Book Review // They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

I don't know how I can ever let myself feel emotions after this. Normally when I know a book will make me sad I try to embrace the emotionless void - to save myself the hurt (and from having others see my cry - acquaintances/strangers on the train don't need to see that). But I just couldn't do it. I sobbed with abandon because I couldn't stop myself from becoming deeply attached to this story.

Book Review // The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I guess The Scorpio Races and I were not meant to be. This was my third attempt at this book, and the first time I completed it thanks to the audiobook (and surprisingly quickly, too). The story is told in alternating first person perspectives, and the audio helped me tell them apart, because on paper they didn't read as that different. It also meant I could absorb more of the story, which I couldn't manage to pull myself through before.

Hidden Gem Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books

Sorry for being absent for this last week! I had bad internet and couldn't post, but I'm back once more for another Top Ten Tuesday post 😊. This week is all about hidden gems, and I've specifically chosen to stick with SFF books because there are so many of them I love but hear nothing about. I've also noted how many Goodreads ratings each book has so you know which you definitely need to give the most love to 💕.

The Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

August probably isn't when this book tag was meant to be completed, but it's close enough to mid-year that I'm doing it anyway! The Mid Year Book Freakout Tag was created by two booktubers (1, 2) and I was inspired to do it after Eve's post on Twist in the Taile.

Books For Fairytale Lovers (that aren't retellings!)

There is a lot of love for retellings in YA, and although I haven't read too many, there are some I really love. I grew up reading fairytale books, so books that reimagine those stories like The Land of Stories books by Chris Colfer have a nostalgic kind of magic for me. But there are some books that manage to hold that kind of magic that aren't retellings. For some of them it's the language, for others the setting just has a feeling.

Book Review // Release by Patrick Ness

What a uniquely wonderful book. That was my final thought when I finished Release. It was unique in the way that Patrick Ness is able to make every book of his utterly different from the last. And it was wonderful in that I fell for it after expecting not to like it at all.

Diversity Spotlight #5

Diversity Spotlight Thursday is hosted by Bookshelves and Paperbacks, and involves featuring 3 diverse books every week. This week I'm focusing on 3 contemporary books with LGBT+ characters.

#TheReadingQuest Sign Up!

This is my first ever reading challenge and I'm really excited to be joining! The brilliant idea of #TheReadingQuest comes from the mind of Aentee @readatmidnight, and the utterly adorable character art comes from CW @readthinkponder, so please go send both of them some love! If you would like to find out more or sign up, you can go to this post.

July Wrap Up // a month of consistently good reads

July has been very consistent in terms of my reading. I read 5 books this month, which is just about average for me, although considering it's summer I was hoping to be reading more. Those five books were all YA Fantasy, which is to be expected, minus Meddling Kids which was Adult Horror/Fantasy. And to top that off, every book I read was either 3 or 4 stars. No new obsessions, but I did really enjoy all of them. Also from this month: I went to YALC! It was my second time going to this UK book convention, and I really enjoyed it despite being super antisocial (I think I recognised a few bloggers but I didn't want to be creepy and say hi). You can read about what I did in my YALC post which I linked at the bottom of this wrap up!