Let's be honest: we all have pet peeves. 

Some of us have more than others and some things get under our skin more than is strictly normal. But that's okay; it's natural. Or something like that... 

I know I certainly have lots - especially when it comes to books - and I thought I'd share my top five with you to see if anyone feels the same way. And, you know, to have a bit of a rant because that's always good.

1. Broken spines. There is literally nothing worse than a book with a creased and bent spine. I like my books to look pristine and new, no matter how many times they've been read. Spines in bad condition just do not bear thinking about. I actually grimace when I see the beaten up books on my shelves.


2. Oddly sized books. You have your short hardbacks and your tall hardbacks, your short paperbacks and your tall paperbacks. But then you also have your paperbacks that stick out further on the shelf, paperbacks that sit too far back on the shelf, mass market paperbacks that are too short and too shallow, paperbacks that are too tall and too deep, paperbacks that won't fit in the gap you've made for them and make you tear your hair out... You get the idea.


3. Hardbacks with no dust covers. I know I take the covers off to read (do not get me started on using the flaps as a bookmark... just... don't) but I do like them because they make books look nice, especially on shelves.


4. Insta-love. This is probably my biggest content related peeve. Just why would you include insta-love? I can't think of any reasons why you would because it's always so bad and cliché. And, sadly, it's all too common in young adult these days.


5. Cover changes. Sometimes, this can be a good thing. Like when the old covers are ugly, or when you haven't started collecting the series already. But when you have the first few books in a series in one cover, but are then forced to buy the remaining books in a different style...

So, these are my top five bookish pet peeves. I do have a bunch more, but this are the ones that really make me tick and that I could go on and on about (but I won't, don't worry). Let me know what your biggest annoyances are and whether we share any of the same ones!

Book Review: Stormbringers by Philippa Gregory

Stormbringers
Philippa Gregory
Genre(s): fantasy, historical fiction, young adult
Published: June 1st 2013
Pages: 280
Rating: 3 stars

“Luca Vero is a member of the secret Order of Darkness, tasked with searching out and reporting signs of the end of the world. Breaking his journey in Piccolo, he finds a place filled with superstitious fears: of the unknown, of the forces of the sea and sky, of strangers. With him are his loyal friend and servant, Frieze, and his clerk, Brother Peter, as well as the Lady Isolde and her mysterious servant-companion Ishraq. The five of them are followed into the town by a huge children's crusade, led by a self-proclaimed saint. Its young leader promises that the sea will part before them, and allow them to walk dry-shod all the way to Jerusalem. Luca and Lady Isolde are swept up in the growing excitement; but something dangerous is brewing far out to sea...”

Stormbringers, the second instalment in the Order of Darkness series, is a much more enjoyable, thought out and developed book than it's prequel, Changeling.

For starters, the characters feel a lot more comfortable throughout the book, and it was easier to understand and sympathise with them. It was also easier to become very annoyed with them at certain points in the story, but - to me at least - that is a sign of a well rounded character. Stormbringers makes you really start to care for and value them all, but Freize and Ishraq in particular. The plot as well as the emotion Gregory manages to weave into her prose mean this is a very character driven instalment and you cannot help but feel for them all and wish things could change.

The plot, too, it also a lot more defined and sits a lot more comfortably when reading than that of Changeling. The whole aspect of the wave washing through the village and the mystery surrounding it was very interesting and more than once I found myself questioning how it could possibly happen. That being said, it didn't happen until the book was almost half way done (and it's only a short one) and I felt that the build up took a little too long and the solution... didn't seem like much of a solution.

Nevertheless, Stormbringers was still an interesting and gripping read with good insight into life during the 1400s, even if it is written in a fairly simple manner.

Rainbow Bookshelf Tour

Looks like I owe you all another apology for the lack of posts again. I truly am sorry, but I can explain! College has kept me really busy and although I have been reading I haven't been reviewing or writing much, and I haven't had much inspiration for posts. I know you've heard this all before and it's a pathetic excuse, but it's true and I'm sorry.

But don't worry! I do plan on posting more regularly again in summer - but it will most likely one post every couple of weeks, let's be real here. Once my exams are done and I've got plenty of time off I should be able to come up with some ideas for posts. Should being the keyword in that sentence.

