Wonder Woman Book Tag

Having watched Wonder Woman 3 times I thought it was about time that I took part in this tag. Wonder Woman has quickly become one of my favourite films of all time so mixing it with books is perfect for me!

This tag was created by Amber @ Amber's Books and More on Youtube.

Wonder Woman: Your Favourite Badass Female Book Character

Hermione Granger is always the first person I think of when think of badass characters. Of course there should be an honourable mention to book Ginny.

Fantasy Island: A Book Setting You Want To Escape To

I'm going to have to stay in the Harry Potter books and say the Wizarding World!

London: A Hyped Book That Let You Down

I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy it as much as I was expecting to. You can read all my thoughts in my review here.

Steve Trevor: A book with a beautiful cover and a great story

I know this cover isn't everyone's cup of tea but I really love the whole look of it.

Lasso of Truth: A book you hated

Review (it's pretty brutal)

Wonder Woman's Shield: A book so sad you need a shield

Anyone who has read this will understand...

No-Man's Land: A book which you want to send to No-Man's Land

I love this book so much but every time I read it I get so scared and have nightmares. I feel like the only way to deal with the nightmares is to send it through No-Man's Land.

Ares: A villain that you can't seem to hate

There isn't one main villain in this book but I loved every single character in this book.

Dr Poison: A villain that has no reason to exist

So I'm changing the question slightly to a villain I wish didn't exist, so that I can hate on Umbridge a little bit more.

The Amazons: A book you wish had more LGBT+ representation

The Harry Potter series definitely needed more LGBT+ rep because the series became so influential around the world.

Justice League: The people who are tagged!

As I'm quite new to the whole blogging scene I'm not going to tag anyone. But if you want to do this tag then I tag you! 

Ten Hidden Gems in Middle Grad

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and Bookish.

I read a lot of middle grad even though I'm closer to the adult spectrum. There is just something so warm and familiar about a middle grad book, something that makes me want to curl up under a blanket and drink a mug of hot chocolate. I love cosiness and reminiscing so middle grad is perfect for me.

There are certain middle grad books that everyone has heard of, like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, but there are some lesser known middle grad books that I love just as much even if they aren't as popular.

1- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

2- Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

3- The Warrior Cat series by Erin Hunter

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

4- The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

5- Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholas

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

6- The Touchstone by Andrew Norris

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

7- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt 

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

8- Butterfly Summer by Anne Marie Conway

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

9- Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

10- Charlotte's Web by E.B White

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
(Okay so Charlotte's Web is very popular but I had to put it on my list)

What are your favourite children's books? Have you read any of the books on my list? Have you posted a TTT? Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Requiem by Lauren Oliver (Delirium #3)
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Pages: 352
Rating: 💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

'The old Lena is dead', I say, and then push past him. Each step is more difficult than the last; the heaviness fills me and turns my limbs to stone.
You must hurt, or be hurt.
Lena can build the walls, but what if there's no one left to take them down?

I'll leave a link to Goodreads here because honestly that synopsis tells you nothing.

I really liked this book; I was actually surprised that I liked it so much. After hearing so many negative reviews about this book and the ending I wasn't expecting to like this book at all but somehow I did.

At first I was a little upset with the dual perspective between Lena and Hana but as the book progressed I actually really enjoyed it. I always love when you get to see how one character's choices affect another character so this was perfect  for me. It was also nice to see how much Hana had changed and grown as a character since the first book, and how she felt about Lena escaping. 

The writing style was just as beautiful as the first two books; Lauren Oliver always manages to place me in any situation her characters are going through. It did feel a little rushed at the end, when there was a large amount of action going on, and I would have liked a bit more clarity about what was going on. However it was fun to see how she made the two perspectives overlap and interact; although it was slightly infuriating at times!

I was a little upset about how open-ended this book was but apart from that I really enjoyed it! Obviously you would have to read  the first two books in the series before this one but I would suggest you read this if you want to read a dystopian romance. 

I'm going to get into spoilery details below, so if you haven't read this book click away now!


*Spoiler full review*

For me Julian was endgame. I know that Alex was amazing in the first book but then he was completely absent in the second book and made Lena's life miserable in the third book. Julian stayed the same from when he first ran away with Lena to the very last page in this book, but obviously Lena picked Alex instead.

However this book isn't just about romance so I'll comment on some of the other things in this book.

