March Wrap Up (2017)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And there's a quick post for you today!
My March Wrap Up (2017)!
Enjoy!

March Wrap Up (2017)

I feel like I say this every month, but I cannot believe it is already the end of March!

We're a quarter through the year already!

But enough of that, lets talk about the books that I read this month!

So, in the month of March, I read a total of 8 books! 3 of them were re-reads, which is why they didn't show up in the Goodreads "Read" section on the side of the page.

Here are the books I read in the month of March:

 1. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), by Maggie Steifvater

2. The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2), by Maggie Steifvater

3. Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3), by Maggie Steifvater

4. The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4), by Maggie Steifvater

5. Slated (Slated #1), by Teri Terry

6. Fractured (Slated #2), by Teri Terry

7. Shattered (Slated #3), by Teri Terry

8. Heartless (Heartless #1), by Marissa Meyer

As far as whether I achieved my TBR or not this month (I'll link it to " March TBR (2017)"), I sort of did. I completed one/three of the series' that I listed, and one of the spin-offs (that wasn't a series or trilogy). And I finished the series that I most wanted to finish, as well as re-reading another trilogy, so I call it a good month.

So that is my March Wrap Up (2017)! I hope you enjoyed it (told you it would be a quick one!)

And I will see you on Monday, when I will be posting my April TBR (2017)!

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I will see you then!

Byeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxxx

Books 11-20 of 2017

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And since I've read another ten books towards my Goodreads Reading Goal, I saw that I needed to do another Books of 2017!
So here are my Books 11-20 of 2017!
Enjoy!

Books 11-20 of 2017

11. Would You Rather, by Chris Higgins

I can tell you now that this was just one of those re-reads to get myself out of the reading slump I can fallen into. This book is short, cute and funny with likeable characters that anyone could like. And it's just one of those books that you know you can read and re-read without your like for the actual story lessening at all. Would You Rather is a book about writing, and adoption, and family, and it is one of my favourite Chris Higgins books. It's so easy to fall into the perspective of the protagonist Flick, and fall into the story of her and her family, which is one thing I really like about. I think it's perfect for teen readers that don't want too much of a time commitment.

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

This book might be considered one of my favourites so far this year (and we're only in March!). I just love the mystery and mystique of the whole book. This is the story of Caraval, and Scarlett and her sister Tella are just desperate to go, entranced by the mysterious game that is Caraval. But once they get there, it isn't all that it seems. What I liked most about the story was that it was treated as if it was real, but we were also warned not to look too closely or else we might descend into madness. We were constantly trying to guess what was real and what was fake. If you are a fan of the Night Circus, I highly recommend this.

13. The Hate List, by Jennifer Brown

The Hate List really surprised me! I had it on my shelves for months on end gathering dust, and then when I finally picked it up, I was sucked into the story, along with the characters that either supported- or hated- Valerie. This is set nine or so months after Valerie's boyfriend- Nick- comes into school with a loaded gun and shoots all the people on a list- The Hate List- a list that Valerie, along with Nick created. Valerie jumped in front of the gun, saving the school, and then Nick shoots himself. This book is sort of the aftermath, and no- even her family herself- are sure what to do next. This book really surprised me, and not in a bad way. This book does have some serious issues, so I recommend it for older readers, but it is still a jolly good book!

14. Not If I See You First, by Eric Lindstrom

Another book that really surprised me! This is set from the point of view of a blind girl, and when you read this, you forget all the stigma that surrounds a blind girl as a protagonist. This book might not seem very interesting from the outside, but I think it's one of those books that everyone should try. I don't want to reveal too much about this book, because I went into this with no idea what it was about- other than what I just told you- and I think everybody else should too. Overall, this is a light, funny story about not letting anybody stand in your way of whatever you want to do, even if your blind! But honestly, loved this book and I totally recommend to anyone who is considering reading it!

15. It's a 50/50 Thing, by Chris Higgins

Yet another Chris Higgins book! This was yet another book that I decided to read on the spot, and since I hadn't read this one in a while, so I decided to read it (yet again). This is a slightly darker and mysterious Chris Higgins book, which even though it isn't like her other ones because of all the mystery around Gem (love interest), I still love it intensely. It kind of sparks the question of how far you would go for love, as well as bringing family life into it too, without making it too overbearing and mysterious. If you are in the mood for a short, yet consuming and engaging read about toxic love then this is the book for you.  

16. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), by Maggie Steifvater

17. The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2), by Maggie Steifvater

18. Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3), by Maggie Steifvater

19. The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4), by Maggie Steifvater

Although I haven't reviewed all of these books (I've got one left, and I will be doing this after my March Wrap Up and April TBR) I immensely enjoyed this series and I highly recommend this for anyone who wants something different to read in YA. If you like mystery, mythology, and a romance on the side, then this is the story for you. These books truly do get better with each one, though I do recommend reading them in order or else it won't make as much sense. But this is a cool story, and one that I cannot seem to get out of my head, especially the last one.

20. Slated (Slated #1), by Teri Terry

I'd been meaning to read this trilogy for a long time before now, but I saved it for when I was having a slow reading month, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. This is my favourite book ever, so I was so happy to read it again. I recommend this to anyone who likes Sci-fi and YA and wants a unique, mysterious and addicting trilogy to read. READ IT (it's so amazing, I promise you will love it).  

So that is my Books 11-20 of 2017! I hope you enjoyed it, and the point to these is kind of like take a look back at the books I've read recently.

So I will see you on Friday (when I will be posting my March Wrap Up (2017), so look out for that!

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

Byeeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxxx

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3), by Maggie Stiefvater

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
Today I am going to be reviewing Blue Lily, Lily Blue because I do not have enough books to do a Book Haul!
So here it is!
Enjoy!

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3), by Maggie Steifvater

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Author: Maggie Steifvater

Genre: Fantasy, paranormal

Release date: 21st October, 2014

Pages: 389

Blurb: "Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs. The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost."

My Thoughts

This was the book that kind of did it for me. Up to this point, how invested I was in the story was... questionable. But then something about this book clicked, and suddenly I was hooked. It might have had something to do with the fact that the book wasn't just about getting to know the background, the premise and the characters, and that the story actually had a bit of direction this time.

A lot of this series is about the future, and the anticipation leading up to a prophesised event. And this is the book that made the leap from one point, to a closer one. And you begin to see how it all forms together in the lead up to the massive ending that is the last book.

By this point, the characters have changed and evolved so much, that you just can't help to love them. And not just as a group. They're not just one pure emotion anymore, and it's so refreshing how they've all gone through individual journeys but have emerged as a group, and it's so nice to see. And if that sounds cheesy, sorry.

Yet, I wouldn't say the characters fell by the wayside, just that they kind of blended into the whole story, instead of them being the centre of the story, and I was surprised to find that I liked it a whole lot more.

Yet, as much as I wanted to love this book, it did have some problems. When I was reading this, I just kept wanting more. It was never quite there. It was a great book, but it wasn't super amazing OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING. But those problems were kind of insignificant compared to what I liked about this book.

Now, the writing. Steifvater is so good at painting a picture in your mind and making you a part of the story that it's almost a crime. Just the way she writes the characters, makes them intricate, yet gives them flaws of their own, and makes them come alive on the page, it's just magical.

There's a sprinkling of romance in this book too, which is something else I want to talk about. The romance was just enough, yet again. It played it's part, which was prominent at some points, but it was never the main plotline.

It gave the reader the time to think about the MASSIVE NOSE DIVES AND PLOTS TWISTS, try to get their head around all the mythology, and just enjoy the story, which was ridiculously easy to do.

Overall, I'm starting to think that these books do actually get better every book (and I am right, because I've already finished it, and it was AMAZING). This was the perfect lead up to the finale in the series, and my favourite so far.

I recommend this for those that want to read something that is truly different to the world of YA Paranormal, mainly because of the lack (but also prominent) of romance, or love triangle. 

I loved this book.

Hey! So that was my review of Blue Lily, Lily Blue: the third book in the Raven Cycle series, and my second favourite in the series! I hope you enjoyed the review, I'm sorry it was kind of all over the place, but that's just the way my thoughts went when writing this review!

I still hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it encourages you to pick it up because it truly is a really really decent book that I did really enjoy!

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

Byeeee!

-Abi xxxxx