Sunday Post #23

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer (image above belongs to @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ). It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

Life

I'm back from my two-week vacation in Spain. My family and I have been going to same place in Spain for 21 years now and I'm always able to relax there. This year it went wrong from the very start. Our car broke down just after we passed Paris and (the mechanics only had time to look at our car on Tuesday and it broke down on Thursday at noon). Our insurance got us a replacement car but we had to travel to Paris again to get and return through Paris the next day. If you have ever driven through Paris to got to the south then you know how horrible that is. In the end we were driving in Paris for over seven hours combined because of all the traffic and delays. That's definitely not the right way to start a holiday. To top all that, we were unable to reach our first hotel and had to book an expensive hotel in Paris and had to pay both. The car we ultimately got was a lot smaller and we had to leave some of our luggage behind. The worst part however, was the fact that I had a friend flying over to stay with us for a week and we had planned to see quite a few things but now there were only five seats left in the car and there were six of us.
To say I didn't relax as much as I normally do in Spain is an understatement. Thankfully everyone was okay.

I got home on Monday and the weather was extremely hot in Belgium, way too hot. Now I'm with my family (and grandmother and great-aunt) at De Haan, a village at our Belgian coast to cool down. Hopefully, I will be able to relax a little more here, although my 88- and 89-year-old family members do need a lot of help but I'm happy we are all here!

Blog and books

I didn't get the chance to blog while I was in Spain but I promise to be more active from now on!

I actually read all the books on my Tome Topple TBR, although not during the two weeks I was supposed to. I enjoyed them all and absolutely recommend them!

Movies and TV Shows

I went to see Con Amor, Simon in Spanish with my friend, which was fantastic! I had previously seen the movie and I have read and loved the book.

What did you read or watch recently? And what have you been doing to relax and are you travelling anywhere?

If you enjoyed this review, please follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter, Instagram, TVShowTime and Goodreads! I would really appreciate it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince Vol. 1 (The Shades of Magic Universe) by V.E. Schwab, Andrea Olimpieri (Artist)

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting On Wednesday hosted at Breaking the Spine.

The comic will delve into the thrilling backstory of Kell’s adoptive father, prince Maxim Maresh, before he became the king of Red London. When Maresh is sent to a violent and unmanageable port city far away to cut his military teeth on strict orders from his father, King Nokil Maresh, he encounters an unruly band of soldiers, a lawless landscape, and a newly returned pirate queen.

-- Goodreads.com description --

I love the Shades of Magic trilogy by V. E. Schwab and I can't wait to read more books set in this world! Very excited to read this comic when it comes out in the beginning of October!

Have you read this book or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

Which books are you excited to read?

If you enjoyed this post, please follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads! I would really appreciate it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Can't-Wait-Wednesday: Bright We Burn (The Conqueror's Saga #3) by Kiersten White

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting On Wednesday hosted at Breaking the Spine.

Bright We Burn is third book in The Conqueror's Saga so there are spoilers in the synopsis.

Haunted by the sacrifices he made in Constantinople, Radu is called back to the new capital. Mehmed is building an empire, becoming the sultan his people need. But Mehmed has a secret: as emperor, he is more powerful than ever . . . and desperately lonely. Does this mean Radu can finally have more with Mehmed . . . and would he even want it? 

Lada's rule of absolute justice has created a Wallachia free of crime. But Lada won't rest until everyone knows that her country's borders are inviolable. Determined to send a message of defiance, she has the bodies of Mehmed's peace envoy delivered to him, leaving Radu and Mehmed with no choice. If Lada is allowed to continue, only death will prosper. They must go to war against the girl prince. 

But Mehmed knows that he loves her. He understands her. She must lose to him so he can keep her safe. Radu alone fears that they are underestimating his sister's indomitable will. Only by destroying everything that came before--including her relationships--can Lada truly build the country she wants. 

Claim the throne. Demand the crown. Rule the world. 

-- Goodreads.com description --

I read the first two books last summer and while I didn't love them, I still enjoyed them enough to read the final book. Here is my review for the first book, And I Darken and my review for the sequel, Now I Rise.


Have you read this book or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

Which books are you excited to read?

