January/February TBR + Quick Life Update: Where Have I Been?

(Please feel free to skip the update but it will help explain my long hiatus! I miss you guys!)

Before I can even start telling you all what I have planned for the coming year of 2017 (sigh... time is getting on and I'm getting old), I need to explain where on earth I have been for the past few months; why haven't I been uploading videos and many posts, why haven't I been online much or tweeting every hour like I used to, why did I go quiet and didn't explain myself until the following year? WELL HERE WE GO! (I'm scared to explain myself because my excuses are pathetic but true...)

What happened was that our internet cut (we've had a bit of struggles with money lately because the price of everything in Auckland is super expensive and hard for us to afford now but we can't really move away either) and we couldn't have the internet reconnected until we paid the outstanding amount first. As you may have figured out, we still have not found the applicable funds but I'm waiting on a miracle or two that might happen soon otherwise it'll be back to the library for me to study this year.

That brings me to my second point: I was constantly bombarded by university work and everything was almost unbearable to handle thanks to the stress of everything - mostly considering my ADHD making it really hard to concentrate when I actually wanted to. It was my fault that I fell behind and therefore my extra time that I would usually use to read had to be used to catch up majorly on school work. However, by the grace of God, I managed to pass both semesters and (at this point I'm 99.5% sure I did) earn my Diploma in Applied Writing for level 5! Now I'm waiting on my level 6 course this year which sounds super fun! I'll give you guys a list of what I'll be doing this year so you can be excited with me - it's literally the type of papers that will help kickstart my career as an author!

Semester One:

• 601 Business and the Writer
• 604 Project - Planning
• 613 Research for Writing
• 605 Project - Execution

Semester Two:

• 605 Project - Execution (continued)
• 603 Practice of Selected Genre(s)
• 619 Publishing eBooks
• 602 Personal Career Plan

So in terms of my videos, my phone broke... twice. That's why I haven't been able to film or upload. I did have a couple of videos I could have edited and eventually uploaded with some weak wifi at the library but I get a bad feeling about old videos after a while and I just want to re-film them. There's something about uploading a six-month-old video that makes me feel like I'm lying to y'all about my current place in life (I'm just strange so I hope you guys can understand!). I plan to either get my phone fixed or try get another one soon but I'll let you know when something does happen. I'm planning to write more updates since it's easier for me to upload at least least twice every month so I hope that is alright with you until I get back on to my feet!

So enough with the boring information and know that my resolution for this year is to create a world of literacy for myself that will one day support my passion for writing books. I wanted to list a bunch of the books sent from multiple publishing companies in New Zealand that I've chosen to review next . You might recognise a few of these, if not all of them, so feel free to comment your thoughts and feelings down below (no spoilers please!) so that we can fangirl together!

Title: Life and Death

Author: Stephenie Meyer

NZ Publisher: Hachette NZ

USA Publisher: Little Brown Book Group

Title: The Chemist

Author: Stephenie Meyer

NZ Publisher: Hachette NZ

USA Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Title: The Severed Land

Author: Maurice Gee

NZ Publisher: Penguin Random House NZ

Title: A Million Worlds With You

Author: Claudia Gray

NZ Publisher: HarperCollins NZ

USA Publisher: HarperCollins

Title: Moon Chosen

Author: P.C Cast

NZ Publisher: Lighthouse PR

USA Publisher: St. Martins Press

AUS Publisher: Pan Australia (Paperback)

Title: Stealing Snow

Author: Danielle Paige

NZ Publisher: Allen and Unwin

USA Publisher: Bloomsbury

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Those are all the books I hope to read over the next couple of months! I may not finish them all as usual, especially since half of these books are considerably large and I start back university on the 20th of February, but I am super excited because they're all books that I really want to read!

Aside from everything else, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Please ask me anything you would like to know and I will try respond as soon as I can. Try to keep your New Year's resolutions and I'll try to be a bit more active this year (God help me succeed haha).

See you all real soon!

Bellz x

Find more out about me at:

Website: http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

Massive Update on my Life!: YouTube, Major Hair Change, ACOMAF! || FeathersandFaith - Ella Fleming-Christie

Hey ya'll! Ella here!

