Book Haul - January + February

  New year, new books! 

After finishing the best book series in the history of books ever for the 5th? time (Harry Potter of course) I thought it was about time I acquired some brand-spanking-new reads to add to my non-existent shelf (I have to store my books in a draw under my bed). The majority of these books have been sitting in my TBR (to be read) list for quite some time so when they arrived at my door I couldn't help but dive right in, meaning I may have already completed 6 of them... But hey, doesn't that just show what great picks they were!

I have never read so much so quickly before, so my bank account was a little shocked when I made a second purchase off Amazon to replenish my stock. However, it has definitely been worth it as I have read some fantastic new books and even found a few more favourites :)

So, here are my books for January and February with a little synopsis and rating (if I've actually finished it):

The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden

☆☆☆

This book is set in a fantasy version of medieval Russia (Rus') following Vasilisa Petrovna, a young girl who doesn't conform to the expected ways of women. Her mother died during childbirth, her brother and sister have been sent to Moscow and a new holy man comes to her village where he preaches fear of God and the abandonment of the traditional worship of household spirits. Things start to change: the winter gets colder, crops begin to die and fires are engulfing neighbouring towns. Vasilisa must protect her home and defy the ones she loves by using dangerous gifts she has long concealed against the magical creatures that seem to have stepped out of the tales told to her as a child.

I quite enjoyed this book! It took me a while to get used to the old language and Russian words, however once there it was a very gripping and exciting story which set the scene well for the second instalment.

Turtles All the Way Down - John Green

☆☆☆☆

A story about a girl with severe anxiety mixed with the mystery of the disappearance of an old friends' billionaire dad made for an interesting read. The plot describes Aza and her friend Daisy investigating this mystery to try and win the $100,000 reward. While living with the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts, Davis (the billionaire's son and Aza's childhood friend) makes the process difficult by capturing Aza's heart. Awww. It is a story of love, resilience and friendship.

This was beautifully written. Not having anxiety myself, I found this a very eyeopening book to read as it gave me an insight into what struggling with this issue may be like. The story itself was fairly average to me, however the style and writing made up for it big time and got me finishing it in 2 days.

They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera

☆☆☆☆☆

Spoiler Alert! They both die at the end. And yes, even though I knew this from the title, I still sobbed like a baby when it happened. Mateo and Rufus each get a call from Death-Cast on September 5th, a little after midnight. The call tells them that both will die today at any time, anywhere, any way. Both total strangers, they use the Last Friend app to find someone to spend their End Day with and are paired together for one last adventure. This f*cking book! I absolutely l o v e d it and have of course added it to my favourites :)

Warcross - Marie Lu

☆☆☆☆☆

For the millions of people who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life. This virtual reality program has become the obsession of half the globe with its world leaderboards, real life rewards and inevitably: illegal black market. Emika Chen, a bounty hunter, is in desperate need of some quick cash so hacks into the opening games of the international Warcross Championship but accidentally glitches herself into the action itself for the whole world to see. Convinced she'll be arrested, she is shocked when Hideo Tanaka, the owner of Warcross, offers her a job to help with a security problem at the games. She is whisked away to Tokyo to a life of fame and fortune but soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot which has major consequences for the entire empire.

Another new favourite of mine, this book was a-maz-ing. Also, the way it ended led me to believe there'll be a follow up book which I will be waiting for with bated breath.

The Girl in the Tower - Katherine Arden

☆☆☆☆

The second book in the Winternight trilogy was in my opinion, better than the first.  This could have been due to the fact that I had got to know the characters better, learned the old time Russian language or just because it had more exciting events to tell, either way I thought it was great. Again, this was another book I thought was well written with intricately developed characters and imaginative magical aspects. It centres around Vasilisa who has run away from home to travel the world as a free woman rather than be sent to a convent for being "unnaturally boyish". Along the way she stumbles across her monk brother and in turn the prince of Moscow. However, she is mistaken for a boy (because she was riding a horse) and must conceal herself under this new persona so as not to be punished. This leads to more trouble while she protects the kingdom from the magical and mysterious forces that only she can stop.

The Upside of Unrequited - Becky Albertalli

☆☆☆

17 year-old Molly knows all about unrequited love as she has lived through 26 secret crushes. But her twin sister, Cassie, is the opposite: an outgoing, flirtatious teen who has no problem finding a girlfriend. The story follows Molly in her struggle with insecurity and finding love whilst her sister drifts away from her for a new girlfriend. Molly is introduced to two new boys who both become crush 27 and 28 and she is pushed way outside her comfort zone to form relationships with them. 

I thought this book was ok. I must admit I don't feel like much happened and I got a bit bored, however I think this book is relatable for so many as it includes people from all walks of life: a Jewish family, lesbian parents and a young adult battling body image. 

The Hate You Give - Angie Thomas

☆☆☆☆☆

Starr Carter is the only witness to the murder of her childhood friend, Khalil, by a policeman with a gun. Khalil was an unarmed, black, 16 year-old boy. The shooting becomes a national headline and the separation between the two lives that Starr lives is at breaking point. Her life at the suburban private school she attends becomes more and more difficult after the killing in her poor neighbourhood as the local drug-lords and cops try to intimidate her family into silence. Protestors take to the streets when news reporters seem to blame Khalil for his own murder, but only one person  can tell what real happened that night: Starr. But, what she reveals or decides to conceal could endanger her life.

I am about half way through this book and am already 5 star-ing it. It's an eye-opening look into the real life issue that has spread across the US and really makes you feel what Starr is feeling. This story must be heard.

The Fandom - Anna Day

Another nerdy book I guess as this is about a group of friends who, whilst at Comic-Con, are accidentally catapulted into the world of their favourite movie - in real life. They must put the plot back on track and somehow get back out. 

This sounds like quite a fun book to me! It reminds me of the new Jumanji film that recently came out which I saw and actually loved. I'm very excited to read this.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli

So another book by Becky! This is a much more well know story of hers as I believe it is older and is being turned into a film :) It's about a 16 year-old boy who is not openly gay and an email falls into the wrong hands and threatens to reveal his secret. He is blackmailed by a boy at school and must agree to what he says or his secret and the identity of the boy he's been emailing will be uncovered. 

I am really looking forward to starting this! Hopefully it will be better than TUOU but I have a feeling it will be :)

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie

This is an extremely famous book from an award-winning author about a story of love, race and identity. In Lagos, teenagers Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love but have to flee due to a military dictatorship. Ifemelu goes to America where she experiences triumphs and defeats all whilst battling the weight of something she never thought of at home: race. Obinze travels to London and 13 years later is a wealthy man back in Nigeria. Will they meet again? 

I am intrigued by this book and know it will be different to all of the books above as this is not from the YA genre. I think it will be quite hard-hitting but I'm excited to try it out.

History is All You Left Me - Adam Silvera

OCD-afflicted Griffin loses his first boyfriend, Theo, in a drowning accident. In a desperate attempt to hold onto the past, he forges a new relationship with Theo's new college boyfriend, Jackson. Griffin stops at nothing to learn more about Theo's college life, and ultimate death. 

If this book is as good as TBDATE I cannot wait to read it :) I feel like tears may be shed through this but those reads are always the best!

W O W. So those are all of the books I've bought over the past month and a half and some little reviews of the ones I've already finished. I hope this posts gives you some ideas of what to pick up next or at least some inspo to start reading!

What books have you got recently? Also what is the next one on your TBR list?

Coco ♡