Hello again! I hope you all had a good Christmas. It’s been a quiet yet busy one for me, so I hope to catch up on everyone’s blog posts over the festive period when things calm down in the New Year.
But anyway, I thought I’d showcase the additions to my TBR this Christmas. I pretty much spent all of my Christmas money on books so there are quite a few here. It’s gonna take me a while to get through all of these, especially because my TBR before Christmas was already about 15 books long. But I think this is the first time I’ve ever had a TBR pile so big and trust me it feels good.
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
I’ve heard so many good things about this series so I am really excited to get stuck into it. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a fan of WWII literature, so this sounds great as a spin on that genre.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Another series I’ve heard a lot about, albeit mixed things. I really like the premise so I’m willing to put aside any of the negative reviews I’ve seen and make my own judgements.
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
I really enjoyed Marie Lu’s debut dystopian series, and you can find my review of Champion, the final book, here. I’m hoping this new series lives up to my expectations. I’ve read great things about it, especially with its diversity.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Now, I haven’t really had a good track record with Stiefvater. I bought Shiver when it was first released and, whilst I loved how bleak the opening and setting was, the book quickly jumped into instalove and it really put me off. It was too similar to Twilight to really hold my interest so soon after that phenomenon, so I decided that Stiefvater wasn’t for me.
However, I’ve seen everyone raving about this new series of hers so I’ve finally decided to give it a go. I’m a little hesitant, especially as I really don’t like the cover, it looks very kiddy, but all the rave reviews have persuaded me to give Stiefvater another chance.
Slade House by David Mitchell
I’ve mentioned before on this blog how big a fan I am of David Mitchell. Cloud Atlas is one of my favourite books, and you can find my review for The Bone Clocks here. This one sounds creepier than his usual stuff so I’m very excited for it.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
I’m not the biggest YA contemporary fan in the world, but if one of them is getting good reviews then I listen. This is definitely one I’ve been excited to get my hands on for quite a while.
Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne
This YA contemporary series sounds like it’s the new Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, which is hands down one of the funniest YA contemporary series to ever be written and is a staple in any British girl’s teenage years.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
I read Six of Crows not that long ago (review here) and I really enjoyed it, although I did think that there was so much hype I was expecting some kind of masterpiece and of course it was never going to live up to that. But anyway, it was still amazing and I’m excited to finish the series.
The Call by Peadar O’Guilin
This sounds unbelievably good. Creepy Irish YA horror? Count me in.
The Trees by Ali Shaw
This book is described as “does for trees what Hitchcock did for birds”. This is a apocalyptic novel (my favourite) about trees (…um?). Yes, you heard that right, but it’s received a lot of praise and I’m down for anything that’s apocalyptic.
SS-GB by Len Deighton
This is another alternate WWII history novel and it’s regarded as a classic. The BBC are also adapting it for TV so that should be good, especially after the success of The Man in the High Castle as a TV adaptation.
In a Land of Paper Gods by Rebecca Mackenzie
Every year my parents buy me and my sister a surprise book each for Christmas and this was mine. It’s set in China during WWII and sounds like it’s going to be a profound yet fantastical read.
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
This is another I’ve heard a lot about and I’ve been after it for quite a while. It sounds amazing and I love the cover.
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
I’ve also been after this for quite a while too. I’ve seen a few mixed things, I think that mainly the prose was too purple for some, but I don’t really mind purple prose as long as it’s effective and benefits the plot. I’m sure this will live up to my expectations.
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
I’ve been extremely excited for this because it’s supposed to be Sabriel crossed with Romeo and Juliet and if you follow my blog then you’ll know Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series is my favourite. I’m hoping this is as amazing as it sounds.
Have you read any of these books? Did you love or loathe them? Or do you want to read them? Did you get any books for Christmas? Let me know in the comments below!
I see Raven Boys in there! Such a treat!
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Fingers crossed I enjoy it!
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Awesome choices! I’m not a fan of Shatter Me but the you might like it more than I do. I didn’t like the Shiever series either but I absolutely adore the Raven Cycle! Crooked Kingdom is SO GOOD! The Star-Touched Queen has been on my tbr for a while, I need to get to it soon.
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Thank you! Yeah I’ve heard mixed things about Shatter Me but hopefully I’ll enjoy it. And glad to hear you weren’t a fan of Shiver either but that you liked the Raven Cycle! Gives me hope I’ll like it haha. I hope you enjoy The Star-Touched Queen when you get it!
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What an amazing haul! You’re so lucky, I hope you enjoy all your new books! I loved Shatter Me and Everything, Everything- I can’t wait to read your reviews!😊
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Thank you! Definitely feel lucky getting so many books for Christmas! Good to hear you enjoyed them, I hope I will too! 😊
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No problem!☺️
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This is such an amazing haul. Just about all of these are on my TBR. I love love love The Raven Boys so much. I put off reading it for so long because I heard things about Shiver and the blurb made it sound like a really cliche and tropey YA, but it’s so much more than that. Each book just gets better and better and the friendships and characters are amazing. I really hope you enjoy it!!
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Thank you! I thought Christmas was a good time to stock up on a ton of good books haha. Ooh that’s good to hear, I’ve been worried it’ll be really cliche because Shiver was but if you enjoyed it then that’s enough to convince me I will too haha 😉
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AH, these are all AMAZING books! I read Wolf by Wolf for the first time in 2016, and it ended up being one of my favorite books of the year. The Raven Boys (and its entire series) is one of my all time favorites, and I really hope you end up enjoying it!
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Thank you! I’m so excited to read them all. Glad to hear you enjoyed Wolf by Wolf and The Raven Boys! Buying Wolf by Wolf was a no brainer for me but seeing so many people enjoy The Raven Boys has convinced me to give it a shot.
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I really hope you end up enjoying The Raven Boys – I also was super apprehensive about it (paranormal romances really aren’t my thing, and that’s what I thought it would end up being), but it ended up being nothing that I expected!
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Ah that’s great! I’m not normally into paranormal romances either so I have more hope I’ll enjoy it now haha.
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