Beware of the book dragon!

Are you in the mood for a superb crime book? Or just want something that is absolutely page-turning? Why not have both with Candice Fox’s latest page-gripping crime book, Gathering Dark! Set in Los Angeles, we meet a doctor turned convicted killer, an extremely skilled thief, and a cop who doesn’t feel like she fits in with her colleagues. The drama that unfolds is realistic, and definitely felt like it could happen in real life, which is rather chilling. The way Fox portrayed Jessica, the policewoman, made me feel super empathetic, as she was just trying to give her job her all. This is despite her police department appearing to dislike her- perhaps of her dedication to all her cases, or the fact that she was included in a will of a past client, who bequeathed her a mansion worth a lot of money. The jealousy truly made her partner and commanding officer appear very jerkish, which I feel is part of why she doubts herself so often. Blair Harbour also just wants to get her life back...

I LOVED this one. I bought this one solely on hearing about it at YA Day '20 (just before the coronavirus shutdown) and I rushed out to get it based on its gorgeous cover! I was definitely not disappointed, it had love, it had adventure, and it had mystery and scifi elements. What more did I need?!  I liked how different our main character, Alif, was in comparison to her group, and how she had goals that she aspired too- but was rejected. That's where the Oasis tablet comes in and turns Alif and the others lives around. I couldn't predict what would happen every page.  I was absolutely HOOKED on this one, and I couldn't put it down! Rating: 5/5

Here's the stats for Wednesday the 20th of May to Tuesday the 26th of May 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Ubiety 2. The Theory of Hummingbirds 3. The Gambler 4. Oasis Books I've started this week: 1. My Dear Ellie Reading goals update: 5/12 classics tbr 6/12 goodreads tbr 9/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 57 (this was on Wednesday the the 20th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 164 (this was on Sunday the 24th) Total pages read this week: 678 Average pages read per day: 96.85 pages

Whilst this book is intended to be thought-provoking, I just felt like it just wasn't for me. The ideas were rather interesting, however the execution could've been greatly improved. I found that the ideas were often slightly jumbled together, and the sentences were rather long. If the sentences weren't so long in points, the story might have made more sense to me. Otherwise, this is a super impressive effort from such a young writer. Rating: 2/5 I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I found this one super enjoyable and it had such great elements to it! In this one, I found it had the perfect balance between mystery and fantasy. I felt like Sunder City had all the grittiness of a crime novel, but also the realism of a fantsay and it was just so superbly done! It's hard to believe in a world without magical beings being well ... magic. Arnold does this extremely well and I could actuall picture Sunder City in my head as a place that actually exists! I enjoyed the world building, as well as the mix of characters. The characters sounded realistic, and I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the past that our main, Fetch had. Overall, I adored this book, and I'm keen to read the next book in the series! Rating: 4.5/5

Oh boyyyyyyyyyyy this one here gave me the feels. Half the time I was like (((stress))) because of the characters and their precarious situations, but also because of the build-up of everything that happened. I really liked the dynamic between Kal and his dearest besh'mai Auri. It was kinda cute to see Kal act all tough, but inside he's just a huge softie, and he's actually maybe just going to admit it a little. I felt like Auri got a lot more depth into her character this time, which really made the story for me. Alongside Fin (I missed the wit from this guy honestly- I need more!), Saedii is one of my new favourites, and is one kick-ass mothercustard for sure. The only thing I missed more in this book other than Fin's wit was Magellan- I wish I had more page time with it! Otherwise, I really liked this one- full of spaaaaaaace and action and all the good stuff. The plot twists throughout were great as well. Although Amie and Jay, what the actual MOTHERCUSTARD...

Here's the stats for Wednesday the 13th of May to Tuesday the 19th of May 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Aurora Burning 2. Rebel Spy 3. The Last Smile in Sunder City Books I've started this week: 1. Ubiety Reading goals update: 4/12 classics tbr 5/12 goodreads tbr 8/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 0 (this was on Saturday the the 16th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 175 (this was on both Wednesday the 13th and Thursday the 14th) Total pages read this week: 833 Average pages read per day: 119 pages

Beyond the Break is a heartfelt coming of age story, that centers around faith, school, and surfing. Whilst reading this book, I felt instantly transported to my own youth group days, as the descriptions of Lovette’s youth group experiences she provided felt like my own! I also really enjoyed how the school and youth group environments meshed together well, so it didn’t feel like we had too many characters being introduced in such a short time. Speaking of characters, I adored reading from Lovette’s point of view, with all the struggles of gossip and love interspersed throughout. Whilst I would’ve gotten a hiding for sneaking out to do things if I was in Lovette’s shoes, I was rooting for her whilst she was still practicing swimming and surfing despite her parents orders! The surfing element truly gave me Soul Surfer vibes, which also mixed surfing and religion together, albeit this one has a lot more fluffy in comparison. The characters also were easy to either like or dislike, ...

A Song Below Water focuses on two girls of colour- one that is a Siren, and the other is trying to figure out who and what she is, in a world where being different could mean that you could end up being an outcast. When we meet Tavia, she’s frightened about the world finding out that she is a Siren. Being a Siren in Portland meant that she could get a Siren collar- and be silenced. Tavia’s dad denies that she is a Siren, and insinuates that it is all in her head, which doesn’t help Tavia at all. At the start, I emphasised with Tavia, as she struggles to fit in at school, fighting the uncontrollable Siren call urges, which she masks using choir. In comparison, Effie, Tavia’s foster sister and our second main character, embraces the weird and different in order to mask that she’s not sure what or who she is. Effie thrives as her character in the renaissance faire as Euphemia the Mer, wearing a fake mermaid tail, and pretending to fall in love with another actor in the faire. The stor...

