April Wrap Up and May TBR

Greetings readers!

Life right now is in a lull for me. My university is literally trying to crush my will with anxiety. Even the promise of summer vacation does not cheer me. It’s just a big disaster right now, but I will not bore you with details.

The only silver lining I can really find in this mess right now is that I have had a lot more time to read and blog. I’m still never “ahead” of schedule, but I try. And I am making good progress! I actually made a blog calendar that looks all cutesy to keep me on track for this month, hopefully it does its job, so I can do my job.

Looking back at April, it was pretty good. I got in some good reads and even better buys!

This time around I’m going to add in a little update on my TV life too because PEOPLE. I have been watching some shows.

THE WRAP-UP

Islandborn by Junot Diaz
So utterly adorable. My Full Review.

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby
Quite a fun, light and magical circus read! My Full Review.

The Story Girl  by L.M. Montgomery
Not as great as Anne, but still fun! My Full Review.

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton
It’s kind of weird, but in a good way. Plus WITCHES. My Full Review.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian
Typical YA fantasy, but like I live for that, so it was cool. My Full Review.

A Prom to Remember by Sandy Hall
Cute and fluffy! My Full Review.

Legend, Prodigy and Champion: The Graphic Novels by Marie Lu
YEAH I DID THIS TO MYSELF AGAIN. Series review to come!

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope
So gooooood. (I finished it in May, but it counts for April) Review to come!

HOLY MOLY! I READ 10 BOOKS. 10. AND STARTED AN 11TH btw. I know I said that reading more than like 3 books a month is nearly impossible for me, but as my dear Nikolai Lanstov says, “When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.” (BTW did you see the King of Scars Cover Reveal because I am still raving about it.)

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THE HAUL

Prodigy and Champion: Graphic Novels by Marie Lu

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

That’s it…..? Huh, I thought I had gotten more books. It’s good that I didn’t though, I have big books coming so I must save up!!!

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Posts from April!

Books I Need to Reread in the Near Future

Frenzy Presents Event Recap | An Afternoon of Talking About Books

The Book and Music Tag!

Lunar Chronicles Character Art Reveal! (Take a look at Kai!)

Sunshine Blogger Award Pt 5!

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TV/ MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

I have watched TV and I have watched movies. Lately I have had enough time to do both! So let me tell you about all the great and wonderful things to watch.

On My Block

via IMDb

10000000000000000000/10 R E C O M M E N D

If you want to laugh, cry and get angry all in one sitting, you need to watch this show. If you hate laughing, crying and getting angry at the same time, you still NEED to watch this show. I HAVE BEEN BLOWN AWAY. It all started in a big Snap Chat group with my friends, they were raving about it and I was there like okay. Soon enough everyone in the chat watched it and I was the only one left. With some added pressure of everyone sending memes and I not getting the jokes, I went forth and watched the show.

I LOVE IT SO MUCH. AND I AM SO THANKFUL IT HAS BEEN RENEWED FOR A SEASON TWO BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE CRIED IF I WAS LEFT WITH THAT ENDING!

GO FORTH AND WATCH IT NOW. If you want a diverse, funny and a m a z i n g show to fill your hearts, WATCH ON MY BLOCK!!!

 

Then I watched Avengers: Infinity War

via IMBd

I was destroyed.

Then I watched it again.

And was left in anguish.

That ending. It happened. They did that.

I don’t need to tell you to watch it, just do it!

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MAY TBR

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall 1 – 4 series reread

The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga

And anything else I find lying around that I have enough time for!

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I have quite a month plan ahead. I don’t know what life will throw at me next that I will have to go through that might interrupt my plans, but that is alright I guess.

Let me know what you think! What was your favourite read from April? What books did you buy? What shows/movies did you watch? What book are you most looking forward to in May?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

February Wrap-Up & March TBR

Greetings readers!

I am not supposed to be writing this post write now. Rather, I should be digging into my school books and writing about far more boring topics. However, everyone needs a little leisure right? Yeah. A well-deserved break.

But Rendz you just came back from a 1 1/2 lunch, opened a word document, stared at it and then opened WordPress and all other social media accounts! Plus you have to write two very long essays, due ver—

A. Well. Deserved. Break. Yes.

I always forget that February is a short month and when March 1st rolls around I’m usually a puddle of confusion. How the time flies? Seriously, everyday seems to be going faster and faster and are not our days supposed to be getting longer??? Le sigh. Up here in Canada, we are in limbo. One day super-winter like, the next super spring-like. Make up your mind mother nature!! And just FYI I prefer the latter.

Anyways. February. A very Bookish February.

I got quite a few things read and I acquired quite a few books too! Let’s see how well this short month fared for moi!

Wrap-Up

What I Read:

Wires & Nerve Volume 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer
One of my most anticipated reads of the year! Read more to find out how I felt about it. My Full Review

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
A glorious debut that left me with A LOT of feelings, I need to talk about them!
My Full Review

The Calculus of Change by Jessie Hilb
A solid contemporary novel, full of fluff and some hard stuff too!
My Full Review

A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers
So cute! My Tour Spot will be coming to you March 13th!

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake (Started in February, finished in March)
What a stressful series. 4.5 / 5 stars. I need the next one, now!!!!
(Perhaps a mini-review to come!)

That’s five books! Considering it was a short month, I’d say 5 is a job well done!

 

What I Hauled

I got a little gutsy this month and sent out quite a few requests to publishers hoping for a positive response (Even though I was prepared for a kind no). But I got them! Yipee!

ARCs (Thank you Penguin Random House Canada!)
Lost Crow Conspiracy by Rosalyn Eves
Ash Princess by Lauren Sebastian

Indigo Chapters
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Library
Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes

Favourite Posts from Last Month!

Power Couples Book Tag

3 Days, 3 Quotes Tag: Day 1

3 Days, 3 Quotes Tag: Day 2

3 Days, 3 Quotes Tag: Day 3

 

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March TBR

I have collected quite an astounding number of books these past months. I have a lot of requests to get through and my own personal TBR is quite high…so let’s try and plan this out, shall we?

Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes (I’ve actually already finished this one. RTC.)

Captain Guinevere by Clara Bennett (It will happen this month!)

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope (I will try my best to get to it!)

Lost Crow Conspiracy by Rosalyn Eves (Up next!)

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby (Blog tour stop coming in April!)

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (Big ???…it probably won’t happen)

And don’t get me started on how I was going to start ACOTAR this month…but no, I’m just not feeling it.

March is also a month of HUGE releases…so who knows what I will actually be reading!

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Let me know what you think! What was your favourite read from February? What books did you buy? What are you planning on reading this March? How many books are you planning on buying?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

A Holiday / January Wrap-Up! & February TBR *With a Special Update!*

Greetings readers!

It’s time for one giant wrap-up! I’m talking 3 months worth of data that I have to write about! You see I have not done one of these wrap-ups since October, so today I’m going to be covering November, December and January!

Way back in November-December I had to take a small hiatus because school had taken over Real Life-Rendz so I (Rendz) had to back off a bit. *Side note: Real Life-Rendz did super well on her exams, thank you very much* So while I didn’t read a lot in those two months, I did have this huge Holiday TBR that I wanted to get to and I was able to get through *some of it*.

This might be a long post, but there is something special at the end I hope you all partake in!

Let us begin!

Wrap-Up:

November:

Ummm… I finished one book in November and that is…

Scion of the Fox by S.M. Beiko
I enjoyed this one, it was Canadian YA so I was definitely excited for it! I look forward to seeing where the author takes it from here. My Full Review

December:

After my exams were over, I dived into a pile of books! It was a glorious feeling and I couldn’t have enjoyed myself more! I started my intense reading with a week left in December so this list is a little short!

Prodigy Prince by Natasha Sapienza
This was a really fun, cute fantasy! My Full Review 

Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Not exactly the epic read I was hoping for…but I still enjoyed it! My Full Review

Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking
This was my first blog tour book and I rather enjoyed it! My Full Review

January:

Now January was MY MONTH! I got so much reading done! *The only set-back is that I have so many reviews to write! But I think I will enjoy writing them 🙂

S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett
This book was so great! Plus it was just announced that The Hunger Games writers will making this into a possible movie! My Full Review 

Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
Loved, loved, loved this book!!! A female Spartacus, ABSOLUTELY YES!!! My Full Review

Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia
My heart! This one is soft and hardcore! My Full Review

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
Dark and Delicious! Mini review to come!

Piper by Jay Asher and Jessica Freeburg
Another dark, fairy tale with beautiful art!! Mini Review to come!

The Little Dog by Leslie W.P. Garland
This was an interesting short read. Full review to come!

Haul:

I indulged myself these past months quite a bit…but I deserved it! *Not really…I just like to give excuses…actually YES I deserved these, I wrote four exams! Let me live!*

Book Outlet Haul:

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi
WANT by Cindy Pon
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Legend (Graphic Novel) by Marie Lu

Indigo Chapters:

Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
Wires and Nerve Vol. 2: Gone Rogue  by Marissa Meyer

 

Some ARCs:

Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia
The Calculus of Change by Jessie Hilb
A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw (e-galley)
Furyborn by Claire Legrand (e-galley)
Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope (e-galley)

These past three months have been really, really good to me!

