February Wrap Up

Hey there, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted something and I’m sorry about that! I’ve been really busy lately and University started last week again. Also I was sick last week, too, which made it impossible for me to even think about blogging. So here I am back with my punctually monthly wrap up!

I’m really happy with what I managed to read this month, especially in the first two weeks. I got the possibility to read some great books and comics! (And I might have gained an obsession with NetGalley in the process…) I didn’t manage to read all the comics and books I got yet, because as said above: Uni started again. Also known as: the-no-fun-and-no-free-time-to-read-season. Well, it’s certain that I need to get my time management in place because I’ve still got so many reviews to share with you guys and I really want to get to them! Please have a little patience with me :0

I’m nearly done with my Goodreads Challenge and I think I’m going to up the amount of books I’d like to read a little, because a lot of slots are filled with all the Graphic Novels I’m reading / have read. It’s kind of not fair to all my other lovely books waiting to be read, but I just can’t stop reading comics, they’re so great! And I’ve got soooooo many to read, still :3 Oh that reminds me: I finished one of my personal goals for this year already! See below.

Also I’ve seen a lot of great movies this month that I’d love to share my opinions with you and I’m going to watch Logan tonight!!!! I’m really excited about this film! Hmmm what else have I been up to this month? Probably waaayy more than I could tell you here, so I’m just gonna stop babbling and continue with the usual ;)

BOOKS READ

   

1. The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan 4.5 ★
2. Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen 4.5 ★
3. But Then I Came Back by Estelle Laure ★★★★★
4. Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik 4.5 ★

COMICS READ

   

1. Harley Quinn Vol 1 ★★★★
2. Superman Vol 1 ★★★★★
3. Wonder Woman Her Greatest Battles ★★★★
4. Superman Action Comics Vol 1 ★★★★★

  

5. Ms. Marvel Vol 2 ★★★★
6. Captain Marvel Vol 2 ★★★★★
7. Captain Marvel Vol 3 ★★★★★

2017 READING CHALLENGES UPDATE

Read 5 Books from my TBR Pile
Progress: 2/5 (40 %)

Read 10 new Comics (TPB)
Progress: 12/10 (120 %)

Flights of Fantasy
Progress: 3/10 (30%)

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
Progress: 7/26 (28%)

Blog Recap

In case you missed it here's a recap of this month's posts and Reviews.

❥ I reviewed the super cute story Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Café - Spring Beginnings by Georgia Hill

❥ I read and reviewed my first Green Lanterns Comic (Rebirth Volume 1)

❥ I reviewed The Adventures of Technicality Man by Jessica Meats

❥ I picked Always and Forever, Lara Jean as my Waiting on Wednesday

❥ I reviewed Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins

❥ I made a double review of Batman (Rise of Batmen) & Nightwing (Better Than Batman)

❥ I shared my Comic Haul for Stacking the Shelves

❥ I reviewed Scooby Apocalypse Volume 1

❥ And I finally shared my reviews of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Carry Onby Sarah J. Maas and Rainbow Rowell with you

CURRENTLY WATCHING

    

These are my favourite shows in February. Luckily I’m on the latest episodes of all of them except Agents of Shield (which I started the day before Uni started, what a great idea right? I kind of didn’t keep up with the fourth season, I really don’t know why, but now I’m totally hooked again and still need to catch up some episodes). Riverdale is SO GOOD! Supergirl is exciting because I’m a huge Mon El and Kara fan. The 100 is great, but I’m really going to be upset if I don’t finally get my Bellarke happy ending this season! And I just started Legion which is still a little weird to me, but I like the concept.

I’m kind of scared of The Vampire Diaries series finale on Friday because I really don’t want any loose ends, but I don’t want it to stop either! I’m behind 2 episodes so I’m probably going to “binge-watch” it this weekend. I can’t believe it’s all going to be over :0 Oh and yes: I'm TEAM STEFAN for life! But I still hope that Caroline somehow ends up on The Originals (if you know what I mean) ;)) By the way: That's another series I still have to catch up on an entire season... :0

I'd like to know

So what was your February like? What did you read? Where did you go? What did you experience? Who did you meet? Are you already in total anxiety and denial from your soon-to-come exams? Tell me all in the comments!

