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AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH DREAGEN // chatting to the author of the Born of Fire series about all things writing, fantasy & dragons!!!
Long time no post apparently,,, But I am absolutely thrilled and honoured and ecstatic about today’s post!!! Wanna know why? BECAUSE I GET TO TALK ABOUT DRAGONS!!!!! And who doesn’t want to talk about dragons all day every day? I have had the priviledge with speaking to the wonderful author of the Born of Fire series who so kindly has collaborated with me for my very first blog promotional post. So let’s just ‘ride’ right on in, why don’t we… Ha get my dragon pun? Click for more info on each of the series <3 🔥 Book 1 Title: The Dawn of LegendSeries: Born of FirePage count: 736Genre: YA high fantasy Synopsis: On a night tinged by a red sky, a mysterious figure, while being pursued by an armored conclave of dragons, whisks a baby away to the halls of a natural history museum. There, the baby is found by a museum guard who, after a violent explosion, finds himself the father of a strange boy with red eyes. Naming him Rex, their lives become intertwined for the next fifteen years. Shunned as a freak by humanity, Rex’s life is filled with cruelty and violence, with his father being the…
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FEBRUARY RECAP // the month of love aka teensy bit of reading, some new books & getting a job in publishing!!!
Look at me! I’M ON TIME FOLKS OMG THIS IS CRAZY. Be in shock with me. Imma not beat around the bush anymore and just dive right in!!! — How To End A Love Story by Yulin Kuang {★★★★½}: I think you’ll be seeing a post closer to release date from me so I’ll keep it short. This book is freaking hella sad and a lot but very romantic and I have no words. Emily Henry loves and we need nothing else. Huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton UK for the eARC via Netgalley! Click right over here for the GR review <3<3<3 I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang {★★★½☆}: I was lucky enough to join the blog tour for this one so I’ll send you over there for the full review. But if you’re looking for a stellar YA academic rivals to lovers contemporary romance, then she’s got you. Tysm to the author, Scholastic Press and Colored Pages Tours for the eARC via Edelweiss!!! The Someday Daughter by Ellen O’Clover {★★★★★}: You’ll also be seeing a full review from me on this one because I need to GUSH. Ellen is an absolute force to be reckoned…
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ONE OF US IS BACK BY KAREN M. MCMANUS // spoiler-free book review: i’m just so happy to back in this psycho murdery town ft. a side of addictive writing & the bestest romance
Didn’t originally think I was going to do a review but you’re all in luck hehehe Let’s get right into it! Title: One of Us Is BackSeries: One of Us Is Lying book #3Author: Karen M. McManusPage count: 360Date published: 27 July 2023Genre: YA mystery thriller 🔍 Synopsis: Ever since Simon died in detention, life hasn’t been easy for the Bayview Crew. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it’s beginning again. At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the crew disappears, it’s clear this ‘game’ just got serious – and no one understands the rules. Everyone’s a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly. The thing is, Simon was right about secrets – they all come out, eventually. And Bayview has a lot it’s still hiding. 🔍 Big thanks to Penguin Random House SA for the review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own. 🔍 STAR RATING: (4 out of 5 stars) Almost had this finished on the last day…
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JANUARY RECAP // ya contemporary reads, rare book shopping, all the films & life updates
Only a TEENSY bit late this time. Just a smol week. Not helpful crying over spilt milk folks, let’s just get right into it!!! One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus {★★★★☆}: gosh I love me a McManus book because I just KNOW I’ll have a great time. It’s a guarantee at this point. This was no exception. Didn’t beat book two for me but it was still a blast and I highly enjoyed my time with her. Still deciding if I’m doing a full review for this one, so I’ll send you over to GR for now!!! Ty to Penguin Random House SA for the review copy! When You Get The Chance by Emma Lord {★★★★★}: finally got off my lazy ass and have mostly caught up with my fave Lord and saviour *sighs* I have a whole review coming very soon so stay tuned for that but yes I am incredibly stupid for doubting this author AGAIN GAHHHH. This book was literally everything and I’m so excited to yell about it. Big thanks to Pan Macmillan SA for the review copy and Wednesday Books for the eARC via Netgalley! Click here for the GR review xoxox…
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I HOPE THIS DOESN’T FIND YOU BY ANN LIANG // blog tour book review: the fiercest academic rivals to lovers you’ll ever see!!
