2020- A Review| Carenza Bramwell

I have written one of these posts for nearly every year I have been blogging. It is a chance to look back on the year. I wasn't sure if I wanted to write one this year, but it feels more important than ever to reflect on the weird year that was 2020. I have broken this down into three sections- university, personal and reading/writing/culture. 

University

In the first half of 2020, I completed my second year of university. It was odd completing it at home, after having to leave suddenly. I haven't seen some of my friends in months. I'm still proud of the work I managed to achieve as I really struggled with motivation this year. I got a slightly better grade than last year and I'm hoping graduate with a good grade this year. Then in the second half of 2020, I started my third and final year of university. It is bizarre to me that I will be graduating in six months time. It's a cliche to say, but it does feel as though I only started university yesterday. Moving everything online has been a weird experience. I miss the separation between home and uni. Now that I'm on Christmas break, I have been enjoying the work a bit more as I feel I've had time to relax and brainstorm. I'm ready to graduate and move away from education, even though I don't have a plan for what to do next.  

Personal

Even without COVID, 2020 was a fairly difficult year for me personally. The first 5-6 weeks were amazing. I was having a great time. Then in early February, I fell ill with a mystery illness. It was a scary moment as I had never had something like that happen to me. I haven't totally recovered, but I am a lot better than February. It goes without saying but this impacted my year a lot. In the last eighteen months, I have experienced some of the worst health points in my life. At the end of the day, I'm still alive, even if I'm not in the best of health, but it could have been so much worse.

A few months ago, I saw tweets going around asking people what had they achieved in this awful year. At first, my thought was "well I haven't achieved anything". I had so many goals. I was going to travel and work. None of that happened. It made me a bit sad to see that a lot of people had achieved amazing things in a not amazing year. So, I've made a list of the things I have achieved. They may be small in the grand scheme of things, but they mean something to me.

My achievements:

• Finished second year and started third year
• Continued to make my new home feel like home
• Spent time with my family after three and a half years living apart
• Read 75 books
• Became the Editor in Chief of my uni magazine 
• Discovered new favourites
• Survived 

Culture

My relationship with "culture" has changed in 2020. By culture, I mean books, film/tv and writing. I'll also give theatre an honourable shoutout as I've missed it so much. I managed to see four plays live before everything shut down. The arts has been devastated this year and it needs a lot more than we're giving to it. Reading wise, I only managed to read 75 books. This is the lowest amount since 2017. I found joy in books, but I found that I didn't enjoy them as much as I normally would. They didn't provide as much comfort as normal. I know that a lot of people have found solace in books, I'm hoping that returns for me. 

This year, I really discovered my love for film/tv. I have a lot clearer an idea of what my favourite film/tv favourites of the year were than I do books. I think it's because I know that I want to work in film/tv after I graduate. I would love to write a book, but film and tv is where my heart lies. I went to the cinema twice in 2020, and like theatre, I miss it a lot. 

I told myself in 2020, that I would do more writing. I had more time. What I didn't have was the motivation. 2020 drained me of a lot of energy. What with my degree, creating blog content and working on the uni magazine, it felt like spending my free time at my laptop was a bit pointless. Hopefully after I graduate, I will have time and motivation to work on my writing.   

I think it's safe to conclude that 2020 was not the best year, but there were moments of lightness. I would say let's hope that 2021 is a better year, but I have very low expectations. I'm just happy this year is over.

Carenza :) x

My 2021 Reading Goals| Carenza Bramwell

As the shit show that was 2020 comes to a close, it's time to think about 2021. If I'm being brutally honest, my expectations for 2021 are very low. This is partly due to 2020 and partly because if I set the bar so low, it means I can be surprised. With a new year, comes New Years Resolutions. I'm not making any this year as I never stick to them. However, I am going to make some reading goals for 2021. 2020 wasn't the best reading year for me so I want to make 2021 an even better one.

1) Read One Book a Week

This might seem like a fairly obvious one, but it was something I struggled with at various points in 2020. I put a lot of pressure on myself to read and it takes the fun out of reading. I still enjoy reading, but when I have my Goodreads goal hanging over me, it turns it into a chore. By reading one book a week, I can still enjoy reading and meet my Goodreads goal.

2) Selective Book Purchases

In 2020, I have only purchased 57 books. This does not include ones I was gifted or bought for my degree. This is quite a low number for me as I used to buy books all the time. Now that I'm a student I don't have the same amount to spend on books. I've only been trying to buy books I really want to read. This leads me to my next point within this goal which is to read more reviews for the books I'm buying. It's sad to admit but a lot of the books I've bought in 2020 have been low star reads for me. I've already donated at least 5 books I've bought this year, which is very odd for me. There are reviewers that I trust, but a bigger picture is needed. I'm hoping to end 2021 with a similar amount of books purchased and a better idea of what they're like before I buy them. 

3) Continue Tackling My TBR 

This year I read 20 books of my TBR, with a further 11 being rereads. This is the most I've ever read from my TBR. I have donated a lot of books, most of which I had already read, but I think there's around 50-60 books on my TBR. I'm hoping to make another significant dent in it. A lot of the books I have are backlist titles from the height of YA books, which is when I first joined. I also have a tonne of classics to read. I've enjoyed catching up on these books as it's forced me to read quite widely.   