Mini Book Reviews: ACOTAR & Carry On

Once upon a time it was December in 2016. I finished two books and didn't even manage to review them. So I decided to share those reviews with you today, here and now. These are a little shorter versions of my usual reviews and don't go into the story too deep because I don't have all too much time right now, but I'd love to talk about these books anyways because they're AWESOME! :)

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About the book

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, High Fantasy

Published: May 5th, 2015

Read: December 2016

My Copy

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Cover: Paperback

Purchase Location: Kinokuniya Singapore

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

Feyre is a huntress. She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price... Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy's kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor's body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked - but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre's feeling for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she's been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows. Feyre must find a way to break a spell, or lose her heart forever.

My Review

I felt kind of forced to read this book because EVERYBODY was talking about it. Well, I don’t mind really, reading books that are hyped about, because I usually love them (yeah, I know, I’m too mainstream. I usually like every single book I pick up, but seriously, I wouldn’t pick up a book if I didn’t think I’d like it so that solves that kind of problem, right?). However, I didn’t feel as flabbergasted or senselessly in love with the story as everybody else seemed to be...

Don’t get me wrong! I enjoyed reading the book and I think it makes for a good story. I think the main reason I didn’t like this book all too much is my own fault. It took me two and a half months to finish it and that just took a lot of patience out of me. I guess I shouldn’t have started it at the beginning of my first semester at Uni. I still felt this book deserved a four star rating from me, though.

The story was actually pretty interesting (it’s been a long time since I’ve read a fantasy book which such an imaginative world, and I really want to read these kind of fantasy books more often) and there were a lot plot twists and turns. I really liked the characters and feel like Sarah J. Maas did a really great job in creating this new fantasy-place.

Maybe the story felt a little too slow-paced for me, and there are definitely chapters that could have been shortened a lot in my opinion, but I liked Sarah’s writing style a lot! This is my first book of hers and I’m definitely going to continue the series and even start the Throne of Glass series sometime.

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About the book Title: Carry On Author: Rainbow Rowell Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Lgbt, Magic Published: October 8th, 2015 Read: December 2016 My Copy Publisher: Macmillan Edition: Paperback Purchase Location: Waterstones London

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who's ever been chosen. That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right. Half the time Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here - it's their last year at Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up. Carry On is a love letter to love stories and the power of words - to every 'chosen one' who ever had more on their mind than saving the world...

My Review

I can finally say it! I’ve nearly read every single book by Rainbow Rowell (there’s only My True Love Gave to Me left for me to read). I’ve loved most of them and this is definitely one of my favourites. I was skeptical at first because a lot of people disliked it because of its supposedly being a rip off of Harry Potter (and when it comes to HP I’m really overprotective). Honestly, I did not go far into that theory and didn’t research it either (so I have no clue what Rainbow’s reaction to this is). But I say: WHO CARES? Because Carry On is seriously such a cute story!

If it’s really fanfiction about Draco and Harry, then I must say: Well done. I really adored the story of the two nemesis, although we’re basically thrown into their “ending” part of the story. If you’ve read Fangirl like me, then you know that Carry On was the fan fiction Cath wrote about her favourite children books about Simon Snow. And now we got the actual story she wrote and it’s great!

There are similarities to Harry Potter, so I cannot deny that those allegations aren’t based on solid grounds, but I find it really well done. We all need some fan fiction now and then and turning it into such a great book needs a lot of talent. Carry On is definitely one of those books that I’m probably going to reread endless times, because it just makes you feel happy and be in a good mood and is a perfect read for a rainy day!

I'd like to know

Does anybody know if Rainbow is planning on bringing out a new book sometime soon? I need new reading material from her and I just want to cuddle up with a new fantastic story written by her. Also, let me know how YOU felt about these books! I'd love to talk more about them with you :)

Comic Review: Scooby Apocalypse Vol. 1

About the comic

Title: Scooby Apocalypse

Edition: Volume 1
Author: Keith Giffen

Genres: Graphic Novels, DC Comics, Apocalypse

Published: February 7th, 2017

Read: January 2017

My Copy

Publisher: DC Comics

Edition: Kindle

Purchase Location: NetGalley
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

Fred. Daphne. Velma. Shaggy. Scooby-Doo. Roaming the globe in their lime-green Mystery Machine, they've solved countless crimes and debunked dozens of sketchy supernatural shenanigans. But what if the horror was real? Something terrible has transformed our world, turning millions of people into mindless zombie hordes. And only five people--well, four people and one mangy mutt--have the smarts, the skills and the sheer crazy courage to stare down doomsday. Can these pesky kids and their canine companion--using every incredible contraption in their arsenal--defeat the evil that has overwhelmed planet Earth? We've got only one thing to say about that: ZOINKS! (Collecting #1-6)

My Review

As a child I used to love to watch the Scooby Doo tv series on Cartoon Network. Okay, who am I kidding, I still love to watch that series and when I find it on whilst zapping through the channels, I immediately stop and cherish whatever episode’s just running. So when I saw this new comic I just had to request it. And luckily, I got accepted.

Sadly, I didn’t quite enjoy it ass much as I’d hoped to. I guess I’m just too stuck on my favourite Monster Inc gang from the television that I’m used to. This story by Keith Giffen takes the characters I adore so much and gives them new personalities and a new story. It’s quite inventive and it was really good thought-through. But I like my versions that I’ve known for so long already of Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, Fred and Scoob a little better.

The best part of the series for me used to be the ending when the “monsters” would reveal themselves as whichever human crazy-head had a reason to haunt his victims. This story takes on real monsters instead. Some kind of zombies slash vampire monster thingies that try to eat everyone. The Monster Inc gang which doesn’t use this name, though, tries to find a way to save the world and although they’re not really friends, they save each other.

The story is fast-paced, has great artwork and has a lot of plot twists, some that I never saw coming. The Mystery Machine got a serious upgrade and Scooby Doo is revealed to be a human experiment on dogs to enhance them for military purposes. (Say whaaaat? :P)

All in all, I’d say if you love the Scooby Doo series, you should pick up this new “revival” and check it out for yourself! Everybody has their own opinions and I’m going to rewatch some episodes right now because this comic made me miss the TV series so much (in a good way!).

I'd like to know

Did you watch the Scooby Doo tv series, too? Do you have in mind picking up this comic? What's your favourite childhood cartoon series? I'd love to talk about this more with you in the comments! :))

Stacking the Shelves #9: The Comic Haul Edition

"Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual." It's a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

On Thursday I went on a "little" haul in my local comic store. I love going there because there are always so many awesome things to see, but at the same time it's really dangerous for me because it's like a spell. I cannot leave the store without buying a lot.

I'm not going to show you the singles I got, just the big Trade Paperbacks which I've already fallen in love with! And somehow I got SO MANY e-comics from NetGalley this week too. Seriously, I nearly fell of my chair when I checked my mail and saw what I had gotten in my inbox.

I also got three totally awesome books that I'd nearly given up hope on and I think I really need to stop requesting for the moment. My blog schedule is FULL with reviews that I've only started writing bits and pieces and haven't had the time to format even a little, yet :/ So let me show you what I got! :)

The Goodies

   

1. Batman, Volume 1: I Am Gotham by Tom King & Scott Snyder (I'm so excited about this one!)
2. Superman, Volume 1: Son Of Superman by Peter J. Tomasi (I already read this and LOVED it!)
3. Ms. Marvel, Volume 2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson (Hope this will be just as good as the first Vol.)
4. Scarlet Witch, Volume 2: World of Witchcraft by James Robinson (uhm... yeah I hope I'll like this better than the first one)

For Review

    

5. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, Vol. 1: Sinestro's Law by Robert Venditti (Hope I'll enjoy this just like the other Green Lanterns)
6. Suicide Squad, Vol. 1: The Black Vault by Rob Williams (This will be interesting I hope)
7. Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 1: Path of Doom (I'm not a big Lex fan, so I hope Superman will show him who's Boss :p)
8. Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles (The perfect comic to read before the film gets released this year I've heard)
9. Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: The Lies (Sounds intriguing!)

Other ARCs For Review

  

10. Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen (I just finished this two days ago and it's so great! Can't wait to share my review with you guys)
11. Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik (This sounds so good!)
12. Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas (They approved this copy for me one day before its archive date. I'm so glad I got to download it in time)

Bought

13. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Let's hope I'll read this in less than two months, not like ACOTAR)

I'd like to know

What did you get this week? Have you also added some Comics or did you get some interesting ARCs? Or did you go on a big shopping spree in your local bookstore? :)

Comic Reviews: Batman (Rise of the Batmen) & Nightwing (Better Than Batman)

About the comic

Title: Batman: Rise of the Batmen

Edition: Detective Comics (Rebirth), Volume 1
Author: James Tynion IV

Genres: Graphic Novels, DC Comics, Superheroes

Published: February 7th, 2017

Read: January 2017

My Copy

Publisher: DC Comics

Edition: Kindle

Purchase Location: NetGalley
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

The Dark Knight and series co-star Batwoman team up to take new protégés Red Robin, Spoiler and the villainous Clayface under their leathery wings! The only problem is, neither new super-instructor knows exactly what they're in for as the attempt to train these wiould-be heroes before a mysterious army takes Gotham for themselves. (Collecting: Detective Comics 934-940)

My Review

With Rebirth there comes a lot of responsibility. And James Tynion IV did a wonderful job in turning that responsibility into a great new story arc. The new team Batman puts together includes a lot of awesome people (Batwoman, Spoiler, Red Robin and Orphan) and to my surprise Clay Face. Somehow it works out great.

With a lot of turning events and tension the story goes along pretty fast paced and doesn’t leave you hanging. (Except at the end of course with a major cliffhanger which I still don’t know how to handle.)

A father would do anything to keep “his little girl” save, even though she might already be a grown woman and can make choices of her own. The complex story between Kate and her dad ensures an interesting plot. A lot of great fight scenes are involved which are executed perfectly with the beautiful artwork.

I’ve heard a lot of mixed opinions about this new installment in the Rebirth series, but I for one am really glad to have picked it up because it was such a great read! I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy this, too, if they’d give it a chance. The Batman family is displayed in such a great way in this new story!

I need to know how the story goes on because that cliffhanger sure wasn’t nice at all. I do not know where the Batman family stands right now or how their future looks like. I’m very excited for the next volume.

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About the comic Title: Nightwing: Better Than Batman Edition: Volume 1 (Rebirth) Author: Tim Seeley Genres: Graphic Novels, DC Comics, Superheroes Published: January 25th, 2017 Read: January 2017 My Copy Publisher: DC Comics Edition: Kindle Purchase Location: NetGalley I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

He's been Robin, he's been a super spy, a ghost. Now, Dick Grayson finds himself back in Gotham City fighting to reclaim the life that was taken from him. But when a new evil threatens those closest to Dick, as Nightwing he must once again choose whether or not to tear himself away from his home in order to combat this dark force. Everything Dick thought he knew about being Nightwing will be brought to bear, and his relationship to his former mentor Batman will be put to the test in Nightwing: Volume 1, Better Than Batman! (Collecting: Nightwing 1-4, 7-8, Rebirth)

My Review

I don’t know exactly when, but somewhere along the line of me discovering more and more of the DC universe Nightwing, or better Dick Grayson, has become one of my favourites in the Batman family. I haven’t read a lot of him yet, sadly, but his charm that I got to know in the Batgirl series hasn’t left me yet. So I decided to pick up the Nightwing Rebirth series, too.

I must admit, I’ve read better stories involving him, but there’s something about this first installment in his rebirth series that I like. It’s definitely not Raptor, because that’s a character I do not understand or like at all.

The plot is a little predictable, but I like Batman’s involvement in it. Him being a big part of Dick’s life makes him so much more likeable for me, although I’ve been a big Batman fan a long time already.

This story arc tells us a lot about Dick and who he is, or who he wants to be. Batgirl (who I LOVE) has some appearances and we get to know a little about his parents, too. Which I must admit I didn’t know anything about before. As I’ve mentioned, this is my first time reading a Nightwing story on its own. But Grayson is still high on my TBR list.

I can’t wait to tell you how it continues with Nightwing because I’ve started collecting the singles and they’re awesome. The story definitely picks up after this one, and in my opinion this is a great way for newbies (like me at the beginning) to get to know Dick Grayson.

