terrifyinglyficional: May 2018

I Had So Much Fun Doing This - Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt

Here I am with another tag post!

This tag was created by TheLibraryofSarah on Youtube and the purpose of this tag is in the name! It's a scavenger hunt throughout your bookshelves! There's a list of things you need to look for, and you basically need to find as many books on your shelves that relate to an item on the list.

This is something really fun and new to me and I hope you all have fun reading it!

Here's the list:

- Find an author's name or a title with the letter Z in it.

- Find a classic.

- Find a book with a key on it.

- Find something on your book shelf that is not a book.

- Find the oldest book on your shelf.

- Find a book with a girl on the cover.

- Find a book with a boy on the cover.

- Find a book that has an animal in it.

- Find a book with a male protagonist.

- Find a book with only words on it.

- Find a book with illustrations in it.

- Find a book with gold lettering.

- Find a diary. (true or false)

- Find a book with someone with a common name. (like Smith)

- Find a book that has a close up of something on it.

- Find a book that takes place in the earliest time period.

- Find a hardcover book without a jacket.

- Find a teal/turquoise coloured book.

- Find a book with stars on it.

- Find a non YA book.

- Find the longest book you own.

- Find the shortest book you own.

- Find a book with multiple POVs.

- Find a shiny book.

- Find a book with flowers on it.

Find an author's name or a title with the letter Z in it.

Of course I had to pick the Maze Runner as it is actually very difficult to find anything with the letter Z in it.

Find a classic.

I have many classics but I've decided to stick with this one as I love these editions so much! Also love Robin Hood!

Find a book with a key on it.

I have two, which surprised me, honestly! I also have one more, I believe it's a sequel to Key of Light but decided to keep it as one per author.

Find something on your book shelf that is not a book.

Funko Pop!s are the most common thing to find on my shelves that aren't books. This is my favourite chase Funko of Georgie with the cut off arm which is what I wasn't expecting to get as they are so rare, especially when everyone is looking for Georgie (lol) but I'm so happy EB Games sent me the chase instead of the original one by surprise! I also have my two adoptions of IT on DVD that are displayed on my IT shelf!

Find the oldest book on your shelf.

Magic Tree House was the first ever set of chapter books I read in Kindergarten. Yes, Kindergarten. I remember reading this book specifically over and over. I keep it for sentimental value.

Find a book with a girl on the cover.

Of course I had to include one of my favourite series ever with the cover of one of my favourite badass assassins!

Find a book with a boy on the cover.

I know the most common answer for this is Harry Potter, so I wanted to pick a different book that wasn't very common. Although, I'm going to assume this is a guy because the main character is a guy.

Find a book that has an animal in it.

A Song of Ice and Fire series is well known for their infamous animals: dragons and dire wolves!

Find a book with a male protagonist.

I chose Red Rising because it is my current obsession. It also has a main character who is male, named Darrow.

Find a book with only words on it.

I suppose this is quite obvious. I found it quite difficult to find covers with just words on it.

Find a book with illustrations in it.

I picked The Language of Thorns because it does indeed have a beautiful illustration at the end of each novella!

Here is a little example. I think it's one of my favourite illustrations from the whole book. Also, if you read the Red Rising series, doesn't this give you female Sevro vibes?

Find a book with gold lettering.

I'm realizing now that it is very easy to find books with gold lettering. Earlier, while I was looking for books, I found it quite difficult. Now I'm finding multiple books with gold letters.

Find a diary.

I used to be obsessed with these books in high school. They are basically journals by kids who had something they were struggling with: drug addiction, cult, eating disorder etc. and were edited and published anonymously. I don't know it they are actually true. But I like to believe so.

Find a book with someone with a common name.

I'm sorry Angie Thomas but Thomas is indeed a common name.

Find a book that has a close up of something on it.

From a Buick 8 portrays a close up Buick on the cover and I thought it would be a perfect choice!

Find a book that takes place in the earliest time period.

Outlander takes place in the 18th Century. I'm not sure if this is the earlier time period from books I own, but it is pretty early.

Find a hardcover book without a jacket.

I know people might be convinced that I took the jacket off because I am vey specific with how my books look, but this book indeed doesn't have a jacket. It used to be my sister's copy of Angel Fall by Nora Roberts which she gave to me. I'm not sure if she bought it without a jacket or lost it, but I hide it on my little brown shelf so no one can see it.

Find a teal/turquoise coloured book.

