February Wrap-Up 2017

*Image not mine

Hey everyone! This month I managed to read a total of 15 books – mainly because I read a lot of graphic novels and audios, but I’m still pretty happy with it.

Once again, I have a lot of thoughts so this post is rather long.

 

The Books

All titles link to Goodreads

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7)

By J. K. Rowling

5 Stars

Definitely my favourite of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was a great read and a brilliant conclusion.

I found that this instalment was very much character driven. Alberforth, Luna, McGonagall, Dobby, Hermione and Neville were definitely my favourites. I liked Severus’ character and am very conflicted in my feelings for Dumbledore.

As this is a re-read for me, I wasn’t that emotional when it came to the deaths. That said, there were certain scenes that really resonated with me – I won’t list them due to spoilers but feel free to ask and I’ll gladly reminisce.

I’m rather dubious about some of the reasoning around Harry’s wand acting out and the whole thing with the elder wand, but that could be because I watch a whole lot of theory videos (SuperCarlinBrothers explain both of these instances much better in my opinion; here and here respectively).

I’m really glad I reread the series, I feel that it definitely enriched my appreciation for and understanding of the Harry Potter universe.

 

Saga Volume 4

By Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

5 Stars

Another brilliant instalment the the series. As usual, it was a fast, easy read that took me under an hour. The characters are great and the plot is awesome. Definitely recommend.

 

Saga Volume 5

By Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

4.75 Stars

Saga Volume 6

By Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

5 Stars

I seriously love this series. It is so well written, the art is beautiful and it’s just addictive. The family aspect is great, it has a ton of diversity and strong characters. The plot is fantastic and I just can’t wait for the next volume to come out.

 

Ms Marvel: No Normal (Ms Marvel #2)

By G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

5 Stars

An absolutely amazing instalment, Ms. Marvel: Generation Why had so much packed into it, plot-wise as well as character development.

All the characters are amazing and we got cameos from Wolverine (who was super sassy), Captain America and a few other superheroes. I’m not really a fan of dogs, but Lockjaw was pretty awesome. Bruno was epic as always (#FriendshipGoals) and the focus on family was fantastic. I also really liked Sheikh Adbullah – he was an unexpected delight.

Kamala is by far my favourite though. She is such a fangirl and a nerd, sassy and loyal. I feel she also has a lot of character development as she grows into herself and learns to accept help. She also has some very poignant things to say.

I really liked how the Inhuman plot line (I’m an avid fan of Agents of SHIELD so I know more than some) and I can’t wait to see how everything turns out.

 

Ms Marvel: Crushed (Ms Marvel #3)

By G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

5 Stars

Okay, so this was actually the best. Not only did we get Loki in the actual comic and Kamala went through her first crush, an identity crisis and ensuing character growth, but at the end we got a mini comic that featured Jemma Simmons and Phil Coulson, who I absolutely love (as afore mentioned I’m a fan of Agents of SHIELD). Jemma in particular was an absolute gem and I absolute loved the interactions between her and Kamala.

 

Ms Marvel: Last Days (Ms Marvel #4)

By G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

5 Stars

These comics just keep getting better and better!

The characters were the highlight for me. Aside from the AMAZING team-up with Captain Marvel, most of the characters from previous instalments reappeared and were super awesome, breaking stereotypes and coming into themselves.

The family aspect was especially strong in this one – there was one scene in particular that was so beautiful it had me tearing up.

Kamala with a broken heart made me so sad and I just wanted to hug her forever.

Bruno once again continued to be amazing and I really liked how certain things were addressed.

Everything was just super beautiful, fast paced and amazing. Kamala is definitely one of my all-time favourite characters – I love her so much.

Also, we had an awesome team-up with Spider-Man in an extra comic at the end (which I didn’t 100% understand but it was still great).

 

Ms Marvel: Super Famous (Ms Marvel #5)

By G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

5 Stars

While not my favourite instalment, Ms Marvel: Super Famous was still pretty awesome.

I appreciate how we get to see Kamala stretching herself to the breaking point, but then acknowledging that she needed help and reprioritising her life.

Aamir and Tyesha are so adorable together and I love them. Iron Man was awesome, and his spat with Captain Marvel was hilarious. Mike is super cool – I wasn’t sure how I felt about her to begin with, but she’s really awesome and great for Bruno.

 

Ms Marvel: Civil War II (Ms Marvel #6)

By G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

5 Stars

This issue has a larger focus on family, morals, loyalty and identity, which I really enjoyed. Justice was also a prominent theme.

I really liked how we got to see a lot of Kamala’s background and family history as it is a huge part of her identity. I also appreciated it’s cyclical nature in Kamala’s character arc.

Kamala is very much a flawed character and we definitely see that in this instalment. Overall I feel like these last few instalments have been necessary character growth for Kamala. Now, I feel like she’s in a good place with herself and hopefully that’ll show through her actions and relationships in the next issue.

 

The Princess Diarist 

By Carrie Fisher

4 Stars

The Princess Diarist was an easy read, providing insight into one most notably known as Princess Leia.

The book was divided into roughly three sections:

1) Life before Leia and Carrie’s affair with Harrison Ford

2) Carrie’s poetry and some diary entries from when she was filming the first Star Wars movie and had her affair

3) Life post-affair

My favourite part was definitely Carrie’s poetry. I hadn’t read much poetry, but from what I could tell it was quite good. However, I would have preferred to physically read it rather than listen to it.

I loved how the audiobook was narrated by Carrie. I also liked how they had a second narrator to come in and read the poems as it gave a youthful tone to it.

While not amazing, I would recommend The Princess Diarist to those who like Star Wars and are interested in Carrie’s life.

 

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

By Mindy Kaling

3 Stars

Prior to reading this memoir, I essentially had no idea who Mindy Kaling was. It was this, perhaps, that made it an entertaining but overall forgettable read.

If I hadn’t listened to the audiobook I highly doubt I would have read this book at all.

 

Princess of Thorns

By Stacey Jay

5 Stars

My favourite read so far this year, I can’t believe I hadn’t picked it up earlier.

Princess of Thorns is one of my new all-time favourite books (and my favourite audiobook next to the Fairyland series).

Why I Loved it: (No particular order)

• Sass
• Banter
• Girl cross-dressing a boy to hide identity
• Warriors
• Kick-ass female character
• Headstrong but flawed and loveable characters
• Hate to love relationship (and then back again? It’s complicated)
• Relationship based on friendship
• NOT instalove
• Fantasy
• Intelligent characters
• Curses + obscure(ish) fairytale retelling(s)
• Character development
• Strong female character challenging society’s perception of females
• Royals
• Plot twists
• Magic
• Morally ambiguous villain
• Great sibling relationships
• Adventure
• People actually being human and smelling during long journeys rather than attractively smelling like cinnamon with constantly fabulous hair.

These aren’t even all the reasons, but I hope they’ve convinced you. It truly is a spectacular novel.

A note on the audiobook. I absolutely love the audiobook for this and I would recommend listening to it if you can. The accents were probably the best part for me; Aurora was vaguely Irish and Nicklaus British – I think, I’m terrible with accents. Either way, it was amazing. I also just really liked the narrator.

Essentially, just everyone go read it now. Especially if you like fantasy or any of the points I’ve listed sound remotely interesting.

 

Caraval (Caraval #1)

By Stephanie Garber

3.75 Stars

Having heard really mixed reviews (mostly of the meh connotation) I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one.

The writing was great, the world was interesting and overall it was fairly entertaining. I read it in one sitting.

That said, I did have some issues and I really wasn’t a fan of the characters.

You can find my full review here.

 

Fragmented Bliss

By B. J. Rosalind

4 Stars

A beautiful book, I read it in under an hour. While I don’t quite understand all the poems (who really can though?) there were quite a few that were especially amazing.

The writing itself was elegant and sophisticated, yet raw in some parts.

I would definitely recommend, especially if you’re in a poetry phrase like myself.

 

Pygmalion 

By George Bernard Shaw

4 Stars

One of the more accessible classics, Pygmalion is an enjoyable, comedic read with hidden depths.

The film counterpart, My Fair Lady is also rather entertaining and captures the spirit of the original text.

Would recommend.

 

Honorary mentions to my current reads, Cinder and Queens of Geek, as I read most of them in February.

 

Blog Posts

• January Wrap-Up 2017
• Caraval (Caraval #1)
• Infinity (The Infinity Division #1)

 

Other Notable Points

• So far, I have read a total of 21 books this year.
• I finally got my Learners so I can now drive.
• I saw Live by Night and Hidden Figures, which are both amazing movies (Hidden Figures more so)
• I  won an awesome giveaway which entitled me to 8 Audible credits! I got the email the day after I posted my January Wrap-Up, where I professed my love for audiobooks, which was rather amusing timing.
• I attended the second YA Room book talk. This time it was for Caraval and it was held at Dymocks, which was amazing! It was great to see everyone again and meet a few new people. Also, I was once again in the group photo – an occurrence I’m hoping will hold (for those of you who don’t know, more often than not I seem to miss out on group photos). You can find the wrap-up here.

 

Let’s Discuss!

So, what have you been reading lately? Any exciting life occurrences? Any new years resolutions?

Have you read any of the books I listed? If so, what were your thoughts?  Do your opinions differ from mine?

Please leave a comment so that we can discuss!