Amy Powis's Blog, page 17

Work In Progress

This was something I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my mental health although I don't feel as low as I did in this blog post, this is still very much what I feel about my own social anxiety. It shows how quickly this can change reallybut I am more than happy to share it on here as this is something I haven't talked about before. 
So here goes...
I feel like I'm a Work In Progress. Like I never feel complete. That I'm never going to be fully OK. Whatever OK is.

Right now I feel like I'm struggling again. I had a couple of good weeks. The thoughts came and went. Didn't invade my every waking and non-waking moment. I got on with life. But I feel like I'm struggling again. 
I feel like all of this happens when I'm not comfortable. I've started University again. I have been exposed to people that I don't know and everyone knows how important first impressions are. I know how important first impressions are.

It's always the feeling that I'm saying something wrong. That this can turn into something else. My own words haunt me. My own thoughts. My actions. My decisions. This is how it manifests. This is what Social Anxiety does.

Right now it feels too much. I've planned too much. That I thought I was improving but I was wrong.

This is what I mean by me being a Work In Progress. I feel like I'm improving. That I'm getting better. Whatever better is but I get a step back.

I have gotten to the point in my Mental Health that I know it will get better. I lookknow I was before and know that I can pass that.

I know that I can take these moments to recharge. Make self-care a priority. I need to focus on me. Maybe that will help.

Still, I'm working through it and maybe. Maybe one day I will be able to cope fully.
Thank you for reading!
See you soon, 
Amy

NaNoWriMo 2018: The Beginning Of The End?

So for the last three or so years, I have tried (and failed) to successfully complete NaNoWriMo and here I am again wanted to do it. Here is to hoping...

As I am writing this NaNoWriMo starts in around 8 days. I have no idea what I am going to be doing on the 1st November except I have a lecture between 1 and 3. My only Lecture for the whole week. 

I have been quiet about my idea for writing a novel. I think I have mentioned it twice on this blog but this seems a little bit different. Although I think that I say that to myself every time but alas. It feels different.

I am 40,000 words into a novel that if I complete 50,000 words I could reach the end of a novel by the end of the book by the end of November. This both excites and terrifies me. I think that one of the reasons why I am so scared is because I have never finished a novel before and I don't know what to do after that. I know I have to edit but it terrifies me nevertheless.

So this month feels different because my schedules changed, I am only at university part-time with my one lecture a week with a part time job with a couple of other commitments. I have time. Check. 

I am also so motivated. I might be so terrified but I want to win. Not only do I want to win but I want to finish the book. I have so many other stories that are calling me. That I want to write but this one first. Motivation. Check. 

I also have technology. For a person who can't drive I spend a lot of time on buses doing nothing but staring out of the window. With a literally computer in my pocket. I have technology to write. Technology. Check. 

I also have a group of writers who I can do it with. I am not only. I also run a twitter account where I can run writing spirits to force myself to write. They can also tell me if it is crap. People. Check. 

The most important... I have a plan. I know what I am going to write. I just need to write it. I just need to do it. Idea. Check. 

So the beginning of the end? I hope so. I will update at the end so fingers crossed. (AH!!!)


Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? Do you have any tips? Let me know in the comments I will take any help that I can get!
See you soon, 

Amy    

Halloween Creatures 2.0 Book Tag

As Halloween is less than a week ago, I wanted to get in the spirit. A few weeks ago I was tagged by Laurie's Bookshelf to do this Halloween Creatures 2.0 Book Tag so here it is!

It was created by Keep Reading Forward so check out their blog to see the original!

But first the rules...

• Answer all prompts.
• Answer honestly.
• Tag 1-13 people.
• Link back to this post.
• Remember to credit the creator.
• Have fun! Let's get started...Witch
A Magical Character or Book.So an obviously one but the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowing. I don't think anyone needs convincing to read this series!WerewolfThe Perfect Book to Read at Night.Ascension by Victor Dixen because you will want to stay up all night to read it and you have all the time to do so...Frankenstein
A Book that Truly Shocked You.Can I say Frankenstein? I think I can. So obviously it's Halloween next week and everyone thinks that Frankenstein is something totally different than what it actually is. (In the best way) It's one of my favourite books so I clearly loved it. I definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't. The Devil
A Dark, Evil Character.
Laurie's answer was the Darkling and I definitely agree. He was so evil and loads of people love him but I just don't get the hype. 
Grim Reaper
A Character that Should Never Have Died.
Where do I start with this question? Like literally where? Lupin. Sirius. Fred. There is probably loads more but I have just suppressed them.  
Zombie
A Book that Made You “Hungry” for More.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman. I want to know what happens next but I have so many books to get to. Thunderhead will have to wait...
Gargoyle
A Character that You Would Protect at All Cost.
Blue or Simon from Simon Vs. Or any character from Becky Albertalli's books basically. 
Vampire
A Book that Sucked the Life Out of You.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I didn't like this one. Sorry....
Ghost
A Book that Still Haunts You.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman because of that one scene. If you have read it, you KNOW!
Demon
A Book that Really Scared You.Unwind again because it might actually happen in real life and I will be done if that happens...Skeleton
A Character You Have a Bone to Pick With.
Gale from The Hunger Games series. I just don't like him.
Mummy
A Book You Would Preserve Throughout Time.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins *mockingjay tune in the background*
Creepy Doll
A Cover too Scary to Look At.
Not scary just weird but the Electric Dreams cover...


The Monster Mash
It’s Fun to Be with Friends on Halloween!
Tag Your Friends!
I tag...Rachel from RacheLeanneThank you for reading! Are you doing anything for Halloween? If you want to do the tag feel free to do so! See you soon, Amy

Book Review: As I Descended by Robin Talley

* I am reviewing this book that I received from the author but this in no way affects my review *
Title: As I DescendedAuthors: Robin TalleySource: NetGalleyPublisher: HQ StoriesRating: 4/5 stars

( Goodreads |Amazon)

Book Summary:
“Something wicked this way comes.”


Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—even if no one knows it but them.

Only one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey.
Golden child Delilah is a legend at the exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. She runs the school, and if she chose, she could blow up Maria and Lily’s whole world with a pointed look, or a carefully placed word.
But what Delilah doesn’t know is that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to make their dreams come true. And the first step is unseating Delilah for the Kingsley Prize. The full scholarship, awarded to Maria, will lock in her attendance at Stanford―and four more years in a shared dorm room with Lily.
Maria and Lily will stop at nothing to ensure their victory—including harnessing the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school.
But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what is imagined, the girls must decide where they draw the line.
Book Review:

I started reading As I Descended a couple of years ago but I decided

The Verdict:
As I Descended is a Macbeth retelling that is spooky, atmospheric and wonderfully entertaining. A Halloween must read!
Have you read As I Descended? Do you want to? Leave it in the comments below!

An Introduction to Graphic Novels

I've been reading Graphic Novels for about five years now and I remember when I started I didn't really know where to begin so this is for anyone who was in the same position as me.

I will split the recommendations into genres so hopefully, there will be something for everyone. I will leave Goodreads and Amazon links to each of the books so you can find some more out about them. I have loved so many of these so I hope you do too. 

Let get started...

Superheroes

Ms Marvel Volume 1

Goodreads|Amazon



Silk Volume 0/1
Goodreads|Amazon








Hawkeye (The Matt Fraction comics)

Goodreads|Amazon



America Volume 1


Goodreads|Amazon








Fantasy
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson 

Goodreads|Amazon


Camp Midnight
Goodreads|Amazon









The Wicked and The Devine 
Goodreads|Amazon


Science-Fiction
Saga Volume 1
Goodreads|Amazon





Alex and Ada 
Goodreads|Amazon





Paper Girls
Goodreads|Amazon





Contemporary
Giant Days Volume 1
Goodreads|Amazon



Non-Fiction
Spinning by Tillie Walden
Goodreads|Amazon




The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui 

Goodreads|Amazon





So these are my recommendations if you would like to be introduced to graphic novels.
If you have any recommendations leave them in the comments!
See you soon, 
Amy

Book Review: True Sisters by Keren David

* I am reviewing this book that I received from the author but this in no way affects my review *
Title: True SistersAuthors: Keren DavidSource: From the publisherPublisher: Barrington StokeRating: 4/5 stars

( Goodreads |Amazon)

Book Summary:
Ruby has had a lot of foster siblings over the years, but none of them has been anything like Clara. After growing up in almost complete isolation, Clara is distraught at being separated from her mother and overwhelmed by life in a world she doesn’t understand. But the more Ruby tries to help Clara fit in, the more she realises she has to face up to some struggles of her own.
Book Summary:
True Sisters was a book that I was highly anticipated when I was offered a review as I love the easy nature of reading their books as they are perfect for people with dyslexia. I think that Keren David does a great job with this story and it was so a well-crafted story that is told in such a great way. It is a must read.

Honestly, when I requested the book I was first attracted to Keren David's name as I really enjoyed her book This Is Not A Love Story so really wanted to more from her and this was a great chance. I didn't really know what the plot was but I was pleasantly surprised by the relationship between Ruby and Clara and how this book deals with care. This was definitely a highlight of the book and made it a good thing as many books don't focus on this.