When I read this topic on the list, I automatically thought of this book. How could you forget this beautiful cover anyways?

Find a book with stars on it.

I had to be a little clever with this one. I don't think I own any books with stars on them (besides Harry Potter which has stars in the writing) so I chose Stars Above. Technically, it does have stars on it.

Find a non YA book.

I do have quite a selection of non-Young Adult books and I know my instinct is usually King books. Well, technically this is a King book. It's his son's.

Find the longest book you own.

I have a tie between the longest books I own. The Stand (Complete and Uncut) and IT both have around 1153 pages.

Find the shortest book you own.

I kind of cheated with this one. The shortest books I own are the Magic Tree House books, which I own multiple of but I wanted to stray away from using books twice. This is also a book I would read currently opposed to the Magic Tree House books which I just own for sentimental value. I do love the Beatles very much, so when I heard John Lennon has his own book, I definitely bought it right away.

Find a book with multiple POVs.

The 5th Wave has multiple POVs, although I can only remember two. (I do believe there is at least 3 POVs though)

Find a shiny book.

Revival by Stephen King has a holographic cover which is definitely very shiny. This photo doesn't do it justice.

Find a book with flowers on it.

And lastly, I picked this series (I think) as a book with covers on it.. except, they are multiple books! This topic I did have a bit of trouble with as well, but I'm so happy I found these covers on my shelves as well!

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, by jessreadsalatte

My First Bookish Tag! - Reading Habits Tag

So I noticed lately most of my posts are reviews and it can be a little boring constantly reading about my thoughts on books.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I have yet to start my BookTube channel so until then, everything I would post on there, I'll be posting on my blog!

I've been meaning to start a new little segment, like Jess' Bookish Advice and Writing With Jess, where I do tags!

Tags are really popular in the BookTube community; it's basically a series of topics and rules in which you have to follow.

Since it's my first tag and I thought I haven't fully introduced myself, I thought it'd be a great idea -- as well as a fun one to do the Reading Habits Tag.

This tag was created by TheBookJazz, although I haven't been able to find her video. I actually found this idea from DreamlandBookBlog and her edition is here.

So the point of this tag is to answer all the questions about your reading habits! DreamlandBookBlog added the Readabits Tag as well and thought minus well do it alongside!

Here are the questions:

Reading Habits

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/a certain amount of pages?

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

6. One book at a time or several at once?

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

9. Do you read ahead of skip pages?

10. Breaking spines or keeping it like new?

11. Do you write in your books?

Readabits

1. When do you find yourself reading? Morning, afternoon, evening, whenever you get the chance or all the time?
2. What is your best setting to read in?
3. What do you do first: read or watch?
4. What form do you prefer: Audiobook, E-Book or Physical Book?
5. Do you have a unique habit when you read?
6. Do book series have to match?

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I can read anywhere, honestly. But my favourite places to read are in my comfy chair in my Home Library and in my bed! So Comfy!

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Bookmark, unless I don't have one on me. Then anything can be a bookmark from there.

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/a certain amount of pages?

I definitely have to stop at chapters or else it drives me nuts. I hate stopping in the middle of a page.

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

It depends. Some days I eat while I read. Some days I don't. Although I looooove drinking tea or coffee while I read! Hot or cold!

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

Music while I read -- as long as it is nice and mellow! TV, though? Impossible.

6. One book at a time or several at once?

Several.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

Mostly at home, but I try to read everywhere.

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Depends. When I'm by myself then I whisper what I'm reading. If not, in my head.

9. Do you read ahead of skip pages?

NEVER

10. Breaking spines or keeping it like new?

Keeping it brand new! Unless their spines are already cracked..

11. Do you write in your books?

Not usually, no.

1. When do you find yourself reading? Morning, afternoon, evening, whenever you get the chance or all the time?

All the time, really lol

2. What is your best setting to read in?

I love rainy days, personally. But as long as I am in a comfy location, with a nice diffuser scent and some tea or latte, I am okay!

3. What do you do first: read or watch?

I try to convince myself that I read first, but most of the time I watch.

4. What form do you prefer: Audiobook, E-Book or Physical Book?

I like all but physical book is my favourite. I love the feel of a book in my hands.

5. Do you have a unique habit when you read?

I don't really think so, really. I think I am an average, boring reader lol

6. Do book series have to match?

OF COURSE!

