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

Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: Book Review

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Another amazing book which I could not bear put down by Sarah J. Maas! I am continued to be amazed by this woman's literature that she releases. It has been so long since I have read something which has enabled me to read for hours on end and not stop. Compared to her latest novel, "A Court of Thorns and Roses", I feel like I can tell that "Throne Of Glass" was definitely her first novel but the fact that this book took ten years to be published astounds me. This is truly an enticing read about Celaena Sardothian being chosen by the Crown Prince of Adarlan to participate in his father's contest to become the King's Champion. Right now I am dying to start on "Crown of Midnight" which is currently less than an arm-stretch away from me, but right now I have to focus on pouring my thoughts and feelings out onto this page and I know that will be inevitably hard with such an amazing novel as I can't quite explain how much I loved it.

Celaena Sardothian first appeared to me as a very selfish, ostentatious, stubborn young girl who had been broken and teared down by the difficulties of her life, before and after being thrown in the Salt Mines of Endovier which is practically like a death sentence to most. Fortunately, Celaena was a strong enough assasin to survive a year of slaving away there which impressed me for a girl at eighteen years of age. Gradually, as I got to learn more about her, her backstory and understand the reasons she acted a certain way, I found myself to be quite fond of Celaena and felt strengthened by her know-it-all attitude and confidence in her skills. The way she didn't fall for Dorian immediately like most of the girls in the castle did but appreciated his appearance, along with Chaol's, was pretty settling as well because it showed that love and fornication weren't the main things on her mind. Celaena is a strong yet swift character, a powerful heroine. The way she inspires the people around her and gathers eyes when showing off her skills at the tests makes me aspire to be like her in the way that she can do so well at one or a few things and make people realise that they underestimated her. She is definitely a protagonist that I look up to, among many other great female characters. The way she doesn't let a man or relationship define her is what I love the most about her sassy character.

The relationship developments in the story were all well played out and scripted! I feel like even though Celaena and Nehemia, the princess of Eyllwe who took a liking to her because of her respect and the fact that she spoke Eyllwe as well, clicked at their first introduction, there was a major development with their friendship throughout the entire novel and by the end there was real trust and respect between the two girls. Chaol was obviously the one that took the most convincing from the beginning as he is the Captain of the Guard and his duty was to protect everyone, especially from assasins such as Celaena so he was really conflicted through most of the novel but I liked how their friendship grew easier as the novel went on and there was more trust gained through talks, training and even reading together. Nox was a surprising match for a friend as I didn't think Celaena would be very trusting of the other Champions, but he proved his worthiness and I feel like he was a good friend who understood the pressures of the competition well enough for Celaena to relate. I hope in the future that they meet up again and become good friends. Dorian was the guy that I shipped (in non-fangirl terms that means "want them together as a couple") with Celaena because he was so sweet and shared the same interests as her, not to mention that he has his own library which he granted Celaena permission to take from and read in her moments of boredom and loneliness. Which girl wouldn't love that? Dorian turns out to have a kind nature and eventually proves to Celaena that he is nothing like he seems to be or that he is anything like his father, the King of Adarlan. I love how they get so embarrassed around each other and their faces always go red at the slightest hint of something personal about themselves or intriguing about the other. Their friendship was ultimately my favourite.

Overall I was absolutely blown away by this book and I have to give it a 5 out of 5 because there is literally nothing at fault. I'm not saying that it's perfect, but it's perfect for me! I'm ready to finally bury myself away in Crown Of Midnight and never leave the house. Thank you Sarah J. Maas for creating my happy place.

Go add Throne Of Glass to your Goodreads list HERE

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

Go add The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly to your Goodreads list HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

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.

Go add Swoon to your Goodreads list HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: Book Review

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Prior to A Court of Thorns and Roses, I had never read a novel written by Sarah J. Maas and now that I have, I can't wait to get my hands on her other series, Throne Of Glass, not to mention the highly anticipated sequel to this one that comes out sometime in the following year of 2016. Reading this book was a new experience for me as I have also previously not read a New Adult book before but according to many great reviews by booktubers on YouTube, I felt a need to buy it and accustom myself to Maas' literature. As I had hoped, I was not disappointed and this book has turned out to be such a favourite of mine that it's still reeling in my head long after the last page was finished.

Feyre is such an amazing character: through her hardship of being so young and losing not only her family status––shoving her and her family from the riches of the world down to live as a commoner––but losing her mother as well. For many that would take it's toll, but it gave her a sense of leadership and helped her learn to provide for her family when nobody else would, even if it meant suffering her learning time. She goes through such a powerful transformation too as her view of the fae people is turned completely upside down and she realises that they are not as horrible as she was made to believe by the humans where she lived with her two older sisters and crippled father. From beginning to end, Feyre not only develops in the way she thinks, but throughout the novel she slowly changes from a young nineteen year old girl into a woman who realises her true potential and starts to see the silver linings in life, as living in such a poor state back with her family dimmed out any possibilities of a much better life of which come into view whilst being taken to the Spring Court on the other side of the wall.

The relationship between Feyre and Tamlin isn't forced like most books tend to portray and that's what I particularly like about this novel. Maas gives her enough time to adjust to the situation so that she slowly starts to see Tamlin and his friend, Lucien with better eyes instead of thinking about them with such hate generated from the stories of faeries that Feyre grew up hearing about. The best thing about it was that towards the end I felt like the connection between the two was genuine and not just something forged for the greater good of the storyline - the relationships in the story felt real and true to the characters and their emotions. I feel the same with how Feyre developed eventually with Lucien as a friend because it took a deal of time for them to built up trust in each other in order for certain events to happen in the book and that's what made it so much more gripping than any novel I've read before.

Overall I absolutely loved this book because the writing felt like poetry. Yes, felt. I felt everything she wrote and the way she described everything had every one of my senses tingling for more. Maas did the most amazing job with this book and I rate it a 5 out of 5 because I personally felt that there was no fault in it. There was not one part that I didn't like and I can assure you that if you love dark fantasy, faeries, a strong female heroine and a sexy, passionate love story then this story is perfect for your taste buds.

Go add A Court of Thorns and Roses to your Goodreads list HERE

Find out more about my writing career at: 

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Redeemed by P.C and Kristin Cast: Book Review!

In the final electrifying novel in the HoN series, Neferet has finally made herself known to mortals. A Dark Goddess is loose on Tulsa and the world. No single vampyre is strong enough to vanquish her - unless that creature has the power to summon the elements as well as the ability to wield Old Magick. Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power…but because of the consequences of using Old Magick, she is unable to help. Find out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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For me personally, reading the very last book of my favourite series was a massive tear-jerker and had my heart paining for more, despite already having 12 books in the series. House Of Night was the guide to my teenage-hood and got me through some tough times, but also was an aid to me making multiple friends online through our mutual love for the story and all of the characters. Zoey and her friends went through a major journey throughout these books bringing them all to a final end where their teenage lives have turned to adult ones and there is nothing left to be told... for now!

Redeemed for me was an almost satisfying end to the 12 book series. It had it's pro's and it had it's con's, but overall it was a good book that kept me intrigued and wanting more. Although I am still left wanting more! The main points of the story were all explained and everything we wanted to happen plays out quite nicely. I have to say in this particular book I was enthralled by Neferet and the way she seemed to be so crazy. Yeah she was crazy in the books prior to this one but this book took her to a whole other level of nuts and it even involves her having a few humans as her minions (under the control of darkness of course) but with one woman named Lynette who uses her survival instincts to get free of Neferet's controlling urges which means she gets to be her own person with her own free will but does everything against her free will just to keep Neferet happy. Personally I didn't see why Lynette had a role in this book as she really served no higher purpose than as another POV for Neferet's side and to show us what it would be like if we were trapped with Neferet in a building as a human with no powers and no way of defending yourself against such a powerful immortal. In a way this slightly annoyed me but more than usual I found myself enjoying Lynette's POV and wanting to know how she would react to certain things. The twist halfway through the novel really confused me though, I guess it was just another reason for Lynette to serve a purpose as a character of the book. Other than that, it was highly intriguing and kept pulling me back to the book every time I seemed to be interrupted by someone.

I noticed that Stevie Rae and Rephaim didn't really have as much of a part in this book as they did earlier on in the series. I thought about it for a while and realised that their story had already been told, they had already been fully accepted and they had grown into the people they were meant to be already, plus Stevie Rae had already completed her change earlier on in the books and had overcome the overwhelming position of becoming the first ever red High Priestess. I feel like that's another thing that could have been discussed more as we don't really know what became of the red fledglings apart from them joining the original House Of Night as a new type of fledgling. Also I remember Zoey once thought about turning the tunnels into a potential House Of Night because it was safer for the red fledglings and vampyres with being underground and having no sunlight to disturb or worry them. That would have been awesome to read about and see Zoey and her nerd herd leading it.

The ending was everything I'd wanted for everyone although there are a few things I realised didn't end up being solved. Also I feel like it ended too quickly and I don't know whether the authors were just set on finishing the book around 300 pages but I felt like the last book could have been a tad longer so we could enjoy it for that little bit more before we had to say goodbye to our favourite series for good. I wouldn't have minded if it was a 500 page book or even a 1000 page book! I never wanted to say goodbye to Zoey, Stevie Rae or even Sgiach without having a proper explanation or novella on how she came to be where she is in the Isle of Skye in Scotland. I was happy that she made an appearance again in this book which made me smile as she needed to be brought back, mainly for the readers' satisfaction but also so she could be a little reminder to everyone of how powerful she is and that Zoey and her friends needed to look to her for help on how to use the Old Magick to defeat Neferet. Who knows, maybe P.C and Kristin might decided to revisit the series in the future and continue as a spinoff with Sgiach and Seoras, or Stevie Rae and Rephaim!

Overall I really loved the book, I just think it could have been longer as it ended too quickly. I miss the characters already and wish that I could know more about their new lives and what they're going to do next. Fortunately I am currently satisfied with the book and the ending and I am happy to say that the very popular House Of Night series has come to a long awaited end. It's good to know that there are still people discovering this amazing series and we're still waiting on movies or a tv series to be made so hopefully we'll be able to revisit this amazing vampyre world once more very soon!

I have given this book a 4.5 out of 5 due to some things not being as good as I'd hoped and lack of information given (being such a short book for an ending to the series!) but I honestly really loved it and so happy that P.C and Kristin have received so much praise for this amazing book series. I wish them luck for their success in future novels and their careers.

Go add Redeemed to your Goodreads list HERE

Find out more about my writing career at: 

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith