Loveless by Alice Oseman Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| Carenza Bramwell

Title- Loveless
Author- Alice Oseman
Series- N/A
Published- 2020
Page Count- 435 pages
Publishing House- Harper Collins
Rating- 4/5 stars

About the Author

Alice Oseman is an author/illustrator and was born in 1994 in Kent, England. She has written four YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: SOLITAIRE, RADIO SILENCE, I WAS BORN FOR THIS, and upcoming LOVELESS. She is also the creator of LGBTQ+ YA romance webcomic HEARTSTOPPER, which is now published in physical form by Hachette Children's Books.

Alice’s first novel SOLITAIRE was published when she was nineteen. Her YA novels have been nominated for the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, and the Goodreads Choice Award, and HEARTSTOPPER has been optioned for TV. She can usually be found staring aimlessly at computer screens, questioning the meaninglessness of existence, or doing anything and everything to avoid getting an office job. 

Taken from Alice's website.

Plot

The fourth novel from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman – one of the most authentic and talked-about voices in contemporary YA.

It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.

As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.

But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.

Taken from Goodreads. 

Opinions

Alice Oseman has become one of my favourite authors in the past year. I adore her Heartstopper series with every fibre of my being and her fiction novels are amazing. I have been very excited for this book ever since I found out about it. For once, I enjoyed a 2020 release. I feel that there have only been three books released this year that I adored and one of those was the third instalment in the Heartstopper series. 

Alice is great at writing LGBT+ books and this was no exception. This is all about Georgia's journey to discovering she is aromantic-asexual (aro-ace) for short. I don't think I'd ever read a book with these two different sexualities discussed before, which made it really refreshing to read. I believe that Alice herself identifies as aro-ace, which meant this was an own voices novel and heavily based on her life. 

Other than the heavy emphasis on Georgia's sexuality, it also has a strong influence on going to uni. Set at Durham University, the university Alice went to herself, it focuses on the drink culture and the pressure to have relationships and so on. As someone going into their final year of university, there was a lot of content I could relate to. The scariness yet excitement of starting university. Not really fitting in with the drink culture and being uninterested in relationships, casual sex or dating. It captured a lot of what I felt in my first year. 

The relationship between Georgia and Rooney, her roommate, was one I could also relate to. Although I didn't share a room with anyone in my first year, I relate to that need to bond with people that Georgia went through. A lot of my friends from uni are the ones I met in my first week and sort of clung on to. I was very much shy, like Georgia, and the idea of having to make new friends and go out scared me. I've been friends with people who are more like Rooney, the go out party lot, while being very much like Georgia, and wanting to stay inside all the time. 

My only complaint with this book, and it is very minor one, is that at times it got a little bit repetitive. I've found with a lot of books told from the first person, you tend to get told the same thoughts over and over. After a few chapters of Georgia struggling with this internal monologue, it got a bit annoying. There was also a little bit too much drama for my liking, but that is the way with university students. Even though we're all adults, there is still a lot of issues with friendship groups and so on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was another solid book from Alice, who never fails to write good YA contemporary. You could tell that a lot of times it was based on her life and things that had happened to her. I adored the aro-ace representation and the depiction of university life. I can't wait to see what Alice release's next.  

Carenza :) x

The Hamilton Book Tag| Carenza Bramwell

Two book tags in one month? Who am I?

In all seriousness, like everyone else on the planet I watched Hamilton on Disney+. My family have taken out a one month subscription just to watch it. Watching it got me thinking and reminded me that this tag existed, so I thought why not? This tag was created by Maureen Keavy on YouTube.

1) The Room Where It Happens

A book world you would put yourself in.

I'm going to force myself not to choose Harry Potter as that's a cliche answer and instead choose the world of Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. I read those books last summer and adored the world. It sounded beautiful and was unlike anything else I had read before. I would happily live in that world if I could.

2) The Schyler Sisters

An underrated female character. 

I don't think she counts as an "underrated" female character, but I have to choose Lou from Serpent and Dove. I adored that book, mostly for the characters, but especially for Lou. She isn't your conventional female character, which made her quite refreshing. I'm very excited for book two. 

3) My Shot

A character that goes after what they want and doesn't let anything stop them.