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, by jessreadsalatte

Are You Ready For The Tea? - A Court of Frost and Starlight Review

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Frost and Starlight or ACOFAS is a novella from the A Court of Thorns and Roses "series" which occurs after A Court of Wings and Ruin and revolves around the Winter Solstice. It bridges the first three books and the upcoming spin-off books.

If you want to read my reviews for the previous books, they will be here: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin.

Are you ready for the tea?

I know I've heard so many mixed reviews and with mine, people who really enjoyed this will probably not like it, but my opinion is my opinion and your opinion is yours; I'm not judging.

I also want to make a disclaimer that I an fully aware that this is a novella and not a full novel.

I expressed a bit of how I felt in the A Court of Thorns and Roses Facebook group but if you aren't a part of that, then I suppose my opinion now will be the first you'll hear it.

A Court of Frost and Starlight was okay.

Personally, I find the Throne of Glass series to be much more interesting and intriguing than the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I find that after ACOMAF, the series started going downhill.

Typically, I love Sarah J Maas' writing. If you read my reviews of the previous books, or even of the books I've reviewed so far from the Throne of Glass series, I always mention how much I love Sarah's writing. And I truly do. I find her writing to be best with the Fantasy genre.

But I noticed that with A Court of Frost and Starlight, her writing isn't as intricate -- yes, again, I am fully aware it is a novella and isn't supposed to be a big wow-factor but so many authors have written Fantasy novellas and they are beautiful -- including Sarah's previous novella collection: The Assassin's Blade which was not only phenomenal but essential to the plot. To me, ACOFAS felt almost like a fun read. The writing style to me felt almost like a Christmas fanfic of the Inner Circle.

It isn't necessarily bad. But it isn't good either. I found parts to be very cute especially between Feyre and Rhys whom I love so much. I also loved the gift exchange and the possible relationships in the next coming novels.

I think A Court of Frost and Starlight wasn't necessary. With it, it's a fun read; without it, it's whatever.

Character-wise, I still dislike Nesta. I know a lot of people are defending her because she is broken and I understand that but I never liked Nesta; let alone either of Feyre's sister's, but I do find Elain to be more manageable. There is a trigger warning for alcohol abuse if that makes you uncomfortable as well.

One of the things I did love though is that Cassian, technically has his own Point of View. He does get chapters which basically revolve around him but it is written in third person opposed to Feyre and Rhys who is written in first person -- I thought it was weird but I'm not complaining, Cass having his own POV made my heart happy.

Overall, this book was okay. Not my favourite. Not essential. I could honestly live without it.

I'd love to know your thoughts on A Court of Frost and Starlight though. Let me know in the comments or on my post on Instagram! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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, by jessreadsalatte

The Ending Killed Me - A Court of Wings and Ruin Review

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

The third book in the A Court of Thrones and Roses series, follows Feyre as she returns to the Spring Court to retrive information on why Tamlin is trying to bring Prythian down to its knees.

My thoughts for this novel is kind of in the middle.

It isn't as great as A Court of Mist and Fury, but it isn't as bad as A Court of Thorns and Roses. Which, by the way, if you would like to read my reviews for the both of them, ACOTAR will be linked here and ACOMAF will be linked here.

As always, the writing style is phenomenal. I always say this but I do quite enjoy Sarah J Maas' writing especially when it comes to Fantasy, I think that is her element.

She also does a very well job as bringing out characters. I think I say this often, but a lot of the time when a book has multiple characters, the characters' personalities start to fade, or they tend to not stick out and the readers forget which character is known for what, etc.

But I feel like Sarah J Maas thinks her characters out so well that you know what characters are talking.

Something that really wrecked me was the ending. I don't want to say too much because I want to keep it on the non-spoiler side, but the ending wrecked me.

I suppose it was expected since I love Rhysand so much, he's one of my all time favourite male characters in literature. But the way it was written and also incredibly unexpected, really tore me apart.

I also really loved how you can tell the growth between all the characters; Rhys and Feyre especially. But also with the Inner Circle. I feel like generally, the relationships and the characters have grown vastly since the last ACOMAF.

The reason why it wasn't as good as the previous book was because of pacing. I wouldn't say it was as bad as ACOTAR because of the characters, per se (ugh, I still strongly dislike Tamlin) but because it wasn't as eventful as other Maas books.

To me, this novel had suspenseful parts, yes indeed. But at other times, it was incredibly slow. I know for some, they've given up on this series because of this book. Personally, I still love this series but I do wish this was written like other Maas books!

And because the ending wrecked me so bad, and this is the last book in the series -- kind of, I'll explain in the next ACOTAR review, I was indeed content with the ending. It was a heartbreaking one, that is for sure. But I feel like it was also a good one.

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, by jessreadsalatte

Is He A Better Horror Writer Than His Dad?! - NOS4A2 Review

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

NOS4A2 follows our main character Victoria "Vic" McQueen who is able to cross the bridge called The Shorter Way which leaves her to a completely different land. From there she meets multiple people, including Charlie Manx, a man who likes to pick up children to "save" them. Vic is the only child able to to escape from Manx and his carnival-like playground, Christmasland. But fast-forward a couple years, when Vic believes she has gotten rid of Manx. She hasn't. He takes Vic's son to Christmasland where she tries to save him.

I absolutely loved his book.

Very similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas and Krampus theme, this definitely serves as a Christmas horror.

To start off, the mixed worlds between original reality and Christmasland is very simple, which I'd much rather prefer. Most of the time, stories have this unrealistic, fantasy element of traveling from one area to another. It's usually something ridiculous like taking a spaceship or something.

With The Shorter Way and having Charlie Manx pick up kids through his car, it's not only simple but also realistic.

No, biking over a bridge to another world isn't necessarily something that happens in reality but it does serve a simple and easy element of travel.

The realistic part I was thinking of is a man picking up kids in his car. This portrays Stranger Danger and Kid Kidnapping in modernized society, yet blended into a unrealistic world.

I found that my most favourite part was the characters.

Charlie Manx is a very interesting villain. He is twisted, creepy and terrifying yet he's also very vulnerable as he longs for acceptance. Manx is surely a villain I found such a great fascination for as he was surely well written in a greater aspect. I really wish we got more of a back story with him though, but I do still think Manx as a character is still fine without it.

Vic is also a very interesting character, I found. Coming from the tragic background she has had, most would think Vic would become someone evil as well. Yet her heart is so full, she is full of compassion and might I mention she is badass. I genuinely loved her character. If I were to relate her character to anyone, I'd say her character really reminds me of Maggie Greene from The Walking Dead. Badass with a big heart.

The world in which Joe Hill created, this Christmasland is creepy yet amusing. The thought of having Christmasland like an amusement park sounds almost friendly and welcoming. But don't be fooled, this place is just as creepy and dangerous as depicted in the horror films.

I think thats what makes it the best world developing element. I get very similar vibes to Joe Hill's father Stephen King's novel IT where there is a friendly like creature who actually is vicious.

Which by the way, if you read my reviews often or you are a fan of Stephen King, you'd know he likes to make references to each of in novels, in his novels. Well Joe Hill is surely catching on as there are some IT references in this novel as well.

When it comes to writing, most would want to compare Joe Hill and his father's writing. And honestly, they are both phenomenal writers: especially in the horror genre.

I think Joe Hill gets a lot of the writing styles he possess from his father, but they are definitely not the same.

In my honest opinion, I feel as although they are both amazing writers, there isn't really an option as to which author is better. It's more of Stephen King is the horror writer of the older generation whilst Joe Hill can easily continue his father's legacy with the newer generation.

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, by jessreadsalatte

Is This Young Adult?! - A Court of Mist and Fury Review

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury or ACOMAF is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series which follows the events happening in the first book.

I did a review on the first book which will be linked here if you want to read it.

This is most definitely my favourite book of them all, so far.

I find this novel, opposed to the last one, to be more suspenseful. Of course it has so many more pages, but I feel as if each page was usefully made and plot lines did make sense together.

Typically books this long would run on a certain points but I felt like this book as a whole was evenly suspenseful.

As always, the writing in this is so beautiful. I always say this but I love Sarah J Maas' writing when it comes to Fantasy because I feel as if her writing fits the genre so well. We get to see more of the world and how it expands.

I also felt like you got a better understanding of all the characters in this book. I found myself to only be connected to Feyre in the last novel. Like I didn't feel as if I liked any of the other characters when it came to ACOTAR.

Once I read this novel, I started to become more familiar with the Inner Circle, with Rhysand, and everyone else.

Might I mention, I absolutely love Rhysand and Feyre's relationship expanding in this novel. Rhysand is one of my favourite male characters in any book -- hence the print I have of him and I really loved the fact that from here on end, we get to see more of Rhys.

There is a little steamy scene between Rhys and Feyre near the end of the novel: fans of this series knows exactly what I'm talking about. But it is very specific and it kind of has you questioning whether or not this novel should be considered Young Adult.