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Some of My Favourite Posts from the Past Months! 

Let’s Talk Spoilers | Discussion

Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag

The Series that Changed My Life | Part 1

Sunshine Blogger Award Pt 4

New Year Reading Goals

Norse Mythology Book Tag

Ringing in the New Year Book Tag

Fight Like a YA Girl Tag

 

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February TBR!

I have quite a few things planned for February before mid-terms hit me! I plan on reading:

Wires and Nerve Vol. 2  by Marissa Meyer

Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes (A finally I am emotionally not prepared for!)

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers

The Calculus of Change by Jessie Hilb

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Captain Guinevere by Clara Bennett

And perhaps Take Me to the Cat by Bryant A. Loney because I’ve been sleeping on this one for too long!

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Special Thing // Fan Art Update:

So if you follow me on Twitter, you may of may not have seen that I finished a character set piece for one of my favourite books from last year, The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! I drew the three main characters and shared it on twitter.

It’s not what I would say my best-best work, but I’m pretty proud of it and I had soooo much fun doing it!

Take a look right here!

An Elite | A Performer | A Witch

  

I also put a lot of work into my Lunar Chronicles character portraits. I have only three characters left! So as a special “Thank for sticking around until the end of this loooong post!” I want to share one of my finished characters on here! 

BUT…I WANT YOU TO CHOOSE WHO I SHOW OFF! 

Your options are:

Cinder or Kai or Scarlet or Wolf or Cress or Thorne

I will do a mini blog post about the character with the most votes! The vote will be open for two weeks! (I’ll give you some time to think and me some time to do touch ups!)

So tell me in a comment….Which character would you like to see?

Let me know what you think! How has your reading fared this past month (or months)? What book blew you away? What books did you buy? What book are you most looking forward to? Don’t forget to vote!!!!!!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Holiday Goals! |A Reading List & A Sneak Peek At Something *Special*

Greetings readers!

I really found no point in doing a November Wrap-Up, since I literally crossed nothing off that list and to do a December TBR was also really pointless since the month is almost over….so I created a HOLIDAY TBR! Which is a mash-up of December and January goals!

Who knows if I will actually achieve them…but I am really hoping to do a lot of reading and blogging these next two weeks!

Let’s Get Into It!

Holiday TBR

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

This one is obvious. I have been waiting to pick it up since it came to my door step, but I set it aside so I could really enjoy it! I know there have been some mixed reviews around it, but I’m keeping the most open mind as possible. This is, after all, a book by my Queen.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

A) I haven’t read it and I have had it since AUGUST! B) Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu comes out this January and even though I don’t need to read WW:W before I read this, I am a stickler for reading things in order!

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

I have had this book for too long to not pick it up…..so I really need to get to it!

Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster

It’s a signed ARC that I won in a Haiku contest which really had nothing to do with the book, but the synopsis sounds really cool so I want to read it. Plus the cover is winter-y and it’s winter…so it’s fitting.

The ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas

I’m really not in the mood to read SJM, but I should. It’s not mandatory on my list, perhaps just the first book to simply get it out of the way….because those other books take priority!

I also have some review books that I need to get through that I am super excited for!!!!

Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking

This is the first Blog Tour I will be participating in! I’m very excited. The book sounds incredible and I hope I really enjoy it! You can catch my post on January 3rd so be sure to watch this space!!!

S.T.A.G.S by M.A. Bennett

via Goodreads 

This sounds incredibly intense and suspenseful and I am all for this!!!!!!

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

via Goodreads 

Hocus Pocus meets Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials.
Y.E.S. I. A.M. R.E.A.D.Y. F.O.R. T.H.I.S.  I am so lucky I got my hands on an ARC, I have high hopes for this! High hopes!!

Captain Guinevere by Clara Bennet

via Goodreads 

I have also had a hold of this one for a while. It sounds very cool, it’s short and I cannot wait to read it!

Some Other Holiday Things….

I have been up to some stuff since the summer! Some artsy stuff. That has to do with my favourite fandoms. Like The Lunar Chronicles and The Beautiful Ones. I also have some plans for Six of Crows, Tower of Dawn, The Winner’s Trilogy and An Ember in the Ashes!

I have already started some TLC and Beautiful Ones work done! I cannot wait too show you the finished products. But for now he is a little teaser….

 

Can you guess who???

And here is one for The Beautiful Ones

Eeeekk! I’m excited!

Hopefully I get a few done in these next two weeks to show them off!!

Let me know what you think? What do you have planned for this Holiday season? Any special reads? Have you ever done some special for your favourite fandoms? 

