Hey there!
Another month of reading down. I've been a bit lacking on the blog posts this month (at this point its a write off for April/May) but in my defence I've been swamped with uni and the lead up to Budget at work. But I did still fit in some reading! So without further ado, this month I read:
'A court of mist and fury' - Sarah J. Maas
'A guilty thing surprised' - Ruth Rendell
'The tales of Beetle the Bard' - JK Rowling
'Fantastic Beasts: And where to find them' - JK Rowling
To begin - my rankings:
4 - 'Fantastic Beasts: And where to find them' - JK Rowling
3 - 'The tales of Beetle the Bard' - JK Rowling
2 - 'A guilty thing surprised' - Ruth Rendell
1 - 'A court of mist and fury' - Sarah J. Maas
My reviews:
1 - ''Fantastic Beasts and where to find them' - JK Rowling
Published in 2001, this accompaniment novel to the Harry Potter series is a small, intricate story that served as the textbook for Hogwarts students throughout their schooling on magical beasts. If you've seen the film by the same name (released in 2016) you'll know this was the book that the character Newt Scamander was working on during the first film.
I loved this book! My housemate bought it for me along with 'The tales of Beedle the Bard' for my birthday and they were really fantastic reads. As a massive potter head, being able to completely immerse myself not just in a story but also in the entire world that story resides in is a rare pleasure and this book allows me that.
Overall : 8/10 - A pick up, put down book all about the magical creatures from the Harry Potter universe
2 - 'The tales of Beetle the Bard' - JK Rowling
Please see above for how I came into possession of this book.
This was another incredibly enjoyable read. In comparison to Fantastic Beasts this book is a collection of children's tales that in the world of Harry Potter are read to young witches and wizards as bedtime stories. It is referenced in the seventh instalment of the Harry Potter series when the story of the three brothers is told to introduce the characters and the reader to the deathly hallows.
This book is unique as at the end of each story there is a small paragraph written from Dumbledore's perspective containing his opinion of the story. This small insight is a gift to read and something true potter fans will really cherish.
Overall : 8/10 - Another pick up, put down book from the Harry Potter universe showcasing JK Rowling's incredible gift for storytelling
3 - 'A guilty thing surprised' - Ruth Rendell
In the process of reorganising my "library" last month I found a collection of books that I hadn't really looked at for a long time. One of those was from my earlier NovelTea Book Club parcels - being this book.
A classic 80s murder mystery, set in a small town where everybody knows everybody and the case unfolds over a mere 200 pages. I love these small thrillers (shout out to agatha christie!!) and this one did not disappoint! A clever twist, loveable, intriguing characters and a brilliant plot - what more can you ask for?
Overall : 9/10 - Another murder mystery, but will a shocking twist! Can you guess the killer?
4 - 'A court of mist and fury' - Sarah J. Maas
Book two in this wonderful series definitely did not disappoint. I'm so glad I got onto this series as it has been a fantastic read so far (as I write this I'm about halfway through the third book). I had to agree with my friend who recommended the series to me that this book is FAR superior to the first book.
Although the first book has to be read it serves to really set everything up, the call to action drags the central character Feyre (pronounced fey-ruh) into a new world and things kick off. This book is the follow up to the action, there is far more character development and you begin to find that relationship with the characters that was only skin deep in the first book. The plot evolved neatly and added depth and new adventure in this book which I thoroughly enjoyed.
If you're a fan of fantasy I definitely recommend this book!
Overall : 10/10 - I loved this from beginning to end - a true fantasy epic!
Well that's it for this month! I had a really great month of reading and I'm so pleased I've almost finished the main trilogy for 'a court of thorns and roses' - soon I'll be onto the novella and newest instalment!!
As always, I hope you found some reading inspiration inside this post and I hope you have a lovely week ahead.
Till next time,
Rhi xx