May 2021 Book Haul

 

Hello beautiful people of the internet! I hope you all are doing spectacular and getting the month of June off to a good start. I finally have my May book haul ready to share and I'm so excited about all of these books! I got a total of eight books, with two of them being sent to me and three of them being ones I used a gift card for. I'd say that's a pretty good month! I don't anticipate getting as many in June, but we'll see if that happens! For now, let's just dive into this haul! 

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The first book I picked up this month was a signed copy of Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. I had some stuff to do and stopped into Books A Million with a gift card to treat myself for finishing my degree. I spotted a signed copy of RB and just had to pick it up as I've heard nothing but amazing things. Despite owning almost every single one of Victoria's books, I still haven't read any of them though. I do have high hopes for this book but I'm not sure when I'll get around to reading it. I just couldn't pass up the signed edition. 

The next book I got was Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer. I also got this at Books A Million while I was browsing through the clearance shelves. As this book has been on my wishlist for a while and was only $3, I decided to pick it up with my gift card as well. This has been pitched to me as V.E. Schwab meets Dexter, a show I've enjoyed immensely over the years. That pitch immediately put it on my wishlist and I'm so excited to finally have a copy.

Up next I have my first copy of Illusionary by Zoraida Cordova. This is the sequel to Incendiary, one of my top three books of 2020. This has been one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I'm so excited to finally have my hands on it. Hopefully I'll get around to reading it this summer but, if not, I also have two more copies that I preordered in the UK shipping to my boyfriend's house that I can read once I go abroad this fall. I am so excited to see what happens with these characters and story but also quite sad that this will be the end of the duology. 

The rest of the books I got this month were all Grishaverse books. The first two were the Netflix tie-in editions of Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I was sent these by the publisher for a blog tour I did in collaboration with Terminal Tours. The two books were included in a giant PR package full of Grisha that, quite honestly, made my entire month. I've read both of these books as well and hope to do a series comparison this summer!

The last three books I got were the new paperback editions of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I love these new covers but I wanted to get my hands on ones without the stupid permanent Netflix sticker. It took a few days of searching online but I finally got my hands on a box set for a reasonable price and I'm quite excited. They are the UK editions, so a bit shorter and compact, but that's okay since I primarily got them for the beautiful outside box set covers. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Book Review: "Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Shadow and Bone

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: "The Shadow and Bone Trilogy" #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Page Length: 358 pages

Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Well folks...it finally happened. I finally read Shadow and Bone. In some ways, I wish I had read it sooner. But in other ways, I think this was the perfect time for me to read it. 

I will admit, part of why it took me so long to read it was because the hype is extreme for any of Leigh Bardugo's books. I'd read Six of Crows previously and, while I enjoyed it, I didn't love it. I had to read it for class and that dampened my spirits. So when everyone was saying Six of Crows was a million times better than Shadow and Bone, I'll admit it put me off for a while.

However, with the release of the show in April and all of the hype surrounding it, I started getting more excited. I had been gifted the boxset years ago and I told myself I'd read all the books before the show came out. Obviously, that did not happen. But between the trailer that looked amazing, the hype around the show, and just my own personal interest, I started being drawn more and more towards reading Shadow and Bone.

As I write this, it's only been a few hours since I picked Shadow and Bone off my bookshelf and randomly started reading it out of the blue. If I had not had a night class, I would have devoured the entire book in one sitting. It was exactly what I needed and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.

The characters were interesting and I really enjoyed our main protagonist. I will say that I wish I'd seen more depth to a lot of the other characters, though I can't tell if I just read it too fast or not. I think that with future books this will happen though, so I'm not too worried about this.

One thing about having waited so long to read these books was that I have gotten small spoilers over the years regarding different characters. Combined with trailers and clips from the show that pop up on social media, I had some vague expectations for what things were going to happen. That's why, even though I don't know exact plot or story details, I wasn't surprised when the big plot twist came because I was expected a certain character to do something like that.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I will say that having been exposed to so much discussion about the characters and why people like/dislike different ones definitely impacted how I read it. I subconciously pulled back from connecting with certain characters because I'd heard things about them. I do think it would have been reader if I'd read these years and years ago when I could have avoided spoilers, but I also really enjoyed reading this book at this time in my life.

I have high hopes for the next book. Now that a lot of the stuff I was expecting has been dealt with, I truly have no idea what will happen plot-wise and between most characters (though I still have some suspicions on a few of them). I'm starting the second book today and hopefully will enjoy it even more than I did the first. Hopefully, I'll read these quickly and be able to jump into the show ASAP! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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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!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Blog Tour: "Shadow and Bone" & "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo Netflix Tie-In Editions + Book Tag

 

Hello everyone! Today I am so excited to be bringing you along on the blog tour for the Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone Netflix tie-in editions! If you are unaware, the Grishaverse now has a TV show on Netflix! But before you go binge the show, did you know that you can pick up and read the books that showcase these gorgeous new covers from the show? 

I want to say a big thank you to Terminal Tours and Fierce Reads for sending me an epic package for these new releases! In today's post, you can find a bunch of information about the books and how to purchase them but I've also created a super fun book tag that you can replicate on your own bookish platform! Then, don't forget to check out the rest of the tour here! 

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Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

GOODREADS     |     PURCHASE LINKS

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Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

GOODREADS     |     PURCHASE LINKS

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Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse (coming to Netflix in April) which spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars—with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Ninth House (Goodreads Choice Winner for Best Fantasy 2019) which is being developed for television by Amazon Studios.

Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Southern California, and graduated from Yale University. These days she lives and writes in Los Angeles. For information on new releases and appearances, sign up for Leigh’s newsletter.

WEBSITE     |     TWITTER     |     INSTAGRAM     |     GOODREADS

TUMBLR     |     PINTEREST

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In honor of these gorgeous new Netflix editions releasing, I decided to create a new mini book tag inspired by the books and new show! I tag anyone and everyone who wants to participate on their own bookish platforms!

1: Would You Rather /  Live in Ketterdam or Os Alta? 

2: What's a book even Kaz Brekker would love? 

3: Which popular book boyfriend could take The Darkling in a fight? 

4: Who is your favorite Grisha character?

5: Spinoffs / the Grishaverse has lots of books and series. What's a bookish world you wish had more books set in it? 

6: What's your favorite book to screen adaption? 

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Don't forget to check out the show on Netflix after you're done reading!

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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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!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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