Blog Tour: A Wilder Magic by Juliana Brandt (Review + INTL Giveaway!)

Hey people, I am so excited to be participating in the Book Promo tour for A Wilder Magic hosted by MTMC Tours! A huge thanks to MTMC tours and Netgalley for providing me an eARC (my first ever!) of this book.

Title: A Wilder Magic

Author: Juliana Brandt

Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers

Publication Date: May 4, 2021

Genres: Middle Grade Historical Fantasy

Add on Goodreads!

From the author of The Wolf of Cape Fen comes a
beautiful and lyrical standalone story about one
family with magic in their bones, who are tied to the
mountain valley in which they live in more ways
than one. And what happens when the land they
love is destined to be flooded, whether or not they’re still on it.

For generations, Sybaline’s family has lived in a magical valley in the Appalachian mountains, helping the magic grow the land. But now the government has ordered them to relocate; their valley is needed to create a dam for electricity. In one week, their home will be flooded.

Sybaline can’t imagine life without her home and without the magic. Stopping the dam proves to be impossible; the government is too big and too strong. She takes the only choice left: she stays. Using her magic, she builds a wall, and as water floods the valley, it covers her house, leaving her living beneath the lake itself.
But there is a consequence to using magic in such a way, one that will transform both herself and the friends who end up trapped beneath the water with her. If she can’t find a way to escape the prison she’s created, both she and those she loves will end up staying in the watery grave of the valley forever.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

It’s been a while since I enjoyed a middle-grade fantasy book so much! There is so much to love in this book, so I have decided to put together a list of all the things you should read this book for.

The strong sibling relationships. This book was all about family relations. I loved how the main character, Sybaline, and her three cousin sisters shared such a strong bond. Tevi, the youngest, was downright adorable, though I have to appreciate the courage she showed throughout the book.

The positive character traits. None of the four cousins were pampered little children, they were all independent and headstrong young women. I think they would provide great inspiration to all little readers.

The beautiful nature descriptions. Since the setting of the entire story is a picturesque valley, obviously the description matters. And this was done very beautifully throughout the book. Though I am usually not one for artistic depictions, I did pay a lot of attention to them in this book, and found it really easy to picture the scenery in my mind.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to all those who enjoy scenic descriptions, heart-touching platonic relationships and live-saving (or threatening) decisions and choices.

Juliana Brandt is an author and kindergarten teacher with a passion for storytelling that guides her in both of her jobs. She lives in her childhood home of Minnesota, and her writing is heavily influenced by travels around the country and decade living in the South. When not working, she is usually exploring the great outdoors.
Her debut novel, THE WOLF OF CAPE FEN, was published by SourcebooksKids on April 7th, 2020. Her sophomore novel, A WILDER MAGIC, will publish May 2021. Her writing is represented by Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Literary Agency.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | TWITTER

INTL Tour-wide Instagram Giveaway!

Head over to Instagram and visit the #AWilderMagicMTMC hashtag where 10 lucky readers will win:

A Wilder Magic sticker, signed bookplate, and official bookmark.

This giveaway is open internationally and ends on April 30th, 2021. Winner will be announced on @mtmctours’ Instagram account.

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What did you think of my first blog tour? Do you have A Wilder Magic on your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

20 Questions Book Tag

Hey there, I am doing a tag today! I was tagged for this by Georgia @Lost In Neverland. Thank you so much Georgia for tagging me, this looks so much fun!

1. How many books is too many books in a series?

Earlier I would probably have said that 7 or 8 is the limit for me, but now that I have found favourite series which have 9+ books (looking at you KOTLC!), I can only say that if the author can make it interesting, no number of books are too many books in a series.

2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?

Ah, cliffhanger, my old frenemy! Cliffhangers definitely encourage readers to pick up the next book in the series, though WHY CAN’T A WHOLE SERIES BY REALEASED ALL AT ONCE SO I DON’T HAVE TOO GO THROUGH THE PAIN OF WAITING?!

3. Hardback or paperback?

Paperbacks! I love hardcovers too, but I find paperbacks more comfortable to hold while reading, and also while stacking on my bookshelf.

4. Favourite book?

The question I was dreading is finally here! Ahem…(don’t worry I am not going to go into my usual monologue of how ‘its unfair to the other books’😂) so it is for questions like these that I have updated my “About Me” page. It now includes a (rather long) list of some of my favourite books and movies. You can find it HERE. And of course, all my favourite books are there in my profile on Goodreads, so go check that out as well!

5. Least Favourite Book?

Eh I don’t really know. But the most recent book that I disliked was The Middler.

6. Love triangles, yes or no?

Mostly, no. But it depends how it works out.

7. The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

I don’t remember dnf’ing a book recently, but last year I was reading this book “It’s all about Treo” which revolved around a military dog, and it was all right at first, but then I lost interest and dropped it for something else instead.

8. A book you’re currently reading?

I am nearly finished with Book Scavenger by Jennifer Bertman.

9. Last book you recommended to someone?

Well I have forever been recommending Six Of Crows on my blog, so I think that counts!

10. Oldest book you’ve read?

According to Goodreads, it is The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie. It was published in the year 1920.

11. Newest book you’ve read?

A Wilder Magic by Juliana Brandt. I received an ARC.

12. Favourite Author?

Abstain🤐

14. A book you disliked that everyone else seems to love?

An Ember In the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I don’t think I have ever come across a negative review for this. And though ‘disliked’ is a strong word, I certainly did not like it as much as I had expected to.

15. Bookmarks or dog ears?

Bookmarks, of course! *looks horrified* I would NEVER dog-ear my precious lovelies!!

16. A book you can always reread?

Well I am not such a fan of rereading…

17. Can you read while listening to music?

I haven’t tried to, but I don’t think I will be able to.

18. One POV or multiple POVs?

Recently I have discovered my love for books with multiple POVs *cues Six Of Crows and Aurora Burning and Unlocked and Renegades*

19. Do you read a book in one sitting or in multiple days?

How I wish I could read them all in one sitting!! But sadly, no, it takes me about 4-5 days to finish a medium sized book.

20. Who do you tag?

April @Booked Till Midnight

Madeline @The Bookish Mutant

Laura @The Corner Of Laura

Which book are you currently reading? Which are the oldest and the newest books you’ve read? Chat with me in the comments!

“What’s In The Name?”

Turns out, a lot IS in the name. Listen up, Shakespeare.

This idea just popped up in my mind this morning, so this is pretty spontaneous. In this discussion post, we are going to be looking at how important book titles are, which kind of titles make me take a second look at the book (and which do not) and some of my personal favourite titles. Make yourself comfortable because we are starting…now!

The title of a book is like the first impression the reader gets of the book, perhaps even more so than the cover. The title forms the basis of reader’s judgement about the book. It is the title that gets talked about in general conversations, making it incredibly important for it to be a word or a set of words which catches people’s attention. The title is what is mentioned in as the heading of book review posts on blogs, and other social media.

Most people (including me) would not even care to read the book’s synopsis if the title does not sound good to them. When I am scrolling through Goodreads, I stop only when a title catches my attention. Then I look at the blurb, and then I take a look a the cover, the genres and the ratings. So the very first basis in which I decide to add a book to my tbr is the title, and the rest comes later. Of course, a good title can’t make a boring book look good, but it can definitely make an interesting book seem better. Ultimately, the title should be such that it makes you want to start reading the story.

• A title that uses some reference from the story, without giving away too much.
• A title whose real meaning becomes relevant only when I am quite far into the book. (That moment when I finally understand is like a lightbulb turning on in my head😂)
• Titles with puns, or some sort of word play
• Titles that are easy to pronounce and understand
• Vague one-word titles
• A surreal title that ignites curiosity on hearing it for the first time

• The word ‘and’ as a connector. I mean, I have nothing against it as such, but titles like “A and the B” (not a real book title! I am just giving an example) really discourage me from reading the book. It’s completely all right with children’s books and picture books (remember Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs?) but middle grade and young adult having such titles…its usually a no-go for me.
• Very obvious book titles, which are the names of the main character or the main setting. Any title whose meaning becomes obvious as soon as we start reading the book.

(these are purely my opinions, I do not mean to disregard or offend anyone)

Alright, time for some of my favourite titles! This is going to be interesting….*cracks knuckles*

Mightier Than The Sword by Jeffrey Archer : Can you think of any better way to describe an author? There could have been so many other boring names for this one, but instead the author took up a phrase “The pen is mightier than the sword” and removed the first three words. So impressive, right?

Supernova by Marissa Meyer is the third and final book in the Renegades series. If you don’t have any clue about the story, this may not sound like a very impressive title. But actually this title is a pun, and a good one at that. Its not the supernova as in the “space explosion”, it is supernova as in “the mc’s name is Nova, the book is about superheroes, and Nova is a villain”. Now can you see the genius behind that title?! (And I haven’t read this book yet, but I have read the first two, so I will probably get this this one soon)

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir : Although I didn’t enjoy this book very much, that can’t stop me from appreciating the title, can it? What I liked about this was how initially the reader has no idea why the book is named the way it is, and later on, I think about halfway through the book, this appears for the first time as a quote. “You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veterius.”,something like this, if I remember correctly?

The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom : What an intriguing title! Doesn’t the title itself make most of you want to read this book? And the book was pretty good too, from what I remember.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie gave me chills from the moment I read the name of the book. And that might be one of the reasons I was so hesitant to read it. Yeah I am a scaredy cat. And it has sort of a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? And then there were none…

13 Reasons Why I think I am talking about this on my blog for the first time! I had read it a couple years back and didn’t really enjoy it that much. But. We are here to talk about the title, so isn’t this a nice, unique one? Kinda makes me feel its the start of an essay. 13 reasons why polar bears are going extinct…okay that just popped into my head 🙃

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Before ending this post, I wanted to share a completely random word fact : Today I realized that the words LUSTRE, RUSTLE and RESULT have exactly the same letters in different arrangements. How’s that?😏

How important do you think book titles are? Are there any books you picked up because of their title? Which are your favourite book titles? Any discussion post remains incomplete without your inputs, so be sure to put your thoughts in the comments section!

I read my first audiobook!! | Busting myths about audiobooks

Hello everyone! As the title tells you, I read my first ever audiobook!! Cool, right? Although the actual book was a little disappointing (more about that in the review), the new experience of listening to a book rather than reading it was really great!

I was seeing so many people across the bookish community reading audiobooks, but I never felt the inclination to do so myself tbh. So what finally made me read this? There was this particular book I desperately wanted to read (The Mystwick School of Musiccraft), but unfortunately (or should I say fortunately😉) it was not available in the print format at all! You see, this book is an Audible Original, so it can be read, or heard actually, only on Amazon Audible. I kept putting it off, until last month I finally decided to give it a try, and ended up loving it.

Which brings to the question, why was I hesitant to read audiobooks in the first place? This is the question I will be answering in the second part of my post by busting different myths, which had taken over my mind (okay, that came out creepy😅).

First I would like to highlight what I personally liked and disliked about reading an audiobook.

What I loved about the experience :

• For the first time ever, I did not need my eyes to read. Hence no constant grumbling from my mother that I wasn’t paying attention to my plate during meals, because now, I could read with my eyes on the food. Also, I avoided reading during meals earlier for the fear of accidentally spilling something on my book and ruining it, but now I can do so without hesitation. Yay multitasking!
• I have the worst condition a bookworm like me can have – motion sickness! This means I cannot read in a moving vehicle without giving myself headache and nausea. But the audiobook solved this! I had to travel for almost an hour by car one day for an appointment, and I used up that time to make progress on my book. Goodbye boredom!
• The audiobook really helped me give a break to my poor eyes. Whenever my eyes felt completely exhausted (which is happening so often now thanks to online school) I would put on my headphones, lie on the sofa and listen to the book (what a pretty picture of leisure!). No more tired eyes!
• This point is not for audiobooks in general, but only for this particular one. The Mystwick School Of Musiccraft was completely about music, so guess what, there were so many background tunes and melodies. Not all the time, but like when the protagonist was playing some note, we could actually hear it! It really added to the experience.

What didn’t resonate with me that much :

• I took nearly 20 days to finish listening to this one book😱! According to goodreads, it is around 380 pages which is not much at all, and if I had read this as a physical book, I am sure it would have taken me not more than 4-5 days. It was around 11 hours of the audio, but somehow, 20 days…that’s too much! And while I was reading this one book, I finished reading 3 other physical books side by side, so it is not as if my reading speed has changed. So yeah, this was a major drawback, because if I continue reading audiobooks, and at this pace, I will have no chance of meeting my Goodreads goal of 65 books.

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Alright, now its time for some myth busting! This is for all those of you who, like me, are reluctant to try audiobooks.

MYTH #1

I’ll miss out on something if I don’t read the print.

This was the biggest reason I was not very enthusiastic to read audiobooks. Even when I started, I had this constant worry that I was going to zone out and miss important details. But as I got comfortable with it, I realized that this was not happening at all. Even when I was, like doing my homework or something, I found that I could easily concentrate. And to all those who are like me, I have another thing to say – sometimes it’s fine if you miss a sentence or two. There is absolutely no need to get paranoid or worried. And if you’re still not okay with the thought of missing a few words, I would suggest that you decrease the narration speed. Trust me, it helps.

MYTH #2

I have no reason to listen to audiobooks when I can just read the print.

Well, there are plenty of reasons. As I mentioned earlier, it is really helpful for those diagnosed with motion sickness. It allows you to read without straining your eyes. It helps you in multitasking. And it allows you to experience the joy of listening to the story. Do you really need another reason?

MYTH #3

It is too hard to follow what’s happening in an audiobook.

This was the other reason I did not want to try audiobooks. I was afraid that I will probably not follow if the narration is too fast, or too slow, or too accented. But surprise surprise, none of these things happened. Initially, I felt like I was losing the thread of the narration, that it was going a little bit too fast, so I simply slowed it down a little. Yes, most audiobook apps allow you to do that! My preferred speed was 0.80x throughout. All the pronunciations, intonations and punctuations were extremely clear, and I was very comfortable with the whole thing. Myth busted!

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I hope you had as much fun reading this post as I had writing it. And hopefully I also eased your worries about audiobooks a little. TLDR: You should definitely give audiobooks a go, if you haven’t yet.

Do you read audiobooks? Do you prefer them over print copies? What do you remember about your first audiobook? Let me know in the comments!

Find your next favourite novel!

Hey everyone! I have seen many quizzes like this across the Internet, so I decided to make my own quiz, which will hopefully help you to discover some great reads according to your interests. This quiz comprises of five questions with five options each, and based on your selections there are some recommendations for you below. The recommendations might not be 100% accurate, but do give them a try. You might want to keep a pen and piece of paper with you…in case you think you will not be able to remember your selections, you can simply note down your answers. Without further ado, here are the questions!

1. Which genre (or sub-genre) do you like the most?

a) YA Fantasy

b) Sci-Fi

c) Historical Fiction

d) MG Fantasy

e) Crime

2. Which setting appeals to you the most?

a) A criminal underbelly in a city

b) Space

c) A war setting

d) A fictional fairy-tale world below us

e) A guesthouse in an isolated island

3. What do you want the main character to be?

a) A teenage criminal mastermind

b) A golden boy who has a bad luck

c) A girl who despite everything, nourishes her love of reading

d) A girl who discovers she is not quite human

e) Ten strangers

4. What do you usually daydream about?

a) Pulling off a big heist

b) Exploring space

c) About the lives of people involved in wars

d) Acquiring magical powers

e) Solving mysteries and murders

5. Which of these elements/tropes do you like to see in a book?

a) Morally grey main characters

b) Crew of misfits

c) Heart-touching kindness amidst war

d) Strong friendships

e) Whodunit/Murderer-in-the-room

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And you have finished the quiz! Now according to your selections, please go through the below recommendations. I have put in the goodreads link to the books as well, all you need to do is click on the cover image, and then you can add it to your goodreads.

If you selected mostly A’s, I recommend

Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

[Read my review here]

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

If you selected mostly B’s, I recommend

Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

[Read my review here]

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

If you selected mostly C’s, I recommend

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.

If you selected mostly D’s, I recommend

Keeper Of The Lost Cities series

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.”
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.

If you selected mostly E’s, I recommend

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie [Read my review here]

First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion:

“Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he’d stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.”

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion. 

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All these were five-star reads for me, so naturally I would recommend them all, though you have better chances of finding a favourite if you take the quiz. If you have read any of these, let me know in the comments, and I will probably recommend you another similar book. Hope you enjoyed the quiz!

Which book did you get? Does it interest you, and do you think you will be picking it up any time soon? Let me know in the comments!

Julie and the Phantoms Book Tag

Four months into 2021, and I am doing my first tag of the year! Yeah, I know apologies are due. All of you amazing people have tagged me for so many amazing tags, and I love you for that, but I am really sorry that I wasn’t able to do them. I stopped doing tags and awards completely in December last year, as I felt that my blog was becoming flooded with them. But I have decided to start posting tags once in a while from now on. So I found this tag at Living, Loving and Reading, and I have had Julie and the Phantoms on my Netflix watchlist since ages (I really should watch it soon), so I thought, why not?

Rules

•  Link back to the original post (and also Sarah’s booktube account)!!
•  Thank whoever tagged you!!
•  Answer the prompts!!
•  Tag some friends to share the awesomeness!!
•  Go watch Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix (and sing every song like it’s your last performance on stage)!!

I just got this as part of my birthday book haul, and I have also recently discovered my love for novels set in space (thanks to the Aurora cycle) so Skyward by Brandon Sanderson is pretty high up on my TBR.

This was my first Christie book, and also my first crime novel. My father, who was a big Christie fan at the time, kept recommending this to me, but I was a little reluctant because this was something completely new to me. But it turned out to be so good, and it still remains one of my favourite crime novels.

Yeah, I was completely in the KOTLC zone then, and I think I read all the books by September, and then Unlocked got released in November, but I got to read it in January.

Yeah, I don’t speak about this a lot nowadays, but there was a time when I was totally fascinated by the HUGE twists in Jefferey Archer books, and Nothing Ventured is quite a favourite of mine.

Ha! You didn’t think I would write an entire post without mentioning SoC, did you? Anyway, I have always said that one of the major reasons I love the Six Of Crows duology is because it is really fast-paced and full of action. I mean, there aren’t many of the classic ‘combat’ scenes as such, but aren’t Kaz’s schemes a full-fledged war by themselves?😉 I will leave you to ponder on that.

Another KOTLC book! The entire series basically has pretty much the same characters, so my answer for this one would be the entire Keeper Of the Lost Cities series.

We love you Dex! You are the best friend there ever is!

I think I fell into a slump in the beginning of March, but somewhere in the middle I started reading Aurora Rising, and it got me out of my reading slump!

The Aurora Cycle is once again my answer! I have always said that the major reason this duology has me impressed is because of its amazing characters.

*spends half an hour staring into the book shelf before going with the one she had already thought of*

This was a very tough decision, believe me. (I am so sorry Kal, I know your face looks gorgeous on the cover, but I didn’t want all these people thinking I have become obsessed with the Aurora Cycle, which I actually have, but anyway I love the Burning cover, and I am so sorry not for choosing you).

I know there is this weird golden circle, some medal or something, in the image, but that is not there in the paperback copy that I have, and yeah, the book looks so much better without it. Also, I still haven’t read this, and I need to read it soon.

Uhh…I really can’t decide as such. There’s Kaz-Inej from SoC, Laia-Keenan from An Ember In the Ashes (Yeah, they seem a better fit than Laia-Elias), oh and Nova-Adrian from Renegades.

Nah, I really don’t have an answer to this, sorry!

Look, I am not the kind of person who cries after the end of most books. It takes a LOT for a book to affect me so much, as to make me cry. So I am not blaming the books, I am blaming myself. I might have been close to tears in a couple of books, but that has not happened recently, so I don’t really remember.

Marcus from AEITA. That guy disgusts me so much that I love hating him.

I had got goosebumps while reading this. I am not a big fan of the horror genre in general, and even the smallest think spooks me out, so its no big deal actually.

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Since I have not seen many people do this tag, I am going to tag some of my friends :

Ahaana @Windows To Worlds

Ashmita @the fictional journal

April @ booked till midnight

Nehal @Books and Words

Madeline @ The bookish mutant

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Have you seen Julie And The Phantoms? Or have you listened to these songs? What about the books I mentioned…have you read any? Let me know in the comments!

We are now a family of 100!! 🎉 + Introducing a proper posting schedule (finally!)

Hello you guys! I am not sure what to say without sounding extremely soppy. Let me just say it straight. This blog now has 100 followers! Yes I know, I couldn’t believe it either. Thank you so much all of you for all the love and support you have shown this little piece of the internet which is so close to my heart 🥺. I love each and every one of you for showing your appreciation for my content through likes and comments, and even for simply taking the time to read through my posts🥰.

Since a lot of you have been with me for quite some time, I would like some honest feedback about my blog from you all. Even if you are a relatively new follower, your feedback would be much welcomed. To keep everything more organized, I have created a Google Form for the same, so please do fill it out, I would really appreciate it. I am linking the Form below!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVbNV5zrqc9fXt2gud74QqzyW8RrEENWDzkvNcBHFpsRFT8w/viewform?usp=sf_link

Please let me know in the comments if you’ve filled the form, so I can check!

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Another thing I wanted you all to know is that I am working towards making my blog more organized (like that’s ever going to happen😏), so I have decided that from now on, I will not be posting whenever I like. Instead, I will be posting twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I will be following this schedule for atleast this month of April, then I might change the days. Let’s see how it goes.

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That is all I wanted to say. Thank you once again for being the reason I have reached this important milestone of 100 followers! And don’t forget to fill the form! See you in my next post on Wednesday!!

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Review

Synopsis :

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

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My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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The rating says it all. I have officially found a new book to obsess about, so brace yourselves for weeks of hearing about this book on my blog!

I have talked about the characters, the uniqueness of the writing style and other stuff I loved in my my review of Aurora Rising, and since that remains almost the same in Burning, I am going to go straight towards the things that I feel were a little different in Aurora Burning than its prequel, Aurora Rising.

It had a faster pace. No doubt Aurora Rising too was fast-paced, but I felt Aurora Burning was even faster, what with our squad having double the enemies than in the previous book. There were more action sequences, more climaxes and more new developments and revelations.

The atmosphere throughout the book was tenser than in Aurora Rising. There was no time for witty banter, sarcasm (or should I say ‘scarcasm’?), and all the light-hearted humour I had gotten used to after reading Aurora Rising. Can’t say I blame the crew though. All in all, some of the cheeriness from Aurora Rising was missing in this book, especially during the last parts of the novel.

Descriptions were more detailed. I don’t know if it is just me, but while reading Aurora Burning, I could literally see the exact scenes in my head, and I don’t remember that happening in Rising. Right from the character descriptions, to the settings, everything arose great imagery in my mind.

The last parts of the novel were mostly…numb. I think this was done in an attempt to make the readers feel how the remaining crew were feeling (namely Scarlett, Finian and Zila), and it worked. The last few chapters basically had no feelings of the our crew at all, even though it was first-person narration. It was almost like Zila was narrating for everyone (no offense there Zila, I know you had started ‘not feeling nothing’). Those few chapters suddenly became completely plot-driven, whereas the entire book was character-driven.

The cliffhanger was even worse😭😭 Atleast after I had finished Aurora Rising, I had the next book with me. And the Rising cliffhanger was like a pebble in comparison to the Burning cliffhanger, which was a huge rock (thrown right at my heart, shattering it). It was the worst cliffhanger in the history of cliffhangers (and I am saying this after reading each and every KOTLC book). In the middle of a firefight….ugh, don’t even get me started about it. Okay, in case it is sounding wrong, this doesn’t mean like the ending wasn’t good (I WANT to learn how to write endings like this!), it just means that the book was so good that I can’t even bear the thought of waiting months for the next one!!

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Have you read Aurora Burning? What did you think about it? Any recommendations for me along similar lines? Let me know in the comments!!

March Wrap-Up

Hello there, and welcome to my monthly wrap-up! March has always been my favourite month of the year, because a) my birthday falls in march and b) I love the spring season. This time I spent most of my March studying, since I had my annual school exams from 2^nd March to the 18^th. During that period I took a hiatus from blogging, and found very less time for reading (only 2 books in 20 days😱). But after that, I tried posting regularly on my blog, and amped up my reading too. Here’s my entire month of March in terms of reading and blogging.

Books read : 5 (and half, actually)

Pages read : 2059

I prioritized books which I had predicted to be 5 stars this month, because, you know, favourite month and stuff. I actually started reading all my five-star predictions from February itself (and what a disappointment all those books turned out to be, but eh, that might have been because I was feeling kinda slump-ey). Luckily, I was able to discover some new favorites this month, and that is a relief, because I don’t want March to be the month I gave all the books I read a low rating. Onto what exactly I read and their star rating, in the order I read them.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer [ Rating-⭐⭐⭐⭐]

The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare [ Rating-⭐⭐⭐⭐]

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff [Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2] [MY REVIEW]

The Miracle On Ebenezer Street [Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐]

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff [Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐] [Review to come! Hopefully😂]

So yeah, all the books I read this month got 4 stars and above, so that is pretty good I guess!

Since I was on hiatus for more than half the month, I did not write many posts. But I have to say, the few posts that I did write in these last few days, I was at my creative best (atleast I think so😅, do you?). Anyway, click on the featured images below to visit my posts, in case you missed them!

I talk about my (very specific) favourite trope!

I write SoC fanfiction!

A look into how I rate some books!

I review one of my new favourites!

I share the books I bought for my bday!

I tried to read as many posts by you all as I could, even during my hiatus. I also discovered some amazing new bloggers. Here is a list of posts I enjoyed reading this month.

Becky @Simply It’s Blue presents to us a brand new site name and address!

Madeline @The Bookish Mutant Rambles a little about the Aurora Cycle, which is on its way to becoming one of my new favourite series!

One Book More wrote some swoon-worthy quotes from the Crooked Kingdom!

Sofii @A book. A thought has created a book blogger list, which you should all check out!

Ashmita @The Fictional Journal created the Aesthete Blogger Award!

Beck @Ghost with no cares wrote Six Of Crows fanfiction (just like me!), titled Poor Unfortunate Kruge

Laura @The Corner Of Laura wrote a very relatable post about 6 awkward social situations we bookworms face !

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How did you like my new graphics? Which is your favourite month of the year? How was your reading in March? Let’s chat in the comments!!

Birthday Book Haul!

Today is 28th March, which means it is finally my birthday, folks! I turn a full 14 years today! Eeek!!

(Too many exclamation marks? Wait till you read ahead 😉)

And guess what my parents gifted me? Boooooooks!! (yeah, you don’t have to be so dramatic Rachel, what else have you ever asked for?) So obviously this was no big surprise, I myself had previously chosen the books and then my parents ordered them for me and arranged for them to arrive today in the early morning. So now I will be showing you all the books I received!

With better lighting!

In a stack!

The two MOST gorgeous covers from my stack!

These were the seven physical books I got as presents! They look absolutely stunning, don’t they? And you won’t believe it, but my father also took a membership of Audible for me, which means I can now listen to audiobooks as well!

Sorry for the abrupt end, but I have a lot I want to do today! Bye!