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

October Wrap-Up & November TBR

Greetings readers!

So, it’s November. How the time flies.

Seriously, what happened to the 24 hours of each day?? They seem to be going by so quickly and amazing books keep getting published and I am still working on debuts from 2015??????

What is this mess, Rendz?

Answer: My life.

Anyways……this is going to be a really sad and pathetic wrap-up. October was not my reading month, it was a month of assignments and midterms. Thankfully, I have a few days off from those, but I’m probably going to go on a longish hiatus at the end of November to the beginning of December…le sigh! What can I do, c’est la vie!

Wrap-Up

I read one book. BUT it was an AMAZING BOOK!

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book is still in my mind. Honestly, the characters, the story, the betrayal all of it is still clogging my memory! It was lovely and heart-mushing without being too cheesy! Just do yourself a favour and read it! Full Review Here

Plus…I just finished Scion of the Fox by S.M. Beiko (so really its an Oct-Nov read).  I should have read this ages ago, but I am that inefficient!

Other Fun Blog Posts!

The New Disney Princess Book Tag

Bandwagon Books I want to Jump On!

Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Halloween Creatures Tag

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Haul

None-existent.

giphy.com

No book shopping or library visits. Not even a Netgalley ARC!

THIS IS SO SAD FOR ME. BUT AMAZING FOR MY WALLET. THE AMOUNT OF SELF-CONTROL I HAD THIS MONTH TO NOT SPEND. CHRISTMAS DEALS ARE COMING THOUGH AND I’M READY FOR THEM.

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November TBR

Really it’s the same as October, with a very important addition to the mix!

Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster

Prodigy Prince by Natasha Sapienza

Captain Guinevere by Clara Bennet

RENEGADES BY MARISSA MEYER, MY QUEEN AND THE BOOK I’VE BEEN WAITING OVER A YEAR FOR!

*I’m really hoping I at least read two books from this list!*

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Let me know what you think! What was your favourite read of October? How big was your haul from October? What is your most anticipated November read?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Bandwagon Books I Want to Jump On!

Greetings readers!

We all know there are some books that we say we are going to read and then months, perhaps even years go by and we still haven’t read them. I especially have this problem with super hyped books. For example, I only started reading the Throne of Glass series  because I heard  so much buzz around it, and that was two years ago, when Queen of Shadows came out (the fourth book). Not to mention, I didn’t actually get into reading until my early teens so I missed a whole lot of old hyped series and because I am that inefficient, I’m missing out on a lot of new hyped series!

The Bandwagons Series is what I call them. There are a lot out there, that out of the blue I just feel like jumping onto them…but I lack serious motivation to do so.

So why not list them all out for you. Clearly I like to share my inefficiencies with you all!

The Percy Jackson series…actually the whole Rick Riordan Franchise!

via Goodreads

Ever since middle school I have been eyeing these. Then the movie came out and well I set my eyes on Logan Lerman (hello!), but I never got around to picking up the books. Plus, some boy in my class had the audacity to say that I should read Percy Jackson because it rules and Narnia drools. No. You don’t say that to me. I immediately knocked them off my list. Him and the books, for a short while.

But lately, my urge to read them has resurfaced and with all the other companion series…I just really want to jump on this bandwagon. I want to get all the inside jokes!

The Shatter Me Series by Taherah Mafi

via Goodreads

No I haven’t read these ones either. My cousin did and she did throw the books in my face and yelled at me to read them…but I haven’t. Now that new additions are being added, I kind of want to get in on this action too.

Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

via Goodreads

Two words:

Epic Fantasy

I’m alllllllll for it. I’ve heard endless praise for it by my favourite BookTuber Regan @PeruseProject and I have seen so many raving reviews! Plus and anniversary edition of this just came out and it looks gorgeous!!! Just give me all the pretty epic fanatsies!!!

Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin

via Goodreads

I saw this one a lot of Tumblr and boy oh boy does Tumblr make it seem intriguing. Not to mention all the hype surrounding this and the new companion series about this Noah person. I know there are mixed reviews about this series, but it really does sound interesting and I want to get in on all the inside jokes…………………….(that’s basically my reason for everything.)

The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

via Goodreads

I actually almost bought this book. Then I saw that it was a love triangle or as people say “love triangle” (which putting it in air quotes I think kind of gives the secret reveal away…but I’m not 100% on what that secret revelation is, though I have good faith that I am right.) ANYWAYS…past the love triangle, I have heard incredible things about the characters especially the MC and although I think the titles and covers are kind of cheesy, I shall not remake the same Winner’s Trilogy mistake. (i.e. I shouldn’t judge the covers…or title)

PLUS…there is a companion series coming out so…….*geez Rendz let’s just keep elongating this list with the companion series*

The V.E. Schwab Train

via Goodreads

Self-explanatory really. I haven’t read a single Schwab book, I missed her signing here in Toronto because I hadn’t read any of her books AND I am missing out on a lot of epic fantasy and intrigue and pain.