I'd like to know

Do you read Graphic Novels or comics in general? If so, what do you like to read? Are you a (secret) Nightwing fan yourself? Or have you read any other Rebirth series? I would LOVE to talk to you more about comics in the comments! :)

Book Review: Miss Mayhem

About the book

Title: Miss Mayhem

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Series: Rebel Belle #2
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Expected Publication: April 7th, 2015

Read: January 2017

My Copy

Publisher: Speak

Edition: Paperback

Purchase Location: Rome

My Rating:

Goodreads Summary

Life is almost back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and her best friend, Bee, has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can focus on the important things in life: school, canoodling with David (her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie), and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant. Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him. The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an ancient trial that will either kill her . . . or make her more powerful than ever.

My Review

So … my first reading progress update on Goodreads says: "I'm not eyerolling as much as I did when reading the first book so I guess that's a good sign, right? :3". I think it’s safe to say that it was a good sign. I remember not enjoying the first book at all. I think the plot was just kind of weird to me, without any real subtext and I didn’t like the style too much. Which makes me even prouder to tell you that I picked up the second book anyways, and actually quite liked it.

This book was filled with a lot of suspense, turning events and a lot of tension. I’ve come to like (okay, maybe that’s a strong word, let’s go with appreciate) Harper’s character a little better. In Rebel Belle she annoyed me quite a bit which isn’t a good thing for a book, when you don’t like the protagonist. However, it seemed to me that she matured quite a bit and took things more serious. She feels like she has to have everything under control, although that’s clearly not possible and the plot put a lot of obstacles in her way.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews of my friends who feel like they’ve been disappointed, let down even. I’m happy to say that this book actually made the whole series more interesting and against my expectations actually surprised me in a good way. I’m definitely going to pick up the last book in the trilogy Lady Renegades, but I’ll have to wait until the paperback version from speak gets released.

Spoiler Alert! Proceed with caution.

I was so glad to see Bee return, however, I think Rachel Hawkins made it way too easy. I would have liked to see more about her background story. What happened to her exactly when she was away? How did she cope with things? How does she take in the world she’s come back to? I mean really, all the book told us was basically: Oh yeah Bee’s back. She didn’t like her Paladin training. But she’s stronger and better now than Harper. And she’s in love with Harper’s ex-boyfriend. But she doesn’t want to be a Paladin. I was a little disappointed with that turn of events. It was just a way too shallow description in my opinion.

The ending had me really upset. I need the next book to read on what happens. It didn’t make sense to me how David actually managed to leave, because it was clearly said that he couldn’t. I thought maybe he’d die trying or whatever, instead he “just walked over” the town line. I think this made for a pretty good cliffhanger, though! :)

Other books in the series

Rebel Belle #1 (My Review)

I'd like to know

Have you picked up the Rebel Belle series? What are your thoughts on the books so far? If you've read the third book, please don't spoil me! How do you go on with series where you didn't enjoy the first book all too much? I'd love to read your thoughts on this in the comments! :)

Waiting on Wednesday: Always and Forever, Lara Jean

"Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating."

My choice for this week is Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #3) by Estelle Laure
Expected Publication Date: May 2nd, 2017

Goodreads Summary

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding. But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind. When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

Why I'm so excited about this book?

Okay, first off: WHYYYY? Why, Jenny Han, did you have to decide to surprise us all with a third book in the duology of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before? The ending of PS: I Still Love You was near perfection. Why would you want to try and add an ending that could mess everything up? I’m really not sure how I feel about this. Bring it on Jenny Han. I know you're an excellent writer, BUT DON'T MESS WITH LARA JEAN AND PETER.

And now for everybody else: Last summer I fell in love with this DUOLOGY by Jenny Han and read those two books in barely three days time. I cried, I laughed, I loved! And now I found out that there’s a third installment coming out soon, turning the series into a trilogy. I’m not quite sure if I’m happy about this or not, because honestly: I’m scared. Scared that the superb ending with Lara Jean and Peter is going to be disrupted and all the feelings I have towards that story destroyed.

Alas, I’m still going to get my hands on the first copy available. And can we all take a moment please to appreciate the beautiful cover for this book? It fits perfectly into the series and it will look STUNNING in my shelves ;)

Other books in the series

 

To All The Boys I've Loved Before #1 (My Review)
PS. I Still Love You #2 (My Review)

I'd like to know

What's your WoW today? Have you heard of or read the To All The Boys I've Loved Before series? Don't forget to link me up to your post so I can check them out down below in the comments. :)