June Wrap Up (2018)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And it is the end of yet another month! Who would have thought?

And with the end of the month comes another wrap up!

Enjoy!

BOOKS

So I read a total of three books this month (and a book that I finished during the last ten minutes of last month so I'm including it in this wrap up.)

1. Clean, by Juno Dawson

I absolutely loved this book. It's very realistic and honest about a number of different topics, it's about a socialite called Lexi that thinks she's hit rock bottom when she nearly overdoses, but what she doesn't know is that it's about to get ten times worse, when she's shipped off to residential rehab. I flew through this novel, I read it in under two days and it is such a gripping read. Review linked into the title.

2. Caraval (Caraval #1), by Stephanie Garber

I re-read this so that I could refresh my memory on what happened in the first book before I jumped into the second (I had recently bought Legendary because it was signed), so that was the reason that I decided to pick it up. I read this book as soon as it was released last year, and truthfully, I thought that I enjoyed it a bit better this time around.

3. Legendary (Caraval #2), by Stephanie Garber

Frankly, a disappointment. I will go into more detail with my review, but for a lot of the book, there wasn't a lot going on. I liked that I got to see more of Tella, and read from her perspective, but I just feel like it could have been better.

4. It, by Stephen King

I'm so happy I get to include this in this wrap up! It took me 16 days but I finally got through it. Saying that, it is the longest book that I have read. Ever. Did I think it could be shorter? Yes. But the characters were super fleshed out, there were just enough creepy moments that I was scared enough, but not to the point where I didn't want to pick it up for fear of being scarred for life. I was maybe a bit quicker in the bathroom, but that's it. If I'm honest, my only critique was how long all the backstories were and how long it took them to get back to Derry (the two were mixed together). I wish that were shorter. But overall, a pretty amazing book.

FILMS AND TV SHOWS

FILMS

1. Brain on Fire

I have been super busy this month, so there hasn't been a lot of time to watch much. I haven't watched any TV shows, and only one film. That film was Brain on Fire, starring Chloe Grace Moretz. It's based on a true story, and it's about a girl that starts having blurred vision, hallucinations and seizures, though all her scans appear normal. When the stakes start to rise, will they find out what the problem is, or will it be too late? It was a good film, not my favourite, but I tend to enjoy these types of films, and this one was no different.

WRITING

Overall, I've got a decent amount of writing done. Maybe 25 pages, and I will have to fit in more if I want to finish my third draft before 2019, but I'm happy with how much I got done this month.

I'm going to keep on keeping on.

Okay, so that was my June Wrap Up! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you also had a good month!

Let me know if you got up to anything!

So that is all I have for you all today! I will see you all on Monday with my TBR for July!

Byeeeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

The Mid-Year Freak Out Tag

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And due to lack of ideas, I decided that it would be the perfect time to do the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag! Mainly because we are literally half way through the year (that is such a scary thought!)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

BEST BOOK YOU'VE READ THIS YEAR

I'm going to go with Tiny Pretty Things, by Sona Charaipotra, because this book was cut through and harsh, and it perfectly portrays the world of ballet. It's a diverse read, and it discusses so many relevant issues in today's society, and it was just gripping from the 1st page, to the very last. I also can't wait to pick up the finale to this amazing duology, Shiny Broken Pieces.

BEST SEQUEL YOU'VE READ THIS YEAR

This book really surprised me. Even 5 months after having read it, the events of the end of this book are still firmly planted in my brain. If you get the chance to pick up the trilogy (because Nightblood was out on the 21st), I highly recommend this because (at least for the first two) they just get better and better!

NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN'T READ YET, BUT WANT TO

This came out recently, and I feel like I talked about this on my other tag this month. I've just felt starved of a Morgan Matson book, and this has just been released, so I feel like I'm going to pick this up sometime in August, when I finish all the books on my TBR.

