Wednesday 28 June 2017

Cover Reveal: The Reckoning (Forest Spirit #3) by T. Damon

I'm so excited to be able to share the cover for The Reckoning by T. Damon with you guys today! This cover is honestly so gorgeous, and makes me even more anxious to read it! This book is the third installment in the Forest Spirit series by T. Damon. Keep reading for more information. Without further ado, let's look at the cover!

Friday 23 June 2017

Review: Passenger (Passenger #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Passenger
Author: Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pub. date: January 5th 2016
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
SynopsisPassage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Wednesday 21 June 2017

Review: Nash (Marked Men #4) by Jay Crownover

Title: Nash
Author: Jay Crownover
My rating: 4 hearts
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pub. date: April 29th 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
SynopsisWill their past determine their future?

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down... and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.
When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again? (synopsis from Goodreads)

Tuesday 20 June 2017

Writing Diary Part 1: Get an Idea

First off, I'm sorry for being so inactive in May, I've been really busy with school and another project I started, but now I'm back, and I'll hopefully post more regularly in June. Now, the project I started with is a book. I haven't gotten all that far yet, but I'm really enjoying it, I've missed it since I took a break last year. So I decided to start posting updates on my writing, with some tips on how to get going and how to keep going when you're completely out of inspiration. Now, the last time I tried to write a book, I quit it at around 200 pages, because I had no idea how it was going to end (planning isn't my strong suit), so I'm not an expert, and this will be a journey for me, but I thought I'd go for it in this Writing Diary. Each part will be about a different part of writing, and then there will probably be some updates along the way as well, so here it goes. For the first post, I wanted to write about getting an idea.

One of the reasons why my first attempt at a book didn't work out was because I got tired of the idea. It was really boring and unoriginal, so this time, I wanted a better idea. So, I was sitting on the bus, when I suddenly wanted to write again. Problem was, I had no idea what to write. So I decided to come up with a great book idea.

I started with considering what I like to read about. They say to write about what you like to read about, so that's what I decided to do. My favourite thing to read about are the fey, so I decided to write a book about the fey. Then I started thinking about what it could be about. I knew I wanted the main character to already know she was fey. Then I started to think about how the world was going to look like. Would the humans know about the fey, what would be the fey courts, et cetera. Now, I knew I wanted it to be really different and original, so I decided to do something I hadn't seen yet. No classic Summer/Seelie and Winter/Unseelie for me.

After I had figured out some stuff about the world, I started to think about the plot. For me, it's easier to build the world and then see what kind of plot would fit into it, but I'm sure this can be done in different ways. Maybe some people prefer to figure out their plot and build the world to fit the plot, but this is what works for me. I still kept the same thoughts when I started planning for the plot, that I wanted it to be original, and then with the world in mind, I started thinking of problems that could occur in this world, and once I'd found one I liked that I haven't seen in another book, I started building the plot, and planning the details.

For me, when I was trying to come up with an idea, it was really important to keep it original but also something that I would like to read. Now, I know a lot of people just get their ideas like that, but I've been waiting for a new story idea for over a year, and I haven't gotten one yet, so I decided to make one that I would like. But, as a reminder, the stuff that works for me may not work for the next person, so my recommendation here is to do what you think will work for you. But something I think is really important, is that you like your idea, that you're writing something you'd want to read, because if you don't love your idea, it'll be impossible to write it. And make it something you won't get tired of.

Okay, that was it for today! The next part will be about planning the book, outlining and stuff like that. Hope you liked this first entry, and I'll see you next time! Tell me your best tips on finding an idea in the comments!

Sunday 11 June 2017

The Reading Faery and some general updates

Now my blog has officially changed to The Reading Faery! As part of this revamping process, I will also add a blogger button for the first time (PS: if anyone knows how to make an HTML code for this, I would be forever grateful if you'd get in touch) and also some new features (right now, I have two ones planned and it's so exciting!) These include a writing diary, since I started writing a book a few weeks ago, and a monthly blogger spotlight starting next month.
   Also, I wanted to add a little note about the fairy on my banner and button. I worked really hard on making it, and I'm really proud of the result. For the first time ever, I'm totally happy with my blog name and my blog design.
   Lastly, I wanted to apologize for being inactive in May. If you want to know, keep reading this paragraph. If not, I totally understand if you want to skip it. I won't hold it against you if you skip it. So, May is the last full month of school, then we have two weeks of June before summer break. This means all teachers realize they must do all the tests and essays and speeches now, so they also have time to put decide on our grades. That means we have something in every subject in the last week of May and first week of June, and obviously we have to study for the tests, meaning May is generally a really busy, really rough month. Add to that work, which is more because the season is getting started, and I don't have time to have a life. So basically, my reading and blogging suffered because of that. The good news is that it's June now, only one week of school left, and only a speech left for Tuesday. That means, I can finally get back to blogging and reading as much as I like to!
   All that being said, thank you if you're still reading. Keep a look out for all the new amazing features! Also, tell me in the comments your thoughts on my newish design and blog name!

Friday 9 June 2017

Review and Excerpt Tour: Roar (Stormheart #1) by Cora Carmack

I am so excited to share the Review and Excerpt Tour for Roar by Cora Carmack with you guys today! This book was an epic adventure and impossible to put down! It beat even my admittedly very high expectations. Roar is a book you don't want to miss! Keep reading for my review, an excerpt, a giveaway, and some other fun!

Sunday 4 June 2017

New Blog Name: The Reading Faery

Hi guys! So, I'm changing my blog name. It's something I've thought about doing for a while now, I just wasn't happy with my old one. I think Bookshelf Adventures just sounds boring, I wanted something a bit more interesting-sounding, and I've been thinking for weeks about a possible blog name that is both unique, fitting, and not too long. Then when I read ACOWAR last week - and don't ask me how - I finally figured it out! Or, rather, I got an idea, and then for the last week, I've been playing with it, trying different things, and finally settled with The Reading Faery.

The reason for this change is because I haven't been happy with my old name. Bookshelf Adventures is boring and unoriginal, and I picked it a while ago, and it didn't take long for me to grow tired of it. It just wasn't all that well-thought out, and, let's be honest, it doesn't exactly catch your attention. This time around, I've really thought about the name, I've done the new design (which is a lot the same, because I'm really happy with my design), and I think the name looks great with it and it feels a lot more me.

So where does this new name come from? Well, I thought about it a lot, and I wanted something different, and when I read ACOWAR, obviously, I thought a lot about the fey. See, I love reading about the fey, it's by far my favourite mythological creature, I think they're really interesting and basically, I just love the fey. So I decided I wanted to have a blog name that somehow used the word fey/faery. Then, I needed something to convey that this is a book blog, and tried several different things, like "reading" and "book-obsessed". So I tried writing down my alternatives, and "The Book-Obsessed Faery" just looked weird, and it was too long, so I narrowed it down to two different alternatives; "The Reading Fey" and "The Reading Faery". I was pretty happy with both of the names, so I did some research. I googled around to see if I could find any blogs using the words "fey" or "faery", and I found a few that used "fey", but none that had the word "faery" in the title, and so I decided on The Reading Faery.

If you're still reading (thank you for that, and sorry for the long, boring post), my new web address will be http://thereadingfaery.blogspot.com. I will probably change it sometime in June, to make sure no one misses it and then can't find my blog. The content will still be the same, but I think it will be a lot more fun to blog when I'm actually happy with my blog.
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Disclaimer

I receive some books from authors, publishers and third party sites (such as Netgalley). This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed on this blog are unbiased and my own. I do not get compensated in any way or form.