Beware of the book dragon!

To celebrate the release of Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli, here's my stop on the #AusYABloggers blog tour! To see more reviews from this tour-  click here! Before we start content warning: This book deals with drugs and sexual abuse. Here's a brief synopsis: A fiercely told survivorship novel about one girl's determination to push her body to win gold at the Olympics, and the power of uniting as women to speak out. The only thing seventeen-year-old Audrey Lee dreams about is swinging her way to Olympic glory. Nothing is going to stop her, not even the agony in her back. Every spasm and ache will be worth it once she has that gold medal around her neck. But none of her training prepares her for her coach being led away in handcuffs, accused by a fellow gymnast of the unthinkable. No one knows what, or who to believe and Audrey's teammates go into meltdown. As the Olympic torch closes in, Audrey has no idea who to trust, let alone what life holds afte...

Here's the stats for Wednesday the 19th of February to Tuesday the 25th of Februrary 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 2. Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli 3. The Wicked King by Holly Black Books I've started this week: Reading goals update: 2/12 classics tbr 3/12 goodreads tbr 3/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 28 (this was on Sunday the 23rd) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 140 (this was on Monday the 24th) Total pages read this week: 811 Average pages read per day: 115.9 pages

A stunning historical fiction about four teens who are misfits during 1968, during the midst of the Vietnam War, who try to begin an anti-war movement within their school. The story takes place in current day 1968, with a few flashbacks (in the form of letters) to Bruce, Ronnie's older brother who died whilst in service. It is honest, and definitely can resonate to current-day teens in the ways of showing how segregation and racial prejudice can impact lives. I like how the main characters in the book all come together based on their connections to music, and I feel like music symbolises hope in this book. I couldn't put this book down and I felt like this book is something that a lot of people will resonate with in this current age! Rating: 4/5 (Thanks to North Star Editions/Flux via NetGalley for a copy for review!)

CW for book: sex, death, drowning The Sisters Grimm is a mildly poetic, magical, and original tale about the daughters of Wihelm Grimm. This book is a young adult fantasy with supernatural elements, and was honestly super vivid and I was absorbed from the get-go. The story follows four of the sisters (Bea, Liyana, Scarlet, and Goldie) as well as Leo (a main love interest)- with each having a perspective being told as the countdown to meeting Grimm went on (so 5 different POVs). I enjoyed reading from each perspective, and this was cleverly done, however multiple POVs are obviously subject to who the reader is! Personally, I absolutely adored the way the story has flashbacks from the past interwoven with the present day in lead up to the countdown to the sisters meeting their father. It made me understand each sister's power a lot more clearly, as it took me a while to realise that each sister's power was related to the elements- water, earth, fire, and air. The world-bu...

I was in a mild slump this week, but that's okay- this happens sometimes! Here's the stats for Wednesday the 12th of February to Tuesday the 18th of Februrary 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Anomaly by K.A. Emmons (Advanced copy) 2. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (#loveOzYA) 3. Shadowscent: The Darkest Bloom by P.M. Freestone Books I've started this week: 1. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin Reading goals update: 2/12 classics tbr 2/12 goodreads tbr 3/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 17 (this was on Sunday the 16th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 344 (this was on Tuesday the 18th) Total pages read this week: 747 Average pages read per day: 106.7 pages

I loved this cute LGBTIQA+ story, centralised on Ollie, a 17yo guy who moved from his hometown to Collinswood, North Carolina for his senior year. I loved the aspects of Grease that were retold in this contemporary coming of age story, and it is beautifully complicated and full of life- high school drama and all. I love that it was not only just the main character that was gay, but one of the side characters identified as bisexual, and I love that kind of representation! Rating: 4/5 Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a copy of this goregous story!

I was lucky enough to be able to preview a teaser excerpt of this exciting new YA book! As this is only a teaser, I'll leave the synopsis from Bloomsbury (UK & ANZ) below for those who are interested: "Summers at Havenfall’s famous Inn are Maddie Marrow's only solace from her dysfunctional existence. But the Inn is much more than a hotel, and life in Havenfall isn't without its secrets. Beneath the beautiful, sprawling manor in Colorado lie hidden gateways to other worlds, some long-sealed by ancient magic. When a body is found on the grounds, the volatile peace brokered between these worlds is irrevocably compromised. What’s worse is that Maddie’s friend Brekken stands accused of the murder. With everything she loves at stake, Maddie must confront shocking truths about the dangers lurking beneath Havenfall – and discover who she really is." I definitely felt like this book in the first couple of chapters had a mystery-murder feel to it, and the charac...

A fast-paced high fantasy that features many themes, including themes such as finding one's self, insecurity, grief, and passion. Chow has intricately woven such themes in a way that makes the characters truly realistic and made me hooked. The world-building was also quite descriptive, and made the book have a lot more context to me, stopping me from getting confused- as is often the case for me and high fantasy. The war scenes also felt more realistic rather than fantastical- something I don't usually see in high fantasy books, which was rather refreshing as well! Rating: 3.75/5 Thanks to the author for a copy of this ebook!

It's been a slow reading week, but that's okay, it happens! Here's the stats for Wednesday the 5th of February to Tuesday the 11th of Februrary 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Selected Poems by Rumi (Classic) Books I've started this week: 1. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 2. Anomaly by KA Emmons 3. Gemina Reading goals update: 2/12 classics tbr 2/12 goodreads tbr 2/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 39 (this was on Thursday the 6th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 292 (this was on Friday the 7th) Total pages read this week: 1093 Average pages read per day: 156.1 pages

I read a lot in the past week, which is surprising! Here's the stats for Wednesday the 29th of January to Tuesday the 4th of Februrary 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson (ARC) 2. Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein (#loveOzYA) 3. The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag Books I've started this week: 1. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 2. Anomaly by KA Emmons 3. Selected Poems by Rumi Reading goals update: 1/12 classics tbr 2/12 goodreads tbr 2/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 23 (this was on Tuesday the 4th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 296 (this was on Sunday the 2nd) Total pages read this week: 1170 Average pages read per day: 167.1 pages

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