Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Bought Because of my Happy Indulgence Co-bloggers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Check out their website for previous and upcoming topics. This week’s topic is recommendations and I’m going to be featuring ten books that I bought because of my co-bloggers over at Happy Indulgence, Jeann and Aila. Some of these are books that they pushed me to buy and others are just books that I’ve seen them review on the blog.

1. Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

When fantasy-lover Aila reads a contemporary YA novel and loves it, I know I have to buy it. She also illustrated some promotional postcards that I absolutely loved! This book is cute and fluffy but also explores some more serious themes like mental illness. I really, really enjoyed it.

2. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

This was on both Jeann and Aila’s favourite books of 2015 lists so I finally got myself a copy a few months ago. I still haven’t found time to pick it up yet but I know it’s going to be amazing.

3. The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

If you haven’t seen Aila’s rap review of this book, you need to go watch it now. It was absolutely amazing and how could I not run out and get this book after watching her rap about why we need to read this novel?!

4. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Everytime I wanted to pick up a V.E. Schwab book, Jeann would encourage me to read Vicious. So I finally did and it was soooo good!

5. Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar

I picked up this awesome Aussie YA feminist read mainly because it was one of the books featured on OzYAY, a monthly ABC radio segment where Jeann talks about Aussie YA releases with two other fab ladies. The show is on the first Sunday of each month at 7pm AEST and you can tune in online.

6. The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn

This was another one of Jeann’s recommendations. She absolutely loves Claire Zorn’s books and recommended this one to me after I was disappointed by Claire’s newest release, One Would Think the Deep.

7. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Both Jeann and Aila love this book and I finally read it a few months ago after lots of encouragement from not only them but also my other close blogging friends. I have yet to pick up the sequel, Golden Son, but I’m hoping to do so before the year is over.

8. Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

I picked up this book a few months after seeing Aila’s review on Happy Indulgence. It gave me some Lunar Chronicles vibes so I decided to give it a go. It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be but I still really enjoyed it.

9. This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

I read First & Then by Emma Mills a few months ago and loved it. Aila received an early copy of This Adventure Ends back in June or July and said that she really enjoyed it, so I preordered a copy. I’ll be reading this one really, really soon.

10. The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You by Lily Anderson

I had never heard of this book until I saw it at a bookstore while browsing one day. Upon checking out some of the ratings and reviews on Goodreads, I saw that Aila gave it a 5 star rating! I had to buy it straight away after seeing that!

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Have you read any of these books?

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR for 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the team at The Broke and the Bookish. This week I’m featuring my TBR for spring (because I’m in the Southern Hemisphere). These are all books that I either already own or have preordered/bought.

1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Of course, Crooked Kingdom is at the top of my list. Six of Crows is one of my favourite books ever and I’m so excited to read the sequel! My preorder is already on its way and hopefully it’ll be here today. I’ll be jumping right into it as soon as it gets here.

2. Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

Blood for Blood is the sequel to another book that I absolutely loved last year, Wolf by Wolf. This duology is pretty action-packed and quick to read and I’m super excited to see how the sequel plays out.

3. When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore is an all-time favourite of mine and I’m so happy that she has a new book out so soon. I preordered this book months and months ago because I was so excited. And it’s since been nominated for the National Book Award, which makes me even more excited to have it in my hands.

4. Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner

This book is currently on its way to me and I couldn’t be happier. It sounds right up my alley and I’ve seen some really good reviews for it so far. It sounds like the kind of contemporary story that I love and I can’t wait to read it.

5. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

This book has been on my shelf since May and I’m ashamed that I still haven’t read it. It’s a book that I need to read for a reading challenge so I’m hoping to finally get to it in the coming months.

6. Frost Like Night by Sara Raasch

I absolutely loved Snow Like Ashes and it’s one of my favourite books of all time. However, I didn’t really like Ice Like Fire and the direction that it started to go. Still, I couldn’t not finish the trilogy so I ordered Frost Like Night to see how it all ends. I do love Sara Raasch’s writing though, so I know I’m going to enjoy it.

7. The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg

My favourite graphic novel ever is The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg and when I found out that she had a new book out, I had to pick it up. This one is also currently on its way to me and I’m hoping that I get it really really soon because the little bits that I’ve seen of it were amazing.

8. Everyone We’ve Been by Sarah Everett

This is another book that I preordered because the synopsis sounded right up my alley. I’m interested to see how I feel about it once I’ve read it. The cover is also really pretty and I’m keen to have it in my hands soon.

9. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I’m super excited for Nicola Yoon’s new book. I really enjoyed Everything Everything last year and The Sun is Also a Star sounds even more amazing! Plus David Levithan wouldn’t stop raving about it and I need this book in my hands soon!

10. This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

This is mostly just a cover buy, but I really liked First and Then by Emma Mills. It was a really cute contemporary and I’m hoping this will be of the same standard!

Top Ten Tuesday: All-Time Favourite Book Covers

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday post. This is a weekly feature that’s hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is actually ‘All-time favourite books from X genre’ and I was really excited to share my favourites but then I realised that I talk about my favourites all the time and you’re probably sick of hearing about the same books over and over again. I was fully intending to skip this week’s TTT but then inspiration struck when I couldn’t stop raving about how beautifully packaged The Thousandth Floor is. So my topic for today’s list is “all-time favourite book covers”. I also happen to really love all of these books on my list so take this as my list of recommendations!

1. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

Since this whole list is inspired by this book, it had to be at the top of my list. I love everything about this cover and how this book is packaged. It has a beautiful smooth texture and a beautiful embossed title. The spine is also amazing and is probably my favourite part of this whole book. The endpapers are also stunning and finally, when you undress the book, the naked hardcover has the title on it in beautiful gold lettering.

2. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This is my favourite book of all time and there really isn’t any part of it that I don’t absolutely love. The cover is stunning. I love the colours and that the cover is slightly shimmery. It’s so beautiful!!

3. The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore

This novel is one of my favourite reads of 2016 so far. I love the colours on the cover, as well as the feathers and the branches. I just think that it’s very beautifully simplistic.

4. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

This cover is just stunning. The illustration of the bird is so detailed and I could spend hours and hours just staring at it and trying to figure it out. I have the Australian paperback edition but I’ve seen the UK hardcover addition and omg it’s BEAUTIFUL.

5. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

The picture I’ve included doesn’t do this cover justice. It’s absolutely beautiful in real life and the debossed lines on the cover, as well as on the naked hardback is not only beautiful to the eyes but wonderful to touch. This is my favourite YA novel of all time and I’m so happy that it has an insanely pretty cover too.

6. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

I love not only the illustrations on the cover, which are so stunning and detailed, but also the texture of the cover. I have the hardcover edition and it’s got a wonderful matte cover and I love touching it so much!

7. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I love the covers of all three books in this trilogy but I had to mention this one because it’s the first. I think the covers of Hollow City and Library of Souls are really mysterious and unique but this first book just has a really iconic cover. I love that it’s greyscale and that it’s just so peculiar!

8. The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

I mean, just look at this cover. Just look at it! The colours are so pretty and there’s nothing that I can say about it that you can’t already see.

9. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

What I love most about this book is the texture of it. The black hole on the cover is stitched and I love feeling the raised bits of thread. I don’t like that it’s not centred but other than that, it’s perfection. I also really love the debossed black hole on the naked hardcover.

10. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

I love the font and the embossed lettering of the title. When I first got this book, I couldn’t stop feeling it. I also really like the bottle and the ship. I just think that it’s a beautifully designed cover!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books with School Settings

It’s been weeks and weeks since I’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday. This is mainly because I haven’t really had the time to respond to comments and I always feel bad about leaving my Top Ten Tuesday comments unanswered for weeks. But I love the topic of this week, so I’m gonna go ahead and do it. Today, I’m featuring some of my favourite books that have school settings. I love pretty much all books that are set in school and I’m excited to share some of my favourites. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the team at The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Duh! How could I not include the Harry Potter series on this list?

2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On is one of my favourite books of all time because it’s a wonderfully hilarious Chosen One story that’s set at a magic school. If you love Harry Potter, you will love this (as long as you don’t compare the two).

3. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Nevernight is a wonderful story about an assassin who goes to the Red Church, a school of assassins. The things that happen there are super brutal and intense but it was such a fantastic school setting. I loved it!

