Spring Collective Book Haul (and Mini Reviews)

Hey everyone!
Long time, no talk! (SORRY!) Ever since the middle of March, I have collected quite a few books, three being ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies). It was also my birthday recently, so I'm planning on ordering a few more, which I'll list at the end, though I do not own them yet or have even bought them. Click on the links to visit Goodreads for a synopsis (not affiliated).
The first book I got was 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad. I gave this book a 5/5, it was quite scary (which I usually hate) and scientific, the pace was extremely fast, and not to say the aura of mystery kept  me intrigued. And that ending!! No spoilers, but man, that was insane, and definitely not what I expected. At all.
Then I picked out an ARC (my local bookstore has this event and talks about upcoming YA releases and we get to pick an ARC-ended up with three!), my first one ever (however, it was not my first choice, the three copies were taken). It is A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn. I gave it 3.5/5; I thought the writing was really lyrical which matched the tone of the book, and the book just had this mystical feeling towards it. Personally, the plot was a bit slow and I didn't love the characters, but I did like them. I do recommend it for a short read if you like medieval, dragon stories. This comes out May 6th.
The next ARC I picked out was Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, which I gave a 4/5. I really liked the characters and plot, though I felt like this book could've been a stand-alone. It's a Wizard of Oz retelling, and I do really recommend it if you like the Lunar Chronicles (though, personally, it's not as good!). This came out April 1st.
The last ARC I picked out is Deception's Princess by Esther Friesner. I'm currently reading this (only 5% through, wooh!), it's pretty interesting and I'm really excited to get into it more! This came out April 22nd.
The next book I bought is Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. I gave this a 4/5 (maybe like 4.25), it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and the way she did it was really interesting! I really enjoyed finding out the secrets behind the story we're all told. I didn't love the main characters, but the plot was really intriguing.
After that, I bought Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins. I am very excited to read this! I've heard nothing but great reviews saying that it's funny and filled with a bunch of action.

The rest of the books I haven't bought, ordered, but just considered getting with my giftcards. The first three are preorders, but the rest are otherwise possible purchases for me.

• The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Mara Dyer #3)
• City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (TMI #6)
• Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (#1)
• The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Box Set by Laini Taylor (#1-3)
• Vicious by V.E. Schwab
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Thanks so much for reading! -Kait

February Wrap Up and March TBR

Hey everyone!
This past month was a great reading month for me. I read seven books and I really enjoyed all of them! Since I didn't get to do book reviews on all of these books, I thought it would be a good idea to just generalize my thoughts on each of these books.

Book Review: The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (Spoiler-Free)

Hey everyone!
Sorry for not posting in a while! But since I've last talked to you guys, I read the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare which includes Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess. This is a spoiler-free review of the trilogy.

Book Reviews: Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness (Spoiler Free)

Hey everyone!
Sorry I haven't postede in a bit, I've been quite busy with school. However, I also managed to read the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. In a week. And these are not small books (479, 519, 603 pages)! Anyways, I loved this series so much, definitely one of my new favorites. This will be a spoiler free review!

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Hey everyone!
Happy New Year! I recently read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and thought it would be appropriate to do a review on. This will be spoiler-free. Goodreads.


"Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .
But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?"

I really enjoyed this book! I don't read much contemporary, just because it's not my absolute favorite genre, but I still really liked this book. The characters were all really great. I found the main character, Cath, to be very relatable. Levi was really cool and weirdly adorable. Reagan was just what this story needed-she added good humor and a bit of a different tone to the book. I liked the Wren who would help Cath write her fanfiction, not the one who would go out crazy partying. But by the end of the story, I did like her, too! The writing was also nice. It wasn't poetic nor choppy, but just a really nice in between. The Simon Snow excerpts were really fun to read and compare them to Harry Potter. So this was a great first Rainbow Rowell book and I look forward to reading more!

Thanks for reading, Kait

Christmas Book Haul

Hey everyone!
I hope you enjoyed the holidays! For actual Christmas,  I received two books (kind of... you'll see!) and I also got some gift cards that, yes, I've already used. So I have eight books to share with you all!
First, I got the 50th Anniversary Edition of Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. It's absolutely beautiful and long, so hopefully I'll get around to reading this soon! Since the picture won't work, you can see and buy it from Amazon.
 
Next, I am so excited because I finally got my own Harry Potter series. My brother owns 2-6, I own the 7th, and we lost the first. I've been wanting to reread them for a while, and now I can that I finally have the first book!
 
With my gift card, I got six books. The first one I already started reading, and I'm enjoying it a lot! It's Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (perfect for me). It's a coming-of-age contemporary story about a fangirl of the "Simon Snow" series, similar to Harry Potter. Goodreads.
I also got another book I've heard about called Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. A boy is sent off to an island off of Wales and finds these photographs from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It sounds a tad creepy, but really interesting. Goodreads.
The next book I got is one that I've been wanting to read. I thought about getting the box set, but I just saw it there, sitting alone. I bought the first in the Infernal Devices trilogy, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. I'm looking forward to reading the prequel to the Mortal Instruments. Goodreads.
Finally, I decided to buy this trilogy I've been really wanting to read. I got all three of the Chaos Walking books: The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters and Men by Patrick Ness. It's a dystopian society set in a town where you can hear everyone's thoughts. I've heard nothing but great things, and I can't wait to start it!
 

      

Thanks for reading! -Kait

Winter Wonderland Book Tag

Hey everyone!
Today I am doing the Winter Wonderland book tag and thought this would be great to do since it is currently snowing outside!

1. What book is so happy and sweet that it warms your heart?
The book I'm picking is definitely not a happy book, but I have a lot of happy memories while reading this book and it was the first book I read  and just loved (long story why it isn't Harry Potter... which I love!). And that is, of course, The Hunger Games.
2. What is your favorite book with a white cover?
Champion by Marie Lu. I still have to do a review for it!
3. You're sitting in a nice comfy chair, wearing a onesie, with a lovely warm hot chocolate but what MONSTER read are you reading?
Last year I was doing that exact thing without the onesie, and I was reading PJO: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan.
4. It started snowing so you decided to have a snowball fight! What fictional character would you love to have the snowball fight with?
Leo Valdez! Plus he'd be easier to beat.
5. Sadly, your fire is beginning to go out. So what book would you tear the last few chapters out to throw into the fire?
Honestly, Allegiant by Veronica Roth. Not because I don't like the ending, it's just that it was really sad!
6. What book is so close to your heart that you would gift to someone this Christmas who hasn't read before but wants to get into reading?
I'm going to go with a bit of a different answer and say The Book Thief by Markus Zusak since you were probably expecting Harry Potter, THG, or PJO or something. I think this is a book that everyone could get something out of and enjoy!

Thanks for reading, Kait