Review: Competence

Competence
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Accidentally abandoned!

All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.

When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions:
Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul?
Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez?
And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species? 

I'm 99% sure that when I reviewed the previous book in this series, I was begging for there to be two new books?! Because originally...this was supposed to be a duology but Gail obviously heard my prayers and now we get two more books...and I couldn't be more thrilled! I think this series is my favourite after the original Parasol Protectorate series and I love the crew of the Spotted Custard! 

It would seem these next two books focus on Prudence's BFF Primrose rather than Rue herself, which I didn't actually realise. It's been a while since I read the other two and I had to scramble a bit to catch up and remember what the situation was! In an ideal world I'd have been able to have a nice little re-read! 

It was nice to get to see Prim front and centre this book and get to know her a bit better, she's Rue's partner in crime. I honestly really, really wanted to shake her throughout this book because she was being so blind and obtuse about Tash and even a bit rude honestly. It says a lot that Percy was the one talking sense, but I did like her journey of self discovery and coming to terms with who she really is as a person, and becoming less concerned with the done thing. I might not love her as much as Rue...I have to say. I did rather miss Rue's narrative voice. 

We get both Prim's POV and her brother Percy's, and Percy's was absolutely hilarious. I just found something about his narrative and his thoughts on the other characters completely hilarious. Plus he's relatable in the sense he's a book nerd and doesn't really like being around other people. He has to go to his library to recharge, as it where. 

All the characters I loved in the previous book are back, Tasherit the werecat who I really do love, she's such a badass and kind of adorable in her own little way. When she's not ripping people's throats out. I got to see my OTP Rue and Quesnel...I got all excited whenever I got to see a cute moment between the two of them, but it didn't stop me from wishing for more. They're going strong and they're still my favourite ship, but it did make me a bit sad we didn't get Rue's POV and get to see more of them. 

We also have Rodrigo. You might remember him from the previous book, he's Rue's cousin...casually tried to kidnap/murder her. He's now joined our gang and everyone is working to reform him via a book club. As you do. He goes from prisoner to finally being included as one of the crew, and it was nice to see that journey for him. He nearly killed Quesnel so I was a bit salty towards him for a while. But I did end up quite liking him. It was nice to see him get closer to Rue, they where quite alike in a few aspects! I also shipped him with Anitra a lot, and we got a lot more insight in to her because of it!  

The book is steadily paced as Prim saves the Spotted Custard by stealing some helium before they decipher a mission letter and head off to save a species of vampires that's dying out and is the last of its kind. Fat sucking vampires. That's definitely a new one. I kinda wish they existed. 

Gail does us a solid with the LGBTQ rep, we have an F/F romance, and a trans character. This book explores sexuality really well, and we see Prim struggling with her identity and sexuality and it was really well done, especially in this kind of setting. I loved seeing this kind of diversity in the book and Carriger certainly explore it thoroughly. My one issue is that while we got all of this, it seemed to be the main focus of the book, as such this book mostly focused on the romance. I was expecting this combined with the usual adventure, excitement and additional world building. But some of these things seemed to slip as the focus was on the romance. 

I really do love how well Carriger merges all of these elements, and like I said...I was excited to see so much diversity and representation in the book...it just seems like other things where lost as a result of it instead of it being in combination with everything else I usually love about the books. I also think it took me a while to warm up to Prim and I still didn't quite love her as much as previous leading ladies in Carriger's books. She also got my back up a bit when she seemingly made a couple of digs at Rue. I usually blitz through her books in one read but it did take me a while to finish this book because a lot of the time there was Prim faffing about being a ninny about things rather than anything actually happening. We spent a lot of time on the journey to Peru, and then everything in Peru was wrapped up rather quickly. 

I was excited to se how Peru looked in the world of this book, with the supernaturals, as it's probably the closest I'll ever get to actual Peru, but I was a bit sad we didn't get to see more of it. The setting was vividly described and as usual the historical detail was mind blowing, I can't imagine the kind of odd and random things Gail had to Google/enquire about at the library in order to get everything spot on. I also enjoy reading about how the Spotted Custard works too! I can't imagine keeping all this kind of information in my brain. 

The usual sense of adventure does lack a bit, but there are bursts of action, the usual doses of humour, and a heavy amount of romance along with the new ships we get to ship! Carriger excellently explores identity and sexuality and provides plenty of diversity, plus there's a nice little twist at the end that heralds everything coming full circle in the final book and presumably wrapping up! I'm hoping for a return to Rue's narrative, and a return to the usual excellent mix of elements we usually get from Carriger, as the one disappointment was plot being forgotten to focus on romance. 

The Month in Books: July

Hey guys! 

Soooo I did a lot better this month at reading! Last month was horrific and I was all reading slumpy and it was such a slog to read anything, even good books. This month I'm right back at it again, and I'm working my way through the backlog my reading slump gifted me. I'm making speedy progress because I have a lot of reading time on my hands, thanks to being on set! Although there was more talking going on than reading, which is unusual! 

All of these have been reviewed right here on my blog, or will be in the near future! Scheduling is a nightmare right now because I'm trying to get all of them out as fast as possible! Which is why there's none of my other usual blog posts up, but TBR Bites, and Bookshelf Tours will be coming back shortly when I've calmed down with the reviewing! :) 

The Master and Margarita 

I'm doing quite well with Classics these days and it's not taking me as long to get in to the writing style of some of the older ones as it has before! While I was a bit iffy at the beginning, I did find myself being drawn in to the story, at one point it felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland but more adult, and I'm probably the only one who thinks this but at some points it felt a bit Terry Pratchett as well! 

This Savage Song 

Boy oh boy was I glad to finally get to this and I can't believe how long I've been missing out! I read the first two thirds of this in one sitting and had zero regrets! I got completely drawn in to the world that had been created, and Schwab always manages to get me hooked! Brilliant characters, plenty of originality and some amazing scenes. The opening for instance...this book definitely starts with a bang! (This post is scheduled because I'M TOTALLY MEETING HER TODAY! LIKE POSSIBLY RIGHT NOW IF YOU'RE READING THIS AT 7ISH!)

Soldier 

The third installment in Kagawa's Talon series and boy was it a doozy. The title of the book...the added POV...I knew it was leading to something and I had a bad feeling the more and more I read this. I loved Ember's character development, her very real struggles with everything that's happened, I briefly rooted for Dante to come to his senses, the romance is resolved. Ember makes her choice. But then the end comes in to completely ruin your life. I'm basically still in denial so don't get me started on it. 

King Slayer 

One of my most anticipated reads! Witch Hunter was an instant favourite of mine and I completely loved it! I'm forever sad that this is only a duology, but hopeful that there might be books with other characters! I rated this a 5 because for all intents and purposes it was a cracking sequel and conclusion. Giant bloody battle? Check! Romance? Check! Obstacles so the romance isn't too unrealistically easy considering the fallout from the last book? Check! Elizabeth struggling now she's changed? Check! I totally loved seeing Elizabeth struggling with no longer having her stigma...no longer being able to do what she did before, feeling that her entire value was placed on that stigma by others, the conflict it caused with John. Everything wrapped up nicely? Check! Although I still need more Elizabeth and John and Fifer and Schuyler There is one issue with this. One. Malcolm. I had an extensive conversation with Naz about this and I won't get in to it too much but he ended up being quite the...hero in this book. But at the same time after what he did to Elizabeth he didn't get any punishment and I felt like we where supposed to feel sorry for him? I didn't know what to make of him, and I would have liked him quite a lot if not for his actions in Witch Hunter. 

Prudence

This was a re-read for me, because I wanted to re-fresh my memory and because I think The Custard Protocol may just be my favourite of all Carriger's series. I just love Rue and Quesnel so much and I ship them so hard, so I re-read this super fast, it actually helped to pull me out of my slump enormously! It's such a great continuation of the main series, but with new characters and their own story, with the occasional appearance from our favourite characters. This book is genuinely a lot of fun and one of the best Steampunk books I have ever read! Or I should say series with lots of mini series. 

