Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and we all share our thoughts on that topic!

For this week on Top Ten Tuesday, the topic is:

Top Books On My Fall(Spring) TBR

(In no particular order)

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That's all folks! Come back next week for another top ten and make sure you put your own list in the comments!

Mad Claire

xo

Hi Everyone!

How is everyone going? I know my blog has been dead - I did not read ANYTHING over my winter break so I failed my own challenge and basically, I just suck at the moment.

But what about all the amazing books I'm potentially missing out on reading?

Good question, dear reader! I have about zero minutes for reading now uni is back in business - which is a major suck-fest. However, I decided randomly one day after one of my close friends bought Nevernight and I looked on in envy but man that book is heavy, and I know it's slow going for her too and I suddenly thought "Man, I want to read something".



via GIPHY


So guess what I did? I went home and read a book. Just like that. (*Yes, I totally avoided uni work but oh well*). I went home and tried to pick a book to read - I couldn't pick a fantasy or paranormal, something I might get bogged down in world-building and potentially give up again - so I picked up a YA contemporary romance that I had laying around. I read that one quickly and easily, enjoying the cheesy settings. So then, I picked up another of the same type by the same author, and then a third (and I probably would have read a fourth if I had it!).

Who was this author that got me out of my slump?

Kasie West!

These beautiful books of hers got me reading again, and I can't thank Kasie West enough for her beautiful writing and cheesy romantic plot lines which I couldn't help but just fall into easily! I absolutely loved her first two books - Pivot Point and Split Second - so I was super wary about these ones, but now I know I should never have doubted West's ability to tell a story!


So now I am on a YA contemporary romance reading binge, but reading nonetheless - Huzzah! 

And basically, that's me!

Love you all

Mad Claire

xo

Hi all you beautiful people! I hope you are all well.

So I know there are many of you out there that are like me - you love reading, but you find yourself not having any time to even look at a book once the university semester starts... Doesn't it suck? So many beautiful books get released (some which you buy the day of but still don't read) or if somehow you're still in luck with the book gods (aka publishers) you might still get sent some amazing titles, even though your blog is deader than Dracula...

WELL, if that sounds like you, then I think the Winter Break Reading Challenge is just for you. This challenge, which I just made up while trying to write my law assignment, is for the break between your two semesters to try and get back into the reading habit (before you leave it behind again for another 4 months...)

5 weeks of reading!

  

Since all universities run different semester dates, I'm not going to specify any dates - just in your precious break! Mine personally is five whole weeks! Five weeks of doing whatever I want (while still working unfortunately).

What is the challenge?

Whatever the heck you want it to be! You might want to just pick an amount of books to read, or you might get a bit more complicated and specify types of books such as:

A book with a winter theme
A book released in the last month
A fantasy book

You get my drift - this challenge is completely up to you!

via GIPHY

I challenge myself to read 10 books in my break!

Since I have read almost no books this year, I am going to read at least 10 books in my 5 week break. These books are going to be varied, but will mainly be review-books that I'm seriously behind on so I can actually be a decent human-being and read and review them! 
Here are the ten I'm aiming to read:

* Cracks in the Kingdom
* A Tangle of Gold
* Lady Midnight
* The Winner's Crime
* The Winner's Kiss
* Love, Lies and Spies
* The Way We Roll
* The Leaving
* What We Saw
* City of Heavenly Fire


I'd love for everyone to join me in this (pretty pathetic) challenge. I will be posting updates of my progress here on my blog, as well as on my Instagram, so feel free to do the same and link me so I can clap and commend your own progress!

Love you all. 


Mad Claire

xo

Truthwitch -
Susan Dennard

Released: January 5, 2016

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Synopsis: In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

~ Goodreads ~ Pan Macmillan ~

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What I Thought: I have been dying to read this for awhile, desperate for a new book from Dennard since the end of her SSAD series - which I absolutely adored. I had extremely high hopes for this book, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Safi is a Truthwitch, which isn't super excited compared to some of the other witches powers, however it is extremely rare and makes her wanted by all the different empires for her power. She's pretty and feisty, and a little bit selfish. Iesult is her Threadsister, a Theadwitch who is unsure of herself and her powers, but is brave and strong. Together, they end up on the run, meeting new and exciting people along the way.

Dennard has created a beautifully vivid fantasy world with many different styles of witches. Her characters are layered with differing personalities and traits, each one continuing to surprise. However, book one felt like a very long introduction to the world and the characters, and seemed like a setup for the rest of the series. While there was plenty of action, and surprises, not much really happened over the course of the book. That being said, I'm super excited to see where the series is going to lead!

The Good: I loved the fantasy world and the strong characters.

The Bad: It was quite a slow first book - building up for the series.

Rating:  4/5

Mad Claire

xo

A Court of Mist and Fury -
Sarah J. Maas

Released: May 3, 2016

Publisher: Bloomsbury AUS

Synopsis: Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights. 

~ Goodreads ~ Bloomsbury ~

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What I Thought: Well well well. Let me start by saying, I absolutely LOVED A Court of Thorns and Roses. You can read my tiny spoiler-free review here. I have been dying, like many others, for this sequel. So you can imagine my surprise at how hard I found to get into it. Let me be frank - I didn't enjoy ACOMAF, for several reasons, most of which I've already seen floating around the bloggersphere. Since I've also seen a lot of attacks and hate on these people who dislike ACOMAF, I'm not going to go into detail, lest I get attacked too.

Basically, I disliked Feyre for being annoying and selfish. I hate that all the characters did a 360 and good turned bad and vice versa. I did love the backstories and new characters we got, but no - you can't just explain away Rhysand's past that easily AND make them seem like they were destined for each other for that long in the space of one conversation. Of course, I fell in love with Rhys, but how could I not when Maas made him the pinnacle of all men?

However, there was one thing that really irked me, and that was the sex scenes. I understand that YA is read by people of all different ages, but primarily it is marketed at teenagers. Meaning, a 13 year-old girl might pick this up - and think those scenes were highly inappropriate. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for adult themes in YA, but the explicitness of these was unnecessary.

Maas has such a beautiful writing style, and I have enjoyed all her other novels. She creates vivid worlds, and deep characters. And, she really knows how to write a cliffhanger. I will pick up the next book of course, to see where the story leads. I hope you all like the book much more than I did - and feel free to link your own review or leave your thoughts in the comments.

The Good: The killer ending.

The Bad: Hahahahaha. See above.

Rating:  3/5

Mad Claire

xo

A-Z {Favourite Books Edition}

Hi Everyone!

Today I thought I'd do something different - I'm going to share my A-Z of Favourite Books. I guarantee it's going to be a challenge, but I'm keen to see how many spaces I can fill!

[PS: If anyone knows of a bookish challenge similar to this that I can link to, let me know. I don't want to take credit for someone else's idea]

A - An Endless Summer - C.J. Duggan

B - The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

C - Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare

D - Dorothy Must Die - Danielle Paige

E - Elemental - Brigid Kemmerer

F - Feeling Sorry for Celia - Jaclyn Moriarty

G - The Golden Lily - Richelle Mead

H - The Host - Stephanie Meyer

I - Illuminae - Amie Kaufman + Jay Kristoff

J - Just One Day - Gayle Forman

K - Kiss in Time - Alex Flinn

L - Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

M - Magic Study - Maria V. Snyder

N - The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

O - On The Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta

P - Poison Princess - Kresley Cole

Q - Quintana of Charyn - Melina Marchetta

R - Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard

S - Something Strange and Deadly - Susan Dennard

T - Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

U - Uninvited - Sophie Jordan

V - Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

W - The Winner's Curse - Marie Rutkoski

X - XVI - Julia Karr

Y - You Against Me - Jenny Downham

Z -  Alice in Zombieland - Gena Showalter (Yes, I totes cheated on this one, because I haven't read any books starting with Z!)

*** 

What do you guys think? This was quite hard as I had to try choose only one for certain letters!
I think next time I'll try this challenge for favourite authors. If you decide to try this challenge, or have suggestions for my next A-Z, comment and let me know!


Mad Claire

xo