Hello lovelies! It's MAY!

This means I have a few ARC reading challenge updates to do, but firstly:

I've looked through everything I read in April, and I've picked a top 5, so here are some books I would definitely recommend for your TBR. Turns out they're all YA this month...!

{Click covers for Goodreads & titles for my reviews} Radio Silence by Alice Oseman.   Absolutely adored this one! Contemporary YA awesomeness. Alice Oseman understands what being a teenager is like and writes about it in a really relatable way. When We Collided by Emery Lord.   Another contemporary YA story, this one features two lovely protagonists, Vivi and Jonah. Possibly my favourite YA book that talks about mental illness. The Sign of One by Eugene Lambert.    YA sci-fi, with a really cool premise relating to all identical twins being separated at a young age because one of them is 'evil.' Obviously, the evil ones are hanged at a yearly celebration... Slightly morbid? Maybe. But super interesting! The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury.   An Aladdin retelling that features an adorable romance and some pretty kick-ass female characters. That is basically all you need to know. Definitely worth a read! Passenger by Alexandra Bracken.   A YA novel about time travel. I had some issues with this one, but still enjoyed it thoroughly. Passenger seems to divide people into two camps: the not-impressed and the absolutely-loved-it. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

During the month of April, I actually managed to read a surprising amount of ARCs. My goal was six, but I ended up finishing ten! I've linked the covers to my reviews either here on the blog, or on Goodreads.

  

  

  

As for the month of May... I'm taking part in another ARC Challenge.

You can check out the details here.

My goal is to read about 8 of these in the next month... Hopefully more than that though, honestly.

  

  

  

    

Must stop requesting review copies until I'm caught up.

How was April? Do you have any big plans (reading or otherwise) for May? Let me know!

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong? Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken. Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past… She has to confess why Carys disappeared… Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets. It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness. Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has. ✱ Pages: 400 (paperback) ✱ Publication date: 25 February 2016 ✱ Provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ✱ Amazon UK | Amazon US

I got a copy from the publisher after seeing this one displayed in my local Waterstones - apparently the author goes to my university! Good job, Waterstones Durham, for showing support to local talent!

Basically, Everything is Awesome

I can't really find anything I had a problem with. I loved just about every detail of Radio Silence. Alice Oseman's voice is unique and chatty. The friendships in the story, the relationship between Frances and her mother, the talk about sexuality/sexual orientation, identity, fandoms... It's just all so well done!

Frances and Aled

Amazing, real, and relatable. Both of them. I feel like I was so much like Frances, growing up, but I also feel like I was Aled, too. I might still be a bit like Aled? In any case - these two characters are so wonderful, and you can't help but fall in love with them a little.

Apparently I Can't Actually Review This Book

I'm too emotionally attached! I tried, you guys. I'll give it one more go:

There is something so genuine and effortless about Radio Silence, that I could not stop reading it. Alice Oseman has a knack for writing about being a teenager - dealing with all the issues related to growing up, living with the constant pressure from our peers and parents, and maybe most importantly - from ourselves.

In all honesty - I don't want to give too much away. I'd like for you to go and meet Aled and Francis for yourself and see if you feel the same way I did about them and this story.

A wonderful novel about identity, friendship, and growing up, Radio Silence is a great example of Young Adult fiction done right. It's realistic, emotional and uplifting, and it stays with you even after you've finished reading it.

Do you read a lot of contemporary YA? Have you read this one yet?

If you haven't, I'm once again going to go with 'please go and read this book, and then come back and fangirl with me because just please, okay?'

"How about making a bargain with me?" said the demon. "I'll break your spell if you agree to break this contact I'm under." In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help - the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls... ✱ Pages: 302 (paperback) ✱ Publication date: 1986 ✱ Howl's Moving Castle #1 ✱ Amazon UK | Amazon US

This is one of the only middle grade books I will probably ever feature on this blog, but I feel like a) this one is worth it, and b) so many people have seen the film based on this that they deserve to know more about the book. I should probably add a slight disclaimer though: I've reread this book a dozen times since I was a kid, so I may be slightly biased.

Sophie, Howl, and the Magic

Sophie Hatter is one of my favourite protagonists - ever - because I see a lot of myself in her. She believes herself unlucky, and the most important thing for her to do is to make sure her two younger sisters are fine. She's self-sacrificing, cares too much about others' expectations, and doesn't believe in herself, at all. It took me a decade to realise that the reason I loved her so much was probably because I enjoyed seeing her grow out of from under all the expectations piled on her, to become her own person.

The Magician, Howl, is temperamental, childish, and a slitherer-outer, according to  Sophie. They are very different characters, but somehow they end up getting to know each other, and getting along despite their clashing personalities.

The Magic in this universe seems to be very different depending on who is wielding it, and it's a really interesting concept to me. There are curious magical creatures and happenings in the story: a fire demon, a spell that ages a person by about seventy years, a magical castle with doors to different worlds.

Why do I love it so much?

It's a world where good can conquer evil, where magic exists, and where stories seem to be important to people when they are coming to terms with their own identity. I think the dialogue and the story-telling are wonderful, and I like the pacing. It's like a fairy-tale but in slightly longer form, and like the best fairy-tales, I think it has a lot to say about people in general. I also love that the chapter titles summarise what happens without giving things away. For example, 'Chapter One In which Sophie talks to hats,' or 'Chapter Nineteen in which Sophie expresses her feelings with weed-killer.'

If you're still not convinced, let me send a few quick quotes your way:

“I make that four horses and ten men just to get rid of one old woman. What did you do to the King?”

✱ 

“Nothing is safe from you. If I were to court a girl who lived on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean, sooner or later— probably sooner— I’d look up to see you swooping overhead on a broomstick. In fact, by now I’d be disappointed in you if I didn’t see you.”
“Are you off to the iceberg today?” Sophie retorted.

✱

“I've got a hangover!"
"No, you hit your head on the floor," Sophie said.
Howl rose up on his hands and knees with a scramble. "I can't stay," he said. "I've got to rescue that fool Sophie."
"I'm here!" Sophie shook his shoulder. "But so is Miss Angorian! Get up and do something about her!”

Howl's Moving Castle is my happy place. This was what I turned to when All the Bright Places utterly destroyed me, and it worked. It's a quick, feel-good kind of read, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go, especially if you're a fan of the Ghibli movie!

Have you read the book or watched the film? If you're a Ghibli fan, tell me your favourite movie! :)