Imprudence 

The sequel to Prudence and...as I was devastated to find out...the final book in the Custard Protocol. Turns out it's a duology *ugly sobbing* It perfectly wraps everything up not just with Rue and co but with her parents as well. There's an ongoing plot thread that hints of where mentioned in PP, and in this book you see it finally come to fruition and get dealt with. Everything feels like it's been finished well, but I'm still hoping Carriger might change her mind because I need more Rue and Quesnel! I read this book so fast it was ridiculous and the romance is adorable, and the world is captivating and it's just perfection. 

The Dragon Lords

I enjoyed this book immensely. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but I was sold on the whole "Guardians of the Galaxy meets the Hobbit" description. Now this book is huge, it's like 500 pages or something and even I struggle with that many pages sometimes, but I breezed through this thanks to the writing style, the action and how freaking hilarious it was. It's genuinely laugh out loud funny and the Dragon's POVs where just brilliant it has to be said. The characters are memorable and interesting and really bring the world of the book to life for you. 

Red's Untold Tale 

Perfect for any fans of OUAT who also happen to have Red as one of their favourite characters! It's a quick, easy, and fun read, with an adorable romance that makes the show and the scenes to do with Peter and Red all the more heartbreaking. You get to learn more about Red and her life and what she's been through before we meet her in the show and FYI there's a character who is the most vilest girl I've come across in a while! 

Sing

Sing is the perfect summer read. Genuinely, it's got a cute romance, a relatable character and a beautiful setting that's described vividly so you feel like you're there. It also has its surprises, especially the ending, I wasn't expecting that ending I have to admit! But it did make a nice change to the usual. 

New Pompeii

New Pompeii had some serious Jurassic Park vibes but with Romans instead of dinosaurs, like personally I'd take the dinosaurs because they aren't gonna toy with you first and make you fight people. They'll just eat you straight out. Probably. Maybe. New Pompeii starts out slow but soon reels you in with an intriguing narrative told from two different people, I was nerding out a little bit it has to be said! 

Who's Afraid? 

I took part in the blog tour for this book and it completely blew me away. I read it in one sitting and was surprised at every single turn. Even the bad guys weren't who I was expecting! The ending though...that was the biggest shock of all! I loved our MC, I loved our supporting cast and it was an original take on werewolves that had you glued to the page to see what would happen next! 

How did you guys do for reading this month? 

Review: Imprudence

Imprudence
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Orbit! 

London is in chaos.

Rue and the crew of The Spotted Custard returned from India with revelations that shook the foundations of the scientific community. There is mass political upheaval, the vampires are tetchy, and something is seriously wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue’s best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most inappropriate military types.

Rue has got personal problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue’s beginning to suspect what they all really are… is frightened.

When the Custard is ordered to Egypt, transporting some highly unusual passengers, Rue’s problems go from personal to impossible. Can she get Percy to stop sulking? Will she find the true cause of Primrose’s lovesickness? And what is Quesnel hiding in the boiler room?

Imprudence is one of those books that you fall in to and kind of start to assimilate with the world, so apologies in advance if I sound a bit more...elegant than usual. Shall we say? I am so completely, and utterly in love with Gail Carriger's books. I can't even begin to describe how utterly fantastic they are!  A few years ago, I fell in to an obsession with steampunk when I stumbled across a book at the library. That book was Soulless, the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series which is the series that comes before this one! To be fair, you most likely could get away with reading The Custard Protocol without having read PP, but it's much more fun if you do read PP! There's also the Finishing School series which I still need to read and prequels all of them! ANYWAY. I read all of the PP books in like....five days. So like...a book a day. I was bereft when it ended, and went through a fair few steampunk books but as much as I loved some of them...they could never quite match up to the writing in Carriger's book, to the imaginative world that sucks you in. 

The book carries on from the last book fairly swiftly, we've now made it back to England and Rue is in a smidgen of trouble with our Queen. Oops? Things are starting to get tricky as plot lines from PP start to come in to play among others! That's the thing I love about these books, the plots are always complex, there's a couple of threads, with lots going on, that all weave together and you always end up being surprised. I don't know what I was expecting in this book, but at the end when the pursuers are revealed? It definitely wasn't the incredibly....creepy gentleman. Carriger takes care to make the two series interweave, when you read PP you're aware of something looming in the future and in this book it finally comes in to place and I feel like two of the PP characters have been brilliantly resolved, although I'm hoping to see them again! 

I love getting to see all of the characters I loved from PP, Biffy, Alexia, Lord Maccon, Akeldama, Floote, Quesnel all grown up and so on. We get to see how they're getting on and what's been going on with them and there are mentions of other characters as well, like Ivy and Genevieve! In Quesnel's case it's a chance to see more of him as he's more of a main character than in PP and like I said, he's all grown up now! But as well as the old characters there's a whole host of new characters! Spoo, Virgil, Tasherit, Percy and Primrose being a few. I'm kind of iffy with Aggie! Carriger brings old and new characters together perfectly, giving the old a presence without taking over from the new, and each of her characters is so lively and interesting and brilliantly brought to life with depth and heart and....I just love the characters okay! 

I love Rue, I love her general personality, she doesn't back down easily, she'd not afraid to jump right in to things, and she doesn't dwell on her status in the country as a metanatural and the negativity that goes with it, she's daring and courageous and bold. She's basically a hell of a lot of fun to read about as she narrates through all these crazy adventures, I love how she's determined to kill with kindness as it where with Aggie and I adore her friendship with Prim, and the banter the two share. They really are the perfect pair! I live for their scenes together! I find it very intriguing to see the relationship Rue has with all three of her parents, considering how she had to be raised, and while it's true to character, her relationship with Alexia did make me a little sad, but it also made me chuckle. 

I also completely love Quesnel! He's completely adorable, although I doubt he'd relish being called that. He's just so laid back and flirty and likes to have fun and then when it comes to Rue he's just....adorable. Protective but still let's her do her own thing...after much shouting and gesticulating. I ship Rue and Quesnel so badly, I can't lie, I did since Prudence and in this book I was waiting for things to develop and I fangirled a lot because I love the two of them together, and there where obstacles in the way, and I wanted to bash their heads together because of all the ridiculous fuss from the two being so blind...but I got such intense warm and fuzzies once or twice, I'm trying to decide if I may or may not love them more than Alexia and Conall! 

Imprudence is hugely entertaining, and has plenty of moments that have you chuckling, as well as a few heartbreaking moments like with the pack, and the parasol pledge. It's got a good mix of emotion and ends up being rather like a rollercoaster ride, but then I did read this book mostly in one day, after re-reading Prudence of course because why not?! I love how original the book is, the world Carriger has created, the history and lore to it, the characters and so on. It's incredibly immersive and once you started reading you fall in to the world, everything is so vivid and the author paints a picture with her words. It's an incredibly rich world, one you can't help but wish you could visit. 

It's incredibly well researched, the historical bits that is! And it's obvious from the little details thrown in here and there that make the book so authentic, along with the writing style! I love how Carriger writes these books, the authentic writing, amusing narrative, complex twists and turns and research all combined with many other elements to bring you a unique and hugely engrossing read. The descriptions of the devices and gadgets are spot on so you get an idea for how they look and how they function, and they bring your imagination to life. The book is mostly set on a dirigible and there's a great amount of detail to how it works without overloading you with tonnes of information, it creates an authentic setting and has you feeling like you're right there with the characters. Honestly the attention to detail is amazing! 

Imprudence is a brilliant continuation of The Custard Protocol and I'm excited to see where our crew are going to head next and what trouble they will get themselves in, especially considering the ending of this book! (The rather unladylike words 'effing Templars' may have been muttered). I'm intrigued to see what's going to happen with certain characters and their relationships, Prim for one, Rue another! I'm hoping the wait won't be too long because I'm always sad to leave this world! Plus I have a burning desire to know more about things that a character knows, that even we don't know from the PP books! There's just so much more of this world left to be explored, more of the characters to get to know, and more relationships to cheer on. Things where wrapped up rather nicely, but there's still some things left to intrigue...to make you wonder. I really, really, desperately need the next book! I've come over all bereft! 

