Book Review | The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

Mrs Ascher in Andover; Betty Barnard in Bexhill; Mr Carmichael Clarke in Churston; a serial killer is on the loose. He’s sending letters to one Hercule Poirot, but even one of the world’s best sleuths is struggling to catch him. The only link is the alphabet – can Poirot catch him before he gets to Z?

I initially picked this book up because the BBC adapted The ABC Murders into a three-part series and I wanted to read it before I saw it! It wasn’t quite like the other Christie’s I’ve read – I’m normally completely entrapped, but this one took a lot longer to grab my attention.

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Top 6 Books I Read In 2018!

As it is the last day of the year, I thought I would share my top 6 books of 2018! Not all of these came out in 2018, but they were the favourites of the 103 (!!!) books I read. I’ll be doing a 2018 reading wrap-up tomorrow, because there’s still time to read for the rest of the day!

Is it just me that thinks this year has been ridiculously long?! Thank goodness I made a 2018 Favourites shelf on Goodreads, otherwise I would not be able to do this list at all… Anyway, speaking of that, these books are just in the order I read them!

The Icelandic Christmas Eve Book Giving Tradition | blogmas day 24

I would love to visit Iceland. It’s such a beautiful country, and not only that but it publishes more books per person than any other country in the world. Doesn’t it sound like heaven?

The written word is bound up in oral storytelling, and, like many cultures, the Icelanders told a lot of stories – it’s where we get a lot of Norse mythology from! So it’s really no surprise that Icelanders read a lot. Fun fact: apparently one in 10 Icelanders will publish a book!

Book Review | Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo

1915. War with Germany has been raging, but the Isles of Scilly are largely unaffected. That is, until a girl washes up on the shore of one of the islands, and rumours about her begin to circulate. A stunning story about love, justice, community, surprisingly poignant for the modern day.

Michael Morpurgo, if you didn’t know, is one of my absolutely favourite authors, and this wonderful book of his definitely did not disappoint.

Book Review & Blog Avalanche | Paper Avalanche by Lisa Williamson

I was so excited to be contacted by the publisher of Lisa Williamson’s newest YA book to read and review a copy and join in with their Blog Avalanche to celebrate the release! 

This is the first Lisa Williamson book I’ve read, and I absolutely loved it. Without further ado, let’s get into the review… 

Book Review | Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle | blogmas day 7

One summer night, best friends Olive and Rose begin to lose things. It starts out as little things – hair clips, a bracelet, a shoe. But Rose has lost something bigger – something she isn’t willing to talk about. Olive and Rose meet three strangers: Ivy, Rowan, and Hazel. They have all lost something too. And then they find the spellbook. Could it hold the secrets to bringing back what they have lost?

Oh my days, can I talk about how incredible Moira Fowley-Doyle is? Her mind must be a wonderful place to be.

Book Review | Death in Spotlight by Robin Stevens

This review may contain spoilers of the previous 6 books in the Murder Most Unladylike Series.

Daisy and Hazel return to the UK, but not to Deepdean quite yet. Determined to give them a break from murder, Daisy’s Uncle Felix and Aunt Lucy look after the girls at their house in London for a month. And to keep them out of trouble, they both have parts in ROMEO AND JULIET at the Rue Theatre. But trouble is afoot: a difficult cast member is receiving threats, accusations are flying, and soon a body is found…

In case you didn’t know, this is one of my all-time favourite series of books. I love the Wells & Wong series with all my heart, and devoured this next instalment in a matter of hours. 

Book Review | The Master Magician by Charlie N Holmberg

This review contains spoilers of book 1, The Paper Magician, and book 2, The Glass Magician. Click the links to read my reviews! 

While all seems set for Ceony to complete her apprenticeship and pass her upcoming final magician’s exam, life quickly becomes complicated. To avoid favoritism, Emery sends her to another paper magician for testing, a Folder who despises Emery and cares even less for his apprentice. To make matters worse, a murderous criminal from Ceony’s past escapes imprisonment. Now she must track the power-hungry convict across England before he can take his revenge. With her life and loved ones hanging in the balance, Ceony must face a criminal who wields the one magic that she does not, and it may prove more powerful than all her skills combined. – from Goodreads 

Whilst my review of the second book in the series was pretty scathing, I definitely enjoyed the final book of this trilogy far more… although there were still a lot of things that let it down.

Book Review | The Glass Magician by Charlie N Holmberg

Read my review of The Paper Magician, book one in the series! This review contains spoilers of book 1.

After her near-death experiences at the hands of Excisioner, Lira, apprentice Folder Ceony Twill is still learning, and still fighting off her growing affection for her teacher, Emery Thane. When two new threats appear on her streets, targeting Ceony and those she holds most dear, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Magic, mystery, and danger all lurk within the world Ceony has chosen to inhabit.

Despite really enjoying the first book in the series, this one was a bit of a let-down. And although I normally write reviews in sentences, paragraphs, and even with actual punctuation, I’m just going to bullet-point what went wrong for me:

Book Review | Friendship Fails of Emma Nash by Chloe Seager

Following her dating disasters, Emma Nash is back at it with her blogging. But when her best friend Steph seems to prefer her boyfriend to her, and Emma is left alone more often than she wants, she goes on a mission to try and make some more friends. In true Emma style, however, it rarely (read: never) goes to plan… 

Editing Emma was one of the funniest books I’ve ever read in my life, and book two in Seager’s series certainly did not disappoint!

Emma is a teenage girl with a private blog that she posts basically everything on – it’s kind of like a private Twitter account (I know you have one, own up) but obviously a lot more can be written. It’s such a good way to write a book, making it very easy to keep up with and understand, and it gives it such a personalised, private way of writing that is uncomfortable when you just have the first person perspective.