Tag: V.E. Schwab

Most Anticipated 2020 Reads: Part 2

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Seeing as we’ve somehow got to the middle of the year (I know, I know what even is time after the last few months?) it seemed like a good idea to look ahead to some of the books that will be coming out later this year!

The Falling In Love Montage (9th June)

This book will already be out by the time this post goes live but it sounds like its going to be a good one. Saoirse is coping with her Mum’s dementia diagnosis and coming to terms that she may develop it later on – which means she does not have time for love. Or does she?

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour (7th July)

I had very mixed feelings about Hank Green’s first book in this series An Absolute Remarkable thing but I just remember needing to know what happens next. He writes a damn good cliff hanger.

Loveless (9th July)

Alice has been tweeting about this book and how much it means to her and I’m really looking forward to reading it. It is also has an Ace main character, something I’m really interested in reading because I don’t think I’ve read a book with an Ace main character before.

This Is My America (28th July)

Tracy is already dealing with the fact that her father is an innocent black man on death row with time running out, then her brother is accused of killing a white girl. Dealing with the US prison system and someone being seeing as instantly guilty because of the colour of their skin this one is going to be heavy but super important.

Midnight Sun (4th August)

Yep, I’m doing it. I really loved Twilight when I was a teenager so I’m going to be buying a copy out of curiosity.

The Black Kids (1st September)

Set during the 1992 LA riots after the beating of Rodney King at the hands of 4 LAPD officers, this one couldn’t be more timely. Ashley is from a well off black family but has to consider who she is, where she stands and what this means to her.

Majesty (3rd September)

I read the first in the series American Royals as an ARC last year. The premise is what if America had a royal family. Kind of The Crown mixed with american culture. The first was left on a big cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Every Body Looking (22nd September)

Described as ‘a heavily autobiographical novel of a young woman’s struggle to carve a place for herself–for her black female body–in a world of deeply conflicting messages’ told in verse.

I’ve started to really enjoy novels in verse and think this will be a great addition to my growing collection.

Watch Over Me (15th September)

I’ve only discovered Nina LaCour this year but I’ve fallen in love with her way of writing. This looks different to her other contemporary novels, it’s about a young woman fresh out of the foster system who chooses to take a job on an isolated farm but has to deal with her own demons and the ghosts of those who have been there previously.

More Than A Woman (15th September)

This appears to be a follow up to her bestseller How To Be A Woman. While I know now that it was problematic Caitlin really got me to embrace feminism while at university and I’ve enjoyed her other books so I’m looking forward to a new perspective in this one.

Dear Justyce (29th September)

This is titled on NetGalley as Dear Martin #2. Dear Martin was an incredible book and showed Nic Stone’s talent as an author. The novel follows Quan during his time in a holding cell while he awaits trial after pleading not guilty in the shooting of a police officer. I have a feeling I’m going to cry at this one.

The Invisible Live of Addie LaRue (6th October)

V.E Schwab’s next release and that alone makes me super excited. This is also a book that Victoria has been working on for years. It’s about a young woman who makes a deal to live forever but she’s cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Hijab and Red Lipstick (15th October)

A debut by Yousra Imran who is an absolute gem on Twitter and Instagram. It’s about a young woman with a strict Egyptian father finding herself and her voice.

The Midnight Library (20th October)

The latest novel from Matt Haig whos books I absolutely adore. Firstly its set in a library, which is a instant plus for me. It also talks about the ability to live other lives as you choose, I’m intrigued, especially after I loved How To Stop Time so much.

The Book Of Two Ways (22nd October UK Release)

Jodi Picoult has been one of my favourite authors since I was a teenager. From the information that has been released it’s about the choices we make and you can expect a Picoult twist as is standard and one of the reasons I love her books.

The How & The Why (5th November)

Told across time as a young pregnant woman writes to her unborn baby, 18 years later her daughter is looking for answers to who she is and where she comes from. This sounds like it could be a really beautiful novel and I love the idea of seeing both young women at different points in their lives.