4) Reviews on Goodreads

From early 2018 till mid-late 2019, I was consistently posting reviews on Goodreads. It meant when I came to write my actual reviews on my blog, I had some notes to go off. I've been keeping a reading/creative journal in 2020, which has bullet points on how I feel about the books I've read. I want to go back to posting reviews on Goodreads as I don't review all the books I read in detail on my blog. I will still keep on making notes as I like having a physical format. 

5) More Active in the Book Community

I've really become invested in the book community this year. I've enjoyed the community aspect as it's been nice bonding with other readers. I know that 2021 is going to be a busy year for me, but creating content and interacting with other content creators has brought me a lot of joy this year. I want to make some bookish friends. I want to pour my heart and soul into my content. I have plans for 2021 and creating content I'm proud of is a part of it.

Those are my reading and book related goals for 2021. What are your goals for 2021?

Carenza :) x 

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| Carenza Bramwell

Title- These Violent Delights
Author- Chloe Gong

Series- These Violent Delights Duology

Published- 2020

Page Count- 464

Publishing House- Simon&Schuster 

Genre- YA Urban Fantasy
Rating- 3.5/5 stars

About the Author

Chloe Gong is a Chinese-born New Zealand author and an undergraduate at University of Pennsylvania. Her debut novel, These Violent Delights (2020), is on the The New York Times Best Seller list.

Taken from Chloe's wikipedia page. 

Plot

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

Taken from Goodreads.

Opinions 

I had seen this book floating around for a while and when I learnt it was a 1920s Shanghai Romeo and Juliet with fantasy elements, it sounded like something I would love. The author is only a year older than me, we're graduating in the same year. As someone studying Creative and Professional Writing, I knew I had to support a fellow young writer. To get published at our age is a huge success. I hadn't heard of Chloe before this, though I believe she is popular in the book community.

One of my favourite things about this book was the setting. The 1920s is a historical period I adore, I'm actually writing about it for my dissertation. That was one of the elements that hooked me in. The setting of Shanghai was also an interesting one. Personally, I know very little about Shanghai. From the author profile included in the book, the author has close connections with Shanghai and that was clear in the writing. You could feel the love for the place. The world-building was also very strong. These characters had history within the city. It never felt like there was too much exposition being dumped on you. Both are elements that are hard to get right and the author succeed.   

Obviously with this being a Romeo and Juliet retelling, there are certain things the audience expects from the Romeo and Juliet characters. Roma and Juliette were solid characters. I loved that Juliette was an unapologetic badass, where as Roma was the softer of the two. It created an interesting power dynamic. We knew that the two had been romantically involved in their early teens, which added to this dynamic. I liked them, but there were times that they felt a bit all over the place and inconsistent. There was just something missing and I couldn't quite place it. The supporting cast of characters were also solid. On Juliette's side, there were Kathleen and Rosalind. Kathleen is trans, which was a nice, yet subtle LGBT element. On Roma's side, there was Marshall and Benedikt. They clearly have some romance brewing and I would love to see that explored in the next book.

Oddly, the main area that didn't do it for me was the plot. I liked the setting and the characters, I just didn't care for the plot. It felt to drawn out. It took a while to get to the central plot and at times it felt a bit repetitive. The premise was interesting, I just don't feel as though it was delivered entirely. If this has been one book rather than two, that might have worked. If it wasn't for the plot, I would have given this book 4/5 stars, but it didn't feel right to give it that when I struggled with the plot. 

In a Romeo and Juliet story, you expect an epic enemies to lovers. I feel that this was another area where this fell down for me. It took too long. There was very few hints that they were interested in the other, so it went straight from enemies to lovers. I love a slow burn romance as much as the next person, but this just didn't quite hit the spot for me. I am intrigued to see what happens in the next book for their romance.   

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I had some issues with it, but I don't think that will stop me from picking up the next book. I am so impressed that someone my age managed to get a book published and I don't feel qualified to review this when I don't have a book published in my twenties. 

What did you think of These Violent Delights?

Carenza :) x 

Christmas Magic- My Christmas Favourites- #The12Letters| Carenza Bramwell

Welcome to the final day of #The12Letters, hosted by BooksNest and FictionTea. I can't believe it's already over. I want to start this post by thanking Beth and Lauren for making this challenge, it's been so much fun and has spread Christmas cheer in a year when we really need it. Today's prompt is yay! I've interpreted this by deciding to share some of my favourite things about Christmas. It's not my usual content, but like this challenge, we could all use some Christmas cheer.

Decorations

If you've been following me on any of my social media sites, then you might be sick to death of me talking about how much I love decorating my house for Christmas. Trees are the main way we decorate. This year we have three. First is the main family tree, filled with decorations collected over the years. We have never been a big Christmas tree theme family, so all our decorations are once we've purchased to symbolise the year. It adds a story to the tree and makes it feel a bit more unique to our family. Then I have my baby tree in my room. I've had this since I was born, like the big tree, I've collected a decoration for every year since I was born. Finally, we have another small one in my mums room. This is going to become a new thing we do. Decorating the house is fun, it's something we all look forward to. Just adds a bit of magic to the place we call home. 

