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YALC 2019 Review

YALC 2019 has come and gone, and it passed way too quickly for my liking. But you know what they say? Time flies when you’re having fun!

I’ve attended YALC for the past four years, but this is the first time I went as an exhibitor at the Fairyloot booth. And, even though I was working the booth I still had plenty of time to attend signings, check out others booths and the rest of the YALC floor.

Last year I reviewed YALC 2018 and brought up a few issues that I’d like to see changed. You can check out that review here! I’m really happy to say though that a lot of the issues I listed seemed to have been resolved this year, but there were a few that could still be improved upon.

There’s lots to cover, so let’s get on with this shall we?

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What To Expect At YALC

If it’s your first time attending YALC (Young Adult Literature Convention) you might be feeling a tad overwhelmed. I won’t lie, there’s a lot of information floating around Instagram and Twitter about the event and it can get quite confusing, especially if you see conflicting information. But don’t fret! I’m here to help.

I have aimed this post specifically towards first time attendees so you have an idea of what to expect when YALC begins, whether you’re just attending for a day or the whole weekend.

Included in this post I also have some exciting information regarding Bloomsbury YA’s booth and what giveaways they’ll be hosting throughout the weekend this year.

Let’s begin, because there’s a lot to cover!

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Book Tag | Harry Potter Spells

Hello friends,

I’m bringing you a book tag that I recently watched over on my good friend G’s Youtube channel, you may know her as BookRoast. It seemed like a bit of fun and considering we’re quickly approaching the end of July when all Witches and Wizards will be preparing for their journey to Hogwarts, it seemed like the perfect time to do this tag.

There’s quite a few questions to get through, so let’s get started!

EXPECTO PATRONUM | A childhood book connected to good memories?

‘Sleepovers‘ by Jacqueline Wilson

I read this when I was very young. I vividly remember wishing that I could have big, extravagant sleepovers like the girls in this book, and the descriptions of their cakes always made me hungry. I read this book more times than I can count!

Did you hear that? That was the sound of bookworms everywhere gasping because my answer to this wasn’t ‘Harry Potter‘.

EXPELLIARMUS | A book that took you by surprise?

‘To Best The Boys‘ by Mary Weber

I read this book for the Fairyloot readalong I was hosting in April and I really didn’t know what to expect. It was a book I  didn’t know much about. Only that it was a standalone and it had some Hunger Games vibes.

I ended up really enjoying this one. It was a very fun, quick read. It’s not long at all and the characters are fantastic. They really make the story and I wouldn’t mind reading more about them if Weber were ever to write more about them. If you want a quick fantasy read that doesn’t require much dedication and attention to get through, I’d say this book is a solid choice.

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YALC Tips & Tricks

YALC tips and tricks, and Guides to YALC are some of the best posts you can read to prepare for the UK’s biggest book festival. This is because you’re getting helpful advice from people who have experience from attending the event before. Which I have! I’ve been attending YALC since 2016 and every year has been an absolute joy.

I won’t lie guys, YALC is a lot, it’s busy, it’s exciting, it’s exhausting. But, most of all it’s ridiculously fun. I can guarantee it’ll probably be one of the best weekends of your year.

As I said before, I’ve been attending YALC since 2016, so I definitely have my fair share of experience with the event (check out my Guide to YALC here) and over the years I’ve found some tricks (or hacks, if you will) that will help you get a bit more prepared for the weekend. Some of these tips you may not have come across before and others are small, but as Tesco says, every little helps!

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The Avengers Assemble Book Tag

With Avengers Endgame now here, it was only fitting that I tackled the Avengers Assemble book tag that the wonderful Connie tagged me in.

I was lucky enough to score midnight tickets to see Avengers Endgame on Wednesday 24th April. I attended the 11:55pm showing and my goodness friends, it was incredible. Was it worth the ten year wait? Absolutely. I’ll say no more because I know everyone is dreading seeing a spoiler (this post is spoiler free) so let’s get on with this tag.

Avengers, ASSEMBLE!

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What I’d Like To See At YALC 2019

YALC (Young Adult Literature Convention) is the UK’s first young adult book festival. You could say it’s the UK’s equivalent of BookCon and BookExpo which take place in a big city within the US each year. This convention started back in July 2014 with author Malorie Blackman being heavily involved in its creation. Over the years, YALC has managed to bring along best-selling authors such as Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, VE Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Marcus Sedgwick, Patrick Ness and many more, making it one of the most exciting events of the year for book bloggers around the UK. I’ve been travelling down to London for YALC from Scotland every Summer since 2016, so you could say I’ve got a few years of experience attending the event.

YALC is an absolutely wonderful event and you’re always guaranteed to leave with an abundance of new books and friends. However, there are some things that I’d personally like to see in future events that I feel could definitely improve the experience for attendees, and potentially the vendors too.

We finally got the author line up for YALC 2019 this past week (it’s awesome!) so it definitely felt like the perfect time to post this! You can view the schedule here. We really appreciate all the hard work and effort people go into to make this event happen each year, I’m genuinely counting down the days till YALC 2019.

Let’s begin!

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Book Review: ‘Finale’ by Stephanie Garber

Title: Finale
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 9th May 2019
Genre/Age Group:  Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Romance
Format:  Paperback (400 pages)
Source: Uncorrected Proof (Sent by publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Rating:

(This review is spoiler free, however, will contain spoilers for other books in the series)

Synopsis

It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finally, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything.

Review

It’s been two months since Empress Elantine passed and the kingdom of Valenda fell in need of a new heir to the throne. Tella and Scarlett have left the palace and relocated to a small apartment in the Satine district as they await their mother Paloma waking from her deep sleep. Whilst they wait, chaos ensues now that the Fates are free to do as they please, and the sisters must do what they can to protect each other and the ones they love from harm.

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Book Review: ‘Legendary’ by Stephanie Garber

Title: Legendary
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 9th May 2019
Genre/Age Group:  Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Romance
Format:  Paperback (432 pages)
Source: Uncorrected Proof (Sent by publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Rating:

(This review is spoiler free, however, may contain spoilers for first book in the series!)

 

Synopsis

It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything.

Review

Throughout ‘Caraval’ our focus was on Scarlett Dragna. The elder of two sisters. By the end, we switched to Tella’s POV which lead perfectly into the start of ‘Legendary‘ as book two of this trilogy focuses on Tella. The book begins the night after ‘Caraval’ ends, Tella finds herself waking up next to Dante, a returning character who had quite the reputation in book one. When she runs off, she finds Scarlett and Julian, who invite her along to a very special Caraval performance for Empress Elantine.

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Book Review: ‘Caraval’ by Stephanie Garber

Title: Caraval
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 31st January 2017
Genre/Age Group:  Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Romance
Format:  Paperback (405 pages)
Source: Uncorrected Proof (Sent by publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Rating:

(This review is spoiler free)

 

Synopsis

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Review

Garber’s debut novel revolves around Scarlett Dragna. A loyal, loving and caring sister, a hopeful, and a bride to be. She spent time in her childhood writing to Legend, the mysterious and magical host of Caraval, in the hopes he’d give her tickets to his next performance. Scarlett never received a response until she mentions what will be her last letter, as she is about to proceed with an arranged marriage that she hopes will provide her and her sister with a better, and more comfortable life away from their cruel father.

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Book Review: ‘The Priory Of The Orange Tree’ by Samantha Shannon

Title: The Priory of the Orange Tree
Author: Samantha Shannon
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: 26th February 2019
Genre/Age Group:  Fantasy, Adult, LGBT, Epic Fantasy
Format:  Hardcover (848 pages)
Source: Uncorrected Proof (Sent by publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Rating: 

(This review is spoiler free, however, may contain spoilers for previous books)

 

Synopsis

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Review

How does one write a cohesive review for potentially the best book they’ve ever read?

Answer; they don’t. Or at least they try to and it comes out in a mass of incoherent babbling. But, for the sake of this fantastic book, I’m going to try my best to get through. Because, absolutely everyone deserves to know about it. Especially those of you who love a good fantasy.

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