Just A Quick Update

Hello everyone! 

Over the next month, I have my a-level exams and so I'll be studying like mad. These exams are really important to me as I need a total of 3 A's out of my 6 subjects to get into medical school and so the pressure is on! Because of this, I'll be posting a lot less. Whilst I have a few tour spots scheduled to at least keep something happening over the next month, I can't guarantee that I'll be posting much else.

As a consequence, #SundaySeven will be put on hold for the next month and probably won't return until July. I will, however, hope to keep my bookstagram running, so keep following me there for some awesome bookish photos! I have also just started a studygram so for school notes and my bullet journal, go check that one out too.

Thanks to all this studying, I'm super behind on my book reviews too. In fact, I have a total of 3 that need to be written! I shall get to them as soon as possible, so keep an eye out for them.

Thanks for following me and reading this, hoe to catch you again soon!

Review Policy

I have just spent some time amending my 'review policy and recommendations' page.

If you are an author or publisher looking for someone to review your books, head there to find out how to contact me, and whether you are offering what I am looking for.
I am also open to hosting giveaways, author interviews, and guest posts.

I am also always happy to receive book recommendations from any of my readers, as well as being available to write a post for anyone else's blog.

Furthermore, I have often thought about having an extra person to help run my blog to make it more active, and to contribute some more ideas. If you would be interested, even if only temporarily, please drop me an e-mail (katticus07@gmail.com) so I can get to know you and see if you'd be a great help to my blog.

Book Review: The Finisher by David Baldacci

The Finisher – David Baldacci

*Warning – may contain spoilers*

Author: David Baldacci

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

First published: 2014

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 506

Blurb:    Enter a village imprisoned by its fear of the unknown. Where curiosity is discouraged, and no one has ever left – or wanted to. Until now.

                Then a mysterious bequest turns one teenage girl’s life upside down. A curious map and a ring which connects Vega to another time lead her to discover an unknown world beyond the perimeter walls. A world filled with possibilities, and creatures beyond her imagining. But before Vega can experience it, she will be forced to fight for her freedom. And unravelling the truth of what exists beyond the confines of her village may cost Vega her life…

History of my copy: I picked this book up at Tesco as part of their 2 for £7 deal a while ago, and it was entirely a cover buy! I had heard of David Baldacci and knew his books were well-received, which further fuelled my purchase.

I started this book the day I bought it, but had only read the first couple of chapters. Since then, it has resided on my ‘currently reading’ shelf until I picked it up a few days ago and finished it off.

Plot: Meet Vega Jane, a 14-session old Wug from Wormwood. Her village is surrounded by The Quag, a place where no-one is allowed to go, and neither do most want to. This story follows Vega as she works as a Finisher at Stacks, coming to terms with living without her parents and discovering that most things she has been told about her village are a lie. She starts to piece together the truth, along with her friend Delph, but she is arrested for possessing a book about The Quag. Rather than spend a lifetime in Valhall, or be beheaded, she must fight in the Duelem for her freedom. She also must battle against Morrigone, a seemingly nice Wug on the council who is a mixed character – she saves Vega’s life, but also tries to kill her, as well as taking Vega’s brother John to help build a wall to keep the Outliers out – or keep the villagers in. Vega must use Destin, a magical chain that helps her fly, the Elemental, a magical staff, and her dog, Harry Two, to defeat the evil in wormwood and allow her and Delph to escape and discover the outside world.

Setting: The entirety of this book is set in the village Wormwood. Setting isn’t a strong point, and I kept losing track of where Vega was at some point. There isn’t much description on what a lot of the places look like either, so you have to use a lot of imagination.

Characters: I must admit that no characters stand out as particularly interesting. Most of the villagers are nasty to Vega, and she has many enemies. However, there are, of course, a few Wug’s that are on her side.

                Delph, Vega’s best friend, is perhaps the most interesting character. He starts with a stutter, caused by Morrigone, but Vega helps him overcome this. He is fiercely loyal to both his father and Vega. He helps her learn to fight for the Duelem, and just generally fits the ‘male best friend and possible future love interest’ that the majority of female main characters have.

To read or not to read: Don’t read. I was really disappointed by this book, especially as I was so eager to read it. The plot was slow, then everything happened all at once, and it didn’t all link together or make sense. Furthermore, the world had the potential to be engrossing, but it just didn’t work. I may eventually try to read the next book in the series, but it would be at the bottom of my ‘to read’ list.

Book Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess – Cassandra Clare

*Warning – may contain spoilers*

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd.

First published: 2013

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 565

Blurb:    Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to The Infernal Devices trilogy.
Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, The Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.

History of my copy: A friend of mine got me into City of Bones and the rest of The Mortal Instruments series a few years ago, and since then I've been hooked on the Shadowhunter world. The Infernal Devices are a fantastic prequel series that I picked up not much longer after getting into the Shadowhunter books.