Enough of that, though, because I do actually have a post for you today. I had a sudden urge (and a lot of spare time) to re-organise my bookcases and, well... this happened.

Yeah, I actually took all the books off their shelves, grouped them into colours, and then put them back on in (a kind of) rainbow order. It was fun - if you're the type of person who enjoys organising - and it managed to kill the better part of an hour.

Here are some close ups, because I know you're dying to see the order I put them in. (It was mainly based on height, not colour, if you care.)

Book Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina
Rachel Hartman
Genre(s): dragons, fantasy, young adult
Published: January 1st 2012
Pages: 369
Rating: 4 stars

“Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.”

Seraphina is unlike any other fantasy novel I've read. Partly because I've never read about dragons and partly because it read so much like historical fiction, rather than a 'typical' fantasy.

For starters, the whole take on dragons was fantastic. I've never heard of anything like it in relation to dragons, or any other mythical or fantastical creature other than werewolves (which I'm not a big fan of, so I honestly wasn't expecting much). The whole idea of saarantrai was well executed, very unique and highly enjoyable.

That being said, I do feel that the world building could have been improved on. We're given all this information about a treaty between the dragons and the humans, all these different saints that are allocated to a child during their christening, not to mention all the different nationalities. Although there is a glossary and list of characters at the end of the book, I feel that these things could have been more explained throughout the story, if only to make understanding everything a little easier. A map of the area, as well as perhaps some illustrations or diagrams of dragons, would have been nice to see as well.

I was pleasantly surprised with the characters as well. Seraphina in particular. I was (more than) a little worried that this book would be overtaken by romance and that the whole fantasy element would be shoved aside in favour of appealing to young adults by means of lots of kissing and sappy lines. That was not the case at all. Phina was strong and smart, level-headed and quick-thinking. And though she did annoy me at times (mainly when she wouldn't tell people the truth about herself when - I felt that - the situation really called for it), I can overlook that. Orma and Glisselda were another two favourites of mine too, for very different reasons. I loved how Orma struggled with his emotions as the story progressed, and how there was more to Glisselda than first meets the eye. I really enjoyed the majority of the characters, but those three stuck out the most to me.

While that's all well and good, I couldn't help but feel a little let down by the plot (in much the same way as the world building was a little lacking). I feel that there wasn't really a direction until the middle of the story, and even though it's a fairly short book, parts did drag and it took me a lot longer to get through the first half than I expected. That being said, it really picked up towards the end and I did not see the twist coming! It was well done and very believable, and I feel that Hartman deliberately led you on to distrust certain characters and think that they were responsible for all the bad things that happened.

All in all, Seraphina is an interesting read with an equally interesting approach to the dragon myth. While there were a few faults, it's still highly deserving of its four star rating.

Bookshelf Tour

This is probably a rather weird blog post, seeing as most people do their bookshelf tours on YouTube. I don't have a YouTube channel, and I don't plan on making one because I'm technologically impaired when it comes to videos and editing software. But I do want to share my book collection with you, because personally, I love bookshelf tours. I love seeing how people arrange their shelves, which books they have, which they liked best. All that good stuff. (I also like using bookshelf tours as a way to find new books and authors to read, so I hope someone manages to get something like that from mine.)

It's a little hard to make out some of the titles, due to glare and how far away I was, in order to fit everything in, so I'll quickly run down what's on each shelf for you. I also have a lot of stuff on my shelves (as you can see) but I won't get into that, as most of it is obvious and the rest isn't very interesting. But if you are curious about something, let me know and I'll tell you. 

Bookcase 1

Shelf 1: Paranormal, supernatural and a little fantasy

Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Betrayed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Chosen by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Hunted by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Tempted by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Burned by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Destined by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Dark Secrets: Legacy of Lies and Don't Tell by Elizabeth Chandler
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Torment by Lauren Kate
Evermore by Alyson Noel
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
Shadowland  by Alyson Noel
Dark Flame by Alyson Noel
Fated by Alyson Noel
Echo by Alyson Noel
Mystic by Alyson Noel
Snow White and the Huntsman by Lily Blake

 Shelf 2: Fantasy (and a little more paranormal)

Night World Volume 1 by L.J. Smith

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Lucinda's Secret by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Ironwood Tree by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Wrath of Mulgarath by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

 Shelf 3: More fantasy, dystopian and maybe science-fiction?

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan

 The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The Red Pryamid by Rick Riordan

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The World of The Hunger Games by Kate Egan

The Hunger Games Tribute Guide by Emily Seife

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Slated by Teri Terry

 Shelf 4: More dystopian, science fiction and some horror

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Thor: The Dark World Junior Novel by Tomas Palacios

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The Shining by Stephen King

Firestarter by Stephen King

It by Stephen King

Misery by Stephen King

Insomnia by Stephen King

Cell by Stephen King

Joyland by Stephen King

Thinner by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

The House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake

The Cabin in the Woods by Tim Lebbon
Breathe by Cliff McNish

 Shelf 5: One last horror, lots of historical fiction and a pinch of contemporary

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Fleshmarket by Nicola Morgan

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper

Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper

The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose by Mary Hooper

At the House of the Magician by Mary Hooper

By Royal Command by Mary Hooper

The Betrayal by Mary Hooper

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

Velvet by Mary Hooper

The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper

A Dreadful Murder: The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard by Minette Walters

The Pleasures of Men by

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom

The Emperor's Spy by M.C. Scott

The Coming of the King by M.C. Scott

The Eagle of the Twelth by M.C. Scott

Spartacus: The Gladiator by Ben Kane

Hannibal: Enemy of Rome by Ben Kane

The Forgotten Legion by Ben Kane

The Silver Eagle by Ben Kane

The Road to Rome by Ben Kane

Ali's Pretty Little Lies by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

 Bookcase 2

Shelf 1: Contemporary and realistic/psychology related fiction

Flawless by Sara Shepard

Perfect by Sara Shepard

Unbelievable by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard

Wicked by Sara Shepard

Killer by Sara Shepard

Heartless by Sara Shepard

Wanted by Sara Shepard

Twisted by Sara Shepard

Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Stunning by Sara Shepard

Burned by Sara Shepard

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Sea Change by Veronica Henry

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (Beatrice Sparks)

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

 Shelf 2: More realistic/psychology related fiction and Lemony Snicket

Shift by Em Bailey

Stolen: A Letter to my Captor by Lucy Christopher

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Skinny by Ibi Kaslik

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket

The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket

The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket

The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket

The End by Lemony Snicket

 Shelf 3: Graphic novels and... not a lot else

The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore

The Walking Dead: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

The Walking Dead: Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

The Walking Dead: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

 Shelf 4: George R.R. Martin and library books

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by George R.R. Martin

A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold by George R.R. Martin

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

A Dance With Dragons: Dreams and Dust by George R.R. Martin

A Dance With Dragons: After the Feast by George R.R. Martin

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Throne of Glass Sarah J Maas

The Waking World by Tom Huddleston

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

The Walking Dead: This Sorrowful Life by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub

 Shelf 6: Big books, world records and a bunch of magazines

Inside HBO's Game of Thrones by Bryan Cogman

The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan

Catching Fire: Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan

The Cabin in the Woods: Official Visual Companion by Joss Whedon

All the Things We Didn't Say by Sara Shepard

The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year by Sue Townsend (it is there, you just can't see it)

So there we have it. My bookcases, minus one shelf as there are no books on it, only college things and a few dusters. I hope someone enjoyed this! Let me know if you own/have read any of these books, or if you want to read any of them.

2013 End of Year Book Survey

This fantastic survey was created by The Perpetual Page Turner

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)
Contemporary YA – Shift by Em Bailey or Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic – The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman (graphic novels count, right?)

Historical Fiction – Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper (technically this was a re-read, so if that doesn't count, Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen)

Paranormal — Mystic by Alyson Noel

Science Fiction — Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Fantasy — A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, hands down (A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold or A Dance With Dragons: After the Feast if you want to get specific)

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Divergent by Veronica Roth

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 
Probably City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I thought I was going to hate it so much, but I wound up actually enjoying it. Sure, it's not the best book but it was okay. 

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?
I don't really recommend books to people, but I feel like I've mentioned a lot of Mary Hooper's historical fiction books a fair amount. I know I recommended The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath to a few people and A Song of Ice and Fire, so those I guess?

