Top 5 Books We Want to Read in 2017!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic was perfect for us today because at the moment, we’re trying to sort out our reading priorities for the end of 2016, and moving some of the best books on our TBR over to 2017 will definitely take the the pressure off!

♡ Maddie’s Picks ♡

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is one of our favourite book-to-movie adaptations, and Bee’s been recommending it to me every time I’m stuck for something to read but it’s so long and I don’t want to feel like I have to rush through it, so 2017 will be the year I finally sit down and soak up The Host, at a leisurely pace!

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Everyone was talking about this book when it first came out because it was about writing and a teenage girl publishing a book, and that sounded awesome. I bought it straight away, read the first 50 pages, loved it and then put it down. Why? Who knows. Not next year though.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Another book that I started reading and couldn’t get into, 2017 is like the year of second chances. I couldn’t keep the world straight in my head, but I really want to like this series because it’s slightly more adult and the author is from the UK, and I already own the second book!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I’m so hyped for the movie to come out in 2017, starring Zoey Deutch, that I need to read the book to satisfy my need to see the movie right this second. I’ve loved all the Lauren Oliver I’ve read so far, and I’m really excited to go back to her debut novel and see how far she’s come!

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

It’s been a while since I read my last Rick book, and I’d say I’m far enough away from the Heroes of Olympus series to not just dislike the new kid on the principle that he is not Percy or Annabeth or any of the other demigods I fell in love with. I know he’s also written The Trials of Apollo and I need to catch up with my old fave middle grade author before I fall completely out of the loop.

♡ Bee’s Picks ♡

Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

First of, I would recommend you check out the Goodreads page for this book and look at all the different covers, because each one seems to market the book in a slightly different way, and now I have no idea what to expect from it! All I know is that the characters share surnames with the characters of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and it’s about witches and that was intriguing enough for me to buy the whole series!

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

I’m really excited to read this trilogy now that the final book The Winner’s Kiss came out this year! I’ve been waiting so I can binge them without any wait in between and from the reviews Maddie has already given the series, I think I was right to do so. The covers for this series are just outstanding and I’ve heard SO many good things, it’s about time I finally read them.

Slated by Terri Terry

This is another trilogy that Maddie has raved about, so I think you can see a pattern emerging. This list could’ve been made entirely from series that Maddie has completed and loved, but I limited myself to just the two. Maddie’s read quite a few of my series recommendations now, so I think I should take some of her recommendations seriously in return! Slated was actually one of the first books that she reviewed on this blog too, so the wait has been long enough!

One by Sarah Crossan

Sarah Crossan is such a diverse author. This year we both read the Breathe duology and loved it, and One has been nominated and won a few awards for being just so brilliant! It’s the story of conjoined twins, so I know it’s probably going to be a very emotional read for me, but Maddie and I are actually going to a reading and signing that Sarah Crossan is doing with the co-author of her next book We Come Apart, Brian Conaghan, so I definitely want to get it done by then, but I might even sneak it in before the end of this year, who knows!

Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour

I have had this book on my TBR for what feels like forever, and I know it’s had some mixed reviews, but I’ve only been reading the positive ones! It’s the story of Emi and Ava who fall in love and that’s enough to make me desperate to read it!

 

Review: The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

25526307The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
Genre: 
Fantasy, Romance
Published by: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Pages: 496
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I re-read the first two books in the series to prepare for this one and they were really fast reads. Probably because I already knew what to expect from The Winner’s Curse and The Winner’s Crime but I had a lot of expectations for this. While I thought it was a good ending to the series, I was a little disappointed with the trajectory of the book.
Continue reading “Review: The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski”

Cover Comparisons: Girls in Dresses

As part of the gendered covers debate, I thought for this ‘Cover Comparison’, I’d discuss some covers filled with girls in dresses, a classic trope used to obviously market books to a female audience.

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The first collection of books are ‘The Selection’ series by Keira Cass. These stand out, as America’s dress is the central feature of the cover. It makes sense, and links to the almost-beauty-contest concept of the novel. The covers are accurate and appropriate. These books are very ‘girly’, focused on romance and making a good impression because of appearance. Only in the final book are the social injustice themes prominent. Looking at these covers, you wouldn’t be expecting anything more than a cutesy light read.

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The ‘Precious Gems’ series by Kerstin Gier does the same thing as ‘The Selection’ series. The appearance of Gwen, in fancy ball gowns, is quintessential to her time-travelling adventures – she needs to fit in with the societies she’s investigating. At least there’s a slightly dystopian looking background of curled clocks and cities.

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So, what about ‘The Winner’s Trilogy’ by Marie Rutkoski? Like with ‘The Selection’ the focal point of the covers are Kestrel’s dresses…she just happens to be holding a sword. I think covers like this do the content an injustice. Boys are going to be less likely to pick up this book because of the cover, when in actuality, the books are filled with war, conflict and social struggle, set in a high fantasy world resembling the 18th Century. Why wouldn’t boys be interested in that?

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The His Fair Assassin trilogy is a real contrast to the previous examples. With the stormy backgrounds, dark colour palette and the weapons. It’s important to notice that their dressed are not made of satin and silk, but much heavier materials like velvet – these girls are obviously not afraid of getting their hands dirty, and I wouldn’t mess with them because they look extremely comfortable holding those weapons. These covers are excellently well designed and I think actually do the story justice. You can see the tense emotions, and even the titles are enticing. These covers tell you that you are in now way about to experience a fluffy read.

throne of glass throne of glass back

The ‘Throne of Glass Series’ by Sarah J Maas is taking book covers in the right direction. Sure, Celaena is on the front of every cover, but she’s not in a ball gown. She’s wearing combat weaponry, cloaks and armour. I love that when you look at the back cover, only then do you seen a girl in a dress, because Celaena is a warrior first and a lady second.

Review: The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski

the winner's crimeThe Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Published by: Bloomsbury (Released 12th March 2015)
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★
Series:
The Winner’s Curse (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I am extremely pleased that this sequel has the same rating as the debut. It’s not often this happens, but I thought that Marie Rutkoski’s world was better developed, the plot was made clear and my level of enjoyment was continuous throughout.

Continue reading “Review: The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski”

Review: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

the winner's crimeThe Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Romance
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 359
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Series:
The Winner’s Crime (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

First of all, the cover is beautiful. Whoever designed it deserves a medal. This book has been sat on my Kindle bookshelf for a while, and since it’s 2015, I thought I’d clear out my shelves and start reading books I bought six months ago. When I clicked on to ‘The Winner’s Curse’, I had no idea what to expect. What I got was an odd mixture of fantasy and historical fiction.

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