Etsy Finds: Bookmarks and Metalmarks - HerPaperWorld

I love looking for new fandom sellers on Etsy, there are just so many amazing creators making items from bookmarks to candles and everything else you can possibly think of. I've brought from a few of them over the last few years but for some reason I've never got around to reviewing the products here on my blog. I thought it was about time I changed that so keep an eye out for some random Etsy Finds posts over the next few months. I'll start by posting about products I've purchased but I'll probably branch out onto items on my wish list later on.

Today I want to start with the store HerPaperWorld run by Katie. This shop sells fantastic paper bookmarks but what I've really fallen in love with are their Metalmarks (bookmarks made from a thin piece of metal with gorgeous colourful designs on one side).

The bookmarks and metalmarks I ordered recently were from Jay Kristoff's Nevernight Chronicles fandom and Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer fandom but she also has designs inspired by Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Aurora Rising, Sarah J Maas and more. In fact I've just spotted a Discworld inspired metalmark that might just have to be my next purchase LOL.

The HerPaperWorld bookmarks are £2.50 plus shipping (you can buy multiple items for one flat fee shipping charge) and they're printed on good quality card with nice bright and glossy designs. The Metalmarks seem to vary in price from approx £5-£6.50 and they were definitely my favourite purchases. The Metalmarks are so shiny and fantastic quality. I don't have any worries about using any of these products as bookmarks as well as for pretty bookish photos!

Here are some pictures of the products I purchased

Inspired by the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff:

Metalmark with the quote "The Books we love they love us back"

Bookmark with the quote "Never Flinch, Never Fear, Never Forget"

Click here to purchase

The Metalmark and Bookmark together

Inspired by the Strange the Dreamer series by Laini Taylor

Metalmark with the quote "Dream up something wild and improbable"

Bookmark with the quote "It was impossible of course. 

But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming."

Click here to purchase

All of the bookmarks I purchased

Aren't they all gorgeous designs? I included links to the ones that are still available to purchase above but you can check out the entire HerPaperWorld shop here.

In the interest of clarity this was NOT a sponsored post (I will always mention it when I receive products for review). I purchased these items for myself and did not receive a discount or compensation for reviewing them here.

Review: Muse of Nightmares - Laini Taylor

Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.
She believed she knew every horror, and was beyond surprise.
She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice - save the woman he loves, or everyone else? - while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she's capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with the thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

Strange the Dreamer Series:
Strange the Dreamer
The Muse of Nightmares

Visit Laini Taylor's website for more information

Review:
Strange the Dreamer was one of my favourite books of 2017 so it's no surprise that Muse of Nightmares has been at the top of my wish list ever since then. Sometimes having such high expectations of a story makes me nervous to actually start reading it but I never get that feeling of fear when I pick up a Laini Taylor novel because she has never disappointed me.

It's so hard to go into much detail about this book because really I think you're best going in blind and letting the story unfold as you read it. What I will say is that it took a completely different turn from the one I expected and yet somehow that still felt like exactly the right way for things to play out. This world is complex and the characters are so compelling that I really could have read it in one sitting if I wasn't so busy in the real world.

Strange the Dreamer was a book about good people who had done bad things, it was a story of regrets, hatred, the need for revenge and about two young people who were desperate to find a way forward that wouldn't end in all out war. Muse of Nightmares is about all of those things but also about hope, redemption and trying to right the wrongs you've done. It's about admitting your mistakes and understanding you could have done better but having to learn to find a way forward in spite of the pain you've both suffered and caused other people. You have to learn to forgive yourself and the enemies that can no longer hurt you if you want to build a future that isn't full of the same fear and destruction.

Honestly it's so hard to write reviews for books that are as special as this one. I don't have the words to adequately express how much I love this series or how happy this book made me. Laini Taylor's writing is nothing short of magical, I can't think of any other author who writes quite as beautifully as she does and her world building always blows my mind. But most of all it's her characters that I love, they're so multilayered and compelling that they feel like real people and even the ones you hate have redeeming qualities that make you want to see them turn their lives around.

Muse of Nightmares was the perfect follow up to Strange the Dreamer and this is now my all time favourite duology. Everything about it is perfect, I love the world, the action had me on the edge of my seat and the romance melted my heart. There were even a couple of Easter eggs for fans of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and although you don't need to read those books to enjoy this one I would definitely recommend them all. I can't wait to see what Laini Taylor comes up with next, her books will always be auto-buys for me & my only wish is that she doesn't keep us waiting too long for the next adventure!