Shame on me.

(And it was announced that there will be companion novels…)

The Cinda Williams Chima Bonanza

via Goodreads

Again, Regan made me list all her books on my TBR. More epic fantasy. And yes there are companion series. *Rendz you have a problem*

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

giaphy.com

You know me. I have put off this series for a long while. (After jumping on the ToG bandwagon and heading down a bumpy road, I lost faith in SJM) I actually said I wouldn’t read them and then I said I would and then I wouldn’t and just………I will. I bought the books, so I kind of have to. I will be 100% honest that I only bought the series because Indigo had a beautiful fan art edition of ACOWAR, and I liked the art so yeah…Otherwise I’m not too excited. I do want to get the inside jokes and all the memes and stuff (and you know it’s also getting companion novels) but like I can wait a little longer.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

via Goodreads

Yeah………this is so not going to happen. I always say “someday”, “one day”, “when I’m older and I can buy a pretty set”, yeah…….probably not.

*Dodges tomatoes*

It’s not that I’m saying the series is bad…I’m just saying it’s a bit overrated and sometimes too much hype can cause some serious set backs. I mean even the thought of all those companion novels doesn’t strike me (but sometimes it does). It’s a back and forth, “I will, I won’t, I will, I won’t etc.” I do have the inclination to watch the movies when they are on TV, but like I can’t watch the movies and not read the books, it’s sacrilegious.

So yeah people….biggest black sheep confession of the day.

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Clearly there are more series I could have listed, but these are the ones that have struck me recently. There are so many bandwagons I’d like to join, but only so much time to read! Plus, all of these basically have companion novels…which apparently I’m just discovering I have a fetish for. I am very odd.

Let me know what you think? What are some bandwagon books you jumped on? What are some books you would like to jump on? Which bandwagon book should I jump on first? Has hype ever killed a book for you?

I’d love to know!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

September Wrap Up, Haul & October TBR

Greetings readers!

September went by in such a blur. I can barely recall most of what I did this month…oh wait! Yes I can. School. School and some more……wait for it…..school.

-_-

Yeah, it’s been fun guys….*fake yay* September has been tough on Real-life Rendz and it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. Starting university this month has been a roller coaster of emotions. Excitement, self-doubt, fear. These are all things I feel on a daily basis.

My reading month was good. I actually got a lot more done than I thought I would. Things are starting to slow down and I’m trying my best to keep up, but school is a priority and it’s taking over my life. That’s why I’m sporadic a lot of the time on blog, I take some breaks to blog-hop or write but most times I just need to sit and relax and do nothing.

Enough about me, let’s talk about bookish things!

Wrap-Up

What the heck did I read this month? Seriously I kind of forgot….bless the creators of Goodreads for keeping track for me!

This month I read…

Poison’s Kiss by Breanna Shields

I buddy read this with the amazing Mandy @ Book Princess Reviews. It was so much fun reading with her, even though this book didn’t quite meet our expectations. I ended giving it a 2.5 / 5 stars. You can read Mandy’s amazing review here because I’ll be honest the story is kind of a blur to me now….

Colorless by Rita Stradling

This was a Netgalley and it also turned out to be less than what I hoped for! It had such a cool concept and so much potential but it just fell flat to me. The beautiful cover definitely deceived me. My Full Review

Warcross by Marie Lu

I reviewed my ARC that I won in a Goodreads giveaway and I LOVED it! Hello! It’s by Marie Lu and she is my idol, I expected nothing but an intense and twisty read! She delivered perfectly and I cannot wait for the sequel! My Full Review

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

A long awaited book. A book all about my baby Chaol! I wrote a rather long and ranty review because I had thoughts and I needed to vent! My Full Review

All The Wind In The World by Samantha Mabry

I am read this while I commuting to school, but sometimes I got dizzy reading on the bus so I have to do short reading bursts. Still I am enjoyed it, the ending left me feeling many things though! Review To Come.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This is actually a book I’m read for one of my classes. And wow, I loved it. I will be honest, reading this book made me nervous. It is super hyped and deals with such an important topic that sometimes I would get overwhelmed even just by thinking about picking it up. But I’m so glad I did. It’s so important, heart-breaking and inspirational! Review To Come.

*I’m so sad I missed Angie while she was here in Toronto on tour! But SCHOOL is messing with me!!!*

That’s a total of six read books! A success, I would say!

Other Fun Blog Posts!

One Year of Blogging (The Thank You) 

You Asked, I Answered! (Blogoversary Q & A)

A Moment of Fangirling: Winter

Book Series I Want to Give A Second Shot

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The Haul

What did I get this month? The Month of Releases! Did I even go to the bookstore? No. Well I did go to my school bookstore, but that doesn’t count!

I did, however, send Kez to buy me Tower of Dawn from Indigo because they had a special edition!!! Oh and Strange the Dreamer came in the mail earlier in the month, which I won in a lovely giveaway hosted by Laura @ TheBookCorps

And I also pre-ordered Marissa Meyer’s Renegades and Wires & Nerve Vol 2. because I had a gift card to spend and I of course spent it on the Queen! Le duh!

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The TBR

Well it’s going to be a long one, but I will definitely not make it to all of these reads. *Sad face*

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Scion of the Fox by S.M. Beiko
Captain Guinevere by Clara Bennet
Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (This will hopefully happen, as I want to buddy read it with Mandy @ BookPrincessReviews!)

I still have Gemina from the library…oh gosh I think it expires soon?? I will have to either return it or renew it…but it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting to it any time soon. *sad face*

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So that’s my October. It looks like it is going to be quite busy for me in terms of school and blogging responsibilities, but I rather enjoy blogging so it’s not too much of a hastle (yet).

Let me know what you think! What was your favourite read from September? What did you buy during September: The Month of Releases!? What book are you most looking forward to this October (Another month of insane releases!)?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

August Wrap Up & September TBR

Greetings readers!

August. What. A. Month.

I cannot even correctly recall the beginning of the month! It seems as if the end of July and beginning of August just fused together! So many things were going on, that before I realized it, it was mid-August.

Yikes!

I told myself this month was going to be full of awesome reading and slow on the book buying.

via giphy.com

Yeah…that sooooooo did not happen! At all. I was supposed to be saving up for September because we all know that September is going to be huge with the releases. Thus, needing to save my money. But no. I didn’t do that at all.

Wrap Up

Reading this month was okay, nothing really stood out to me. I had a couple okay reads, so I feel like it could have gone much better.

I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil
This was a very cute contemporary read! Full of formulas and romance! My Mini Review

Bridges: A Daphne White Novel by Maria Murnane
This was the first Women’s Fiction book I’ve read in a while and it turned out to be a very sweet and happy read! My Full Review

The Reader by Traci Chee
A fun fantasy read that I’ve been meaning to get to for a while! 3.75 / 5 Stars

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
This was a really fun and fast sci-fi read! I really enjoyed it! 4 / 5 Stars

House of Ash by Hope Cook
This was a very intriguing read, plus it’s Candian YA! Woot! Woot! My Full Review

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This is a super duper popular Adult Fantasy novel that I wanted to try and while I really enjoyed it, I also found it to be very slow! 4 / 5 Stars

Black Birds of the Gallows by Meg Kassel
This was a big anticipated read of mine, however it turned out to be okay rather than mind-blowing amazing! Still it was very fun! My Full Review

Winter by Marissa Meyer
This was a reread and I loved it (obviously!) My fangirling post for this will be up soon hopefully! But let’s just say I might have gotten choked up…..just a little bit. All the stars!

Fairest by Marissa Meyer
I decided to reread it despite how many feels and moments of second hand embarrassment I went through! Levana is one crazy witch! (Should I do a post for this too? The answer is yes!)

The Bride of Glass by Candace Robinson
This was the sequel to Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault which I read a while ago. I really enjoyed this one, though not as much as the first I believe! My Full Review

10 Books! I think that is pretty awesome!

 

Fun Posts of the Month! 

The Princess Bride Book Tag (A whole lot of TLC answers…)
Unique Blogger Award Pt 2
My Hierarchy of Fictional Love Interests (I had so much fun writing this!)
The Happiness Tag 

I had a lot of TLC related content on my blog this month. I beg of thee, fellow Lunartics to go check them out! 

A Moment of Fangirling: Scarlet 
A Moment of Fangirling: Cress (The book of my life!!)

I entered the #WinRenegades Bookstagram challenge hosted by Queen Meyer. I didn’t win, but I had a whole lot of fun entering! And since I was in the midst of my TLC Reread, all the books were at hand!

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A post shared by Rendz (@readingwithrendz)

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The Haul…

Lordy, lord. I spent too much money this month! By now everyone should know how big September is going to be in terms of new releases. Basically a whole bunch of magical and super intriguing reads are headed our way. Some of these books I have been anticipating for months on end! So my plan was to save! Save money!!! But the heart wants what the heart wants and my heart wanted books this August.

This month I bought:

Book Outlet:
The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye (Because I had to own it!)
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (Because I never hear the end of its epicness)
Windwitch by Susan Dennard (Merry Christmas, Maz)

BMV (Cheap bookstore)
Ivory & Bone by Julie Eshabugh (Because it was there and I was like “gimmegimme”)
Grave Mercy by Robin LeFevers (By recommendation of Mandy @BookPrincessReviews)

Chapters Indigo (Not cheap, but my home-away-from-home bookstore)
Wonder Woman: Warbringer  by Leigh Bardugo (Because I needed that pull-out poster!)

 

And then I got super lucky and won two ARCs!

Warcross by Marie Lu (My first Goodreads giveaway I entered and won!! Plus it’s by my Idol!!!)
Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster (I actually won this through a twitter giveaway. The object was to write a Haiku and the best one won! *Thank you to all my twitter peeps who voted for me….I love you!)

 

The LAST day in time
When that STAR shines too brightly
The BURNING world dies#LSBhaiku
—
Geez, I might have gone to dark 😂😂 https://t.co/Z92MWZEXMs

— Rendz is on hiatus (@RwRendz) July 31, 2017

My winning Haiku!

And a NetGalley Haul! 

Black Birds of the Gallows by Meg Kassel
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry (My first granted wish!)
Colorless by Rita Stradling

So yeah….A lot of hauled books this month! All the more to read!

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On to more pressing matters. My TBR. September, unfortunately means the start of school, which unfortunately means these large reading wrap ups start to dwindle in numbers. It also means I’m slower to post and write so I’m trying to get as much as I can done before school begins (tomorrow for me)!

Did I reach my summer goal, absolutely not. I didn’t read Truthwitch (sorry Maz) or ACOTAR (sorry everyone else) but I’ll get to them……eventually.

Not this month though. THIS MONTH I HAVE PLANS!

This month I plan on reading:

Poison’s Kiss  by Breanna Shields (Buddy read with Mandy @ Book Princess Reviews)✅
Warcoss by Marie Lu (in progress)
Colorless by Rita Stradling (in progress)
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Scion of the Fox by S.M. Beiko
Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Library book, so my time is limited)
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (Chaol boo, I’m coming for you!)

 

I’m not going to set myself up for anything higher, but if I’m lucky enough and the school year starts off slow (unlikely), I hope to squeeze in Last Star Burning, Wonder Woman: Warbringer and All the Wind in the World…..all very unlikely!

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I also may have a little secret project going on……it might have something to do with fanart….it might have something to do with the Lunar Chronicles…….😉😉

It’s nowhere near finished but…maybe I’ll share a little taste with you sometime….!

Let me know what you guys think! What was your favourite read from August? What was your favourite buy from August? What release are you most looking forward to in this September of Releases? Can’t wait to see your thoughts!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

June Wrap Up/ Haul & July TBR

Greetings readers!

June. June. June.

June was….alright I guess. I mean it held a lot of stress and work, but it was also marked the start of my summer vacation! *cheers*

Reading-wise I did fairly well.

Book buying wise…I did exceptionally well and ummmmm let’s just say…..

giphy.com

I bought some books.

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Wrap Up

I read a total of 4 books in June! Three from my scheduled TBR and one from the library that I picked up!

Bentwhistle in A Threat from the Past by Paul Cude

Not my favourite book of the month, but it was okay. You can read my full review for more!

The Kingdom of Oceana by Mitchell Charles

A fun adventure story with Hawaiian folklore! I even have a giveaway running where you can win a copy! Check out my full review for more!

Hearts Are Like Balloons by Candace Robinson.

What a whirl-wind of emotions this book took me through! I really enjoyed it! Full Review!

Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins

A really fun, edge-of-your-seat fantasy/adventure. I have been eyeing this book for a while and I really enjoyed it. It had its problems, but it was a solid read! Review to come!

Other Fun Posts from June

The Ultimate Vacation Book Tag

Tower of Dawn Cover & My Thoughts (a longish..but entertaining rant.)

Burn, Rewrite, Reread Tag

Haul

Well, as mentioned I have a lot…and I mean a lot of books to haul this month. After a disappointing month for buying books in May, I splurged. I. Splurged.

Commencing massive haul in 3…2…1…

The Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy by Sarah J. Maas.

I still  bought these books, even though I was bitter for not getting to meet her when she came. *Rendz is still very bitter*  Really hoping I do not regret this buy. Hopefully they are as good as people say. *Rendz kind of regrets buying these books already…*

Then I went on a BookOutlet binge!

I bought the Snow like Ashes trilogy by Sara Raasch. Yes I have already read them, but I wanted to OWN them!

PLUS I GOT THE LUNAR CHRONICLES COLOURING BOOK! I was screaming when I flipped through it and realized I finally owned my own copy!

This is the snap I sent my friends. Accurately depicts my reaction.

That’s enough of me buying books…

For some reason I got super lucky this month and won a couple of giveaways!

I received an ARC of Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast! (Technically Maz won this for me because I asked her to enter the giveaway for me…since I was on an internet ban *exam required ban*)

I also won a finished copy of Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane. I read an eARC but I am so in love with the finished copy! It is beautiful!

I also won a copy of The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson but it has yet to arrive!

Finally, I took a trip to the library. I checked out The Duke of Bannerman Prep by Katie A. Nelson and Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins! Reviews for both of these books will be up at some point in July!

End of haul!

So yeah…lots of awesome books bought this month and I don’t feel guilty one bit! Well maybe a little…

*not really*

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Since it is summer time, the length of these TBRs are going to be super long! I want to get to several books on my shelves, plus I’ll be making frequent trips to the library so….be prepared for a long list!

This month I plan on reading…

The Duke of Bannerman Prep by Katie A. Nelson
(I finished it…but like I started and finished it in July so it technicaly was on the TBR)

The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Yup a reread for the #YABloggersReadalong! I’m already in the middle of it and my love/feels are giving me life!!

The Book of Whispers  by Kimberley Starr
I need to get through my Net Galley reads!

The Ninth Circle by C.A. Harland
Still trying to get through these Net Galley reads!

Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast
This comes out in August so I want to have my ARC read by then!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I really hope I don’t regret buying this series. Seriously.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Maz will yell at me forever if I don’t read this soon.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
The probably won’t happen because I have been avoiding it practically all year, but the time has come to get myself together in preparation for Tower of Dawn.

End of TBR!

BUT WAIT!

If I’m a good girl and finish my Net Galleys….I’ll be getting to Scarlet!

Alright my loves, this is the end of my long wrap up and TBR! Let me know which books you are reading this month! Or the book release you are most anticipating this month. There are so many good books coming in July and my birthday may also, probably fall in this month.

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

May Wrap Up/Haul and June TBR

Greetings readers!

May was one heck of a month, both in terms of reading and real-life. A lot of things happened this month, including a lot of reading do I am very happy with the amount of books I’ve read!

In terms of blogging, I got a fair amount of posts in there is still one thing that I am setting up, but it probably won’t get published until the summer! This summer is going to hopefully include a lot of blogging because I plan on reading A LOT.

In May I read:

Death and Night by Roshani Chokshi

This was a stunning novella and the perfect prequel to The Star-Touched Queen. If you want more from Maya and Amar you should definitely give this a read. My Full Review.

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

This was a fun and dramatic contemporary set in the Bronx. If your are looking for another book to diversify your shelves I would recommend this! My Full Review.

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson

This was a creepy and fun story filled with re-tellings in forms you may not have read before.  My Full Review.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

I buddy read this with my sisters! It was an intense dark fantasy with some great action, twists and suspense! My review is up and you can look forward to reviews from Kez and Maz soon! My Full Review.

The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye

A long awaited sequel to The Crown’s Game which I read last year and loved! I haven’t posted my review yet but you can look forward to that soon!

Four full books and one novella in total, I would call that a successful month!

May Haul

Now I was planning to spend some big bucks on May but that didn’t happen! Instead I went on a NetGalley binge!

I was approved four requests this month:

Quincey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson

The Book of Whispers by Kimberley Starr

Scion of the Fox by S.M. Beiko

The Ninth Circle, Book One: Fire by C.A. Harland

I also got supremely lucky and I won a signed copy of Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh!

Then I went to the library and picked up The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye!

No money spent BUT heads up its only a few days into June and I’ve already bought three books!

June TBR

This is is going to be a very slow month in terms of blogging and reading! I will be sporadic in my posts and interactions with you all so try not to miss (or forget) me.

This month I’ll be reading: 

via Goodreads

Bentwhistle in A Threat From The Past by Paul Cude

The Kingdom of Oceana by Mitchell Charles

Hearts Are Like Balloons by Candace Robinson

Three is a small goal, hopefully I can make it to all three!!

 

 

 

 

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Alright that is it for me! I have a busy month up ahead but I still look forward to posting (and reading) as much as I can! Let me know what was your favourite book from last month. Your favourite buy/borrow from last month. And your most anticipated read of this month!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz