Category: Books


Jun
2016

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J Maas

categories: Books, Reviews

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Still reeling from the horrific deeds of book one, I was glad to return to this world (what? You thought I was going to talk about Feyre? No. I’m scarred for life from what she did to save Tamlin. And apparently so is she).
Feyre is suffering the after-effects of the horrors she has faced to save Tamlin. This ruins what should be her happy ending. After all she and Tamlin can now be together for eternity. But before that happens, Feyre has to face her demons. And deal with Rhysand and the bargain she has made with him.
I think that the tone of this book was much different from the first one but I really did enjoy it even more. My only problem was with the ending. While it isn’t exactly a cliffhanger ending, it is an ending that leaves the reader waiting more. This book took me too long to finish so eventually I woke up at 3AM one morning just to see how it ended. And then I said some very bad words. So be warned- this book is great, it has the darkness we know and love, it has romance but it also is very long with an ending that will definitely make you long for the next book.

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Purchase a copy of A Court of Mist and Fury from Readers Warehouse


Jun
2016

Waiting on Wednesday: Bay of Sighs (The Guardians Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts

categories: Books

I have a weakness for Nora Roberts books that have characters that need to save the world or else. It’s a storyline that she’s used over and over again (in The Circle Trilogy, Three Sisters Island and others) but she does it so well. I’m especially taken with this series because the characters are so interesting. They’re a group of six people but they all seem to have their own secrets that are hidden both from the reader and the other characters.

Release Date: 14 June 2016

Official Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…
 
Mermaid Annika is from the sea, and it is there she must return after her quest to find the stars. New to this world, her purity and beauty are nothing less than breathtaking, along with her graceful athleticism, as her five new friends discovered when they retrieved the fire star. 
 
Now, through space and time, traveler Sawyer King has brought the guardians to the island of Capri, where the water star is hidden. And as he watches Annika in her element, he finds himself drawn to her joyful spirit. But Sawyer knows that if he allows her into his heart, no compass could ever guide him back to solid ground…
 
And in the darkness, their enemy broods. She lost one star to the guardians, but there is still time for blood to be spilled—the mermaid’s in the water and the traveler’s on the land. For she has forged a dangerous new weapon. Something deadly and unpredictable. Something human


Jun
2016

Serpentine by Peter Parkin and Alison Derby

categories: Books, Reviews

Serpentine
Serpentine by Peter Parkin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nate has a talent for creating terrifying rollercoasters. This book opens with the release of his latest creation, the Black Mamba. But for the first time in his life, one of Nate’s innovative designs fail him and 24 people die in a horrific crash. Shelby remains the sole survivor thanks to her wits and Nate’s quick response. What follows is an intriguing and complex mystery. Shelby knows exactly what happened on the ride. Nate knows he has tested the rollercoaster beforehand. So what went wrong? I enjoyed this book immensely however there were several mention of physics and engineering terms that, while related to the book, I found them incredibly boring. Apart from that I found this book great. It’s a compelling thriller that proves how you really can trust no one.

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Jun
2016

Book Review: The Goodbyes by Leslie Welch

categories: Books, Reviews

The GoodbyesThe Goodbyes by Leslie  Welch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a heartbreaking book. Webb and Bree have always had a very destructive relationship as teens. They were always with other people but somehow inexplicably drawn to one another. Their relationship consists of a consistent pattern of passion and destruction. Eventually Webb escapes his small town and becomes famous. This story tells the story of their past as well as Webb’s frantic journey back home to see Bree before she dies. Honestly at first glance I expected this to be a cliché read because I’ve watched so many movies with a similar story. The Goodbyes, however, is a realistic and heart-wrenching read. The characters are as destructive as Catherine and Heathcliff but the reader can’t help but sympathise with them while simultaneously wanting to bash them over the head for their stupidity. I especially enjoyed how unexpected, fitting and beautiful the ending was.

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Jun
2016

Fiction Friday: November 9 by Colleen Hoover

categories: Books, Reviews

November 9
November 9 by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story has a sweet idea but falls flat towards the end. It seems like the characters are dragging out their romance simply because November 9 is a special day for them. If you look past that obvious flaw this is an amazing book, well-written with intriguing characters.
Fallon and Ben have an instant connection and because she is moving away, decide to meet every year on November 9. However life gets in the way and as they grow, they struggle to keep to their arrangement.

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Jun
2016

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J Maas

categories: Books, Reviews

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A “Beauty and The Beast” retelling that involves fae…How can you not like this book? Feyre accidentally kills a faerie when out hunting for her family’s dinner. Tamlin, another faerie, demands that Feyre returns with him to his home in return for killing his friend. (Yes this makes absolutely no sense but play along coz it will eventually make sense).
Eventually Feyre and Tamlin fall in love. But there’s a dark evil force that could tear them apart.
I don’t think my review can be trusted to be 100% non-biased because I love anything to do with Beauty and The Beast. However this is a far darker and an infinitely more compelling tale. This book is my everything and I am obsessed with it! I really believe that everyone should read this book. It’s compelling, it’s different, it’s very well-written and the evil monsters in here are absolutely terrifying. Read it. Now!!!!

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May
2016

My First Visit to Readers Warehouse

categories: Books

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST HAS BEEN COPIED FROM THE OLD Playground of Randomness SITE. THIS POST ALSO INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS

 

I remember my first visit to Readers Warehouse the way some people might remember their first boyfriends. To me, that was the moment that I fell in love. All my life I was told not to buy books because they were expensive and here was a place that sold them for ridiculously cheap prices.
It was December 2011 and I was in Johannesburg with family. Uncle George decided we should go to the lifestyle market which sounded pretty boring. So we looked at some plants and some waterfalls. And then I saw it. Nestled in a corner as if it in hiding, there was a bookstore. I was thrilled when we went in.
I was also thrilled when I found books for R50(at that time it would have been lucky if you found a book for R98. No one sold books for R50).
Eventually I ended up with a stack of books for R400 and the kind saleslady seeing the glee in my eyes (and the heap in my arms) got me a basket. I’ve never seen a basket in a bookstore before so that delighted me even more.
Unfortunately my uncle caught sight of me and made me leave a few books behind.
“You can’t take all of these.”
“Yes I can. They’re cheap,” I replied defensively.
He picked a few out that he thought weren’t age appropriate. Eventually we settled on eight books for R250. Still a great deal so I was okay.
In retrospect it was a good idea he stopped me since I ended up spending the rest of my money throughout that holiday.
Have you ever fallen in love with a bookstore? I’d love to know! You can find out more about Readers Warehouse and their bargains by visiting their site here.

Their stores are only in Cape Town and Johannesburg but you can order online. We all know that book mail is the best mail.


May
2016

Fiction Friday: Recoil by Joanne Macgregor

categories: Books, Reviews

RecoilRecoil by Joanne Macgregor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel this review should start with a warning- this book is part of a series (which will all thankfully release this year).I don’t generally like dystopian fiction but I really enjoyed this book. I feel like with the hundreds of dystopian novels that are already out, you can either go very right or very wrong with the genre. My first impression of Recoil was that it was very strange but in a good way. This is a world where people can die if they go outside without proper protection. A lethal plague poses a danger to everyone and they are forced to remain at home 24/7.Jinxy is a teen who is an eager gamer. (What else would she do with all her free time?) Jinxy is soon recruited to join in the force against the terrorists and meets Quinn. However Quinn seems to suspect that their new job is a part of something bigger and more terrifying. What I loved about this book (besides the hot Irish male- I have a weakness for boys in books AND the Irish so obviously I loved Quinn) was that it was pretty different from the usual dystopian book. Unfortunately I can’t say any more without giving spoilers but trust me, if you like dystopian books you’re going to love Recoil.

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May
2016

How to Save Money on Books

categories: Books

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1) Join a library: Joining a library gives you access to hundreds of books without having to pay a cent. The only problem is that you can only borrow a certain number of books for a certain period of time. My local library doesn’t allow that many renewal and their staff is pretty rude so I don’t go with this option but for the rest of the libraries with genuinely helpful staff this is an excellent idea.

2) Buy books second-hand: Second-hand books can sometimes be in pretty good condition (which makes me question HOW are you selling such great books?) and they have such amazing prices.

3) Buy eBooks: eBooks are usually cheaper than print books. Amazon also has great Kindle reads that can be bought for FREE.

4) Join Readers Warehouse as a book reviewer: If you review books for Readers Warehouse you earn a small amount in Readers Warehouse vouchers. These vouchers can be used to order books from the Readers Warehouse online store (which just by the way, is ridiculously cheap).

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