Genuinely, I can't even begin to tell you guys how much you should read these books, wether you're a steampunk fan or not, they're a great place to start if you're looking to get in to steampunk books! They're just so brilliant, and they really stand out from other books and please do yourself a favour and check them out! This series just gets better and better and I'm always so excited to see where it's going next! 

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June Book Haul

Hey guys!

It's time for my June Book Haul! I'm gonna keep this as simple and fast as possible, I've been slacking on the blogging because I have so much stuff to do! 

I've had another month full of things to be grateful for, and with a lot of epic post! 

So first up are the books that I have been lucky enough to receive from publishers! 

Red's Untold Tale by Wendy Toliver

I am a HUGE Once Upon A Time fan so when I got emailed asking if I'd like to review this it was kind of a no brainer! Red is one of my favourite characters and I wish she was in the show more! 

The Dragon Lords: Fools Gold by Jon Hollins

I love me some dragons and this sounds super intriguing, it's been described as "Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Hobbit"...two of my favourite movies! 

Imprudence by Gail Carriger

The sequel in a spin off series from Carrigers Parasol Protectorate, and I'm so excited to see what happens next! I'm definitely going to make time to re-read the previous book because I LOVE these books! 

Duskfall by Christopher Husberg

I'm being spoiled with fantasy and this one sounds like it's going to be one of the good ones, I'm excited to get started on it! 

All The Feels by Danika Stone

Okay so at the time of writing this post, I've just started this and I had to force myself to stop reading it because it's completely hilarious and I would have stayed up until the early hours reading it in one go! 

Songs About A Girl by Chris Russell

I've heard a lot about this book and I'm intrigued to see what all the hype is about! Plus I'm a sucker for boyband fiction shhhhh! This also came with a link to a playlist to match the book...how awesome!? 

The Somnambulist and The Psychic Thief by Lisa Tuttle

I was hooked on this by the title, not going to lie! It screams unique and steampunk at very loud volumes and the synopsis sounds brilliant! 

Vigil by Angela Slatter

The synopsis hauled me in on this one because it sounds so original, keep an eye on the blog because I'm gonna be doing the blog tour for this one! 

Star Wars Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig

This was a surprise in the post, and I love Star Wars books and I saw everyone raving about the first book! This is obviously the sequel to the first book, and I think I'm gonna have to pick up the first one now! 

King Slayer by Virginia Boecker

One of my most anticipated sequels of the year, I completely loved Witch Hunter when I read it last year and I've been so excited to see what's going to happen next! 

The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey

Another of my most anticipated sequels, the first book kind of made my month when I read it last year, and pulled me in to this fantastic world that helped me to block some other stuff out, and I've been so excited to get back there and see how my ship is doing! 

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

Aaaaannnd a third for the 'Most Anticipated Sequel' category, although I only read the first book recently, Caine is kind of an auto-buy author for me! I just loved the first book, once it got going! 

I got a couple of really cool books this month, as well as some manga which I stared at on the shelf for ages and ultimately forgot to add to this....oops? I'm sure you can guess which manga it is anyway! 

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas

Not going to lie, the cover drew me in, and then I read the synopsis and it was like...NEED. So I finally picked it up! 

Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake

I actually already read this because I reviewed it on NetGalley, but I wanted a finished copy because I loved it so much and I managed to get a bargain! 

Ruined by Amy Tintera

Another bargain! I couldn't resist this one because everyone's been raving about it and it was in Fairy Loot's box and I couldn't resist after reading the synopsis! 

The Near Witch by V E Schwab

This book has been missing from my Schwab collection, along with the sequel to The Archived! This book is really tricky to get hold of, you can only get it if you buy it used, but I just NEED all of the authors books so whatever! 

Soulless by Gail Carriger

I love Carriger's books and so of course I had to get the super fancy, limited edition of the first book in the Soulless series! If you think the cover is gorgeous...you should see the endpapers! 

Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman

I've been after this for a while, ever since it was making the rounds last year at all the book con's and I finally picked it up because I'd had a crappy day and was like "screw it" basically! 

Aaaannd finally we have my haul from the charity book shop trip that I was tweeting about the other day! I don't know why people have a problem with charity shops, I mean...cheap books and the money goes to charity?! Aside from the snatching incident which I'm still not over because 50TH ANNIVERSARY LORD OF THE RINGS SNATCHED FROM UNDER MY FINGERS. But yeah. 

The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman

I'm slowly collecting all the Anno Dracula books and this is one of the ones I needed it and it honestly looks like it has never been read! Bargaaaain!

The Axeman's Jazz by Ray Celestin

This intrigued me...history...murder...New Orleans...what's not to love?

The Court of The Air by Stephen Hunt

Not going to lie, I first looked at this book because of the cover and I'd been debating it for ages and ages so when I saw it looking all brand new I thought...why not!? 

The Kingdom Beyond the Waves by Stephen Hunt

The sequel to the book above....obviously I needed to get the sequel because ya know....once I've read the first book I need to read the second! 

Retromancer by Robert Rankin

This just sounded interesting and had a pretty cover. I'm simple/shallow like that. 

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Another author who's books I'm collecting! Another one checked off the list! 

Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

I collect all the Penguin English Library's and I was actually surprised to see this in the shop! 

For Esme With Love and Squalor by J D Salinger

Because I'm thick and not as literary as others, I had no idea the author had written other books, and this edition just so happened to match by Cather in the Rye edition. 

Nanny Oggs Cookbook by Terry Pratchett 

Once again, I collect all of the authors books and I know it's not an ACTUAL book per se but still! 

Aaaannnd there you have my book haul! It's missing a few things that just turned up the other day, but you can see them on Twitter! 

March Book Haul

Hey guys! 
I've already shared my Birthday Book Haul with you all, so now it's time for the standard Book Haul! 
I was very lucky this month, and I'm so grateful to the various publishers who where nice enough to let me review their books! I was also super lucky in that...I actually won something! I rarely ever win anything and here I won twice! 

Books Bought:

Prudence

Prudence is a book I've been meaning to get for a while because it's the first book in a  spin off series from The Parasol Protectorate series that I love! It's all steampunk and supernatural, and they're so much fun! So I'm excited to finally get to read this! God bless Waterstones stamp reward cards! 

Firefight

This is a sequel, and I still haven't actually read the first one but I needed to get a second book for the Waterstones thing and I thought...why not, then when I do read the first book I can get straight in to the second one! I'm actually planning on reading them soon, I swear! 

A Gathering of Shadows

Do I need to say anything? I totally pre-ordered this because I wanted the really awesome pre-order cards that the author was doing! I can't wait to read what happens next, A Darker Shade of Magic was one of my favourite books of 2015, and AGOS has been one of my most anticipated! I think I'm gonna try and get to it this month! 

The Novice

I actually still need to get this in hardcover because the hardcover is gorgeous, this is Waterstones fault again, because I had points and the paperback has a really cool demonology bit in the back and some of the drawings are kind of cute, not going to lie! This book is so much fun, and it's so original, I got to review it and it was such a fantastic read! 

Firstlife

I actually broke the book buying ban for this first because I freaking love Gena Showalter, and Book Depository had signed editions for sale and the chances of me ever meeting the author and getting her to sign a copy are really slim so I thought why not! I'm so intrigued by this as it's a different direction to her usual Teen!

Books Received: 

Little Black Classics

I was sent five of these to review and I'm so grateful because these are fantastic little editions! There's not just the writings but there's information in the book about the author and the story as well as a quote page. I'm definitely going to have to collect these. 

The Shadow Queen

This is a fairy tale retelling, Snow White in particular and you all need to read this, especially if you love OUAT! It's original, the twists on the original tale are brilliant, it's funny, the romance is perfect and there's plenty of action and plot twists as well as fantastic characters! It's a genuine "can't put down" book! 

Shaken

The third book in a series by one of my favourite authors, I've literally just started it after re-reading the first two! I love all of Joss's books, and these ones are thrillers, there's a detective agency for teens, there's mystery and romance, and Joss writes perfect romance that brings the warm and fuzzies! 

The Immorality Engine

Another third book! This is a steampunk series that's full of brilliantly complex mysteries and plots, as well as a very Sherlock/Watson duo in the form of Newbury and Hobbes. I'm always surprised and kept on my toes and the writing is gorgeous! 