4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Not only is Fangirl one of my favourite books with school settings, it’s one of my favourite contemporary novels of all time. This book has a really great college setting and I loved the role that school played in Cath’s story.

5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

And while I’m at it, let’s include a third Rainbow Rowell book on this list. I read Eleanor & Park recently and it was what really made me want to do this Top Ten Tuesday post. Eleanor and Park meet and interact mostly on the school bus and my heart was just so full of happiness at this. However, it’s not all just fun and games on the bus. Eleanor is bullied quite badly at school and I enjoyed how this was incorporated.

6. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After is my favourite of Stephanie Perkins’ companion trilogy. I loved that it was set not only at a boarding school in Paris, but also partly in New York and Barcelona. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the dorm room aspect of the book a lot.

7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

School probably isn’t the first thing that I think of when I think about this novel but I did really like the school setting in this book. It’s a central part of the book and I thought it was wonderful.

8. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

In this alternate history novel, where the Great Library of Alexandria was not destroyed, the characters in the book attend an academy of sorts to learn to become librarians. It’s a really interesting world and the training that these apprentices go through were really intense but intriguing.

9. Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate

This book is about a student-teacher relationship and is written from the perspective of seven different high school students. It’s about the relationships between the characters and the things that they learn from each other. This is one of the most realistic high school settings that I’ve read about and I highly enjoyed it.

10. The Yearbook Committee by Sarah Ayoub

Similar to Seven Ways We Lie, this Aussie YA novel is written from the perspective of five high schoolers who are all working on the yearbook together. They’re vastly different people but the things that they learn from each other and the relationships between them are what make the book so special.

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What are some of your favourite books with school settings? I’d love to add them to my list because I love school 😀

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set Outside of the US

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the team over at The Broke and the Bookish. The theme for this week is books that are set outside of the US. The advantage of living outside of the US is that I have a lot of Aussie YA books (set in Australia) that I can use for this list. But I chose to go with a variety of different locations and settings for my TTT today. Be warned: I have a lot of WWII historical fiction novels on this list…

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Hehehe I’m so predictable. Of course, my favourite book of all time makes it on to this list. This WWII historical fiction masterpiece is set in France and Germany, as well as parts of Russia. READ IT!

2. Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Just One Year is the companion sequel to Just One Day. The reason why I’ve chosen to go with Just One Year is because it’s set completely outside of the US, whereas Just One Day was set partially in the US. In Just One Year, our protagonist, Willem, travels around Europe, India and Mexico and overall, it’s just a great time.

3. The Lake House by Kate Morton

This novel is set in Cornwall and was one of my favourite releases of 2015. It’s a historical fiction novel that’s set in the 1930s and has a great atmosphere and setting! The writing is absolutely beautiful too.

4. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Another WWII historical fiction novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North is set in Australia as well as Japanese POW camps in South East Asia. It was the Man Booker Prize winner of 2014.

5. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Wolf by Wolf is an alternate history WWII novel that’s set across multiple continents. The story begins in Germany (I believe?) and features a cross-continental motocross race. We follow the characters across the Middle East, through South East Asia and into Japan. It’s fast-paced and exciting and I can’t wait for the sequel!

6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This novel isn’t my favourite of Stephanie Perkins companion series (I love Isla and the Happily Ever After the most) but I’m pretty sure that this one is set entirely outside of the US? I think it’s set entirely in France and I really enjoyed it when I read it.

7. Max by Sarah Cohen-Scali

And yet another WWII historical fiction novel, Max follows the story of a baby who was born as part of the Lebensborn program. We follow his journey from before birth, up until the end of the war. It’s a super interesting and eye-opening story and I highly recommend it. This one is set in Germany.

8. The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis

The Sidekicks is an Aussie YA novel that’s set in Australia. It’s a really short read but gives you a good kick in the feels. It’s about friendship and grief and is so, so good!

9. Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

This is my last WWII novel, I promise! In this novel, we follow Anna and a mysterious man known as the Swallow Man as they wander around Poland for years during the war. It’s a bit of a confusing book but it’s definitely worth the read.

10. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

And finally, I had to include an urban fantasy novel and I’ve chosen The Infernal Devices. This trilogy is set in the London Institute during the 19th century and I love this series so much!

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Bookish Facts About Me

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is facts about me so I’m going to share ten bookish facts about myself.