Gah I’m a day late with this post because I’ve been having it rough lately,,, anyways hopefully getting back into it now. Big thanks to Colored Pages for having me on the blog tour, let’s dive right into the review! Title: I Hope This Doesn’t Find YouAuthor: Ann LiangPage count: 320Date published: 6 February 2024Genre: YA contemporary romance 🎓 Synopsis: Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a “pleasure to have in class.” It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She’d never send them of course — she’d rather die than hurt anyone’s feelings — but it’s a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie’s work. All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. “You’re attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you’ve been using to make your hair…
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DECEMBER 2023 RECAP // wrapping up the last reading month of the year ft all the romance, austen addiction, great films & job searching
Once more I am fashionably late but you all know the drill at this point. Let’s jump right in! — Betting On You by Lynn Painter {★★★★☆}: when she said When Harry Met Sally inspired YA rom-com, suddenly I appeared. Out of nowhere. Can’t explain it. But living my best life and she was cute as heck. Now I just need to catch up on Painter’s previous YA release so I can come out of shameville. Tysm to Simon & Schuster for the eARC via Netgalley. More thoughts in my GR review here <3<3<3 If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane {★★★★☆}: Finally got back into my McFarlane groove and she truly is a genius!!! And men suck hardcore. Whilst this one does not top Mad About You for me, I loved it nonetheless. I related so deeply to Laurie’s insecurities and adored her as a main character. I do think I wanted a bit more from the romance? Read more in GR review here xoxoxo Persepolis Volume 2 by Marjane Satrapi {★★★★★}: Finally finished this one after having to put it down for thesis writing. Ugh Satrapi is a GENIUS and I have so much appreciation for her.…
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THE BEST OF 2023: BOOKS, MOVIES & SHOWS // ranking my top reads and watches of last year in journal spreads ft. some honourable mentions
At least the wait was not long in between. You could at least be grateful for that. I’m kidding. Yes I am embarrassed it took this long. But I’m wrapping up 2023 with a BANG. One might say that I’ve been ~inspired~ or,,, creative? Who’s to say? Not me. But I saw some people on TikTok do these journal spreads for books and suddenly I had FOMO. But, of course, I’m not about to make spreads for all the books I’ve ever read (never going to do that btw) but I thought I’d start with my favourite reads of the year for funsies. Then suddenly LIGHTBULB! I am going to share them here. And I’ve written reviews for basically all of them so to switch it up, I’m sharing my favourites in pretty graphics aka journal spreads I created on my iPad. That was long-winded but I hope you understood. Before we get into the books, I do have movies and shows to share. Whilst I have not made spreads for each of them individually, I have made some rankings. Enjoy the ride *wink wink* BEST OF 2023: SHOWS Hope you were here yesterday for my 2023 recap, and in…
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2023 READING, WATCHING & BLOGGING RECAP // last year in review ft reading stats, content posted, movies i watched, pie charts galore & launching my substack!!!
Anonymous caller: Hello? It’s 2023 calling. She wants her stats sent over. Me: No problem, here you go. — Hope you enjoyed my little improv back there. As you can tell, I am an actress. Also ACTING like it’s not a week into the new year and I’m only now getting to the stats (and yearly faves next up shhhh). Folks, I was writing my thesis all of November and I was tired okay,,, So hence the lateness. Take it as a reward that I’m combining all the stats this time around even though it’s due to laziness. Anyways, yup, we’re recapping everything I read, watched AND all the content I posted in one post. Let’s dive in! 2023 RECAP: READING What do you mean my goal was lowered from 55 to 50 books on the 29th of December? I think you’re imagining things man,,, #ihavenoshame It was the year of graphic novels AND equal amounts YA and adult. Also a lot of friends-to-lovers, and whilst the bar is lower than the others, also a fair amount of second-chance romance. Was living my best life tbh. For proof of Kay Claire and Chloe Gong, see below: Read mostly really great…
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MOST ANTICIPATED 2024 RELEASES // an all-in-one screaming session ft exciting upcoming books, movies & tv shows out next year!!!
Doing it a lil differently this year so keep up! No, I’m kidding, of course, I’ll explain. I completely forgot that we do these posts every year and quickly had to do my research. And then I realised that every year I put down a whole list of books that sound slightly interesting and I might be excited when they come out, but never really get to them,,,, To keep myself sane in 2024, I have selected a list of books from authors I have read and loved before, and a very small list of others that I am 99.9% positive I will actually read. Hopefully, I do, you never know. And to spice it up because technically the list is shorter (idk maybe not), we’re talking about film here too because why not? I’m a book blogger and film major so I’m just combining my hobbies here folks. Without further ado, let’s jump right in! books — JANUARY — The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil by Shubnum Khan (1 January 2024): this is the local title of Shubnum’s latest book and it goes by The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years in the US and UK. I attended the launch…
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JUST LIKE MAGIC BY SARAH HOGLE // spoiler-free book review: all you need for Christmas is this whacky, heartwarming & festive romance ft. a longing for the living holiday spirit!!!
Took me long enough to get to this one but I have gotten off my lazy ass and gosh am I in love. Let’s just get into the holiday yelling because there is a lot of it!!!!! Title: Just Like MagicAuthor: Sarah HoglePage count: 360Date published: 4 October 2022Genre: Adult magical realism romance 🎄 Synopsis: Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury . . . before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media but in reality, she’s broke and her family has no idea. Christmas, with all its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ backwards and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé. But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie finds her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the…