A Study in Brimstone

In this we have Warlock Holmes who's a bit of a dimwit, lucky for him he has Dr Watson. This book has 6 Sherlock Holmes stories reimagined, and they sound completely awesome! I'm excited to review this! 

Trace Evidence

Novella bind up alert! This is a bind up of three of the Virals novellas plus a brand new one set after the last Virals novel, and these novellas are pure perfection! 

World Mythology 

Exactly what it says, World Mythology, concisely written to give you the maximum information without having to spend pages and pages reading about it all. It's straight to the point and tells you exactly what you need to know! 

The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen

A collection of quotes from her works and her personal letters to other family members and acquaintances. It's a fantastic collection of quotes about all different kinds of things. 

Persuasion

The Alma Edition of an Austen classic, in this we have Anne who isn't treated too brilliantly by her family, and she ends up coming face to face with a lost love. Luckily the feelings are still there, there's just a couple of bumps in the road to get out the way! 

The Woman in White 

Drawing master Walter winds up at the home of Laura and Marian after an eerie encounter with a woman in white. Falling for Laura would have been okay...if Laura wasn't engaged to be married to Percival who is as shady as they come. Percival has a friend, equally as shady, in the form of Count Fosco, and they're definitely up to no good! 

Books Won: 

I basically never get to do this category! But a miracle happened and I won a couple things! 

Rebel of The Sands

I totally won a signed copy from Maximum Pop Books and I've been so excited for this book, it's one of my most anticipated and it sounds so awesome! Excited as I am to read this, I'm a bit wary because like...it's signed and I don't want to damage it! 

Emma

I won this lovely edition from a lovely lady called Emma! I collect the Penguin English Library editions, and I'm going to be reading this for this months classics challenge! I'm excited to read another Austen, I've already read two and I'm working my through her entire works! 

So that is my March Book Haul and I'm so ridiculously grateful! Let me know what you hauled in March, down below! 

Wishing For Wednesday #63

So this week I'm reaaaalllyyy excited because these two books I've been anticipating for AGES! 
First is the final (or at least I think it's the final) book in the Shadow Falls spin off, and I've not read the previous book because I'm gonna read these two together because everyone was freaking out about a cliffhanger so I'm prepared! 
Second is the final book in yet another series that I love! I read all the Parasol Protectorate in one go, and finished just in time for the release of the first book in this spin off series! I'm so excited for this book, and I'm so excited to see what the author does next. I just have a lot of excitement! 

Unspoken

Despite her superhuman strength and enhanced senses, Della Tsang's life as a vampire certainly hasn't been easy. Especially since she was reborn and bound to the mysterious, infuriating, and gorgeous Chase Tallman. 

But if there's one thing that's always kept Della going, it's her dream of being an elite paranormal investigator. Her newest case is the opportunity she's been waiting for, but as Della tries to solve the twenty year old murder and clear her father's name. She uncovers secrets about the vampire council. And about Chase. 

Feeling betrayed by all the secrets he's kept hidden from her, Della is determined to keep him as far away from her heart as she can. But she'll need his help to solve the case that will lead them into the darkest and ugliest vampire gangs in town and into the scariest reaches of her heart.

Unspoken is out November 13th, pre-order your copy...here!
Add it to your TBR...here! 

Manners and Mutiny

The fourth and final book in a steampunk YA adventure series, from Orbit's New York Timesbestselling author of the Parasol Protectorate series.

When a dastardly Pickleman plot comes to fruition, only Sophronia can save her friends, her school, and all of London...but at what cost? Our proper young heroine puts her training and skills to the test in this highly anticipated conclusion of the rousing, intriguing, and alwayspolished New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!

Manners And Mutiny is out November 3rd, pre-order your copy...here! 

Add it to your TBR...here! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Spring TBR List

So this is the easiest Top Ten Tuesday I've done so far, I can't pick favourites to save my life! I know this is reaaallllyy late, but yesterday was my birthday and today is one of my best friends birthday's and I've been super busy doing things! So anyway...TBR list..hmmm...

On my Spring TBR list iiiisss....(having said that, this is all to be read AFTER I have finished reading the GoT series, I started it last summer, then took a break for waaaay too long and now I have like 3 books left, so yeah)

1. Prudence by Gail Carriger
So I read the Parasol Protectorate in under a week, and I read the spin off series Finishing School so of course I HAVE to read this series as well! I can't wait to get my hands on it to be honest!

2. Grave Visions by Kalayna Price
I found this series at the library and fell in love with it, I've been waiting for this installment for ages, and the date got changed and I've gotten so impatient but this is the month it's out and I will be getting my hands on it ASAP and bumping it up to the top of my TBR! 

3. Lost and Found by Lilian Carmine
This is a series I stumbled upon on NetGalley, and I believe this is the final instalment, sadly, but I'm excited for it, I just need to grab myself a copy, which I haven't done yet, but ya know...busy! 

4. Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep
I'm obsessed with Jennifer Estep books, ever since I found Mythos Academy, and I will be getting this the day it comes out and most likely reading it all in one go and then being all sad because it's over and there's a wait for the next book! 

5. The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey
This one intrigues me beyond belief, so I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy ASAP or rather As Soon As It Comes Out so like ASICO, which doesn't really have the same ring to it. Like the other's so far, this will be jumping the TBR pile I already have! 

6. Half A King by Joe Abercrombie
Kay, so this has been on my TBR pile for weeks, if not months, and I haven't quite gotten round to reading it yet because of review books, and then other books I've bought that I couldn't wait to read or library books and so on. So I'm determined to finally get round to reading this in Spring! 

7. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
So this is another that's been sitting on my TBR for ages, and considering the next book is coming out sort of soon (I think), I want to read it finally! 

8. The Selection by Kiera Cass
Again, another that's been on my TBR for ages, this month/next month I'm determined to read all the books on my pile that are the start of series, and then if I like them....buy the rest in the series ya know? So this one will finally be read as well! 

9. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Again....yet another that's been sitting on my TBR for ages, I'm going to start it soon and yeah...you know the drill! I can't believe I've left this one so long considering it appeals to me greatly but I buy waaaaayyy too many books! 

10. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
You can probably tell what I'm going to say again already.....yup...another that's been sitting on my TBR for ages, and I want to read so that I can buy the next books if I like it! My Amazon lists are out of control considering all the "next in series" books I have waiting for me to get my ass in gear and ya know...read the first in the series! 

See you next Tuesday lovelies! 

Wishing For Wednesday #30

Hey guys!
So this week not only do I have two interesting and exciting reads, buuuutt it's my birthday week! (the 16th in case you where wondering *wink wink*)
Soooo I've got an original and interesting detective type novel which I'm intrigued about!
And then I've got the start of a new series by one of my favourite authors, and even better, it's a spin off type of series that I've been waiting ageeees for!
So check it out!


The Devil's Detective

Thomas Fool is an Information Man, an investigator tasked with cataloging and filing reports on the endless stream of violence and brutality that flows through Hell. His job holds no reward or satisfaction, because Hell has rules but no justice. Each new crime is stamped "Do Not Investigate" and dutifully filed away in the depths of the Bureaucracy. But when an important political delegation arrives and a human is found murdered in a horrific manner—extravagant even by Hell's standards—everything changes. The murders escalate, and their severity points to the kind of killer not seen for many generations. Something is challenging the rules and order of Hell, so the Bureaucracy sends Fool to identify and track down the killer. . . . But how do you investigate murder in a place where death is common currency? Or when your main suspect pool is a legion of demons? With no memory of his past and only an irresistible need for justice, Fool will piece together clues and follow a trail that leads directly into the heart of a dark and chaotic conspiracy. A revolution is brewing in Hell . . . and nothing is what it seems. 

The Devil's Detective is out March 12th, pre-order your copy...here! 
Add it to your TBR....here! 

Prudence

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Custard and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis and an embarrassing lack of bloomers, what else is a young lady of good breeding to do but turn metanatural and find out everyone's secrets, even thousand-year-old fuzzy ones? 

Prudence is out March 19th, pre-order your copy...here!

Add it to your TBR...here!