Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And today I'll be talking about all the books that I've read recently.
I hope you enjoy, and feel free to comment on any of the books that I mention in this post.
Enjoy!
21. A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2), by V.E. Schwab
This was one of the best 2nd book that I've ever had the fortune to watch. The concept for A Gathering of Shadows was absolutely phenomenal, and V.E. Schwab delivered, for sure. I can't believe there aren't more books that have the Olympics (for magic) in them, but I'm glad this was my first time reading about them. There was more to this story than the Olympics, I promise, but that was one of my favourite parts, especially as two of my favourite characters are competing in them. I can't give much more away than that, because it's the second book in the series, but I will say that A Gathering of Shadows is just as good as A Darker Shade of Magic, and doesn't fall down the trap of second book syndrome.
22. The Kingdom of Back, by Marie Lu
I read this in 5 hours. It was amazing. It combines my newly acquired love of historical fiction, classical music, magical realism, and the underdog trope. I read this a month ago and I already want to re-read it. Highly recommend, it's so easy to fly through, as all of Marie Lu's books are. If this is her historical fiction debut novel, I can't wait to see what else she can come up with. The Kingdom of Back is actually very similar to The Light Between Worlds so if you liked that book, then this'll be right up your alley. If you didn't know, it's from the POV of the famous Mozart's sister, Nannerl as she fights to be noticed against her prodigy brother, as she progresses on borrowed time (her father has made it clear that she will only continue to play and compose until she reaches a marriageable age.) It's a wonderful book, one that I think deserves more recognition than I think it gets.
23. Every Heart A Doorway (Wayward Children #1), by Seanen McGuire
Although it takes a bit to get into it (because it's the first one and I had no idea what was going on,) once I'd got my bearings, I fell in love. It opened up a lot of potential stories within this universe, and I can't wait to delve deeper into this series. Every Heart A Doorway deserves every 5 star review, it absolutely lives up to the hype and I mean this when I say that it's the most unique magical realism series I've ever read (even though I'm not even half way through the series yet.) If you didn't know, Every Heart A Doorway is set in a boarding school, that houses children that have travelled to different worlds, and haven't been able to adjust when they eventually returned. I listened to the audiobook (and continue to do so) and it was such a quick read, but the amount of depth Seanen has managed to soak in is amazing.
24. Under the Dome, by Stephen King
This was the opposite of Every Heart A Doorway. It took a while for me to get through. I'm not saying it's not amazing, in fact the detail King puts into his characters, the plot, the relationships, is one of the best I've ever had the fortune to read. I'm just saying it took me a while. And because it's over 850 pages, why wouldn't it? Under the Dome is probably my favourite Stephen King book to date, and although I haven't read a whole lot of his work yet, the list is growing. What I love the most about Under the Dome is how, even though there are a ton of characters, and it takes a while at first to remember whose who, but I love following all the individual stories, and getting attached. If you're in the mood for a brick of a book, and also like Stephen King, I highly recommend this.
25. A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3), by V.E. Schwab
A fast paced conclusion to an explosive series. I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters, so I'm holding on to the hope that there are going to be more books with these characters (though I'm guessing probably not, unfortunately.) But I love Lila, I love Kell, and Rhy. And although Osaron didn't scare me, I was wondering how the heck our heroes were going to overcome this. The pacing was a little different to the other two, but altogether such an amazing ending. 
I have a review up for this, so if you want to see more of my in-depth thoughts, you can click the link in the title to see those. But to put it mildly, this blew my expectations away like a gust of wind. It's a simple premise, but it's filled with important parts of what it means to become a young women in the 1970s. You wouldn't think this was a debut, because of how well written it is. A Girl in Three Parts is a flawlessly written, powerful novel, and I really hope this gets the hype it deserves because it really is a wonderful book. Highly recommend.
27. Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2), by Seanen McGuire
I didn't know much going into this. I knew it focused on two characters of the first book, and that this was the world that they went to, before eventually going to Miss West's School for Wayward Children, but I didn't know any more than that. What I got was a creepy and mysterious world where I got to find out more about Jack and Jill. The description of the world was vast, and I never felt like it was rushed at all, or that anything was missed out, despite it's length. Looking forward to seeing what else awaits me in this mystical world.
28. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1), by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
When my poll results showed that this would be the next series I pick up, I was a little nervous. I wasn't sure I'd get into the unique way the story was told (it's written in a case study, full of reports, diagrams and text message conversations.) But it turns out, I had nothing to worry about! Illuminae has made it's way to my favourite series' list like the speed of lightning. Providing I love book 2 & 3 as much as this one (which shouldn't present too much of a problem, honestly.) Creativity was dripping off this book, it was so unique and original and even though I know there's not going to be anything like this again, I'm so happy I get the fortune to read something as amazing as this. If you haven't picked this up, what are you doing? Get on it. Seriously. 
Again, there's a review up for this, so feel free to click on the title if you want more detail, but this was kind of a meh read for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. The review's probably on more of the negative side if I had to give my honest opinion. But to sum it up, I didn't like Snow (big spoiler there, right? That's the leading comment between people that have read this), the characters weren't detailed enough for me to care when things happened, but the writing felt the same as the original series, and the cliff-hangers on the ends of chapters were what made the book for me. I read this so I could form my opinion, and although I don't regret picking it up, I do wish it had been from the POV of any other hunger games character (specifically Johanna, Finnick, Mags, Haymitch, Cinna or Effie.)
30. Seasons of War (Skulduggery Pleasant #13), by Derek Landy
I finished this yesterday. Those that know I love Skulduggery Pleasant with all my heart will not be surprised to know that I loved this instalment of the series. And those that didn't know, you do now. Let's hug. Seasons of War is basically Skulduggery, Valkyrie and their own version of the Dead Men travelling over to another dimension to kill someone, whilst battling zombies the whole time. Sounds easy? It bloody well isn't. Seasons of War was basically like every other book in the series: full of action, badass characters, and choc full of sarcastic humour. Once again it had me laughing and gripping the pages just as hard as I could, hoping that my favourite characters wouldn't get murdered. There are two books left until the series is over for good, and I'm nowhere near ready (even though the final book is probably 2 years away). If you're thinking this is a tad premature, you probably don't know that I've been following this since 2008. You do now.
Okay! That's all the books I have to discuss with you all! Once again, feel free to comment what you thought, and if you've read any of them, let me know!
Okay! I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon!
Byeee!
-Abi xxxxxx
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