Admission (1st December)

One of the first novels I’ve seen that deals with the college admissions scandal in the US. I’m really intrigued when real life news topics are explored in fiction. I’m interested to see how the author tackles the topic.

What are you looking forward to in the second half of the year? Let me know below!

Book Review: The Near Witch - V.E Schwab

Book Review: The Near Witch – V.E Schwab

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The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

Lexi has grown up with the stories of the Near Witch with little thought to them other than to scare children. But not long after a mysterious stranger arrives and children start to go missing from their beds, Lexi needs to find out the truth – and make sure her sister doesn’t become one of the missing children.

I meant to pick this up a while ago but it slipped my mind, it was only when I saw the gorgeous sprayed edges edition that I knew I needed to buy and read it. I also managed to persuade my book club to read it too!

Lexi is an excellent character, she’s intelligent but also has a softer side, it’s great to see a character that has both. While she’s dealing with the death of her father and what is expected of her in her village she’s also fiercely determined and wants to do the right thing.

I was also fascinated by Cole (this edition also included a short story about him at the end which I wish had been a whole book in itself), the element of mystery really kept me reading. Who was he? Was he the Near Witch? Could he be trusted? So many questions.

I’m not entirely clear when or where in the world this is meant to be set but it gives me a old worldy vibe because of the way the town acts and the types of jobs that are mentioned – which I enjoyed.

When you consider that this is her debut and something that she was writing while at university it’s even more impressive. I lost myself in this story and this world once I started reading.

This was a 4.5 star read for me. An engaging story and while at the beginning it was slightly slower than I’d have liked, when it picked up it was an enjoyable read. I’d actually quite like to know what happened after.

2020 Releases I'm Looking Forward To Part 1

2020 Releases I’m Looking Forward To Part 1

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There are set to be some absolute bangers this year in books. While most of these are YA, I am going to try and expand my reading (which is why this is part 1) BUT most of these I’ve been looking forward to for a long time and are part of a series I’ve been reading.

All of these dates are what’s currently listed on Goodreads and may change!

House of Earth and Blood – Sarah J Maas

I absolutely adored A Court of Thorns and Roses and so I’m really excited for this series. There are demons, fallen angels and despite the fact it’s going to be over 800 pages (eek). I’m super excited for this one.

Released: 3rd March

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue – V.E Schwab

There’s no cover for this yet but it’s a new V.E Schwab so of course I’m super hyped! She’s been talking about this online for a while and in her own words it’s about ‘A French girl makes a deal with the devil, ends up cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Until 300 years later, when she meets a boy who remembers her name.’

I’m so, so in.

Released: 6th October

Loveless – Alice Oseman

I think Alice Oseman is not only an excellent writer but seems like a pretty great human being. Loveless is a really important book to her with Ace representation and I’m really excited to read it.

Released: 9th July

The Gravity of Us – Phil Stamper

So, I met Phil while we were both studying at Kingston and both up for awards a few years ago and he’s such a lovely guy. There’s a lot of hype about The Gravity Of Us and for good reason, there’s space, there’s social media and a first romance between two guys. So excited.

Released: 4th February (out now!)

Heartstopper Volume 3 – Alice Oseman

I’ve talked about Heartstopper a lot in the past year, it’s one of my favourites and just makes my heart so happy. I’m so excited for volume 3 to see what Nick and Charlie are up to. Roll on February!

Released: 6th February (out now!)

Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3) – Victoria Schwab

I started this series in 2019 and both books made it into my favourites of 2019. If you haven’t heard about it Cassidy can see ghosts, her best friend Jacob is a ghost and her parents travel around the world making documentaries (although they can’t see them) they also have an adorable cat called Grim. Have I sold it to you yet?

Released: 1st September

Clap When You Land – Elizabeth Acevedo

Two girls who both adore their father are devastated when he dies in a plane crash which soon turns to shock when they learn about each other. I’ve heard a lot about this on American BookTube so I’m looking forward to getting hold of a copy.

Released: 14th May

The Love Hypothesis – Laura Steven

Laura Steven is one of my favourite YA authors and she’s got a pretty great Instagram too. The Love Hypothesis is about a girl who is all about the academics and an over-achiever (guilty) who can’t quite work out love. She also happens to be in love with her best friend. We’re in for a hell of a ride.

Released: 5th March

What else should I be looking out for? Let me know below!

Book Review – Vicious – V.E Schwab

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Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Well, this was a bit bloody brilliant wasn’t it? Vicious was the first V.E Schwab book I read and I’m more than a little bit in love with the novel and plot. Victor and Eli are both stand out characters and, more so, I was just knocked sideways by how smart the plot was.

When I first started reading the novel I did get a bit confused, there’s quite a few characters to start with quite early on, we’re going between modern day for the characters and 10 years ago. That took quite a bit of getting used to and I had to really concentrate at times to make sure I knew what was going on. However, once I got past that I was obsessed with this book.

Personally, I love Victor he was definitely my favourite character, even if he wasn’t always likeable. I feel that all of the characters were interesting but there was just something about Victor that I found so interesting, possibly in his way of thinking, his motives. I didn’t quite connect with Eli the same way but I might in the next novel, who knows?

This is a book that really kept me reading, I needed to know what what going to happen – how the ‘game’ was going to play out and more importantly who was going to survive. And I was completely hooked. I also had a huge soft soft for Sydney and needed to know what was going to happen to her.

Also, no spoilers but that ending, THAT ENDING. I absolutely loved it and I’m quite glad I picked up both novels after Vengeful was released because while I am taking time to process between books I can go to the next one without that much of a wait.

I gave this 5 stars, I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone. I am kicking myself for not picking up a V.E Schwab novel sooner. She is clearly an incredible story teller and I can’t wait to see what happens in Vengeful.

What I Read In July 2019

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Another month gone and 9 more books read. Yep, this month I managed to read 9 books and I’m pretty chuffed with myself! July was a super busy month so I didn’t have much hope. That said, it was a good mix of graphic novels, poetry, audiobooks and physical books.

Heartstopper volume 2 came out in July and it was just as perfect as volume 1 , perhaps even more so? I can’t say too much because it would spoil the first one but this is such a cute read and it’s going to be a TV show and I am SO THERE.

Next up was an ARC I was excited to receive because I LOVED Disconnected Vol 1 , this was just as good and I can’t stop thinking about it a month after reading. A full review to come closer to release!

I listened to Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come by Jessica Pan as an audiobook and it was an interesting book. Following Jessica’s attempts to be an extrovert definitely gave her some interesting challenges and also made me consider my own life as an introvert. I gave it 4 stars and would recommend giving the audiobook a go.

I picked up Look Closer by Stewart Lewis at YALC last year and didn’t get around to it but I’m really kicking myself for not getting to it. Tegan’s story is touching and looks at the abilities she gains while grieving her father’s death.

I finally got around to The Power by Naomi Alderman for my new book group I’m a part of it’s set in an alternate world where women can use an electrical current that runs through them and they gain power all over the world. I liked this book and gave it a 4/5 stars – my book group liked it too!

Next up, Calm the F**k Down by Sarah Knight. I like Sarah Knight’s book for the pick me up they give me. She’s straight talking and I always feel more focused after listening. I’m already working on when I should use my freak out funds, 4.5 stars.

I read 2 of my YALC books in July. First up was Misfit by Charli Howard, a memoir of her life living with an eating disorder and in the modelling world. This was a 3.5 star for me and quite hard to read. I’d definitely say to go into this knowing it could be difficult if you’ve had any problems with eating or weight in the past – just a heads up.

Next was There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker. I’d picked this up in the bookshop a few times and then saw it half price at YALC. Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I gave it a 2 star rating – there were a few poems I liked but overall I just couldn’t get on with the style.

I just finished Vicious a few hours before midnight on the 31st July and wow, just wow. I can’t believe I waited so long to pick up a V.E Schwab. I met her at YALC and she was absolutely lovely (I was half way through this when meeting her) and very excited that it was my first novel of hers. I’m now eyeing all her other books and can’t wait to get on to Vengeful.

What did you read in July? Let me know in the comments below!