You know when you finish reading a book and you just have to tell someone how much you loved it? Well, that's exactly what this post is gonna be! 

It's not very often that you find a book series that gets better with each addition and develops in the way you had hoped. It's also rare to find a writing style that let's images flow in your brain and the characters become more than words on a page. Being a huge bookworm, I always love stumbling upon a series like this. I have read a few books by Maggie Stiefvater before (a series called Shiver, it was about wolves and I loved it!) so I had high hopes for these books and she did not let me down. Grab a cup of tea, or coffee, and get settled because I am going to tell you all about why you should read the Raven Cycle Series! (no spoilers, I promise.)

It reads like a TV show

That description is a little vague, so let me explain. In every single one of these books, each chapter begins in a brand new scene, with a different character's perspective. You can easily pick up where you left off and you don't get bored because you get to look through different eyes each time. It also means that you can experience multiple reactions of the same situation. It's brilliant! You never know which character will pick up from the last. 

The Raven Boys 

All four of the boys that walk into Blue's life are completely different from each other, yet they make up an unstoppable team. You've got Ronan who has enough attitude to cover the whole group, Adam who works so hard to be at the school of his dreams, then there's innocent Noah who can do no harm, and last of all, Gansey. He's the leader of the group, driven by his dream to find a buried king. He also seems to be the glue that holds the group together and would do anything for his friends. These boys are just so memorable and their interactions (jokes, fights, everything) are a big part of what makes this series great.

Blue is one Bad-Ass Girl

That she is! Blue is one of the reasons that I love this series so much and I wouldn't change a thing about her. She's tough, confident, smart, witty, stubborn, and even being the only girl in a group of boys can't hold her back. I love the sass that she brings to these books (and to Ronan) as well as how she embraces being that little bit different from everybody else. We definitely need more book heroines like Blue.

Part of their family 

The greatest thing about these books for me is the bond all of the characters have and how you can't help but be drawn into it. There's nothing they wouldn't do for each other, despite their bickering and any awkwardness that comes with new romance. With all of the mysteries that they face, they know that each person has a role to play in getting through it. Because you read each chapter through a different character's eyes, you feel like you're in for the ride alongside them.

Forbidden Love

I'm a huge sucker for romance, so when I read the blurb on the back of the book that said: "For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die" I knew it was gonna be good! But it's not your typical teen romance that happens in a flash with shooting stars etc., this one is more natural and feels far more realistic than others I had read. By then you have gotten to know the characters so well, and when romances do happen they are much more satisfying to read about.

The Mysteries

If you enjoy reading books that leave you absolutely needing to know what happens next, then this series is for you! The first book starts the characters off on a simple quest to find the connection between ley lines and a sleeping king. I say simple because with each novel there are more mysteries that arise and when they begin to understand the magic, something else surprises them. It leaves you gripping to know the truth from start to finish!



Have you read any of the Raven Cycle books?
Do you have any series that you've loved? Tell me in the comments!
Steph x.

Reading Goals & Escaping My Slump

I've been caught in a reading slump for a few months now and it's time that I break out of it! I love reading so much and it's one of my favorite hobbies. I want to spend more time in my day flipping through the pages of a novel and diving into new fictional worlds. 

I was reading Em's lovely blog one night and she had just put up a new post about How To Break A Reading Slump and one of her tips was to write some reading goals. I thought this was such an awesome idea to get motivated again. I do love making goals and writing lists, so this is perfect for me! 

Here are my current reading goals to help me escape my slump:

Read one book per week

 This is something that I started doing last year and it was really great for getting through my TBR pile. It works as a motivator to finish a book by a certain day, so you make time to read everyday. When I stopped doing it, I would make excuses as to why I didn't have time to read. It was either "I've got blog work to do" or "I'm too tired, I'll just watch Snapchat stories before bed" which all resulted in my reading slump. I love reading, but we all know what it's like when life gets busy, right? I tend to work best with deadlines and I think this will be great to motivate me to read more. It will make me pick up whatever novel I'm reading and stop making excuses.

Create a book wishlist 

I was going to write out a typical TBR list, but I thought that having a list of all the books I actually want to read instead of the books I've had sitting on my shelves for months. When I finish one book I can purchase whatever one I want most on my wishlist next, and so on. Forcing yourself to read a book you don't feel like reading never works. I'm going to write out my wishlist and pin it to my bookcase for extra motivation.

Books currently on my wishlist:
 Harry Potter & The Cursed Child 
The Raven King 
Empire of Storms

Try new genres 

I've always been the biggest fan of fiction, although I do stray from it from time to time. I've seen so many awesome bloggers talk about what books they have been enjoying and a lot of them are to do with personal development. After reading #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso and Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon, self-help/motivation has become one of my favorite genres. I'd love to dive into it more and take a break from fiction (only for a little bit!) I would also love to read more Science Fiction after loving Illuminae and a couple other books like it. I need to stray more from my usual Fantasy genre and try mixing it up more.


Finish series I have been reading

Is there anything worse than not finishing off a story? I can get really attached to fictional characters and I like to know they get the ending they deserve. There are some series that I won't finish based on how I feel the books were headed, and that's okay. But there are a few that I have simply not been able to get around to finishing even though I'm dying to. It's my goal to get up to date with some of these and revisit the stories I've grown to love. Here are some of the series I want to finish:

The Raven Cycle
Heroes of Olympus
The Lorien Legacies 
The Maze Runner (Prequels) 
Daughter of Smoke and Bone 

Thank you Em for the inspiration! Make sure you check out her awesome blog and have a read.
If you have any book recommendations for me, please tell me in the comments below. I'm always on the lookout for new reads!

What are some of your reading goals?
Steph x.

Books That Have Changed The Way I Think!

The other day I was reading a lovely blog post by the Blosson Twins and I loved it so much that I had to do something similar (I hope you girls don't mind!) Books have had such a huge impact of my life since I was a little girl. My Mum always made sure I had new stuff to read, even if they were just cheap kids books from the supermarket. They've always helped me grow my imagination and some have even helped me through bad situations.

Since I love talking about books so much, I wanted to share which ones have had the biggest impact on me and how they changed the way I think: 

The Diary Of Anne Frank

I finally read this book when I was about fifteen years old and at the time I was battling a bit of depression. I ended up relating to Anne a lot, and she would explain things that would make me go, "Yes! That's exactly how I feel!" She was struggling with things that I was, liked the same things, we even had similar habits. To be able to find comfort in a book when I was young and overwhelmed made all the difference to my own mental health.

I know for sure that Anne and I would have been such great friends. For such a young girl, she thought so deeply and was an amazing writer. Her diary will definitely stay with me my whole life. 

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

This is definitely a book series that got me thinking about all new topics relating to both the character's world and our own. What got me thinking differently was mainly Katniss and how she acted as a leader. I've mentioned it before on my blog that her and I are pretty similar in our personalities. She's a lot braver than me, but we both don't immediately come across as natural leaders. We're stubborn, struggle to make friends, and aren't really that great with people in general. But in saying that, what really made Katniss lead a revolution was actually her fighting spirit and the fire she had inside of her to push back. She made me discover that you don't have to be great with words to be an awesome leader, although it does help. You can simply inspire people with your own spirit and not giving up. 

Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

I feel like I've raved about this book so many times already, but it's just such an awesome read! Obviously I found it relatable and funny, just like so many others did. For me what struck a cord most was how every single character had their quirks and flaws and nobody was perfect, and that's OK! There are so many times where you don't get to see what insecurities particular characters have and you just want to get in their head. It's a book that really highlights how no one is perfect and that we all have our own ways of doing things. The characters in this novel are so diverse that it makes their interactions really interesting. Love it!

Illuminae, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

This is another book I didn't shut up about both during and after reading it. It blew my mind in so many ways and I think it may be the best book I have ever read. This one really opened my eyes to how a story can be told and that creativity knows no bounds. It's made up like a case file with IM's, emails, surveillance footage summaries as chapters, rather than paragraphs. Yet everything just flows naturally and you care so much for these young character's who are banding together. It's pure genius and the creativity levels are through the roof. Just shows you that you don't have to write like everyone else and pushing boundaries can give you amazing results.


The Perks of Being A WallFlower, Stephen Chbosky

"You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand."

This was definitely the first book that I read that truly explored what it's like to be the quiet person in the room. It finally goes through things like not fitting in and the anxiety behind it as well. I'm a lot like Charlie in his social behavior and I just loved that his friends let him be the wallflower. Before I read this book, I hadn't really touched on what that term meant. But it's essentially me in one word! At every single party I've been to, I have just loved sitting there and listening to people converse and watch how they interact. It's my own way of understanding things. Some people love to debate, but others like me just want to observe and learn that way. This book definitely taught me that it's okay to be either one of those groups and that there's always one wallflower in every group.





Thanks again to Lucy and Kelly for coming up with this idea on the power that books can have on our lives. Don't forget to go read their post too!


What books have changed the way you think?
Steph x.

Current TBR Books

I'm fairly sure that it's an inherent bookworm trait, but I have that terrible habit of buying about five new books by the time I've read one (thank you Book Depository!) I have an entire shelf dedicated to such books, and if I'm being perfectly honest, I am very nearly out of room. So I decided to sort through them all and pick out my top five to-be-read books. 

1. The Bone Season, by Samantha Shannon 

This was a recommendation from one of my favorite YouTubers and fellow bookworm, Carrie Hope Fletcher. She received an advanced copy and raved about it in one of her videos, so I know it's going to be good. In short, it's about a girl who illegally breaks into people's minds and is then kidnapped. I'm loving books that are lead by strong heroines at the moment and I think this one won't disappoint. My only worry is that the copy I received has tiny print so I might need to take regular breaks when I sit down to read it!
Goodreads page

2. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

I'm quite ashamed of myself for taking so long to pick up this book. I mean, if there's ever a biography written about me "Fangirl" will be the title for sure. I've heard nothing but good things about this book and it's author so far, and I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover but I am so in love with this one!

Goodreads page

3. The Heroes of Olympus: Son of Neptune, by Rick Riodan

 I really enjoyed the first book in this series, as well as the entire Percy Jackson saga, so I decided to pick up the second book. I love a good adventure novel now and again, and Percy Jackson is my usual go-to. Rick Riodan is pretty talented at creating memorable characters and introducing them throughout a series, so I know I won't be disappointed.
Goodreads page

4. Carrier of the Mark, by Leigh Fallon

 I can't resist a fantasy/romance book; definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. Upon reading the blurb it reminded me of a lot of books that I used to enjoy reading years ago. It seems to run along a similar story line to Beautiful Creatures which is a favorite of mine, so I'm dying to start this one.
Goodreads page

5. The Witch of Little Italy, by Suzanne Palmieri 

 I picked this up recently and thought it would make for a nice read. It's a story about magic, family and a bit of mystery to top it off. There seems to be good and bad reviews about it online (which, let's be honest, most books have), but I'm still looking forward to it.
Goodreads page

I will have reviews up on all of these as I get through them. Let me know if you have read of these books or have any recommendations for me!
Until next time x.