March Wrap Up!

Hey there!

So in March I had a pretty good reading month, despite being super busy getting back into uni and being involved in loads of extracurricular college things. I managed to fit in time to read six books!

Without further ado, here are the books that I read in March, and my thoughts on them:

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

I finally got to the second Throne of Glass book!! I have a full review here, but I absolutely adored Crown of Midnight! I love Sarah J Maas' writing style, and her characters and world is so well fleshed out and intriguing. I cannot wait to keep going with the series.

Rating: 5/5

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

If you've read some of my recent posts you will know that I am totally obsessed with this book. It is AMAZING. As a lover of history, I adore time travel novels, and I really enjoy Alexandra Bracken's super descriptive writing style.It was interesting how different it is from her Darkest Minds series, but they both have characters who I am totally in love with. Definitely recommend!! For more in depth thoughts, see my full review here.

Rating: 5/5

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGally and holy cow I am so glad; it is incredible! The combination of western themes, a desert setting, and dystopia were so so interesting. The characters and relationships are super intriguing, and I can't wait to find out more about this world! Non-spoiler review here.

Rating: 4.75/5

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

I was super excited to check out Sarah J Maas' other series, and while I really enjoyed it, I did have some mixed feeling in regards to characters and relationships. As usual, I adore the writing style, and the world building is so complex and interesting. I love the political intrigue in the storyline, and can't wait to see how it's built on later on in the series. For some of my more critical thoughts, I did a full review here. But overall, would definitely recommend this!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Sophie by Jennie Sargam

This was another ARC that I received through NetGalley, and while I appreciated the characters, I found it quite hard to get into and didn't end up completing it. I'm not sure if it's just because it's not really a genre that I'm interested in, but I found the writing style a bit difficult to engage in and wasn't invested in the storyline.

Rating: 2.5/5

Deviations by Anma Natsu

I was sent an ARC copy of Deviations from XPressoReads, and found it extremely interesting. It definitely is something that I have never read anything like before, and there were a lot of themes throughout that I don't know much about and so found it quite eye-opening. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under around 17 due to the adult themes, but if you are interested in a book which considers sexuality, mental illness, and domestic violence, then this is very well done. Full review here!

Rating: 3.75/5

Let me know in the comments what books you read in March, and if you enjoyed them!

Love always,

Ari

The Chocolate Book Tag!

Hi!

As a lover of both chocolate and books, I thought what better way to celebrate this than to do a tag combining the two! I saw this tag over at Jack Croxall's blog, enjoy!!

Dark chocolate: a book that covers a dark topic.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. World War II and the Holocaust are such horrific times in our history, and this is reflected in the beautiful literature that has been based on them. The Book Thief is one of my favourite examples of this. Zusak's incredibly poetic writing style captures the mindset, pain, and endless hope present in such an awful time.

White chocolate: your favourite light-hearted/humorous read.
The Tallulah Casey series by Louise Rennison. This is the series that I turn to when I'm feeling super down, or home-sick when I'm at college as I absolutely cannot read it without laughing like crazy. It is such a light-hearted, heart-warming series, probably aimed more at a middle grade audience, but I believe could be appreciated by readers of any age! Such a cute series.

Milk chocolate: a book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Of course this series is absolutely adored by everyone in the book blogging and booktube community and I've heard so many wonderful things about it! I cannot wait to read it!!

Chocolate with caramel centre: a book that makes you feel all gooey in the middle when you read it.
City of Masks by Mary Hoffman. I loooove this book. Filled with romance, pain, and adventure, all the perfect ingredients for a novel, I read this book dozens of times during my schooling and it never fails to make me feel at home and all gooey inside.

Wafer-free Kit Kat: a book that has surprised you lately.
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this through NetGalley (see my review here!) and I absolutely adored it! I wasn't sure if the desert setting and western elements would really be for me, but I found them a fantastic combination and really hope it continues in a series as the world Hamilton has built is so so wonderful!!

Snickers: a book that you're going nuts about.
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. I've been raving about this non-stop lately, so why not continue! I cannot even comprehend how much I adore Alexandra Bracken's new series, and am ridiculously excited for the second book to be released (even though it's barely been a month since the first one came out!).

Hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows: a book that you would turn to for a comfort read.
The Harry Potter series, obviously, but also the Mortal Instruments series. As the characters in both of these series are so close to my heart, and I have read about them so so many times, it is always comforting to pick them up and return to the worlds that I adore. I feel so at home at Hogwarts, and at the Institute; there is nothing better than snuggling up with a cup of tea and cuddling my dogs while I read them again and again.

I hope you enjoyed this super fun tag! Let me know in the comments if you've done it yourself, and if not, I tag YOU.

Love always,

Ari

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken - review

Hi there!

I just finished Passenger by Alexandra Bracken and had to write about it immediately because holy cow I absolutely loved it!!

Passenger follows the journey of Etta, a young violin prodigy who discovers that her family is not what she had always believed. She is thrust into a time travelling adventure, during which she comes across Nicholas, a handsome sailor. They must work together to ensure the safety of Etta's loved ones and all that she has worked for towards a fulfilling future.

I absolutely adored Alexandra Bracken's writing style in The Darkest Minds, and Passenger was no exception. Her description brought to life the variety of settings and characters and allowed the reader to connect on a deeper level with the protagonists.

Her characters are rich and detailed, and you are continually learning new aspects of their personality and history. Speaking of history, this novel is full of it! It is so enriching following Etta and Nicholas into different countries and time periods and learning little details about each. Highly, highly recommend this novel!!

Rating: 5/5

SPOILERY SECTION:

I don't even know where to start! This book is definitely in my list of favourite books so far in 2016!
Let's discuss characters first. I loved the complexity of them, especially Etta and Nicholas, of course. Etta is such a strong female heroine, which is an immediate plus. Her focus on her career with the violin is a wonderful, refreshing aspect to her character, as opposed to her being solely obsessed with her love interest. I also really enjoyed her love for her family and her drive to do whatever it takes to save them.

Similarly, Nicholas has so many layers to him, he is a joy to read about! His guarded personality develops the mystery of his past, however it is clear that it hides a very soft and loving side to him. Again, his focus on his future and achieving his goal of running his own ship is inspiring.

In regards to Etta and Nicholas' romance, I thoroughly enjoyed how it wasn't insta-lovey, and the 'forbidenness' wasn't overplayed. Rather, the conflict came predominantly from both individuals being focused on their careers and not wanting to put them in jeopardy. When they do finally reveal their feelings, it feels completely natural, and comes at the perfect point in the storyline. They have such a wonderful chemistry, and challenge one another in a way that a positive relationship truly should.

Plot-wise, I frequently found myself staying up late at night, unable to put the book down due to the gripping story. I adore how Etta and Nicholas travel to different countries and times, providing such stunning imagery. Despite how drawn out the search for the astrolobe could seem, it at no point gets boring, and the threat of being caught by an Ironwood or Thorns maintians the pace.

Finally, the ending. I thought from around the middle of the novel that something serious would have to happen to either Etta or Nicholas, as it would be too obvious for him to go with her back to her time, and would completely go against his morals. Also, considering that this is not a stand-alone novel, it was inevitable that something drastic would need to occur as a final cliff-hanger. I think it was a perfect way to end the first novel in this series, with Etta disappeared and Nicholas on the hunt for her. Now I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel!!! I also enjoyed the plot twist of Sophia wanting the astrolobe for herself to make Ironwood's life hell! It added so much depth to her character and was a really clever aspect for Alexandra to include.

Overall, I obviously adored Passenger! Please let me know in the comments if you've read it, what are your thoughts, and if you haven't, are you planning to?

Love always,

Ari

February-March Book Haul!!

Hey there! So lately I've been trying not to buy so many books, as I have soooo many that I haven't read yet. But of course, we all know the struggles of being a book addict, so here I have the books I picked up over the February-March period.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Of course this book has been absolutely everywhere since it was announced, and every review I have read or watched of it has raved about it!! I recently read Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds and adored it, so am super super excited to delve into Passenger.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
After being crazy late to the bandwagon with Throne of Glass, I am trying to catch up with Sarah J. Maas' novels and be ready for the release of the second in this series, A Court of Mist and Fury.

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Continuing by obsession with Outlander and Scotland, I am now up to the third novel in the series!! I found this in an amazing second hand book show in Brisbane and cannot wait to pick it up!

L'Analphabete by Agota Kristof 
This is one for uni, wooo. I am in my second year studying French, and part of our compulsory course is to read this French autobiography.

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
This is an oldy that I saw in an op shop when I was home for the holidays and remembered hearing about it when I was still at school. I adore Melina Marchetta, and am very intrigued by the description.

Forever More by Cindy Miles
I heard Sasha from abookutopia talk about this in a video ages ago, and saw it in an op shop too. It is set in Scotland and has a hot ghost in it, what is not to love??

Tatiana and Alexander/The Bridge to Holy Cross by Paullina Simons 
The second novel in the stunning Bronze Horseman series, I am so excited to continue following the story of Tatiana and Alexander. If you haven't read The Bronze Horseman yet, please please do yourself a favour and pick it up!!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I already had a copy of Wuthering Heights but saw a super pretty one when op shopping for $2 and couldn't resist!!

Let me know in the comments what books you've picked up recently, and which of these you think I should read first!!

Love always,

Ari