Liebster Award

Liebster Award

 

Yes, that's right peeps! I have been nominated for a Liebster Award and let me tell you, I am so very honoured that anyone would love my blog enough to nominate me for such an award. I was actually nominated twice which is all the more amazing for me.

 

Thank you to:

 

Izzy @ Izzy the Reader

Waimarie @ Butterfly Fly Away Reads

 

... for their nominations.

Please check out these girls 'blogs (their names are linked to their pages).

 

 

Rules:

 

The Liebster rules are pretty simple:

 

Link and thank those who nominated you.

 

Answers the 11 questions posed to you, list 11 facts about yourself, nominate 11 bloggers and ask them 11 questions.

 

Inform them of their nomination by commenting on their most recent post.

 

 

Izzy's Questions:

 

1. Why did you start to blog?

 

I started blogging because I wanted a way to meet people that loved to read too and - in all honesty - I loved the extra access to review copies.

 

2. Recommend three of your favourite series.

 

Harry Potter by J.k. Rowling

Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater

Laws of Magic by Michael Pryor

 

3. Who is your favourite author? Why?

 

Either Cassandra Clare or Maggie Stiefvater - though I have lots of other favourite authors - because their writing style is incredibly beautiful.

 

4. Which books do you want to be turned into a movie/TV show? Do you have a cast in mind?

 

I am not a fan of book to movie adaptions but I think that the Cherub series by Robert Muchamore (well, at least the first two books that I have read) would make an awesome television series. No, I don't have a cast in mind.

 

5. Name a book that disappointed you.

 

My latest disappointing book was 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs.

 

6. What's your favourite quote from a book?

 

Probably Will's letter to Tessa in Clockwork Prince. Its too long to put here though!

 

7. From all the series you have read so far, which do you think has the best ending?

 

I think Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows was a pretty good ending to a fantastic series, but I also think Forever, from the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, was pretty good.

 

8. If you had to live in an dystopian world which would it be?

 

Umm what kind of question is this! I think I would have to go with Project Firebird. You'll have to read it to find out why. ;)

 

9. If you could have any item from any book, what would it be? And no, you cannot choose a wand!

 

Hermione's Time Turner from the Harry Potter series.

 

10. If you could ask any author any question, who and what would you ask?

 

I am not sure really. I need more time to think about this!

 

11. How do you spend your free time?

 

Reading, blogging, listening to music, playing piano, dance classes and watching TV or movies.

 

 

Waimarie's Questions:

 

1. What is your all-time favourite book?

 

Too many to list!

 

2. Who are your top three book boyfriends?

 

William Herondale (The Infernal Devices), Cole St Clair (Wolves of Mercy Falls) and Ian O'Shea (The Host)

 

3. Print or ebook?

 

Both. Depends on the situation.

 

4. What book do you think should be made into a movie?

 

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith. The perfect rom com movie!

 

5. What book character do you relate to the most?

 

A mix of Hermione Granger and Tessa from The Infernal Devices. 

 

6. Home-cooked meals or takeaway?

 

Home-cooked meals all the way!

 

7. Are you organised?

 

I used to be OCD but I have recovered from that. I wouldn't say I was messy but I am not quite "organised" either.

 

8. Who is your favourite author?

 

Too many to say!

 

9. Who is your favourite Disney character?

 

Impossible question! I love Simba and John Smith and Tarzan and Thomas and Belle and Pumba and Lady and... so many more!

 

10. What is your favourite book to movie adaptions?

 

Catching Fire and Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

11. What is it that older teenagers find alluring about immortal men?

 

Umm, I don't exactly have personal experience with this one so I can't say... I haven't exactly met any immortal men - yet!

 

 

 

11 Random Facts About Me

 

1. I have a pet cat called Timmy and a pet dog called Buddy

2. I am addictive TV show fangirl

3. I am the world's pickiest eater

4. I have never been overseas

5. I am still in high school... which sucks!

6. My life's dream is to move to England and to go to at least one year's BEA

7. I love Marvel movies - Captain America: The Winter Soldier is my favourite movie of all time

8. I am a real history buff - its my fave school subject

9. My favourite bands are Imagine Dragon and The Script

10. I love to dance

11. I play piano and clarinet but want to take up cello too

 

 

 

11 Questions for My Nominees

 

1. What is your favourite food/s?

2. Who is your favourite band or singer?

3. Favourite genre of book?

4. Do play any instruments?

5. Favourite television series?

6. Whose one of your auto-buy authors?

7. What three countries would you love to visit?

8. You could have any one superpower. What would it be?

9. Favourite supernatural creature?

10. What trait do you admire in a protagonist?

11. What book is next on your TBR shelf?

 

**

 

Well, that's my Liebster Award done. I cannot stop smiling at the thought that people have considered me for such an award! Really it is such an honour and thank you once again Izzy and Waimarie!

 

Now for my nominees. I am not going to do nominate eleven people. I know its in the rules and everything but I just going to change that. I am only going to nominate a few people I think really deserve it. :)

 

My first nominee would have been Izzy. Her blog is fantastic and its probably my favourite. I love her tags and her reviews. The set out is gorgeous and I really think she deserves it... unfortunately she was actually the one who nominated me so I cannot nominate her back! Please go and check her out though. Link was backup near the top. :)

 

My real nominees are as follows:

 

Katie @ Kittens and Books

Diamond @ Dee's Reads

 

I just want to add a quick thanks to any and all of my followers. I love you all and want to thank you for all your support and comments.

 

Trailer Reveal: The Casquette Girls

Trailer Reveal for The Casquette Girls:

 

Title: The Casquette Girls

Series: The Casquette Girls #1
 

Author: Alys Arden  

Date of Release: October 31st, 2014

 

Genres: young adult, paranormal

 

Links:   Goodreads  | Amazon

 

 

 

 Description:

 

Seven girls tied by time.
Five powers that bind.
One curse to lock the horror away.
One attic to keep the monsters at bay.

* * *
After the Storm of the Century rips apart New Orleans, Adele Le Moyne and her father are among the first to return to the city following the mandatory evacuation. Adele wants nothing more than for life to return to normal, but with the silent city resembling a mold-infested war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal will have to be redefined.

Events too unnatural – even for New Orleans – lead Adele to an attic that has been sealed for three hundred years, and the chaos she unleashes threatens not only her life but everyone she knows.

Caught suddenly in a hurricane of eighteenth-century myths and monsters, Adele must quickly untangle a web of magic that links the climbing murder rate back to her own ancestors. But who can you trust in a city where everyone has a secret, and where keeping them can be a matter of life and death – unless, that is, you’re immortal.


  About The Author:
  

 Alys Arden grew up in the Vieux Carré, cut her teeth on the streets of New York, and has worked all around the world since. She still plans to run away with the circus one day.
  

Author Links:
 

Author's Webpage  | Book's Webpage  | Facebook

 

 

Trailer Reveal:

 

Review: Hunted

Review of Hunted

by Megg Jensen:

 

 

My Thoughts:

 

I have to say that this wasn't as good as Hidden. The special quality that made the prequel so engaging was missing. The plot was flat - all the action and intrigue I loved in the first book just wasn't there. It was too jumpy and seemed a little unorganised. I had no idea where it was going, and while I appreciate the unpredictability, it just wasn't consistent enough. I did, however, enjoy learning more about the kingdom and the Sands and all the different cultures and dragon lore and everything. The characters, again, while I still love them, made a lot of decisions I wasn't happy with and just didn't stay true to the characters we met in Hidden. I wasn't on board with the direction of the romance and to be honest I really just don't like any of the couple combinations any more. Hunted wasn't what I was hoping it would be and am a little disappointed that it didn't live up to the standard of the prequel. I want more of Tressa's story though, and can only hope that this suffered from Middle Book Syndrome - meaning that Retribution will be much better. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Megg Jensen in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

 

Details:

 

First Line: Udor watched in wonder, barely believing his eyes as the fog dissipated.

 

Series: Dragonlands #2

Publication: June 3rd 2014 by 80 Pages

Source: Megg Jensen (author)

 

3 stars

 

The Opposite Books Tag

The Opposite Books Tag

I was tagged in this challenge by the ever gorgeous Izzy @ The Reading Izzy. Thank you! Click on her name to check out her answers to this tag challenge.

 

What was the first book in your collection and the latest book you purchased?

I have absolutely no idea what my first book would have been. I have always been a reader and cannot remember a time before I had books!

 

The latest book I bought was Shattered Dreams.

The cheapest book you have bought? The most expensive?

I am assuming that free books don't count because I get a lot of review copies and Amazon freebies. The cheapest book that I have to pay for was probably Beauty Queen.  I go Op shopping a lot so I go this for a bargain 20 cents!

 

The most expensive would have had to be Harry Potter Film Wizardry - it cost me $48! Luckily I paid for half and got the rest as Christmas present.

 

 

 A book you've read with a male protagonist? A female protagonist?

 I was estimate that at least 95% of the books I read have female points of view. It isn't that I dislike reading from male POVs, jus the fact there are so little! One I did enjoy were:

 

Female POVs are just too numerous to list...

 

What was a book you read quite fast? A book that took you a long time to finish?

  

I read Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban in one day. It was that good! I think the most impressive one was Bitterblue though - I read that in a couple of hours at it is 800+ long!

 

The longest I took to read a book... hmm probably The Golden Compass. That is 1100+ page book which I started in year seven (three years ago) and still haven't finished.
 

 What is you favourite "pretty" cover (you own) and your favourite ugly cover (you own)?

 

Some of my favourite covers are Wings, Flitterwig and Clockwork Princess.

 

 

One of my least favourite is the Princess Diaries series. All of the different editions have gross covers. None of them are nice! The copy I own has cover art which is so cheesy I want to cry whenever I see it. Honestly, it look like it was created on KidPix!

 

 A favourite national + international book?

 

My favourite book set in Australia (my home country) would probably be the Laws of Magic series. I love this series very, very much and cannot believe that it was written by a fellow Australian. 

(One of my goals for next year is to read more Australian book. Do you have any recommendation? I have a list of all the ones on my radar so far. All ideas and thoughts are most welcome!)

My favourite non-Australian book would probably be Shiver or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

What is the thinnest book you own and the thickest?

The thinnest book I probably own is The Audition which is 123 pages. The thickest book (not including bind-ups which would easily going into the 1100+ pages) would probably be Inheritance which is 850+ pages.

 

 

 A fiction + a non-fiction book you own?
 

I own 97% fiction books so I'll just go with the latest book I bought: Destined (Aprilynne Pike)

A non-fiction book that I enjoyed and own is... umm I cannot think of any! A non-fiction book I really want to read it Mao's Last Dancer though.

 

 

A romantic book you own? An action-packed one?

 

 

 

A book that made you happy? A book that made you sad?

 

 

*******

 

Did you enjoy this post? I loved answering these questions. Were some of our answers similar? Really different? Let me know what you thought in the comments below. Feel free to consideration yourself tagged if you want to participate in this challenge. Please leave a link back to me if you do though!

My official tag is going to be Morrighan Rose @ Elysian Fields.

 

Review: Hidden

Review of Hidden

by Megg Jensen:

My Thoughts:

I don't know what to say about this book. Honestly, I am stuck for words. There was so many aspects of this that I really enjoyed but it just wasn't that good. Well, it was just... ugh! It was good but there was a lot that didn't work at the same time. I can see why many people didn't enjoy this yet at the same time I cannot honestly say I didn't enjoy it... Lets set this out then. The bad? The pacing was a little sketchy. The beginning was a little tedious, and while I understand that there was a lot of information and word-building required to introduce us into the fantasy would, a little action would have been nice. Towards the end though the pacing was way too fast. The battles were a tad too rush and too much drama conspired within a couple of chapters. It needed more time to develop. One thing that particularly bugged me was the fact that we literally got to know nothing about the dragon lore of this fantasy world, yet it is one of the most important aspects of the story. Why haven't we been told more about them? Where do they come from? What can they do? How does the "shifting" work? Is it a hereditary ability or what? My brain is spinning with the possibilities... Also the romance wasn't that great. While I loved Bastian and Tressa as a couple I didn't appreciate the way the love triangle was handled. It made me feel conflicted and I didn't like that. Vinya didn't deserve loyalty but she didn't deserve betrayal either. I just hate cheating! The good? I think the best part of this book was how unique the storyline was. Originality is something highly sought in the young adult genre as it seems to becoming a rather rare quality. The concept of having a village entirely cloaked in a impenetrable wall of fog is bloody genius! There was so much potential with the idea and I felt Megg Jensen definitely used it all. Tressa and the other characters were all developed out nicely. I admired Tressa's bravery and determination and Leo's loyalty. Really there wasn't anything to fault character-wise. In the end, I quite enjoyed this book. It wasn't literary genius but it had a lot of good parts and I eagerly await the sequel. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Megg Jensen and All Night Books, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

Details:

First Line: Sophia woke to the sharp piercing cry of an infant.

Series: Dragonlands #1

Publication: December 20th 2013 by 80 Pages

Source: Netgalley

3.5 stars

Top Ten Tuesday #9

This week topic is:-

Top Ten Books To Read  To Get In The Halloween Spirit

This is a weekly event created by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers post a new "Top Ten" list for the particular week's topic. This week topic is in no particular order.

Slight Change to Top Ten Horror/Thriller Books on my TBR List

Australians don't actually celebrate Halloween. Its quite a weird festival anyway and I cannot say I like it - no offence to Americans! Its just an American thing that I don't feel like we should copy.

   1. A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness)

Nightmares coming to life? This sounds intriguing! I have heard so much buzz about it and nothing but compliments.

2. Devil Let Me Go (Nathan Robinson) 

I really loved Nathan Robinson's Starers so I really want to give this one a go too.

3. Ten (Gretchen McNeil)

The cover and description reminds me of the television program show Alcatraz. The premise sounds so creepy and amazing. Definitely high on my TBR and wishlist lists!

4. The Name of the Star (Maureen Johnson) 

A Jack the Ripper retelling? Colour me intrigued already.

5. Dark Places (Gillian Flynn)

I read but didn't enjoy Gone Girl so I am hoping that this will be better. It is supposedly gritty, raw and quite "filthy". A perfect thriller for this time of year.

6. In the Shadows of Blackbirds (Cat Winters)

One of the highest rated book among my GR friends. Everyone loves this one. Definitely need to pick it up. Plus look at the cover! *shivers* I love it though.

 7. Mice (Gordon Reece)

This book has been on my radar for ever and ever. I cannot believe I still haven't read it...

 8. Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs)

A weird one, I know, but it looks interesting. I love the cover.

9. Doll Bones (Holly Black)

This book sounds right u my alley. I am not a huge fan of horror at the best of times but middle grade horror is always so well done.

 10. Thirteen (Tom Hoyle)

Love the sound of this but I am going to be honest and say that this only got my attention because it is one of the coolest looking books I have ever seen. The spine is yellow and has all this black text on it. I adore it!

Review: Lost & Found

Review of Lost & Found

by Brooke Davis:

 

 

My Thoughts:

 

DNF 40%

I am always the girl in the minority. Why? I just don't seem to like any of the well-loved books that everyone else does - or I love the book that everyone despises like The Brokenhearted. One day I'll get it right... but today isn't that day.

Lost & Found was recommended to me by Connie at Dillons - the supervisor of the book shop where I did my work experience a couple of months ago. It was one of the most best-selling books of the week and I was the one that designed the window display for it. Connie couldn't stop talking about this book, recommending it over and over again. I just don't understand why...

This book is weird. I don't mean its like a Roald Dahl book, I mean more like a David Almond weird. There writing style was practically verse but not quite. The sentences were short. The metaphors weird and abstract. The writing was just like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

- another book that was so "weird" that I couldn't get into it.

I really regret that I wasn't able to adore this book like so many other people have but it just wasn't for me. I don't cope with this style of writing and I was struggling far too much to be able to enjoy it.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Brooke Davis and Dutton/Penguin Group, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

 

Details:

 

 Series: none

Publication: January 27th 2015 by Dutton Adult

Source: Edelweiss

 

 

One dandelion