Monthly Reads | June x

We're halfway through the summer here in the UK and there's nothing better than sitting out in the sun reading a light book and sipping on elderflower presse. This month I only read three books but they were all great easy reads and perfect for summer. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 
3/5 Stars
This was my least favourite book of the month but don't let that deter you from reading it. It's super cute and easy to read. A perfect book for when you want to switch off and feel all warm and fuzzy. I love how the relationships progressed throughout the book and how the characters perspectives of other people were challenged throughout the story. I'm super excited to read the sequel P.S I Still Love You, hopefully I will read it before next months update post! 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart 
4/5 Stars
As a girl who spent her teenage years watching Gossip Girl, reading fictional stories about rich people who attend boarding school is a guilty pleasure of mine. I really enjoyed reading this one as it has the whole 'skull and bones' element to the story and it is told in such an honest way that you can't help but feel both love and disappointment for all the characters. In many ways this story is about why people make the decisions they do and why they act the way they do.

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver 
5/5 Stars 
Vanishing Girls has the compelling nature of Panic (also by Lauren Oliver) combined with the mystery of We Were Liars (by E. Lockhart) and I absolutely loved the combination. The writing was compelling and the story was so carefully constructed that when I finished I immediately wanted to go back to the beginning and start again (I didn't). I loved the relationship between the sisters and how it went back and forth between the characters and in time. I really enjoyed the ominous feeling throughout the book and how the plot unfolded at the end. Definitely makes me want to re-read We Were Liars and Panic.

Tell me what you've been reading this month in the comments! xx

Monthly Reads x

Okay. So you know how I was gonna do a monthly update on the books i've been reading. No, you didn't? Well I forgot too apparently. Anyway I though I'd give you a little update on the books I read in May. 

As you can see from the pic above I read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Leviathan and Rachel Cohen and Firecracker by David Iserson.
While I enjoyed reading all these books, I can't say that I really loved any of them. 

Eleanor and Park was probably my favourite of the three, but that being said I found Eleanor's character quite annoying. Just open up girl! And that ending though. If you've read it you know what I'm talking about. 

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, mainly because it wasn't really dares they had to do, more like a scavenger hunt. Nevertheless it was a cute story and I really liked Dash and Lily's characters and the way they interacted with each other.

Firecracker was quite interesting to read. I liked how it was different from the other two as it's main focus was on the character development of Astrid Krieger. But I was quite annoyed with how the blurb sold the book as a story about a girl who lives in a rocket ship and has to go to public school for the first time. The whole rocket ship was referred to like a whole three times. But I did really like the progress from where Astrid's story started to where it ended.

Of these three books I was more emotionally invested in the lives of Eleanor and Park than Dash, Lily and Astrid's lives, but they all tell good stories 

If you've read any of these books let me know what you thought.

Monthly Books | Febuary

Ok, so a bit of a delayed reaction with this post. I totally didn't put two and two together when March came around. But anyway here is my update on the books I read this month and I thought that this month instead of just writing my rating of the book I would give you a bit of my opinion. Anyway, here are the books I read last month! x


1 | The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, #6) by Richelle Mead- 3.7/5 stars 

The Ruby Circle wasn't my favourite book in the Bloodlines, but don't let the cover dissuade you from reading it. I was a little but disappointed with it, not necessarily with the conclusion to the series, but how it got there. I think was a bit rushed. It needed more plot, more banter and just to slow down a little. I also found it difficult telling the difference between Sydney and Adrian and because of this I got a bit confused from time to time. I did however love the roles of all the secondary characters, particularly Rose, Dimitri and and Eddie. There were some pretty badass action scenes, and I really did love the epilogue. I think if it wasn't the last in the series I would've given it a 4.



2 | Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles, #2) by Melina Marchetta- 4.5/5 stars

This book. Oh my. I just can't. It's so good. There are just so many amazing characters and such interesting relationships. I still love Finnikin the most but I think I enjoyed this book more. Which really annoyed me because I didn't want to love it more than Finnikin of the Rock. Damn you Melina Marchetta! The plot was compelling and so heartbreaking at times. I loved the sub plots and Lucian and Phaedra are my favourite Lumaterian (you even a word bro?) couple, even though they aren't main characters I just loved their story so much. The Lunaterian world is very well developed and so brutally honest at times. I also really enjoyed watching how characters naturally developed and matured over the course of the book. It's just so amazing!


3 | Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles, #3) by Melina Marchetta- 5/5 stars

Quintana is bat shit cray and I love it! Melina Marchetta's characters are so believable because they are riddled with flaws and yet even when they are insane and annoying she somehow makes me love, sympathise and relate to them. The last book in the series was filled with twists and turns, heart stopping moments and I was honestly stressed at certain points in the book, like for real. I loved the conclusion to the book and Finn's role in the last scene (seriously, it's so good). So much happened in these books, but it was so well orchestrated that it never felt rushed and yet there was never a dull moment. Sorry for fangirling over these books, they're just so flipping good! 



4 | Half-Blood, Pure and Deity (Covenant Series, #1, 2 & 3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout- 3/5

I know I'm cheating putting these three books together. But there isn't much I want to say about them. They're kind of like a not so good rip off of Vampire Academy with a bit of Percy Jackson mythology. They begin with a similar plot to the Vampire Academy series and eventually it becomes its own story, but honestly its only an average series. It's something thats good for when you don't want to think too much and still be mildly entertained. The characters are interesting enough, but they're pretty cliched, as is the love triangle (oops spoiler, not really though it was pretty obvious). But it's fun to read, kinda like the fantasy book version of reality TV. It's also great if you're experiencing Vampire Academey/Bloodlines withdrawals. 



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Hope you check out some of these books/series if you haven't picked them up yet. Let me know what you recommend I read next in the comments.
Rachael xx 

Monthly Books | January

At the end of last year I did a post called Books of 2014, where I rated and organised nearly all the books I had read in the year. So throughout this year I want to give you monthly updates on the books I read and what my rating for them is.

1. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner- 4/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13138635-these-broken-stars

2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling- 5/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/72193.Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher_s_Stone

3. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner- 4/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13138734-this-shattered-world

4. Departure by A.G. Riddle- 3/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23675858-departure

5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer- 4/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11235712-cinder

6. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer- 3/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206760-scarlet

7. Cress by Marissa Meyer- 5/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206828-cress

8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 4/5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9361589-the-night-circus

If you haven't read any of these books you should defiantly check them out.
-Rachael xx