Books: READ, TBR, and RETELLINGS.

Currently Listening: Toy by Block B
Currently Reading: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.

Lately, I've found myself getting back into my usual reading habits again, so I've read quite a few things since last posting. I don't think I'd be good at book reviews (but I'm going to try at one point) so I'll keep them considerably shorter than a usual review but I do want to tell you all about books I've read.

BUT FIRST:

Sarah J. Maas fans! The ACOMAF excerpt!! Its actually amazing and I hate/love the questions already rising from that short opener. Its only making me even more excited for May, when we can all read the latest masterpiece from Sarah. And also, oh my gosh, EMPIRE OF STORMS!! Totally ready for the fifth TOG book in September😁😁 I could honestly go on about Sarah's writing and her books and everything of the sort but I know I'll just CRY from how much I love it all. All the excitement is too much to handle right now and the wait is too long! Bring on her new books.

BOOKS THAT I'VE RECENTLY READ:

THE SLEEPING PRINCE, Melinda Salisbury
FIREWALKER, Josephine Angelini
REBEL SPRINGS, Morgan Rhodes
THE SIREN, Kiera Cass
SPLINTERED, A.G. Howard
ELEANOR AND PARK, Rainbow Rowell (goodbye heart, seriously, this was a book that stomped all over me in the best way. I RECOMMEND IT A BILLION FOR CONTEMPORARY.)

BOOKS ON MY TBR SHELF/PRE-ORDERED:

GLASS SWORD, Victoria Aveyard
SNOW LIKE ASHES,
THE WINNERS KISS, Marie Rutkoski
I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, Jandy Nelson.

THE RAVEN KING, Maggie Stiefvater (Pre-ordered)
A COURT OF MIST AND FURY, Sarah J. Maas (Pre-ordered)

Now, that is a LOT of YA fantasy there, which I am so excited about as it's my favourite genre. But there's also a few mentions of retellings.

For one, THE SHADOW QUEEN, is an amazing Snow White retelling where Lorelai, the princesss believed to be dead by her poisonous stepmother, Irina, now on the throne, plans to fight back with her own particular magic. But during so, she has to suffer her own losses, control Sasha, her gyrfalcon (who is becoming one of my favourite YA fantasy animals, which I need to make a list on), and try to help the Draconi-king-turned-huntsman who is under Irina's spell to bring Lorelai's heart. As much as I love high fantasy, I think some of the magical events in this book is a little far-fetched but at the same time, it fits the type the magic is, bending wills to make anything do pretty much anything. But here, there's no limits at all and for me, some of it just seemed a little too out there even for good fantasy. However, I've really enjoyed the new take on Snow White.

SPLINTERED, is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, following Alyssa Gardener as she endures her mother's apparent insanity which has ensured her a place in an asylum, due to thinking that she is Alice from Lewis Carroll's books, claiming she can speak to the flowers and insects. This is all passed off as lunacy but as Alyssa delves deeper into her mother's words, she finds they're clues to get to Wonderful itself, where there has been a curse upon her family ever since the real Alice escaped. With the help of Romantic Interest #1, Jeb, Alyssa tries to solve the craziness of Wonderland, all the while, trying to figure out Romantic Interest #2, Morpheus (who is an amazingly written character, by the way; why doesn't everyone love him despite his slight creepiness at times?). SPLINTERED is part of a series I'm definitely interested in persuing and I'm currently waiting the lend the next book, UNHINGED, off my friend to read the next part to the story.

(I've just thought on that maybe I should have changed the post title to Books: Retellings and my TBR, it would make more sense as I didn't intend on talking about my love for retellings. BUT MOVING ON.)

A COURT OF MIST AND FURY isn't a book I've not read yet BUT it's eagerly on pre-order and I'm so impatient to read it as it's the second book in Sarah's Beauty and the Beast retelling.
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES is the first book in the series which I read last summer and got so many emotions from reading. I loved it more than I could possibly express without waving my arms wildly and looking pained and excited at the same time, a string of incoherent words leaving my mouth. But this is what Sarah J. Maas's books do to me; I adore them to the point of if nearly being impossible to properly talk about them. ANYWAY.
ACOTAR is the story of Feyre, a huntress who has come from riches but lost the family's wealth, and who has to learn to hunt in order to provide for her two sisters and disabled father, who's knee was shattered in the event of them losing everything they owned. When she kills a shape-shifter Fae in the woods, Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court, basically knocks down her door, demanding her life in return for his killed friend. Thus starts Feyre's capture in the Fae realm under the amused, watchful eye of Lucien, Tamlin's friend, and lacking presence of Rhysand, the Lord of the Night Court. SOOOO many things happen in this book, so many plot twists and amazing dialogue and events and revelations. It's by far the best retelling I've ever read and the fact that it isn't just a standalone makes everything so much better because there's more of everything to utterly enjoy, and May is only next month but it seems agonizingly far away.

And also, I've been searching up other retellings and have found so many Peter Pan ones which I am DYING to read because Peter Pan is my one of my all-time favourite Disney films and any take on it, I know I'll love.

AND I have been avoiding FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell because it's everywhere and I kind of felt I was being forced to notice it, but after reading ELEANOR AND PARK, I really like the author's style so I've ordered that to try out, alongside NIGHT OWLS, which I know nothing about. If anyone does, let me know! And I'd be glad for any recommendations people have based on the books I've mentioned here😁😁