A fantastic conclusion to what has truly been an addictive and exciting read. I loved the futuristic New York setting and the characters so much I would not be averse to another book set in this world.

Spoiler Alert: As this is book three there may be some spoilers for the first two (although not for this one) from this point on. You can however go read my review of the first book here.

THE BLURB

Welcome back to New York, 2119. A skyscraper city, fueled by impossible dreams, where the lives of five teenagers have become intertwined in ways that no one could have imagined.

Leda just wants to move on from what happened in Dubai. Until a new investigation forces her to seek help—from the person she’s spent all year trying to forget.

Rylin is back in her old life, reunited with an old flame. But when she starts seeing Cord again, she finds herself torn: between two worlds, and two very different boys.

Calliope feels trapped, playing a long con that costs more than she bargained for. What happens when all her lies catch up with her?

Watt is still desperately in love with Leda. He’ll do anything to win her back—even dig up secrets that are better left buried.

And now that Avery is home from England—with a new boyfriend, Max—her life seems more picture-perfect than ever. So why does she feel like she would rather be anything but perfect?

In this breathtaking finale to The Thousandth Floor trilogy, Katharine McGee returns to her vision of 22nd-century New York: a world of startling glamour, dazzling technology, and unthinkable secrets. After all, when you have everything… you have everything to lose.

MY REVIEW

The Towering Sky is the third and final book in Katherine McGee’s completely addictive Thousandth Floor trilogy. Set in a futuristic New York, it follows a group of teens from different backgrounds who live in a skyscraper with (you guessed it) a thousand floors. For me this series is very YA soap opera in the best possible way, reminding me of the OC or Revenge (it’s also compared to Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars but I haven’t seen or read either). There are secrets, lies, forbidden love, a rags to riches story, drug addiction, blackmail, kidnapping, murder, celebrity and even a bit of politics this time around (ya know all the good stuff). It is definitely not a trilogy you can just jump into anywhere (well maybe but why would you).

Like the first two books in the series this one kicks off with a hell of a hook, Avery, one of our MC’s is standing on the roof of the tower (where one of her best friends fell to her death) preparing to give up on her life. She may have been genetically engineered to be perfect but she’s no longer willing to play the part. The big question is whether she’ll really go through with it and just what has driven her to such an extreme act and well…. you’ll have to read the book (which then flashes back to a few weeks previously) to find out. As you can guess it’s pretty addictive reading.

I absolutely loved being back in the world that McGee has created, it truly is something special, and the amount of detail around the technology of the future is incredible. What I loved even more however was being back with the characters, who despite a rather shaky start in the first book have really grown on me. It’s told from multiple pov’s, Avery, Leda, Watt, Rylin and newish character Calliope so I feel like I’ve really gotten to know and understand them and have somehow become invested in them (well most of them – more on this later).

The story picks up a few months after the dramatic conclusion of the previous book with the characters seemingly moving forward with their lives. Avery is in a new relationship, Leda is recovering from her drug addiction, Watt is okay-ish, Rylin is back with ex boyfriend Hiral and Calliope is settled in New York. Needless to say this progress is all put in jeopardy when the police begin investigating Mariel’s death and find links between Mariel and the others which could result in all of their secrets being revealed. There’s also the big question of who did kill Mariel and why…. and I think I’ll leave it there before I give anything away.

There’s a lot going on this book and the author contends with some big questions and issues, handling everything from teen drug use, our dependence on technology, the dangers of unregulated or illegal technological advances, the pressures of celebrity and the role of the press and also politics and image with great skill. It was only when I thought back over it that I realized just how much the author had snuck in there without me realizing (as I was too caught up in the story).

I do have to admit however that this is not a book without flaws, as there were a few things around that niggled at me. Firstly, this book is badly in need of a previously section or at least some character descriptions. Around the first 15% of the book is taken up with trying to fill in the backstory and there is so much to catch up on that it feels a tad forced and unnatural. It would have been far better in my opinion to have a few pages before the prologue to remind the reader, then the story could have focused on the now.

I also felt that this book was missing a lot of the mystery and the tension of the previous books. What I loved the most about the second book in particular was that it was packed full of shocking twists and turns and kept you guessing till literally the very last page. Not sure if it’s just that I guessed most of the ending pretty early on but there weren’t the shocks or surprises I expected.

And finally, Calliope. I’m sorry but I’ve never really understood her inclusion as an MC, particularly in this story. I don’t like her and other than a minor interaction with one of the others (which okay is important) her storyline never really crosses the others. I could accept her role in the second book but nope, she should have left early on.

This griping probably makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy this book but that’s truly not the case as I did find it to be yet another engaging and addictive read and I had to find out how it all would end. When it does come the ending is pretty much spot on. Rylin and Calliope’s stories are perhaps a little rushed but Watt, Leda and Avery’s are wrapped up nicely. I even found myself becoming a tiny bit emotional, something that never happened in the previous installments. I am a little devastated it’s all over and would not be averse to another book set in this world.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. All views are my own.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Review: And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

September 10, 2018 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

Only Patrick Ness could successfully pull off a story described as Moby Dick from the point of view of the whale. Imaginative, beautifully written and visually stunning, I very much enjoyed this.

THE BLURB

With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…

As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.

MY REVIEW

Wow. That was unexpected and brilliant.

I have to confess that while I do consider Ness one of my favourite authors I went into this a little warily. His books while always wonderfully imaginative can be a little hit or miss for me and this one, like his previous book Release (which was a miss for me), had some not so favourable reviews.

Thankfully though this was a great, albeit fast, read. Ness has used his incredible imagination and beautiful writing to transform a story that shouldn’t work, Moby Dick from the POV of the whale, into something that does.

It did take me a little while to really understand the world these whales inhabit, and I’m still not sure I can visualize whales with underwater ships of their own, using harpoons and hunting humans, but I loved the idea of it and the symbolism behind it.

As you would expect the writing is engaging and the illustrations accompanying it are perfect. It is told from the point of view of one of the whales which makes for an interesting and different experience but I felt that actually for a whale they were oddly relateable. I also really loved how Ness brought in the human perspective via Demetrius.

My only criticism and the reason this is a 4 star rather than 5 for me is that I didn’t feel much. There are moments that come close and I did care about the characters but it didn’t quite have the emotional impact I was hoping for.

I did however love the story and the themes running throughout around prophecy and the way that war and violence create monsters.

I would highly recommend to fans of Ness and those who like unique and imaginative stories.

My rating: 4 of 5 star

If you want a sneaky peek at some of the illustrations check out my instagram @aliwuvbooks

WWW Wednesday: 5th September 2018

September 5, 2018September 4, 2018 Ali@abookishlife19 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’m very excited to be finally reading The Towering Sky by Katherine McGee. I knew as soon as I received it from the publishers via NetGalley I wouldn’t be able to resist it for long. It’s the third and final book in the Thousandth Floor trilogy and I’m fully expecting something wow. I tend to think of it as a kind of futuristic teen soap opera. It has that rich people stabbing each other in the back, inappropriate relationships and dangerous secrets thing that is so fun to read. I only really started it late last night so only around 5% in as I’m writing this but like the previous books in the trilogy it begins with a killer hook.

Dream a Little Dream (Dream a Little Dream, #1)

On audio I’m still listening to Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher. I’ve actually made some good progress with it and only have around 3 hours left so I expect to finish it this weekend. I have to admit I wasn’t wholly convinced by this to start with, and I’m still not saying it’s a great read, but since I reached around the halfway point it has picked up a lot. I think my biggest gripe is the main character who’s a little too passive for my tastes. I’m crossing everything that she will at some point make a stand and give her horrible ex, her mother and her boss what for.

As I suspected trying to read two books at the one time was a bit much so I’ve put And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness on the back burner until next week. I want to take the time to sit and enjoy it rather than only reading a couple of pages here and there.

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week was Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I received this ages ago from NetGalley but had parked it due to difficulties with the formatting of the ARC. I finally managed to get a copy from the library and dived right back in. It’s very loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin but there’s so much more to it than that. The author has made it completely her own. There’s so much depth and complexity to it and the writing and world she creates is incredible. If I had one niggle it’s that I was never wholly invested in it. Think it was a case of too many pov’s. You can read my full review here.

After Spinning Silver I was in the mood for something completely different, some light and fun nonsense, so needless to say I reverted to Tessa Dare and Do You Want to Start a Scandal. I love Dare’s historical romances and this has now become one of my favorites. It just made me laugh so much. Keeping a straight face while reading this on the train on the way to work was however a challenge, I don’t recommend it. The Hunting Party

The third book finished The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley was a much more serious read, thank goodness (I do not want to be the train weirdo). This was a major diversion from my reading plans but I was sitting in the hairdressers trying to pick a book and this was calling to me. It’s not out till January I think, so yep I’m really early, but I just loved the sound of it. It’s one of those “group of old friends (and some creepy strangers) stranded in a remote location (Scottish Highlands) and someone is murdered” type stories. I do love these stories and this was brilliant, particularly in terms of the horrible characters. My only issue with it was that it lacked tension and that creepy factor I was hoping for.

Reading Next

And yet again I think I have the same reading next list, I really must pick up The Silence of the Girls and Mirage soon. I also have an ARC of A House of Ghosts which I’m really looking forward to and quite a few library books including the third in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, Beneath the Sugar Sky. So yep, busy week ahead 🙂

The Silence of the Girls Mirage (Mirage, #1) A House of Ghosts Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children, #3)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: 4th September 2018

September 4, 2018September 2, 2018 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of The Purple Booker.

This week my teaser comes from Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I finished this last week and posted my review of it on Sunday. It’s a really wonderful story and the writing is beautiful so I thought I should share a little something from it.

My Teaser

There was a gruesome inevitability to it all. My life has been a sequence of monsters one after another tossing me about to suit their whims; I’ve got a finely tuned sense for when another round of buffeting has arrived.

59%, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Blurb

Will dark magic claim their home?

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s too kind-hearted to collect his debts. They face poverty, until Miryem hardens her own heart and takes up his work in their village. Her success creates rumours she can turn silver into gold, which attract the fairy king of winter himself. He sets her an impossible challenge – and if she fails, she’ll die. Yet if she triumphs, it may mean a fate worse than death. And in her desperate efforts to succeed, Miryem unwittingly spins a web which draws in the unhappy daughter of a lord.

Irina’s father schemes to wed her to the tsar – he will pay any price to achieve this goal. However, the dashing tsar is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of mortals and winter alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and Irina embark on a quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power and love.

As with her standalone novel Uprooted, Naomi Novik has once again been influenced by classic folktales. Taking Rumpelstiltskin as her starting point, she’s woven a rich, multilayered new story which is a joy to read.

Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

September 2, 2018September 2, 2018 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

A beautiful and magical story inspired by Rumpelstiltskin, I absolutely loved the world and the complexity of the characters but it lacked a little of the emotional investment I was hoping for.

THE BLURB

Will dark magic claim their home?

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s too kind-hearted to collect his debts. They face poverty, until Miryem hardens her own heart and takes up his work in their village. Her success creates rumours she can turn silver into gold, which attract the fairy king of winter himself. He sets her an impossible challenge – and if she fails, she’ll die. Yet if she triumphs, it may mean a fate worse than death. And in her desperate efforts to succeed, Miryem unwittingly spins a web which draws in the unhappy daughter of a lord.

Irina’s father schemes to wed her to the tsar – he will pay any price to achieve this goal. However, the dashing tsar is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of mortals and winter alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and Irina embark on a quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power and love.

As with her standalone novel Uprooted, Naomi Novik has once again been influenced by classic folktales. Taking Rumpelstiltskin as her starting point, she’s woven a rich, multilayered new story which is a joy to read.

MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the wintry landscape on the cover suggests, this is a beautifully written, enchanting and magical story with some nods to the classic fairytale Rumpelstiltskin. I have to admit though that while I did find the writing beautiful and the world the author created incredibly vivid there was something about the story that left me feeling a little bit cold.

That’s not to say the story isn’t good, because it is. This was my first book by Novik and I was expecting it to be yet another retelling with a slightly more adult spin but it’s so much more. Rumpelstiltskin is obviously the inspiration behind it but Novik has taken the idea and expanded it into something truly her own. There is so much depth and detail it’s very easy to become completely immersed in the world she creates. It’s a little slow to get going as a lot of time is spent introducing the various characters and their place in the world but once I got into it I was completely captivated.

This is a story that makes you question everything. There’s nothing black and white about the events and the characters face some difficult decisions and moral dilemmas. No one is entirely good and even those who would be considered the “heroes” don’t always do the right thing. I actually loved how complex the characters were. This may be a fantasy set in a foreign land but they felt very real and their actions entirely convincing.

The story is told from multiple point of views, something I wasn’t so keen on, but primarily from the view of three young women, Miryem, daughter of the local money lender, Irina daughter of a Lord who’s scheming for power and Wanda, who ends up working for Miryem. I thought all three were wonderful characters and I loved how well it portrayed the limited role of women in this world and how each of them rises out of the role they’re pushed into despite their perceived weakness.

I loved how strong they all were in their own way but if I was naming a favorite it would have to be Miryem. She makes a lot of mistakes (bragging about turning silver into gold, which lands her in a lot of trouble, for example) but most of it comes from a good place, or at least a place of justifiable anger at the treatment of her family by the town. I love how she isn’t afraid to be hated if it means saving her family. I also have to admire how brave and clever she is, she thinks and schemes her way out of whatever trouble she lands herself in. This cunning and pride does however make her a little difficult to warm to. Similarly Wanda’s and Irina’s meekness and lack of self assurance, while completely understandable, also made them more frustrating than relateable.

As far as the other characters go I did find them intriguing but I’m not sure there was anyone I really cared about. The Staryk king, who kidnaps Miryem, was fascinating but a little too cold, aloof and mysterious to really care about and Mirnatius, the new Tsar who is possessed by a fire demon, did draw a lot of my sympathy (the chapters from his pov were actually some of my favorites) but there’s not quite enough of him. There were a few pov’s I felt were unnecessary and it caused the story to drag a bit but I did love the various themes the author worked in and how you could never tell where it would go next.

The ending when it comes does seem a little rushed and I thought there were elements which were a little unresolved particularly around Irina but if the author wanted to revisit the world and complete the tale I wouldn’t have any complaints.

Overall I would say this is beautifully written and captivating but lacked a little of the emotion I look for when reading. If you love retellings, incredible world building and don’t mind a slow pace and complex characters I would really recommend you pick this up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC. This has in no way influenced my review.

WWW Wednesday: 29th August 2018

August 29, 2018August 28, 2018 Ali@abookishlife31 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’ve somehow ended up juggling three books again which never ends well 🙂 The first of these is And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness. I picked this up from the bookshop last week and it is just sooo beautiful I knew I had to start reading it immediately. I’m a big ~~stalker~~ fan of Ness so I’ve been anxiously awaiting this story tagged as Moby Dick from the pov of the whale. It is however quite a big book to carry around so I’m only around a third of the way through but so far so good. I just love Ness’s writing and the illustrations throughout are beautiful.

Spinning Silver

The second book I’m reading is Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I actually started this ages ago but had put it aside as the format of the ARC I’d received was killing my enjoyment of the story (the writing was tiny). I managed however to get a copy from the library on Monday so I’ve picked it up again and am enjoying it so much more (as are my eyes). With the break I had slightly lost the plot a little but I’m getting back into it again and all of the threads are starting to come together which is quite exciting. I am loving how there are a lot of fairytale references but it’s still pretty unique and quite dark.

Dream a Little Dream (Dream a Little Dream, #1) I’ve also started a new audio this week, Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher. I think this might be the first contemporary romance I’ve gotten on audio and it probably wouldn’t have been my first choice when I was hunting for something to listen to but I remembered I got an ARC of this from NetGalley 3 years ago and never actually read it or submitted feedback (oops) so thought it would give me the chance to get it off my shelf. I’m currently around 3 hours in and so far I’m finding it okay. Main character Sarah is kind of annoying me (I want to shake her) which is not ideal but hopefully the story will pick up.

Recently Finished

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

The first book finished his week was A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, which I’d received from Netgalley. It’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and yep I’ve read a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings but this was definitely a stand out read. I did have a little bit of a wobble at the start, it’s a bit weird and confusing, but it quickly became an addictive and engaging read. I loved main character Harper and I had a very definite soft spot for Commander of the Guard, Grey. It’s way too early for a review but I think it’ll be a solid 4.5 stars.

The next book finished was audio book Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire. This is the second in the Wayward Children series and it’s the author herself who does the narration. I did enjoy it, particularly at the start, but I think I preferred the first book. The narrator has a bit of a tendency to talk directly to the reader which is funny at times but I felt like it stopped me from really becoming engaged in the story.

Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns, #1) The fact that I couldn’t remember the next book I read and just had to go check probably says quite a lot about Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. It’s not that it’s a particularly bad read, there’s just nothing particularly memorable about it. It sets itself up as this big battle to the death between triplets but that doesn’t really happen. Instead there are three separate stories about each of the sisters, setting up the world, the magic system and introducing the numerous characters. It’s fine, it’s interesting, there’s some great world building but it feels like not very much happens. I also never really understood the reason why these three 16 year old girls had to murder each other and why it’s a generally accepted and encouraged practice. Not So Nice Guy

The fourth and final book read was Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey. Honestly this has just been lurking on my kindle since it was released and I was in the mood for something light and fun. It really is a great read. It’s a friends to lovers story and it’s so nice to finally have a romance without angst or obstacles or whatever. I loved the main characters, I loved the school setting, it made me laugh, it made me smile and I just really liked it.

Reading Next

I think my reading next pile is pretty much the same as last week’s with The Silence of the Girls or Mirage likely to be one of my next reads. I also picked up a copy of City of Ghosts at the bookshop last week so would love to start reading it soon too although I did just get my hands on an ARC of The Towering Sky by Katherine McGee which I’ve also been anxiously awaiting so we’ll see.

The Silence of the Girls City of Ghosts Mirage (Mirage, #1) The Towering Sky (The Thousandth Floor, Book 3)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Review: The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

August 28, 2018 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

The Governess Game is yet another brilliantly fun historic romance from Tessa Dare. I loved the little nods to one of my favorite classics (and a certain movie with an iceberg).

THE BLURB

He’s been a bad, bad rake—and it takes a governess to teach him a lesson

The accidental governess

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart . . . without risking her own.

The infamous rake

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling . . . and he’s in danger of falling, hard

MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really, really love Tessa Dare’s books and her latest is no exception. I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite, that honour goes to the first in this series, The Duchess Deal, but it does have all the things I love, a sweet but feisty heroine, a troubled hero, quite a few funny moments, a bit of drama and a lot of chemistry.

This time around there is a very Jane Eyre feel to the story as Alexandra Mountbatten, orphan making her own way in the world accepts a job as governess to the two wards of soon to be Duke and rake about town Chase Reynaud. She’s trying to make enough of a living to be independent and he’s looking to get the two wards he’s been landed with, who are not the best behaved, shipped off to school. Neither are really looking for a relationship but as you can probably guess sparks fly between them.

I really loved Alex as a character. She’s clever, caring, a little naive and wonderfully unconventional. She also doesn’t let her financial situation or the hardships of her past hold her back. She has no experience as a governess but seems to instinctively know how to help Rosamund and Daisy who it’s safe to say have some issues (doll Millicent dies of some horrific disease most days).

Chase, I have to admit, I had some reservations about initially. The rake thing doesn’t really do it for me, but as the story progressed he did grow on me. It’s also difficult to resist someone who’ll eulogize a doll so eloquently and hilariously (in case you can’t tell those doll funerals were a highlight of the story for me) and there are reasons for why he behaves as he does.

The biggest draw was however the relationship between Alex and Chase. There is some brilliant banter between them and some serious heat. I just loved how their relationship developed and changed. There aren’t many surprises (there’s no mad wife locked in the attic for example) but it’s an enjoyable journey.