Lena was...different. I don't know. There were times when she was an incredible fighter who would die to save her friends and then there were times where she would leave a girl to die because she was jealous. I was really upset with this development because she had grown so much as character in the last book and now it was all crashing down around her.

I loved Hana's perspective and character in general. She was forced to go against everything she'd been taught to believe in because her operation went wrong (I assume, I don't think it was ever clarified) and then started to fight the system from the inside out. Also I'm not too sure how old she is (17 or 18) but she has to go through a lot  by herself. She uncovers that entire mystery about her abusive husband's ex-wife by herself without anyone suspecting her and then ends up blowing her husband up, which is pretty freaking awesome. I actually think she became my favourite character of the entire series because of how awesome she is in this book.

It was also nice that we got to see a little more about how the poor and rich interact. When Hana went to visit Lena's family it was obvious that nobody trusted her because she was rich. Even Lena's sister didn't trust her and had to be worn down before she eventually let Hana help her. And because Hana's husband was Mayor we got to see the political side of this world as well and just how much power the leaders have.

It was a well-written and strong conclusion to one of my favourite series I've read this year. My main problem with this book was how many loose-ends there were, but I didn't dislike this ending either. This book gave off a lot of strong messages that I feel will stick with me for a while.

The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones

The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne  Jones

Release Date: January 1, 2003
Pages: 473

Rating: 💜💜💜💜

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

When the Merlin of Blest dies, everyone thinks it's a natural death. But Roddy and Grundo, two children in the Royal Court, soon discover the truth. The Merlin's replacement and other courtiers are scheming to steal the magic of Blest for themselves. Roddy enlists the help of Nick, a boy from another world, and together the trio must take down the conspirators.

It has taken me 4 years to read this book. Not 4 years of continuous reading but 4 years of trying to get into this book and failing. But I'm glad that I persevered.

This book was a fun and easy fantasy to read; it was much easier to get into than some of the YA fantasy that is being released at the moment. It had a feeling similar to that of A Darker Shade of Magic but if it had been written for younger children. There is the same idea of alternate dimensions that have different levels of magic in them, and even some that have different types of magic in them.

Although this book was a textbook fantasy novel (magic, a main bad guy and a lesson about magic) there was one defining feature that made it stand out: technology. In both of the worlds we explore, Blest and England, technology seems to be a big part of the world. Roddy uses a computer to look things up, the Kings Court travels by car and guns are used in fights. It was also set in modern times, which is pretty rare for fantasy, so it pretty interesting to see how magic interacted with skyscrapers and factories and all sorts of modern things.

I loved the characters in this book and it was surprising how much character development Diana Wynne Jones managed to achieve in such a short space. Roddy and Nick are so cute and I loved that they hated it each other at the start but slowly managed to become friends. It was also nice that the POV kept on switching between them so you got to see how everything intertwines.

The Merlin Conspiracy is definitely a good introduction to fantasy because there isn't a complex magic systems you have to remember. It also works as a stand alone, although there is another book before it, so you wouldn't even have to remember the magic system over several books. It's a fun, magical read that I would highly recommend to people who love magical realism.

Unpopular Opinion Book Tag

This week I thought I'd share all of my most unpopular opinions with the bookish community. I'm usually quite vocal about books or characters I don't like so this tag is right up my street.

This tag was created by The Book Archer over on Youtube.

1- A popular book or series you didn't like

I didn't enjoy either of these and have only kept them on my shelves because they have such beautiful covers!

2- A popular series that you love but everyone else seems to hate

I'm a die hard fan for these books and actually read them before all the hype built up around them. It wasn't until quite recently (end of last year) that I realised I was alone in my love for these books.

3- A OTP that you don't agree with

I'm usually fairly on board with any couple thrown my way but I was annoyed when Audrey ended up with Linus. I just couldn't seem to agree with Audrey's feelings for him!

4- A popular genre you hardly reach for

Fantasy. I don't mean to avoid fantasy books but it just sort of happens. I'll search for a great fantasy novel and then end up buying a contemporary! So if you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments. :)

5- A popular character you didn't like

I'm going to have to say Gus from TFIOS. Wait! Put down those pitchforks! It wasn't that I disliked him, it was more that I didn't fall in love with him the same way everyone else seemed to.

6- A popular author you can't get into

Sarah J. Mass- I read 'Throne of Glass' and found it okay (okay enough to want to find out what happens next). I also read the first 5 pages of ACOTAR but got bored and put it down.

7- A popular trope you're tired of seeing

I have two for this one: the constant biting of lips and the lack of school systems (apart from Hogwarts and SOAP in Anna and the French Kiss).

8- A popular series you're not interested in reading

 A Court of Thrones and Roses. I tried it once and never again.

9- A movie adaptation you prefer to the books

The Narnia movies. Sure the books are incredible but I love the movies even more.

Do you agree with my opinions? Even better, do you disagree? 

Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Ten books I'm taking to boarding school!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by the lovely people over at The Broke and Bookish.

I'm going to boarding school for the first time this September so I have to say goodbye to my books. I can't take all 600+ of my books to boarding school with me (even though I wish I could!). I have a limited space in my bags which will be most taken up by clothes, so I have to be selective about which book I take with me. 

Obviously I'm going to be taking a few old favourites with me, but this list is just books made up of books that are on my TBR.




1- Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads


2- One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads







3- The Beginning Woods by Malcolm McNeill

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

4- The Tattooed Heart by Michael Grant

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads







5- The Haunting by Alex Bell

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

6- All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads





7- The Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

8- Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads





9- Matched by Ally Condie

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads


10- Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads





What books are you planning on reading this year? Have you read an of the books on my list? Let me know in the comments, as well as leaving a link to your own TTT!

Book recommendations for Hufflepuffs

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and Bookish.

In case you haven't realised yet (or you're new, in which case welcome) I am a proud Hufflepuff. I don't care that some people think we are weak; J.K. Rowling said Hufflepuff is the best and I will fight anyone who says other wise.

*Ahem* Anyways...I thought I would take the time to recommend five fantastic books for Hufflepuffs. Of course it also depends on your personal preferences as well, but I feel like most Hufflepuffs will love this books.

1- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I just read this book literally last month and the entire time all I could think about with Hufflepuff. It is such a warm and comforting  book, kind of like a hug in a book. Any Hufflepuff will love this book!

2- The Last Summer of Us by Maggie Harcourt

This book is full of friendship and adventures and finding yourself: three things that Hufflepuffs are known for. It is also a really cute summer read, so it would be perfect to read right now!

3- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A typical story about growing up and dealing with big changes with a group of friends by your side. And I think Charlie is my favourite example of a Hufflepuff in a YA book so this book is great if you want to be surrounded by Hufflepuff characters.

4- Asterix by Rene Gosccinny

The Gauls in these comics are funny, caring, kind and love going on adventures, just like Hufflepuffs. They are fiercely loyal and protect their village at all costs, again just like Hufflepuffs. Honestly this is just a tribe full of Hufflepuffs.

5- Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

A graphic novel about a group of friends who go on adventures to take down the main evil guy, this book makes me happy no matter how many times I read it. I love this book, and it has some of the prettiest artwork I have ever seen.

Do you agree with my list? Are there any other books you would recommend to Hufflepuffs? Please let me know down below. And if you've done a TTT please leave a link so I can come check it out!

But until next time, keep reading!

My thoughts on the Harry Potter series

The Harry Potter readathon ended last week so I decided to share my thoughts and feelings on the series with you today. This post is going to be long and ramble on a bit, so you can click away now if you want.

**Major spoiler warning**

 (duh)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (yes I'm English), is one of my favourite Harry Potter books. No matter how many times I read this book I will always get that same tingly feeling when Harry finds out he's a wizard. I think this book is what a hug would be like if it was written down. It makes me feel warm and comfortable and safe in a therapeutic way.

My favourite thing about this book is that we get to see the Golden Trio become the Trio. I think this book perfectly captures pre-teens and their view on life. I also love how the trio don't get along straight away and have to build up their friendship.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets really shows us what the wizarding world is like. We get to see how the interact with muggles and what their government is like. This is also a Weasley heavy book, with great scenes from almost the entire family (Bill and Charlie are still a mystery) which is always good!

This is the first time we get to see Voldemort and we even get to see a bit of his backstory. Even better we get to see as Tom Riddle instead of Voldemort so we get to see his personality before he went evil (sort of). I personally love to see villains before they were villains, just to understand them a little better.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book-to-movie adaptation and is in my top 7 Harry Potter books. I think this is the best book to see the Golden Trio's friendship (before all the romance takes place). We get to see them work as a team to help Sirius Black and support each other along the way.