If you enjoyed this post, please follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads! I would really appreciate it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

June Wrap Up

May was a terrible reading month but June was a lot better! 


1. Sweet Tooth, Volume 1: Out of the Deep Woods by Jeff Lemire

I really enjoyed this although I wish it had been longer. I'm definitely continuing the series! 4 stars.

2. You (You, #1) by Caroline Kepnes 

I've heard nothing but great things about this book which is why I was so disappointed when I did not like this as much as I hoped I would. 

First of all, I need to mention that this is not a genre I often read and that I was in a reading slump. However, I often felt bored and disliked all the characters. At times the only likeable character was Joe, which was disturbing to be honest. I can't say I recommend this one. 2,5 - 3 stars.

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide, #1) by Douglas Adams

It took me some time to get into this book, the beginning is definitely slow but I liked the second part of the book a lot better. Again, I was in a reading slump but I somehow expected a lot more from this beloved story. 3 stars.

4. Leah on the Offbeat (Creekwood, #2) by Becky Albertalli 

This is the book that got me out of the reading slump. I still like Simon's story best but this was a really fun read! 4 stars!

5. LIFEL1K3 (Lifelike, #1) by Jay Kristoff 

As I consider Jay Kristoff as one of my favourite authors of the moment I felt let down by LIFEL1K3. I did not care for the main characters (my favourite character being Cricket) and I was bored through the first half of the book. The last hundred pages were a lot better and made me excited to pick up the sequel but all in all, I'm a little disappointed with this one. 3 stars.

6. Sheets by Brenna Thummler

I enjoyed this one! Check out my review here.

7. A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas

Not much happened in this one, I'm excited for the next book, though! 3 stars.

8. Heartstone (Heartstone, #1) by Elle Katharine White 

A Pride and Prejudice retelling with dragons? Of course I enjoyed it! 3 stars.



What did you read recently? Have you read any of the books mentioned above or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

If you enjoyed this review, please follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter, Instagram, TVShowTime and Goodreads! I would really appreciate it!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Review: Aquicorn Cove by Katie O'Neill

When Lana and her father return to their seaside hometown to help clear the debris of a storm, the last thing she expects is to discover a colony of Aquicorns—magical seahorse-like residents of the coral reef. As she explores the damaged town and the fabled undersea palace, Lana learns that while she cannot always count on adults to be the guardians she needs, she herself is capable of finding the strength to protect both the ocean, and her own happiness. 

-- Goodreads.com description --












First of all, I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc of this comic in exchange for an honest review.

Aquicorn Cove is a fun comic about a little girl and magical sea horse-like creatures. I mainly picked this up because of the art and the ecological plot points.

I absolutely love the artwork and the colours, it's very cute and vibrant, and just for this reason alone I recommend this comic.

I did have a couple of issues with the plot of Aquicorn Cove. Although there are certain ecological elements explored, I was hoping that the comic would discuss more. For example, a point is made about the villagers and the damage of using plastic nets to fish and I thought the author could have expanded more on this as plastic in the ocean is a big problem. I really missed that here.

All in all, I really enjoyed Aquicorn Cove. It's a lot of fun and tries to address real ecological problems in a fantasy story. The art is stunning and cute but the plot itself is quite basic. I could have used a more developed story but this is probably difficult in this format. 4 stars!

Have you read this comic or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!


If you enjoyed this review, please follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter, Instagram, TVShowTime and Goodreads! I would really appreciate it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Sunday Post #22

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer (image above belongs to @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ). It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

Life

School is over and that makes me feel strange, I had a fun week with my colleagues and I makes me sad that I might not see them again. Another note, I did just receive an e-mail from another school saying that they will contact me when they know how many hours are available. This both stresses me out and makes me squeal with joy :)

Blog and books

This week I posted another Can't Wait Wednesday post and my Tome Topple TBR.
I finished my first tome today, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and really enjoyed it. Highly recommend it!

Movies and TV Shows

Watching La Casa de Papel again, this time with my parents. Such a great show!

What did you read or watch recently?

If you enjoyed this review, please follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter, Instagram, TVShowTime and Goodreads! I would really appreciate it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!