Food

Like most people, one of my favourite things about Christmas is the food. It's one of the few times a year when you get to eat a bit naughty and have some extra nice treats. When I was a child, we used to have traditional Christmas'. We would rotate between various relatives houses and have a chicken, with all the trimmings. We haven't done that in a very long time. Recently, as it's just been me and my parents, we have party food and pizza. It is one of the more unusual things to have at Christmas, but it's become our little tradition.  

Entertainment

I actually wrote a blog post all about this, which I will link here. To expand on this a bit, I love the seasonal viewings. Christmas Doctor Who specials were a highlight in my household. I have noticed in the last few years that there is less and less to watch on Christmas day. Nevertheless, I treasure the memories of watching Christmas day specials. 

Christmas Eve  

I have to admit that I actually prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas Day. The reason is that Christmas Eve is my dad's birthday. We've always made the two very separate. I just enjoy getting to celebrate my dad and make the day special for him. We do have a big meal on his birthday, which means when Christmas rolls around the next day, we tend to have a much smaller meal, hence the party food and pizza. I know some people would be sad having their birthdays so close to Christmas, but we've always taken it in our stride and make it just as special as if it was to fall on another day. 

Those are some of my favourite Christmas things. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Carenza :) x

Christmas Stories- My Favourite Festive Books and Films #The12Letters| Carenza Bramwell

Welcome to Day 9 of #The12Letters, hosted by BooksNest and FictionTea. Today's prompt is stories, so I thought I would share my favourite festive books and films. Christmas is one of my favourite times of year and over the years, I have collected a lot of favourite Christmas stories. 

Books

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

I read this last year after seeing emmmabooks rave about it. This is a retelling of the Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (which I'm hoping to read this year). As the title suggests, it focuses on the afterlife of Holly Chase, who in her alive life was horrible and cruel, dying very young. She is then forced to work at Scrooged, a modern day program that recreates the ghosts visit on that years "Scrooge". All of this changes when this years Scrooge is a boy Holly's age and she has a chance to save him. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this up, but ended up really enjoying it. It's a cheesy holiday book and if you're looking for something fun this Christmas, I'd recommend it.

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale

This is a historical magical realism novel. Set during the Great War (WW1), it focuses on this magical toyshop. It is predominately set at Christmas. It's very difficult to summarise without giving away essential details. The magical qualities of the toyshop and the writing are so beautiful that you'll want to visit. I think I am in need of a reread of this one as I don't think I appreciated it as much as I should the first time around. If historical fiction and magic are things you enjoy, then I'd recommend this one.

This Winter by Alice Oseman

For fans of Alice's Heartstopper series, Alice has released a Christmas novella. It was released digitally in 2015, but is now available in paperback for the first time. It takes place at Charlie and Tori's house on Christmas. We get to see what a Christmas is like with them. It's a cute little novella set in the world we already know and we get to visit our favourite characters. In the newly released paperback version, it has some brand new illustrations from Alice. 

Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove

Okay, I might be cheating by including this as I haven't finished reading it, but as I'm enjoying it so much, I knew I had to put it on this list. This is a new Sherlock Holmes adventure by James Lovegrove, one of the many authors to write a Sherlock Holmes story. As you guessed it, this one is indeed set at Christmas time. Holmes and Watson are employed by a young woman to investigate some seasonal spooks at her family castle in Yorkshire. I've read about 100 pages of this and can't wait for the next chance I get to jump back into it.

Films

Love, Actually

Yet another Christmas classic that Christmas wouldn't be complete without. I'm sure I don't need to explain what Love, Actually is about. If you are looking for a feel good British Christmas comedy, then look no further. I have lost count of how many times I've watched this film. It has some truly iconic moments in it. 

Anna and the Apocalypse 

This is quite possibly my favourite Christmas film of all time. Imagine La La Land and Shaun of the Dead had a Christmas baby. It's funny. It's got musical numbers. It's got zombies. It's set at Christmas. What's not to love? I could go on and on about how much I adore this film. If you decide to watch or read one thing from this list, then let it be this one!

Happiest Season

Again, I am cheating as I haven't watched this one yet. This is more a shoutout as this film is a gay Christmas film. Again, what's not to love? From the trailer, it looks funny while tackling a serious issue. It also has an amazing cast, such as Kristin Stewart, Daniel Levy, Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza. I'm planning on watching this very soon and I have a feeling I will love it.

Those are some of my favourite Christmas stories. I hope you find something on here for you!

Carenza :) x 

Has 2020 Changed My Reading Tastes?| Carenza Bramwell

2020. The year none of us where expecting to go quite the way it did. I think calling it a strange year would be an understatement. While 2020 has mainly been very negative and scary, a positive thing to come out for me is more reading time. When I had to move home in March, I began reading a lot more. This got me thinking lately about how the pandemic and COVID-19 has impacted on my reading tastes. I've done a very similar blog post about how lockdown helped my reading, which you can read here.  

Falling Out of Love with YA

The Confession by Jessie Burton is an example of adult/modern literature

Something that I've spotted over lockdown and 2020 is that I am beginning to move away from YA books. I'm now in my twenties, and with the average age of protagonists being 14-19, it just doesn't connect with me anymore. I've enjoyed more of the adult/modern literature I've read than the YA books I've read. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy YA. There are some YA books I've loved such as You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson. The issues covered are still important, there just not the issues that affect me as much anymore. It's been four years since I was in school. I'm about to graduate and start looking for full time employment. School issues aren't something I can relate to anymore. 

Reading and Finishing More Series

I binge read the Legend series by Marie Lu in June

A goal of mine for the year was to tackle more of my series on my TBR. This year I either finished or read completely four series. I don't remember the last time I read that many series in a year. I've also started a lot of series this year, with sequels I either don't own or coming out. While I enjoy a good binge read of a series, I think I am moving more towards stand alone novels. A series has to really capture me in order to want to keep on reading. A general comment for the year would be that I've not been as hooked by many books as I normally am. 2020 has obviously been a difficult year, which would explain why my reading habits have changed. 

Fantasy Has Been My Main Genre

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas is a fantasy I enjoyed

This is unsurprising as it's the genre I own the most books for. I'm not a big sci-fi/dystopian reader and I'm moving away from contemporary at the moment. The books I'd consider my most enjoyed of the year all have some kind of fantastical element to them. I read fantasy for the magical quality, whereas I read contemporary usually for the issue tackled or the characters. I think I'll always gravitate towards fantasy, but like to spread it out by reading other genres. 

Tackling My TBR

The Travelling Cat Chronicles was on my TBR and I enjoyed it

My main goal for 2020 has been to tackle my TBR. This year I have read twenty books of my TBR, which I am insanely proud of. The rest have been either new releases, rereads or books I've decided to pick up on a whim. As I've cut down my TBR and my book collection, it has allowed me to really focus on what I love in books. I intend to continue tackling my TBR in 2021 and maybe even start 2022 with no books on my TBR. 

Low Book Ratings

A five star read for me

I have only given three books, excluding all the rereads, five stars this year. My average has been either four or three stars. It has been very hard to impress me this year. I think this stems from me studying Creative Writing at university. My standards for a good book have become incredibly high. Unlike previous years, I wouldn't say I've read a book that I thought "wow I can't stop thinking about it". Some have come close, such as The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and The Once and Future Witches, but nothing has made me want to reread it and think about it over and over. As I've already mentioned, 2020 has really taken a toll on my reading and I think I haven't enjoyed books as much as I've done in the past.

That concludes what I've learnt from 2020 and my reading habits.

Carenza :) x  

Bookish Christmas Decor- #the12letters| Carenza Bramwell

Welcome to Day Two of the #the12letters challenge, created by the wonderful Beth of BooksNest and Lauren of FictionTea. This is a challenge across any social media platforms, using the twelve letters in Christmas Day to create prompts for creativity. Today's prompt is "home" and for home I will be sharing with you some of the best bookish Christmas decor out there. For more like this, check out my Instagram post which features my bookish home decor for the festive season. 

Taken from Google Images

A quick google search will let you know that there are indeed book themed Christmas ornaments out there. You two can make your Christmas tree as bookish as possible. All items will be linked in their descriptions.

We bookworms are usually against our precious books being turned into decorations, but this Book Fold artwork will add some magic to your home. There are so many items like this and not just for the festive period. Items like this are usually made from books that are going to be recycled due to age and it gives them a chance to be reused. 

Another creative way to use books as ornaments is to turn them into little statues, like this Snowman Ornament. Again, made from recycled books, it's another way to upcycle something and give it life again. He would make a rather jolly addition to any bookcase!

For the comic book fans, look no further than these recycled Christmas heart ornaments. Add something extra geeky to your Christmas tree. I have a very similar decoration that I will feature on my Instagram later toady. 

Taken from Google Images

If you are looking for inspiration that doesn't require buying these items, then look no further! I have a couple of ideas just for you. Firstly, you can always make a Christmas tree out of books. This trend began a couple of years ago and has resulted in some rather fictitious festive Christmas trees. From what I know, it's best to start with big books on the bottom and then get gradually smaller. You can add lights and decorations afterwards to make it the ultimate book Christmas tree.

Taken from Google Images

Something else you can do is decorate your bookshelves for the festive season. This year, I have tinsel on my display shelves in my bedroom and I've been keeping my Christmas cards on my bookshelves in my office. It adds a little bit of festive joy without going over the top.  

That concludes my post on Bookish Christmas Decor. I hope your Christmas is filled with delightful decorations and beautiful books!

Carenza :) x

The Anti-TBR Tag| Carenza Bramwell

Two tags in just over a week? How am I? I saw this on Books Nest's (Beth) YouTube channel and I thought it sounded like something I would enjoy. There are a lot of books I probably won't read and as someone who is mostly a mood reader, I think this tag was made for me. This tag was made by Nicole and Her Books on YouTube.  

A Popular Book That EVERYONE Loves But You Have No Interest In Reading?

I have seen lots of people raving about To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. I even have a free copy downloaded on my iPad. These days I only tend to read contemporaries if they have an LGBT+ element to them. I don't pick them up as much as I used to. I'm not really interested in contemporaries that focus heavily on romance. These books just don't seem like they'd be for me, which is okay as I know they are well loved by many. 