I think friendship is a major theme in this book (more so than in the others) because it is also the first time we meet the Marauders. All four Marauders are mentioned in this book, and Harry gets to learn a little more about his family. The scenes with the Marauders are some of the sweetest as you can see how close they were.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my favourite Harry Potter book. I love how magical it is and how much of the wizarding world we get to see. We don't just see Hogwarts, we also see the other wizarding schools and the Ministry of Magic and Azkaban; all the separate parts of the wizarding world blend together.

I also love the Hermione and Harry moments we get in this book. Obviously Harry and Ron are best friends, but in this book we get to see Harry and Hermione interact. Hermione cares about him enough to help him get through the challenges and teach him all the spells he might need. Honestly they are my favourite friendship that is formed in the books.

Since when was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 800 pages long?! Has it always been that long?! It is huge!

I'm one of those rare few who doesn't hate/dislike this book; in fact I find it interesting. We get to see the inner workings of the Ministry and I am a massive nerd for fantasy governments so this pleases me greatly. We also get to see the true corruption of the wizarding world, through Umbridge, and it makes us realise how powerful Voldemort is becoming. The only thing I don't like about this book is the fact that Harry is acting like a royal prat at times in this book, and constantly saying he has done the most so he deserves to know what is going on.

I didn't realise how much of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince I'd forgotten. I couldn't remember about half of the things that happened in this book, so it felt like I was reading it for the first time.

This book has all my favourite Harry and Dumbledore moments. This is the book where we get to see that Dumbledore thinks of Harry as his equal instead of his student, and I love it so much.

It's also the book where we finally get to see how evil the death eaters are. Before now they were kind of background characters but in this book we finally get to see what it is like to be in the world of the death eaters.

I have a couple of better titles for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:
 Harry Potter and the Year of Death
Harry Potter and People Who Deserved Better
Harry Potter and I Still Hate Snape
Harry Potter and Is This A Children's Book

I think these sums up the book perfectly. I hadn't forgotten a single death in this book, but somehow they still came as a surprise to me. This book will make me cry until the day I die because basically everyone who died deserved better.
Without realising I finished this book 10 years after it was first published and I feel so accomplished right now.

I feel like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was one of the biggest disappointments in the reading world (after the Percy Jackson films). We were all expecting so much more from the return of Harry Potter, but we weren't given it.

There were parts of the book/play that I enjoyed: Scorpius, the time-turners, the old characters (mostly) and the plot was quite fun. However there were an equal amount of things that I didn't enjoy and I was kind of disappointed when the book ended.
I leave a link to my Goodreads review here so you can find out all my thoughts if you want! 

Harry Potter Book Tag

The Harry Potter readathon finished last week so I thought what better way to reflect on my magical experience than with a tag. I saw this tag over on Twin Tales so please go give them some love.

1- Favourite book?

I love Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix equally, because we get to see the depth of the wizarding world in them.

2- Favourite movie?

I love Deathly Hallows: Part One, but only because of the memories behind it. I was on a school trip to France, and we all pretended to be 13 just so we could watch it. Also because we filled up the entire ferry cinema nobody else could come and watch it!

3- Favourite character?

From the books: Ginny. She was so awesome and strong, I was really upset with how they wrote her in the films.

4- Which Quidditch position would you play?

I'm going to say Chaser because it is closest to the place I play in netball.

5- Favourite marauder?

 I love Padfoot (Sirius) and Moony (Lupin) together, but I'm leaning towards Padfoot because he's a dog!

6- Which house would you be in?

Hufflepuff! I've always wanted to be in Hufflepuff and was delighted when Pottermore sorted me into it!

7- Which class would you most like to take?

Defence against the Dark Arts? I think. If I had a reliable teacher.

8- If you could bring one character back to life who would it be?

Without a shadow of a doubt, Fred.

9- Which Deathly Hallow would you pick?

The Invisibility Cloak. Not only is it the least evil, it also seems like the most fun. 

10- Which character would be your best friend?

Even though I like Ginny best I'd much rather be friends with Luna.

Would you choose the same answers as me? Have you done this tag? If you have leave a comment below and I'll come check it out.

And until next time, keep reading!