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1. I am a Ravenclaw. The first time I did the Pottermore quiz, I was sorted into Hufflepuff but every time I’ve taken the quiz since then, I’ve gotten Ravenclaw.

2. I can only read one book at a time. When there’s more than one book that I have to read, I get really confused and just end up reading one after the other anyway. The only exception I make to this is if I’m reading a short story collection. But even then, I have to finish each short story before moving on to reading something else.

3. I’ve recently started getting into reading more comics and graphic novels. My favourite one that I’ve read so far is Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn.

4. Even though I’ve only recently started reading comics and graphic novels, I’ve been reading manga since I was about 13. The first manga I ever read was probably Fruits Basket but my favourite manga/anime/live action movie is Rurouni Kenshin.

5. I have a huge bookmark obsession, especially the magnetic bookmarks from HappyHelloArt. I also have a huge stack of the Book Depository bookmarks too.

6. I’ve recently started making my own watercolour bookmarks after rediscovering my watercolour supplies from back when I did art classes.

7. I own about 700 books (this is a pure estimate)… and I’d like to say that I’ve probably read about 500 of them but I’m pretty sure that’s not true at all. In my whole lifetime, I’m guessing that I’ve probably read about 700-800 books.

8. My favourite series besides Harry Potter is The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, followed very closely by The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare.

9. My favourite YA genre is contemporary and I have endless YA contemporary recommendations. My favourite adult fiction genre is historical literary fiction.

10. The authors who I most want to meet right now are Anthony Doerr (author of my favourite book ever, All the Light We Cannot See), Heather Demetrios (author of my favourite book so far in 2016, I’ll Meet You There), Marissa Meyer (author of my favourite series, The Lunar Chronicles), and Rainbow Rowell (author of some of my favourite books including Carry On).

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Great Books with Under 2000 Ratings

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the team at The Broke and the Bookish. This week I’m featuring ten books with less than 2000 ratings on Goodreads that I enjoyed. For this list, I excluded books that are only available in Australia and books that were first released within the last three months because I wanted to feature books that are truly underrated. I chose books that I rated 4 stars or above as well.

1. A Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moriarty (51 ratings)

This is actually an Aussie YA novel but it’s available around the world too so I’ve included it on this list. A Tangle of Gold is actually the third and final book of The Colours of Madeleine trilogy by Jaclyn Moriarty. It’s a wonderful and magical series and this book wraps it all up neatly!

2. Max by Sarah Cohen-Scali (356 ratings)

I love all WWII historical fiction novels and this one was no exception. It was unique and emotional and I couldn’t have asked for a better WWII YA novel.

3. The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry (556 ratings)

I had some major reservations about this one when I first started the book. The writing style was hard to get into but when I got used to it, it was absolutely amazing. I cried so much while reading this and I really recommend it if you’re looking for a book set in Medieval Europe.

4. The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (1136 ratings)

This book is one of my new favourites. It’s set in Alaska in 1970 and follows four different perspectives. I thought it was so well written, full of rich description and this one also made me cry bucketloads.

5. The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am by Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold (1404 ratings)

I read this book back in 2012. It was a book that I picked up because the cover was so beautiful. It’s follows an elderly woman and what she gets up to day to day. I don’t really know why I enjoyed it so much but there was a wonderful message about living life to its fullest potential.

6. The Next Together by Lauren James (1458 ratings)

This was a book that I enjoyed probably more than I should have. It’s about reincarnation and love that transcends time. There were some faults with it but it was a really enjoyable read.

7. A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman (1687 ratings)

This is a WWI historical fiction novel with magical realism. The book follows Marvellous Ways, a 90-something year old woman and the relationship/companionship that she develops with a young male who washes up near her riverside home.

8. The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore (1733 ratings)

This is another one of my all-time favourite books. It’s book about star-crossed lovers with a sprinkle of magical realism (or a pouring of magical realism). I loved everything about this book and I highly recommend it. I loved it so much that I haven’t been able to put all my feels together into a review.

9. Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit (1796 ratings)

Another WWII historical fiction novel, this book follows Anna, a young Polish girl, who loses her family during the war and finds herself wandering around Poland with the Swallow Man who has taken her under his wing. It’s a confusing book but it’s absolutely beautiful and the journey that Anna takes is breathtaking and emotional.

10. The Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin (1833 ratings)

This novel features a gender fluid character and explores what it means to be gender fluid. It’s an important book to read and even though I didn’t always connect with the main character, I think this book needs to be out there in the world.

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Have you read any of these underrated books and what did you think of them? Which underrated book have you read that you think the world needs to read?

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favourite Character Voices

This week is freebie week for Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week I’m going to feature some books with strong character voices that I really connected with.

1. Adam (The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten)

I read this novel very recently and Adam’s character and his voice really made this book for me. He’s probably one of my favourite protagonists of all time and I couldn’t stop rooting for him.

2. Simon (Carry On by Rainbow Rowell)

Another one of my favourite characters, I mostly love Simon because of his voice. He’s so incredibly funny and adorable, and I sped through this 500 page book because Simon’s voice was so great. I also really loved Baz’s voice too!

3. Todd (Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness)

The thing that you notice immediately when you read the Chaos Walking trilogy is Todd’s voice and the unique writing in the book. It’s very distinctive and really shows who Todd is as a character.

4. Max (Max by Sarah Cohen-Scali)

The thing that made Max such a wonderful book for me was the main character, Max’s, voice. He’s arrogant and vocal about his opinions but that’s kind of why I love him. His character and personality really come through his voice and it was just so interesting to read from the perspective of a fetus and really young child.

5. Solomon (Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley)

Solomon is an agoraphobic who hasn’t left his house in over three years. But that doesn’t make him a boring character. He was such a funny and interesting person and that really came through in his voice. I thought the writing in this book was super strong.

6. Simon (Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli)

Simon is hilarious. He’s somebody that you automatically connect with from the very first chapter. He has a great personality and his voice is extremely relatable.

7. Audrey (Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella)

Audrey is a 14 year old girl who suffers from severe anxiety and depression but she doesn’t come across that way in the book because her voice is so unique and interesting. You can feel her anxiety and shyness but at the same time, you also can feel that she’s a sarcastic and fun-loving character.

8. Frankie (Frankie by Shivaun Plozza)

If you’re looking for a spunky character with lots of sass and attitude, Frankie is the girl for you. Her voice is feisty and sassy and makes her a character who you can’t turn away from.

9. Allyson (Just One Day by Gayle Forman)

Allyson can seem like a little bit of a bland character to some, but to me, she’s so full of life and her voice was completely relatable. I really connected with her character and I thought her voice was really, really strong.

10. Alice (The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard)

In this novel, Alice has been through a traumatic incident and now has trouble expressing herself verbally. So she writes poetry to express herself. This book was super interesting and had a great mix of prose and poetry. Alice’s voice and personality was so unique and strong in this book, and is the main reason why I loved it so much!

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What are some of your favourite character voices?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite 2016 Releases So Far This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is favourite 2016 releases so far, which is one of my favourite things to post about. I love recommending books and I’ve rated all of these either 4.5 or 5 stars. These are in no particular order and my full reviews are linked.

1. The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

This was my most recent 5 star reads. I absolutely loved everything about it. It’s a beautiful historical fiction novel set in the 1970s in Alaska, following four teens who are each dealing with personal struggles and how their stories collide. I’ll have a full review up on Thursday.

2. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson is one of my favourite authors. She’s an auto-buy author of mine because she writes the most beautiful and relatable summery contemporaries. The Unexpected Everything was amazing and I loved the characters soooo much!

3. Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

This was my first John Corey Whaley book and it didn’t disappoint. Featuring an agoraphobic and a wannabe psychologist, this book was moving, powerful and absolutely beautiful. The friendships and relationships in this book are GOALS.

4. Frankie by Shivaun Plozza

This debut novel absolutely blew my mind. Frankie was full of spunk, attitude and just screamed Melbourne and Australia to me. The novel made me laugh and cry and it was just such an experience.

5. A Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moriarty

This is the third and final book of Jaclyn Moriarty’s A Colour of Madeleine trilogy. It was mindblowingly good and wrapped up the series so beautifully. There were so many twists and turns and my heart was just beating out of my chest the entire time. If you want something magical and whimsical, this series will give you exactly that.

6. Max by Sarah Cohen-Scali

I love my WWII historical fiction and Max is the standout WWII novel that I’ve read this year. It’s translated from French and has such an interesting premise. It follows Max, a product of the Lebensborn program in Germany, from before he was born until the end of WWII. It was amazing and more people need to read this because it’s so underrated.

7. The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard

This book broke my heart and mended it at the same time. It was so beautifully written and had such wonderful relationships. The relationship between Alice and her brother, Joey, made me cry for ages during and after my read. It’s a must-read in my opinion.

8. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Another series finale, The Raven King is the fourth and final book of The Raven Cycle. It wasn’t everything that I expected it to be but what Maggie Stiefvater did give us was absolutely brilliant anyway. The characters are definitely the standout and I’ve enjoyed their journey immensely.

9. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I loved this new Shadowhunters book so much!! It was an awesome start to a new series. It wasn’t quite as good as Clockwork Angel for me but I thought it was a superb first book with some really diverse and interesting characters.

10. The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis

Another amazing Aus YA book released this year. I really loved The Sidekicks, which is a story about three boys who are each dealing with grief in their own ways and what happens when they lean on each other.

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These are just some of my favourite 2016 releases that I’ve read so far this year. I’m sure there will be many more amazing releases to come. What have been your favourite 2016 releases or 2016 reads?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the team at The Broke and the Bookish. This week I’m featuring ten upcoming 2016 releases that I’m very highly anticipating. These will all be released in the second half of this year.

1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I absolutely loved Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. It was definitely a step up from her Grisha trilogy. The characters and the relationships between them were so good and I can’t wait to read more about them. I’m so sad that this is only a duology though. I’ve already preordered this one and it comes out on September 27 😀

2. Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

Wolf by Wolf was another book that I really loved when I read it last year. It’s such an exciting and action-paced story and I love that it’s an alternate history novel. I also really enjoyed the prequel novella, Iron to Iron. Cannot wait to get my hands on this sequel. Again, I’m sad that it’s a duology and not a trilogy. November 1 could not come soon enough!

3. Heartless by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is probably my favourite series of all time. So I cannot wait to get my hands on this upcoming release, which is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. November 8 is the release date for this novel.

4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

I recently read ACOMAF by Sarah J. Maas and didn’t enjoy it very much so my excitement for this fifth book of the Throne of Glass series has dampened a little bit. But I’ve been enjoying where the series has been going so I guess I’m still excited to see where this next book goes. This is out on September 6.

5. Frost Like Night by Sara Raasch

I’m highly anticipating this third and final book of the Snow Like Ashes trilogy. I absolutely loved Snow Like Ashes and it became one of my favourite novels of all time… but Ice Like Fire really disappointed me. I have a feeling that this finale is going to be epic though! It comes out on September 20.

6. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I really enjoyed Nicola Yoon’s debut novel, Everything Everything. It had really interesting formatting and lots of beautiful illustrations. I’m hoping that The Sun is Also a Star will have those elements too. The synopsis also sounds very intriguing and I love a female protagonist who loves science. This novel comes out on November 1.

7. Replica by Lauren Oliver

I haven’t read anything by Lauren Oliver yet but I’m drawn in by the gimmicky nature of this book. The book can be read four ways and I think it’d be great to experience it. Also, from what I’ve read of the synopsis, it sounds like an intriguing sci-fi read. This is out on October 4.

8. PS. I Like You by Kasie West

Who can resist a new Kasie West book? Her novels are so quick and easy to read and absolutely perfect for a reading slump. I’ve enjoyed all of her books so far and I’m keen to read more from her. Also, this one comes out on July 26, so not too long to go!

9. Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

This is the sequel to Ink and Bone, which I read earlier this year and absolutely fell in love with. It’s such a great alternate history story that’s all about books and the Great Library of Alexandria. I can’t wait to continue the series and see how it all plays out. This one also comes out really soon on July 5.

10. Cure For the Common Universe by Christian McKay Heidicker

I honestly don’t know too much about this book but it has a really fun cover and the main character is sent to video game rehab. If that doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, I don’t know what does. And whoops, I thought this one was out in July but it’s actually out today! June 14.

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Which one of these are you also highly anticipating? Also, if you haven’t already, check out my 1 year blogoversary giveaways.