Day #17 – Shadow and Bone teaser; it’s happening!!

Hello lovelies!

Happy day #17 of blogmas! Only a week to go!

The greatest thing happened today. We, the Grishaverse fans, finally got a teaser for the Shadow and Bone TV show and a date!! It will be available on Netflix in April 2021.

Beware, this post is basically me fangirling over the teaser.

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This was my reaction when the trailer was released:

I audibly SCREAMED when I saw Morozova’s stag!! It’s so beautiful!! I can’t believe it’s finally happening!! And then the stag becomes light with Alina’s powers I-. I started chanting “sankta Alina, sankta sankta Alina” like a madwoman. This is too much. My poor heart can’t take it. And also can we mention Ben Barnes’ voice when he says “You and I are going to change the world”??? I died, I’m dead. We are going to see the Darkling, Alina, Zoya, Mal, Nikolai, Genya and all the others on our screen!! This is what dreams are made of. We don’t deserve this but I will gladly take it.

But most importantly we are going to see the DREGS!!! I cannot wait to see all of my chaotic babies together. I won’t be able to handle it. This is one of my favourite duologies (soon trilogy?) ever and I will die. I think the cast was wonderfully chosen and I have no doubt they will live up to all of our expectations!! I personally can’t wait to see the big heist. I saw it as a movie in my head while i was reading and getting to actually see it will feel surreal.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CI53hkEg8fI/

I mean, look at them!!

But above all I will hear so many of my favourite quotes (or rather moments that hint at them) played on screen like:

“What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.” –

Inej Ghafa, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo.

And most importantly:

“No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose.”

My sister and I actually wanted to get matching tattoos of “No Mourners, No Funerals.” because we used to part of the phone with these words. This series is so dear to my heart and I can’t wait to finally see everything come together

What did you think of the trailer?? Are you as excited as I am?? Let me know in the comments!

Karla xx

Favourite “Feel-Good” Books/ Series

Hello lovelies!

I hope you are all well and safe. In times like these, I have never been more grateful for books and the escapism they offer. I thought I would share my “feel-good books”, that is to say, books that bring me comfort and warmth. Hope you will enjoy this list!

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – review

Hello lovelies! It feels good to review books again and I really enjoyed reading this one! It got me out of a reading slump and I read it fairly quickly. Hope you’ll enjoy this review.

Title: Shadow and Bone

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Blurb: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart

Review: 4/5 stars

My Bookish Dream Squad!

Hello everyone!

A year ago I posted on instagram about my bookish dream squad. Since, I’ve archived the post but I thought I’d share it here! I seperated the characters into different categories: characters that posses skills or superpowers I wish I had, personalities I would love to be around (or have) and inspiring couples!

Top 5 Tuesday – Books Beginning With P -Q – R – S – T

Hello lovelies!

I’m back for a TOP 5 TUESDAY hosted by Shannah @Bionic Bookworm Blog (go check out her blog; it’s amazing!). So this month we’re doing letters instead of topics and I really like the idea so thank you, Shannah! The letters this week are pretty hard but I’m very happy with the books featured 🙂

20 Questions Book Tag

Hello everyone!

I saw this book tag on @ A Little Haze Book Blog and it seemed like a fun tag so I decided to give it a try.

1. How many books are too many in a series?

I feel like 4 or 5 books are enough in a series otherwise you barely recognise the characters a-because they evolved so much and the plot drags on unnecessarily. However, if the writing is spectacular and you really get attached to the characters, I feel like you can have more books in a series. The perfect example of that would be Harry Potter where each book brings something to the grand finale in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

2. How do you feel about cliffhanger endings?

I have a love-hate relationship with them haha. If the next book is out then it’s fine but if I have to wait a year or so it makes me quite angry because I’m so impatient. It’s also a good sign and that means I’m invested in the plot enough to care!

3. Hardback or paperback?

My bank account says Paperback but my heart says Hardback.

4. Favourite book?

I say it all the time and by now you must know but it’s Just One Day by Gayle Forman. A must-read!

5.  Least Favourite book?

I don’t remember reading such a terrible book that it’s my least favourite but I remember strongly disliking Paper Towns by John Green.

6. Love triangles: yes or no?

When I started reading YA, love triangles were my favourite trope (The Vampire Diaries, Twilight…). But as I grow older I’m not so fan of the idea…

7. The most recent book you couldn’t finish?

I avoid DNF’ing books because I get frustrated by myself and try to finish them even if they’re terrible. However I cannot get myself to pick up Jane Eyre, I don’t know why….I’m going to give it another try though.

8. A book you’re currently reading?

I’m currently still reading Becoming by Michelle Obama and it’s just as incredible as I thought it would be! It’s taking me some time to read but I’m really enjoying it.

9. Last book you recommended?

It was the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout! It’s a great series, all the books are incredible, entertaining and gripping and it features a fellow bookworm and sexy aliens. What more do you need?

My Favourite Book Quotes!

Hello everyone!

I love books, especially if they’re well-written. They are also punctuated by beautiful quotes sometimes so I thought I’d share some of my favourite quotes.

Book-related quotes:

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

“I think it’s bullshit that the only meaningful stories are the ones that are deep and pondering and boring, saying all this nonsense without ever saying anything, and you’re supposed to, like, read meaning into the yellow wallpaper or something.” She rolls her eyes. “You know what I think? I think sometimes the stories we need are the ones about taking the hobbits to Isengard and dog-human dudes with space heelies and trashy King Arthurs and gay ice-skating animes and Zuko redemption arcs and space princesses with found families and galaxies far, far away. We need those stories, too. Stories that tell us that we can be bold and brash and make mistakes and still come out better on the other side. Those are the kinds of stories I want to see, and read, and tell. ‘Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite’—that means something to me, you know?”  – Ashley Poston, The Princess and The Fangirl 

“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Love-related quotes:

“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” – Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you’ll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won’t matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.”  – Leigh Bardugo, Six Of Crows

“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same” – Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

“And that’s when I understand that I have been stained. Whether I’m still in love with him, whether he was ever in love with me, and no matter who he’s in love with now, Willem changed my life. He showed me how to get lost, and then I showed myself how to get found.”  – Gayle Forman, Just One Day 

“Being vulnerable, letting people in, getting hurt… it’s all part of being in love.”
― Jenny Han, Always and Forever, Lara Jean

“Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy,” Wren said. “It’s the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for.”
― Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

Inspirational quotes:

“You have to try. You have to take your chances. Go and attempt and see what happens. And even if you fail – especially if you fail – come back with your experience and your hard-won knowledge and a story you can tell. And then later you can say, without regret or hesitation… ‘Once, I dared to dare greatly”  – Morgan Matson, The Unexpected Everything

Stranger Things Book Tag

Hello everyone!

In honour of the release of the third season of Strangers Things (which I LOVEDDDD), I thought it’d be fun to do a Stranger Things related book tag! I saw this tag on @ Bookmark Your Thoughts by Jenna! The TAG was created by BookTuber Sarah Elise, go check out her channel if you’re interested! Okay, now let’s dive into the Upside Down!

     EPIC INTRO. The opening sequence of Stranger Things is amazing and really grabs your attention. Name a book that grabbed your attention from the first page.

The opening lines of Isla and The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins stole my heart. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to buy the book at first so I read the first chapters on Amazon and I was hooked. The following lines are just as amazing.

+ Bonus: Pride and Prejudice‘s opening lines are so well-known and iconic now. Especially since they’re an indicator of Austen’s irony and genius throughout the novel.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

 

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Name a fantasy world you would like to experience yourself. 

Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. I would love to visit Diagon Alley and to have a wand choose me, eat all sorts of treats and try on all sorts of spells. And I would have loved to study at Hogwarts; especially during Halloween and Christmas.

 

SQUAD GOALS. When Eleven met Mike, Dustin and Lucas it was a *mostly* perfect team. Name your favourite bookish group of friends.

 

The Dregs from Six Of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo. They all complete each other perfectly and they’re all important to the group. They know what it means to have each other’s backs.

“No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for ‘good luck.” – Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

ABC’s & CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. Joyce Byers goes mad with grief after Will goes missing. Name your favourite mentally unhinged character.

Okay technically he’s an A.I but AIDAN from the Illuminae series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. He’s so ambiguous. He appears to have “feelings” (as much as a computer can have), but he’s cunning and ruthless. He’s the perfect villain and “mentally unhinged” in human terms.

THE UPSIDE DOWN. Name a book that was the opposite of what you expected.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass. I had high expectations because I loved ACOTAR and everyone said I would like Throne of Glass. The plot seemed predictable and I did not like the characters as much as I thought I would. I still have hope for the series because there are other characters that are much talked about over the Bookverse, so I’ll keep you updated!

MAD SCIENTISTS. Dr. Brenner likes to get freaky with humanity. Name the freakiest dystopian government you can think of.

The Capitol and President Snow from the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are pretty freaky to me. Sending twelve children in an arena to kill each other is pretty appalling if you ask me.

DEMOGORGON. Name a scary bookish creature that you would not want to come through your walls.

Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. The Dementors?? No thank you. Like ever. They suck your soul out of you??

CLIFFHANGER ENDING. Name a book that left you wanting more.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I literally threw the book across my bed because I was so frustrated.  I know that the whole point was to show that the characters’ lives do not stop after the book ends but I am just so frustrated. WHAT ARE THOSE THREE WORDS???!!

I nominate anyone who wants to do the tag! What did you think of my picks? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for stopping by!

Karla xx

Top 5 Tuesday – Top Fantasy

Hello everyone! I’m back for another TTT hosted by  Shannah @Bionic Bookworm (go check out her amazing blog!!) but I’m only doing 5 favourites because Fantasy is a genre I recently started getting into! I went on Goodreads and checked that these books are indeed Fantasy! Enjoy! 🙂

Top 5 “main males” – Top 5 Tuesday Tag

Hello guys! I’m back for a TOP 5 TUESDAY hosted by Shannah @Bionic Bookworm Blog (go check out her blog, it’s amazing!). Today we’re doing my favourite main male characters. It is quite a hard tag for me because most of the characters I read about are female characters, so most of the characters won’t necessarily be the main character of the book but rather the main male character of the book as in the love interest or the best friend… (which is what this tag is about haha). So here we go! This is not in order of preference.