May Wrap Up

Hello and welcome to my first book blog post! I thought I might start with my May Wrap Up!

So, this month I read six books, four of my own and two borrowed from a friend. That’s why there’s only four books and then the picture on my phone in the lovely photo above. Well, let’s get down to the books!

1. The Walled City by Ryan Graudin
Personally, I loved this book. I’m not the greatest fan of romance novels and love stories and The Walled City is most definitely not a love story. Yes, there is a little bit of love at the end but it’s not the main focus of the story and ties the ending together nicely.
Summary: The Walled City is based on a real walled city that was in China until it was torn down and made into a park in 1987. That walled city was known as Kowloon and is located close to the city of Hong Kong. For fictional purposes, the names have been changed to Hak Nam for the Walled City and Seng Ngoi for Hong Kong. The tale follows three people, two sisters and a boy. Their names are Dai, Jin Ling and Mei Yee. We follow them as they fight to survive within the walled city as an outlaw, a kid looking for her sister and a prostitute.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in China or Japan as the author really did her research and portrayed the city very well – the life or death situations and the hardships faced by the people in the countryside.
Rating: I have given it a 5/5 🌟
You can buy it here

2. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
I did enjoy this book, the way some of the human race went into pods while the rest of them stayed out in the world and became changed by the Aether. It’s very radioactivity gave me super powers, but only the senses are heightened which, to me, makes it more realistic. The only downside I would have to this book would be it’s timeline. While I was reading it, I honestly felt like it took place over a longer span of time and then I found out it was eight days so for me I felt that the romance in it was rushed through that time.
Summary: It’s an alternate world where a young girl by the name of Aria lives in a pod with her mother. When her mother is sent away to another pod and Aria gets cut off from her, she goes in search of answers that end up with her being kicked out of the pod and into the wild where she truly believes she cannot breath the air and will die. To her surprise, she lives and is found by Perry, a young man who has lived in the outside world his whole life and has two heightened sense, something that is not commonplace. Perry agrees to help Aria when he realises that she can help him and they set off on an action packed adventure that also leads to their romance.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to you if you like dystopian novels such as The Selection Series or Shatter Me. Aria learns to survive and Perry comes into his own in the world making this book a very enjoyable read.
Rating: I have given it a 4/5 🌟
You can buy it here

3. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
This book is currently not pictured because I borrowed it from my friend. The second book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, Days of Blood and Starlight continues on where it left off in the first book, after the events on the bridge in Prague. We watch as Zuzana worries frantically for her friend and we see, finally, the land of Ertez through Akiva’s eyes. Nobody knows for certain what Karou is doing except for Karou but when we do see her, she’s back to her epic self.
Summary: Another war is brewing in the land of Ertez and Akiva wants it all to stop. After returning to his homeland and being welcomed back by his siblings Hazael and Liraz, he decides to make a change. On her side, Karou is trying to make up for what she believes is her mistake – being the ‘Angel Lover’. She has become the new Brimstone and is desperately trying to help her people. It all goes out of balance when Zuzana and her boyfriend Mik take Karou’s email a little too seriously and they end up joining her and becoming bargaining tools for the White Wolf to use against Karou.
Recommendation: If you like kick ass, no nonsense taking characters, this book right here is the one for you. An excellent sequel to the first book, you won’t be disappointed by it.
Rating: I have given it a 5/5🌟
You can buy it here

4. Heroes of Olympus: Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
The latest book in the Heroes of Olympus series, the Blood of Olympus takes us to Athens with the seven of the prophecy while also following Reyna, Nico and Coach Hedge back to Camp Half-Blood. I super enjoyed this book and I really hope that another one follows this one because it has been left open to another one and I need to see more of Percabeth, Will and Nico, and Leo and Calypso!
Summary: Along the way back to Camp Half-Blood, Reyna, Nico and Coach Hedge come into contact with some of Reyna’s past while shadow jumping the Athena Parthenos back in order to stop a war breaking out between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. Meanwhile, back with the 7 on the Argo II, they’re capturing Nike and catching up with Artemis and Apollo before heading to Athens for the big showdown between Gaia and themselves. To storm or fire the world must indeed fall as Zeus slaps them back to Camp Half-Blood just in time to help stop the battle between the two demigod camps.
Recommendation: If you love the Percy Jackson series and haven’t read the Heroes of Olympus books yet, what are you doing with your life? If you like Greek or Roman mythology or books such as the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, I’d recommend you read these books.
Rating: I have given it a 5/5🌟
You can buy it here

5. Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini
I’ll let you in on something really quick; I love witches. Anything to do with witches I love it. Those modern day witches trying to get by in the human world and witches from the 18th or 19th century are one of my fave things ever. I really need to get more books on witches! But this book? It was the romance that killed it for me. I mean, Lily is awesome and so is Lillian – the way they both fall in love with Rowan? Well, tbh, Rowan needs to stop falling in love with his former loves Doppelganger. Anyone else find that a bit weird? No? Just me? Ok…
Summary: Using the theory of multi-dimensions, we are watching Lily Proctor in our world. She’s allergic to almost everything and really shouldn’t go outside because she’s going to end up in pain. That is, until Lillian Proctor pulls her through to her world where Salem Witches rose from their burnings and took over the world. Confused and at home in a strange land, Lily must learn how to become a witch and protect the new world she is in before she can return home to the world where her mother is still alive and her sister Julie is a college student.
Recommendation: If you like the TV show The Vampire Diaries, you’ll like this book. Or, if you just love witchy things in general this is a good book for you.
Rating: I have given this book a 3/5🌟
You can buy it here

6. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
The last book I read in the month of May was this book. To be honest, it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting a girl who had a ruling part in the Coldtown and was a glamorous feature in the TV streams that are shown from the Coldtowns. Well, I was wrong!
Summary: Taking from the romanticised vampire novels, this book shows what happens when you infect a lot of people in a short amount of time (and also why we don’t want a vampire outbreak) the story follows Tana and her ex-boyfriend Aidan where, after a party is invaded by vampires and Aidan is bitten, making him infected and with the choice to drink human blood or sweat out the infection for eighty-eight days, the two teens make their way to the Springfield Coldtown with Gavriel, the vampire they picked up along the way. Full of deception and smoke screens, Tana must navigate the Coldtown in order to get out with her heart still beating.
Recommendation: If you liked the Mortal Instruments series or the Legend trilogy, this book is the type of book for you. A kick-ass heroine who isn’t afraid to go back to save her friends, Tana is looking to help her friends before getting the hell out of dodge.
Rating: I have given this book a 3/5🌟
You can buy it here

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed reading my first post and I congratulate you if you’ve read all the way down to here. I hope this has helped you if you were wondering about some of the books I’ve listed. Until next time, happy reading guys!