Saturday, February 6, 2021

December '20 & January '21 Book Haul


Hello everyone! I hope your winter season has been going well (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere like me). I took a bit of a break from social media and whatnot so today I have a combined book haul that covers both December and January! I got a wide range of books these past couple of months and am super excited about all of them. Out of the eight books I got, some were gifts, some were sent to me for review, and some I bought myself!



The first book that I got back at the beginning of December was Stay With Me by Jessica Cunsolo. This is the sequel to She's With Me which was one of my favorite books I'd ever read on Wattpad. The series is now being traditionally published and I'm so excited that this sequel is, at last, out and in my hands so that I can finally see what happens after the events of book one. 

The second book I got was A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir. This is the fourth and final book in the An Ember in the Ashes Quartet and I am so excited and also so nervous that it's finally here. I haven't yet read the third book because I've been waiting on this final release in order to binge the series. Now that I have all four in my possession, I am excited to reread the first two and finally finish the rest. It's definitely scary, though, as I've heard this series causes readers pain. 

The third book I got was a gift from my boyfriend's parents for Christmas and it is King of Fools by Amanda Foody. I am incredibly excited to finally have a copy of this book as I've heard nothing but amazing things about this series! I'm already planning a series binge for these books sometime this spring and I hope I can actually make it happen!

The next book I got was the Fairyloot edition of Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova. This was one of my favorite books of 2020 and I set out to collect a bunch of different editions a few months ago. I found this Fairyloot edition for super cheap on eBay and had it shipped to my boyfriend's house to avoid massive shipping costs. Now that I finally have it in my hands I can definitely say it's even prettier in person! I can only hope that I'll be able to snag the matching edition for book two!

In January, I didn't actually get very many books until the last week or so of the month. The first of these books that I got was The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon, specifically the indie signed exclusive edition. I knew the moment these editions were announced that I needed to snag one since they were so pretty! The black cover is stunning and I'm so excited to add another signed Samantha Shannon book to my shelves. My one inner debate at the moment, though, is whether to binge the series up till this most recent book now or wait a few more years for the series to be complete? 

The next book I got was sent to me for review as part of a blog tour in February and that is Hot British Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce. I was so excited to be picked for this tour because this book sounded so fun. Also, I have a hot British boyfriend of my own so I couldn't help but laugh at the parallels in that regard. Hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as I think I will!

The last two books I got in January were the new hardcover editions of A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. I already had the second book from my birthday last year and am so excited to have these matching editions. While I wasn't initially that pleased about the cover change, I do have to say that the covers are growing on me, especially in person! I really wanted to finally get these for my collection so that I could reread and annotate them into the lead up to the next book's release in February!



Well, those are all of the books that I got in December and January! I have a feeling that February is going to be a very large haul for many reasons and I can't wait to share it with all of you at the end of the month! 

Did you get any exciting books over the holiday season? Let me know in the comments below!



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Friday, February 5, 2021

January 2021 Wrap-Up


The first month of 2021 is already over and what a month it was. A lot happened, both personally and worldwide, and I didn't get much reading done. I'm 100% okay with that, however, as I'm making an effort this year not to force myself into reading. I did read three books this month and made progress on three others, so let's just dive in!




BOOKS READ
1. 
Title: She's With Me
Author: Jessica Cunsolo
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

2. 
Title: Her Reasons
Author: J.L. Akins
Rating: 2.5 // 5 stars

3. 
Title: Impetuous
Author: Mercedes Jade
Rating: 3 // 5 stars



BLOG POSTS




Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Blog Tour: "The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes" by Francesca Burke


Hello everyone and welcome to another blog tour! Today I am so excited to be bringing you "The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes." This is an exciting novel filled with magic, adventure, and more! If you've been following my blog for a while, you might remember when Francesca did a guest post on my blog back when the novel was releasing chapter-by-chapter on her patreon. If you'd like to check that post out after this one, you can find it here



SYNOPSIS

Welcome to the fairy tale world of the Three Kingdoms. One magical island. Three monarchies buckling under political tensions. No chance of anyone acting how they would in a bedtime story.

The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes: the fairy tale you wish you’d read before some old guy with questionable ethics ruined the genre.

Author Francesca Burke’s debut novel The Princess
and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes is a young adult fantasy in which unwieldy teens embark on non-health-and-safety-approved quests through their magical, politically conflicted island home, the Three Kingdoms, and uncover secrets that risk destroying the kingdoms
completely.

 At just 196 pages, The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes explores modern day issues including political tension, cultural diversity and the difficulties of adolescence through the lens of the magic and societies of the Three Kingdoms. Princess Amelia’s home, the Kingdom of Mirrors, is on its knees, ravaged by the cantankerous Sapphire Dragon. Amelia must find a way to rid her country of its unwelcome guest and work out how to restore its fortunes before her parents marry her off to clear the kingdom’s debts. Prince Richard of the Valley of Dreams knows he’s not very heroic… he’d rather read about quests than actually go on one. But when he finds himself travelling to a haunted tower, he discovers a treacherous conspiracy that could rip the Three Kingdoms apart… and learns there might be some heroism tucked up his sleeve after all. Esme Delacroix is a psychic living in Stormhaven, the only part of the Three Kingdoms where magic is taboo. A terrifying vision sends Esme and her friend Violet on a perilous quest that shakes Stormhaven and the Three Kingdoms to its core.

 Initially published in 2019 on Francesca’s Patreon, ‘The No. 1 Reader’s Club,’ and on her blog, as well as on WattPad and Archive of Our Own, The Princess and the Dragon and Other Stories About Unlikely Heroes was partially funded by patronage and has been well received by early readers, with reviews describing it as ‘reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’.



MEET FRANCESCA BURKE

Born in Rochford in 1995, Francesca Burke decided at an early age that the worlds inside books and television were infinitely preferable to the real one. Initially put off the idea of being a writer because it requires one to sit alone and ignore people, she now finds sitting alone and ignoring people to be the most satisfying parts of the job. She lives in Southend-onSea.

FACEBOOK     |     INSTAGRAM     |     TWITTER     |     TUMBLR
BLOG     |     PATREON     |     KO-FI     |     WEBSITE     |     WRITING BLOG



PURCHASE LINKS

Purchase a copy from numerous retailers OR check it out for free from a digital library here!

Get an ARC via BookSprout!



Follow along with the rest of the tour here!



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

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Use LAUREN10 for a discount on beautiful bookish and custom bookmarks from Total Bookish Eclipse!

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