// book review + discussion: snow like ashes by sara raasch

Title: Snow like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes, #1)
Author: Sara Raasch
Publication: 14th of October 2014 by Balzer + Bray
Format: 416 pages, Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Young Adult

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository 

Synopsis: 

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now the Winterians' only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter's magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter's defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, Winter's future king—she would do anything to help Winter rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter's magic, Meira decides to go after it herself—only to find herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics—and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own. 

Review: 

This is one of the books I actually purchased for the month of August. Snow like Ashes is again one of those books you always see you on Tumblr so I finally decided to give it a read. Yup, I loved this book so much! The moment you start the book, it's already filled with action. I mean, literally. It opens up to Meira and Mather sparring in training. Meira, a sixteen year old, is one of the remaining refugees who survived when the kingdom of Winter was turned into ruins by the Spring Kingdom. Mather on the other hand, is the future King of Winter. I loved how this book has a unique touch to it. It does have a Game of Thrones, ACOTAR and An Ember in the Ashes vibe to it but they're never quite the same. I was interested with how Sara Raasch created the different kingdoms. Four seasons and four Rhythms. Each ruler possess a conduit that has different powers which can affect their own people. Four female rulers, and four male. There was never a dull moment in this book. There was always something happening so I didn't get bored. 

I admire Meira so much. I love how she wants to break the female stereotype of wanting to wear pretty dresses and going to lavish balls. She wants to do something that would contribute and serve Winter. To fight for their land and for their people. To be useful. She was kicking ass all throughout the book and I enjoyed her witty banter with the other characters.  

And Theron! This one's swoon-worthy guys *insert heart eyes emoji*. The Prince of Cordell. It amazed me how he knows all the servants in his palace and how he shows genuine interest in them. Have I mentioned he loves reading books? He has a bookshelf tightly packed with books that it feels like it may explode any minute. He condemns his father's ways and wants to help Winter. 

Mather on the other hand was very mysterious. He's such an expert in masking away his true emotions. I just wished we got to know him more!(Who knows maybe we will in Ice Like Fire)

I love, love, love the fantastic world building in this one. The concept of the four Season Kingdoms is very unique. It was fun picturing the different kingdoms and how belonging from one reflects the people looks like. For example, people from Winter have white hair and pale skin while the people from Autumn have warm coloured eyes and hair. I also loved how Raasch developed the different cultures from the different kingdoms, like in a wedding ceremony in Winter, the two couples drink from a cup and whatever water remains freezes and then they bury it, etc. 

There's a love triangle in the story! I was hesitant that it would annoy me but thankfully it didn't. It was a love triangle but isn't really one. It's complicated. 

To sum it all up, I really enjoyed reading Snow like Ashes! I gave it four stars on Goodreads. It was exciting for me and filled with action which gets a check from me! I also enjoyed the humour, the romance and the friendships. And that plot twist! I can't wait to see Meira's character develop more and see what she plans on doing in Ice like Fire. The only thing I wish is that it was written from different POVs as I would love to get to know Mather and Theron more. Nonetheless, I still recommend this to everyone!

Here are some of my favourite quotes: 

"Sometimes placing our belief in something bigger than ourselves helps us get to the point where we can be enough on our own, magic or no magic" - page 20

"You've always been everything to me. I didn't know how to handle how much I needed you growing up--" - Mather, page 172

"That's why literature is so fascinating. It's always up for interpretation, and could be a hundred different things to a hundred different people. It's never the same thing twice." - Theron, page 203

"Theron beside me will keep me safe through this. Not as a protector--as an equal. I'm not the only one caught in this. I'm not alone." - Meira, page 229

"Even the strongest blizzard starts with a single snowflake." - page 318

"I want to be something worthy of my kingdom. I want to be someone worthy of you." - page 381

Have any of you read Snow like Ashes? Did you enjoy it? Who's your favourite character? Are you team Mather or Theron? 

// well deserved junior cert results celebration

Last Wednesday, the 9th of September, we got our Junior Certificate results. (To all our foreign readers out there, click this so you have an idea of what I am talking about lol) It's basically a run through exam for the most important one we'll take in our last year of secondary school which is the sixth year but I'm not getting into too much detail. When I woke up that day, I was trying to distract myself so I wouldnt get nervous about it. I kept myself busy by doing some blog work (which totally worked!)

Thank you to Isha for this really cute surprise. I love it. *heart eyes emoji* I haven't even gotten my results yet and she's already congratulating me. (She's probably psychic and new I would pass lol)

I just started feeling the nerves starting to kick in when I was getting ready to go to school. When I was on the bus on my way to my school, I couldn't stop looking at my watch. It almost felt like I was doing the state exams all over again. My school decided that they were going to give out the results at exactly 12 sharp. No exceptions. We were all waiting at the front hall and every time a teacher passes by, they would always say "Good Luck" or was smiling at us a tiny creepily. It's kind of unfair since our teachers have already seen our results. Every minute felt like 5 minutes (exaggerated but that's what it felt like) I get really bad anxiety when something like this going to happen. I was a wreck but I was pretending that I was okay by smiling at people. 

At ten to twelve, the principal asked all of us to go inside our school's library where he will give each one of us an envelope containing our results. You can literally feel the tension in the air. When the church bell rang, an indication that it was already 12 in the afternoon, our principal decided that it would be nice if we all open the envelopes at the same time. My results was one of the first ones to be given out. Can you imagine how nervous I was? I was already holding my results but I have to wait for almost 25+ people to get theirs. It was low key torture! I felt nauseous when the last person got his envelope. Everyone counted to five then opened the envelopes that would tell us how well we did in the exams. Right before my eyes was a line of Bs and one A and I could not believe it myself that I even dropped my results and gasped. I couldn't be anymore happier.

I was super proud of myself, all my time, effort and dedication really did pay off. I've never been this proud of myself. I was not expecting to get this. Most of you will probably tell me "Hanna, that's only the junior cert, it won't matter" But to me, it's the junior cert and it matters to me now. 

My mom decided to take Isha and I out to dinner. We went and had some cheeky Nandos. 

 Isha ordered the 1/4 Peri Peri chicken with a side of chips and peas. 

 My mom and I decided to share the "Wing platter" with a side of chips. 

If you're reading this and you've done the junior cert as well, congratulations! I'm sure your scores were fabulous. Thank you for reading! 

// top ten tuesday: series we haven't finished yet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous people at The Broke and the Bookish.

Here are the series I haven't finished yet *hides away in shame*. If only I had all the time in the world.

1. Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling

You know that series that literally everyone has read but you havent yet? Yep, that's Harry Potter for me. Until now I still havent started reading this yet because of my stubbornness and me refusing read it unless I have it in hardcovers lol. 

2. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I have a hardback copy of "Ignite Me" but I probably won't ever read it because of how Adam's character was destroyed. The only reason why I got the book is because I wanted to support Tahereh, and the book is pretty + deckle-edged so I couldnt resist.

3. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

This is one of my favourite series but I still havent gotten to it (even though I have "In The Afterlight") because of busy school schedule *sighs* Soon, my love.

4. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Okay I have all four books (since I ordered them in one go because I loved Vampire Academy and I thought I'd like this too) but sadly I didn't enjoy the first book so now they're all just sitting on my shelf

5. Addicted Series & Calloway Sisters Series by K.B Ritchie

I really, really want to finish the rest of this series soon. I was instantly in love with the books because of the unique and interesting plot and characters this summer but sadly wasn't able to get through all of them this summer. They are at very top of my to-be-read list though.

6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Another mainstream series that I still havent read *sighs*

7. The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey

I loved the first book so much! The sequel for it came out last year and I was again super busy with school work so never got the chance to read "The Infinite Sea" *sad emoji* I can't wait for the movie though. Nick Robinson *swoons*

8. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs

The book was very different from all the other books I've read. But again, I still haven't been able to get to the next instalment because I never had the time. I also thought that the story was plot driven and had very little romance...... 

9. Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

If you didnt know I love reading anything by Rick Riordan. He is such an amazing author and I loved all of the books he released. I've also shamelessly read most of them. But again the last  book in the series "Blood of Olympus" came out when I was super busy with school so I never got to it.

10. The Kiss of Deception series by Mary E. Pearson

I read KOD this summer and I knew that The Heart of Betrayal was already out but refused to buy it on my kindle because I wanted the physical copy lol.

What series have you not yet finished? Have you read any of the books on my list? Which one should I read soon?

// a wrap-up of our holidays in the philippines

It's that time again when we have to write a wrap-up of our holidays. Oh where did that 1 month go. *sighs* We are very lucky that we got to go back to our motherland. Thank you to my mom for making this trip happen. You'd know from our previous blog posts that we've been exploring Iloilo, trying out new food and eating foods that we've missed/ we don't have in Ireland.

After being in Iloilo for 3 weeks, we had to go back to Manila for my Lolo's (grandfather) babang luksa (first death anniversary). The next day after we got back from Iloilo, we went straight to Bulacan where my Lolo is buried. It was a 2 hour drive from Cubao and it was SUPER traffic. That's one of the things I won't miss (lol). But on the way to Bulacan, we made a deal that the first one to go to sleep have to buy everyone a starbucks drink. (There's 7 of us lol) so everyone in the car was trying their best not to fall asleep. We had a mini-reunion with my mom's side of the family. It was so nice to see my Lolos, lolas, uncles and aunts that we only see every couple of years. 

My cousins and I thought it'd be a good idea if we all hung out together. Unfortunately, half of them couldn't go because of college so Isha, Mark, Ate Tina and I went to Eastwood where we tried Project Pie for the very first time. OMG the pizza was so good and really cheap. We got the "White Pizza" (Prosciutto, caramelised onions, parmesan and mozarella), the Classic Cheese Pie and we got Banana Nutella pizza. My favourite was the white pizza and Isha likes all of them. 

After having that scrumptious meal, we decided to go bowling. I don't know if we mentioned in the us holiday wrap up that we went bowling for Aaron's 13th birthday (*waves* hi aaron) and I was terrible at it. All of my shots went to the gutter *hides in embarrassment. I was really shocked because I was leading for the first 5 rounds until Mackie (Mark) got a strike and spare. But at least I was the second.

We also went to Edsa Shangri-La to meet up with my mom's cousins. We ate at this really healthy place called "Green Pastures". It's very rare that there are healthy food places available in the Philippines so we were very happy. 

The highlight of the night was being reunited with my best friend, Isabella. I am so grateful that she went all the way to Edsa Shangri-La just to spend a few hours with me. It's a pity that my other best friends couldn't go because there was a typhoon. 

Our aunt (Hi Tita Bess *waves*) decided to treat us at this ramen called "Ramen Nagi" when we were in UP Town Centre. She said we had to try it because it was the best ramen. I'm a ramen enthusiast but that ramen was probably the best I've ever had. It was so cool, they give you a form where you fill in your preferences on how spicy and rich the broth is. Thank you again to my aunt for treating us. :) 

My mom and I decided to share the "Original King (Bucao)"

Ate Tina and Tita Bess decided to share the "Green King (Midorio)"

Isha got the "Black King (Kuroo)"

On our very last day, we all decided to go for one last hurrah and go bowling together since we're all complete now! We went bowling again and Ate Em Em slayed us all with her skills. In the ranking, she was the first, then Kuya Bullet, Mark, Me, Ice, Isha and Ate Tina. After that really fun time bowling, we decided to go for a treat and get some ice cream. We went to this organic soft serve ice cream place called "Milk Cow". It was a bit pricey but I thought it was worth it. They also sold macarons so I was one very happy gal.

Isha got "Magic Pop" with popcorn flavoured macaron. I got "Cookies & Cream" with a chocolate macaron. 

To everyone mentioned in this post, thank you so much for making our stay very memorable. I hope we all still get to talk with each other a lot despite our busy schedules. Take care of yourselves and Isha and I can't wait to see you all soon. Love you guys! <33 

And to the person reading this post right now, thank you for visiting the blog and I hope you had a fantastic summer like we did. 

// stacking the shelves: books i got in august

In comparison to all the books I got last month in the US, the books I purchased for the August is pretty disheartening. Most of the books I was looking for wasn't available in the Philippines. It was either in a different store or they didn't have it all. So what I'm going to do is write a post on all the books I got for this month. Doesn't necessarily have to be bought by me. Not only will this post feature the physical books I purchased but so will my pre-orders. ebooks, ARCs I got and some finished copies I won. I will indicate in the caption beside the photo if it's purcased, an arc or a finished copy I won. 

Title: Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes, #10

Author:  Sara Raasch

Publication: 4th October 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Young Adult

Format: Purchased, Hardcover, 416 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: The Kiss of Deception, (The Remnant Chronicles, #1)

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Publication: 8th of July 2014 by Henry Holt

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Format: Purchased, Hardcover, 489 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: The Secret Fire, (The Secret Fire, #1)

Author: C.J.Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld

Expected Publication: 10th of September 2015 by Atom

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Format: ARC, paperback, 424 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: One

Author: Sarah Crossan

Publication: 26th of August by Bloomsbury Children's Books

Genre: Contemporary

Format: Won a copy, Hardcover, 448 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: Apple and Rain

Author: Sarah Crossan

Publication: 14th of August 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Format: Giveaway copy, Paperback, 240 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: Asking For It

Author: Louise O'Neill

Expected Publication: 3rd September 2015 by Quercus

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Format: Given a copy for review, Hardcover, 384 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1)

Author: Rick Riordan

Expected Publication: 6th October 2015 by Disney Hyperion Books

Genre: Fantasy, Mythology

Format: ARC, 528 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: A Work in Progress

Author: Connor Franta

Publication: 21st April of 2015 by Atria/Keyword Press

Genre: Non Fiction, Memoir

Format: Won a copy, Paperback

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: Paper Towns 

Author: John Green

Publication: 9th of December 2013 by Bloomsbury 

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Format: Won a copy, Paperback, 305 pages

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses  

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Format: Hardcover 

Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

*this is going to be my second copy because I'm getting this signed along with Queen of Shadows at the signing in Tempe, AZ*

Pre-orders:

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer

*all pre-orders will get signed for me when they come to Arizona for a signing*

Unpictured eBooks I got:

Addicted to You (Addicted Series, #1) by K.B Ritchie

Ricochet (Addicted Series, #1.5) by K.B Ritchie

Addicted for Now (Addicted Series, #2) by K.B Ritchie

Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sister, #1) by K.B Ritchie

Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters, #2) by K.B Ritchie

Thrive (Addicted Series, #2.5) by K.B Ritchie

Addicted After All (Addicted Series, #3) by K.B Ritchie

Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters, #3) by K.B Ritchie

What books did you buy this month? Did you get any ARCs? Have you read any of the books I got this month? Let me know in the comments below. 

// a day well spent with my my best friend + an open letter to reign

Social media is a great way to make friends with like minds and interests. I've been on several social media accounts for years and have made a handful of friends along the way. But it is inevitable to drift away from someone as there could be several possible reasons behind it. You probably know Reign, of reignofbooks on tumblr since she gets mentioned on my blog quite often. She is one of my best friends and one of the longest friends I've been with online. We've been friends for two years (and counting!). Some of you would probably think that she's just an online friend but you're wrong. She has always been there for me, in the good and the bad. She was a person I could always talk to despite the time difference.  So when I was in the Philippines, we took advantage of this opportunity to spend time together. She was actually leaving for the States but decided to book a later flight for me (If this isn't true friendship, I don't know what is!) Here's a recap of all the things we did :) 

So we met up at Gateway Mall in Quezon City where we had lunch with Reign's mom, my mom and my sister. It was so cute because even our moms bonded. They talked about things and even took selfies, you guys! 

Reign's mom is on the left and mine is on the right

Reign's mom was kind enough to give us lifts to places as commuting in the Philippines isn't the most pleasing thing to do. She took Reign, my sister and I to a chain of malls right next to each other called Greenbelt in Makati City, Philippines. During the car ride, Reign and I would talk about a variety of things from books and people on twitter and there were no awkward moments at all. Since Reign and I were bookworms, of course we had to stop at her favourite bookshop which was Fullybooked. We actually spent a good hour in our natural habitat. We were looking at books, giving each other recommendations and stuff. I was planning on buying my book haul for August there but they didn't have most of the books I wanted to get which was a total bummer! 

I ended up getting The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson and Snow like Ashes by Sarah Raasch. Reign on the other hand got The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. 

We walked and walked for hours. Doing window shopping and hunting for cute little bits and pieces we could buy till we got tired. Not to mention hungry so we finally went to Cafe Breton, a french inspired cafe. The pictures of food above were what we got. Hanna and I both got a salad and Reign got a breakfast platter (since Reign is a breakfast enthusiast!). For drinks, both Reign and Hanna got this fancy french frappes (I forgot the french name oops!) and I got the iced green tea which was really good. The interior of the cafe was pretty and the food prices were adequate so we were all smiles. Of course we also had to take selfies there too! 

Can we talk about how adorable we were though?

We also went to Family Mart to get this self serve unlimited Green Tea ice cream that I've always wanted to try. I've always seen relatives or friends go there for ice cream and I was happy I finally got to try it for myself. It was my first time serving ice cream for myself and I was pretty bomb at it actually. I was so proud of myself. 

Of course we also had to take polaroids too. 

So Reign, beh, if you're reading this thank you sooo much for everything. For being there for me and I was going through bad times and when I was feeling down and for being there when I needed someone to bitch and rant about people and stuff with hahah. Thank you for not getting annoyed when I flood you relentlessly with messages on iMessage. For replying and always hearing out everything I had to say. Thank you for recommending me books that causes me so much pain (Well at least I got you whom I could be me with). I could trust you with anything and you know I could be trusted too. One day, we'll both live in the same city, or even next to each other and it's going to be a blast. Take care of yourself in America and I hope you stay kind and amazing. I love you. 

// top ten tuesday: characters i just didn't click with

Top Ten Tuesday is a tag hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. And every Tuesday we get different topics to discuss and this week is all about characters we just didn't click with. Here are mine: 

1. Rowan (Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas)

I’m not starting any wars here but I honestly dont see what people see in him. People started shipping him with Celaena/Aelin after his appearance in Heir of Fire but if memory serves right, he was such a douchebag. 

2. Mal Oretsev (The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo)

He was tolerable at first but in the second and third books he annoyed me a little bit because I feel like he only liked Alina when she depended on him and she was weak. He got all whiny when she started using her powers…. 

3. Juliette Ferrars(Shatter Me Trilogy by There Mafi)

I used to love this trilogy so much but Juliette annoyed me in Ignite Me. I am not happy with her decisions in that book. 

4. Warner (Shatter Me Trilogy by There Mafi)

Again, I didn't see what people saw in him. He used Juliette many times and then tells her his intentions were good and just wanted her to bring the best in her? He also manipulated Juliette many times which is a no for me, sorry guys!

5. America Singer (The Selection series by Kiera Cass)

Looking back, this series really annoyed me and the only reason why I probably finished it was for Maxon Schreave. America was so undecisive. 

6. Sydney Sage (The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead)

I had high hopes that I’ll love this series since I loved Vampire Academy but I was wrong. I just couldn't relate Sydney and I have the complete series in hardcovers…

7. Sebastian Morgenstern (The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassie Clare)

I know he went through some serious fucked up events but he downright creeped me out when I was reading the series. He wanted to be with his sister and everything and how he played them, nope. 

8. Augustus Waters (The Fault in our Stars by John Green)

Everyone was swooning over him except me. I mean I’ve encountered better book boyfriends. The hype probably ruined any chance of me getting impressed by him. 

9. Caleb Prior (Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth) 

It annoyed the hell out of me how Tris would do anything to keep him safe and he betrayed her, the only family he got left. 

10. Margo Roth Spiegelman (Papertowns by John Green)

Did some of the characters that made it to my list on your list too? Who are the characters that made it to your list?