A Classic Book or Author That You Don't Have Any Interest In Reading?

Classic fans will probably hate me but I just don't see myself reading any Jane Austen anytime soon. I even got rid of my copies last year. Again, from my knowledge, they focus quite heavily on romance and that just isn't my cup of tea. Maybe when I'm older, but for now, I don't see myself having a burning desire to read Jane Austen. 

An Author Whose Books You Have No Interest In Reading?

Sadly, I have to choose Naomi Novik. Once upon a time, I could have seen myself enjoying her books, but after the controversy with A Deadly Education, I wouldn't feel comfortable picking up her books. I find it very hard to say that there are authors I don't see myself picking up.

An Author You Have Read A Couple of Books From and Have Decided Their Books Are Not For You?

I have read almost all of Leigh Bardugo's books but the more I think about it, the more I realise they aren't for me. Maybe once the TV show has dropped, I might give them another chance, but I just found them a bit underwhelming. Six of Crows was made to be this epic book and I found it a bit dull. Ninth House is a book I see myself giving another chance to. 

A Genre You Have No Interest In OR A Genre You Tried But Couldn't Get Into?

It seems that everyone that picks this question answers with the same genre- Sci-Fi. I don't mind watching Sci-Fi, but reading it is something I struggle with. There have been very few, if any, Sci-Fi books I've enjoyed. It requires a lot of concentration and I think I just prefer fantasy. I would like to give The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Myer a go as they're based on fairytales. 

A Book You Have Bought But Will Never Read?

This is the only question I don't have an answer for as I don't tend to buy books unless I know I'm going to read them. I have received some books in subscription boxes in 2016-17 that I will never read, but I decided to donate my copies to charity. I like to give books a chance before I decided they aren't for me. 

A Series You Have No Interest In OR A Series You Started And DNFd?

I wanted to love Infinity Son by Adam Silvera. Sadly, I did not. I will not be continuing the series. I have got rid of my copy, despite the fact it came out this year. I was just underwhelmed and let down. I'm hoping it doesn't impact on the relationship I have with his other books as I loved them. 

A New Release That You Have No Interest In Reading?

Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli, the latest book in the Simon Vs universe. I loved Simon Vs or Love, Simon as it's now known. I don't see myself rereading it and I have no interest in continuing with the series. I liked that it was a standalone. There are probably some other new releases that I won't be buying but I have no clue what books are coming out in 2021.

That concludes my answers to the Anti-TBR tag. Consider yourself tagged by me!

Carenza :) x

The Young Elites by Marie Lu Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| Carenza Bramwell

Title- The Young Elites 
Author- Marie Lu

Series- The Young Elites Trilogy (Book One out of Three) 

Published- 2015

Page Count- 355 pages

Publishing House- Speak Publishing (UK)

Genre- YA Dystopian

Rating- 3/5 stars

About the Author

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy and The Young Elites trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

Taken from Marie's website. 

Plot

A decade ago, a deadly blood fever swept through the nation. Most of the infected perished, but some of the survivors were left with strange markings, rumored to signify powerful gifts for those who possess them. And though their identities remain secret, this group of survivors has come to be called The Young Elites.

The Inquisition Axis seeks to destroy them. The Dagger Society aims to find them before the Inquisition Axis. And Adelina Amouteru just wants to be left alone. But two truths will soon surface:

Adelina's powers are far from ordinary . . . and she is not to be crossed.

Taken from Goodreads.

Opinions

After thoroughly enjoying the Legend series earlier this year, I decided to pick up The Young Elites. I had flown through Marie's other series, so I figured I would be able to do the same with this one as I needed something to bump up my Goodreads reading challenge as I am failing this year. I was wrong about this series being the one I needed at this moment.

Being brutally honest, I struggled to care about most of this book. I didn't care for the characters. I didn't care for the story. I just didn't care. I should have DNF'd it, but I hate DNFing books. Adelina was a very irritable character. I did not enjoy hearing from her. This could be a personal thing in that I don't enjoy first person narrative, I find it difficult to engage with. I think to sum this paragraph up nicely would be to say that this book just wasn't for me and that's fair enough.

It will therefore not come as a surprise that I have no plans of continuing this series. I have already donated my copies of the Legend series to charity, as while I enjoyed it, I didn't see myself reading it again. I will be donating my copies of The Young Elites to charity as well in the hope that someone enjoys them more than I did. 

I think one of my major issues with this series was that it would have been fine if it had been just from Adelina's perspective, but adding the occasional chapter from Enzo, Terren and Rafael (I don't think I've spelt that right) really threw me off. Their voices were all very similar, which meant when it suddenly changed it was odd. Enzo as a love interest added nothing, I didn't even care that she accidentally killed him. Terren was supposed to be the bad guy and was just sort of okay. I liked Rafael but wasn't exactly sure what the point of him was. I was underwhelmed by the characters, something Marie Lu is normally quite good at writing. 

This book had an interesting concept of a disease sweeping through and giving the young people super powers. It had potential, but the execution of the idea just didn't live up to what I was expecting from the book. I think compared to the Legend series, it didn't quite reach what it was trying to be. I'm now uncertain if I want to read from Marie Lu again as this book has tarnished my feelings towards her.     

That concludes my review of The Young Elites, what did you think of this book?

Carenza :) x 

Christmas and Student Life| Carenza Bramwell

It feels strange to be writing this, but this is my final Christmas as a student. I graduate next summer, which is also strange to be thinking about. As this is my final Christmas as a student, I thought I would share my honest experiences about what it's like to be a student during the festive period. From workload, to finances and packing tips, I think after three Christmas', I've got this nailed. 

You might be thinking that Christmas is no different from any other time of years for students, but I'd say that it's quite difficult. It's a stressful period due to academic and financial pressures. The aim of today's blog post is to share my honest experience and reassure my fellow students that Christmas can still be fun as a student.

Workload

Obviously, I have to preface this with this is going to be entirely based on my experiences as a student. This will link to my course and therefore I cannot speak for other courses. I am going to try and be as broad as a I can. Like most things in life, everything is unique to the individual and this is unique to me. 

Christmas is usually when the first term ends for most students. It can bring a lot of stress with it, as it means winter exams and deadlines are just around the corner. I have found that I have had a lot of work to complete the last two Christmas', but I have also managed to have some time away and spend time with my family. It's highly unlikely that as a student, you are going to be sitting around at Christmas with no university work to do. 

My tip would be to come up with some kind of schedule or set time you can do work. This will mean when you do want to spend time with your family, you won't have that awful workload hanging over you. This is my first year as a student that I don't have deadlines in early January as my workload has been pushed back to the end of the month. This doesn't mean I won't have work to do. As a final year student, I have a lot of work to do for my assessments. I have plans to take Christmas Eve to Boxing Day off and then New Years Eve and Day off. This give me deadlines to meet with all my university work. 

It can be tempting to relax more during the Christmas holidays, but by making sure you get work done, it means there will be less stress further down the line. If you have time to do a bit of extra work, do it! This is something I'm hoping to do this year so when I go back to university in January, I'll have done some of the work that's been looming over, making next term as stress free as possible.     

Finances

Another concern for students at this time of year is finances. Christmas is undeniably expensive. I feel the pressure each year, especially as I have my dad's birthday in December as well. My number one tip, one that might seem fairly obvious, is to set budgets. For my family, I spend around £40-£50 on each of them. My best friend and I, as we're both students, set price limits for each other to make it even and not a strain on our bank accounts. I've done Secret Santa with my housemates the past few years and we've always set budgets. Budgets are really your best friends as students as it's amazing how far you can make your money go while still being able to treat yourself every now and then.

Another tip would be to take advantages of any sales you can. It may only save you a fiver, but that's £5 more than you would have had. Due to the Pandemic, I bought all my Christmas presents a lot earlier than normal and took advantage of the Black Friday Sales. It meant I saved a little bit on my presents, which was a huge relief. 

Obviously, it's a bit different this year for students to go out and get jobs. For some, this isn't an option. I have a part time job that I work on a zero hour contract through my university and due to the current situation, I haven't had many shifts. If you can get work from home jobs and this fits with your lifestyle, then I would highly recommend it. 

I think it's important to remember that Christmas isn't about the gifts. If you can, buy something second hand or make something. It's always the thought that counts. 

Packing

My final section of student and Christmas life is about packing to go home. If, like me, you live away from home for university during term time, then packing is something you dread. This year especially as students in the UK have no idea when they will be allowed to return. 

My first tip would be to pack based on priority. I always pack my clothes first if I can. I'm very lucky that for the past two years, I have been able to steal the families massive suitcase to lug my clothes between home and university. I personally take the clothes I know I'm going to wear, which does end up being the majority of my clothes. Do I end up wearing all the clothes I bring home? No. But it's nice to have the option to if it arrives.

The next section I pack are my university essentials. I study Creative and Professional Writing, which means I have a lot of essential books I need to bring home. I always make sure I've packed those first as I can live without my books for fun as I have ones I want to read at home. I like knowing that I have everything I'm going to need to continue my studies. 

Packing by section makes an overwhelming task manageable as it spreads the work out into bite size chunks. It is difficult working out what you should and shouldn't take home for Christmas. I've always gone home for five weeks at Christmas which means I take a lot of stuff home with me. Each year, I have approached packing this way and made it a manageable task. 

I hope this blog post has portrayed what it is like to be a student at Christmas in an honest a way as possible. It is tough being a student and having work to do while wanting to spend time with loved ones. I hope this helps any students reading this.

Carenza :) x 

The Joys of Christmas Book Tag| Carenza Bramwell

As it is now December, a month I love unconditionally for the festivities, I thought I would to a Christmas book tag. I found this one online and it was originally made by Samantha at Novels and Nonsense on BookTube. 

My Christmas tree two years ago

1) Anticipation: The Christmas Excitment is Real, What Book Release(s) Are You Most Anticipating?

I don't actually know many books coming out in 2021, but the fourth instalment in the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman is coming out in early 2021. Alice is one of my favourite authors and I will always buy what she releases. If you are a fan of YA Contemporary novels, especially ones that tackle LBGT issues, I'd recommend Alice's books. The Heartstopper series is an adorable graphic novel series about two British boys falling in love.

2) Christmas Songs & Carols: What Book or Author Can You Not Help But Sing It's Praises?  

Without a shadow of a doubt, a book I will go on and on about is Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin. It is one of my favourites from the last few years. I wasn't the biggest fan of Blood and Honey, but Serpent and Dove really stole my heart. I haven't read anything like it since I first joined the bookish community in 2016.

3) Gingerbread House: What Book or Series Has Wonderful World Building?

It would be a crime if I didn't choose Cassandra Clare's book. The world she has built across all these series is so detailed and fleshed out. It's a real treat as a reader to be able to explore a world across so many series from one author. 

4) A Christmas Carol: Favourite Classic or One That You Want to Read

I'm not a big classics person, so I'm going to bend this prompt slightly. Rather than pick a traditional classic, I'm going to pick a childhood classic and say His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is a book I want to read. I never got into the hype as a child but with the most recent TV adaptation, I would highly consider picking up the books.

5) Christmas Sweets: What Book Would You Love to Receive for Christmas?

Honestly, I would be happy to receive any book for Christmas. But one that is quite high up is The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow. I really enjoyed her other book, The Once and Future Witches, so I would love to read some more from her. 

6) Candles in the Window: What Book Gives You That Warm Fuzzy Feeling?

Before all the JKR controversy, I would have said Harry Potter but now it doesn't feel right saying that anymore. I can't think of anymore that I've read and haven't already mentioned that give me that feeling. I am a sucker for a good romance, when it's well written. I want invest in their relationship. I think I'm going to have to cheat and pick any that have a good relationship in. 

7) Christmas Trees & Decorations: What Are Some of Your Favourite Book Covers?

Here are some books that I've purchased recently that have really pretty covers, but aren't necessarily my favourite covers of all times:

8) What Are Some of Your Favourite Things About Christmas And/Or Some of Your Favourite Christmas Memories?

Christmas is a really special time in my family as it's also my dad's birthday on Christmas Eve. We've always made a big deal of making them separate occasions but we do go all out for both. We also have a tradition of buying a new decoration for the tree every year to symbolise the year, but that's something I'll explain more in a future blog post. I love that my family makes such a big deal of Christmas and it's something I intend to continue for the rest of my life.

I hope you enjoyed this book tag and it got you in the festive mood!

Carenza :) x 

  

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| Carenza Bramwell

Title- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 
Author- VE Schwab

Series- N/A

Published- 2020

Page Count- 560 pages

Publishing House- Titan Books

Genre- Historical Gothic Fiction
Rating- 4/5 stars 

About the Author

Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the #1 NYT, USA, and Indie bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her work has received critical acclaim, been featured by EW and The New York Times, been translated into more than a dozen languages, and been optioned for TV and Film. The Independent calls her the “natural successor to Diana Wynne Jones” and touts her “enviable, almost Gaimanesque ability to switch between styles, genres, and tones.”

Taken from VE Schwab's website

Plot

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever-and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore, and he remembers her name.

In the vein of The Time Traveler's Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab's #1 New York Times Bestselling Author genre-defying tour de force.

Taken from Goodreads

Opinions 

I have had a very mixed relationship with VE Schwab's books. I have read quite a few, and while I thought they were good, I didn't feel wowed by any of them. I even got rid of my signed copy of This Savage Song as I never saw myself continuing the series. I am now very annoyed at past me for being so ruthless with my collection. I saw Addie LaRue floating around and for a while I wasn't bothered, that was until I found it it was a Faust retelling. I knew then I had to give her another chance. It then doesn't come as a surprise that I have had my faith restored in her as a writer. 

Normally, the pacing of a book is a big factor in how much I enjoy it. I enjoy quite fast paced books. This was not a fast paced book, however the slower pacing really worked in it's favour. You could feel the agony that Addie was going through as you were almost going through it too. There were times when it bothered me a bit, but I found myself unable to put this book down and desperate to finish it. 

I've never been one to comment on or appreciate good writing, which is odd as I'm studying creative writing at university, but VE Schwab's writing was truly beautiful. She just has a way with words and I'm jealous as I don't have that way with words. The descriptions were beautiful without being too much. I cannot put into words how much I loved the writing in this one. I am now tempted to go back and read more of her work to see if it's just this book or if I have been stupid about her as a writer. 

I think the main reason I adored this book was the relationship between Henry and Addie. It was beautiful. I was rooting for it from the beginning. I'm not normally one to enjoy romance in books, but this one was so good. I think it might be a new favourite couple for me. It goes without saying that I have a lot of feelings about this relationship. 

This leads me on nicely to my final point in that I was a bit disappointed in the ending. I found it a bit underwhelming that Addie went with Luc. It was heartwarming that Henry wrote her story. I would have loved for them to have cheated Luc in someway and to find a way to stay together. I feel that would have been a more satisfying ending. Maybe there will be some kind of short story about Addie and Luc together or Addie destroying Luc as he deserves it. It was just sad that such a good book, which had potential to be a five star book, had a flop of an ending. 

Carenza :) x  

 

5 Books I Want to Read by the End of 2020| Carenza Bramwell

2020 may well have been the worst year any of us have had to live through in a very long time, but that doesn't mean we can't find the happy moments right now. For me, that has been finding comfort in books. I have been reading as much as I can. In this post, I will be sharing five books I am hoping to read by the end of 2020. 

The Angry Tide by Winston Graham 

If you have been a long time follower of my blog, then you will know that I adore the Poldark series. I have read almost all the books (well the ones I own) and followed the TV show religiously. The only book I haven't read out of the ones that I own is The Angry Tide, which I believe is the seventh book in the series. I want to finish 2020 knowing that I have caught up with the Poldark books I've read as I've been reading them over the last three or four years. 

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

A recent purchase of mine from before the most recent lockdown in the UK started was The Familiars by Stacey Halls. It is about the Pendle Witches in the 1600s in Lancashire. I decided to pick this up as Lancashire is my home county and despite living there for almost all my life, I have never been to Pendle. I am really interested in gothic witchy stories at the moment, so when I stumbled across this, I knew I had to pick it up. My mum and grandma are also really interested in reading this.  

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

A Romeo and Juliet 1920s Shanghai fantasy book? I think you sold me in a single sentence. The 1920s are my favourite historical period so I had to pick this up. I'm really sad as I accidentally got my copy sent home rather than to my university house, so I'll have to wait until I go home for Christmas to finally read it. I've heard nothing but good things about this one and I can't wait to dive into it. I have a feeling I'm going to really enjoy it. 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

A book I have meaning to read for quite some time is The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Both my mum and best friend have read this book so they're nagging me to read it. It is very high up my list because of them, but it's one I've just been meaning to get to. I have heard that it's quite a heavy read, so I think cushioning this with some lighter toned books would be best. 

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson

My final book on this list is the conclusion to the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson. I really enjoyed the first two books and I read the first book in one of her other series this year, also enjoying that one. I think I'm planning on rereading the entire series before getting to this one, just to refresh my memory. Who doesn't love a good murder mystery around Christmas? 

That concludes my list of books I'm hoping to get to before the year ends. Happy reading!

Carenza :) x

The Once and Future Witches Review by Alix E Harrow (Contains Spoilers)| Carenza Bramwell

Title- The Once and Future Witches
Author- Alix E Harrow

Series- N/A

Published- 2020

Page Count-528 pages

Publishing House- Orbit

Genre- YA Historical Fantasy

Rating- 4/5 stars

About the Author

I've been a student and a teacher, a farm-worker and a cashier, an ice-cream-scooper and a 9-to-5 office-dweller. I've lived in tents and cars, cramped city apartments and lonely cabins, and spent a summer in a really sweet '79 VW Vanagon Westfalia. I have library cards in at least five states.

​

Now I'm a full-time writer living in with my husband and two semi-feral kids in Berea, Kentucky. It is, I'm very sure, the best of all possible worlds.

Taken from Alix's website

Plot

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Taken from Goodreads.

Opinions

I had seen The Once and Future Witches floating around for a while before I decided to pick it up. At the moment, I am very interested in feminist, gothic horror books and a book about witches in Salem in the 1800s sounded right up my street. Unlike most readers, I hadn't heard of Alix's other book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I decided to read this book around Halloween as it felt appropriately spooky for the season.

One of the main elements that I loved about this book was the three sisters featured. Their relationship felt very real and authentic. I also liked that they each had distinctive voices as each chapter was from the perspective of a different sister. All were going through their own issues and all had their own goals. I kept on feeling that I had to have a favourite sister, but they were all so different it was difficult to pick a favourite. Each was just as fierce and as loyal as the other. I really admired their relationship. 

It comes with no surprise then that this book was a very feminist strong book. Not only from the main characters, but from the themes being discussed. Harrow used the theme of witchcraft and paired it alongside the women's struggle to get the vote. It made for an exceptionally compelling read. As a feminist myself, I strongly resonated with some of the themes discussed in this book. It also didn't just tell one side of the story, it covered a wide range. From lower class women to high society women, white women to women of colour, international women. It even featured queer women through the relationship between Bella and Cleo. It felt well rounded and if it hadn't covered all these issues, it wouldn't have been the same book that it is. 

One of the reasons I had to knock off a star was because I found the pacing very slow. It took me a few chapters to get into. The first time I tried to pick it up, I couldn't make it through the first chapter, but I'm glad I tried a second time. Personally, I quite enjoy fast paced stories. This one sort of meandered along for a while. The pacing may have been slow, but I found the time jumps quite difficult to wrap my head around. Agnes, the eldest sister, finds out she's pregnant at the beginning of the book and by halfway through the book, she had already had her baby. I think finding a balancing between pacing and the timeline of the novel would have made it an amazing novel, but because in my opinion, it didn't do that, I had to take a star away. 

Another reason I was unable to give the book five stars was because at time the magic system was lost on me. As far as I'm aware, I believe it might be based on actual magic used at the time the book was set. I would have personally benefited from a bit more explaining as I just couldn't wrap my head around the magic system. I did love the way that words were powerful and that female magic was more powerful than male magic. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would consider reading more from Alix E Harrow in the future. I found this a fiercely feminist novel with some spooky elements thrown in. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in feminism and witchcraft.      

Carenza :) x