If I had one criticism of this story it’s that there are certain elements that are becoming very familiar from Dare’s other books and it’s starting to feel a little formulaic (sorry). I suppose there is a limit on how unique they can be but if like me you’ve devoured a large number of them in a short space of time they start to all feel quite similar. Certain characters seem to keep popping up.

Despite this though I would really recommend to anyone who loves a historic romance. I should also add that while this is the second in a series it can easily be read as a standalone, although The Duchess Deal is brilliant so you should read it too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. As always all views are my own.

Teaser Tuesday: And the Ocean Was Our Sky

August 28, 2018August 26, 2018 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

This week my teaser comes from And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness. I picked up the copy I’d pre ordered from the bookshop on Friday and haven’t had much chance to read more than a few pages but I’m very excited about it. I mean it’s described as Moby Dick from the pov of the whale so it certainly sounds like Ness’s usual brilliant weirdness. I have had a quick flick through and the illustrations are absolutely wonderful, fingers crossed the story is just as good.

My Teaser

And everything I might have been, the different futures I might have taken, all my different lives and deaths that existed in their endless possibilities were extinguished in a single repetition of her three words. “You will hunt.”

Pg 8, And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

Blurb

With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…

As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.

WWW Wednesday: 22nd August 2018

August 22, 2018August 21, 2018 Ali@abookishlife26 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I started reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer on Monday morning and I am flying through it. It’s just so good. It’s not out till January but when I spied it on NetGalley I couldn’t resist requesting and when my request was approved I couldn’t resist reading it. I love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling and even though I initially had my doubts on this one I am now completely hooked. Main character Harper is pretty awesome and I know I should be rooting for her and the prince but I love Commander of the Guards Grey.

On audio I’m still listening to Down Among the Sticks and Bones, the second book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. I only have about 30 mins left so should finish in the next day or so.

Recently Finished

A slightly slower reading week for me this time with only two books finished the first of which was The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry (aka Chris Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman). I’ve been a big fan of Brookmyre for a long time so was excited to see what he would do in historical crime fiction (and with his wife as a writing partner). I don’t read a lot of historical fiction but I really loved the setting in this and actually thought that part of the story was a lot stronger than the murder mystery (I guessed the killer very early on). The characters are interesting but what really fascinated me were the medical aspects, although be warned, some are not for the faint of heart. The Bus on Thursday

The second book read this week was The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett. This was one of those cases where I couldn’t decide what I wanted to read so went for a scout around on NetGalley and came across this. It was probably one line in the blurb “Bridget Jones meets The Exorcist” that drew me to it and while it’s not exactly like either it is brilliantly peculiar.

It’s about a woman who, recovering from cancer, accepts a teaching job in a small town in Australia. When she gets there however she discovers her predecessor disappeared in the middle of the night, there are an awful lot of locks on the door of her house and some very odd characters. The whole story is told in the form of a blog making it very difficult to tell what’s real and what’s fantasy. I would have loved it to be a bit creepier but it is really funny and unique so no real complaints 🙂

Reading Next

I’ve just started a new team reading challenge (Game of Thrones based this time) so I’m currently on the hunt to find a book to fit some very specific tasks. If anyone has suggestions for books with a character who’s a gardener or with a female ruling line let me know 🙂

Pending me figuring that out I want to finally pick up How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. I’m going to see him on Saturday evening so would love to read it before then. I’m also thinking about picking up The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (I love that cover) or Mirage by Somaiya Daud.

How to Stop Time The Silence of the Girls Mirage (Mirage, #1)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: A Curse So Dark & Lonely

August 21, 2018August 20, 2018 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

This week my teaser comes from A Curse so Dark & Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, an ARC of which I received from NetGalley. It’s not out for a while yet but I just have to read the words Beauty and the Beast retelling and I can’t resist it for long. I absolutely loved the opening lines so had to use it for this weeks teaser.

My Teaser

There is blood under my fingernails. I wonder how many of my people I’ve killed this time

Pg1, A Curse So Dark & Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Blurb

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.