Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga where we share books we’ve bought or received this week. Find out more and join in here!
Hi all! I’ve actually been so much better with my book buying recently and I’m happy to say I only have one book on this list that I’ve bought in the past week, and I’ve actually already read it!
Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret. She’s a gumiho—a nine-tailed fox who survives by consuming the energy of men. But she’s also half-human and has a soft spot for people. So she won’t kill indiscriminately. With the help of a shaman, Miyoung only takes the lives of men who have committed terrible crimes. Devouring their life force is a morbid kind of justice . . . or so she tells herself. But killing men no one would ever miss in bustling modern-day Seoul also helps Miyoung keep a low profile. She and her mother protect themselves by hiding in plain sight. That is until Miyoung crosses paths with a handsome boy her age as he’s being attacked by a goblin in the woods. She breaks her mother’s cardinal rule—revealing herself and her nine tails—to save Jihoon from certain death. In the process, she loses her fox bead—her gumiho soul. Without it, she will die. When Miyoung and Jihoon next meet, there’s no doubt they are drawn to each other. But their tenuous romance could be over before it even begins, as Miyoung’s efforts to restore her fox bead by the next full moon ensnares them in a generations-old feud, forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.
I actually read a proof of this a while ago, but decided to give it to Courtney because I thought she’d enjoy it more than me (and she did!). However, I’ve recently been itching to pick up the second book (which has absolutely nothing to do with that gorgeous cover…) and I also wanted to reread this one. I managed to grab the Fairyloot edition of the first book for quite cheap on eBay, and now I can get the matching hardback of Vicious Spirits!
Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her. In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return. Now it’s been three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But nevertheless, she decides to retrace Celia’s last steps. Where they’ll lead her, she does not know. Her sister was full of secrets. But Kasey has a secret of her own.
This book is going to be such a difficult one to review, purely because I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this before. Following similar themes to one of my favourite films, Weathering With You, this is a science fiction novel looking at climate change and how the world may adapt to such extremes. This book is kind of set in a possible future where floating eco-cities exist, and follows two sisters leading completely different lives across this world.
I really appreciated how Joan He didn’t patronise us as readers at all, and managed to throw us into this world without explaining what was going on at all. I found it surprising how I didn’t feel daunted or overwhelmed by this world that felt so alien in many ways, and I really enjoyed reading about and visualising the world they resided in.
None of us live without consequence. Our personal preferences are not truly personal.
I loved how this followed two sisters, but I must say I much preferred Cee’s chapters over Kasey’s. I think this is mainly because Cee’s chapters are not only a little more relatable due to how far she lives away from the floating city word Kasey lives in. But I also think this is because Cee’s chapters were written in first person, whereas Kasey’s were written in third person. It took me a while to realise this was why it felt so jarring to jump between characters, and also why Cee’s chapters felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket after Kasey’s. I just found her chapters so much more enthralling and easy to read, but are supported well by Kasey’s part of the story.
I also loved the plot of this book, although the ending felt slightly…murky to me. This book was quite fast paced and also kept me on my toes throughout. I could never predict where the plot was going and there were a lot of situations that shocked me just as much as our main characters!
One person’s needs will deny another’s. Our privileges can harm ourselves and others.
Although this one wasn’t quite a 5 star for me, I did still really enjoy this and I feel like I could enjoy it even more upon a reread! I also only just realised this is the same author of Descendant of the Crane, which has been on my TBR for a long time but I’m even more excited for now.
An orphaned child with little or no prospects, Pip expects very little from life. His sister makes it clear that her little brother is nothing but a burden on her. But suddenly things begin to change. Pip’s narrow existence is blown apart when he finds an escaped criminal, is summoned to visit a mysterious old woman and meets the icy beauty Estella. Most astoundingly of all, an anonymous person gives him money to begin a new life in London. Are these events as random as they seem? Or does Pip’s fate hang on a series of coincidences he could never have expected?
Thank you to Amy for the recommendation of this one! I’ve been reading a classic per month this year from my Wordsworth editions set, but recommended to me by my friends. I’ve picked most of the classics I’ve read so far up on audio, and this one was no different. I found this one to be quite daunting as a physical version, and the audiobook felt a lot more accessible, despite it being quite a long one.
I have to say, I definitely didn’t find this as dense as I expected, and I don’t think that’s just because of the audiobook. I generally found the language easier to get through than I anticipated. Although it could be quite a hard one to focus on at times, I only had to focus on the words to find this one much easier to get on with.
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.
I really liked the characters of this story, and honestly they were one of my favourite parts of this book. I felt so emotional for Pip, especially towards the end of this book, and just generally found the characters quite likable and that I couldn’t help but root for Pip. I also feel like some of the characters had a sense of mystery around them and I enjoyed seeing how their stories intertwined throughout the book.
I also really love the writing and I like it more and more as I reflect on the book and read some of the quotes. Dickens has a way of weaving beautiful sentences and creates such emotional scenes that I know will stay with me for a while to come.
I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.
I would love to re-read this in the future and I already know it is one I will come back to throughout my life, much like A Christmas Carol which I now try to re-read every year.
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escaping meant he would get his life back. But no one knew what sort of a life they were going back to… Burned and baked, the earth is a wasteland, its people driven mad by an infection known as the Flare. Instead of freedom, Thomas must face another trial. He must cross the Scorch to once again save himself and his friends.
Well, that was darker than expected. Reading this book made me realise how I often recommend this series to young teens at the bookshop I work in, and even I was slightly creeped out. There is definitely some scenes in here that weren’t included in the movies (at least not that I remember) and I can fully see why they were left out, because they were very dark. The earlier scenes also reminded me of some parts from Terminator 2: Judgement Day and I think if you’ve read this one and watched the films you will know what I mean!
In some ways this book did have a bit of second book syndrome and felt a little like a bridge book between the first and third books. I think this was partly because this book features a journey across a hot, flat desert…which made it feel like a journey bridging the two books and also made it feel a little flat. Which might sound stupid, but I honestly think it gave me some strange symbolism.
i felt her absence. it was like waking up one day with no teeth in your mouth.
I also felt a little bit of a disconnect to the characters and I just wish I felt more for the horrific things these characters go through. This book was quite dark in places and the characters have some incredibly traumatic times – however I just didn’t feel enough sympathy for them in my opinion.
One of the most positive parts of this book for me was the plot. The chapters were super short and I found this so easy to read because I didn’t want to put it down! I found this slightly quicker and easier to read than The Maze Runner (despite me reading that over a fewer amount of days). I just thought this one was slightly easier to pick up and felt a little more compelling than the first.
you wouldn’t need to run to the mirror to know they were gone
Overall this one was a little mediocre in comparison to my pleasant surprise of the first one in the series! However, I’m excited to read The Death Cure soon as I haven’t seen the film of that one so I have no idea what to expect there.
Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun… 10:00 a.m.:The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve. 10:02 a.m.: The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class. 10:03: The auditorium doors won’t open. 10:05: Someone starts shooting. In 54 minutes, four students must confront their greatest hopes, and darkest fears, as they come face-to-face with the boy with the gun.
I’ve had this book for a while and I’m so glad it came up on my August TBR so I finally had a reason to pick it up. I love the idea of this being set of 54 minutes and books set over a time period of a day or even an hour really intrigues me. I admire authors so much who can fill a whole book with such a short amount of time and still make it fast paced and full of action.
This book felt so important and a crucial read, but wasn’t without heartbreak and sadness. I read this over a couple of days where I had little time to read, and I still got through it so quickly and never wanted to put it down. It is the kind of book that would be super easy to read in one sitting as despite the heavy topics, it was very easy to read and hard to put down.
You can’t always keep your loved ones with you. You can’t always settle your life in one place. The world was made to change.