So I haven't posted in a while! I've been so busy starting Uni, doing an online course for a 'Diploma in Applied Writing (Level 5)' with NorthTec Whangarei. I've also been receiving a hell of a lot of books from HarperCollins New Zealand which has literally been a godsend and a curse at the same time...

I am currently reading Desolation by Derek Landy and holy moly is it as good as the first in the trilogy, Demon Road! However it's killing me because I just received A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas in hardback and my god is the 600 paged beauty the most gorgeous thing I've seen since Queen of Shadows released! I bet y'all it'll take me a quarter of the time to read ACOMAF as it has taken me to only get through 3/4 of Desolation!

So anyway, since then I've decided that my hair has needed a major do-over - therefore I cut like 20cm off and dyed it bold red. I absolutely love it and am almost dreading going auburn closer to the end of the year to play Clary Fray from the tv show, Shadowhunters for the Armageddon Expo in Auckland, New Zealand around October this year. Hey, at least my hair will be healthier by then! Here's a pic of what it looks like now :)

If you haven't already seen, I uploaded my latest video, "25 Facts About Me" yesterday and my god I got an amazing response from my amazing friends and viewers about the personal stuff I managed to reveal. It was really a heart-lifting and inspiring moment to know that so many lovely people care and want to keep supporting me as they always have been. Plus all the new subscribers, I really hope I'm doing my job and keeping y'all entertained! I try my best to not only bring you the best content, but also make it funny so that it's definitely worth the watch and that you might encourage others to check my channel! Here's the link to the video if you'd like to check it out! Please don't forget to like, comment if you want and subscribe to be notified about my newest videos!

That's about it for now apart from the fact that I'll be doing more video reviews from now on than written reviews as I am trying to make my YouTube channel bigger and more successful so I'll be posting more updates and personal content here like pictures from outings or books I've gotten, etc.

Please let me know if there is anything you'd like to see me write about, attempt to do or whatever. I love trying to provide what you guys want!

Thanks for supporting me and being amazing!

Bellzxoxo 😘

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: @ellabellabellz

Instagram: @FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

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♡ I now have a P.O Box!:

P.O Box 21-290 Henderson

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They Let Me Write A Book! by Jamie Curry: Book Review

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Jamie, I’m 19-years-old. I make videos on the Internet, and enough people watched them that they let me write a book. I know. What is life?”

WELCOME TO JAMIE’S WORLD

Inside these pages is my life so far, and what I’ve learnt – or haven’t learnt – along the way. Read about my cowboy hat years, the year I dug a big hole, and the time I pulled down my pants at a badminton game.

I’ll tell you my top travel tips (drink water), how to have fun at a school ball (don’t go) and how to be an adult (eat an oyster). And I’ll talk about YouTube, because I suppose that’s what got us into this mess in the first place …

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Since reading Rosie Waterland's memoir, I made a deal with myself to not judge books such as these too much on poor grammar, punctuation mistakes or bad paragraphing. Basically I feel like the only reason you should do a review on an autobiography is the fact that you enjoy it so much that you want others to read it or it's so bad that you've got to be a hardcore fan to even appreciate the effort put in. Well here I am, writing one hell of a fabulous review (again) because this is DEFINITELY a book that I want you all to read. Jamie Curry is a nineteen year old kiwi/New Zealander girl, much like myself, who makes videos on YouTube and Facebook. Her rise to fame started when she casually started up a Facebook page with friends as a joke to make funny memes and basically make people laugh, even if it meant poking fun at herself to do so. The startling number of ten million likes on her page called, "Jamie's World" helped her gain worldwide attention and basically gave her a kickstart on her "YouTube" career where she continued her funny antics in the form of parody videos and basically speaking about hilarious situations where just her personality alone could make you giggle your heart out. Personally, having many friends online from overseas, I can tell you that the majority of them know exactly who Jamie is and what she is well known for.

As soon as I received this early copy of Jamie's book from HarperCollins NZ I literally sat down immediately (after tweeting about it of course which later lead to Jamie personally retweeting and following me so I'm pretty stoked about that) and started to binge read it. It literally took me two and a half hours before I finished it. I'm totally serious about that. It is quite a small book compared to some but don't get me wrong, it's all about quality, not quantity and that's definitely the vibe I got from reading it. I absolutely loved reading all about the weird, childish moments Jamie had throughout her sporty childhood and the infamous cowboy hat that she never took off, something which I'm sure she'll one day find some way of bringing back into fashion. Out with Lorde's witch's blood lipstick and in with the outdated-but-still-cool-because-australian's-wear-them cowboy hats. To be fully honest, I found myself feeling a little awkward when I got up to the page where she tells you to colour her picture in. Not because I don't enjoy colouring in, I actually find that activity quite soothing and stress relieving. It's just because I feel like one day if I actually did well enough with my career and became friends with her, I'd have to confess that I coloured her picture in for hours on end and even fangirled a tiny bit when she followed me on Twitter (not awkward whatsoever). I often found myself laughing out loud from some of the things she mentioned and how she said it. Of course, having watched Jamie's videos on YouTube for a few years now I feel like I am accustomed with her humor and therefore constantly thinking, Totally Jamie, I so get that. And don't worry, I totally get where you're coming from. I was a strange kid too.

If you are already a massive Jamie fan then this book is definitely for you. If you aren't then if you don't get cheesy humor and understand the meaning of having fun even if it means talking to a camera and making people laugh for a job, then I don't know whether you'd enjoy this so much. If you are just simply curious to peer more into the life of Jamie and figure out what makes her tick then yeah, totally! Go buy this because it'll be the best two and a half hours of your life. Or five days. However long it takes you to read it. However, don't be fooled by her typical facade of humor, Jamie does eventually get pretty candid with her personal struggles with OCD, anxiety and online hate. Reading about her internal struggles made me realise even more that she's definitely just like any other person. She's a small town/country girl who struggles with being in large crowds and needs to have a clutter free environment. I personally related to her a lot just with her anxiety and panic attacks, God knows how many I've had to go through and nearly had. Trust me, it's not pretty for the person or anyone else around them while the episode is happening unless that someone knows exactly how to help. I feel like everyone who has ever gone crazy over seeing Jamie in public or at an event needs to buy and read this book to fully understand what it's like for her to deal with stuff like that while trying to keep a straight face. Basically, this novel shows Jamie inside and out and gives everyone a better idea of who she really is and not always just someone who is constantly smiling in front of a camera for our entertainment. Jamie is one of the coolest and weirdest people I've ever heard about (hopefully one day I'll get to say "meet") but that's just how we like her and I'm sure she will appreciate all her fans and anyone else reading her book to understand her and have a respect for her personal needs as a human being.

I have given this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because even though it wasn't life changing for me personally, I really did love it and it made my day just that little bit better. I feel better knowing that she's just a chill chick who I would personally love to have as a best friend and knowing that there is even a celebrity out there who knows exactly what it's like to have internal struggles which will most likely eventually be put out there for everyone to see. Jamie is an awesome icon for kids, teenagers and even adults out there and after you have read her autobiography, you'll most likely be rethinking everything you've ever thought and be asking yourself, "What is life"?

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add They Let Me Write A Book to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Are you suffering with a mental illness such as depression or anxiety? Here are some helpful links from BetterHelp that you can check out and find tips on how to live a happier life:

BetterHelp Advice - Anxiety
BetterHelp Advice - Depression
How To Deal with Depression: Tips, Techniques And Finding the Right Treatment

How Do I Find A Therapist Near Me?

10 Depression Quotes That May Change Your Life

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

The Girl Who Rode The Wind by Stacy Gregg: Book Review

An epic, emotional story of two girls and their bond with beloved horses, the action sweeping between Italy during the Second World War and present day.

When Lola’s grandmother Loretta takes her to Siena, Italy, for the summer, Lola learns of her family’s history of heartbreak and adventure, stretching back to the Second World War. In 1945, Loretta’s nickname was ‘The Daredevil’ due to her fearless competing in the town’s famous Palio horse races – until war broke out and led to sadness and loss for Loretta.

Lola jumps at the chance to enter the modern-day Palio on a beautiful horse called Nico – can she win, in honour of her beloved grandmother? And solve a mystery that will bring happiness and hope to Loretta?

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Returning to Stacy Gregg's novels is a breath of fresh air for me. I grew up loving her very first series, "Pony Club Secrets" and reading one of her latest novels such as this one, it has opened my eyes again to my love for horses and has sent a deep ache of pain and agony through me - reminding me of how much I miss having the companionship of a gorgeous horse and being upon his back while soaring across the field in an open canter. Stacy has not failed to impress me with her writing skills, even as a children's author I feel like she has done an impeccable job of conjuring up a story of which delves right into the hearts of horse lovers and brings about a new understanding of the history of WW2 while giving horse racing a whole other meaning of competition. Choosing the famous 'Palio' horse race in Italy was a great choice to write about as it not only was the perfect way of describing passion in horse riding and honour, but teaches children the basics of the war with Hitler and the Nazi's, therefore this would be a great read to prepare any child to the age of thirteen for the harsh and brutal reality of History that they teach you at high school. I wish she had of written this book for me five years ago!

Lola reminded me a lot of how I used to be as a kid, a little bit crazy about horses with a talent to cope with a tempered horse well (according to my old best friend's riding instructor when a Mare I was riding had spooked and I was able to stay on while she had a fit and I eventually calmed her down), yet not very popular at school due to having her nose stuck in a book but having the courage to stand up to a bully if need be. However, Lola seemed a little more courageous than what I was; I don't know whether I would have had the will to enter a race like the Palio if I were in her position! One thing I really liked about Lola is that she cared for the horses to no extent - she would rather worry about them and their safety or comfort rather than her own. One quote from the book that really got me thinking about the type of character Lola really was, said, "Was a feather mattress enough to protect a horse if it crashed at a full gallop?". This made me stop for a second and made me realise how caring she was for a twelve year old girl who was about to ride in the Palio in Italy to regain her family's contrada respect and value. I respect this about Lola as she seemingly retrieved that habit from her Nonna and made sure that the horses came first no matter what. Again she showed this later on in the race but I'll leave that for you to find out!

In terms of character development, both Lola and her Nonna seemed to come a long way and learned a lot through their trip to Nonna Lorretta's home town in Italy. I feel like Lola realised her responsibility by the end of the story to make a good life for herself and her family by deciding on an agreement with her father. Nonna's history played a massive part in this book and it really helped Lola throughout everything she attempted in Italy, but also Nonna had a lot of her own skeletons in her closet which she eventually got around to sorting out and that seemed to bring her and Lola closer together. There were a lot of hidden messages in this novel which I think is highly important for growing children to learn but I think the one thing I got most out of this read was learning to be strong and courageous, but also to forgive, forget and move on because you can't ever truly be happy if you don't eventually deal with your past and let go. It's one thing not only children must learn, but many adults too and I feel like that is another reason why this book is great for any horse lover, any age.

I noticed by the end of the book that there wasn't any sort of minor romance for the main character, Lola as there was for Issie in PCS who had a brief relationship with Aidan but it couldn't stay afloat due to bigger responsibilities. Personally I think that was a good choice as this was more about the retelling of the Palio race and what happened back in the 1940's during the war. Of course there was a bit of romance which took a back seat to the main course of the novel through Nonna's retelling of her bringing up in Italy before she came to America. It was sweet and romantic to read about a grandmother's view of her first love and what happened in the end. Although I truly feel like the real love story was the bond between girl and horse; the relationship between Lola and Nico was strong and showed a fierce passion and connection between the two. That's what I like most about Stacy's books, is that she always has this unending theme of that bond between a human and a horse and that's sometimes all someone, especially a young girl at Lola's age, really ever needs. I'll just quickly add that a rider on a dark bay horse just rode past my house and my heart leapt out of my chest! Stacy, you have made my inside's hurt but also fill me with joy again with this book and I thank you for that.

Overall I have given this book a 5 out of 5 stars because it is such a timeless and ageless read that it could be read by anyone and still be enjoyed, horse lover or not, young or old. Stacy is truly a pony genius and knows exactly how to warm the heart of a pony lover. A great novel for kids to read - I'm not at all surprised that it has won an award!

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add The Girl Who Rode The Wind to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

I created my first tag video for Booktube!: Character Habits Tag! - FeathersandFaith

Hey everyone! I finally created my own tag on YouTube! I came up with this idea surprisingly just by not being able to sleep one night! The following morning (after I eventually drifted off to sleep) I wrote everything down so I wouldn't forget it and then the next couple of weeks I spent most of my time sorting it out and figuring out how I would film everything and who I would tag.

Now that I have uploaded it, everyone who I tagged seem to be passionately keen to film their own versions of this and I am so thrilled to be able to hear that from them! I am so interested on seeing how they all portray this tag and what type of scenes/skits they'll do to interpret the characters they have chosen!

If you are wanting to do this tag video, I will leave the tag questions for you all down below!:


Choose a character:

1. Who is too clumsy for their own good
2. Who's love could save the world
3. Who makes decisions then suffers the consequences later
4. Who would die protecting their best friend
5. That would do anything for a family member
6. Who has a revenge plan to take over the world
7. Who is truly lethal, inside and out
8. Who is too serious to take a joke
9. Who has great leadership skills but doesn't realise it/doesn't want to accept responsibility
10. Who is an introvert and doesn't mind being alone


If you decide to do this tag then please comment the link to your video down below! If you have decided that you are not overly confident acting out a scene or talking in front of a camera but you would like to do it in the form of a blog post then you could take photos of you as the character doing their typical habit instead. Remember to also leave the link to your post down below as well so I can go check it out and even retweet it!

I hope you all enjoy this video and I promise that I have many more original videos in the process of being created now so there won't be a short supply of awesomeness! I love you all and I'll talk to you soon!

All the best,

Ella Fleming-Christie - FeathersandFaith xoxo

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout: Book Review

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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This was a novel I literally couldn't wait to get into! Not only had I found out about it through Sasha on Booktube, but I knew it was something that was fast-paced, sexy and had a whole bunch of romance, not to mention frustration (if you catch my drift!). The cover obviously gave a great first impression, other than what I already knew about the book. I felt like this was definitely going to be a novel that I would literally devourer and miss until I got my hands on the sequels. Thankfully I wasn't wrong and I delved into a whole new world where aliens are the new vampires and the threats are bigger than ever! I got through this book in a whole day - thanks to having all this time on my hands waiting for my partner in the car while he was at school. I got as comfortable as a could and dug into what could only be something I would never get out of. Let me just clarify, Jennifer L. Armentrout is now officially among the ranks of Sarah J. Maas in terms of literature hierarchy. I feel like she is definitely someone to consider as a goddess of all authors and in the humor department too. No matter how many jokes I came across or awkward, sexy scenes between Katy and Daemon, I could not help but crack up laughing at everything I read.

Katy is the type of girl that definitely reminded me of... well, me! Wearing tops that say, "My blog is better than your vlog"? Hell yeah she has just made it onto the epic team of "Ella's Favourite Female Heroines"! Katy is a laidback, cool and sophisticated chick who obviously can't help but realise that there are two totally gorgeous twins living next door to where she just moved to from Florida. No thanks to her mum, she is practically forced to go introduce herself to them but finds herself the target of the guy called Daemon who doesn't exactly seem to own a shirt. At all! Thankfully, his twin sister, Dee bumps into Katy at the supermarket and seems to amend the troubles that Daemon set into her head due to his rudeness. Katy definitely knows trouble when she sees it, the problem is that she doesn't see trouble when it is a supernatural matter. Because what human would, right? Apart from this I feel like she knows what she wants and she doesn't just want a quick fling with a guy that'll drop her at the sight of another good looking girl. Unfortunately she doesn't know exactly what type of guy Daemon is yet but she definitely can't resist his charming looks and his arrogance seems to set off a love/hate relationship between the two. To be honest, I don't know how I feel about Daemon. He seems to be a really understanding and caring guy one moment, and then the next he can turn straight into an unbearable asshole who will let another chick sit on his lap and let Katy be humiliated at school. I feel like Katy should have just ditched him at certain points but she did choose wisely to keep her distance emotionally until he started to realise how much he really couldn't live without her.

I absolutely loved Dee! She's the type of sister and best friend that everybody wants and needs in their life! She is positivity personified and the way that she tries to hook up Katy and Daemon is literally the cutest thing, much to her frustration when Daemon doesn't cooperate and ends up making things harder for all of them. Dee seemed to bring a smile to my face when she showed up and I always felt like she needed to be around to be everyone's personal light (no pun intended!). I really hope that in the future novels she will have a better relationship with whoever she's with and have more of a spotlight on her because I really enjoyed reading about her. If she had a spinoff series, I would definitely go buy it and read it!

The plot line kept to it's truth and never wavered or went off in a random tangent which sometimes books seem to do when there is a lot to say and sort out, especially having a lot of characters involved. The biology of how the aliens came to be, how their body chemistry worked and how they got from their home planet to Earth really stuck and sounded logical even for a fictional novel. I feel like this story was more likeable for an alien story as short little green things don't fulfil my interest as much as this novel did and I am truly grateful I read it!

Overall I have given this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it was a great novel. I wasn't as obsessed with it as I was with Throne of Glass or A Court of Thorns and Roses, but it was intriguing enough to make me love it almost as much as Sasha did. This was another novel I read for the Booktube-A-Thon and I'm grateful I sat down and read it as fast as I did.

Go add Obsidian to your Goodreads list HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Booktube-A-Thon TBR 2015 on Booktube/Youtube!

Hey everyone!

Booktube-A-Thon 2015 has officially started and so far I've only started one book on my list, "The Winner's Curse" by Marie Rutkoski! I've filmed two video's for my channel as well and I am loving how much fun this challenge is becoming, even though I may not finish my entire list in the week due to how busy I am going to be. I wish I had every day free but unfortunately that won't be possible! Have you checked out my video's on my channel yet? I'll link them down below so you can go watch!

The first challenge was real fun to film but if I had of known about the rule change beforehand I would have put so much more effort into my domino formation. At least it was still a bit of a challenge seeing as spelling out my name with books seemed to be harder than I intended it to be! The next challenge for day 2 is going to be a scene reenactment and I am still trying to figure out what I want to do but I have a feeling it'll probably be something to do with one of Sarah J. Maas' books because why not be Feyre or Celaena for fun!

Let me know whether you are doing the Booktube-A-Thon and what your TBR list is in the comments! Happy reading!

Ella Fleming-Christie

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes: Book Review

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust.

And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in oneself.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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How can I sum this book up in a way which it doesn't make it seem any less than amazing? This mystery/thriller novel by Stephanie Oakes swept me away with the way Minnow's painful story was told. This is the first book I've read classified in these particular genres and I was shocked by how swayed I was in my common decision of fantasy being my first pick. Maybe it was just Stephanie's writing that blew me away and following the fact that this is her debut novel, from the first chapter she struck me as someone who would do exceptionally well in her writing career.

Minnow makes me feel like I should be grateful for my life and the fact that I still have my hands to type reviews like this or write my own novels and short stories. I couldn't have ever imagined how disorientating it would be for someone being brought up in an entirely different religion and way of life and then being thrusted into a world where Christianity and Atheism are largely discussed worldwide and the Kevinian cult is eventually found out by Minnow to teach something entirely untrue. The hurt she experienced while reliving her memories from the cult and spending time with her teenage sweetheart, Jude, made me really empathise with her and I felt like I was reliving the emotion-packed moments with her. Minnow is a smart, intuitive and caring individual and the way she instantly befriended Angel in the jail she was put in made me realise how tough Minnow was and the fact that she didn't judge anyone because of their looks, conviction story or rumours about them. She was always aching for more information about anything and everything and I guess moving from a community in the woods to the outside world seems to really have an impact on a seventeen year old girl who was fed lies almost her entire life.

Minnow and Jude's relationship was very symbolic to everyone's first love. I felt like through to the end of the novel as she had matured in a major way, Minnow realised that everything she really felt was typical of someone who had never really been around boys her own age or very many at all apart from full grown men and that love at first sight doesn't always last forever but it will for sure stick with you for the rest of your life as a distant, respected memory. Jude was a strong character and he seemed to empower Minnow with the confidence and courage to stand up to her own people and rebel for the right reasons.

Knowing that Minnow was handless at the beginning of the novel did not prepare me at all for when she retold the story of how she lost them. I actually had to put the book down and breath at some points due to either feeling sick or too vivid of a description. DO NOT GET ME WRONG; I loved that about this book! I love how a book can make you feel so much emotion that it moves you and I think that was the best thing about this book. The losses she experienced throughout the book, not only with her hands but other things, really strengthened Minnow and shaped her perspective on the way she saw things and also what she wanted to believe in. I feel like she still has so much to learn but I am very glad that there will be a sequel to this book called "The Arsonist" as there is still so much I want to know about Minnow and the rest of her story, especially what she decides to do next.

Overall I loved this book and will give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars as the story was amazing but the ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting although I'm hoping I get more out of the story in the sequel! Thanks Stephanie Oakes for making me realise that I absolutely love mystery/thriller novels now! I look forward to reading more of your work!

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

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Swoon by Nina Malkin: Book Review

Sin is coming... Prepare to Swoon. 

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him—but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent—and irresistible—adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him. 

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Swoon was definitely a book I had trouble reading although I eventually managed to finish. Starting off I wasn't crazily intrigued, nor was the mid section of the book yet I was definitely shocked to see so much content written into the storyline that I would have never have even guessed by just looking at the cover or reading the description. I have never quite read a book as outspoken and real as this. My first advice to you as a reader of this novel, is that if you are not into hearing intimate details about 'certain experiences', then I suggest you do not read this book.

Throughout the book, I couldn't really decide whether the book was okay - just well written, or just really, really bad overall. I can't lie, the author, Nina Malkin, has some talent in the writing department, but I just couldn't get over how unimportant most of the points were in the book and I had myself wondering whether I should just put the book down and never pick it up again, or pick it up, suck it up, and finish the damned thing. The one thing that disappointed me most about the storyline is that it never really had a climax and the ending was just as disappointing and confusing all at the same time. Maybe this was part of the reason I never really found myself enjoying the book as much as I tried to find some reason to.

What annoyed me the most about the relationship between Dice and Sin was the fact that she really only fell for him the second she looked at him. Apart from hearing his story and feeling his pain for his past loss, I really feel like she didn't ever really get to know the person he actually was before deciding about her feelings for him. The fact that he possessed Dice's cousin, Pen for about a third of the novel was just plain awkward. I honestly don't see how she could have fallen for Sin more whilst possessing Pen as the two girls are closely related and all he ever did was bring major trouble to the town of Swoon. That should have been enough warning signs for anyone. Personally I feel like this relationship wasn't very realistic and had absolutely no development in my eyes, and if there was any intended, it came about in the wrong context. Dice and Pen shared a very close relationship throughout the novel, even though they had previously been living apart from each other practically their whole lives and the fact that they treated each other like sisters practically straight away was very disorientating and completely unrealistic. In order to have such a friendship between two individuals, I would expect at least some perverse start to their relationship and then slowly getting along as cousins before they start sharing intimate details about their love lives.

As for the plot line I'd have to say that everything was really all over the place and it made me feel like this story probably hadn't been really thought through before it was written. I feel like Malkin shows talent in the way she can complete a sentence with such detail, accurate literature and punctuation, but her ability to explain and plot a story hasn't excelled in this particular novel. I felt confused reading this and beginning every chapter I felt lost and redirected into a different direction for no reason. I'd like to say that I enjoyed this book due to the themes of psychism because that is something that would make me jump into reading a book. Unfortunately it failed to do it's purpose and satisfy my reading needs especially after reading such an amazing book by Sarah J. Maas - my writing standards had been raised dramatically. Sorry Nina Malkin!

Overall I have to give this book a 2 out of 5 stars because sadly it held absolutely no interest for me. If you're someone who isn't too fussy about the plot of a book and enjoys reading something that doesn't make much sense or isn't totally realistic, then this book is for you. Nina Malkin is great with her words, just not with the storyline and I hope that one day I will find something of hers that I actually enjoy.

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http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith