Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2016

So, I seen this or something similar to this on some book blogger websites that I follow (Page Chronicles, Starcrossed Book Blog and lots more!) and I think it’s a great idea, so I’m going to give it a try! (I think it’s also a meme from bookidote…) So thanks to all the book blogs I follow because you are all my inspiration! (And I just love all their content 🙂 so check them out!)

*Full reviews are linked in the book titles, check ’em out!*

Exquisite Captive (Dark Caravan Cycle #1) by Heather Demetrios

4.5/5 stars: I found a YA series about jinn and absolutely fell in love with the world and characters. Definitely fast-paced and Nalia is a strong heroine who cannot help but itch to be free of her master. This is her story on what it feels to be trapped and ultimately be worth more than her super powerful magic. Oh, and the romance is very well done too.

The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2) by Jodi Meadows

5/5 stars: EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE ORPHAN QUEEN DUOLOGY!!!! *squeal* SO DANG GOOD. I cried, I laughed, and I mourned. I got everything I wanted out of this novel and am 100% satisfied with the ending, along with the way the characters developed.

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

DNF: Zombies are cool…but this book makes me want to spend some quality time with Voldemort. My experience with this book isn’t the best and I learned a valuable lesson that if your fav author loves it, doesn’t mean that you will. IE. Be careful with how high expectations go when it comes to anticipating reads.

The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass

4/5 stars: A hopeful start to Kiera Cass’ new Selection novels. America and Maxon’s eldest daughter, Eadlyn gets her own Selection. She’s a priss in the beginning, but we get some promising character development. Selected Men are always a fun to get to know. I was happy with it. Not overly impressed but not highly disappointed either.

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

5/5 stars: My new love. This novel has the best storytelling, and it’s so beautifully written. I can’t get over Khalid and Shazi. This novel reignited my love for retellings and it’s just so awesome. #gushinglikecrazy I did have some problems with some POVs but this novel blew me away. An absolute stunning series.

The Crown (The Selection #5) by Kiera Cass

2.5/5 stars: I. AM. SO. SAD. THIS BOOK IS MAD DISAPPOINTMENT. To have the series go from a 4-5 star rating to a 2?! Let me tell you, it’s not without reason. It was choppy, and too sudden. There wasn’t enough plot building and didn’t end in a way that I would have expected. I’m very proud of Eadlyn though, so that’s a plus.

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3) by Robin LaFevers

5/5 stars: Unexpected 5 stars for me here. I really didn’t think I was going to love this conclusion as much. I pretty much had to force myself to keep reading for half of the novel, but once the action started it really didn’t stop until the very end. I just love the darkness and fantastical atmosphere.

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

5/5 stars: Lots of fangirl feels. I changed teams in a span of a chapter or two maybe less. SJM brings it again with a fantastic novel with epic worldbuilding, an angsty romance, and solid character development. What can you expect other than 5 stars for SJM?

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I gave pretty high ratings this month. I had a decent month for reviews; there are lots of them anyway! May was a huge month for book releases. These reviews are a combination of old ones to new ones. I found new loves, but was highly disappointed in The Crown.

Tattoo Thursday

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Book-Themed Writing Prompts are a new feature here at ATP (Addictively Turning Pages for the confused). I have a new appreciation for The Daily Post Prompts. I put this under the category “Fun Stuff” for now because they are kinda miscellaneous posts. I love these posts because they’re created on the whim and it’s a great challenge to create a book-themed post related to the word of the day. I don’t always have time for these, but it’s great way to keep writing and to keep creative.

Underestimating The Power of Book Covers
An Open Letter to My Reading Addiction
Book Inspired Poetry: Brick by Brick (TW&TD)

I also wrote a Top 10 post about first kiss scenes!

Top 10 First Kiss Scenes in Books

• IB exams were this month so I was crazy busy during the pre-exam period. And after I had to catch up on my other assignments for my ongoing semester.
• I GOT MY BRACES OFF THIS MONTH!!! CRAZY!! It was a two and half year treatment and I’m loving my new smile. 🙂
• One of the assignments I mentioned above was creating a Physics Machine or a Rube Goldberg as it’s commonly known in the science world. I created it with Emilie and it was book themed guys!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI_lEZb7QH0 Check it out!!
• I expanded my social media platform so please follow me on those!
• goodreads / twitter / tumblr / pinterest / instagram / bloglovin’
• Oh, and I got nominated by Shayla for the One Lovely Blog Award so stay tuned for that post.

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How was your May? What books did you read? What are you currently reading? How’s life? Let me know!!

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury
(A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)
By Sarah J. Maas

Hardcover, 624 pages

Published May 3rd 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Average Rating: 4.77

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

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Lordy, lordy, lord. I just finished this book and I’m ready to explode from the intense feels I have stored in my body. Brace yourself for a raving review.

Happy 5th Blogversary to Paper Fury (!!!) With Gargantuan #Giveaways — Paper Fury

GUESS WHO’S TURNING 5 YEARS OLD TODAY?! SURPRISE. IT’S ME. Well, it’s Paper Fury, to be perfectly accurate. But let me just take a moment to feel ANCIENT. In blogging years, (which are different to other kinds of years, obviously) this is very very very old. I mostly can’t believe I still have things to SAY after all this…

via Happy 5th Blogversary to Paper Fury (!!!) With Gargantuan #Giveaways — Paper Fury

Cake & Tea & Get To Know Me — Paper Fury

In honour of my 5th blogversary, I feel we need to have a small teaparty and exchange chortling pleasantries. Something I’ve been accused of (and am also mildly proud of) is the fact that I’m known as a friendly blogger. WELL GOOD. BECAUSE I WORK SUPER HARD AT THIS! Of course I have devious reasons behind it…aka…

via Cake & Tea & Get To Know Me — Paper Fury

Review: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3)
By Robin LaFevers

Hardcover, 444 pages

Published November 4th 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers
Average Rating: 4.12

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn’t mean she has…

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This book frustrated the hell out of me. IT WAS TORTUROUS. I couldn’t take it. The whole time I wanted to punch Annith in the face, then when I finished, I was speechless.

ONE OF THE BEST ENDINGS OF A SERIES EVER.

And the thing is, I hated Annith for half of the novel!!! I don’t know how Robin LaFevers managed to redeem herself because ultimately, I love this trilogy.

Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

The Crown (The Selection #5)
By Kiera Cass

Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Published May 3rd 2016 by HarperCollins Children’s Books
Average Rating: 4.00

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

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I couldn’t be more disappointed. I practically skimmed that novel, and was hardly engaged AT ALL. I’m not happy with the ending. Nope. Not a satisfied fangirl. It was RUSHED. It came out of no where. And no matter how happy I am for Eadlyn for following her heart, and defying Marid, I can’t be satisfied with this book.

IB Exams Take Over

So IB exams are finished. ANND I have SO many assignments and projects to catch up on.

I’ll be taking a mini hiatus from blogging/reviewing until I can catch up on school. I’ll probably be uploading my old reviews to keep my blog active but I’m sad to say that any updated review won’t be starting up again until much later. I’m also starting to realize my brain doesn’t work well after long hours of studying, and I no longer have the energy to review. But, but, but, I’ll try my damn best to blog as much as I can. Lord knows, I’ll be procrastinating anyway. So, it’s not the end of the world. 😉

That being said, you can be sure that I’m still reading in-between all the free time I have (which is none but as a book lover, I think we are very good at “finding” time for reading).

FOR THE IB STUDENTS WHO ARE JUST LIKE ME. WE ARE DONE AND SOME OF YOU ARE GRADUATING NOW. I SALUTE YOU. YOU HAVE COME SO FAR. AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE STILL IN THE SAME BOAT AS ME: WE GOT THIS. WE MAY FEEL LIKE WE DON’T BUT WE DO. STAY STRONG.

Anyway, that’s just a mini update on my life. 🙂

Keep calm and read on,

P.S I’m sure I’ll be active on my social media links, so click and follow me below!

goodreads / twitter / tumblr / pinterest / instagram / bloglovin’

 

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn
By Renee Ahdieh

Hardcover, 395 pages

Published May 12th 2015 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Average Rating: 4.24

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One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she’d imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It’s an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid’s life as retribution for the many lives he’s stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

Book Inspired Poetry: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Inspired by The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Brick by Brick

Brick by brick,
You replaced the con,
One life to dawn.
My fight to avenge,
That I will win.
Only my resolve fated to stagger,
And my walls fated to shatter.

You horrible monster,
You terrible man,
To the stars, my love.
My bricks became yours,
To do what you please.
Because resisting the fire was harder for me.

Hidden past, a box of unopened secrets.
More like a door without a key.
Soon, the key became me,
And the roses grew thorns,
Pricking my heart:
No barrier, no more.

Brick by brick.
My everything: joonam.
We built one of wrath,
and built one of dawn.
A home, where you come to mine.
And I come to yours.

Brick by brick.
Is building a house from none.
I couldn’t stop myself.
Just believe, it’s done.

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I haven’t written poetry in so long and when The Daily Post prompt was “brick“, I knew I had to write something about Shazi and Khalid’s love. Hope I did them justice and I hope you enjoyed.

Find my review on the novel here.

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