July 2017 New Release Giveaway Hop

Hey guys! This month I'm again participating in the monthly New Release Giveaway Hop hosted by Shannon over at It Starts at Midnight.

So I'll be giving away a book of your choice released in July 2017, worth $20 or less. The giveaway is open internationally, so long the Book Depository ships to your country.

The Giveaway

Enter here to win one of the new books released this month. This giveaway ends July 31st. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter my other giveaway to win a Shadowhunter necklace! (Open Internationally)

This pretty necklace is inspired by a quote taken from City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. You can enter my giveaway for a chance to win it by clicking here.

Now you can go ahead and hop on to the other blogs which are also participating in this giveaway hop :)

My favorite (and least favorite) books of 2017 so far this year!

Hey guys! With June almost over, we've finally reached the middle of the year. Can you believe it?? Well, today I thought it might be nice to take a look at how my reading year has been so far. Today I'll be sharing with you the books I've been reading, the ones I've loved the most and yes, I'll also be talking about the books that have been a little disappointing. Since this is more of a recap kind of post, I won't be going into too much details about my thoughts on any of those books. I have however included links to each book's Goodreads page, should you feel like reading more about them :)

To begin with, I thought I'd take a look at how well I've been doing on my Goodreads reading challenge. 

I've read 75 books out of my goal of 150 so far, which I'm rather happy about. I'm already halfway through my reading challenge and overall, I've been having quite a good reading year so far. To find out more about the books I've read so far this year, feel free to check out my Goodreads here ^^

My favorite 2017 new release so far

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Yes, I absolutely have to go with A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas for this one. The anticipation before the book's release, the excitement of hitting the bookstore on the release day and finally getting my hands on my own copy... Reading it all night till 8 am and stopping every 2 seconds to scribble more messy notes in my already super messy notebook... I loved ACOWAR and not necessarily the book itself, although I did enjoy it tremendously, but the whole experience around it. I said it before but I don't recall being so excited about a book's release since the Harry Potter days and it was just great to get so fangirlish about a book again :)

My favorite books of 2017 so far

These are books I've read this year but which haven't necessarily been released in 2017. Since I don't want to say ACOWAR again, I'm going to pick A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. This was a reread for me and while previously I only casually used to like this series, upon reading ACOMAF again I totally fell in love with the series and the characters. So yeah, this was definitely one of the books I enjoyed reading the most so far this year.

Art by Cassandra Jean

I also really enjoyed Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare and other authors. This is a series of short stories which pick up where the Mortal Instruments series left off and lead right up to the beginning of the sequel series, the Dark Artifices. I highly recommend you read this collection before reading Lady Midnight. Not only did these stories add a lot of backstory about the Shadowhunter world as well as characters we already know and love, I also found them to be both very well-written and super enjoyable.

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Another big favorite of mine this year was Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I love the original Alice stories and this book is full to the brim with clever nods at elements from those stories. I love how Meyer incorporated all these clever details in her retelling. Also, despite knowing that this was basically an origin story for the evil Queen of Hearts, I found myself really caring for her character. Plus, the book has enough whimsy to appeal to Alice fans while being also a very original story at the same time. Not to mention that since our MC wants to open a bakery, we also got lots of descriptions of delicious pastries and cakes. Which is always a win for me in my opinion ^^

My most disappointing books of 2017 so far

Again, these are books that I read in 2017 although they might not have been published this year. Thankfully, there aren't a lot of those! The one I've disliked the most though was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I was so sure I was going to love it but I ended up really struggling to go through it. And it's not even a big book. My main problem with it is that I didn't find any character to have much in terms of redeeming qualities. The book's message seems to be that the real monster is not the monster at all but Frankenstein himself (which seems like an oversimplification of the plot but... oh well). However, I couldn't really connect with either of them and found the story to be way too dry for me. 

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The second book that left me a tad disappointed was Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, the sequel to Illuminae. Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate it. In fact I gave it 4 stars. It's just that after falling so much in love with the "horror in space" aspect of Illuminae, I found Gemina a little lacking in terms of spookiness. I also felt that the stakes weren't as high as in Illuminae. The fact that the story takes place over just a few days as opposed to the months' long space journey in Illuminae, also made the book feel a little underwhelming. I'm still looking forward to the next book though. 

My favorite genre of 2017

Although this isn't technically a 'genre', I have been reading a ton of manga this year! I got the entire Sailor Moon manga series by Naoko Takeuchi in December last year and started 2017 with a Sailor Moon marathon. And I loooved it! The artwork is so beautiful and romantic. Plus the story itself is super fun. I'll definitely be reading this series again at some point. I also read Orange, which is a manga duology by Ichigo Takano. Also really enjoyed that one. If you're new to mangas, I recommend you check this one out. The art style is really nice and the story is overall very easy to follow. I've also been reading the Attack on Titan manga volumes by Isayama Hajime all year. I'm in love with the series and at this point, I might be more in love with the manga than the anime O_O

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My new fictional crushes

Although I had already read Sarah J. Maas's ACOTAR series last year, it was really during this year's reread of ACOMAF that I fully fell in love with Rhysand (and the rest of his court). Fast forward a few months and my desk is now actually overflowing with Rhysand and ACOTAR/ACOMAF bookish goodies XD. And I'm not complaining. 

I also have to mention the Blackthorn brothers, Mark and Julian from Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows. I'm not sure whom I like the most, just that I really love them both XD. 

Art by Cassandra Jean

Weirdly enough, I also kinda have a thing for Captain Erwin from Attack on Titan now?! I'm not sure what happened there but I just suddenly realized I actually really like his character XD. Which, if you're up to date with the manga, you'll know is rather ironical so late in the game. 

Giveaway Reminder

I'm currently also hosting a giveaway for this amazing Shadowhunter inspired necklace. If you haven't entered the giveaway yet, you can do so by clicking here. 

Leave me a comment :)

How is your reading year going? What are your favorite or most disappointing books of 2017 so far? Let me know in the comments down below ^^

Some Shadowhunter bookish goodies for you ^^

Hey guys ^^ For today's post, I'm bringing to you a selection of bookish items derived from Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter books. If anything catches your fancy, you can always find a link to the store under each item so that you can look it up and maybe purchase it if you want ^^

Let's start ^^

Parabatai Candle

Over at Novelly Yours, you'll find a large collection of candles inspired by your favorite books and characters. For this Shadowhunter themed post, they have selected for you their Parabatai candle, inspired by the Dark Artifices series. The candle's scent evokes the outdoors, storms, the forest and a hint of citrus. 

To check out more of Novelly Yours's awesome candles, visit the Etsy shop here. For more similar awesome products, check out their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Shadowhunter Necklaces

Find this necklace here

These beautiful necklaces are offered by Julia's Fandom Jewelry. The shop has a wide selection of Shadowhunter inspired jewelry, with quite a lot of different styles. The necklaces are handmade and the pendants feature quotes taken from Cassie Clare's books. 

Find this necklace here

The store also offers other necklace designs, such as this one with a shimmery coppery-reddish glass cabochon pendant inspired by Clary's hair and featuring a fearless rune. 

To check out more of these pretty necklaces from Jessica's Fandom Jewelry, you can visit the Etsy shop here.

I'm currently also hosting a giveaway for another necklace from Jessica's Fandom Jewelry. The necklace being offered is this one featuring a quote from City of Bones and you can still enter the giveaway for a chance to win it by clicking here.

Giveaway: Enter to win a Shadowhunter necklace (Open Internationally)

Hey guys ^^ Since Lord of Shadows is finally here, I thought it would be fun to check out some Shadowhunter goodies to fangirl about together. So today, I have a Shadowhunter inspired giveaway for you!

For today's post, I'm working with the Etsy store Julia's Fandom Jewelry. This store offers awesome jewelry inspired by books and for this giveaway, they have selected for you their beautiful Shadowhunter necklace featuring a quote from City of Bones. Below you'll find the giveaway which you can enter to win this necklace.

Product Description

The pendant is approx. 25 mm in diameter and 35 mm in height. The necklace is approx. 42 cm in length. The quote included in the necklace is by Madam Dorothea from City of Bones and it says, "The most terrible things men do they do in the name of love". For more information, check out the store here. 

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• This giveaway is open internationally.
• It will last till the 20th of July.
• Once the giveaway ends, I will randomly choose a winner and email them personally to let them know they won. 

Good luck!

Art by Cassandra Jean

Giveaway: Enter to win a pair of earrings inspired by ACOTAR (Open Internationally!)

Hello guys ^^ My ACOTAR/ACOMAF celebrations are still going on and today, I have another exciting giveaway inspired by Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

For today's post, I'm working with the Etsy store Bell Book and Scandal. This store offers awesome jewelry inspired by books and for this giveaway, they have selected for you their beautiful Feyre & Rhysand pair of earrings. Below you'll find the giveaway which you can enter to win these earrings.

Product description

This is a handmade pair of 12mm bronze tone leverback earrings, with the names Rhysand and Feyre printed behind resin cabochons. For more information, check out the store here.

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1. This giveaway is open internationally!

2. This giveaway will last until June 30th.

3. Once the giveaway ends, I will randomly choose a winner and email them to let them know they have won. 

Good luck everyone!

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Cover image left found here

June 2017 New Release Giveaway Hop

Hey guys! This month I'm again participating in the monthly New Release Giveaway Hop hosted by Shannon over at It Starts at Midnight. 

So I'll be giving away a book of your choice released in June 2017, worth $20 or less. The giveaway is open internationally, so long the Book Depository ships to your country. 

The Books

If you win, you may pick a book even if it's not featured in the picture here, so long it is a June 2017 release.

Credit: It Starts at Midnight

The Giveaway

Enter here to win one of those new June book releases. This giveaway ends June 30th. Good luck ^^

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter my other giveaway to win a Rhysand Soap! 

Wanna literally take a shower with everyone's favorite High Lord?? XD. This gorgeous soap is inspired by Rhysand from the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas. You can enter my giveaway for a chance to win it by clicking here. 

Now you can go ahead and hop on to the other blogs who are also participating in this giveaway hop ^^

Giveaway: Enter to win a Rhysand soap!

Hello guys ^^ With my ACOTAR/ACOMAF celebrations well underway, today I'm bringing you an exciting giveaway! Check out the bottom of the post for the giveaway. In case you missed my earlier posts, to celebrate the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin, the third book in Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series, I am hosting a bunch of fun stuff on the blog, including posts inspired by the series as well as giveaways of related bookish goodies. 

For today's post, I'm working with the lovely ladies over at Story Scentsations. This mother-daughter duo makes awesome soaps inspired by books and book characters. For this giveaway, they have selected for you their beautiful Rhysand soap. Below you'll find the giveaway which you can enter to win this soap.

Rhysand is very enigmatic. He is darkly handsome and has a dangerous air as he rules the night. He has a flair for the dramatic, and he is very protective of—and loyal to—those he loves. This scent is of the ocean with a splash of citrus. The soap is a deep midnight blue with a touch of starry violet to reflect his eyes.

Source: Right

Product description

All the soaps of Story Scentsations are all-natural glycerin soaps that have superior quality ingredients and are highly moisturizing, providing excellent lather and containing no unnecessary chemicals. They are made using high-quality micas, liquid colorants, and beautiful premium-grade fragrance oils. 

Scent profile: salty ocean air, tangerine, grapefruit, kumquat, Meyer lemon, guava, ylang ylang, pomegranate, bergamot, cyclamen, eucalyptus, sandalwood, and musk.

Color: dark violet blue with deep shimmer. 

Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Sustainable Palm) Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Oat protein (conditioner), mica, titanium dioxide, liquid colorant, and premium-grade fragrance oil.

For more information about the soap, feel free to check out the Story Scentsations store.

The Giveaway

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

• This giveaway will last until June 3oth.
• Once the giveaway ends, I will randomly choose a winner and email them to let them know they have won.
• This giveaway is open to the US, Mexico and Canada.

Good luck everyone!

Art by Charlie-Bowater, found here.