Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Sci-Fi & Fantasy Characters

It's Wednesday guys which means it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday! This week's prompt is all about our favorite science fiction and fantasy characters. Now, this is a bit tough to narrow down because I pretty much read fantasy exclusively but I was able to polish my list. To make it fair, I only decided to include one Sarah J. Maas character from either of her series because otherwise this list would have just been a ranking of my favorite Throne of Glass/ACOTAR characters. Without further ado, let's go ahead and dive in! 

1. Aelin Ashryver Galathynius from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. Without getting into spoilers, I just love Aelin a lot. I found this series at a very tough time in my life and not only did it help me get back into reading when I needed it the most, but I also grew with Aelin. Reading these books as they came out and seeing her growth at the same time I myself was changing was amazing. Overall, I just love how badass she is, how she cares so much for everyone around her, and how unapologetic she is for being herself. 

2. Feyre from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. Not only do I relate to Feyre a lot, but I just loved following her journey in this series and see how she changes. She starts off strong and just turns into a complete badass. She's funny and flawed and I love her for it. 

3. Safiya from the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard. From the moment I first read a scene with her in it I knew that I loved her. She's flawed and makes a lot of mistakes but her heart is pure and her sass is even better. I've loved seeing her journey throughout these books and seeing how she's grown as a person. I cannot wait to see where she ends up. 

4. Nahri from Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. This series is a new recent obsession of mine after I read both of the books that are out in February. I already want to do a reread and I only finished them a couple weeks ago. Either way, these books are addicting and a big part of that is because of Nahri. She's in a very tough situation but she still manages to keep going and work for what is right. Not only that, but she's a badass in her own way. Sure, she probably couldn't be able to take on Aelin in the fighting ring, but she's got so much more than that. 

5. Katy Grant from the Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Katy is another different type of badass. From the moment I read the first book in this series I knew that I loved her character and that was only added onto the farther into the series I went. She's willing to sacrifice everything to save the ones she cares about and she's struggling to help others at every turn. I just wish I could get more of her character but, alas, the series has ended. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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February 2019 Book Haul!

Okay, so I got more books that I expected this month. Like...a lot more. But it's okay because I'm either excited to read them or they were ones I had to pick up for my classes this semester. In total, I got eleven books in February but I'm hoping that number goes down in March. I think it will since I'm not planning on getting any March releases and I just have a couple school books to get. Let's just dive straight in!

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The first two books I got were from the January Beacon Book Box which arrived a little bit into February. The first book was an advanced copy of A Pack of Blood and Lies by Olivia Wildenstein and the second was Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer. I've heard good things about these books from people who've read them and they definitely sound like books 13 year old me would love.

The next book I got was a UK hardcover of Windwitch by Susan Dennard. I started reading the Witchlands series a couple months ago and I fell in love. I'd gotten a UK hardcover of the first book in a subscription box and I realized that I wanted my editions to match, so I scoured the internet for someone who was selling the out-of-print hardcover of Windwitch for a reasonable price. Luckily, I found one and it came in very good condition! It's so beautiful on my shelf, too.

Then I was sent a copy of Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen by Book Publicity Services. This is a middle grade novel that I wasn't sure about but then I read the synopsis and figured that it was right up my alley. It deals with fantasy and bookshops and so much more. I'll be reading and reviewing this book in March and I'm super excited!

The next book I got was The Cerulean by Amy Ewing from the February Beacon Book Box. I've heard a lot of people talking about this book and it was on my radar for the past few months so I'm pretty excited to read it! I'm not quite sure what it's about but the cover is definitely gorgeous.

Next, I received one of my preorders of Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard that I ordered from the Good Choice Reading virtual signing. I was super excited for this because I absolutely loved Bloodwitch when I read the arc and I really wanted a signed book from Susan. Plus, there was a gorgeous art print and a set of pins that were thrown in with our orders that I was not expecting but absolutely love!

The next book I have was a spur-of-the-moment buy, which I've been trying to avoid lately but couldn't help myself on this one. It's the 10th anniversary edition of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Not only have I heard many people raving about this series over the past few years but I saw a little quote snippet and knew that I had to read it! This edition was actually one of the cheapest I found and it's so gorgeous.

Then I picked up Sula by Toni Morrison and this was for my Women Writing Women literature class. We're currently reading it and it's interesting and definitely not something I'd usually read. There's been some...interesting scenes in the book so far and I definitely appreciate Toni Morrison's creativity for being able to write something so different.

I also picked up a copy of Macbeth for my English Literature course. I actually read this for the first time in high school but I didn't understand it really. I also realized that the literature courses I took in high school were more about just discussing the basics of what happened and who the characters were versus actually analyzing the themes in the play.

Next, I grabbed a copy of I Hate You, Don't Leave Me by Jerold J. Kreisman, MD, and Hal Straus. I'm always seeking to try and understand different mental illnesses and I'd heard that this is a book that a lot of psychologists recommend to those with borderline personality disorder and those who have friends or family with it.

The last book I picked up in February was The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, which is a book I've been super excited about since it was announced. Of course, now that it's actually here I am super intimidated by how big it is, but I'm excited to read it nonetheless. I've heard so many people raving about how good this book was and I just know that anything with fantasy and dragons is right up my alley!

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

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

Beacon Book Box: use the code BOOKSHELF5 for a discount on your order or subscription! 

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Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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February 2019 Wrap-Up!

Somehow February was a very productive month for me! I read nine books, posted a fair amount on my blog and instagram, had a lot to do for school, and watched a lot of Netflix. I'm not quite sure how I managed to get as much done as I did, but I'm excited nonetheless! Without further ado, let's go ahead and dive in!

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BOOKS READ

1. 

Title: Till Death Do Us Part

Author: A.J. Lee

Rating: 3.5 // 5 stars

Review

2.
Title: Sightwitch
Author: Susan Dennard
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review

3.
Title: Guts
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Rating: N/A

Honestly I don't know how to rate this. I'd read an article about how dozens of people passed out at live readings of this short story so I expected to be more shocked/queasy. I kind of expected to pass out. But I didn't. It was definitely disturbing and weird and super gross--not for the faint of heart/those who can't handle guts--but I wasn't as affected as I expected by it.

4.
Title: Astrophil and Stella
Author: Sir Philip Sidney
Rating: N/A--Read for class

Neutral rating because I read this for class. I can, however, say that Astrophil is the literal worst. He's a prick and I would happily punch him where the sun don't shine if he were an actual person and alive instead of an old fictional character. Also, knowing that this sonnet sequence was based off of Sir Philip Sidney's experience with loving a 13-year old girl made me very uncomfortable a lot of the time, especially in the back half of the sequence...especially at the second song

5.
Title: Bloodwitch
Author: Susan Dennard
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

6.
Title: The City of Brass
Author: S.A. Chakraborty
Rating: 4.75 // 5 stars
Review

7.
Title: As You Like It
Author: William Shakespeare
Rating: N/A--read for class

8.
Title: The Kingdom of Copper
Author: S.A. Chakraborty
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

9.
Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

I had such a fun time rereading this book and I'm super excited to move onto the next one. I first read this book back when it came out and fell in love with the characters. When I started reading the second one, though, I got too caught up in college to finish. But I can't wait to continue on now that I'm all refreshed to the events of this book!

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BLOG POSTS

January 2019 Wrap-Up!
Let's Talk: "Till Death Do Us Part" by A.J. Lee
January 2019 Book Haul!
Top 5 Wednesday: Nostalgic Ships
Unboxing: Beacon Book Box's "Spellbound Stories"
Truthwitch Book Tag!
Let's Talk: "Bloodwitch" by Susan Dennard
Top 5 Wednesday: Independent Ladies
Let's Talk: "The City of Brass" by S.A. Chakraborty
Fantasy Book Recommendations!
Let's Talk: "The Kingdom of Copper" by S.A. Chakraborty
Recommending My Favorite TV Shows

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MOVIES/TV SHOWS WATCHED

I re-discovered Hawaii Five-0 last month just after returning from winter break and became obsessed. I ended up watching seasons 2 through 7 (a total of 150 episodes 😱). All I can say is that this show is addicting and I had to watch it that fast before my free trial ran out! I'm still currently catching up as I post this and I love the direction the show has taken.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

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

Beacon Book Box: use the code BOOKSHELF5 for a discount on your order or subscription! 

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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