I’m Rob Rufus, and I’ll be your quarantine DJ today.  This isolation has our emotions bouncing all over the place, so here are some records I recommend spinning depending on your mood.   All records below are also great background music while reading my new book, The Vinyl Underground, which is out now! FEELING GOOD Cyndi Lauper, She’s so Unusual Together Pangea, Bull & Rooster Rod Stewart, Never a Dull Moment FEELING ANGRY OR ANGSTY Misfits, Static Age Pennywise, Full Circle The Dead Boys, Loud Young & Snotty FEELING A LITTLE LONESOME Hank Williams, Greatest Hits The Menzingers, Hello Exile Pink Floyd, The Final Cut FEELING LIKE SLOWDANCING (WITH YOUR PARTNER OR PET) Otis Redding, Otis Blue Charles Bradley, Victim of Love The Platters, Only You FEELING EPIC Meatloaf, Bat out of Hell The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack FEELING SAD I only have one suggestion if you’re feeling sa...

Here's the stats for Wednesday the 6th of  May to Tuesday the 12th of May 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. All that Impossible Space 2. As Fast As I Can Books I've started this week: 1. Aurora Burning 2. Rebel Spy Reading goals update: 4/12 classics tbr 5/12 goodreads tbr 7/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 0 (this was on Friday the 8th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 208 (this was on Saturday the 9th) Total pages read this week: 907 Average pages read per day: 129.6 pages

To celebrate the release of As Fast As I Can by Penny Tangey, here's my blog tour stop for the #AusYABloggers tour ( more stops here )! Here's a brief synopsis: From CBCA-shortlisted author Penny Tangey comes this funny, heartfelt novel about ten-year-old Vivian and her quest to one day become an Olympic middle-distance runner. Dealing with themes around chronic illness, persistence and acceptance. One girl. One dream. A few hurdles. Ten-year-old Vivian is determined to win a medal at the Olympic Games one day. Problem is, she hasn’t found a sport she’s any good at yet. But everyone says if you work hard enough you can achieve anything, right? So when Vivian discovers she has a talent for cross country running, finally, her Olympic dream might actually come true. But then a family illness is uncovered and all of Vivian’s plans begin to unravel. Can she keep her dream alive? Or will she be stopped in her tracks? A funny, heartfelt novel about resilienc...

To celebrate the release of Snow by Gina Inverarity, here's my blog tour stop for the #AusYABloggers tour ( more stops here )! Here's a brief synopsis: When the girl brought my bowl she was in and out through the door like she couldn’t move fast enough. And when the lock clicked after her I found something she’d left. A knife. And not one for spreading butter, but a sharp one for slitting throats. Locked in a cell by her stepmother, Snow grows small but she still grows. Even so, she’s hardly a match for a world gone wild, where the sun has disappeared behind clouds for good. The night the hunter takes her into the forest with orders to cut out her heart, Snow makes him a promise she isn’t sure she can keep. And then she runs. Snow’s life is no fairytale. As she grows up her path will take her into the mountains, over misty passes, desolate gorges and alpine rivers, as well as to the city, where she will make her case for the return of what is hers. And her ...

I would be lying if I didn't say that I had to keep listening to You Are Not Alone as I was super hooked in! Featuring multiple points of view, we read events that occur from the Moore sisters and their tight circle of friends, Amanda- the lady who died, and Shay Miller. The way Shay is portrayed as a data nerd, felt similar to me and my love for looking at interesting bits of data; although this leads Shay into a world of trouble, entwining herself into the wraps of the mysterious Moore sisters. Whilst this was only one part of it, the sisters linked Shay to the death of Amanda which was truly a terrible event. I enjoyed how the setting was written, and how each character felt like they were all interconnected, kind of like the six degrees of separation or small world principles. The plotting and backstabbing between the characters was something I loved getting all the details about, as I felt like I was a bystander in all of the events. I also felt sad for Shay, who just h...

Here's the stats for Wednesday the 29th of April to Tuesday the 5th of May 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Shatter City 2. Incarnate 3. Priory of the Orange Tree 4. City of Zirdai Books I've started this week: 1. All that Impossible Space Reading goals update: 4/12 classics tbr 5/12 goodreads tbr 6/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 112 (this was on Friday the 1st) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 304 (this was on Sunday the 3rd) Total pages read this week: 1554 Average pages read per day: 222 pages

Reincarnate is a fast-paced, non-stop action scifi book, based on transferring one's brain into another's body. Whilst this concept seriously scares me, the way this was integrated into the story drew me into find out more. I loved how Mertz wrote our main character, setting her up as feeling as if she was (and obviously is) trapped in someone else's body and is unable to escape, and is basically under control of some other people. Whilst this was fast paced, it did lack some details that would've provided a bit more context and depth. However, I believe that this will come in later books, and I'm excited to read what comes next! Overall, I enjoyed this thrilling read! Rating: 3.5/5 Note: I was given an e-copy of this book by Mckay Mertz's publicist in exchange for a review.

To celebrate the release of Danielle Bink's #loveOzMG- The Year the Maps Changed, here's my blog tour stop for the book! You can check other posts from this tour here ! Here's a brief synopsis: I was eleven when everything started and twelve by the end. But that's another way maps lie, because it felt like the distance travelled was a whole lot further than that.  Sorrento, Victoria - 1999  Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land-grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.  But even as the world feels like it's spinning out of control, a crisis from the other side of it comes crashing in. When 400 K...