I liked the characters and I also enjoyed the fact this had 4 points of view. However, I felt like the execution of this wasn’t perfect. This book is fairly short at 280 pages and I just feel like we didn’t quite have enough time for the characters to build distinct personalities. I just didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to, and I feel like this one was crucial to have a connection to the characters in such a harrowing situation. I didn’t dislike the characters, I just didn’t feel they were as distinct from one another as I wanted them to be.
I really liked the atmosphere of this book and I feel like the writing captured the action really well. I felt like I was right there with the characters as they went through this horrific event. The writing was also so easy to read and created a great balance of being compelling without taking away from the nature of the difficult discussions throughout.
But as long as you cherish the memories and make new ones along on the way, no matter where you are, you’ll always be at home.
Overall, although this wasn’t perfect I did find this really enjoyable and would make a perfect one-sitting read!
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga where we share books we’ve bought or received this week. Find out more and join in here!
Hi all! I’ve been slightly better about buying books in the past couple of weeks (I think). I definitely feel like I’ve been restraining myself a little better when it comes to purchasing!
I was also sent this beautiful picture book about Greek Mythology, which feels like exactly what I need. Thank you to the publishers, Templar, for sending me a copy!
I was also sent the second Deadly Education book by the publishers – thank you Cornerstone! I’m hoping it gives me the motivation to pick up the first book.
A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a readerentranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown. THE BOOK: Ship of Theseus, the final novel by a prolific but enigmatic writer named V. M. Straka, in which a man with no past is shanghaied onto a strange ship with a monstrous crew and launched onto a disorienting and perilous journey. THE WRITER: Straka, the incendiary and secretive subject of one of the world’s greatest mysteries, a revolutionary about whom the world knows nothing apart from the words he wrote and the rumours that swirl around him. THE READERS: Jennifer and Eric, a college senior and a disgraced grad student, both facing crucial decisions about who they are, who they might become, and how much they’re willing to trust another person with their passions, hurts, and fears.
I recently found out a copy of this book had been sent into the bookshop I work in and couldn’t resist picking up. It’s the only book I will admit to buying because of Tiktok!
Way out in the furthest part of the known world, a tiny stronghold exists all on its own, cut off from the rest of human-kin by monsters that lurk beneath the Snow Sea. There, a little boy called Ash waits for the return of his parents, singing a forbidden lullaby to remind him of them… and doing his best to avoid his very, VERY grumpy yeti guardian, Tobu. But life is about to get a whole lot more crazy-adventurous for Ash. When a brave rescue attempt reveals he has amazing magical powers, he’s whisked aboard the Frostheart, a sleigh packed full of daring explorers who could use his help. But can they help him find his family . . . ?
My friend at work recently got rid of her copy of Frostheart and after hearing Gav from How To Train Your Gavin talking about this series, I decided to pick it up!
Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered. There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal. Once you’re inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die. El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school’s many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions – never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school. Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it… that is, unless she has no other choice.
I also swapped my Illumicrate copy of A Deadly Education for the standard hardback copy, mainly because it matches my proof of The Last Graduate really well. I also found the Illumicrate edition stood out on my shelves because of the gold colour it was, and it is one of very few books I’m finding I prefer the standard hardback overall!
When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he’s not alone. He’s surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade – a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they came to be there – or what’s happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything – even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try and find out …
These books have been on my radar for over 10 years. I think the box set I am reading from has been in my family home for around 10 years too, and I never picked them up for some reason. I read The Hunger Games around the time of popularity, but I only picked up Divergent last year and I’m only picking up The Maze Runner now. My brother read the first book years ago (which is why I own the set) and I have actually seen the films of the first two. I always struggle when I watch the films before reading the book (which very, very rarely happens!) as I never know quite how to make my thoughts distinct on them both.
I have to say, this book was a real pleasant surprise. I thought I would find this a bit young for me and therefore not find it too enjoyable, which is how I felt about Divergent when I read it last year. But I must say I really liked this book. I read it in just over 24 hours and found it such an easy and fast paced read.
Just follow me and run like your life depends on it.
I liked the cast of characters and I really like how this focuses on male friendship rather than a relationship (not yet at least!). It felt unique for YA to not jump on a relationship and I liked having something a bit different. Even though I have watched the film adaptation for this first book, I found myself on the edge of my seat and wondering where the book was going to go (it’s worth knowing it has been years since I saw the film last!).
I definitely feel like this premise is super unique and although falls into dystopian themes and tropes now, feels unique of it’s time. I’m intrigued to see how the plot will develop over the books as I haven’t seen the film adaptation for The Death Cure and therefore will have no idea where the book goes.
Because it does.
Despite this one being a little difficult to judge, I can confidently say I really enjoyed reading this one more than expected and I’ll be starting The Scorch Trials very soon!
It’s been a long time since I’ve done a separate blog post for my monthly TBR, but I thought this would be an nice way to include my BookTube channel and showcase my TBR game! I recently created a TBR game called TBR mini golf, where I play mini golf to decide which books I will read in the following month. You can check out the July edition (which was the first edition) here, and I will put my August TBR game video below for you to check out!
If you didn’t know, TBR stands for To Be Read! I thought I would mention the books I chose in my August TBR in a dedicated blog post, so here they are…
Ash Persaud is about to become a reaper in the afterlife, but she is determined to see her first love Poppy Morgan again, the only thing that separates them is death. Car headlights. The last thing Ash hears is the snap of breaking glass as the windscreen hits her and breaks into a million pieces like stars. But she made it, she’s still here. Or is she? This New Year’s Eve, Ash is gets an RSVP from the afterlife she can’t decline: to join a clan of fierce girl reapers who take the souls of the city’s dead to await their fate. But Ash can’t forget her first love, Poppy, and she will do anything to see her again… even if it means they only get a few more days together. Dead or alive…
The first prompt I received in my TBR game was one word title and I decided to go for Afterlove. I was lucky enough to be sent a proof copy of this one so thank you to Hodder! I’ve been wanting to read this for a while and I’m looking forward to finally picking it up.
Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her. In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return. Now it’s been three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But nevertheless, she decides to retrace Celia’s last steps. Where they’ll lead her, she does not know. Her sister was full of secrets. But Kasey has a secret of her own.
I picked the prompt special edition for my second pick, and I chose The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He, and I’m so excited for it. I’ve heard amazing things about this one and I’m confident I’ll love it, and I also bought this gorgeous Owlcrate edition which I love!
Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun… 10:00 a.m.: The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve. 10:02 a.m.: The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class. 10:03: The auditorium doors won’t open. 10:05: Someone starts shooting. In 54 minutes, four students must confront their greatest hopes, and darkest fears, as they come face-to-face with the boy with the gun.
I then picked the prompt book you’ve had for over a year and I chose This Is Where It Ends. I’ve actually already read this book (review to come soon!) and I really liked it.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach. As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.
I then got the prompt longest book, which is daunting but I ended up with House of Earth and Blood. I read A Court of Silver Flames over the course of a couple of days, so I’m happy this one ended up being the longest book on my TBR! This is the last book by Sarah J Maas I need to read and I always love her books, so I’m sure it will be a great read.
Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf. A crush-free weekend at Farmland Music and Arts Festival with her best friend is just what she needs to get her mind off the senior year that awaits her. Toni is one week away from starting college, and it’s the last place she wants to be. Unsure about who she wants to become and still reeling in the wake of the loss of her musician-turned-roadie father, she’s heading back to the music festival that changed his life in hopes that following in his footsteps will help her find her own way forward. When the two arrive at Farmland, the last thing they expect is to realize that they’ll need to join forces in order to get what they’re searching for out of the weekend. As they work together, the festival becomes so much more complicated than they bargained for, and Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other, and music, more than they ever could have imagined.
I then picked the prompt romance, which I liked because it gave me so much scope to pick a lot of different books. After a bit of deliberation, I picked Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson. I knew this was one I wanted to read over the summer so thought I would squeeze it in, and I’m also excited to read it because I loved You Should See Me in a Crown which I read last year.
So that was my August TBR! I’m so excited to read all of the books on this one which is really cool.
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality. Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths. Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods. The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.
It’s time for another review where I get confused about Greek Mythology! I think at this point I need to face the fact that I probably need to teach myself a little bit before reading more Greek Mythology inspired books, purely because this is the second book I’ve read in 2021 that I have been highly confused over (the first being Circe). I thought with this one being a YA book rather than adult it may have held my hand a little more, but it did still leave me feeling confused.
I feel like I left this book with not much more knowledge than when I went in, honestly. I really liked the idea of this book and the premise sounded brilliant – it sounds like it should have been fast paced and action packed. Instead, I found this boring and confusing at the same time. It took me so much longer to get through than I wanted to because it just felt so long and I didn’t want to pick it up when I wasn’t reading it.
I was born knowing how to do three things –
I liked the characters and the kind of found family element to it, but I didn’t feel connected to them at all. They all felt a little flat and I couldn’t tell you any defining feature about any of the characters less than a week after finishing this book. The plot also felt super slow even though technically a lot happens, I couldn’t pinpoint anything in partiular.
I know that part of my problem with this book was my lack of understanding of Greek Mythology, but I feel like I can’t blame everything on myself here. Partly because there were sections of this book (namely the flashbacks) that I actually really enjoyed. I’m so glad I enjoyed these parts because I do have hope for Alexandra Bracken’s writing. These sections personally felt so different to the rest of the book and I felt so much more connected to them.
how to breathe, how to dream, and how to love you.
It’s really hard to tell how much of this book’s problems is mine and how much is the book, but I really want to read the Passenger series by the same author so it will be interesting to see how I find that one!
Welcome to the cafe that never sleeps. Day and night, Stella’s Cafe opens its doors to the lonely and the lost, the morning people and the night owls. It’s a place where everyone is always welcome, where life can wait at the door. Meet Hannah and Mona: best friends, waitresses, dreamers. They love working at Stella’s – the different people they meet, the small kindnesses exchanged. But is it time to step outside and make their own way in life? Come inside and spend twenty-four hours at Stella’s Cafe, where one day might just be enough to change your life …
Libby Page really doesn’t let me down! I loved, lovedThe Lido by her when I read it last year and I’ve been putting this one off for a while for some reason. I actually picked this one out in my first ever TBR game on my BookTube channel – my TBR mini golf game! You can check the video out here for my July TBR. I’m so glad this one came up in the video because I think the reason I have been putting this off is because I liked The Lido so much and I didn’t want to not like this one as much. And I have to admit, I didn’t quite love this one as much as The Lido, but I did still really love it.
Although this one follows two waitresses in a 24 hour diner opposite Liverpool Street station, it was the customers that really captured my heart. Working in retail, I completely understood the way the customers were portrayed and I find it fascinating knowing someone you have a very brief interaction with has their own complicated life. This book looks individually at these characters, their passions, problems and relationships. The way these people were interwoven in the story felt so graceful and effortless.
I also loved how this book followed the friendship of two women rather than a relationship, which felt like a bit of a change! Their friendship becomes messy and complicated but felt authentic and I could completely understand why their pathways were heading in the way they were. I also loved how this book was set over 24 hours – I always find books set over a few days are so masterful (I don’t know how you can write a whole 400 page book over just 24 hours and it still be entertaining!) and fast paced.
My only small complaints are the fact it took me a while to get into this one and that I did mix up the two main characters (waitresses) initially, as they have similar interests. However, once I got over halfway through I really didn’t want to put it down. I read the second half in just over a day and I quickly fell in love with all of the people in this one. Some of the scenes were so heartfelt and heartwarming, I ended up so emotional. I admire Libby Page so much for being able to make me cry from a scene with characters we only met a few pages previously. I was properly crying while reading a certain scene with a couple, tears falling off my face and onto my chest. It was just so wholesome and lovely.
Although this may not have lived up to The Lido, I still really, really loved this one and I can’t wait to read her newest release, The Island Home!
The Books are Everywhere 