This is the second time I have read The Infernal Devices, and I am still so in love with them! Cassandra Clare is a fantastic author, and her Shadowhunter world is beautiful and believable. I am a huge fans of books that fit a fantasy world around the real world, such as Harry Potter and The Infernal Devices, because it makes them just that little more believable.

Plot: As the final instalment in The Infernal Devices, I’m not going to delve into the plot too much as it will make little sense unless you have read the previous two novels. Basically, this book ties up Mortmain’s story, ultimately leading to his death and the downfall of his clockwork army, which have been made even more deadly by tying them to demons thanks to Tessa. Also, this book concludes the heartbreaking decision of Jem or Will in the most surprising way possible.

Setting: One of my favourite things about this series is that it is set in Victorian London, a setting I find always improves every book. The only other main setting is the ironically chosen Cadair Idris. Clare describes the settings well, allowing you to really feel as if you are really immersed in Shadowhunter Britain.

Characters: The development of Will Herondale throughout the series has led to him being one of my favourite all time characters. Funny yet kind, honest yet seemingly cold to all the world but Jem and Tessa, he really is the dark-haired, blue eyed boy you fall in love with.

                Another of my all-time favourite characters appears in this book, despite being introduced in The Mortal Instruments, is Magnus Bane. As a warlock, he is extravagant, wise and unique. Despite trying not to, you can see he really does care about the London Shadowhunters, especially Will and Tessa, and he is a pivotal character, along with Henry Branwell, in making the Portal.

               

To read or not to read: Read. I would recommend any Shadowhunter novel to everyone, as they are fantastically written and you really do get lost in their world.

Book Review: Wars of the Roses:Trinity by Conn Iggulden

Wars of the Roses: Trinity – Conn Iggulden

*Warning – may contain spoilers*

Author: Conn Iggulden

Publisher: Penguin Group

First published: 2014

Cover: Hardback Waterstones exclusive

Pages: 549

Blurb:    -1454-

King Henry VI has remained all but exiled in Windsor Castle, struck down by his illness for over a year, his eyes vacant, his mind a blank.

Richard, Duke of York, Protector of the Realm, extends his influence throughout the kingdom with each month that Henry slumbers. The earls of Salisbury and Warwick make up a formidable Trinity with Richard, and together they seek to break the support of those who would raise their colours in the name of Henry and his queen.

But when the king unexpectedly recovers his senses and returns to London to reclaim his throne, the balance of power is once again thrown into turmoil.

The clash of the houses of Lancaster and York will surely mean a war to tear England apart…

History of my copy: I received this copy for Christmas last year (2014) after spotting it in Waterstones one day. At the time, I hadn’t finished the first book, Stormbird, but I wanted to carry on the series.

I always surprise people when I tell them that I am a huge fan of history, especially that surrounding the numerous castles of Britain. In my free time, I enjoy visiting castles and researching them, finding out all about their history from who built them, to any famous events that occurred there. However, my love of history is purely for pleasure rather than academia. Although I took it for GCSE, I find the way it is taught in schools, and the topics covered, rather dull and whilst I did briefly consider it for A-level, I ultimately kept it aside for my own enjoyment, along with music.

I must admit that I did not enjoy the first book in the series at all. I found it long and drab, and whilst there were certainly interesting scenes (the rebellion of Jack Cade being one of them), it was mostly based on setting up the politics and basis of the infamous Wars of the Roses for the rest of the series.

Plot: The second instalment in Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses follows the events preceding Henry’s awakening on Christmas Day 1454, including the birth of his son. One of the best scenes in the book is the battle of St. Albans where Richard must make the choice between being a traitor or to continue to serve his king.

         The second part of the book set a few years later in 1459 cover the next episode of Henry’s stupor. The rise of Queen Margaret is portrayed excellently in this book, along with the faithful royal spymaster Derry Brewer. Queen Margaret had ordered attainders on York, Warwick and Salisbury, a nasty loophole in English law which allows the royal family to strip whole families of their estates and title. This was her ‘punishment’ for the families that had killed some of her beloved earls and questioned her husband as rightful King. Of course, the families affected were outraged and insulted by the royal decision, resulting in them eventually returning to England to reclaim their titles. This attempt failed due to a royal ambush at Sandal Castle. The book ends with the Earl of March, Richard of York’s son, as the heir to the throne (the Duke of York was the heir after he removed the title from the King’s son whilst he had the King in captivity) and wanting to avenge the death of his father.

         The short story Woodchurch included in my copy of this book focuses on the Woodchurch family, who were introduced in the previous book. It is an entertaining story of how Thomas Woodchurch ended up accidently getting one of Derry Brewer’s men locked in the Tower of London and how he had to help him escape. In the end, as the King woke from his stupor, the escape failed but Gilpin was allowed to leave by the King’s orders.

Setting: Although set in a multitude of English castles from the 1450s, setting is, as always, less important in historical novels. However, the setting is both descriptive and imaginative and the battles such as St Albans and Blore Heath are explained with such vivid detail, it feels as if you are there.

Characters: One of my favourite characters is Queen Margaret herself. This book really delves into how she stepped up to take charge of the kingdom, and how she was both faithful to her family and intelligent. In a time at which women were nothing more than mothers and wives, it is amazing to see how much power the Queen held.

                Another favourite character is Derry Brewer, who humorously named his horse Retribution. As the spymaster for the royal household, he is a clever and imaginative man who is secretive yet enjoyable to read about.

                Thomas Woodchurch and his son Rowan are only in the short story, but I will mention them anyway. They were two of my favourites in the first book, and it was a shame to not see them in this one. Although just simple men, their father-son relationship is well written and their skill with a bow is uncanny. It was nice to have the family as a key part of the short story.

To read or not to read: Read. I absolutely adored this book. As someone who is particularly interested in the Wars of the Roses, I am biased towards it of course but it is a gripping book for any fan of historic novels of any time period.

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass – Sarah J. Maas

*Warning – may contain spoilers*

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

First published: 2012

Cover: Paperback

Pages: 404

Blurb:    Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament – fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

History of my copy: Recently I have been getting into the book community on Instagram, and I saw that nearly everyone was talking about The Lunar Chronicles and Throne of Glass. When I went into Plymouth to get an interview dress, I had the intention of buying either Cinder or Throne of Glass, the first books in the series. Cinder was out of stock, so my decision was thankfully made for me and I ended up with Throne of Glass.

I had high hopes for this book due to the hype it has with fellow readers. Although slightly disappointed, the book is still good. The majority of it, I really enjoyed, and there were points in which I wasn’t able to put it down. However, there were also points I felt were a bit too far-fetched for the story, especially the final dual between Celaena and Cain.

Plot: The basic plot of the book is quite simple. Celaena is rescued from the salt mines in Endovier where she is serving a life sentence for being Adaralan’s assassin by Captain Westfall and Prince Dorian to be their champion in a secrete competition that the King is hosting. The winner of the competition serves as the King’s Champion for a few years, and then becomes free.

         Whilst in the castle taking part in the competitions, Celaena makes many unusual friends, one of which being the Princess Nehemia, whom she later ends up believing is responsible for the horrific murderers of her fellow competitors.

         After Celaena sneaks into the Yulemas ball where she ends up dancing the night away with the crown prince, she soon realises Nehemia’s innocence as she discovers that Cain, another competitor, is responsible for the murders.

         In a final dual between her and Cain, Celaena nearly loses due to being poisoned by Kaltain, a woman who is jealous of Celaena’s closeness to the Prince but, with some help from Nehemia and the first queen of Adarlan, Elena, ends up coming out on top.

         Throughout the story, we watch as Celaena becomes more and more trusted. We also see a love triangle between Celaena, Prince Dorian and Chaol Westfall form.

Setting: This story has two main settings: the salt mines in Endovier and the castle in Rifthold. I will admit that setting is not one of Maas’ strong points, leaving much to the imagination of the reader. You get the picture that the mines are a horrific place to be, and that the castle is magnificent and extravagant, but only a few places are described in much detail.

Characters: Celaena Sardothien, the eighteen year old assassin, is one of my least favourite main characters I have ever read. Although she is the best assassin, she seems a bit too flawless in my opinion. Yes, she is vain, and often rude, but her bad qualities seem very minor in comparison to the good. I hope that in future books her character is developed more, giving a better insight into her past. As someone who is nearly eighteen myself, I find it very hard to believe that someone could be quite so perfect at everything.

                One of my favourite characters in the story is Captain Chaol Westfall. I loved watching his character develop as he got to know Celaena better. Furthermore, I think it is interesting to watch someone have his morals questioned and learn to think for himself. I would like to see Chaol and Celaena’s relationship, either platonically or romantically, over the rest of the series.

                Another favourite character is Princess Nehemia of Eyllwe. Although introduced as someone who has limited knowledge on Adarlan, and there being the heartbreaking moment where you believe she might kill Celaena, Nehemia turns out to be a brave and intelligent woman, who knows entirely what is going on. She is a good ally for Celaena and I hope to see her fight to get her kingdom and title back.

To read or not to read: Read. Although there are a few negatives to this book, and it hasn’t made it’s way into my favourite books list, it is still certainly worth the read. I think Sarah J. Maas has the potential to be a fantastic author, but this book doesn’t quite showcase that as well as it could. However, I remain hopeful that the rest of the series shall only get better.

Book Reviews

As an avid reader, one of my aims of this blog was to start writing book reviews. I have wanted to do it for a long time now, and have always had a template planned, but now I am finally getting round to doing it!
As an A-level student, I struggle to find the time to read. I am also guilty of going through phases in which I won't read at all. However, I am trying to change this and I will update reviews as soon as I can. Due to my nature of reading multiple books at once, it is likely I won't post anything book related for months, and then post four at the same time! I shall try not to do this though, and maybe save some to post during times when I don't have any.