TAG| Festive Christmas Book Tag

Yes guys and gals- it's the Christmas season.

I have been off my blog for a long time and thought I would ease back into it this joyous season buy doing this tag that was making it's rounds again on BookTube. 

In my rush I have completely forgotten about who created this tag. And I am too eager to answer these questions to pause and make the quick research task. But, just know I am NOT the original creator. Nor, was I tagged.

Let's begin!

1. A fictional family you would like to spend Christmas dinner with?

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Wayfarer #1)
Becky Chambers

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If you haven't been following my recent progress on this book then you should probably know that this book is pretty high on my top 10 books read in 2016.

Although, they aren't quite family in the traditional sense- mum, dad, nan, uncle, brother etc etc... 

I still think they count, for the crew of the Wayfarer are nothing but a dysfunctional family!

Could you imagine spending Christmas with this lot? Think of all the crazy stories and cracker jokes Kizzy would come up with during the dinner?!

2. A bookish item you would like to receive as a gift?

I don't think I am that picky about the bookish presents I would like to receive as a gift. But, if I had to choose I have never owned one of them bookish candles that keep appearing on Twitter and Instagram. I'm not allowed candles in my housing accommodation so they would be there to just look pretty- I'm game!

3. A fictional character you think would make a perfect christmas elf?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1)
J.K.Rowling

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It wouldn't be a Christmas book tag without Harry Potter cropping up somewhere, now, would it?

I could just see Hermione Granger seeking undercover work as one of Santa's elves, then preceed a walk out because she see's working conditions unfit for elvish needs. And, so, they all revolt.

The question is would Hermione feel guilty because Christmas would be cancelled?

That's what your here for. Weird hypothetical questions.

4. Match a book to it's perfect Christmas song. 

This is where I suck and say I couldn't think of a single book and song combination in order to answer this question. Dang! I'm terrible at this sort of thing.

5. Bah Humbug. A book or fictional character you've been disappointed in and should be put on the naughty list?

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)
Sarah J. Maas

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TAMLIN! 

One of my greatest pleasures when reading A Court of Mist and Fury (book 2) was that I got to gloat about being correct in Tamlin's alibi. 

I re-read ACOTAR again this year before picking up ACOMAF and picked up again on the exact same signs I saw the first time round and then BOOOOOOM! 

Sarah knocked all our socks off and we are still in the aftermath nearly a year later. 
Damn. 

6. A book or a fictional character you think deserves more love and appreciation and deserve to be put on the nice list?

Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1)
Susan Dennard

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REVIEW

Aeduan.

I think he gets a pretty bad rep, considering what he spends most of Truthwitch doing.

But as my homeboy- Voidwitch- I think it's only fair I stick up for him.

7. Red, Gold and Green. A book cover that has a wonderfully Christmasy feel to it.

Northern Lights (His Dark Materials #1)
Philip Pullman

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This one isn't exactly following that colour scheme however,  it does have that icy blue chill that comes with the season.

Also, in it's physical form, it's a VERY shiny cover. 

I'm gonna let it count. 

8. A book or series you love so much, you want everyone to find under their Christmas tree this year so they can read it and love it too?

Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1)

Jay Kristoff

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REVIEW

I could have picked any one of the books I mentioned above: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, Harry Potter, ACOTAR etc etc...

Instead, I choose Nevernight.

I have some very fond memories of this book. For many reasons.

But, the most important one was the impact it had. The story has stuck with me throughout the rest of the year- I read this in May?

If you're are buying a gift a fantasy lover- stick this under their tree. 

Assassins. Action. And epic betrayal.

BLOG TOUR| Nevernight

Today, I present to you a very exciting 'exclusive'! I got the opportunity to ask the author of Nevernight-- a Mr. Jay Kristoff a few questions surrounding his latest fantasy novel.

If you have anything to go by, you would know just how much I loved this novel-- if not I will leave a link to my review. If I couldn't persuade you to read it. Let the big man himself try.

***

Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1)
Jay Kristoff

REVIEW

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Synopsis:

Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.

The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

The Q&A:

1. If you could describe NEVERNIGHT in no more than five emojis what would they be?

Hmm. How’s this:

2. You've mentioned before the length of time that it took you to get to the point of publication (four and a half years? Correct me if I'm wrong); what were the major challenges that you occurred in writing and getting NEVERNIGHT to the point of pitching to publishers? Were these things easy to address?

It took me around 4.5 years, yup. From the time I started writing seriously to the time my first book came out. I was lucky with NEVERNIGHT because THE LOTUS WAR did reasonably well in terms of sales, and my publishers were confident that I could deliver a trilogy on deadline. This meant I didn’t have to submit an entire manuscript for NEVERNIGHT – we sold the series based on the first act and series synopsis. So the big challenge was actually sitting down and writing the book once we sold it.

I had a very fixed idea of how the book would end in my head, but as I was writing it, the story wanted to go in a different direction. I struggled for about a month trying to beat it into the directions I thought it should go, but once I let go and allowed the story to do what it wanted, it was a breeze to write (and ended up in a much cooler place than I first imagined).

3. Were there any key influences for NEVERNIGHT? Both historical and day to day living. 

I love the cities of Venice and Rome, I’ve lived in both for a spell and they were huge influences on the construction of Godsgrave itself. I’m also a massive Roman history nerd, and ancient Roman culture, mythology and politics helped shape the Itreyan Republic in very real ways. Mia’s history is basically a “what if?” thought experiment.

What if Julius Caesar’s rebellion against the Roman Senate failed?

4. Do you have a playlist for NEVERNIGHT? If so, what three songs do you think best summarize the theme and plot?  

I tend not to listen to music with lyrics when I write. I find other people’s words too distracting. I basically owe this book to Ludovico Einaudi—I listened to his stuff non-stop when writing it. But there are other songs that have played a part in building Mia’s character in particular.

Eros – Ludovico Einaudi

Aspire – Northlane

Primavera – Ludovico Einaudi

Throne – BMTH

Divenire – Ludovico Einaudi

Black #1 – Type O Negative

5. What secrets can you reveal of the writing process of NEVERNIGHT that no one already knows?

I rewrote it three times. Only about 50% of the sample that I sold the book to my publishers with actually made it into the finished book.

Writing is rewriting.

6. If you could give three pieces of advice to aspiring young authors- what would that best advice be?

1. Write lots. Give yourself permission to suck. Understand you will likely be shit before you’re good, and being shit is okay as long as you’re getting better.

2.Understand an ENORMOUS amount of this industry is based on luck. Anyone who does well as an artist is lucky, authors are no exception. They might be talented and hard working too, but I know a bunch of talented, hard working authors who have never been able to quit their dayjobs. Success as an artist is about many factors, especially luck, and luck is something you can only marginally control. Anyone who tells you different is a fool, liar or selling you something.

3. Never stop. Anyone who choose to be an artist, whether it’s a writer or musician or whatever, is going to be constantly told they are wasting their time. That they’re a fool for even trying. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE. Do what you love, surround yourself with people who build you up not tear you down, and never, EVER stop writing.

Jay Kristoff has managed to trick the world into thinking he's an author. His award-winning steampunk series, THE LOTUS WAR and the New York Times bestselling sci-fi novel ILLUMINAE, the first of a trilogy, are out now. A new fantasy series, NEVERNIGHT, arrives in 2016.

  Find Jay: Website | Instagram | Twitter

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REVIEW| Nevernight

Evernight (The Nevernight Chronicles #1)
Jay Kristoff

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+
Synopsis:

Mia has many names: The Pale Daughter, The Crow, or Kingmaker; she is the killer of killers and destroyer of empires; but her story begins when she is only ten years old and forced to watch her father hang as a traitor.

At the time of his death, her shadow deepens and a darkness joins Mia. A darkness that takes the shape of a cat and helps her to escape the men tasked with her disposal.

She calls him Mister Kindly, and he drinks her fear. 

Review: 

Holy sh*t! Where do I even begin?

First, let us discuss this cover. This alone I would give five stars, who wouldn't? I have never seen a more beautiful fantasy cover -- that is for a first edition print-- HarperVoyagerUK did an amazing job at selecting the right artist. The thing I love most about this cover is that, the more you read and loose yourself in Kristoff's world of Itreya, the more you notice the details that the artist, Kerby Rosanes, has put into the illustration design. The Barrel, the masquerade mask, the not-cat- everything so beautifully placed within the body of the crow. The motif for the Covere familia.

A while ago I sent out a tweet for recommendations for a book with a 'kick-ass female assassin protagonist" this book not only delivered this  but, rather had the added bonus of this well-developed world. Itreya is a world like no other- the title "Nevernight" you learn to derive from how in this world you never get night because of this unfortunate factor that there are three different suns. All giving variant types of light; only becomes "Truedark" after every certain number of years. 

Kristoff builds both the world and the voice of our narrator through the use of footnotes, these tended to be something that didn't offer a whole lot to the overall plot but was something that I enjoyed and brought to life the rich, Italian, medieval setting that Kristoff has based Itreya on. Other times these footnotes were an added sense of humour that really spoke to my sense of humour that just had me giggling.

There was a lot of character growth that felt natural for the duration of the novel, Mia learning about herself and what she feels is important to keep certain traits close to her heart and not loose then when in actual fact where is finds herself is somewhere that could have ultimately stripped them away. Not only was their growth but the plot itself took various twists and turns. I am pretty sure Kristoff through in some red herons in there when I was trying to work out some of the cruicial parts of the plot-- and yes, when I got to page 553 I did have a WTF moment. 

I am still not over it. 

At all.

This book left me broken and hurt. A double edged blade- one side left you broken and crying the other giggling long into the night. A balance only a wielder of words could manage. My salutes, sir.

This, so far, is one of my favourite books I have read this year. I can't wait to get my finished copy in August. Only to speed through it once more before I head off to Bangor.

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Book Haul| May 2016

I NEED TO STOP BUYING BOOKS!!!

Not as many books as I have had in previous months but, I did say that I were not to buy anymore just because I really don't have the space for them-- I really wish I felt okay with reading ebooks, truly.

Anyway there is one exciting piece of news that has me jumping off the figurative walls; that can be held off til the end.

First the books I bought right at the beginning of May:

Uprooted
Naomi Novik

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Yes, yes and yes. When I went into Waterstones that day I wasn't sure what book I had intended on buying. Then I say this laying in all it's glory on the many fantasy tables that were lain out.

I grabbed it and ran.


CURRENTLY READING!

Passenger (Passenger #1)

Alexandra Bracken

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This is a book I know better as one of the many duo tours that the marvelous Susan Dennard was on at the beginning of 2016. I read the synopsis and instantly wanted in.

Haven't read Bracken's The Darkest Minds series but, if I love this as much as I hope I do then they'll be next on my T(o)B(e)B(ought) list- mark my words.

After this little spender I decided to save my money-- that ended up on my prepayment for my accommodation next year at university. Theeeeeeeeen I got more than I was expected for my next college bursary (I got money for next half-term!) Which meant I went out again to Waterstones to treat myself with more books.

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files 0_1)

Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

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I've been craving some sort of Sci-fi novel for a little while and thought that this looked interesting in the format of the whole novel.

Through transcripts and emails it feels like a hackers journal-- something I am very excited to find out what this is really about.

An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1)

Sabaa Tahir

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A book that I have heard nothing but good things about. In fact this book was even on the shelves at the writing retreat at Arvon at the beginning of the year.

I will definitely have to try and catch up seeing as there will be a sequel release at the end of this year?

Okay! Now the exciting bit I promised earlier. I plucked up the courage to finally email some publishers about some of my most anticpated reads on the Summer/Autumn 2016. The wonderful people at HaperVoyagerUK (one of my favourite fantasy publishers that we have in the UK) agreed to send me over an ARC of Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. 

I have featured this novel recently on the blog (check out my Waiting on Wednesday post: HERE) the synopsis for this book has me drawling at the mouth-- so expect a review coming up here very shortly. 

This book will be devoured. 

OMFG!!!! My excitement levels are through the roof!!

Waiting On Wednesday| Nevernight

Waiting On Wednesday is a book meme set up Breaking the Spine where all those who participate share weekly those book releases we are dying to get our hand on as soon as they are released.

This weeks WoW post is:

Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicles #1)
Jay Kristoff

Mia has many names: The Pale Daughter, The Crow, or Kingmaker; she is the killer of killers and destroyer of empires; but her story begins when she is only ten years old and forced to watch her father hang as a traitor.
At the time of his death, her shadow deepens and a darkness joins Mia. A darkness that takes the shape of a cat and helps her to escape the men tasked with her disposal.
She calls him Mister Kindly, and he drinks her fear.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY:
| AMAZON UK | AMAZON US | BOOK DEPO |