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

At the moment this is the book that I am most excited for to be released. It's the third book in the Songs About A Girl trilogy, and so far it's been such a whirlwind story full of music and photography and romance, and I'm been happily surprised by the first two in the trilogy. Release date is 2nd August.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

I'm sorry, but I had to choose this. The standard of books that I have read this year has been so high, that it just stuck out like a sore thumb. It had it's decent moments, but it was more than average. It might have been the hype, or the fact that it was the second book in the series, but I just wasn't getting what I was expecting. More on my upcoming review.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

It certainly had it's flaws (like the love square), but this one certainly surprised me. I had previously attempted it the year before, and gotten maybe 50 pages in before setting it aside for a more interesting read. But this book does a lot for world exploring, as well as introducing you to a ton of interesting and cool characters, before gearing you up for an epic showdown.

FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR (DEBUT OR NEW TO YOU.)

This was my first book by Laini Taylor that I have picked up. I knew I would love it, especially after hearing everyone talk about this lyrical, poetic and beautiful writing, with these incredible worlds and characters, and I absolutely did. I read this in the space of a week and I can't wait for Muse of Nightmares, which is out in October.

NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH.

I mean, look at that face! He's not Theo James, but having been a survivor in a world full of aliens that have taken human hosts, he's dedicated, and passionate, and grows to love a person that his head is telling him to despise. If that's not a crush then I don't know what is.

NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER(S).

So, I think I'm just going to pick all of the characters from the Mistborn trilogy! These characters took my heart, squeezed it, then stomped on it. I love these characters so much that I kind of have to pick them.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

For sure, this one is the right one for this category. So powerful, so poignant, so tragic.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY.

THESE THREE! They are so cute, OMG! With this trilogy, I read one a month, and I was so glad that I managed to do that because it meant I got to live through the characters for longer! Seriously, if you're feeling a bit down, this is the trilogy for you.

FAVOURITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTION YOU SAW THIS YEAR.

READY PLAYER ONE! The graphics are amazing, it's a really accurate representation of the book, which I read and loved a couple of years back, and it's just as engaging as the book too! Go see it if you can.

FAVOURITE REVIEW YOU'VE WRITTEN THIS YEAR.

I don't think I'm going to select one for this. I love writing reviews and sharing my thoughts, and I wasn't looking forward to writing any one book over all the others.

MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU'VE BOUGHT OR RECEIVED THIS YEAR.

I was going to put Legendary for this one too, but I thought that I shouldn't put one book for two categories. So, I picked Clean instead (because the cover is gold.)

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU WANT TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?

Here's the must read list for this year:

-Shiny Broken Pieces, by Sona Charaipotra

-The Exact Opposite of Okay, by Laura Steven

-The Astonishing Colour of After, by Emily X R Pan

-Leah on the Offbeat, by Becki Albertalli

So that was the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag! I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know in the comments what your answers would be!

So there you have it! I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you all on Friday with my June Wrap Up (2018)!
Byeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

Oceans 8 Movie Review

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And I am nearly up to date with all of my reviews! But instead of posting them in order, I'm going to post a review of a film that I've seen the most recently, whilst it's still fresh in my brain.

So, I am posting the review of the film that I saw yesterday.

Oceans 8.

I hope you enjoy it.

Okay, the first thing that I think from this poster is that the figures should be bigger. You don't really get to see the differences between the 8 on the poster. But maybe that's the whole point.

It looks dynamic at least. Like the colouring of red and black screams 'I MEAN BUSINESS.' Which, after having seen this film, is emphasized from the very first scene.

With Oceans 8, from the absolute get go there is this feeling of these ladies mean business. That they are not women to be conned. The film starts off with Sandra Bullock, being released from prison. What I loved about the film is that it had a goal, something that it wanted to achieve, and it nailed it absolutely.

Also, the amount of well-know actors that were in this film, my god! Helena Bonham Carter, Sandra Bullock, Rihanna (she surprised me), and Anne Hathaway, there are so many good people in this!

Basically, the story is about two characters, Debbie and Lou, that are planning to pull of a heist to steal a 150 million diamond necklace with a team of seven. And these women are so smart that they might actually do it.

One part in particular that I liked was the way that these characters were introduced. They were all introduced individually, and with their own set of unique skills that are vital to some part of this operation. And as the story progressed, they were learning from each-other and actually working as a team. It was truly a force of different women, different backgrounds, learning and growing towards one main goal: stealing a diamond necklace.

Also, what's great about this film is that because it's a heist, it's one goal, you're not sat twiddling your thumbs for minutes, there's always something going on. And I'm going to go as far as to say that you didn't know how quickly the time was going until it was over. It kept you on the edge of your seat, and all the while you were thinking "are they gonna get caught, are they gonna get caught?" It was so good.

The comedy was more subtle than I maybe would have liked. There were little scenes that weren't emphasized, but made you laugh out loud in staccato bursts of laughter, that you weren't expecting to laugh at.

Overall, a decent film. It wasn't the favourite of the year, but I would go and see it again, if somebody asked. It was so kick-ass and devilish, I loved it.

Okay! That was my review of Ocean's 8! I hope you enjoyed it and, if you had any thoughts, let me know in the comments!

And that's going to do it for today's post! I hope you have a lovely day, and I will see you on Friday, with my Legendary review!

Byeee!

-Abi xxxxx

Clean, by Juno Dawson

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And I'm nearly there with the reviews! I only have one left to do until I've finished them all! (Unless I finish It ahead of schedule, in which case I have two more.)

But, I am not one to dither on (on here at least) so here's my next review:

Clean, by Juno Dawson!

Title: Clean

Author: Juno Dawson

Genre: Contemporary

Release date: 5th April, 2018

Status: Standalone

Pages: 399

Blurb: "I can feel it swimming through my

veins like glitter... it's liquid gold.

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses,

she thinks she's hit rock bottom.

She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's

forced into an exclusive rehab facility.

From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her

fellow inmates, including the myserious Brady.

As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love

is the most powerful drug of all...

It's a dirty business getting clean."

My Thoughts

So, going into this book, I didn't have much idea about what it was about, other than the blurb. And that's actually how I'm recommending everybody goes into this book. It's better, in my opinion, to know as little as possible, because then you'll get as full an impact of this book as possible.

The two words I would use to describe clean is hard-hitting. You kind of have to brace yourself for how graphic the story is. For example, when Lexi is shaking from cold turkey, you feel like you yourself are physically shaking. The reality of the words written feels like a knife on your cheek.

Saying that, maybe that's how it should have been written. It talks about so many important issues: sex, drugs, addiction, family, weight, eating disorders and gender issues. It didn't shy away from any one of these subjects, so I have some respect to Juno Dawson.  

As hard as the subjects matters were, it was so easy to fly through. I started it the 30th May, about midday, and I finished it 31st May, about ten minutes to midnight, which was why it wasn't on my wrap up for May.

Also, the characters were interesting. Not in like a thoughtful way, but the type of characters that you'd be impressed by, and more than a little bit intimidated by. There's a huge group dynamic within this story, which I thought were some of the best parts- they all felt like realistic, authentic people that fit in perfectly with the groove of the plot.

As for Lexi, she was the same. There was no way she wasn't going to go down fighting. At the start, she was convinced that she wasn't an addict, she wasn't going to leave. But throughout the course of the novel, she started to change; she needed to, or else there wouldn't have been a story. We started to see her for the person that she used to be, not the person the addiction had made her into. And that was where we found the story. (Of course there were other factors, like a romance between two people that I was kind of on the edge of my seat to find out what was going to happen between them, but Lexi's development was the main part of the story for me.)

Overall, I'm glad I picked it up and even though it may not be the book of the century, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and even though I doubt it'll make the top five books I've read this year, I'm glad I read it.

Also, don't read this if you are sensitive to the issues that I discussed at some point in the review, because there are a bunch of triggers.

Okay! So that was my review of Clean, by Juno Dawson! I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know in the comments if you liked it, if you hated it, or what you also think of the book!

I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you all on Friday!

Byeee!

-Abi xxxxx

Summer Book Tag!

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And for a bit of a break from the two reviews that I posted this week, I've decided to post a book tag!

I thought I'd do the summer tag today because I've pretty much finished my qualification and I shall soon be working full time! And because it's summer, of course!

Enjoy!

1. What book cover makes you think of summer? 

Although I don't really have that many books that fit this category, I did manage to find one. Songs About A Girl, by Chris Russell. It doesn't give much of a summer vibe, but it has more of one than any others on my bookshelf.

2. What book brightened your day?

This book feels like it takes a bunch of random things like quiz bowling and boyfriend drowning and lists, and then turns it into this really heart-warming story about people learning to face their fears, and learning to love themselves for who they are in the meantime. It definitely brightened my day when I picked it up last September.

3. What book cover is yellow like the sun?

Of course I'm going to pick this one. It literally has a sun on it.

4. What is your favourite beach read?

The first book that comes to mind is a book that I read in one day, on my holiday to Italy: Since You've Been Gone, by Morgan Matson. It was such a good book, and I was able to fly through it, but stay engaged at the same time.

5. What action book had you running for the ice-cream man?

I'm actually going to change the question for this one, and change it to 'what book had you running for the ice-cream man (because  the romance was so hot)?' And I'm going to go with Sephy and Callum's relationship from Noughts and Crosses because they lived so that they could love each-other. And the odds were stacked against them from the start, yet they would give up anything to be together. One of my favourite romances ever.  

6. What book left you with a bad or painful ending?

Of course, the first one that comes to mind is The Diary of Anne Frank. I'm really not surprised by this because I was in a play of it in my hometown, (playing Margot, not Anne), and I watched the 2001 version of a film the other day, so I'm not surprised this one cropped up as my first idea.

7. What book cover reminds you of a sunset?

I actually have not seen a cover that has a sunset on it, or reminds me of a sunset, so can I just opt out of this one? Thanks.

8. What is one book you hope to read this summer?

I'm going to choose another Morgan Matson book for this question as well: Save the Date! It's about a girl called Charlie, whose older sister is getting married, and she is really excited because for the first time in ages, all four of them (her, her sister and their two other siblings) are going to be under the same roof, before the house is sold and everything changes. But then, things start to happen that could send the whole weekend into disaster: Relatives that aren't speaking, a dreadful girl that her favourite brother has bought home, and a papergirl with a grudge. Not to mention a potential thunderstorm that might send the whole event collapsing down. No biggie. It sounds chaotic and amazing, which is something that intrigues me. Also the fact that I want to pick up more Morgan Matson, it seems perfect!

Tags
ANYBODY- I feel like this is sort of a cop out, but anyone that wants to do this tag should be able to!
Yay!

Okay, so that is the Summer Book Tag! I hope you enjoyed it and I am actually glad that I decided to take a break from reviews, so I could do this fun tag!
As always, if you have any thoughts, let me know in the comments!
Alright, that is it so I will see you all on Monday!
Byeeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3), by Brandon Sanderson

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And even though I finished this trilogy towards the end of last month, I still have yet to post my review for the conclusion of this trilogy!

So I figured it was time! 

Enjoy!

Title: Hero of Ages 

Author: Brandon Sanderson 

Genre: Fantasy 

Release date: 14th October, 2008

Status: Book 3 in the Mistborn trilogy

Pages: 724

Blurb: "Tricked into releasing the evil spirit Ruin while 

attempting to close the Well of Ascension, new 

emperor Elend Venture and his wife, the 

assassin Vin, are now hard-pressed to save the 

world."

This review will most likely contain spoilers from the first two books. 

My Thoughts

There are so many thoughts coming to my brain that I can't keep up. 

Okay. 

Leading on from end of the second book, there was something that happened that kind of shattered anything that has happened in the first two books. In fact there were several things. I'm not going to mention them, but there was instantly new plot line, and even though I thoroughly enjoyed everything that had happened within the first two books, I didn't realise that I was hungry for a new plot until the third book. 

Not an object, or a person, more a feature- something that has one goal- to destroy- has been unleashed upon the world, and Vin will stop at nothing to contain it. That was her main focus within this book and although there wasn't a whole lot she was able to do about it, she remained un-boring. Anybody else would have because somebody who lost their personality to pursue this one goal, but not Vin. 

One other thing that I will comment on is imagination in the head of Brandon Sanderson. How he comes up with such brilliant ways of keeping the reader hooked throughout the book is beyond me. He creates clues on top of clues that I don't really see, but then he makes it all super obvious with a plot twist. 

Also, there were themes introduced throughout the series that I don't usually like to read about, much less find myself looking forward to reading when they crop up. I think a big part of that is Spook, the fact that he was such a likeable character. I really liked him throughout the trilogy along with all his cute little quirks.

As for the ending, I thought that it ended pretty well, though I'm always a sucker for a happy ending. Take from that what you will. I thought the last book wrapped everything up splendidly and I think it did the rest of the trilogy justice.

I am so happy that I was finally able to pick this trilogy up. It is an absolutely fantastic trilogy and I think everyone, fantasy fan or not should consider picking it up. The characters are unlike anything you've seen before, the world building is phenomenal, and the writing is so amazing, you are literally able to jump into the story with minimal effort required.
Truly, it is one of my favourite trilogies I have ever read, so if you haven't, please pick it up!

So! That is my review of The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson- I hope you enjoyed it!
If there's anything you wish to discuss, as always, let me know in the comments!
I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you all on Friday!
Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2), by Brandon Sanderson

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And I am coming on this today with another review (shocker there!)

So, here's my review on The Well of Ascension!

Enjoy!

Title: The Well of Ascension

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Release date: 21st August, 2007

Status: Book 2 in the Mistborn trilogy

Pages: 764

Blurb: "EVIL HAS BEEN DEFEATED...

THE WAR HAS JUST BEGUN.

THEY DID THE IMPOSSIBLE,

desposing the godlike being whose brutal rule has lasted a

thousand years. Now Vin, the street urchin who has grown into

the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and Elend Venture, the

idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy

new society in the ashes of an empire.

They have barely begun when three separate armies attack. As

the siege tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of

hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the

Well of Ascension, or what manner of power it bestows.

IT MAY BE THAT KILLING THE LORD RULER WAS THE EASY PART..."

BEFORE MY THOUGHTS, KNOW THAT THIS REVIEW WILL MOST LIKELY CONTAIN SPOILERS OF THE FINAL EMPIRE.

My Thoughts

So, the Well of Ascension. Reading through it, it took me a while to find my groove with this book.

After having defeated the Lord Ruler, the one obstacle that I think everyone was doubting the lovable group of misfits would ever defeat, I think I was left wondering... WHAT'S NEXT?

Well this book gave the characters that I have come to love plenty to worry about.

With the dynamic duo of Vin and Elend running the show, they were attempting to raise a healthy empire, one where there weren't any slaves, trying to make sense of the mist that has now started to arrive during the day as well as the night, and keep the (what can be considered the committee) happy, and not one, two but three armies show up to try to overthrow them?! God help them!

What's more, these characters! I did not think I could learn to care about these wonderful characters any more than I did so in The Final Empire, but it has happened! One character that I was surprised to start caring about was Elend. In the first book I was super intrigued by his character because I was that same kind of person that he was at parties: Reading my book in the corner, never really being taken seriously by people, due to not wanting to talk. But in this book I started to care for him, as he tried to lead a kingdom that was close to crumbling around him. Vin was as badass as the first book, I doubt that'll change.