Personally, it wasn't a problem for me, but thats a little heads up for the younger readers.

I really felt like I disliked Tamlin a lot more in this novel, as if that was even possible. But every scene he was mentioned, I felt the need to roll my eyes.

Personally, I found this book to be a huge game changer. After reading ACOTAR, a lot of readers, I'd think, wouldn't be into this series. But I promise you, once you have read this book, you will be hooked and holding on for dear life.

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, by jessreadsalatte

I READ 16 BOOKS?! - April Wrap Up

So I realized that a lot of you would have expected me to release my BookTube by now and well, I'm still a BookTube virgin.

I've come across so many instances which prevented myself from making a BookTube account, therefore, a lot of my video ideas will be displayed through my blog until later on.

With that being said, I did a poll on Instagram on whether or not my lovely readers would like me to do monthly Wrap Ups and a lot of you said yes.

With my wrap ups, they will not be reviews as they will be separate posts. It'll be more like a brief description followed by a brief opinion on the books I've read that month.

And now, here is my first Wrap Up of the 16 books I read in April!

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

This book follows our young protagonist who basically gets lost in the woods and she has to portray her survival knowledge to save herself. This has become one of my favourite King reads as it brought more psychological horrors than "scary horror" and I loved it. Definitely so underrated.

On Writing by Stephen King

On Writing is a part memoir, part writing advice novel written by King which I also loved as it not only gave very insightful writing advice, but also unlocked a very interesting door to King's personal life.

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King

One of King's sci-fi novels, it follows our main character Bobbi, who finds a box in the floor and decides to dig it up. Turns out its a space shuttle from potential aliens and the whole book follows her whole journey, trying to figure it out. I think this may have been my lowest rating King book as I found it to drag on so much.

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas

This is Maas' collection of novellas relating to the Throne of Glass series, which I honestly kind of regret reading this month. If you haven't read my review yet, the link is here this was my very first time reading The Assassin's Blade. Everything that happens in this novel is prior to the first book in the Throne of Glass series, Throne of Glass and I feel like it would have been a much more enjoyable reading experience if I read this book first and so on. Regardless, I still enjoyed this book.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

One of my re-reads during the month of April, I was preparing for the release of the newest instalment in this series. The first book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses or ACOTAR series, it follows our main character Feyre who accidentally kills a wolf-life creature whilst hunting for food for her poor family. She is then told to stay in a Fae land as retribution. I did a review for this book when I first started blogging and as I speak on my Instagram, I strongly disliked my review and I'm hoping to post a new, more informed review soon!

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

A Middle Grade series following a young boy named Percy Jackson whom finds out he is half demi-god, this is a series I grew up on. There are five books in this series and I happened to have read all of them in 24 hours. Hoping to do a review for this series as well, very soon. I don't really want to review each book individually because I feel like I'll be repetitive though, same for mentioning it in my Wrap Up so I've grouped it by series!

Emergency Contact by Mary HK Choi

One of my most anticipated reads of 2018, Emergency Contact is basically about Sam and Penny whom, both are living very different lives with different negative situations. When they met, they exchange numbers and are digitally inseparable. I had such high expectations for this novel but unfortunately, it wasn't something I truly enjoyed. If you want to read my review for it, it's here.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

To add onto my horror-loving soul, I've decided to read a gory and terrifying Christmas themed horror novel which I loved. NOS4A2 is about Charlie Manx, who likes to pick up kids in his car and take them his amusement park called Christmasland to feed on their souls. Victoria McQueen is one of the lucky kids to escape Manx's Christmasland, but several years later, Vic comes into contact with Manx again when he steals Vic's son. I'll expand more in my review, but NOS4A2 really was the newer generation of Joe Hill's father, Stephen King's IT.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

The horrifying King book follows a family who moves to a new town and behind their house, leads a path to the Pet Sematary where all the children in the neighbourhood bury their beloved pets. When our main character Louis buries his cat, he discovers things more sinister deeper into the woods. Easily has become one of my most favourite King novels.

Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

For those who don't know, I LOVE Stephen King's short story/novella collections. Although, this collection will definitely be added to one of my least favourites as most of the stories, except the Langoliers didn't really stick to me.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, my most favourite and so far, the largest, I re-read this novel to post a review of very soon!

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

And of course, the third book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, which I also re-read for the sake of a review and to prepare myself for the release of A Court of Frost and Starlight which came out on May 1, 2018.