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?
I can't say A Song of Ice and Fire again, can I? I'm going to go with The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black for this one.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?
Philip Pullman. I tried reading His Dark Materials years ago but couldn't get into it at all, but this year (after finding a gorgeous hardcover edition) something changed and I really enjoyed it. So I definitely want to check out some of his other work.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I don't normally read contemporary, romance or books about ill characters, so it was out of my comfort zone in that sense. But also in the sense that I wasn't comfortable reading it due to how little I enjoyed it and how close to home it hit.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. It was so much better than Clockwork Angel, and goddamn the cliffhanger ending!

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
 A Song of Ice and Fire

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper and The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King.

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 
Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead, Will Scarlet from Scarlet, Jem Carstairs from The Infernal Devices, Zoey Redbird from House of Night, Apophis from The Kane Chronicles. There are so many characters that stuck out to me this year, not all for the right reasons though.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 
I know I've already said Shift and Speak, but I'm going to say them again. Skinny by Ibi Kaslik and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld did as well, even though I felt a little disappointed by them.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 
The At the House of The Magician trilogy by Mary Hooper. I got those books years ago and I don't know why I put them off for so long because I did really enjoy them. They also got me back into historical fiction which is great, even if it means I have an entire to-read list for that genre now.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” 

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?
Quick note: I've excluded all the e-books I read this year, as Goodreads lists many of them as having 0 pages (what??) and, generally, the pages on my iPad don't match with the page count listed on Goodreads.

Longest - His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Shortest - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!
Basically the end of Joyland by Stephen King. I knew what was going to happen right at the very end, and who the killer was, but when I found out I was still... shocked, for lack of a better word.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).
Romance – Tessa and Jem from The Infernal Devices. I just... I need to read Clockwork Princess. Like, now.

Friendship – Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer from Pretty Little Liars

Familial — Jared, Simon and Mallory from The Spiderwick Chronicles. If I had brothers and sisters, I'd want them to be like them. 

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Either Joyland by Stephen King or Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper. Or maybe The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else
Again, probably Joyland by Stephen King. I know I keep mentioning the same books a lot, but I don't get book recommendations a lot, and I wasn't going to pick this one up because I'm not really a fan of books set in the past but not the past past, like historical fiction. Plus, all the other books I read based solely on recommendation were rubbish (*cough* Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, Thirteen Reasons Why, The Great Gatsby *cough*).

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?
Definitely young adult. And within that, probably fantasy/dystopian/paranormal. Although I've read a fair amount of historical fiction as well.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?
I don't really know, in all honesty. Can I just go with the Targaryen siblings from A Song of Ice and Fire? 

23. Best 2013 debut you read?
Now, I'm not sure if I've actually read any debut books this year, but I don't really pay attention to publishing dates, so who knows? (If someone does know if any of the books I've mentioned on my blog or on my Goodreads are debuts, please, let me know.)

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?
Middle Earth from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. While I didn't really enjoy it, I can't fault the description and overall world building.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan were quick, fun reads.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?
I don't really cry at books, but Clockwork Prince and Joyland definitely had me on the verge of tears.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?
Shift by Em Bailey. I started this survey with this book so I'm going to end with it. I just cannot sing it's praises enough. Everything about it was great, I've never read anything like it and I really enjoyed Olive as a character. I just think everyone should read it and then come talk to me about it, okay?

Book Haul: Christmas Edition

Merry Christmas!

Or happy holidays to those of you that don't celebrate Christmas! Or just hello to those of you that don't celebrate anything! I hope you've had a wonderful, regardless of what you do or don't celebrate, and I hope the people who do celebrate gift giving holidays enjoyed themselves and got what they wanted. 

I know I am technically a day late for Christmas, but with everything going on I never got the chance to get on and post yesterday. But whatever, I'd still like to share the books I go with you, so here goes:

Some of these I did purchase myself (with Christmas money, so they still count) and some of these I have already read, but there we go! I'm very, very pleased with both my gifts and my purchases, as I have a lot of quick, interesting reads. The only downside is, it looks like my homework will be taking a back seat while I work my through these. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find the time.

So, yeah. Christmas book haul. Let me know if you got any new books for Christmas, or if you've read any of these!