All in all, Brandon Sanderson is an amazing writer. Just the world that he created that seemed to unfold before my eyes, the way the story flows, with seemingly no effort at all. He's such an amazing world builder. He can create suspense and intrigue, and create stories that are fast and entertaining to read, but are also thought provoking. I would recommend this trilogy to any reader, regardless of whether they are a fantasy fan or not.

So that was my review of The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson! I hope you enjoyed it, I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you all on Wednesday!

Byeee!

-Abi xxxxx

The Greatest Showman Film Review

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I don't know how this escaped my notice, but I have yet to post a review about the Greatest Showman, which I went to see about 4 months ago!

But, the DVD is out, and I am re-watching it with my Class (to celebrate the end of the course) and it seemed like the perfect time!

So here it is!

I'm just going to go straight to the review for this one. 

Can I just talk about the soundtrack for a second. 

These songs never get old. There's just something about them that makes you want to listen to them over and over, until you have them memorised.

Saying that, they were created by the team that came up with the Dear Evan Hansen, which is a phenomenon in itself. (If you haven't heard it, go on YouTube and search the soundtrack. It's amazing.)

On the other hand, it kind of felt like I was waiting for the songs so I could become excited about the film again. The story itself, frankly was a bit underwhelming, to be honest.

I feel like the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out. I mean, there's no way two strangers would get together that quickly (the fact that they were from different levels of society aside), they barely said two words to each other before their lovers duet!
Sorry, that's just what I thought.

Overall, I thought that it was a decent film, but that it could have been done a bit better.
_______

So that was my review on the Greatest Showman! Admittedly, I may have been a bit harsh, but I thought they were justified.

Okay! I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you all on Wednesday!
Byeeee!

-Abi xxxx

June TBR (2018)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And there's nothing that I love more than a new month: because it means a brand new TBR!

Enjoy!

So if you are following me on Twitter, you know that I am currently in the process of reading every book that I own, before I buy any more (it's killing me because there are so many amazing releases coming out soon- or have just come out- and I did get one today), and one thing that I have got into the habit of doing is taking a picture of the remaining books on my TBR every time I finish a book.

I have five left.

So the books on this month's TBR are:

1. The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

I was meant to read this last month, but after finishing the entirety of the Mistborn trilogy, I just wasn't in the mood to pick it up (I was borderline on a reading slump). But I read a quick book about addiction (Clean, by Juno Dawson, which I wasn't able to include on my wrap up because I finished it about 10 minutes before midnight last night) and now I'm in the mood to pick this up. I hope this is good, I've heard it is, and I will be definitely be posting a review on it when I finish it.

2. Children of Blood and Bone (Legend of Orisha #1), by Tomi Adeyemi

I got this last month in a moment of weakness (though admittedly I don't regret getting this for a second.) The hype is real for this, and I can't wait to pick it up because I haven't heard one bad comment about this novel. Shamefully, I don't know a whole lot about it. I know there's magic, and that it has been demolished. I know that it cost the MC a lot, and that she's determined to bring the land back to what it once was, when there was magic throughout the land. And I know that I can't wait to read it.

3. It, by Stephen King

Wow, this one's a chunker. I'm not kidding, it's 1166 pages. Something tells me that I just have to bite the bullet and pick it up, or else I'll never read it! It may scar me for life, but at least I can say that I've read a Stephen King book. I sure picked a creeper. I don't know how long this'll take me (hopefully not the whole month) but I'm determined to have it finished by the end of the month. I know that it's about a group of teenagers that stumbled across some unforeseen horror at the start of the book. They then leave and grow up, but they are unable to fully leave, and they eventually return to something perhaps even more gruesome...

4. Caraval (Caraval #1), by Stephanie Garber

I'm tacking this on to the end of my monthly TBR because I bought Legendary today (I know I said that I'm not buying new books before I read all the ones that I own, but Legendary was signed- and it looks so pretty). I read this last year, and I'm going to re-read Caraval to refresh my memory on what happened in the first book.

So those are the books that I'm including in this month's TBR! I hope you enjoyed today's post and feel free to let me know what you are reading this month!

Byeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx