Stacking the Shelves: January Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. These are all the books I purchased in January. I haven't read any of them yet because January is examination month. I bought all of these books online on either the Bookdepository or Wordery.

1. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson 

This cover is just fantastic! It might be the most beautiful one I own!
I got this one in hardback, which I don't normally do however I'm glad I picked this one up in hardback because it's gorgeous! Under the dustjacket, the cover is just white with the title and author in gold on the spine.

I couldn't resist adding one picture of the endpapers in the book! Stunning and funny!

2. Assassin's Quest (Farseer Trilogy #3) by Robin Hobb

3. The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) by Alison Goodman

This one I bought in paperback even though I like the cover of the hardback so much better! In person, though, this paperback is better than expected!

4. Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard

This is probably the most hyped book of January and I'm hoping to read it very soon! I actually believed I would already be reading this one, but the end of my exam period put me into a reading slump. I'm hoping to get over it soon!

5. The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu

6. The Rook (The Checquy Files #1) by Daniel O'Malley

I LOVE the spine of this book! It's stunning!

7. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

And last but not least, a John Scalzi book. I've heard so many good things about John Scalzi and most people seem to start with Fuzzy Nation. Really looking forward to it! Science fiction grew on me in 2015 and now I want to read some popular authors in the genre.

Which books did you buy recently? Did you read any of the books mentioned above? Let me know down!

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie: Top Ten Series I Want to Finish

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week you get to decide your own topic and I chose my top ten series I want to finish. I only included series of which I need to read at least one book that has already been published.

1. The Enchanted, Inc. series by Shanna Swendson 

There are seven books in this series and I've read five of them in 2015. I really enjoy this series and I don't want this series to end so that's why I haven't continued on yet, though I'm hoping to read the last two books soon.

2. The Gardella Vampire Hunters: Macey by Colleen Gleason

This is a continuation of The Gardella Vampire Chronicles, however this new series is set in a different period and different characters. I LOVED the original series, however I was disappointed by the first book in the new series. I'm hoping to read and enjoy the second book in the series, Roaring Shadows soon!

3. Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews 

I started reading this series in 2015 and I loved it, I read the five first books in the Kate Daniels series and the spin-off Gunmetal Magic. Can't wait to read the other books this year! Hopefully during the summer.

4. The Gentleman Bastard Series by Scott Lynch

I read the first book in this adult fantasy series last year and I really enjoyed it! The Lies of Locke Lamora is amazing!

5. Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead

I've read the first three books in the series as well as the entire Vampire Academy series in 2015 and I thoroughly enjoyed the world and the characters! I can't wait to dive back into this world although I don't want it too end...

6. Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor

Once again, I read this book last year, I really enjoyed it, but didn't really feel the need to continue on right away, I did pick up the second book for pretty cheap, so we'll see when I'll be able to get to it.

7. Chew by John Layman, Rob Guillory

This is my favourite comic series and so far, I've read four volumes. I can't wait to pick up the next one!

8. All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness 

I read A Discovery of Witches a couple of years ago and I loved it, I pre-ordered the next book but when I arrived the book was huge, it's one of the largest books I own, and I would prefer to read it in a different size, a mass market paperback maybe, we'll see.

9. Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

I'm doing really well with this one, since I read Royal Assassin this month, I only have to read Assassin's Quest. The last one may still prove to be a challenge because it's more than 800 pages long and as you know, Robin Hobb's books are extremely slow paced.

10. Fox and O'Hare Series by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

I find this series very relaxing and funny, I've read the first three books in the series and enjoyed them all. I would have bought and read the fourth book already if those books weren't so pricy!

Which series do you really want to finish? Which topic did you pick this week? Let me know down below!

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

-- Goodreads.com description --

Siege and Storm is the second book in The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I'm really loving the series so far, it is the right book at the right time kind of thing. I have been spoiled on the love interest who will end up with Alina and that is kind of a shame, it would have been nice to hope she would end up with someone else, now I'm really forcing myself to like him, which is a new experience for me.

However, I do still like all of the characters even though some of them annoy me at times. Leigh Bardugo has a gift of creating very interesting and likeable characters and I can't wait to read Six of Crows as well, as I hear that's even better than The Grisha Trilogy. I'm definitely glad I bought the series and I would recommend them to anyone who is interested in a young adult fantasy series.

For a second book in the series this one was pretty good, I'm really excited tp see how the third book will turn out. I gave Siege and Storm 5 out of 5 stars.

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

-- Goodreads.com description --

Shadow and Bone was the first book I read by Leigh Bardugo, and even though I heard some mixed review, I was pleasantly surprised by this book! There were some plot twists that I liked and the world itself was amazing! Furthermore, I loved all the characters in this book, which is a big plus for me! The magic system and the mythology were pretty cool, and the setting is more Russian than any other fantasy I've ever read! Which, of course, made it original. I couldn't put this book down, and I read it in less than two days! I highly recommend this book to all young adult fantasy lovers out there!

Ultimately, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars! I loved it and I already started reading the second book in The Grisha Trilogy, Siege and Storm.

Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy #2) by Robin Hobb

Fitz has survived his first hazardous mission as king’s assassin, but is left little more than a cripple. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family.
Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands—and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.

-- Goodreads.com description --

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb is the second book in The Farseer Trilogy. I enjoyed this book way more than I enjoyed Assassin's Apprentice, the first book in trilogy. I heard a lot of mixed and great reviews of The Farseer Trilogy and I heard amazing things about the trilogies after that by Robin Hobb so I decided to read them all. I didn't think Assassin's Apprentice was all that great, every time I put it down, I didn't feel the desire to start reading it again, which for me, says a lot about a book. In the end, I put it down for more than a month and read the last hundred pages or so in two days. I really liked the ending, ultimately, Assassin's Apprentice started really slow, but the ending was great, so I decided to continue on. I heard from almost every reviewer that Royal Assassin a very slow paced book and that Fitz is depressed for the first half of the book and therefore annoying. I do have to say that the main character, Fitz really annoyed me at times in both books. I like the secondary characters so much better than Fitz, which is why I enjoyed Royal Assassin more than Assassin's Apprentice despite its length because we get to see a lot more of my favourite secondary characters, like Patience and Lacey, Verity and Kettricken, Shrewd, the Fool, Burrich and Chade. I don't like Fitz all that much but this was remedied by all the secondary characters that were better developed than in the first book. Nighteyes, a new character was fantastic as well! I didn't like Molly at all, and Regal is the only character I hate, but you're meant to hate him. I really LOVE how Robin Hobb developed all the characters. The critique that it should have been shorter, I cannot deny, but I didn't mind it all that much. It could be that I didn't put this book down for in order to read others because the month of January is full of exams and Royal Assassin never gave me the feeling that I needed to know what happened right this instant. Which under the circumstances was ideal.

I didn't mind Fitz being depressed, if I didn't hear a bad review about that, I would hardly have given it a second thought. Royal Assassin could have been shorter but I didn't mind it that much either. I actually really enjoyed it, especially because of the secondary characters and their development, we even kind of get an origin story of the Fool which was confusing as was to be expected, but I loved every part of it. All things considered I gave Royal Assassin 4 out of 5 stars. I didn't mind the length all that much, however, only the last 150 pages were action-packed and I was a little bit disappointed because of that, it kind of felt like a missed opportunity to me. However, I really want to read Assassin's Quest quite soon, in fact I already ordered it last week. If you are interested in reading The Farseer Trilogy, than I recommend you pick it up, just keep in mind that the books are slow and only the endings are action-packed.

Have you read Royal Assassin or other Robin Hobb books? Or are you planning to pick them up? Let me know down below!

Top Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is ten books you added recently to your TBR. This one was easy for me and I hope you will enjoy it!

1. Air Awakens (Air Awakens, #1) by Elise Kova

 2. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

3.Starflight (Starflight, #1) by Melissa Landers

4. Magnolia by Kristi Cook

5. Level Up by Cathy Yardley

This cover looked so cute, I couldn't resist adding this one to my TBR! Mainly because of the cover, though.

6. The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

7. Never Ever by Sara Saedi

8. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

9. Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1) by James S.A. Corey 

10. Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman 

I don't know if and when I will read all these, but these are the ones I recently added to my TBR. Have you read any of them? And which books did you recently add to your TBR? Let me know down below!

Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome people of The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is ten 2015 releases you meant to read but didn't. These are in no particular order.

1. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson 

I LOVE this cover!

2. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Still waiting for the paperback

3. The Scam (Fox and O'Hare #4) by Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg 

Still way too expensive!

4. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

Still waiting for the paperback

5. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Should probably read Fangirl first, since I already own it...

6. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

7. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

8. Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson

Again waiting for the paperback but I might eventually give in and buy the hardback.

9. A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

Waiting to buy this cover in paperback

10. Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

I want to read The Grisha Trilogy first, which is going to happen soon!

11. The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

Of course I have many more, but these are the ones I mostly regret not reading in 2015.

Which books are on your list? Please let me know down below!

Stacking the Shelves: End of the Year Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you bought. I bought a lot of books in November and December, although I'm not going to show all of these in this post, I selected the books I received as gifts from my family and my Secret Santa. In total I got nine books as Christmas present or end of the year present!

1. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This one I received from my Secret Santa! I still haven't been able to contact her in order to thank her, but I really want to! So in the hopes she is reading this: thank you so much for your lovely gifts!

2. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

4. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Next books I received from my father and grandparents!

5. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell

Really liking this one! It's hilarious!

6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

7. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

9. The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss

Which books are in your book haul this week? Let me know down below!