Book Review: 99 Days

3/5 stars

I felt this story was forgettable and didn't bring anything new to the table. We follow Molly who was in a relationship with her childhood best friend last summer but she cheated on him with his older brother Gabe. Molly's Mum wrote a best selling book about it rather than comforting her daughter which pushed Molly to leave and spend a year at a boarding school.

I felt like I'd been dropped in the middle of Molly's story because everything had happened last summer and nothing was really happening now. She seemed to go straight back into bad habits, spending time with Gabe and unable to move on from Patrick even though he is in a new relationship. Molly didn't have any healthy friendships in this story and she didn't really spend time with her Mum (which is something that usually happens in YA that I'm not a fan of!)

The love triangle was frustrating because it felt like Molly hadn't learnt anything from the summer before. She didn't seem to have any interests of her own, although she had a summer job at The Lodge where she was Penn's personal assistant.

I am going to read the sequel 9 days and 9 nights which is Katie's new release. 

Book Review: You're Welcome, Universe

4/5 stars

We follow Julia who was expelled from Kingston School for the Deaf after creating a beautiful (illegal) mural on school property to protect her best friend. Julia's life is messy and complicated with friendships and relationships that don't always follow the straight path you're expecting.

I love the diversity of this book - Julia is a deaf main character and there are many illustrations of sign language throughout the pages. Also some of the conversations are incomplete because she isn't able to read their lips easily. Julia also has two mothers that are both deaf. I thought the characters all had their own personalities and I could separate them from each other. Sometimes having a big cast of characters means that they blur together. I like that the story wasn't romance heavy, it's just Julia and her love of art.

We have to follow Julia through the graffiti war as she tries to work out who this other artist is and why they are competing. I liked Julia's relationship with Mr Katz, her art teacher.

The most disappointing part was the toxic friendship that Julia rekindled towards the end of the book. If I was in Julia's shoes, I wouldn't have forgiven this person. That is why I have given this book 4 stars rather than 5.

If you liked this, you might also like A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

May Fairyloot Subscription Box!

This is my first Fairyloot box and I really love each item that was included. As you may know from my book reviews I am not a huge reader of fantasy books, however, each of these items are versatile enough for anyone to enjoy.

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!

SPOILERS!

Also a signed book plate, author letter, book mark, tarot card, book buddy code and sticker - My buddy code is...

Smoke in the Sun Bookmark

Tarot card

The other side of my tarot card

• The book - Onyx and Ivory (Published: 28 June 2018) 

Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett

Here's the description/blurb on Amazon:

Acclaimed author Mindee Arnett thrusts readers into a beautiful, dangerous, and magical world in this stunningly epic and romantic fantasy for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah Raasch.

They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime.

Cast out of the nobility, Kate now works for the royal courier service. Only the most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the drakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: She is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals.

And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormaine, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget after he condemned her father to death.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin must put the past behind them to face this new threat and an even darker menace stirring in the kingdom.

 

• Book sleeve by Reverie and Ink

Exclusive water-proof book sleeve 

This is water-proof and has a quote from An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.

• Throne of Glass Page Flags by Fictiontea Designs

Tab up your books with these page flags!

• The Winners Trilogy Coaster by Evie Bookish and Save the Kingdom Tea by The Tea Leaf Co

Tea and coaster

• Norgard Vegan Bath Bomb by Little Hearts Gifts

It is themed around the book of the month. The scent is "moonstones and berries" which is fresh and fruity.

I gave this to my neighbour as she has five children under 10 years old who would enjoy it more than me. (It would be wasted otherwise as I don't have a bath) 

• The Remnant Chronicles Lip Scrub ‘Morrighan’ by Geeky Clean

'Morrighan' Lip Scrub

This is a cruetly-free and Vegan lip scrub. There are three flavours - Morrighan, Dalbreck and Venda

May Book Box Club!

Links to Book Box Club:

Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

This is a monthly book subscription box that includes a new release and lots of bookish goodies. May is my first box and I'm excited to unbox it.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Inside the box:

My welcome card

Stargazers is May's theme

A bookmark

I always love receiving wrapped gifts within subscription boxes! This one had the book of the month inside.
This month's book is The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

I love this cat pin - adorable!

A Shakespeare quote is always fun! This is actually a mirror

A little pouch to use as a pencil case or maybe a make up case

Harry Potter inspired bookmark

Cute socks that I'll definitely be wearing on cosy reading days

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green - promotional bookmark

A postcard promoting Skylarks by Karen Gregory - this is already on my TBR shelf

I really enjoyed all the goodies in this box and it's well worth the money. Although I am not the biggest Fantasy book fan, I do have this big chunk of a book on my TBR shelf and will give it a try soon.

Look out for next month's unboxing! The theme is... Bad Girls!

G I V E A W A Y #3: Down Among The Sticks and Bones!

I listened to this series on Audible earlier this year and it is one of my favourites! I don't normally read fantasy but this series captured my heart.

Again, I ordered two copies and cannot cancel my order because it's already been dispatched!

RULES:

UK only
You pay postage costs
Email me (kazia.terry@happylittleblogger.co.uk)

I'll choose a winner on 1st June 2018

Book Review: The Girl in the Broken Mirror

4/5 stars!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sexual assault and suicide

A gripping, contemporary story with strong female characters that explores the trauma of familial violence which teenage girls may face every day, whether as victims or bystanders. (From the publisher)

I loved the diversity in this book because I don't have much knowledge about Indian culture. There are many more books coming out that are about different cultures and backgrounds which I am excited about, especially in most recent years.

This book will break your heart over and over again. But there is a sprinkle of happiness and hope too.

I like the relationship between Jay and her Mother Neela. Neela has not kept strictly to Indian traditions but when they have to move in with distant relatives, she has no choice but to follow their rules. Jay finds it difficult to be without her Mother's constant attention like she had before the move. Aunty Vimala is the opposite of Neela, she believes in tradition. She has two sons who have quite different personalities and this makes the family dynamic unbalanced in a way that seems familiar and relatable.

This book has a constant tension running through it because the reader is unsure who committed this horrendous crime. There are many possibilities and each male character becomes a suspect. It is written in third person which allows us some scenes from Neela's point of view but mainly it is told through Jay's eyes.

Sita is a family friend and she is just a pure angel! I loved her since her first introduction and she helps Jay through the toughest time as she hits rock bottom. I couldn't control the tears then.

The story ties up nicely although it has left me with some unanswered questions. 

Book Review: Leah on the Offbeat

2/5 stars!

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Leah had an attitude problem throughout this whole book and her personality didn't relate to how we saw her in Simon vs which was a disappointment.

The storyline of Leah's Mum and boyfriend fizzled out really quickly and I thought it would be much more at the forefront of the story. Also Leah's sexuality (bisexual) is a main part of the story but we don't need to be reminded of it literally every other chapter.

I felt like there wasn't much focus on Leah's love for art or drumming. We don't see any pictures of her artwork or her blog posts. I also wanted more of Leah and her love interest. It felt like the ending was rushed because there was so much romance in those last chapters. How did Leah just get over herself that quickly and feel comfortable with her love interest?

There was a racist comment that upset Leah a lot even though it wasn't towards her. It felt like she kept repeating this and overreacted. The person that it was aimed at hadn't really been bothered because they get comments like that ALL the time. This wasn't really fleshed out and I feel like it was brushed under the carpet.

Did Leah save enough money for her drum kit? Did she sell any of her artwork? Who made the comment "Two girls kissing at prom" on Leah's blog?

It seemed too convenient that Abby happened to have a friend with an apartment on/near campus... I felt like their road trip to the college was unrealistic. However, I want to know if Leah does join their band or not. She felt much more like her character when Becky Albertali described the feeling when Leah is drumming. This is her passion but it wasn't explored very much at all.

Thank you to my friend Sophie who let me share all my feelings about this book and helped to make them cohesive enough for this blog post!