December Wrap Up 2017

• Winters Fairytale - Maxine Morrey 4* 
• A Hunt Of Fiends - Bella Forrest 4*
• Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets - J.K Rowling 5* 
• The Text - Clair Douglas 3* 

November Wrap Up 2017

• Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone - J.K.Rowling 5*
• A Call Of Vampires - Bella Forrest  3*
  
• The Sun And Her Flowers - Rupi Kaur 5* 
• A Valley Of Darkness - Bella Forrest 4*

October Wrap Up 2017

• A Shield Of Glass - Bella Forrest  5 *
• A Clash Of Storms - Bella Forrest 5*
• Origin - Dan Brown                      4*
• The Fox And The Star                  5*
• Turtles All The Way Down - John Green  4*

My Worst Books Of 2017

Luckily there is only three here which were my 1/2 star ratings on my 2017 reading on Goodreads.

• The Girlfriend - Michelle Frances 

I found this to be very boring and not at all thrilling and think it's a good thing it was cheap on Amazon at the time. 

• Caraval - Stephanie Garber 

I found this a little slow and the world building to be lacking a lot. I understand the confusion in the book but didn't appreciate still being left in the dark at the end and thinking what the hell is this?

• 13 Reasons Why - Jay Asher  

I didn't think this was a very good interpretation of mental illness and didn't enjoy it at all. 

My Best Books Of 2017

• Origin - Dan Brown

This was one of my favourite reads of recent years, it was suspenseful throughout and dealt with science and religious conflict very well. Very well done book all around and made up for The Lost Symbol being a crappy book.

• The Song Rising - Samantha Shannon 

A very good read and although the second book in the series was great, this was even better. I look forward to seeing how the next book turns out. 

• The lying Game - Ruth Ware 

I love Ruth Ware, her writing is fantastic and she knows how to keep me on the edge of my seat with every book. 

• All That She Can See - Carrie Hope Fletcher

A light and fluffy book and Carries books always make me smile. I look forward to her next book which is released this year. 

Origin | Review

I loved this book. It was fast paced and easy to get into. I was fascinated to find out what Edmonds announcement would be and to find out what everyone's reaction would be. The ending too was also something else.

As always it was easy to read like all of Dan Brown's books. The dialogue was as good as ever too. The writing and dialogue have always complimented each other and enhanced his books dramatically.

Robert was as great as ever, if not just a little older. I also liked Ambra a lot too, Winston also is an interesting character, to say the least.

 The antagonist was interesting to read about for sure, though I would've liked an explanation to why he and his church blamed Edmond for the horrendous things that had not long destroyed his life. I kind of get why they would say it, but more of that would've been interesting.

Overall a great read with a very surprising ending that I didn't see coming.  I can give this a solid 4 stars and as always would read Dan Brown's other book if I hadn't already read them all. Can recommend for sure.

The Girl On The Train | Review

Rachel takes the same train every day. She feels she knows the people she travels past every morning at the stop sign. Until the day it all goes horribly wrong.

The plot was good and the pacing was steady. There was a tonne of twists that I didn't see coming and I found it interesting throughout.

The dialogue was helpful throughout the book and helped it be as good as it possibly could be and made me realise how desperate the characters actually are.

I loved Rachel, she was the best unreliable narrator I've ever read. I couldn't help but root for her throughout. Yes, she made stupid decisions, but if she didn't the book or her character wouldn't be the same right?

I understood rather than like some of the other characters in this one, such as the therapist and her ex-husband's current wife, whom I did like by the end.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but the hype let it down. Not to say the book was bad, but there was far too much hype and don't let that put your hopes up or you will be disappointed. I gave this 3 stars on
Goodreads.

The Couple Next Door | Review

Anne's neighbours host a dinner party and when their child is uninvited, she is left home alone. That night, things go horribly wrong.

I found this book fast-paced and gripping from the very first page. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me enthralled. Although the detective threw around some unplausible theories around, it was still a great read with an ending I didn't see coming.

This was very easy to read, so much so, it only took me two days to read from cover to cover. The dialogue was good and it helped the book as much as possible.

I found Anne to be the most relatable character in the book. She was the only one with reasonable actions apart from leaving her child unattended. I thought Marco was ok and understand him, although this doesn't excuse his actions in all of this.

I didn't like Anne's Father and their next-door neighbours from the start.

I loved this book and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

The Hallowseveathon 2017 (official readathon)

Hello, this is another Hallowseveathon Blog post announcement. This year this readathon will take place between 23rd of October and the 29th of October. Here are the challenges for this year:

1. Read a children's book
2. Read a book over 250 pages
3. Read a book under 100 pages 
4. Read a book with red or orange on the cover
5. Complete all challenges 

My TBR: 

1. Prince Caspian C.S Lewis (Narnia)
2. Darkmouth Worlds Explode Shane Hegarty (Darkmouth Series) 
3. A Clash Of Storms Bella Forrest (Shade Of Vampire)

These books will complete 3 challenges, but I will hopefully get to read another book with under 100 pages.

To find the Hallowseveathon find on twitter at @hallowseveathon

All That She Can See | Review

This is about Cherry and her hidden talent. She can see things that nobody else can and decides to use her gift to help people.Until chase arrives, threatens to undo the good she has done.

Some of the parts of this book, particularly the cafe parts made me think of Christmas and was overall a very cute story. It was very easy, smooth and quick to read. Allowing me to glide effortlessly through this book like I do all of her books.

I was fascinated throughout, enjoyed it immensely and think it's a great improvement upon her first fiction novel.

This was a very easy read in regards to the writing it flows very well, this and the plot made me fly through this effortlessly. The dialogue was good and helped out the book a lot too.

I loved Cherry, she was relatable and loving and always ready to help people out despite everyone's problems. I loved reading about her, couldn't get enough and wanted to know more.

The only stupid decisions were made was when they did the stupid thing that drew unwanted attention to themselves from the antagonists in the book.

I always liked Chase throughout the book, though he is the opposite of Cherry. He sees the bad in people but put Chase and Cherry together and they can make a fantastic pairing as a couple and as a powerful force for good.

Some of the customers were great too, especially the ones who went to the cafe and had a part in the plot.

Overall this was a fantastic book and I couldn't put it down. Carrie seems to improve upon her ability every time she writes a new book. 4* on Goodreads from me for sure,

The secret Of Spell shadow Manor | Review

This book is about a young man called Alex, who lives a normal life until a french student comes to visit. He sees a strange man following her that nobody else could see. As he follows the man he and the French student are dragged into a strange world they didn't know existed.

The plot overall was alright. It was fast-paced and confusing, though I think that was deliberate on the authors part. Although I ever got bored, I don't think I really got the book either.

It was very easy to read as always. It wasn't too cheesy with its dialogue either.

I enjoyed reading about Natalie (French student) more than Alex. He made stupid decisions to follow and help her, but without that, we wouldn't have a story would we?

There is more than one antagonist, there is The Head, one other teacher, a ghost and you can't trust that cat.

I can only recommend to people who have read her previous books. I plan to read the next book to see if the series improves. I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.

September Wrap Up 2017

1. A Tip Of Balance - Bella Forrest 5 * 
2. The Couple Next Door - Shari Lapena 5*
3. The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins 3*
4. The Handmaids Tail - Marget Atwood 4*
5. The Power Naomi ALderman 4*

Average star rating: 4

Page count: 1735

August Wrap Up 2017

• All That She Can See - Carrie Hope Fletcher 4*
• A Passage Of Threats - Bella Forrest 5*
• The Secret Of Spell Shadow Manor - Bella Forrest 3*
• The Gender Plan - Bella Forrest 5*
• The Gender End - Bella Forrest 5*
• The Breaker - Bella Forrest 5*
• A Tip Of Balance - Bella Forrest 5*

Total books:7

Total pages:2331

Average rating: 3.8

July Wrap Up 2017

• A Ride Of Peril - Bella Forrest 5*
• Driver (short story) Taiye Selasi 3*
• Buried C.J Carmichael 4 *
• A Shade Of Vampire - Bella Forrest 5*
• The girlfriend - 1* 
• When Dimple Met Rishi 4*
• Ink - Alice Broadway 3*

Books read:7

Pages read: 1,479

Average Rating: 3.5 * 

June Wrap Up 2017

• The Forgotten Girls - Alexa Steele 3*
• Into The Water - Paula Hawkins 4*
• The Princess Saves Herself In This One - Amanda Lovelace 5*
• The Girl In The Ice 3*
• A meet Of Tribes - Bella Forrest 4*
• The Lying Game - Ruth Ware 5*

Average rating: 4*

Pages read: 1838

Books read:6

Ink | Alice Broadway

Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever.When Leora's father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all.