Source: Received from Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback (Preorder) / Kindle:

Book & Nook Unboxing - February 2018 Monthly Candle Collection - Fairytale Magic

I'm a bit late posting about this because I received my box about a month ago now but I really love this collection so I had to give Book & Nook a shoutout on my blog anyway. Since I've been enjoying receiving the Fairyloot boxes but my favourite items are usually the candles I figured it would be fun to try out one of the candle collections I'd come across on Etsy.

The Book & Nook theme for February was Fairytale Magic and I knew it would include items related to Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and The Lunar Chronicles so as a HUGE fairytale fan it was perfect for me. The box included five 4oz candles as well as a bookish item and a bookmark and was only £19.99 + Shipping which I thought was a pretty great deal.

Here are the contents of my box:

The bookish item this month was a "Happily Ever After" room spray and I have to admit that I didn't love it as much as the candles, I'm not really keen on the scent of it unfortunately, but I still think the box was brilliant value just for the candles.

The candles included were:

1. Stars Above - inspired by the Lunar Chronicles the scent is Lotus Blossom, Magnolia and Bergamot.
2. Glass Slipper - inspired by Cinderella the scent is English Pear, Mistletoe and Freesia.
3. Tale as Old As Time - inspired by Beauty and the Beast the scent is Amber, White Peach Blossom and Gold Orchid.
4. Mirror Mirror - inspired by Snow White the scent is Pink Peony, Summer Flowers and Gardenia Blooms.
5. Down the Rabbit Hole - inspired by Alice in Wonderland the scent is Chamomile, Strawberry and Peppermint.

The candles all smell lovely and they're all topped with glitter for that little extra sparkle. I love the tin designs too and they look lovely on my bookcases.

Since I was placing an order I also treated myself to this Strange the Dreamer inspired Weep candle (you might as well order big to save on shipping costs right?!).

The colour has been designed to match the UK hardback design (which incidentally is the same as the US paperback!) and the scent is Strawberry, Orange and Green Apple and it's almost good enough to eat LOL. Strange the Dreamer is one of my favourite books and I can't wait to reread it with this candle burning in the background, I'm sure the smell will help me fall even deeper into the story.

If you've not bought anything from Book & Nook before I can't recommend them highly enough, they're not doing a monthly box for April but I'll definitely be buying more candles from them in the future. You can find their products on Etsy or buy directly from their website and they are also on Instagram.

Blog Tour: Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor

If you've been following my blog for any length of time you'll know I've been a HUGE fan of Laini Taylor ever since Daughter of Smoke and Bone was published back in 2011. I just adore her beautiful writing so it was no surprise that Strange the Dreamer was one of my favourite books last year and I know I'm not the only one desperately waiting to get my hands on the sequel, Muse of Nightmares, when it publishes!

Anyway, today is all about celebrating the release of the gorgeous paperback version of Strange the Dreamer (yes, this is another book that I've ended up buying multiple copies of LOL!). Just look how pretty it is though, it's really not my fault:

and just in case you haven't read it yet (what on earth do you mean you haven't read it yet? - get to it people, you don't know what your'e missing!!) here's the blurb:

The magical Sunday Times bestseller by Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy

The dream chooses the dreamer.

Since he was five years old, Lazlo Strange has been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to go in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself - in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep to cut it off from the world? What did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do many more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who visits Lazlo's dreams . . .

So I already posted my review for Strange the Dreamer last year but I thought I'd include it again here.

My Review:
It's been a long wait for something new from Laini Taylor, I absolutely adored her writing in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series but if anything she's honed her skills even more and Strange the Dreamer was even more beautifully written. She always manages to completely captivate me with the worlds she creates and when I fall into one of her books I never want to come back out again.

Strange the Dreamer is the story of Lazlo, a young man who was orphaned as a baby and raised by monks before he discovered the magic of the great library and trained to become a librarian. Lazlo is in part a little like every book worm you'll ever meet, he's obsessed with stories and spends so much time with his head stuck in a book that real life often happens around him without him even noticing. Lazlo's biggest obsession is the mystery of Weep and he has dedicated his life to reading everything he can about the city that disappeared so long ago. It's been years since anyone was able to find Weep and nobody can even remember the city's real name but Lazlo longs for it to be discovered again and he would give anything to visit the place he has spent so long dreaming about. Lazlo is a dreamer but he's also smart, funny and very caring. He always tries to help people but never expects thanks for his hard work and is so grateful for every opportunity he is offered that he never takes anything for granted.

This is also the story of Sarai, a young woman who has been trapped in her home for years with only her siblings for company. I don't want to get into too much detail about where Sarai is or how she ended up trapped there but her path crosses Lazlo's in the most unusual manner and I absolutely loved spending time with them both and watching the beginnings of their romance. Sarai and her siblings have been through something horrific but thanks to her unique talent she is the one best placed to understand both sides of the story and she longs for peace and freedom. She's such a compassionate girl, one who has seen the worst people have to offer but who also has great capacity for forgiveness and who tries really hard to look at the good in people.

Once again Laini Taylor has created a world that you just want to dive into, there are so many beautiful and amazing things to discover but there are also dark secrets lurking underneath that will leave you reeling. Her characters are people you want to be friends with and even her villains are so complex that you can understand their actions even if you don't particularly agree with them. There is so much pain and fear between the two different groups in the story that it's going to take a miracle to pull them together but I have complete faith that if anyone can pull it off Lazlo Strange and the Muse of Nightmares can. Working together I think they can achieve anything.

Strange the Dreamer is definitely one of my favourite books of the year and there is no doubt in my mind that it is going to be appearing on a lot of "best of 2017" lists. The Muse of Nightmares is right at the top of my 2018 wish list but I know I'll be rereading this book while I wait for it to be released.

I just have to add that I think the UK cover is so gorgeous and after a little arm doodling I think it would make a pretty gorgeous tattoo too!

********************

Now I've talked about how much I loved the book but I thought it might be fun to have a look at the different covers too.

UK Paperback / UK Hardback which is also being used for the US Paperback / US Hardback

They're all so pretty aren't they, it's hard not to want to collect the set. Which cover is your favourite? I have to admit I think the original UK hardback is probably my favourite, I'm not at all surprised that the US publisher chose to use it for their paperback. I love the gold foil on the US cover though (can anyone tell me if it's actually shiny gold? I've not seen that version in the flesh) but I think the new UK paperback is pretty too and I really like the pastel colouring.

If you haven't read Strange the Dreamer yet don't forget to order your copy ASAP, I'm already looking forward to rereading this just before Muse of Nightmares comes out so it's definitely a book I'd highly recommend. Make sure you check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour too!

My Favourite Books from the First Half of 2017

It's always interesting to look back and try to pick my favourite books of the year but it can be really hard to narrow it down to a reasonable number so I thought I'd make a start on my top books of 2017 list early by having a look at my favourites from January to June. I limited it to first reads only (the books I reread are already favourites so would have an unfair advantage!) and no more than one book per author (again some authors would end up on the list multiple times!). The books can be old or new as long as they're new to me but as it happened this time around they're all 2017 releases and there are quite a few debuts on the list which is great.

My favourite YA books from the first half of 2017:

(Click the links to read my reviews)

1. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
2. Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder
3. Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts
4. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber

I don't really read contemporary YA so it's no surprise that this list is full of fantasy titles. We are really getting spoiled with the huge amount of YA fantasy being released right now and there are so many more books that I'm really excited to read and already suspect will end up on my final list at the end of the year!

My favourite adult books from the first half of 2017:

(Click the links to read my reviews)

1. White Hot by Ilona Andrews
2. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
4. Scorpion Trap by Pippa DaCosta
5. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

It doesn't surprise me that my favourite adult tiles are all branches of fantasy either, my favourite genres are still definitely urban fantasy and paranormal romance but fantasy in general always hits my hot spot! This list includes 4 of my favourite authors who are nearly always in my top book lists and Katherine Arden's debut has me incredibly excited to follow her writing career.

What are your favourite books of the year so far? Do any of mine make your lists too? If you have any fantasy recommendations (old or new) please do leave them in the comment, I can never have too many books on my to read mountain!

Review: Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep

In this sweeping and breathtaking new novel by National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, author of the New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, the shadow of the past is as real as the ghosts who haunt the citadel of murdered gods. Fall into a mythical world of dread and wonder, moths and nightmares, love and carnage.

Strange the Dreamer Series:
Strange the Dreamer
The Muse of Nightmares

Visit Laini Taylor's website for more information

Review:
It's been a long wait for something new from Laini Taylor, I absolutely adored her writing in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series but if anything she's honed her skills even more and Strange the Dreamer was even more beautifully written. She always manages to completely captivate me with the worlds she creates and when I fall into one of her books I never want to come back out again.

Strange the Dreamer is the story of Lazlo, a young man who was orphaned as a baby and raised by monks before he discovered the magic of the great library and trained to become a librarian. Lazlo is in part a little like every book worm you'll ever meet, he's obsessed with stories and spends so much time with his head stuck in a book that real life often happens around him without him even noticing. Lazlo's biggest obsession is the mystery of Weep and he has dedicated his life to reading everything he can about the city that disappeared so long ago. It's been years since anyone was able to find Weep and nobody can even remember the city's real name but Lazlo longs for it to be discovered again and he would give anything to visit the place he has spent so long dreaming about. Lazlo is a dreamer but he's also smart, funny and very caring. He always tries to help people but never expects thanks for his hard work and is so grateful for every opportunity he is offered that he never takes anything for granted.

This is also the story of Sarai, a young woman who has been trapped in her home for years with only her siblings for company. I don't want to get into too much detail about where Sarai is or how she ended up trapped there but her path crosses Lazlo's in the most unusual manner and I absolutely loved spending time with them both and watching the beginnings of their romance. Sarai and her siblings have been through something horrific but thanks to her unique talent she is the one best placed to understand both sides of the story and she longs for peace and freedom. She's such a compassionate girl, one who has seen the worst people have to offer but who also has great capacity for forgiveness and who tries really hard to look at the good in people.

Once again Laini Taylor has created a world that you just want to dive into, there are so many beautiful and amazing things to discover but there are also dark secrets lurking underneath that will leave you reeling. Her characters are people you want to be friends with and even her villains are so complex that you can understand their actions even if you don't particularly agree with them. There is so much pain and fear between the two different groups in the story that it's going to take a miracle to pull them together but I have complete faith that if anyone can pull it off Lazlo Strange and the Muse of Nightmares can. Working together I think they can achieve anything.

Strange the Dreamer is definitely one of my favourite books of the year and there is no doubt in my mind that it is going to be appearing on a lot of "best of 2017" lists. The Muse of Nightmares is right at the top of my 2018 wish list but I know I'll be rereading this book while I wait for it to be released.

I just have to add that I think the UK cover is so gorgeous and after a little arm doodling I think it would make a pretty gorgeous tattoo too!

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle:

My Most Anticipated 2017 Reads

As we close out 2016 I wanted to talk about some of the fabulous books that I'm looking forward to reading next year. I'm going to focus on releases from the first half of 2017 and I'll try to make a similar list in the summer to cover the rest of the year.

Young Adult:

1. Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder - I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Ixia series, Yelena and Valek are two of my favourite YA characters of all time so I can't wait to read the latest book even though I'm incredibly sad it's the last one.
2. Traitor to the throne by Alwyn Hamilton - Rebel of the Sands was one of my favourite books of 2016 so of course I have very high hopes for the sequel.
3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor - If you've read The Daughter of Smoke and Bone you'll already know why I'm looking forward to this one, I just adore Laini's writing.
4. Caraval by Stephanie Garber - There is so much hype surrounding Caraval which makes me a little nervous but Hodder publish some of my favourite books so I think this will be awesome, especially since it's described as perfect for fans of The Night Circus.
5. Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima - I first discovered Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms series this year and I was hooked from the very beginning, I devoured all four books as well as the first book in the Shattered Realms spin off and I can't wait to see what happens next.
6. Heartstone by Elle Katharine White - This is a debut novel that turns Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice into a high fantasy story with dragons. With dragons people, Pride and Prejudice with DRAGONS! Do I need to say any more than that?
7. Roseblood by A.G. Howard - I love it when authors take a well known story and put their own spin on it so I'm very excited to see what twists A.G. Howard is going to add to the Phantom of the Opera.
8. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth - I absolutely loved the Divergent series (even though I've refused to read the last book since someone spoilered me!) so I've been waiting a long time to see what Veronica Roth would come up with next.
9. The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine - I really love fairytales and retellings and this series combines the two so I'm looking forward to reading this one.
10. Silver Stars by Michael Grant - This is a little different to the other books on my list since it's not high fantasy but Michael Grant has imagined WWII as if women had been allowed to fight on the front lines. I enjoyed every minute of the first book so I'm looking forward to continuing the journey these women are taking.

Adult:

1. White Hot by Ilona Andrews - This is a bit of a cheat since I've already read White Hot (twice!) but it's so absolutely awesome that I can't wait to read it again and we also have the third book in the series, Wildfire, to look forward to later on in the year so I'm all about this series next year.
2. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - This debut fantasy is being sold as perfect for fans of The Night Circus and Uprooted which happen to be two of my favourite books so I'm expecting great things from this one.
3. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh - I love everything Nalini Singh writes and her Psy-Changeling series is absolutely fantastic so of course I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
4. Scorpion Trap by Pippa DaCosta - I discovered Pippa DaCosta in 2015 and completely fell in love with her writing. Since then I've devoured her entire backlist but luckily for me she's quite a prolific writer and I can't wait for the next book in her Ace Dante series. 
5. Blade bound by Chloe Neill - Well the end is here, the last book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. This is going to be a bittersweet read because I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters but at the same time I can't wait to see how things turn out for Merit and Ethan.
6. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson is one of my favourite urban fantasy heroines, I reread this series regularly but it's been a couple of years now so I'm hoping to find time to read them all before Silence Fallen releases.
7. Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet - A Promise of Fire was another of my favourite 2016 debuts so I'm sure this will be just as awesome.
8. The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz - I'm a huge fan of Tiffany Reisz's writing so of course this is at the top of my wish list.
9. Ride Rough by Laura Kaye - I may not read much contemporary romance these days but there are a couple of authors who I automatically preorder and Laura Kaye is one of them.
10. Too Wilde To Tame by Tonya Burrows - This is another series that I love and have been waiting almost a year for the next instalment of.

Are any of these books at the top of your list? What other books are you excited about reading in 2017?

Bookish News: New 3 Book Deal for Laini Taylor with Hodder & Stoughton

I received the following press release from Hodder & Stoughton and I'm such a huge Laini Taylor fan that I had to share it with you all!

__________________________________________________

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING FANTASY AUTHOR LAINI TAYLOR SIGNS NEW THREE-BOOK DEAL WITH HODDER & STOUGHTON

Following the international success of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, Hodder & Stoughton will publish three new young adult novels by Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling fantasy author, Laini Taylor. Kate Howard, Associate Publisher at Hodder, acquired British Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) from Jane Putch of Eyebait Management. The first book, The Muse of Nightmares, will be published in Autumn 2016 and is a fantasy young adult novel with a gothic flavour. Taylor describes it as follows: ‘There was a war between men and gods, and men won. The few surviving children of the gods have grown up in hiding, dreading the day they know must come: when humans find them, and end them. That day is at hand.’ The book will simultaneously release in the US from sister company Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Kate Howard said: ‘I am so thrilled to publish Sunday Times bestselling Laini Taylor’s new books across the UK and Commonwealth, starting with The Muse of Nightmares next Autumn. Laini’s imagination is second to none, the fantasy worlds she creates truly unique and I know that come Autumn 2016, The Muse of Nightmares will be the book everyone is talking about.’

Of The Muse of Nightmares, Taylor shared, ‘I’m excited beyond belief to have found the proper form, at last, for this story that’s been in my head for about two decades. I can’t say much about it, but I’ll say this: it’s about otherness, and yearning to belong in a place you never can. I can only hope that readers will respond to these new characters with the same passion as they have to Karou and Brimstone, Prague and Eretz.’

The widely acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy, for which Universal Pictures acquired film rights (with Joe Roth set to produce), is currently available in thirty-three languages. Of her experience meeting fans internationally, Taylor said, ‘The reception of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy has been and continues to be a dream come true. I’m blown away by the incredible fan art, cosplay, and tattoos from readers all around the world, who give the books new life and new dimensions every day. Fantasy readers are the best.’

About Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor is the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight, and Dreams of Gods & Monsters, and the companion enovella, Night of Cake & Puppets. She is also the author of the Dreamdark books, Blackbringer and Silksinger, and the National Book Award finalist Lips Touch: Three Times. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, illustrator Jim Di
Bartolo, and their daughter, Clementine. Her website is www.lainitaylor.com.

__________________________________________________

I absolutely adore the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, Laini Taylor's writing is beautiful and she quickly earned a spot as one of my favourite authors so I can't wait to read The Muse of Nightmares!

Birthday Giveaway Winners!

I have the winners of my birthday giveaways to announce today with the help of Rafflecopter

First we have the UK giveaway for a signed copy of Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Secondly we have the international giveaway for a signed copy of Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congratulations to you both! I have sent you an email asking for your addresses and you now have 1 week to respond or a new winner/s will be chosen. I will be sending out the prizes for these giveaways so your details won't be shared with anyone else.

Thanks so much to both Hodder & Stoughton and Mira Ink for sponsoring these giveaway & thanks to everyone who entered. I'm sorry if you didn't win but I'll have more giveaways coming up soon so make sure you check back for another chance to win prizes.

Birthday Giveaway 1: Signed Copy of Dreams of Gods and Monsters - Laini Taylor (UK only)

No this isn't an April Fool's joke - today actually is my birthday and to celebrate I feel like giving someone else a present! So I have two fabulous giveaways for you, one for UK participants and one that is open internationally,

I've had to keep this giveaway UK only because of the cost of postage, this book is a huge hardback and I dread to think about how much it would cost to send it abroad! I'd also like to say a massive thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for sending me this book so that I could give it away to one of my lucky readers.

So I have ONE beautiful SIGNED hardback copy of Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor to give away today. I know there are 2 copies in the picture but that's just so you can see what the cover looks like along with the signature on the inside. Isn't it gorgeous?!

• Courtesy of Hodder & Stoughton I have 1 Signed Hardback of Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor to giveaway to a lucky UK winner.
• The winner will be chosen at random from all entries received. 
• To enter please use the rafflecopter below to confirm that you are a UK resident, there are optional extra entries for following or tweeting about the giveaway but these are not required to enter.
• The giveaway will close on the 15th of April 2015 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards. You will have 1 week to reply to me with your address or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: My True Love Gave to Me - Anthology

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . .

This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. The stories are filled with the magic of first love and the magic of the holidays.

Here is a list of all the stories included in the anthology:
(links take you to the author's websites)
1. Midnights by Rainbow Rowell
2. The lady and the Fox by Kelly Link
3. Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena
4. Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han
5. It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins
6. Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan
7. Krampuslauf by Holly Black
8. What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman
9. Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire
10. Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White
11. Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter
12. The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Review:
Firstly I have to comment on how special the UK hardback of this book is, I'm not usually a fan of hardbacks and prefer to buy my books in paperback or as ebooks but this is one hardback that will happily be displayed on my bookshelves. It has a beautiful blue cover with a gold foil title and design, the edges and end papers are hot pink and it comes with a gold ribbon bookmark. It's the kind of book you want to treasure and I'm happy to say that the contents more than live up to the outer packaging.

I love reading anthologies because they can be a great way of trying new authors but I do tend to find that they are a bit hit and miss, often there will be a couple of stories I love along with a bunch of mediocre entries that were okay but nothing special. I had high hopes for My True Love Gave to Me though because it has contributions from so many well known and popular YA authors and I have to say this is probably one of the best anthologies I've read. It includes 12 holiday themed stories and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them. Obviously I have a few favourites but the quality was consistently high and there wasn't a single story that missed the mark or bored me.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell is a story spanning four years in the lives of best friends Mags and Noel, we only get to see one night of each year - New Years Eve - but we get a real sense of how close the two of them are and how strongly they feel for each other. Will one of them ever be brave enough to make the first move to take things further though? A very sweet contemporary romance with likeable characters who I would have loved to spend more time with.

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link has a real fairytale feel to it, Miranda spends every Christmas staying with her Godmother's family and she meets a mysterious boy in the garden but he will never come into the house and she only ever sees him when it's snowing. This is a sweet and magical story that I completely fell in love with and I definitely plan to check out more stories by Kelly Link in the future.

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena is about Shy, a young man who is flat sitting for his boss over Christmas and the friendship he develops with a girl in the flat upstairs. Matt de la Pena is another new to me author but I loved his writing style and will be looking out for more of his books, this is a feel good story and one that left me with a smile on my face.

Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han is set in the North Pole and features Santa's adopted daughter Natty, she is the only human there and feels left out because she doesn't have a date to the Christmas Ball. I hate to say it but this was probably my least favourite story in the anthology, purely because it ended so abruptly. I was thoroughly enjoying it but then it just seemed to stop half way through, I turned the page looking for more and nothing. I think this could have been excellent if it had just been a tiny bit longer.

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins is an incredibly sweet and heart warming romance and it was definitely one of my favourite stories in the anthology. Marigold is in desperate need of a holiday miracle and she gets a lot more than she expected when she goes to buy a Christmas tree from North. I've heard so many great things about Stephanie Perkins's writing and if this is what she can do with a short story I can't wait to read one of her full length novels!

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan is the story of a boy who dresses up as Santa and sneaks into his boyfriend's house just to help a young girl believe in magic for another year. This was incredibly sweet, it focuses more on family relationships than romance but I loved it.

Krampuslauf by Holly Black brings us the darker side of Christmas and introduces readers to the legend of Krampus. A group of friends decide to throw a New Years Eve party and think it will be the perfect opportunity to get revenge on one of their cheating boyfriends. I really enjoyed this one but would definitely have liked it to have been longer, the characters were great but I wanted to see more of Krampus and his friends.

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman is a very humorous story about a girl from a big city who is having trouble settling in at a very rural college until she meets Russell who makes her realise that things could be very different if only she was willing to make a bit more of an effort. This was another favourite story with just the right balance of comedy and romance.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire was a bit of a strange story but I absolutely loved Vaughn, the town prankster who accidentally set fire to the church hall just a few weeks before Christmas and is now trying to make things right by making sure the nativity play still goes ahead. This had a strong theme of redemption and not playing up to people's expectations of you but instead learning to follow your own path.

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White is about a tiny little village in the middle of nowhere that does everything it can to live up to it's name. Maria is desperate to escape the dead end town and move away but Ben, the new chef at her family's diner, makes her see things in a different light. I really enjoyed the family relationships in this one, Maria doesn't feel like she has anything in common with her mother and step-father but there are a lot of things that she doesn't realise and once she finds out the truth she finally understands how much they care about her.

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter is about a young girl who is desperate to get away and have a fresh start, so desperate that she willingly swaps plane tickets with another girl even though she has no idea where she's going to end up. This story was full of surprises but really sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Again it's one where I loved the characters so much that I want to be able to spend more time with them but we still get a satisfying ending.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor ended up being my favourite story in the anthology. Neve is an orphan who has very little choice about what will happen to her when she turns 18, she either finds a man to marry her or she will be forced to live out a very harsh, and likely very short, existence alone in a very inhospitable environment. When she realises which man has come to court her she is horrified enough to pray for help and her prayers wake a sleeping god who decides to offer her assistance. Laini Taylor has such a beautiful writing style and she hooked me into her story from the very first page, this was completely magical and I loved every minute of it.

My True Love Gave to Me really is a fabulous anthology, one with a diverse range of stories so that there is bound to be something to suit everyone. It's a perfect read for this time of year and one I think I'll be dipping back into each December from now onwards.

Source: Received from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Review: Dreams of Gods and Monsters - Laini Taylor

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

Daughter of Smoke & Bone Series:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Night of Cake and Puppets (Novella)
Days of Blood and Starlight
Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Visit Laini Taylor's website or the Daughter of Smoke and Bone website for more information

Review:
I absolutely adore Laini Taylor's writing style and I have devoured loved all of the books in this series like they were made of the most delicious, decadent chocolate. So it'll come as no surprise when I say that I had high expectations for the final book in the trilogy, in fact my expectations were so high that I was almost scared to start reading Dreams of Gods and Monsters because I was worried that there was no way it would be able to live up to them. I can't even begin to tell you how much it pains me to say this but unfortunately my fears did kind of come true.

I don't want to say that this was a horrible novel because it really, really wasn't BUT it didn't quite manage to reach the highs of the earlier books. It still has Laini Taylor's beautiful, descriptive writing and it still has the characters we've come to know and love so much but I did find the story dragged in places and there were actually times when I wanted to put the book down and walk away which is unheard of for me with this series. I was torn between giving this book a 3 and 4 star rating but the parts I loved I REALLY loved so I've been generous and gone with the higher number.

I have been rooting for Karou & Akiva since the very beginning but I was nervous that there was no way they would be able to find their way back to each other after everything they had both seen and done. There has been betrayal and hurt on both sides and it isn't going to be easy for either of them to get past that. Not to mention the fact that they're both on opposite sides of a war that has been raging for centuries. Even if they want to be together they would have to leave everyone else that they love and care about for that to happen, unless they can find a way to make the chimaera and angels work together. Now that both sides have a common enemy and both stand little chance of surviving unless they put their differences aside they are closer to a truce than they have ever been in the past but that doesn't mean putting aside over a thousand years of hatred is going to be easy and it's going to take a lot of patience on both sides if they are going to have a chance of success.

I absolutely loved the way the author brings the two sides together, it isn't an easy truce and there are times when I feared it wouldn't be successful but it is so cleverly written that it was believable that these enemies would be able to put the past behind them even if it is only temporarily. I loved seeing Karou and Akiva working together to achieve their goals, this is something they have dreamed of since they first met a whole lifetime ago and now it is finally within reach. The story contains heart-stopping action, some unexpected twists and moments that absolutely broke my heart. I was a sobbing, hysterical mess during some scenes and towards the end I was crying tears of happiness. Laini Taylor pulled on my heart strings for sure and it's the fact that she can make me so invested in the lives of her characters that made me go with the higher rating for this story.

It isn't only Karou and Akiva that I'm invested in though, I also absolutely adore Zuzana, Mik, Ziri, Issa and Liraz and was just as keen to see how things would play out for them too. It's unusual for a series to have so many side characters that I become attached to and I desperately wanted all of my favourites to get a happy ending. I fell more in love with these characters throughout this book seeing their loyalty to Karou, Akiva and each other. They are all willing to risk everything in the hope of achieving peace in Eretz and risks like that aren't always rewarded so I was incredibly nervous about how things would play out.

As you can see there was a lot to love about Dreams of Gods and Monsters so you're probably wondering why I was disappointed. I don't really want to dwell on the negative but I hated that so much of the story was told from the point of view of a complete stranger. Eliza's character seems to have been included here as a convenient way of tying certain plot threads together and it felt like she had been added on as an afterthought. I had no connection to her because I've not spent the previous two books getting to know her. Quite frankly I couldn't care less about her and the chapters that were from her point of view left me feeling bored and irritated. I wasn't interested in the pointless drama between her and a work colleague and I could have done without learning her family history. I just wanted to get back to Karou & Akiva or any of the other characters I love.

Towards the end of the book I also found myself getting incredibly irritated at the way things kept contriving to keep Karou and Akiva apart. The will they / won't they pull between them has kept me hooked throughout the whole series but there comes a point when it starts to get a little ridiculous and overdone. I just think there was a point at about three quarters of the way into the book where it would have been nice for things to come together for them. Then you add in the fact that the series doesn't really have an absolute resolution, although a lot of lose threads have been tied up to me it definitely felt that things have been left open for a sequel and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. I just think if we hadn't had Eliza added to the mix we could have trimmed a good hundred or more (boring) pages from the story and also had a more resolved ending. If the story had been tightened up like that it would have been a much more gripping and addictive read and I think I'd probably have finished it in one sitting.

Like I said I don't want to dwell on the negative though because even though Dreams of Gods and Monsters wasn't my favourite book this is still one of my favourite series and Laini Taylor is definitely an amazing author. A not so good book from her is still better than most of the other books out there so when I rate this a 3.5 star read by her standards that's probably still the equivalent of 5 star books by many other authors. If you haven't started the series yet then I honestly can't recommend Daughter of Smoke and Bone highly enough, I reread the previous books before starting this one and I loved them even more the second time around. There is no doubt that I will buy anything Laini Taylor writes in the future, I can't think of another author who writes so beautifully and I'm excited to see what she comes up with next.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Night of Cake and Puppets - Laini Taylor

Original UK Kindle Cover

In this new stand alone novella from New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor comes the story of a funny and fantastical first date. In NIGHT OF CAKE & PUPPETS, Taylor brings to life a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy - the magical first date of fan-favorites Zuzana and Mik. Told in alternating perspectives, it's the perfect love story for fans of the series and new readers alike.

Petite though she may be, Zuzana is not known for timidity. Her best friend, Karou, calls her 'rabid fairy', her 'voodoo eyes' are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to Mik, or 'Violin Boy', her courage deserts her. Now, enough is enough. Zuzana is determined to meet him, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It's a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter's night before finally leading him to the treasure: herself!

Violin Boy's not going to know what hit him.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone Series:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Night of Cake and Puppets (Novella)
Days of Blood and Starlight
Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Visit Laini Taylor's website or the Daughter of Smoke and Bone website for more information

Review:
I have loved Zuzana from the very first book, she is such a fantastic character and I love the fact that no matter what happens she always has Karou's back. I can never get enough of strong female friendships and theirs has been a favourite since the beginning. I also completely and utterly adore Mik, it's so nice to come across a fictional guy who isn't an overbearing alpha who wants to control everything his girlfriend does. Mik couldn't be further from that if he tried, he's sweet, sensitive, laid back and able to cope with whatever Zuze throws at him. He's ready to roll with the punches and although he may not be a fighter he would do anything to make Zuze happy. The two of them together have given me some of my highlights of the whole series so I couldn't have been more excited to discover Laini Taylor had written an extra story that focuses entirely on them.

We've come to know them quite well as a couple throughout the series but until now we never got to see their first date and how they ended up getting together in the first place. This story fits into the series timeline somewhere during Daughter of Smoke and Bone so can be read at any point after you've read the first book. I'm going to deliberately keep this review pretty vague because I would hate to ruin the magic of it for anyone who is yet to read it. Just trust me, Laini Taylor fans will LOVE this story, it has everything you would expect from this author - beautiful writing, wonderful characterisation and more than a touch of magic.

Zuze is such a quirky character so I'm sure you wouldn't expect her to go on any kind of normal, boring first date but the adventure she plans for Mik is nothing short of magical. In fact, it's perfect for them and Laini Taylor has captured this couple so brilliantly that I feel like I know them in real life. Without a doubt this is my favourite ever fictional first date and I just wish we could have had a whole book starring these two characters. It's not often I give a novella 5 starts but Night of Cake and Puppets was utterly perfect and it deserves every single one of them.

Update December 2017:

UK Hardback Cover / US Hardback Cover

I had to update this review with a few pictures now that I have my absolutely GORGEOUS US hardback of this story. There is a UK hardback available too but I just couldn't resist the bright colours of the US version & I don't regret my purchase for a second because it is even more stunning in the flesh. The story is the same as the original ebook novella but it is now full of fab illustrations from Laini Taylor's husband Jim Di Bartolo which just make the story even more special. It also includes an 8 page adaptation of a scene from Daughter of Smoke and Bone that has been turned into a graphic novel! Please, please someone tell me that we're going to get the whole series in graphic novel form - I would snap that up.

The naked hardback

(it's actually brighter than it looks in my photo but I had trouble capturing the colour)

Pretty End Pages - Front and Back

(again the colour isn't as good as I'd have liked in my photos)

Chapter heading design for Zuzana's POV

Chapter heading design for Mik's POV

Just one of the MANY gorgeous illustrations from Jim Di Bartolo

Even if you've already read this as an ebook it is well worth investing in a hardback copy for your shelves!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

UK Hardback / US Hardback / Kindle: