in September and I was super pumped to read this as it's the reason I ordered myself an Owlcrate box in the first place. I love a good creepy, haunted house story and this was really good. Leno's writing is really solid and she's able to create a spooky but subtle atmosphere everytime Jane is in the house. It's not overly scary but there's something about it that keeps you on edge the whole time. I also really liked how grief and mental illness is handled in this book, it's realistic and really well done. I did have some problems with lack of character development in the secondary characters. Also, I had some mixed feeling about the ending as well. You can read my full review here.

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

This is the same rating that I gave the first book so I'm still not in love with this series. It's a decent paranormal romance and there's really nothing overtly wrong with it but I'm just not gripped by the characters or the plot. I also felt like this book had so much filler in it, nothing really much happens at all up until the end. Even then, I felt like the events that occur in this book are far too similar to what happens in Shiver. We do get more perspectives this time to kind of break things up a bit and it was nice to get Isabelle and Cole's view of things and see their relationship developing. I'll be reading the final book, Forever, in December so we shall see what I think of how the series wraps up. 

 

Room by Emma Donoghue  

For some reason this book didn't leave much of a lasting impression. Up until I'd looked at my spreadsheet to see what I read in November, I'd forgotten I'd even read this book last month. I remember liking the plot as a whole but having mixed feelings about having the events seen through a 5 year olds eyes. Whilst I think it was the right decision to set it from Jack's POV, it was a struggle to understand his actions, the way he felt about everything and to understand his voice. It was very emotional though, the events that happen in this book are heartbreaking. Overall, it was good but just not one I'd ever go back to. 

 

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

This book was so unbelievably tense and scary in a way that I wasn't used to. I've never read a book like it, the fact that all my anxiety stemmed from these characters facing unknown entities whilst being blindfolded. Something about that just terrified me, I could not think of anything worse! I had to keep putting it down because I was getting so stressed about what could potentially happen to these characters. I'm also in awe of how strong a character Malorie was, she truly fought for her children and her attempts to get them to a safe space were incredible. I'm definitely interested in reading more from Malerman and I know that a sequel has just been released so I may pick that up at some point.  

 

The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley   

This was my least favourite book I read this month which is a shame because I was really interested in reading it and had been for a while. I was just so bored by everything about this book. NOTHING. HAPPENED. It mentions in the synopsis that a child's body is found which I thought was going to be what kicked everything off but no, that doesn't happen until the last quarter of the book. The characters bored me, the plot bored me and whilst the setting was dark and atmospheric, it wasn't particularly interesting. It picked up a little towards the end but it couldn't really save me from feeling very disappointed. I would like to try this author again cause another of his books, Starve Acre, sounds really interesting. 

 

The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill      

I really thought I was going to enjoy this one more then I did. I love myself a fairytale retelling but this one fell a little short of the mark for me. I think my main issue was with the main character, Gaia, I just found her incredibly annoying and naive. Everything she did I was inwardly screaming, what are you doing?? This sticks very close to the original rather than the Disney version, but it was probably a little too close for me. It felt like I was reading the original but just a little more fleshed out. I will say the ending was great, it definitely bumped it up for me. It was a great feminist twist and overall it did have a strong message about how women are treated and taken advantage of by men.

 

Shadowsea (The Cogheart Adventures #4) by Peter Bunzl      

It's the final book in the Cogheart Adventures and that makes me really sad but also this book was so much fun. I adore Lily, Robert and Malkin and getting to take one last adventure with them and boy, was it a good one. We travel to New York and the characters are swept up in a mystery surrounding a young boy being held against his will and some fishy goings on at an underwater base. Peter Bunzl's world is so magical and incredibly engaging for readers of all ages. It's fast paced and the twists never disappoint. I'm going to miss this series a lot but I'm looking forward to whatever Bunzl writes next. You can find my reviews of the first three books here.  

 

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

This was my only five star read this month and it deserves every one of those stars. This book has so much hype that I was worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations but this story just swept me away to the wintery depths of Russia. I completely loved Vasya and her wildness and her deep love for her family. The setting is stunning and perfectly encaptures everything beautiful and enchanting about winter. The relationship between Vasya and her brother Sasha was prominant and I loved their bond, I''m hoping we get to see more of her siblings in the next books. The mythology and folklore was my favourite aspect though, it's weaved so well into the story and really gives it that fairytale feel. I'm really excited to continue this series. 

 

Spin by Colleen Nelson

This was a netgalley ARC that I got last year and was mildly interested in. To be honest, my interest in YA contemporary has wavered over the last few months and so my expectations weren't particularly high. I was quite surprised though because this was quite good. It follows, Dizzy, a fifteen year old DJ prodigy who begins to try and build a relationship with her superstar mother who abandoned the family when she was a baby. I really liked that we got three different POV's in here; Dizzy, her older brother Lou and their dad Ray. I wasn't expecting it but I liked seeing their different views on their family dynamic and the unfolding events. Dizzy could be quite a difficult character to understand sometimes but I also think she was realistically written as well. Overall, it's a really solid contemporary that had strong themes of family, growing up with music playing a big part. My full review will be up soon.

 

Briar's Book (Circle of Magic #4) by Tamora Pierce

Another middle grade series finished this month, this time with the Circle of Magic series. I've been listening to these on audio on Scribd and they're really excellent audiobooks. It's got a full cast and the main narration is read by the author. Overall, I've really enjoyed this series. All the books have been solid four stars and these characters are easy to get attached to. I love the little found family that has formed over the course of the series and the last couple of chapters were pretty emotional. It was a little strange reading a book about a plague whilst in the middle of a pandemic but this was a great story to wrap it all up and I'm sure I'll continue on with the companion series which follows the main four when they're older.

 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen    

My final book of the month was this staple in literature. I own all of Jane Austen's work so  figured what better place to start then her most famous. I'm already very familiar with the story so I already knew I'd enjoy it. Classics do tend to be pretty dense and slow though and this one was no exception. I don't know why I thought I could smash this out in a couple of days! I loved the romance between Elizabeth and Darcy and Austen definitely has a way with words. I think I'd probably enjoy this more on a re-read though, I feel like I rushed parts of it and I think now that I'm more familiar with the writing, I'd find it a bit easier to get through. I'll be slowly working my way through the rest of her books now!