The relationship between Ruby and Clara was also well written and I like how evenly paced the relationship was as it developed through the course of the book. I also liked how Ruby was written as the fact that she was gay was just part of a story and it was just really great how it was handled. The book also deals with sensitive subjects and I really enjoyed the whole story. 
I also really enjoyed how quickly the story went and how easy it was to read. I read it so quickly and devoured the story as I read most of it in one night. It is just a really good story and I highly recommend people to read it. 
The Verdict:
True Sisters is a short book that packs a big punch for such a small book. It is definitely worth the read!
Have you read True Sisters? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments below!

Blog Tour: The Caged Queen by Kristin Ciccarelli

* I am reviewing this book that I received from the author but this in no way affects my review *

Title: The Caged Queen Authors: Kristin Ciccarelli Source: From the publisherPublisher: Gollancz Rating: 4/5 stars

( Goodreads |Amazon)

Book Summary:
Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished - until the day a terrible accident took Essie's life and trapped her soul in this world.

Dax - the heir to Firgaard's throne - was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa's people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she'd give him the army he needed if he made her queen.

Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax's promises go unfulfilled. Roa's people continue to suffer.

Then a chance to right every wrong arises - an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.
Book Review:

I really enjoyed the Last Namsara when I read it last year so I was, therefore, super excited when I got the opportunity to review the second book in this series (although it is a prequel series.) I really enjoyed the Caged Queen and would highly recommend. It is definitely the perfect autumnal and winter read!

Although I enjoyed The Last Namsara I was actually really excited due to the premise surrounded around the sisters of the story and this was ultimately what I loved the most. Seeing Roa's life in the story and the lengths that she would go to save her sister was great and I was highly invested in their story. This made the story and the plot go so quickly and I raced through the book as I wanted to know what happens next.

I also liked the relationship between Dax and Roa and it was a quite complex relationship. I loved to see it develop throughout the story as this was the lynchpin to the whole story. It was just so good.

I think that the writing in the book is also just so great. Ciccarelli can just write and that it is all I can say. Her writing is so poetic and she is just a great storyteller. The book contains breaks from the story that develops the world which the book is set and I loved this parts. Her writing definitely shines here. 

On the subject of the world, I do love a world that has dragons in it and this does so bonuses all around. I feel like the dragons definitely take a back seat in the story compared to the first book but I feel like this was just another part of the world to explore.

As someone who read the Last Namsara last year, I couldn't remember any of the characters and plots but this does not make any difference in the story. It is therefore perfect for anyone!

The Verdict:

The Caged Queen is a perfect prequel to the Last Namsara with the same amazing writing and characters that we have seen before. Perfect for those who read The Last Namsara or otherwise!

Have you read The Caged Queen? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments. 


Thank you to Gollancz for allowing me to take part in the blog tour!

A lot can change in 10 years!: YA and 10 Year anniversaries

At 11 years old, I found my two books that would change my reading life forever. Those books were Twilight and Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. This was 10 years ago. 

To put that in perspective that's almost half my life as I am now 21. 

I feel like the reason that I wanted to write this post is due to all the anniversaries surrounding books that have come out in the last year and to see how much has changed.

This year marks the anniversary of the Twilight film which is quite weird to think about because it doesn't feel like that at all. I still think of 11 years old me in that cinema watching the film but I now that a lot has changed in my life since then. It also marks the tenth anniversary of The Hunger Games book being published and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (the film) and honestly, I don't know why this scares me as much as it does. But it does. 

I think all of this is significant because of how much has changed it that time and the trends that occur due to these releases. I also think that it's weird that Twilight and The Hunger Games were basically relevant in 2008 as the paranormal romance trend happened a good four years before the dystopian one.

In that ten years, paranormal romance was a thing. I think that I avoided this for the best part as Twilight was the only book series that I can get into. Then we had the dystopian trend which I kind of fell head over heels over. I basically read most of them that were released. Divergent. The 5th Wave. The Maze Runner. Even some obscure ones. Then I would say that we went hard in YA contemporary like The Fault In Our Stars and Fantasy with Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare.

So where are we today?

Well, there is a focus on diversity. With people like Angie Thomas and Tomi Adeyemi focusing on black lead characters and a focus on diverse characters who are LGBTQIA+ and Mental Health, it seems like YA is moving in this direction.

I think that it's weird to think how much has changed in 10 years and all these anniversaries make me think about that.

In July, I went to a panel at YALC that spoke about the future about YA and I'm not sure that I know what will happen in the next 10 years but only time will tell. After all, a lot can change in 10 years!


Can you believe Twilight is 10 years old? What is your favourite YA trend? Tell me in the comments below!
See you soon, 

Amy

The Book Was Better?

For a book reader when we go see a book to movie adaptation, we always go in with one expectation: the book was better. Sometimes I feel like we go in with this notion that the book is always better. For the longest time, I felt that this was the case. The book was always going to far superior from the film, but is this always the case? 
Ever since I became a massive YA fan when I was about 14, I definitely believed that the book was always going to be better. I would come out of The Hunger Games films complaining that this character was not in a scene and had been cut and that this scene from the book that I loved was not in the script. It would bother me. I would Retweet and Favourite (remember when that was a thing!) things like "I would watch a Harry Potter film that was 19 hours long" and even now I still might but something changed.

I got into films. I mean I know everyone watches films but I was interested in how they are made. Listening to writers, directors, producers. Listening to these made me see the differences in how films and books are made. That films do tend to be 1.5 to 2 hours long and have to convey the same story as a book of 300 to 500 pages or more. Changes have to be made and that's OK.

With films, the book is always there. Regardless of changes that a film makes the book is always going to stay there. Films are just a different type of media. They are designed to make the book into a good enough screenplay so it sells to a wide amount of people as possible. That's what it is, therefore. So this means that changes are made to condense the story and made it fit on a screen.

So I know I still haven't the question so is the book better? I guess the answer is no. Books are a completely different to films and I think that they should be judged on their own. If the film of a book to movie adaptation is bad because it has a weak screenplay and the acting is bad, then it is a bad film, even a book to film adaptation. I know that comparing them to is so easy to say that if they had done something from the book and put in the film then that may have made it better but I don't think this is the case.  
A film could be bad because some of the changes were made from the book but it should still be seen as a different thing. I guess that this whole idea comes from people's opinions because on the flip side a bad book could be seen as a good book to film adaptation. It is ultimately based on people's opinions. Just like this is mine.

I think my take away on the topic is that books and book to film adaptations shouldn't be compared to each other. They are different forms of media and should be treated as standalone things.

This is quite a controversial topic so I would love to hear people's thoughts on this subject in the comments. I don't think that anyone is wrong on the topic and of course everyone's opinions are valid. Let me know what you think!
See you soon, 
Amy

Book Review: Giant Days by Non Pratt

* I am reviewing this book that I received from the author but this in no way affects my review *

Title: Giant DaysAuthors: Non PrattSource: From the publisherPublisher: Abram & ChronicleRating: 4.5/5 stars

( Goodreads |Amazon)

Book Summary:
Based on the hit graphic-novel series from BOOM! Studios, the publisher behind Lumberjanes, Giant Days follows the hilarious and heartfelt misadventures of three university first-years: Daisy, the innocent home-schooled girl; Susan, the sardonic wit; and Esther, the vivacious drama queen. While the girls seem very different, they become fast friends during their first week of university. And it's a good thing they do, because in the giant adventure that is college, a friend who has your back is key--something Daisy discovers when she gets a little too involved in her extracurricular club, the Yogic Brethren of Zoise. When she starts acting strange and life around campus gets even stranger (missing students, secret handshakes, monogrammed robes everywhere . . .), Esther and Susan decide it's up to them to investigate the weirdness and save their friend.
Book Review:
Having enjoyed the Giant Days graphic novel series which I read last year I was super excited about the novel based on the series. I was especially excited as it was being written by Non Pratt who is one of my favourite YA authors right now. Giant Days, therefore, did not disappoint me being a greatly entertaining read from start to finish. I devoured this book.
One of the best things about the Giant Days series, in general, is the university setting. I feel like Non captures this so well and as someone who has recently graduated from university, it gives a sense of what it is really like to be there. Although neither Non or I had been Sheffield, the research that she did into the University was so good that it felt like I was there experiencing university with the Giant Days girls.

I think that the other draw to the book that I loved is the friendship element and the whole chaos that is Freshers Fair. As someone who was actively part of societies during their time at university, I loved the concept of the Zoise as it was completely crazy and I do feel like something like this could happen on a university campus. Seeing Daisy slowly go deeper into the society was crazy but I loved reading about her experiences. 
The characters themselves are also just really great as well. The lengths that they go to protecting each other especially Susan and Esther protecting Daisy who is completely naive about university life was just a great friendship dynamic. I also loved how they each had their own lives at university and we got to see how their different friends and situations which I loved and felt invested in. In the beginning, I was a little confused about what was happening but I felt this got better as the book progressed. I did love this book and would highly recommend it!
The Verdict:Giant Days is a sweet and endearing read that wonderfully captures the trials and tribulations of university life, perfect for fans of the Giant Days series or those who want to give the series a go.
Have you read Giant Days? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments below!