Heartbreaking, Raw and just Pure Perfection // REVIEW: Light Filters In: Poems by Caroline Kaufman

Title: Light Filters In: Poems
Author: Caroline Kaufman
Publication Date: May 22nd 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: HarperCollins India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: it’s okay if some thingsare always out of reach.if you could carry all the starsin the palm of your hand,they wouldn’t behalf as breathtaking
In the vein of poetry collections like Milk and Honey and Adultolescence , this compilation of short, powerful poems from teen Instagram sensation @poeticpoison perfectly captures the human experience.  
In Light Filters In, Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison—does what she does best: reflects our own experiences back at us and makes us feel less alone, one exquisite and insightful piece at a time. She writes about giving up too much of yourself to someone else, not fitting in, endlessly Googling “how to be happy,” and ultimately figuring out who you are.
This hardcover collection features completely new material plus some fan favorites from Caroline's account. Filled with haunting, spare pieces of original art, Light Filters In will thrill existing fans and newcomers alike.

This collection of poems by Caroline Kaufman blew me away.

I didn’t know what to expect, going in. Over the last few months, I’ve been gravitating towards poetry more and more. My Instagram feed is essentially filled with these beautiful words put together by such talented individuals, and I’m honestly in awe of it all.

I started reading this collection on a particularly low day, and I connected with it ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. Kaufman’s words started coming alive on the page and they resonated deep within me. The pain, the hope, the injustice, the happiness, the love, and the self-love that rose off the page with a few words broke my heart and healed it again and, honestly, reading Light Filters In was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced.

It took me well over a week to get through this book as I took one poem at a time and read it slowly, letting it all soak in. I found a little piece of myself in the words that created these poems, in the annotations I made in the margins, and in the words I found myself having to spill (write) out, like deep dark secrets, in the empty spaces between one poem and the next.

I felt, I cried, I smiled, I hurt and I FELT.

I finished this book just last night. I had over 50 pages left to go when I picked it up at 11, and the next time, I looked up, it was past 1am, there were tears in my eyes, and I’d just read the acknowledgements section of this collection of raw, real poetry.

I’ve had so many people I know ask if they could borrow my copy of this book, but I’ve had to say no. I usually don’t, especially with people I know, but for some reason, Light Filters In, and the pain I spilt into it has become a part of me I’m not ready to share just yet.

Would I tell you to dive into this book? Without a doubt. It’s the most wonderful, raw and heart-breaking piece of literature I’ve ever read. It’s this candid, painful and hopeful journal filled with poems that are all about flaws and imperfect life, and it just made it pure perfection to me.

I’d give it more stars than I can count, if that was an option. Go and get your hands on it.

Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison on Instagram—began writing poetry when she was thirteen years old as a means of coping with her depression. A year later, she started posting it online, and what started as a personal way to combat mental illness eventually became an account with hundreds of thousands of followers across social media.

Who are some of your favourite modern poets?

I would absolutely LOVE some new poets I NEED to follow recommendations!

 

A Disappointment // ARC Review: As She Fades by Abbi Glines

Title: As She Fades
Author: Abbi Glines
Publication Date: April 3rd 2018
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan INTL (Thank You!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: On the night of her high school graduation, Vale McKinley and her boyfriend Crawford are in a terrible car accident that leaves Crawford in a coma. They were supposed to spend the summer planning for college, for a bright future full of possibility. Together. Instead, Vale spends long days in the hospital, hoping Crawford will awaken.
Slate Allen, a college friend of Vale's brother, has been visiting his dying uncle at the same hospital. When he and Vale meet, she can't deny the flutter of an illicit attraction. She tries to ignore her feelings, but she's not immune to Slate's charm. Slowly, they form a cautious friendship.
Then, Crawford wakes up . . . with no memory of Vale or their relationship. Heartbroken, Vale opts to leave for college and move on with her life. Except now, she's in Slate's territory, and their story is about to take a very strange turn.

DISCLAIMER: I read from an ARC and as I have no access to a finished copy, I'm unable to check if any of the quotes from below have changed.  

*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

THIS BOOK LET ME DOWN.

No, let me correct that statement – this book MORE THAN LET ME DOWN.

In all honestly, As She Fades MADE ME ANGRY, and BORED ME ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Angry because these characters were NOT well developed, the writing was SO AWKWARD AND STILTED AND UNBELIEVABLE and also BORED me because the story was predictable, the characters felt 2-d and unrealistic and THIS JUST WAS NOT A BOOK I ENDED UP ENJOYING.

In fact, it got SO BAD that by the time I was at around page 180, I just flipped to the end and read the last chapter, just to be done with it all.

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK:

1.       THE WRITING:

“I watched as he walked out of the room. He really did have his own special swagger. It was hard not to watch. The bad-boy persona fit him well. But now I had been given a peer into his heart. And apparently it was pretty big. Not self-centred like I had thought."

IT JUST DOESN’T READ WELL, YOU KNOW? The writing made me not like the plot and the characters (BOTH OF WHICH I WILL GET TO LATER)

It was like the concept of commas, semicolons or hyphens were LOST on this book. It might have changed in the finished copy, but I simply couldn’t get into this stilted writing.

2.       THE CHARACTERS (The Vale Edition):

This story is told from ‘GOOD GIRL’ Vale and ‘BAD BOY’ Slate’s points of view. And, quite honestly, I couldn’t like either of them.

Even when things were told from Vale’s point of view, I just couldn’t connect with her. She made major life decisions within one page, and they held almost no emotion. She was jealous, petty and when the plot twist came to life, I JUST DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLE BE A “CHANGED” PERSON WHEN YOU’VE SPENT OVER A MONTH IN A COMA, LITERALLY UNCONSCIOUS? It just felt like such a cop-out story, the way the narrative changed purely for the ‘shock’ factor even though it didn’t make any sense.

3.       THE BAD BOY TROPE (The Slade Edition):

If I read this book six to eight years ago, I probably would’ve liked it. But, as my feminist side has evolved. HORRIBLE TROPES LIKE THE ALMOST EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE BAD BOY TROPE are things I’ve come to HATE.

SLATE: “I didn’t need a verbal answer. Your eyes told me. Now I’m asking you why.”

?? EYES DO NOT GIVE OUT ANSWERS, RIGHT??

SLATE: “…Vale asked. She had a really good voice. The sadness in her eyes was hard not to look at. It bothered me. A girl like her should be protected. Not have to face hard shit.”

I CANNOT EVEN EXPLAIN ALL THE THINGS WRONG WITH THAT LINE. So BOYS can face “hard shit” but girls are delicate princesses that just need to sit on their feather beds all day? WHAT EVEN.

In my honest opinion, I don’t think this book is worth it. I can see how some people MIGHT think it is romantic, and I would’ve thought so too, almost a decade ago, but it’s JUST NOT. TREAT GIRLS EQUALLY. CONSENT AND VERBAL CONSENT ARE IMPORTANT.

I didn’t have a good time reading this book. 1.75 Stars. 

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

Have you read any book by Abbi Glines?

What did you think of it?

 

Dark and Magical, But It Didn't Live Up To The Hype // REVIEW: Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Title: Furyborn (Empirium #1)
Author: Claire Legrand
Publication Date: May 22nd 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 on 3 of the Empirium Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: Sourcebooks via NetGalley + I BOUGHT ONE!
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.
When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.
A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.
As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.

Furyborn was surrounded by ALL THE HYPE for MONTHS before it released. It was EVERYWHERE, and as a huge YA Fan, I knew I would have to read it, sooner rather than later.

Furyborn was essentially:

1)      A magnificent tale told across two millennia by two young girls

2)      One lives in a land surrounded my magic, and the other in a land where magic is a fairy-tale of the past and all they know is the Empire that conquers all

3)      One of these girls is an assassin and one is a temple acolyte

4)      A story surrounding a prophecy about these two girls – a Sun Queen and a Blood Queen, one with the power to destroy the world and the other with the power to save it.

5)      It has kingdoms, swoony princes, power, magical trials, angels and it’s just SUCH A GORGEOUS BOOK TO OWN!

MY THOUGHTS:

1)      I expected a LOT going into this book. A majority of the early reviews I read RAVED about this book, and I was very hopeful that I had found the NEXT THING I WOULD FALL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH. Now, as I sit at the end of Furyborn, I find that while I ENJOYED it, for the most part, this story was predictable and kind of MEH, except for ONE TWIST on page 343.

2)      If I had to choose between Rielle and Eliana, I would definitely choose Rielle’s story. They were both a little predictable, but I definitely loved Rielle’s dark and twisty viewpoint better!

3)      Furyborn was QUITE a long book. I feel like a lot of it was running around, especially in Eliana’s story when she kept travelling from place X to place Y, and not much happened that we DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW?

4)      I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Audric and Rielle together, with their forbidden, best-friend romance.

Honestly, I liked Furyborn, but I didn’t fall in love with it. There was a lot of hype around it, and it just didn’t live up to all that hype for me. A 3.5 star novel, but I hope I will continue on with the series!

Claire Legrand used to be a musician until she realized she couldn't stop thinking about the stories in her head. A native Texan, she is now a writer and librarian living in central New Jersey.

Her first novel is THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2012. She is also the author of THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, a ghost story for middle grade readers, WINTERSPELL, a young adult re-telling of The Nutcracker, and SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS, a middle grade story about mental illness, family secrets, and the power of storytelling. SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS is a 2017 Edgar Award nominee and one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2016. Her latest novel, FOXHEART, is a fast-paced fantasy-adventure and a 2016 Junior Library Guild selection. She is also one of the four authors behind THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, an anthology of dark middle grade short fiction that was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Bank Street Best Book, and among the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2014. 

Coming up for Claire is FURYBORN, the first book in the Empirium trilogy, due out May 22, 2018, followed by SAWKILL GIRLS in fall 2018, and THORNLIGHT, a companion novel to FOXHEART, coming in winter 2019.

Visit Claire at claire-legrand.com and at enterthecabinet.com.

Have you read Furyborn or any other of Claire Legrand's books? What did you think of them?

What are some of your FAVOURITE YA Fantasy novels that you've read recently?

I'm always looking for more recommendations!

 

COVER REVEAL: Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon + GIVEAWAY!

HELLO ALL OF YOU LOVELY BOOK PEOPLE!

I am so so SO pleased to exclusively reveal the cover for one of my FAVOURITE books of the year, Mel Darbon's debut novel, Rosie Loves Jack. It's a gorgeous, wondrous, MUST read book told from the viewpoint of this brave girl with Down's syndrome, and how she tackles the world and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. 

Which is why I jumped up in excitement when Usborne asked me if I would like to reveal the cover, because YES! This book is something ALL TEENAGERS and ALL ADULTS need to read because it handles SUCH AN IMPORTANT topic in such a wonderful way. 

So, scroll down to read a note from Mel Darbon herself, get a FIRST look at the cover and ALSO, ENTER A GIVEAWAY FOR ONE OF THE FIRST FINISHED COPIES EVER! (Open International)

If you would like, here is a link to my review of Rosie Loves Jack!

Two years ago I walked into the Usborne offices to talk about my novel Rosie Loves Jack and realised immediately that I’d found the right home for my story. The team embraced my character Rosie, who has Down’s syndrome, and my objective to give a voice to someone who deserves to be represented in the pages of a book. Everyone at Usborne supported my intention that we should focus on a person’s abilities and not their disability.

I loved writing Rosie’s voice and aimed to accurately represent the world of someone with Down’s syndrome and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. The challenge was to never lose sight that Rosie is sixteen years old and I wanted to demonstrate the universal nature of her teenage life as she fights for her independence. She must navigate her way through difficult times to reach the boy she loves.

The super-talented Will Steele has perfectly captured the heart of the book with his cover design for Rosie Loves Jack. I am excited by his striking and contemporary interpretation, which reflects that this is a novel that, despite its darker elements, is essentially a love story. I am delighted that Rosie Loves Jack is coming out in September.

Without further ado, please find below the GORGEOUS COVER that I INSTANTLY fell in love with!

Isn't IT SIMPLY WONDERFUL? I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts down in the comments on what you think of it!

The lovely humans at Usborne have put up one GORGEOUS EARLY FINISHED COPY OF THIS absolutely must read book. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking The Shelves #40 - The One Where I've ALREADY Read The Books I Bought

HELLO EVERYONE!

*Pats self on back for actually remembering to do this lovely meme this week, and not procrastinating it for another month.*

I received a little bookmail over the last week and a half that I am ABSOLUTELY in love with, and cannot wait to share with you! I'm especially excited for a certain new Harry Potter edition which is just SO STUNNING and I was so honoured to be a part of the Global Bookstagram Tour.

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at Tyga's Reviews and is all about the books you buy and receive for your shelf over a week!

FROM HARPERCOLLINS INDIA:

1. Light Filters In by Caroline Kaufman: I've only recently found my way towards poetry, and I have FALLEN IN LOVE. Light Filters In is one of my current reads and it is SO HEART-BREAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL. Caroline Kaufman is just so talented, and this book is so raw, that it makes me feel everything. Such a gorgeous poetry collection that I cannot recommend enough.

2. Uncool by Jane De Soza: I ADORE Graphic Novels, or books with any kind of illustrations in them - it just enhances the reading experience, even if it's only something like a map! When I received Uncool alone with Light Filters In, I was OVER THE MOON (Still am, but that's besides the point) and I can't wait to dive into this MG Diverse book set in India and have a blast reading it. Hopefully sometime this week?


3. The Eleventh House by S. Hussain Zaidi: I'm increasingly falling in love with the Thriller genre, and when a lovely executive from HarperCollins India asked me to review this book, I was over the moon! I was also thrill to be one of the blogs that revealed the GORGEOUS COVER for this book, and I can't wait for the day I sink my claws in.

FROM BLOOMSBURY INDIA:

1. Gryffindor Edition - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: I am HONESTLY in awe of these new Harry Potter Editions with maps and house facts and SPRAYED EDGES and I just love them, okay? When I was asked to be a part of the Global Bookstagram Tour, I JUMPED. A huge thank you to Bloomsbury India for sending me a copy of one of my most anticipated books in EVER, and I can't wait to stare at it some more.


2. Pyjama Profit by Varun Mayya and Abhinav Chhikara: I am VERY excited to dive into this entreprenurial guide because well, I started my own freelance design business just a few months ago, and I would love to learn from ACTUAL, ESTABLISHED Entrepreneurs as to how to run the business. I can't wait for this one!


3. A Shot In The Dark by Lynne Triss: This was another unsolicited piece of Bookmail from Bloomsbury (just like Pyjama Profit) and while it sounds really intriguing, I'm not sure if/ when I'll get to it! Hopefully not to long after, though! It does sound like quite a fun, dark, and twisty book, though!


4. Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt: I've had my eye on this book for FOREVER now! This book looks absolutely stunning, and sounds it too. A Celebrated author, a marriage full of secrets and a burned manuscript?" I am going to read this book as SOON as I can, and I can't wait to see everything it has in store for me. Isn't it JUST SO BEAUTIFUL?

FROM NETGALLEY:

1. Nyxia, Unleashed by Scott Reintgen: I read Scott Reintgen's debut novel, Nyxia, at the beginning of this year and I WAS HOOKED TO EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. He automatically found his way onto my Auto Buy Authors list AND I was just so excited for the sequels to this book! Now that I finally have an e-copy of this book in my hand, I will be diving in VERY SOON! I can't wait to re-meet Emmett and the rest of the crew!


2. The Point by John Dixon: I was pitched this book by a lovely Penguin Random House Publicist a few weeks ago, and it's been on my iPad Kindle App ever since. It sounds like SUCH an amazing read, and I'm honestly just waiting for the RIGHT time to read it before I dive in, which I hope will be very soon. I'm itching to get into a great sci-fi novel soon!

BOUGHT/ GIFTED:

1. Furyborn by Claire Legrand: AAAH. This was one of my MOST anticipated releases of this year, and I can't believe I just finished it! I really liked it, and I STILL LOVE THAT COVER, and you can expect my full review to be up tomorrow!

2. War Storm by Victoria Aveyard: I was OVER THE MOON when I saw a copy of War Storm at my favourite bookstore at home when the Amazon release date was OVER a month away. My best friend and I had gone because it was his birthday, and being the kind soul he is, he actually bought me this book right there! I had to dive in right away because this has been one of my FAVOURITE Series' since 2015 and well, I'm SO SAD THAT IT IS OVER. You can read my review here.

What books have you stacked onto your shelves over the last week

Have you read any of my new books/ are you excited for any of them?

I'd ABSOLUTELY love to hear from you!

Dark, Lyrical and Twisty // REVIEW: The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

Title: The Price Guide to the Occult
Author: Leslye Walton
Publication Date: September 6th 2018
Publisher: Walker Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo 

Blurb Description: When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island more than a century ago, her otherworldly skills might have benefited friendlier neighbors. Instead, guilt and fear led the island’s original eight settlers to burn “the witch” out of her home. So Rona invoked the privileges of a witch; she cursed them. But such a spell always comes with a terrible price, and in punishing the island's residents, Rona also bound her family ever tighter to them.
Fast-forward to the present day and all Nor Blackburn wants is to live an unremarkable teenage life. And she has reason to hope that she may have escaped the thorny side-effects of the family matriach's curse. But then a mysterious book comes out, promising to cast any spell for the right price. The author – Nor’s own mother – seems capable of performing magic that should be far beyond her capabilities. And such magic always requires a sacrifice.
A storm is coming. It's coming for Nor.

TRIGGER WARNING: Self Harm

I LOVE DARK AND TWISTY BOOKS WITH MAGIC AND WITCHES AND CONSEQUENCES AND FAMILY AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVED The Price Guide to the Occult.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender: though it was a lyrical, charming book that had a lot of filler and TOO MUCH LYRICISM? I was very excited for it and enjoyed it at the time, but, looking back, I wish it had been more. I had hoped that that wasn’t going to be the case for The Price Guide to the Occult as well.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       I fell in love with Leslye Walton’s writing style all over again in her second book. It was dark and twisty, and I know I say that a lot, but book in the morally grey area are my FAVOURITE.

2.       I absolutely loved the PLOT of this book. The Blackburn Daughters across generations and their powers. I LOVED Rona, Judd and Nor Blackburn’s stories. I also liked Fern’s story and the way she was written.  

3.       I ADORE books about magic, witches and ESPECIALLY, black magic. I loved discovering Nor’s different abilities with her, as well as her romance with Reed Silvera and her infallible friendship with her best friend. I loved her Grandmother, Judd, and her wife, Apothia too.

4.       Honestly, it’s very hard to describe The Price Guide to the Occult purely because of how immersive and beautifully written it was. I was pulled into life on a tiny island and immersed into the culture of the nine founding families and magic and I LOVED THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE.

Would I Recommend this book?! – DEFINITELY. GET YOUR PRE-ORDERS IN ALREADY.

A lyrical, dark, and twisty book filled with magic, family, and accepting yourself that is honestly such a joy to read! 4.5 stars.

Leslye Walton was born in the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps because of this, Leslye has developed a strange kinship with the daffodil--she too can only achieve beauty after a long, cold sulk in the rain. Her debut novel, THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER, was inspired by a particularly long sulk in a particularly cold rainstorm spent pondering the logic, or rather, lack thereof, in love. 

Leslye is a full-time writer living in Seattle, Washington. She spends her time eating chocolate cupcakes, and doting on her chihuahuas, Mr. Darcy and Doc Holliday. Her next novel, THE PRICE GUIDE TO THE OCCULT, is set to be published in March 2018.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITES BOOKS ON WITCHES?

Have you read either of Leslye Walton's books? What do you think of them?