Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Blog Tour: "Our Violent Ends" by Chloe Gong + Giveaway


Hello everyone! Today I am so incredibly excited to be bringing you to my stop on the Our Violent Ends blog tour hosted by Turn the Page Tours! Our Violent Ends is one of my top favorite books of this year and I am so excited for it to finally be out so that other people can experience how amazing this book is! As for this tour stop, I have a bunch of fun stuff to share with you today, including a giveaway! However, there will be spoilers for the first book, These Violent Delights, so if you haven't read that yet, come back to join the fun when you have! 


Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.

Author: Chloe Gong
Genre: Young Adult Fiction - Historical, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
Book 1: These Violent Delights
Purchase: BOOKSHOP



Chloe Gong is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, studying English and International Relations. During her breaks, she’s either at home in New Zealand or visiting her many relatives in Shanghai. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear by chanting “Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays and doesn’t deserve its slander in pop culture” into a mirror three times. You can find her on Twitter @thechloegong, check out her website at thechloegong.com or email her at chloegongwrites@gmail.com.

WEBSITE     |     TWITTER     |     INSTAGRAM
 GOODREADS     |     TIKTOK


5 // 5 stars

I loved These Violent Delights. But I adored Our Violent Ends. While in These Violent Delights, I was more obsessed with the characters, I was equally obsessed with the characters AND plot in Our Violent Ends. It truly was the best of both worlds. Simply put, Our Violent Ends is one of my top favorite books of this year. 

Like I said, I was obsessed with the characters from very early on in book one. After how that book ended, I had no doubt that this book was going to hurt them and me in ways I could only imagine. I was correct. It only occurred to me part way through that I was indeed reading a Romeo and Juliet retelling that could end in a number of possible ways, which made me incredibly anxious the rest of the book. 

We hit the ground running in Our Violent Ends. There's a lot of build up in the first book that allowed for this one to take off and pull me in immediately. I didn't want to put it down from the moment I began. The angst was on point. The plot was engaging. The characters were phenomenal. At this moment, I truly have no negatives I can think of regarding this book (hence why it's a five star read for me). 

Another thing I noticed while reading this book was that it was so quotable and full of beautiful writing. Yes, the story was engaging. Yes, the characters were incredibly. Yes, my emotions were at a high. But the writing itself, separate from all of that, was so beautiful. I cannot wait to reread and annotate all my favorite lines and passages once all my preordered copies arrive. 

Our Violent Ends is easily one of my top favorites of this year. As sad as I am that this duology is now over, I cannot wait to revisit it in the future and I'm equally excited for Chloe's next duology featuring a character we met here. I have a few ideas as to who it could be and I am hoping that I'm correct! And while this book did hurt me in many ways, I was left at the end with feelings of awe and hope. And that was beautiful. 



Up for grabs, we are giving away ONE (1) finished copy of These Violent Delights and ONE (1) finished copy of Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong. This giveaway will run from November 1st through 20th at 11:59 PM CST and will be open to U.S. residents ONLY. One winner will be chosen. To enter, click the link below!




Follow along with the rest of the tour and giveaways here!



Thanks for reading!
Lauren



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Friday, November 12, 2021

October 2021 Book Haul


So, it appears my small book hauls of the beginning of this year are over seeing as I hauled twenty-four books in October. Oops? I will be honest, I was not smart with book buying this month but I can't bring myself to be upset about any of them as I'm excited about all the books that I hauled this month. I will admit, I got a bit carried away after all the articles about the fact there's going to be a book shortage later in the year. So, I got a bunch of books I've been looking forward to and a bunch of cool special editions as well. But, seeing as I have a lot to get through, let's go ahead and just dive straight in?



The first book that I got was The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. This is a book that has risen in popularity a lot lately and I've heard a lot of good things about. It's been on my to-read list for a long time and I even have the ebook. However, this book got picked up by a traditional publisher and will now be published with a new format and cover. While I am excited about that, I also love this cover so I wanted to snag a copy before it went out of print and became impossible to find. 


Up next, I have the Throne of Glass eight-book paperback box set. I have been wanting the US paperbacks for years now, and I actually figured out that the box set was significantly cheaper than buying all the books on their own. So I took the hit and got the set all at once. I'm very happy that I have these and I can't wait to start rereading the series and annotating the heck out of these books.

Then I picked up Rick Riordan's new book, Daughter of the Deep. This is his newest book and one of few not set in the PJATO universe. This is a Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea-inspired story and a standalone, if I'm not mistaken. I picked up the UK hardcover and it's absolutely stunning! The UK hardcovers of Rick's books are taller and shinier than the US ones and, while overall I prefer the US editions for the PJATO universe, I do love this edition a lot. 

I managed to snag an amazing secondhand deal with the Waterstones exclusive hardcover of Catwoman by Sarah J. Maas. I've been wanting this edition for a while, but not enough to actually pay the prices that it mostly sells for. However, I was just browsing one day and found this copy for an amazing price! It's in almost perfect condition and is signed by the queen herself. If you know me, you know that I like to collect Sarah J. Maas editions and I'm thrilled to add this to my collection. 

Next I picked up Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. This entire trilogy was on sale for less than $3 (after conversion) and I couldn't help myself. I was able to get the entire trilogy for less than the cost of just one of them at regular price. The first two I managed to get in September but this last one wasn't available until this month. It's lovely having all three on my shelf and I can't wait to actually dive into these gorgeous books. 

Then I grabbed the UK hardcover of Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco before it goes out of print. This hardcover is slightly different from the US one, but seeing as I'm living in the UK now and will get the others in the series in the UK edition, I wanted to have a matching first book. I also now am able to reread it easily before diving into the sequel.

Speaking of the sequel, I did pick up the signed Waterstones edition of Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco. It has gorgeous blue sprayed edges and I'm really happy with it. I'm not quite sure when I'm going to dive into this sequel, though, as I've heard there is a cliffhanger and I might just want to wait until the final book is out next year before putting myself through that. Either way, I'm glad to have this special edition in my collection now. 

Another new release that I was able to grab was a signed copy of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. This is one of my most anticipated reads and I do hope that I'm able to get to it before the end of the year as I've heard so many amazing things about it from everyone who has read it. Chinese-inspired fantasy with a badass female main character and a poly romance? Count me in! 

Then I snagged the paperback of Lightbringer by Claire Legrand. I collect different editions of the Empirium trilogy and this is the final book. The paperback just released and I, of course, had to grab a copy. I brought my paperback editions of the first two books with me to London so now I have the full trilogy in paperback and ready for me to binge-read so that I can finally get to Lightbringer (I'm scared). 

Up next, I picked up The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. I've heard nothing but amazing things about this romance and it has a bunch of my favorite tropes in it so I couldn't help but take the plunge and grab the paperback when I saw it was available here. I anticipate that I'll read this very soon, but I'm not sure if I'll manage to get to it before the end of the year. Either way, I'm quite excited.

Then I grabbed Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas. This is one that I actually read as an ebook and decided I needed a paperback copy of (a theme you might see throughout the rest of this haul). I read this book in one sitting and had a great time reading it. I can't wait to reread it and annotate this paperback because there were definitely some moments I read where I wished that I had a highlighter and pen to mark up this book with.

In similar fashion, I picked up Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas after I read the ebook and loved it. This book is over 500 pages and I read it in one sitting (and loved it, obviously). This book is messy and drama-filled and I loved every moment of it. I knew the moment I finished it that I needed to have a copy on my bookshelves. This is Penelope's first sapphic novel, too, and I was really happy to read it.

Then I snagged a copy of Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko. This was also on sale like Bitterblue and I've heard a lot of great things about this book from very trusted sources. Not only that, but I read somewhere that it's being adapted for screen? I, of course, want to read it before then so when I saw it on sale for so cheap I snagged it pretty quickly. 

Up next, I managed to find a hardcover of The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout in stock here in the UK. It's rare to find hardcovers of this series when you're not at Barnes & Noble in the US (which doesn't ship to the UK, FYI) so when I saw it available here I jumped on it. I want to collect this series and the prequel series in the hardcovers because they're a better format than the brick-like paperbacks. Also, it doesn't hurt that I loved this book! 

Like earlier, I picked up a copy of Dear Love, I Hate You by Eliah Greenwood after reading the ebook and loving it. I gave this book 5 stars and it is definitely one of my favorites of the year. I cannot wait to reread it (probably soon, if I'm being honest) and devour the rest of this author's books. I highly recommend looking into this if you're looking for a booktok romance book that's actually good! I cannot wait for the sequel to come out next year! 

I was then able to snag an ARC of Furyborn by Claire Legrand in a trade (cover does not match this picture). This is the Fairyloot ARC version, which means it was printed in the UK with stiffer binding and a shiny cover instead of matte. The differences are so slight that it was a low-priority ARC for me to add to my collection, but I always knew that if I was able to, I wanted to get it for my collection. As luck would have it, I managed to get a copy this month! 

The last book I hauled in October was The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. I read this as an ebook before buying this paperback just like with multiple books earlier in this haul. This was a wonderful, spooky romance that was perfect for reading during October and Halloween season. I knew I wanted to add a copy to my shelves and I have no doubt that I'll be reading this in multiple Halloween seasons to come! 



Well, are your eyes tired yet? Because my wrists are tired from all the typing I just did. Either way, those were the twenty-four books that I hauled in October. Spot any favorites? Any books you're excited for? Let me know in the comments!



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Wednesday, November 10, 2021

October 2021 Wrap-Up


Well, compared to August and September, October was a fantastic reading month. Definitely not the best reading month I've ever had but it was the best reading month of 2021 so far and I am so proud of that. I've found reading very hard for over a year now, so the fact that I was able to read so many books in October makes me very happy! I also enjoyed most of the books I read and found a few new favorites of all time, which I am quite glad about. Hopefully, I can keep up this streak in November but, for now, let's dive into the nine books that I read in October! 


1.
Title: Tryst Six Venom 
Author: Penelope Douglas
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review TK

2. 
Title: Punk 57
Author: Penelope Douglas
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review TK

3. 
Title: Corrupt
Author: Penelope Douglas
Rating: 2 // 5 stars

4. 
Title: The Ex Hex
Author: Erin Sterling 
Rating: 4.25 // 5 stars
Review TK

5.  
Title: These Violent Delights
Author: Chloe Gong
Rating: 4 // 5 stars 
Review TK

6. 
Title: Our Violent Ends
Author: Chloe Gong
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK

7. 
Title: Dear Love, I Hate You
Author: Eliah Greenwood 
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK

8. 
Title: Sweet Obsession
Author: Callie Rose
Rating: 2.5 // 5 stars
Review TK

9. 
Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Tuesday, November 9, 2021

August & September 2021 Wrap-Up + Haul


Hello everyone! It has been quite a long time since I was here on my blog and a lot has happened in that time. I moved to London, I started my postgraduate degree, and I read some books. I haven't read as many books as I would have liked, but I am also happy with the fact I wasn't forcing myself to read when I wasn't feeling it. 

The months of August and September saw me read very few books, hence why I put these two months together for this backdated wrap-up and haul. I did haul quite a few more books than I read (which wasn't hard to do). However, with how upended my life was in those two months, I think it's pretty explainable why I only managed to read two books but haul quite a few more. I hauled almost twenty-eight books in August and September, but we'll get into that after we discuss what books I actually managed to read.


I only managed to read two books in August and September, and both of them were actually at the very beginning of August. Then I fell into a reading slump that lasted over two months. However, I did enjoy the two books I read in this time (which I knew I would seeing as they were rereads). 

1. 
Title: A Life of Shadows
Author: Kristen Banet
Rating: 4.5/5 stars 
-reread-


2. 
Title: A Heart of Shame
Author: Kristen Banet
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
-reread-


In comparison to how many books I read in August and September, the number of books I hauled absolutely blows them out of the water. I hauled twenty-eight books in the two months, though I do have a good explanation for those. The first is that it was my birthday in August (woo) and the second is that I had been ordering books to my boyfriend in London for over a year but didn't actively haul them until I got back this September. Eight of the books I got were ordered a long time ago. After that, the breakdown is three in August and seventeen in September. This is still a large number but I'm happy with that as many of them were on sale for very cheap (as in 1/4 of the usual price). 

Anyway, I am not going to be getting into every single book as that would take way too much time and energy that I do not have. Instead, I'm going to list them by month with the title, author, and any special attributes to them. Enjoy! 

August
  1. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (paperback)
  2. Destined by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (hardcover)
  3. Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan (hardcover--for an amazing thrifted price!) 
September
  1. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (UK hardcover)
  2. Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan (UK hardcover)
  3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (UK paperback)
  4. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor (UK paperback)
  5. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (UK paperback)
  6. Witchshadow by Susan Dennard (UK hardcover)
  7. The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (Fairyloot Exclusive hardcover)
  8. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (international paperback)
  9. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (UK paperback)
  10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (UK paperback)
  11. Fire by Kristin Cashore (UK paperback)
  12. This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada (Waterstones paperback)
  13. This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada (Waterstones paperback)
  14. This Vicious Cure by Emily Suvada (Waterstones paperback)
  15. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (10th Anniversary Edition)
  16. Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova (UK paperback)
  17. Illusionary by Zoraida Córdova (US advance reader's copy)
Pre-Arrival to London
  1. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (Fairyloot Exclusive hardcover)
  2. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas (Waterstones paperback)
  3. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (UK hardcover)
  4. Lore by Alexandra Bracken (UK paperback)
  5. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (UK hardcover)
  6. Teen Wolf: Bite Me Comics #1-3
  7. Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova (UK hardcover)
  8. Illusionary by Zoraida Córdova (Fairyloot Exclusive hardcover)


Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

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