I know that I've just mentioned Strange the Dreamer, but I have to choose Lazlo from the series. He's determination to find Weep is the main starting force of the book. I was hooked on his journey and dedication. 

4) You'll Be Back

Sassiest Villain.

I really struggled with this question as I couldn't think of a sassy villain off the top of my head, so I'm going to go with Johnathon Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. He does have some sassy moments, as do most of Cassie's characters. He is also by far the best villain from her series.  

5) Non-Stop

A series you marathoned.

I recently marathoned the Legend series by Marie Lu. I had a box set of the original trilogy and I binge read that. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it and how easy it was to read. I would love to read more books from her in the future. 

6) Satisfied

Favourite book with multiple POVs.

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you will know that I am not the biggest fan of multiple POVs. I often get confused about who I'm supposed to be reading from. That being said, a book I did really enjoy and didn't mind the POVs, was The Muse by Jessie Burton. The POVs added to the mystery in the book and made me really enjoy it. 

7) Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

A book/series that will be remembered throughout history.

Just this once I'll give into cliche and say Harry Potter. Despite the recent revelations about JK Rowling as an individual, Harry Potter will remain a classic series throughout time. Myself and many others owe a lot to these books. 

8) Helpless

A relationship you were rooting for from the start. 

Again, I know I've already mentioned it, but Lou and Reid from Serpent and Dove have the best relationship. I adore them both so much and cannot put into words how excited I am to read book two. 

9) Ten Duel Commandments

Favourite fight scene. 

I would call it a favourite fight scene, but there were some pretty good fight scenes in House of Blood and Earth by Sarah J Maas. Especially one in particular towards the end. That was very good. 

10) Say No To This

A guilty pleasure read.

I'm not sure if I have any guilty pleasure reads, but I do love the occasional graphic novel. I just find them very easy to read and that they bulk up my reading challenge. My favourites have to be the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. 

11) What Comes Next

A series you wish had more books.

Honestly, there isn't a series that I wish had more books. Most times the authors know when to stop their series. I'm not a fan of this recent trend of adding books to series that finished many years ago and had good endings. To me it just ruins all that emotional build up and is releasing books for the sake of releasing books. 

12) Right Hand Man

Favourite brotp.

Without a shadow of doubt, Jaskeir and Geralt from the Witcher. Specifically the TV show adaptation. They have the best brotp and they need to forget Yennifer and make them a couple. I just adore Jaskier with all my fibre. 

13) What'd I Miss

A book or series you were late to reading. 

There's a very long list of books I was late to reading, but I would have to choose Sadie by Courtney Summers. I remember when everyone was raving about this book a couple of years ago but I waited until I could listen to it on audiobook. The audiobook is amazing. It was such a good book and I'm desperate to add a copy to my collection. 

14) Stay Alive

A character you wish was still alive.

I know it's cliche to mention, but there are a small handful from the Harry Potter series that I wish had survived. I won't mention them in case anyone reading hasn't read the series, but die hard fans probably will relate to my pain. 

15) Burn

Most heartbreaking end to a relationship. 

I'm a bit skeptical about mentioning it as it's a spoiler, but I recently read a series where the main OTP didn't stay together throughout the series and I was so shocked by it. 

16) The Reynolds Pamphlet 

A book with a twist you didn't see coming. 

I'm actually really bad at spotting twists in books, so pretty much every book manages to surprise me. It would be very difficult to pick one in particular.

So that was the Hamilton Book Tag!

Carenza :) x

Has Lockdown Helped My Reading?|Carenza Bramwell

As we are still stuck in this bizarre situation, I thought today would be a good day to reflect on whether any good has come out of being stuck inside. Lockdown is still in affect in most countries, even if the rules are a bit confusing, and it has impacted us all. I've spoken about how it totally destroyed my summer plans and I've spent a lot of time finding ways to fill the time. 

Something that has always been a part of my life, even without lockdown, is reading. In today's post, I will be discussing if lockdown has had a good impact on my reading habits or if it's the opposite. 

A small stack of books I've read in lockdown

Before lockdown started, I had managed to read 16 books in total. This was not as high as I had hoped, but I had struggled with some quite severe health problems since the beginning of February, which took a toll on my everyday life. My average amount of books read per month had been around 5 books. January had been a really good reading month, having read 7. It then dropped to 5 a month for the following three months. In the past few months, it has gone back up to being either 7 or 8 books a month. 

Like most readers, my reading habits fluctuate. It depends what's happening in my life and what I'm reading. I've had more reading slumps on average during lockdown that I normally have throughout the year. Yet I've somehow managed to read a lot more books recently. That being said, in 2020, I am reading a lot more books that I rate three stars. I've been giving out four stars less than normal and have had a few two star reads. 

This begs the question, while I'm reading a lot, am I reading any good books? With being stuck inside all the time, reading has become my escape method. I may not be able to physically go interrailing this summer, but I can travel through the magic of books. There are books I expected to love which I have ended up not enjoying and books that I thought I wouldn't care for that I've really enjoyed. Lockdown has changed my approach to reading. 

I know that most readers are either thriving off lockdown and demolishing their TBR piles or they're really struggling. I fall somewhere in the middle. I'm glad to have the opportunity to be able to tackle my TBR and sort out my book collection, yet I am also finding it difficult to get the motivation to read at times. As a reader, surely I should love reading? So why am I finding it almost chore like to have to sit down and read my books? 

I'm very grateful to have been able to find the time to read and to take my mind off everything at the moment. It has definitely helped my mental health and kept me stable throughout this whole time. It's helped me work out what type of books I really like, rather than still buying overhyped books and not liking most of them. I'm thankful to this time as it is helping me as a reader. I may not be reading loads of books I love, but I am tackling my TBR for once. So in a bizarre way, lockdown has helped my reading. Just not in the way you think it would have.

Carenza :) x 

Stories That Influenced Me| Carenza Bramwell

I am about to go into my third year of studying Creative Writing. Being a writer and creator has always been a career that interested me. But I didn't just wake up one day and think "I'm going to be a writer". No I made this choice due to the stories I consumed in my life. In today's blog post, I will be sharing 4 stories that have shaped me. These are going to be books, tv shows, films and plays.

Angels in America

Any long time follower of my blog will know how much Angels in America by Tony Kushner means to me. I saw this play almost three years ago at a key point in my life. I hadn't decided if or what I was doing with regards to going to university. I wasn't even that bothered about seeing Angels in America, but after seeing it, well it changed my life. Angels in America is a play set in 1980s New York and it follows a group of people who ended up becoming connected. It tackles politics at the time and the AIDs crisis. It also has themes of magical realism and humanity in it. I remember being sat in the cinema, seeing it as a live broadcast, and being blown away by it. I had never seen anything like it before and I wanted to create something just as epic. I've already mentioned how it changed my life, but it sent me down the direction I find myself on now. I wouldn't be studying creative writing if it wasn't for this play.

 

Lady Bird

Lady Bird also had a similar influence on me. I saw it in February 2018, six months before I was due to go to university. Lady Bird is in a similar situation, she too is about to leave home and move away to university. It captured the complicated yet loving relationships parents and their children can have. Greta Gerwig instantly became a favourite writer-director of mine. She brings such humanity to her work and it was nice to see something created by a woman for once. She will be someone I admire for many years to come. Lady Bird herself is a deeply flawed character, yet it makes her relatable. Greta's characters all felt real. It was a beautiful film and one I think about a lot. 

   

The Shadowhunter Chronicles 

I was going to put Harry Potter for a book that influenced me, but with everything JK Rowling has done, I'm not sure I can do that in good conscience. It is cliched of me to pick the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. They are not the most high brow examples of literature, but they certainly shaped my life. I have always been a reader, but the movie and books from this world opened my eyes to things I didn't even know existed. These were the books that made me fall in love with reading in a way I didn't know was possible. They're fun and fluffy. They were there for me during the darkest part of my life and I will forever be grateful for stumbling across them.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency 

I had never been a big TV watcher until I stumbled across Dirk Gently. I actually have a post all about how much Dirk Gently means to me. Similar to The Shadowhunter Chronicles, it was something that introduced me to a wide world of TV that I hadn't ever thought about. I'm now considering pursuing a career in writing and working in TV. I'm not sure I'd do this if I hadn't found this show by accident. I'm still very sad that it never got a proper ending and it looks unlikely that it would ever be picked up for a final season. 

There are obviously tonnes more stories that have inspired me to become the person I am today, but these four are the central ones to who I am.

Carenza :) x

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| Carenza Bramwell

Taken from Google Images

Title- The Court of Miracles
Author- Kester Grant
Series- The Court of Miracles Trilogy
Published- 2020
Page Count- 464 pages (Kindle Edition)
Publishing House- Harper Voyage
Rating- 3/5 stars

About the Author

Kester Grant is a British-Mauritian writer of colour. She was born in London, grew up between the UK, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the tropical island paradise of Mauritius.  As a wanton nomad she and her husband are unsure which country they currently reside in but they can generally be found surrounded by their fiendish pack of cats and dogs.

Taken from Kester's website.

Plot

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina's life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father's fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie).

When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger--the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh--Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city's dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice--protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.

Taken from Goodreads. 

Opinions

I found this book through the Illumicrate June Box promoting it and thought it sounded right up my street. I love the French Revolution, it's a period of history that I find fascinating and I love reading about. I've been interested in it since I went to Paris in 2011. I've read a few books set in Paris and France in the past few years, so I assumed this one would be fore me. 

I had been on a book buying ban so when I saw this on sale on Kindle for 99p, I couldn't resist. It's described as Les Miserables retelling, a story I adore. It's safe to say I went into this with high expectations even though I had seen that it had an average of three stars on Goodreads. I am very glad I purchased this as a Kindle book rather than a physical one as I'm torn about how I feel about it. 

I found that I didn't want to put it down, that I had to know what came next pretty much the entire time I was reading it. That being said I had issues with the writing at time. You could tell that it was a debut novel. The story covers about ten years (I think) Nina's life and the time jumps were written in a very clunky way. There was often just a throw away comment about the time jumps, which as a reader, would confuse you. I believe that Nina was maybe twelve when we first met her but by the end she was in her late teens/early twenties.

Something a lot of people pointed out is that everyone who came into contact with Nina, especially men, seemed to fall in love with her. I wouldn't have minded one love interest, but there was about three and it just ended up being a bit much. I didn't care for the romantic plot line at all. All the romantic interests sounded the same to me and I was very confused as to which one was which. 

At times I did find the mythology of the world a bit confusing as you were sort of expected to go along with it and it wasn't explained as well as it could have been. I didn't understand the need for a Six of Crows meets Les Mis story. I'm not sure it worked as it was quite described. I just feel that in the end, this book sadly wasn't for me. I'm unsure if I will continue with this series as to me that book seemed like it could be a stand alone. 

Have you read The Court of Miracles?

Carenza :) x 

The Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag 2020| Carenza Bramwell

It's that time of year when every bookish person on the internet is sharing this tag, so why be original, when you can jump on the bandwagon? This tag was created by IsThatChami and EarlGreyBooks, both are BookTubers. 

1) Best Book You've Read So Far in 2020

It's cliched, but I have to say Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare, the latest instalment in the Shadowhunter Chronicles. I haven't read many 5 star books this year (outside of the HP books, which always get five stars even though I despise their creator). It made me fall in love with this world again after the last two books didn't land so well with me. I have a soft spot for the London Shadowhunters, they will always be my favourites. 

2) Best Sequel You've Read So Far in 2020

Hands down, it has to be Heartstopper Volume Three by Alice Oseman. I adore this series and it happens to be one of the very few sequels I've read this year. Alice has become one of my favourite authors and I will always buy whatever she releases as she is an amazing author. Plus all her books feature LGBT characters and they're amazing.  

3) New Release You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To

Despite hearing mixed things about it, I've been really interested in reading The Gravity of Us. It's an LGBT novel about two boys connected by the NASA Space Programme. I'm always up for LGBT novels, so it isn't surprising that this is high up on my TBR. It came out in May, but I was on a book buying ban so I'm hoping to get around to it in the next few months. 

4) Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year 

I am dying for Blood&Honey by Shelby Mahurin to come out. Serpent&Dove was my favourite book from last year and I need to know what happens to my precious little babies. I'm hoping to find my copy in the many boxes I have to unpack so I can have a reread before it comes out. I am dead excited for the FairyLoot exclusive box for this book.

5) Biggest Disappointment  

I am a huge fan of Adam Silvera's books, so when I heard he was releasing a fantasy novel, I was so excited. Infinity Son just ended up being a huge flop for me. It was filled with poor world building and characters I didn't care for, so I just did not like it. I have no intentions of continuing this series after finding it so disappointing. 

6) Biggest Surprise

Without a doubt, House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J Maas. I thought I was done with her books. I didn't enjoy ACOWAR as much as I wanted to and I didn't even pick up the Christmas novella. I have no intentions of ever finishing that series, to me it is a trilogy. But House of Earth and Blood took me by surprise. It was enjoyable. I liked the main characters. I am somewhat excited for the future books. It was much more up my alley than her other books.

7) New Favourite Author (Debut or New to You)

Jessie Burton for The Muse. I read her other book and didn't enjoy it as much. But I thoroughly enjoyed The Muse. It's a modern lit book and I'm trying to read more books in that genre. I am somewhat excited for her third book to come out in paperback in September. 

8) New Fictional Crush

Sadly I'm not really a person that goes in for fictional crushes, but I will give an honourable shout out to Jaskier/Dandelion from the Witcher series. I do prefer TV version to book version, but he's a great character. 

9) New Favourite Character

Lucie Herondale from Chain of Gold. She is the sweetest little thing and she's a writer. She deserves more recognition than she gets. 

10) Book That Made You Cry

I'm a monster and I don't remember the last time I read a book that made me cry. It's very difficult to get me to cry at a book, so I haven't cried at one in 2020. I'm a terrible human being. 

11) Book That Made Me Happy

I'm going to cheat and mention Heartstopper Volume Three again. Those books always make me happy and I can't wait for book four to come out. 

12) Most Beautiful Book You've Bought/Received This Year

Hands down, it has to be my FairyLoot copy of Chain of Gold. I am a sucker for pretty, exclusive editions and that one is stunning. I hope they release more versions for the remaining books in the series. 

13) What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?

I actually just made a blog post all about this, so I will link it here. But I will mention that I am dying to finish reading more of Laini Taylor's books. They are amazing. 

So those are my answers to the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag!

Carenza :) x

The Evolution of My Reading Tastes| Carenza Bramwell

I've been a reader pretty much my entire life, but I would say that I've actively been reading more since 2016 when I found the book community. I've been reading a lot of my back list titles recently and thinking about my book collection more. It got me thinking about how much my reading tastes have changed since I became involved with the book community and it inspired me to write this post. This is about the evolution of my reading tastes and how I've become the reader I am today. 

2016

This was the year that I actively started tracking what I was reading. I spent a lot of time reading books that I saw other book people talking about, thinking this was what I had to read in order to be a proper reader. I hadn't fully developed my reading taste yet and I spent a lot of time rating books 5 stars that I would not do if I was to read them now. I mostly read a lot of fantasy books with a few contemporary books scattered in. This time period did help me to understand what my reading taste was like and I wouldn't change anything about it. 

2017

2017 was the year I started to read more widely. It was also the year I tried to read more consistently. It's only in recent years that I have made reading an important part of my life. Again, there are books that I read then that I would not rate as highly now. However, you can see that I am starting to get a bit more critical with my reviews and star ratings. I read more out of my comfort zone and more books that weren't as popular within the bookish community. 2017 was an interesting reading year and a personal year. I was moving into that mindset of a "mature" person, no longer thinking like a young teen. It had an impact on my reading.

2018

This was by far my best year as a reader. Yes, I included a lot of books that I read for college and university, but it was the year that I found my foot as a reader. You can see how my rating process changes once I started my degree and that I've become a critical reader. There is a slight sadness to this as I did feel for a while that I lost the ability to read for fun. I did reread a lot of books in 2018, the entire Shadowhunter chronicles (that were out at that time) and the HP series. This year was crucial for me as a reader as it is really the year I started to figure out what type of reader I was. 

2019

I feel that this is the first year that you can see a big change in my reading. For once I read an equal balance of contemporary books and fantasy. I also started to branch out into more modern lit, books that were definitely outside of my comfort zone. I did catch up on a lot of back list titles. I may not have read as much as I did in 2018, but 2019 was probably one of the years that I was happiest as a reader. I had found a way of approaching books that worked for me and I felt proud to be a reader. I read a lot of all time favourites in 2019, which hasn't happened in a while. 

It's too early to assess my reading habits for 2020, so I'm going to include some general comments here. I have read over 300 books (according to goodreads) yet looking at them, there's maybe a very small handful that I would consider all time favourites. As I've grown older and I've worked out what I like in books, I've grown more critical as a reader. It is harder to find books that I love, which means books I do love, I love every fibre of my being. I'm now approaching my twenties and I suspect my reading tastes will change even more as I grow. I do miss just reading for pure fun, but I'm glad that I'm able to read books in a different way. My tastes will continue to grow, but even in the past four years, they've stayed very similar. I love fantasy books and contemporaries. I occasionally dip my toes into other genres. I'm always surprised when books outside my usual taste end up being books I love. My reading tastes have evolved over the year and I've become a better reader.  

Carenza :) x

Top 10 Books I Want to Read This Summer| Carenza Bramwell

We are now officially in the summer months, and as September is starting to loom in the distance, it's got me thinking. I want to make the most of the remaining two months I have "off" from university and what I can do to fill the time. In today's post I will be talking about the top ten books that I want to read by the end of summer. This list will be made up of books that I already own, rather than books that are coming out in the next few months.

Days of Blood and Starlight & Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

I had read the first book in this series about two years ago and really enjoyed it. I don't know why I didn't decide to continue with it. I then read and adored the Strange the Dreamer duology by Laini. I am determined to finish the books of hers that I own as she is an incredible writer. I will have to read a recap of book one, but I know this will be another series that I adore. 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

The only contemporary book I have unread on my TBR at the time of writing this post. I bought this many years ago and I did try to read it but I stopped for some reason. I remember loving Fangirl when I read that and this is the story that was featured in Fangirl. I've heard good things about it so I'm hoping that I enjoy it. I desperately need more contemporary books in my life. 

The Winners Curse by Marie Rutoski 

Again, another book I've had on my TBR for a while. This was supposed to be a good political YA Dystopian novel. I'm really passionate about politics so I'd like to see how it plays out in YA book. I only have the first book which might be a problem if I end up loving it. I also want to see if I like Marie's writing style as I know she's released a book recently which has LGBT elements in and I want to see if that book would be for me. 

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

As a cat lover, I have quite a few fiction books about cats. My mum and I picked this up a few years ago but for some reason I've never read it. It is on my TBR for this month as I always need more cat related things in my life. 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery 

I remember reading about half of this as a child and enjoying it, but then I just stopped it. This seems to be a common theme with me and books. It's a classic that I've had on my shelves for about ten years, so I figured it is finally time to read it. I've been trying to tackle more of my classics and modern lit books as it's one of the genres I neglect the most. I need to break my habit of just reading fantasy and contemporary books. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

Surprise suprise, another classic I need to read. I enjoyed Jane Eyre when I was younger so in my mid teens, I thought I should try books from the other Bronte sisters. I even own a very fancy edition that I bought for my 16th birthday. I hope I like this as much as I enjoyed Jane Eyre. 

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 

A YA Classic. I'm a bit apprehensive about reading this one as I read Renee's most recent release and I didn't enjoy it that much. I've been making my way through the back list of popular YA books, so this is another one I need to get to. I know it's inspired by A Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The Classic YA books are a bit hit and miss with me. I think a lot of them I would have loved when I was younger, but now I find they're not for me.

Illumina and Gemina by Aimee Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 

The last set of books on my list. I actually won my copies in a Twitter giveaway hosted by Fairyloot. These are also books considered to be YA Classics. I know that they're told in a unsual format so I'm looking forward to reading them. Sci-fi isn't a genre I often read, but I'm trying to read books outside my comfort zone. 

So these are some books I'm planning on reading over the summer months. What are you planning on reading?
Carenza :) x

What I've Been Reading Recently- Spring Edition| Carenza Bramwell

It's that time again to share what books I've read over the past couple of months. My 2020 reading was not going great, but in May and June it has actually improved quite a bit. I'm really hoping it stays the same over the next few months as I feel that I've finally gotten out of my reading slump. I've been tackling my TBR books and really enjoying getting through as many as possible. 

May

In May I read a total of 8 books, which makes May my best reading month of 2020 so far. I think this is because I've started choosing a few books to read each month as a mini TBR type thing.

The first book I finished in May was Johnathon Strange and Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke. I had had this book on my TBR for about four years. It is an adult urban fantasy novel set in the Georgian era and follows the two titular characters as they are magicians. I had watched the TV show many years ago and really enjoyed it so my dad kindly bought me the book. This book just ended up being very dense and difficult to read. It was over 1000 pages and the author would go on major tangents in footnotes. I just sadly feel this book wasn't for me in the end. I gave it 3/5 stars. 

I then read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I was taking part in the HP Quarantine Readathon on Instagram, which has since been delayed due to JK Rowling's horrific actions. Due to this I will be keeping my comments on the HP books very short. This one is my favourite one in the series. I gave it 5/5 stars.

Next I read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I had been meaning to read this as the movie was coming out but I ended up seeing the movie first. I'm very glad I did this as I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. Again, it was another book that was a bit dense in places, but still enjoyable. I gave it 4/5 stars.

My next read was If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. Another book I'd had on my TBR pile for a while. The nicest thing I can say was that this was short. You could clearly tell it was a debut novel. It was fun and fluffy. If you're interested in my full thoughts, I do have a review on it, linked here. I gave it 3/5 stars.

An anticipated release of mine was The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller. I had seen this book floating around and it was described as a book where the main character wanted to take over the kingdom for herself. She was shown to be a villain. Sadly, it ended up being quite disappointing. You never found out Alessandra's motives for wanting to kill the king and ended up being quite cliched at times. This was another 3/5 stars.

I then jumped back to the HP readathon with Goblet of Fire. This has always been my least favourite in the series. It just misses a lot of the charm of the other books. I still love it, but it's not my favourite. I gave it 5/5 stars.

Then I read The Miniturist by Jessie Burton. I had really enjoyed her other novel The Muse, which I read in February. Again, it was another let down. I think I had gone into it expecting one thing but ended up with a totally different thing. I just didn't care for it at all. It ended up being a 3/5 stars.

My next read ended up being my lowest rated one in 2020 so far and that was The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. I loved the first few chapters but then it just went off on one and I could not stand it. I liked the idea of this journey these two people have to go on but then I just lost interest. I gave it 2/5 stars.

June

In June I read a total of seven books, which I'm very happy with. I didn't manage to read all of the books on my mini TBR list, but I did start and complete a series which I was very happy about. 

My first read was Order of the Phoenix. This used to be my favourite one in the series, but now holds second fave instead. There was some things I read this time that I never realised happened as I normally listen to it on audiobook. I gave it 5/5 stars. 

Bottom right corner

I then read Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge. This is a non-fiction book about several young people who were killed in gun related deaths on the same day. It was a very interested look into gun crime in America and how it mostly effects young people of colour. The only downside to this book is that it would occasionally go off on tangents, but apart from that it was an insightful book into a horrible thing that impacts people on a daily basis. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Next I read An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I know this is a beloved YA book, but I just did not like this book. I did actually enjoy the first part of this book, but I slowly lost interest. Laia and Elias ended up being just okay characters. I sadly have no interest in continuing this series as it just wasn't for me. To read my full thoughts on this book, click here. I gave it 3/5 stars.

I finally decided to continue with the Witcher series by picking up the third book, Blood of Elves, by Andrzej Sapkowski. I really enjoyed the first book but have not enjoyed the other two as much. This book had so much dialogue I started tuning out in places. I know that my mum really enjoyed it when she read it so it might just be the writer in me. I gave it 3/5 stars.

I then binged the entire Legend series by Marie Lu, well the original trilogy. These were fun fluffy books that were very easy to read. I read the entire series in about eight days. June and Day were solid characters. The only thing I didn't like was the ending of the final book. It just felt like a bit of a cope out to me. I gave the first two books 4/5 stars and the last one 3.5/5 stars. I don't think I will be reading the fourth book in this series.

So that concludes the books I read over the past two months. I did read a lot of 3 star books so I'm hoping to read some more high star ones soon.

Carenz :) x