May Wrap Up 2021

What I Read In May:

Blood Heir (Aurelia Ryder #1) by Ilona Andrews – 4 STARS

I loved being back in this world again and reading about these characters. It was great to read from Julie’s pov and I was so very intrigued to find out what had happened to Julie and how she had changed. I loved the writing and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris – 4 STARS

I really liked this book and just like with Slay the writing hooked me into the story immediately. I loved finding out about Alex and his relationship with his brother and how it developed more over the course of this book, I loved the focus on the brothers. This is such a moving story that is told in such an interesting way.

Cold Iron Heart by Melissa Marr – 2 STARS

I was very excited to be back in the Wicked Lovely world again and I enjoyed that part of this book, the part of reintroducing to some of our past favourite characters in this prequel but I was disappointed in the actual plot of this book. I disliked the storyline with Thelma Foy, I found her character not very interesting and thought she and Irial had no chemistry. I still love the world of Wicked Lovely and the atmosphere it has.

Summer Bound (Wicked Lovely 5.2) by Melissa Marr – 3 STARS

This is a short story set after the events of the last Wicked Lovely book and I definitely think you should read Cold Iron Heart before reading this because it this short story revolves around what happened in that story. I liked this story better than Cold Iron Heart and I loved seeing where all the characters ended up after Wicked Lovely.

Black Sunshine (Dark Eyes #1) by Karina Halle – 4 STARS

Black Sunshine is a dark vampire romance book and I really like it. I was instantly intrigued by the story from the start and I felt the book had a great atmospheric feel to it. I liked some of the side characters and I’m excited to read more about them in future books.

A Memory Called Empire (Teixacalaan #1) by Arkady Martine – 3 STARS

This is a sci-fi space opera that I thought was an okay read. It was slow and felt dense in the beginning and although it did perk up and I got more into the story as it went along, I still felt not very connected to the story or characters. The pacing also felt a little off to me but I still felt intrigued enough in the story to keep going.

Blog Posts I Did In May:

Underrated YA Fantasy Books

The Quick Fire Fantasy Book Tag

Quotes About Books

Most Recent Additions To My TBR

Books With Leaves and Branches On The Cover

Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences

Guard You Heart by Sue Divin Book Review

Wolf’s Bane and Wolf’s Curse by Kelley Armstrong Book Review

Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifters #3) by Jaymin Eve Book Review

April Wrap Up 2021

What did you read in May?

April Wrap Up 2021

What I Read in April:

A Court of Silver Flames (ACOTAR #4) by Sarah J Maas – 5 STARS

Sarah J Maas is one of my favourite authors so it’s no surprise that I ended up loving ACOSF. I loved Nesta’s story and I was so invested in her story and her recovery, this book has many emotional moments and I loved reading about these characters and world again.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle #1) by Nghi Vo – 3 STARS

I enjoyed this short story and I liked how it told the story within another story. It did take me a while to get into the book at the beginning but I enjoyed it once I did and I liked the last section of the book.

Havenfall (Havenfall #1) by Sara Holland – 3 STARS

I liked the set up of the world in Havenfall with the different worlds being connected by this Inn but I thought the overall story and characters were a bit predictable. I still did enjoy the book and I wish there was more exploration of the different worlds within it.

Chain of Iron (The Last Hours #2) by Cassandra Clare – 5 STARS

I enjoyed the first book in this series but I liked this one even more. I feel like you see the relationships between the characters really grow and develop in this book and I really enjoyed reading about all of them. It felt like the stakes were raised with both the plot and the characters interactions with each other. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series.

Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifters #3) by Jaymin Eve – 4 STARS

Reborn was a really good conclusion to Mera and Shadow’s story and I enjoyed reading about their adventures in this book. It did take me a while to get into this book because of where Reclaimed (book 2) leaves off but I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the spin off books set in this world.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green – 2 STARS

I was really disappointed in this book, I didn’t like the main character at all and thought she was very selfish. I know that is a point the book tries to make with fame changing a person but I didn’t really care for her character before she got ‘famous’. I also didn’t really like the plot and thought it was a bit random, it reminded me of Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel which is another book I disliked.

Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #1) by Linsey Hall – 3 STARS

Wicked Deal (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #2) by Linsey Hall – 3 STARS

Darkest Moon (Shadow Guild: Wolf Queen #1) by Linsey Hall – 3 STARS

I originally wanted to read Darkest Moon first but even though I think it could be read first it is part of the larger Shadow Guild series so I decided to read the first few books in that series first. I liked all these books but I don’t feel fully connected to the story yet. I did like the description of the Guild City, it felt like a cosy setting with the way all the guilds were in one place. I also enjoyed the mystery aspects of the books and thought they were enjoyable reads.

Dark Horse (A Demon’s Guide to the Afterlife #1) by Kel Carpenter and Aurelia Jane – 3 STARS

Dark Horse is a reverse harem paranormal book about Fury, a demon, tasked in the afterlife to go back to earth and help sort out three powerful supernatural beings who might end the world. I thought this was a fun read and I’m interested to see where the story goes. There were a few times in the book where Fury was passed around for the guys to ‘mind for her safety’ and that kind of threw me off.

Blog Posts I Did In April:

Most Anticipated Book Releases for April, May and June 2021

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune Book Review

Spring Cleaning Book Tag

Colourful Book Covers

Non-Human Main Characters

March Wrap Up 2021

What books did you read in April?

February Wrap Up 2021

What I Read In February:

Shades of Treason (Anomaly #1) by Sandy Williams – REREAD – 4 STARS
Shades of Honor (Anomaly #2) by Sandy Williams – REREAD – 5 STARS
Shades of Allegiance (Anomaly #3) by Sandy Williams – 4 STARS

I read the first two books in this trilogy years ago and loved them but it had been quite a while since I first read them so I decided to reread them before I read the third and final book in the trilogy that released last month. I enjoyed my reread of them and I also really enjoyed Shades of Allegiance. I love the relationship between Ash and Rykas and how it grew over the books.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – 4 STARS

The premise and story of The Midnight Library was very intriguing and I loved the overall themes of the book. I didn’t feel as emotionally attached to the characters or story as I expected to be but I did enjoy reading this book.

Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May – 4 STARS

This was a fun space adventure story and I liked reading it. I liked the characters and thought their back stories were very intriguing and I liked how they all ended up together.

Venandi by K.C. Luck – 4 STARS

Venandi is a short paranormal romance about a famous movie director who is secretly a vampire. She’s contracted to making a vampire thriller movie and ends up feeling a growing attraction to the main female lead in the movie. I liked this short story and I liked the chemistry between Saxon and Faye, I wish the book was slightly longer so we could read more scenes with the characters. I really liked the back story of Saxon and how she came to be a vampire.

Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters #1) by Jaymin Eve – 4 STARS

It took me a while to warm up to the story in this book since it starts off with Mera (the mc), a wolf shifter who has been abused most of her life by her pack and we’re told how much she is taunted and hurt by them every day and how she wants to run away from them. I do feel like the beginning is the weakest part of the book but it definitely gets a lot better as it goes on especially when the Shadow Beast was introduced and we get to see Mera finding out more about the world in this book.

I Had That Same Dream Again: The Complete Manga Collection by Yoru Sumino and illustrated by Izumi Kirihara – 3 STARS

I liked this story and thought the overall themes of ‘what is happiness’ were great and I loved how Nanoka (the mc) was trying to figure it out. It took me a while before I felt emotionally invested in the story, it wasn’t really until the last parts of the book that I began I feel for the main character.

 

Blog Posts I Did In February:

My Favourite Book Couple Part 2

Raybearer (Raybearer #1) by Jordan Ifueko Book Review

Book Characters That Made Me Laugh

Books Written Before I Was Born

Julie and the Phantoms Bookish Tag

Purple Books

Shades of Treason (Anomaly #1) by Sandy Williams Book Review

Shades of Honor (Anomaly #2) by Sandy Williams Book Review

January Wrap Up 2021

 

What books did you read in February? Have you read any of the ones I mentioned?

January Wrap Up 2021

What I Read In January:

Jade War (The Green Bone Saga #2) by Fonda Lee – 3 STARS

I liked Jade War but I did like Jade City more. I felt like the plot meandered a bit and you could tell this was a second book in a series and that more exciting things were not going to happen in this book but in the next.

Touched by Fire (Demons of New Chicago #1) by Kel Carpenter- 3 STARS
Haunted by Shadows (Demons of New Chicago #2) by Kel Carpenter – 3 STARS

This is an urban fantasy series and I thought they were okay reads. I liked how action packed the plot was and I liked the rocky friendship that Piper and Nathalie have.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – 5 STARS

I loved A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, I loved the focus of the relationship between the main characters and I really love their interactions with each other. I did a full review of this book which you can find here. I’m so excited for the next book in this series.

Spy X Family Volume 1 by Tatsuya Endo – 3 STARS

I thought this was an okay read. It is such an interesting concept but I felt a little indifferent to the overall story and characters.

Raybearer (Raybearer #1) by Jordan Ifueko – 5 STARS

Raybearer is such a wonderfully written YA fantasy, I loved how the author described the world and characters of it. Everything, from the history and mythology of the world to the characters and their back stories were written in such an intriguing way that really captured my interest. I’ll be posting my full review of it soon.

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan – 3 STARS

I really liked the premise of this book, it’s about an early 2000s girl group as they look back on the height of their fame and why they broke up and why one of their former members is dead in the present timeline. This book was filled with drama and it focuses on hard topics but I didn’t feel as emotionally invested as I expected to be. I didn’t feel a connection between any of the characters and I wish it had focused more on the topics like depression and I wish we got to see more of Cassidy’s life after Gloss.

Blog Posts I Did In January:

My Favourite Books of 2020

The Anti-TBR Tag

Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2020

Books I Want To Reread in 2021

My Most Anticipated Book Releases for January, February and March 2021

Books I Meant To Read In 2020 But Didn’t Get To

Backlist Books I Want To Read In 2021

My January Bookstagram Pictures (kylaslibrary):

What books did you read in January? Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned?

My Favourite Books of 2020

I love doing my favourite books list every year and I love talking about why I loved each book. I read so many great books in 2020 so it was hard to narrow it down, I usually do narrow it down to around ten but I’ve definitely went over that this year.  They are in no particular order.

The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman

The Toll surprised me a lot because even though I really liked the first and second book I think this book is the best in the trilogy. I love how it focused so much on the world and how it came to be and everything lined up so well, it felt like an epic conclusion.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J Maas

I feel like this will be on a lot of favourite lists for 2020 and I’m sure everyone has already heard about it. I loved this book, I loved Bryce and was so invested in this story emotionally. So much happens and there are a lot of twists, I loved this book.

The Light Between Worlds by Laura Weymouth

This is a book that surprised me, I loved the writing and I loved how it’s almost like a retelling of the Chronicles of Narnia but it focuses more on the effects of returning home after growing up in a fantasy land.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’ve almost caught up on all of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s previously published books now, I think I only have about two to read left. I knew I’d love the writing of this and I loved the story too, it was very emotional.

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

I’ve loved all of Marie Lu’s previously released books so I knew I’d like The Kingdom of Back but I was still surprised at how much I loved it. It’s a heart breaking book as it follows the life of Nannerl, who is Mozart’s sister. Not many people know of her even though she was as good a composer as Mozart simply because she was a woman. This book is so heart breaking as it confronts the reality of the constraints that were placed on women’s lives in the past.

The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

I loved the main character in this book, Ryann Bird. She’s such a great character and I loved the sci-fi elements to this story. I loved how the relationship developed between the two main characters and I loved the ending.

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

I loved this book and thought it put such an original and unique spin on the original Cinderella story. I loved how this book used the original Cinderella story to tell its own messages and themes and I loved how the main character stood up and fought for what was right.

Chaos Reigning (Consortium Rebellion #3) by Jessie Mihalik

I really liked the chemistry between the couple in this book and I liked how their relationship began, I also enjoyed how action packed this book was.

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis

Cantoras was a very heart breaking book to read but I’m glad I read it and I loved reading about these five women and their relationships with each other, I loved how they became closer throughout the years with each other.

Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

Beetle & the Hollowbones was such a cute graphic novel. I loved the artwork and story, I loved how the story felt like a full story.

The Guild Codex: Spellbound and The Guild Codex: Demonized series by Annette Marie

I started reading the Guild Codex series in 2020 and I’m so glad I found a new favourite series. I loved both The Guild Codex: Spellbound series and the spin off series The Guild Codex: Demonized. I loved the characters in both series and I loved how they overlapped with each other.

A Snowfall of Silver by Laura Wood

This book was such a great book to read in the winter. It had such perfect cosy atmosphere and I really liked the writing.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn

I was instantly intrigued by this book as soon as I started reading it. It has a great plot with a interesting group of characters that I really enjoyed reading about.

Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer

I’ve wanted to read this trilogy since it first came out but I never actually got around to it until this year and I was so surprised at how much I loved this trilogy. I loved the overall concept of it, the superheroes vs super villains and not knowing which side is which. I thought it was written so well and I was so immersed into the world of it and intrigued by the characters.

What were your favourite books of 2020?

Book Review: A Snowfall of Silver by Laura Wood

Book: A Snowfall of Silver
Author: Laura Wood
Genre: YA historical fiction, romance

A snow-dusted love story.

In the Autumn of 1931, eighteen-year-old Freya Trevelyan runs away from her home in Cornwall to follow her dream of becoming an actress. When she is invited to join a theatrical company about to head out on tour, Freya thinks the path to success is clear, and, amidst all the glamour and bustle of stage life, she finds – for the first time – a place to belong. But can reality ever live up to her expectations? What if her life – and falling in love – turn out to be nothing like she planned? An enchanting coming of age romance about following your dreams – even when they aren’t quite what you expected.

My Rating: 5 STARS

My Review:

A Snowfall of Silver is a historical fiction book set in the 1930s and is about Freya who wants to make it as an actress in the theatre. She runs away from home to her sister’s house in London and ends up travelling with a theatre group and making her own adventures.

I loved A Snowfall in Silver, it’s such a perfect book to read during the winter since it takes place during November and December. It snows a lot in this book and there is even a part in the book where the characters are snowed in, in a theatre and the whole book has such a cosy feel to it.

I loved Freya and I loved how straight forward she was about what she wanted from life, I also liked how she recognised her own naivety to things in life. I loved reading about her travelling with the theatre group and I loved the friendships she made with the rest of the group. I described the wintry setting as cosy before but I also think the characters made the book feel cosy too. They are such a tight knit group who (mostly) got along really well over the course of their travelling. The romance was so sweet and I loved how it wasn’t the main focus of the story but was still an important part of the book.

I loved the writing but I knew I was going to anyway since I’ve loved Laura Wood’s A Sky Painted Gold and Under A Dancing Star books. The writing style is very captivating and makes you love the characters, setting, plot and story even more. The story of A Snowfall of Silver is already dazzling as it’s about Freya being a part of this travelling theatre group who are touring different cities during the cold winter months but the writing makes the book even more dazzling.

Freya is the younger sister of Lou from Laura Woods’ A Sky Painted Gold. I loved A Sky Painted Gold but you don’t need to read it before reading A Snowfall of Silver since they are both standalones but I would recommend reading A Sky Painted Gold anyway because it’s a great book too.

Overall I loved A Snowfall of Silver. I loved Freya and her adventure as she tries to live her own life the way she wants and the thoughts she has along the way. I loved the cast of characters in this book and the wintry setting added so much atmosphere to the story. I loved the writing just like I had when I read other books by the same author. A Snowfall of Silver is a book that makes you smile so much when reading it and I really enjoyed reading it.