The concept for this was interesting and for the most part, it worked. Though at points hard to believe people believed most of the stories, tales and be able to take it seriously. It was great to find out about her father towards the end and find out what Leora wants to do with her future.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

When Dimple Met Rishi | Review

I found this one much better than I thought it was going to be. It was good to see how two traditional Indian families raised their children and seeing how their children dealt with expectation and a certain amount of pressure.

It was also great to see how Dimple and Rishi reacted to each other. One is a certain way and the other the opposite, not knowing deep down that they aren't really all that different.

Deffintatly worth a read and gave 5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.

The Girl In The Ice| Review

This one was just an OK read for me. It was pretty slow going and took me a while to read, which is weird for me with thrillers and murder mysteries, since I usually get through them so quickly. Though the fundamental and most basic rule is, make them want to find out who the killer is and that it did. Hopefully I will read the next book in the series soon.

I gave this 3 stars on Amazon and Goodreads. Not really surprising for a book on offer for free on Amazon. 

June TBR 2017

This month I hope to read 3 books this month these are:

• Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
• Am I normal Yet by Holly Bourne 
• The Forgotten Girls by Alexa Steele 

Hopefully I will get through all of these and will update you on the end of the month.

May Wrap Up 2017

• The Gender Game 
• The Gender Secret 
• The Gender Lie 
• The Gender War 
• A Tangle Of Hearts 
• The Gender Fall 

All of these books were by Bella Forrest and have had a month solely based on her books because of a free trial of Kindle Unlimited.

The England Book Tag !!

• Bulldog: A Character you want to cuddle all day long

Liesel from The Book Theif 

• Vegemite: A book you love that everyone else hates

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 

• Football: Your favourite fictional squad

Harry, Hermione & Ron !! 

• National Rail: Most Recent 5 star read

The Gender Game #2 by Bella Forrest 

• Patriotism: Favourite book or author from the same country

Ruth Ware, author of A Dark Dark Wood and The Woman In Cabin 10

• Hedgehog: A book that is really good to look at, but is physically hurt to read

Caraval by Stephanie Garber 

• Jack The Ripper: A Book That Is really grim but a must read 

A Game Of Thrones, although long books they have gore and action throughout 

• Ben Nevis: A book that had you gasping in awe

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, most beautiful thing I've ever read 

• Bread And Butter Pudding: A light and fluffy book that you can't help but love

Christmas With Billy And Me

• Cadbury: name a genre/author you always reach for to get out of your reading slump

Bella Forrest (A Shade Of Vampire)

Original questions are different as I've changed this from Australian book tag to the British one !!

April Wrap Up 2017

1. The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon
2. A Gift Of Three by Bella Forrest
3. Saga Volume 3 Brian K Vaughn
4. Caraval Stephanie Garber
5. Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher 
6. A House Of Mysteries Bella Forrest 
7. Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield
8. Always With Love by Giovanna Fletcher 

I read a total of 8 books, making my page count for the month 2,621 pages.

What was your reading month like? 

Netflix Book Tag !!

• Recently watched: the last book you read.

The Gender Game #1 Bella Forrest 

• Top Picks: A book/series you were recommended by a previously read book.

A Shade Of Vampire by Bella Forrest

• Recently Added: The last book you bought.

The Gender Game #2

• Popular on Netflix: books everyone is talking about (1 you've read. one you haven't and one you're not interested in).

Caraval (read), Strange The Dreamer (I haven't read) and The Upside Of Unfrequented (no interest)

• Comedies: A Book That Made You laugh.

Love From Boy by Roald Dahl

• Drama: a book where a person is a drama queen/king

Howl's Moving Castle

• Animated: A book with a cartoon cover 

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher 

• Watch it again: A book or series that you would read again

Harry Potter !!

• Documentaries: A non-fiction book you'd recommend.

Love From Boy

• Action and adventure: An action packed book

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon (The Bone Season series)

• New Releases: A book that's released soon that you can't wait to read.

Origin by Dan Brown (October release)

• Max: Who do you tag? YOU 

Paper Butterflies | Review

This book is about a young girl called June, who's mother died and father remarried who suffers abuse at the hands of her stepmother.

The plot is a difficult one, A dark one. It takes you to a dark place that kids can go when being abused by someone they should be able to trust. It's a weird one this book, as I can't say I liked it and can't say it's bad, though I couldn't stop reading.

The writing is basic, but that being said, it's from the perspective of a child, but it helps with the story and generally with the story too. Keeping it easy to understand and quick to read.

I could relate to June and loved Blister. he was a nice kid. Though the rest of the cast aren't really worth the air any of us breathe.

It's a hard one to judge as it's a good book, but different and difficult to call good because of the content. It's difficult, heart-breaking read that helps you understand kids a little and lets you see some of the signs of what could be going on, from bullying to abuse.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads and can recommend, but be warned it is difficult content and possibly triggering. Discretion is advised with all readers, teens and adults.

13 Reasons Why | Review

Didn't really like this book too much. I don't think the representation of mental health was as accurate as it should have been. Granted some of the things that happened are more than enough to cause mental health problems, but to me not enough to cause suicide and I've dealt with things like depression and anxiety. 

I liked hearing the main characters point of view, but at the same time as you can tell it didn't work entirely from above. I wish it could've been more than what it was. 

Could only give this 2 stars on Goodreads and didn't like it, can't recommend. 

Caraval | Review

Caraval is about a young girl called Scarlett and losing her younger sister Tella in this strange place called Caraval a circus-like place where nothing is what it seems.

The story itself was just ok, but the beginning was pretty slow going, making it at first, hard to get into. The concept of the book was very interesting but lacked that extra sparkle and magic that similar books, like The Night Circus, had.

This was as expected with the reading, it was very simple and easy to read like most young adult fantasy. It could have been improved a little and helped the story along, which I think made me like the book a lot better.

I only ever cared about Scarlett and Julian in the book, although not perfect characters, by any means, the others all seemed second best and boring,

I would have thought the antagonist would have been made more prominent at the end of the book, making it more exciting to read to see his true colours and form.

In conclusion, I thought this book was just ok, With the right improvements it could have been spectacular, It could have been better than The Night Circus had it had the magic, sparkle and love that it desperately needed. So can only give this 2 stars in Goodreads and can't recommend.

March Wrap Up 2017

• A Rip Of Realms by Bella Forrest 
• A Throne Of Fire by Bella Forrest
• A Tide Of War by Bella Forrest 

I am also currently reading: 

• Always With Love by Giovanna Fletcher 

You can find me here: 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34047414-mikayla

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikaylaAmbrose

Blogger: 

http://mikaylaambrosestuff.blogspot.co.uk/

I get a commission here if you buy these games: https://www.g2a.com/r/user-5841dc484635a

February Wrap Up 2017

• A Day Of Glory by Bella Forrest
  
• A Dawn Of Guardians by Bella Forrest
• A Sword Of Chance by Bella Forrest
• A Race Of Trials by Bella Forrest
• A King Of Shadow by Bella Forrest
• An Empire Of Stones by Bella Forrest
• A Power Of Old by Bella Forrest
• The Walking Dead Issue 41 by Robert Kirkman

Here Is my Goodreads:

 https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34047414-mikayla

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/MikaylaAmbrose

Book Haul !

Hey there,

going to do a quick book haul and am going to include my Kindle E-Books in this too, since I've bought and read several of these lately.

1. Dear Amy - Helen Callaghan
2. Petals In The Wind - Virginia Andrews 
3. Days Without End - Sebastian Barry 
4. A Dawn Of Guardians - Bella Forrest 
5. A Race Of Trials 
6. A King Of Shadow 
7. A Sword Of Chance 
8. An Empire Of Stones
9. A Power Of Old 
10. Billy And Me - Giovana Fletcher 
11. Always With Love - Giovanna Fletcher 

Click HERE to see my video about my haul. 

A Discovery Of Witches | Review

I was looking forward to this one but unfortunately, this didn't work. I found that although the plot within itself was good, I found there was too much background information, which caused it to be very slow.

I would've loved the book had that not happened and would've liked the characters and plot a hell of a lot more.

couldn't finish this one because of its long-winded nature and left me bored. :(

The Alphabet Challenge First Update !!

During the alphabet challenge, I hope to read a book for every letter of the alphabet by the end of the year. I hope you take part and have fun too.

• A Twist Of Fates by Bella Forrest 
• B
• C
• Dirty Blood Heather Hilderbrand
• E
• F In Exams Richard Benson
• G
• Half A Creature From The Sea by David Almond
• I
• J
• K
• L
• Milk And Honey by Rupi Kuar 
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• The Reason I Jump Naoki Higoshida
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z 

January Wrap Up

January Wrap Up

1. The Reason I jump 5*
2. Half A Creature Under The Sea David Almond  4*
3. F In Exams 5*
4. Heaven Eyes David Almond 5* 
5. The Princess Diarist  Carrie Fisher 3* 
6. The Sun Is Also A Star Nicola Yoon 4*
7. Dirty Blood  Heather Hilderbrand 4*
8. A Twist Of Fates Bella Forrest 5*

My total page count is 1,882.

My January Wrap Up Video: HERE!

Reading Habits Tag

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I usually read in bed, which is probably a bad Idea since I get distracted so easily at home.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Bookmark for sure, but if I forget one before work for a new book I'm reading I will use a receipt or something.

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

I usually can stop anywhere, but try to stop where it makes the most sense, such as the end of a chapter or something.

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

Yeah, I'll get tea stains on the book.

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

TV not so much, but relaxing and peaceful music certainly helps me read at home. Though while I'm out and about it doesn't make a difference.
6. One book at a time or several at once?

It just depends on the books. If they are easy reads I can read 2 at once.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

Everywhere !! Got to get all that reading in somewhere right?

8. Reading out lout or silently in your head?

Silently for sure.

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

Definitely not !!!

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

I will break the spine, I may be a sinner, but it's so good!

11. Do you write in your books?

I usually tab them, but if it's too good to be tabbed, sure I'll write in the book.

12. Who do you tag?

Sophie from: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtpAEk7pT-C3BQxGuvyi2pg

Binta from: https: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY8Zs14zCMIQ6Cjs7rCZyxw

Original TAG → http://goo.gl/VN4b6f

Milk & Honey | Review

I jumped on the bandwagon and recently picked up a copy of Rupi Kaur’s brilliant little book of poetry, Milk And Honey. What is it about, you might ask? Everything important, I’d respond. Especially to girls who are still growing—essentially, all of us women.

Although disjointed which I understand with the topics included in the book, it still hits you, in a good way. Not everyone will completely understand each thing personally, but when you do it hits you even harder. Making this an even better read. I don't usually go for poetry, but the honesty and rawness of this book is captivating and very much needed to be read by a lot of women.

I can not recommend this enough. I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads, not a 5 only because of how disjointed the text was from page to page. 

The Knife Of Never Letting Go | Review

I didn't like this one. I found it very disappointing. I didn't like the writing at all, though I understand why it was written how Todd would speak, but It was irritating. I get how only knowing as much as Todd does would be all well and good, but unfortunately, it didn't entertain me. I didn't like how he only found things out as he desperately needed to know certain information ( at the most crucial times).  I just think some kind of formality would have been lovely. I didn't like any of the characters at all, I found them all to be either boring or unrelatable. The only character I did like was his dog, him being the only funny or interesting character by a mile. Unfortunately, this one wasn't my jam, compared to other Patrick Ness books such as A Monster Calls and More Than This. This one was disappointing, let me down and just didn't work. An unfortunate 1 star on Goodreads from me.