Angel Reads

15 Mar

Popular Books that Lived Up to the Hype | Part 1

Posted by angelreads Discussions No Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some of the books that I loved that are hidden gems. Today I thought I would do the opposite, I wanted to share the books popular books that I loved!

I always find hype a weird thing. Sometimes a book totally deserves it, and it’s one of the best books that I’ve read. But then sometimes, I don’t even like the book. I’ve always been fascinated with how hype does work. Is it from word of mouth, or the right people just spreading love it. Something else that I have noticed is no matter if the book is getting bad reviews or people don’t like it if it’s getting hyped people will read it.

To work out some of the most hyped books, I went over to Goodreads again. This time I sorted my ‘read’ list by the highest number of ratings. From there I picked out all the books that I loved. So here we go. Like always these are in no order.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1) by Laini Taylor: I had heard so many things about this series before I picked it up. At first it was confusing. But as the novel went on and I fell in love with the characters plot and the world. I knew why. Laini Taylor at first is a hard author to read. But gosh once you get used to it, the reader is taken on a journey.

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer: I really struggle with reading science fiction. I don’t know what it is. I love it when I watch things related to it, but reading, it takes me a while. So I put off reading Cinder for quite some time. And then I picked it up. The world is fascinating, the character are fantastic. And I liked that while it was science fiction, it didn’t feel forced or out of place.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan: I didn’t grow up reading Percy Jackson – have no idea why. But after watching the film, I wanted to know more and more about the world. I had heard so many good things about these books when I first started blogging – and I ended up reading the whole series in a week – and every book after that. This is one of the series I am always recommending at work as well – that is how much I love it.

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee: There was so much hype when this one first came out. I saw it everything! I think a lot of it has to do with it being a Wattpad book first, but I really don’t know. But I loved this one so much. One of my favourite things about this series was that the angels weren’t your typical angels. The plot was so interesting as well.

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab: This series has been getting a lot of hype for years. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been told to read this series, or how many times I’ve seen it on lists of books you need to read. I finally took the plunge a couple of years ago – and I loved it. It’s a mix of YA and adult fantasy that just works so well here. The world is totally unique and gosh the characters are amazing.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick: This is another one that I heard heaps about before I picked it up. If you have know me for a while, I didn’t read mant contemoloary books when I first started blogging. It was only a couple of years that I really started loving it. My Life Next Door was one of the first contempoary books that I read and loved. These charateres wormed their way into my heart and gosh I loved it.

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo: This one got a lot of hype before it even came out because of Bardugo’s previous books. But Six of Crows is on a whole different level. I didn’t read this when it first came because I had no idea about the book, but I then I picked it up. And feel in love. with a mix of fantasy in a histoical fiction setting. This series works just so well.

And that is it for this post! I will be doing more parts to this post and the weeks go on. But what are some of the books you think deserve the hype? Let’s Chat!

10 Mar

Book Review: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Posted by angelreads Book Reviews 1 Comment

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Pages: 432
Publish date: March 2019
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN:9781760524418
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Four Queens. A divided nation. A ruthless pickpocket. A noble messenger. And the murders that unite them.

Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington is one of Quadara’s most skilled thieves, but when she steals an unexpectedly valuable package from a messenger she is soon entangled in a conspiracy that leads to all four of Quadara’s queens being murdered.

With no other choices and on the run from her former employer, Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the Eonist messenger she stole from, and together they race to discover who has killed the queens. But when dark secrets threaten their reluctant partnership and put everything at stake, Keralie and Varin must use all their daring to stay alive and untangle the mysteries behind the nation’s four dead queens.

Four Dead Queens:

I received an arc of Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte from Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

This was one of my most anticipated books for 2019. But I also went in not knowing much, I wanted to be taken away with this world and I am so glad that I did that because I loved Four Dead Queens. It had everything that I was looking for in a standalone fantasy. It’s full of court intrigue, death, great worldbuilding and a romance that warmed my heart.

Four Dead Queens follows thief Keralie, who unexpectedly steals a very important and valuable package from a messenger. Now she is entangled in the world of the court and has the knowledge of how the four queens of Quadara are murdered. Not only that Keralie is now on the run from her former boss with Varin Bollt, the messenger from Enoist. They both try and discover who has killed the queens and maybe even stop their deaths from happening. But both Keralie and Varin hold secrets that could untangle everything that they are fighting for.

I really enjoyed Keralie as a protagonist. She was tough but also sensitive at the same time. This lead to her creating a great dynamic for the book. She was a really easy character to fall into and get to know. I liked that we didn’t know too much about her first off, but as the novel went on the reader gets to know her story. How she came to be ‘friends’ with Mackiel, the head of the thieves. And then slowly more about her life. I liked seeing the different sides of Keralie, with Mackiel she is very timid at first, but then with Varin she tells him how it is. It’s a really cool contrast. Keralie character arc is also something that I really enjoyed throughout Four Dead Queens.

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Varin was an awesome character and love interest for Keralie in Four Dead Queens. He was such an interesting character, and I do wish that the reader was able to get to know him a little more. But for a supporting character, he really added something to both the story itself and to Keralie. I think Varin was an intriging character because of his origin. He is the total opposite from Keralie, and that made their interactions so much more interesting.

Now on to the queens. The four queens of Quadara are such interesting characters. They are all very different from one another. They all have different values, different ways of being queen. But in the end, they all want one thing. They want for their kingdom’s to be safe and for them to be great queens. I found the world that Astrid Scholte created here in Four Dead Queens was really fascinating and different. Four Queens with no kings working somewhat together to run a whole kingdom.

Talking about the Four Queens, the next part is a little spoiley to some people, but I do need to discuss it. There are two queer characters that do die throughout the novel. And although I do wish that they weren’t killed, the two queer characters in question are two of the four queens. And with a title like Four Dead Queens, you can kind of guess what happens. Obviously, you can decide if you are okay with reading that, however, I felt that I did need to talk about this when reviewing this book. If anyone wants to talk about this further, I am happy to chat with you.

Photo by it’s me neosiam from Pexels

Other than the court system and the fact that there are four queens, the world that Astrid Scholte is really interesting. It’s a mix of fantasy and science fiction, but together it all works. With each quadrant different from each other. But they all fit together like a puzzle. I liked that each quadrant had different elements and things that they were good at. And their queens represent that as well.

The plot of Four Dead Queens was really interesting. I thought I knew where it was going to a while, but then I was taken on a totally different direction. Which I loved. I like being wrong, reading-wise. I like that I was taken by surprise. Especially towards the end, it shook me a lot. I was so taken back, but it worked so well here, and I loved it.

One of the things that Four Dead Queens focuses on is court intrigue. I think that sometimes may turn people off. But I loved this so much. I found that it added another depth to the story and grabbed from the get-go. I liked seeing how not only the world worked, but how the court of Quadara functioned.

Overall, I loved Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. It has so many elements that just make the story even better. I loved the world, the characters, and I adored the storyline. Keralie was such an interesting protagonist and at times even an unreliable narrator and that just made everything much more interesting. Four Dead Queens is a fantastic debut that explores court intrigue, women in power and what it’s like to stand up for yourself. With fantastic writing and a plot that has many twists and turns, Four Dead Queens is sure to take you on a ride.

Have you read Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!

05 Mar

Getting Back Into It | February Wrap Up

Posted by angelreads Monthly Wrap Up 2 Comments

After a slower start to the year in January, February really kicked it off for me. I start diving into some new books, some re-reads and some of my most anticipated books of the year.

I didn’t start the year as I liked and I think I was just mostly exhausted from both the weather and Christmas retail. But in February I really started to read some more books and today I cannot wait to share them with you.

Appetites & Vices (The Truitts #1) by Felicia Grossman: One of my first historical romances, but give me more. It was engaging, heartwarming and heartbreaking. Ursula was a fantastic protagonist who just wanted to be herself, even if it didn’t fit with the times. Jay who had been through so much, and had to come to terms with it all. And together they just melled. The romance was great, the writing was fantastic and I can’t wait to read more from Felicia Grossman in the future. Full Review

More Than We Can Tell (Letters to the Lost #2) by Brigid Kemmerer: I adored Letters to the Lost when I read it, so when I finally had the chance to read the companion novel I couldn’t hold my excitement. More Than We Can Tell made me cry, laugh and I was left with a massive smile on my face. I adored getting to know more about Rev and his story. The romance was adorable and just made my day.

As You Breathe Again (The Walker Boys #2) by Molli Moran: I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. I was totally taken by surprise by how much I enjoy not only the story, but the protagonist as well. It’s a beautiful story that both melted and broke my heart. I’ll be writing my full review soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Covering Her Skin by Laura Kaye: I am slowly making my way through Laura Kaye’s books, and sadly this novella just wasn’t for me. I didn’t really feel any connection to any of the characters or their stories.

On Thin Ice (Juniper Falls #3) by Julie Cross: I enjoyed reading On Thin Ice by Julie Cross. It was sweet, but also daring. It explores two different people and how they come together in strange circumstances. The romance was totally adorable and just put a massive smile on my face. Full Review

The Risk (Briar U #2) by Elle Kennedy: A great romance that just made me smile, while I wished for more ompf, I would also read it again. The Risk explores the notion of family, friendship and letting go. It’s about finding a balance and the fact that sometimes, you will fall for the person that you less expect and it’s about to get heated. Full Review

Jagged Ink (Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs #3) by Carrie Ann Ryan:This one was an emotional rollercoaster. Roxie and Carter had been through so much before the novel, and then everything that happens in this one takes a toll. Jagged Ink is about falling back in love, realising why you fell for that one person. And letting go of the past because sometimes it drags you down. Jagged Ink is a great addition to Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink series and I can’t wait to see more. Full Review

Ink Inspired (Montgomery Ink 0.5) by Carrie Ann Ryan:I am confused as to why I hadn’t picked this one up yet. I’ve read most of the books in the Montgomery Ink world, but I just never read the first novella. I really enjoyed seeing how Shep and Shea got together. Nice little read.

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros: The Last Letter is a very emotional read. I cried so much in this book. But that is also what made it so good. Both Ella and Beckett have incredible character arcs that really captured me from the start. The reader is not only able to see them grow as individuals, but also together. The Last Letter explores childhood illness, war, family and everything that comes along with life. There are many surprised in store when reading, but it’s also a beautiful story of love and family. If you are looking for a new romance or contemporary read, then please pick this one up. Full Review.

What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume: A fantastic debut novel that explores coming of age in a time where looking ‘perfect’ is in everything that we do. It’s a fluffball of a book that is both adorable and so timely. If you are looking for a new book about body positivity and coming of age, then this one is for you. Full review

Edge Series by Jennifer Comeaux: Picked this series up again as I felt like I was falling into a slump. This is just a fun, and very unique sports romances that I just adored. I love falling into this world and seeing all the different sides of figure skating. Jennifer Comeaux is amazing and I could re-read this series every year. I re-read Life on the Edge, Edge of the Past and Fighting for the Edge

Ice Series by Jennifer Comeaux: Because I re-read the first series, I just have to re-read her second. I don’t know which of her series I like better. But Ice does have younger protagonists that I was able to connect more with. This series also deals with failure which I think is fantastic to see. As part of this series I re-read; Crossing the Ice, Losing the Ice and Taking the Ice.

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte: I really enjoyed this fantasy standalone. Filled with court intrigue, fascinating worlds and a plot that just keeps on giving. The characters were intriguing and I didn’t know who to trust as the novel went on. My full review will be up later this week.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: OMG this book gave me life. I can’t begin to explain how much I loved this one. It made my heart melt, my cheeks hurt and I now need more people to read it so I can talk about it. I will be posting a review closer to the release date. But let me say, you need to read it.

And that is it for February! I am so happy with my reads last month. I not only read some new reads, but also some re-reads that just made me smile. Some of these books made me cry, some made me laugh, and overall it was a really great month. Also, don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a copy of The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros!