Summer Reads! : Series

Earlier in the summer I published a post on my Summer Stand Alone Recommendations and now I am going to recommend some series that I loved and suggest you read!

Much excite.

The First Series I am going to recommend is...

The Anna and the French Kiss Trilogy by Stephanie Perkins

This series is about the lives of different characters that interlink with each other. The story first starts out in France...then moves onto New York then France again and involves the characters Anna, Lola and Isla - if that wasn't obvious already. 

I love these books because they remind me of classic contemporary's - in my mind, because they give you that same cutesy feeling that classic contemporary's give you. 

It doesn't matter what order you read these in because the stories are completely different, but I would recommend reading them in the order they came out in - Anna, Lola then Isla. 

The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

This is a very popular trilogy that most people have probably read by now, but for those that haven't read this it is a dystopian series that is based on a post-apocalyptic society in Chicago where your DNA determines which of the five factions you fit into. Those that fit into more than one are called 'Divergents'. These Divergents are an apparent risk to the organisation in their society which is basically the fuel for this whole story.

I really enjoyed many aspects of this trilogy and would recommend that you read it before watching the movie - read any book before watching the movie!

The Shadowhunter Chronicles 

The Mortal Instruments By Cassandra Clare

This is a series of 6 books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles that are based on the life of a 16 year old girl named Clarissa Fray, who has just found out she is a shadowhunter. Shadowhunters are demon killing warriors that protect the human race and are half angel half human.  The series also involves other cool creatures like warlocks *cough Magnus Bane*, Werewolves, Vampires, Faeries and more! 

I am obsessed with the series and the author - Cassandra Clare, and I think that despite your genre preference, you can still get into this series.

The Infernal Devices By Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices trilogy is set in the same world as The Mortal Instruments Series, but the twist is - if you didn't already guess from the old fashioned clothing seen on the characters in the front covers, it is set 100 years ago in London! 

I loved this series to because it was awesome seeing their ancestors as well as some familiar faces from The Mortal Instruments Series *cough Magnus Bane*.

The Bane Chronicles By Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson

The Bane Chronicles is a series of short stories based on the life of the amazing warlock - and my favourite character, Magnus Bane! There's not much else I can say, just read it, it's amazing!

The Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson

This is also a series of short stories based on the life of Simon! (DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE) I have only just started reading this, and I love it! It is currently only available on e book.

Shadowhunter Codex By Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis

And lastly...Here is the rule book and guide to the universe created by Cassie Clare! It's not just pages of info, there is a lot of hilarious graffiti by the characters in the book.

Harry Potter By JK Rowling

I wasn't going to include this series due to the assumption that everyone had read it but I have come to the realisation that sadly, not everyone has had the chance to experience the magic that is the Potter Verse. 

Harry Potter is a very popular series about a boy who lives with his mean aunt and uncle in Surrey, unaware of the fact that his parents were actually killed by a 7 horcruxed, no nosed, snake looking man. He is also unaware that he is a wizard and is told so by a giant hairy wizard.

He gets several letters from this boarding school for wizards and witches called Hogwarts, inviting him to attend. This series is popular for a reason, and if you haven't read it, I suggest you do!

Geek Girl By Holly Smale

This is a series about a girl called Harriet Manners who has been labelled 'geeky' due to her intelligence and I assume personality as a whole. I say personality, because she likes to store random facts in her brain and then proceeds to blurt them out to people at random moments - sometimes being inappropriate moments. 

The series is starts off with her going on a school trip, and being noticed by a  modelling agency which then leads to her becoming a model at big brands, with very successful models despite her beginners status. 

I love reading this book series, and I basically harass the Waterstones staff with my pre-orders and constant asking about the release dates.

The Magisterium Series By Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

This is a series centered around the life of Callum Hunt who is a student at a school for young magicians. He is new to the magic world despite having two parents that are magicians. This is because his dad has chosen to hide this part of him in order to protect him. 

The Magisterium Series is still new, but I can already tell that it is going to be amazing. I read the first book during July - despite having the book for nearly a year, and loved it! 

These are all series that I recommend! I may upload another post on more series that I like, but due to me mostly reading stand alones, that will not be any time soon. 

Stay tuned for more!

(Disclaimer: The images used in this post were not mine)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes 

Throwback Thursday : My Harry Potter Inspired 16th Birthday

I turned 16 last year October, and since it was a special event I thought...why not make it harry potter themed. So it was!

 I sorted my friends into different houses based on their personalities and then they were told to come in the colours of their house. e.g. Hufflepuff - yellow and black, Slytherin - green and silver, Gryffindor - red and gold, Ravenclaw - bronze and blue.

I'm a Ravenclaw! 

Here are some pictures!

Here are some witty Ravenclaws...

another one...

A Slytherin and Hufflepuff friendship *gasp*

Hufflepuffs are loyal...

A table with a Hufflepuff...Gryffindor...and Slytherin, what is this madness!?!

The hogwarts table

Bravery and Chivalry...

Deeply Hufflepuff...

Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw...

And again...

Yet another Ravenclaw!

Awesome cake...not quite as good as the Dauntless cake unfortunately!

two loyal ladies...

now we know where hufflepuffs get their giggle juice... ;)

That was my 16th birthday! I had an amazing time out, we got dressed at school and then a limo picked us up and we went out to eat until late. Fun FUn FUN! 

It would've been cool to throw a Yule ball...maybe i'll do that for my 18th next year ;)

Stay tuned for more posts and for more pictures, visit the picture section of my blog by clicking here!

(Disclaimer: Some of the images used in this post were not mine)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

BookTubeAThon Wrap Up

For the 7 day readathon, I managed to only read 4 books - of which only 2 were in my actual TBR.

Rather than dwelling on the fact that I didn't meet the goal of 7 books, I decided to remind myself that the books I did read were pretty awesome - all being 3.7 to 5 star ratings.

So If you haven't yet checked out my short reviews on each book I read last week, here are the links.

Noughts and Crosses - 4.3

Somebody Nice - 4.5

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - 3.7

Welcome to  the Shadowhunter Academy - 5.0

Despite the unexpected twist to my readathon - the twist being me procrastinating, I still plan on reading all the planned books for this month and if not, there is always September!

(Disclaimer: The pictures used in this post are not mine)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

Book Review : Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

My last book for the BookTubeAThon was 'Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy' which fit into the challenge of - read a book without letting go of it. I think the easiest way to do this challenge is to read an ebook that also happens to be short.

I wasn't going to read the ebook version of this book originally, because I wanted to wait for the actual paperback/hardback versions to come out, but I got impatient and decided to buy the ebook.

This is the first book in a series of short books based on the life of Simon Lewis from the TMI (The Mortal Instruments) series, and is set after the last book. I love everything that Cassie Clare writes, because she is a genius. Sarah Rees Brennan adds a lot of humour that I love - making it even more enjoyable. 

(Picture of the artist Míla Fürstová as well as Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan)

What I liked...

I loved everything about this book, as I do with all her other books. Specific things I loved was the real reaction to this 'new Simon' we get to see. I also loved Isabelle, she was hilarious.

What I did not like...

I can honestly say...that there was nothing that I didn't like, that book is perfection. (I look forward to the rest of this series.)

I gave this book a rating of 5 stars out of 5!

Stay tuned for my BookTubeAThon wrap up, and an excuse as to why I only managed 4 books this week!

(Disclaimer: The pictures used in this post are not mine)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

Book Review : Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Noughts and Crosses is the book that I read for one of the BookTubeAThon challenges - 'read someone else's favourite book'. It was highly recommended by Naz - snazzy reads , and my friend Vaksha, and also happens to be a best seller.

The book is about an alternate society where Noughts - white people, are seen as less and the Crosses - black people, are valued more. It focuses on two central characters, Sephy being black and the daughter of an important man in society, and Callum being white and having a very different life to the Sephy due to his skin colour. 

I thought that the concept behind this book was very interesting and different in comparison to anything I have ever read, and has really made me even more aware of how bad slavery and discrimination was not so long ago. 

What I liked...

I liked how real it was and felt, because it made the devastation in the story feel more personal. An example of this being when certain deaths happen in book, Malorie describes how the person is feeling and rather than making them brave people who aren't scared of death or dying at that moment, she inputs a real human reaction to the thought of death - especially in this way.  

(Sorry if this is weirdly described, if I were to elaborate the person I am referring to will become obvious and cause spoilers!)

What I did not like...

Ironically what I did not like was how real it got at times, to the point that I had to put down the book in panic. I guess this was done on purpose so that you can be in the characters shoes, but their shoes are extremely uncomfortable.

I gave this book a rating of 4.3 out 5 stars, because a 4 rating doesn't do it justice, but a 4.5 rating would not be true to how I felt. 

Stay tuned for another post on my last book of the BookTubeAThon!

(Disclaimer: The images used in this post are not mine.)

Yours Faithfully, 

She Who Writes

LGBTQIA : Introduction

LGBTQIA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer
 Intersex Asexual. 

"There is nothing wrong with you, there is a lot wrong with the world you live in..." - Chris Colfer

I had this idea to do different posts on the topic of LGBTQIA, because I think it is important to raise awareness of the way this community are treated and to also help others that may feel lonely or misunderstood whilst being part of this community.

I have  few posts coming up based on this topic, such as: coming out stories from some of my good friends, great books I have read or others have read that include this community within the plot and more!

I feel as though the world has evolved greatly in terms of equality, but not enough. I was happy to see that in June, America took a massive step on the equality scale!
 Ireland also did this and the votes were mostly 'yes for gay marriage'. Honestly it is sad that there has to be a vote for people to get married, but at least the ignorance isn't as prominent as it used to be.

How did I become aware of this community?

I am a straight 16 year old who before 2011 didn't know that this community existed/ didn't know of how society as a whole viewed this community. (not until I started watching glee.)

Glee was a popular TV show that was about high schoolers from different cliques and walks of life that had a passion for performance, and therefore entered many show choir competitions. 

Watching this show introduced me to so many things that I wasn't aware of previously, such as how serious homophobia can be as well as how people in this community deal with the people around them that express different views and opinions. 

In real life - as in outside of the show, I soon found out that many of my friends were a direct part of this community, which made me even more aware of how society treated other human beings on the basis of who they are.

I hope that my posts help and or raise awareness, so stay tuned for more!

(Disclaimer: The images used in this post were not mine!)

Yours Faithfully,

~ She Who Writes

Book Review : Somebody Nice by Raine O'Tierney

I read this novella as part of the challenge where you read a book by an author with the same first initial as your last name. Originally, I had chosen George Orwell's 1984..but sadly it hasn't yet arrived in the post and I was hoping to complete this challenge in chronological order...Therefore I decided to read a book by an author called 'Raine O'Tierney'.

As you may be able to tell from the cover, it is a LGBTQIA book, which was recommended to me by my sister. I didn't even bother to read the blurb (maybe I did), because I was too excited to see how LGBTQIA is represented in this novella as it is something that means a lot to me and a lot to many people I know.

It is a really quick read - only 80 pages I believe, and is currently free on kindle. I loved the story line, it was so cute and didn't drag on and the characters were so sweet...so I gave this book a 4.5 stars out of 5! 

I generally do not like reading novella's because they leave me with that feeling of needing more from the plot and the characters. I hope there is a sequel in the future with these characters? 

What I loved...

I loved how the author represented the bi and gay community in this book, and made the characters have different quirks that made you love them by the 20th page (probably less.).

What I didn't love...

I didn't like how short the story was, but then again I wouldn't mind it being this short as long as there is a sequel!

I was really happy with the way the author wrote about and presented these characters throughout - especially because they felt very real and not fiction-y at all. I will hopefully be posting a LGBTQIA post sometime soon, so stay tuned!

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes