Review: Paper Dandy's Horrorgami by Marc Hagan-Guirey

Title: Paper Dandy's Horrorgami.
Author: Marc Hagan-Guirey.
Publication Date: September 1st, 2015.
Publisher: Laurence King.
Format: Paperback, 128 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

Paper Dandy's Horrorgami features 20 kirigami (cut-and-fold) designs based around haunted houses and scenes from horror films by the creator of the successful Horrorgami blog and exhibition. Each project features step-by-step instructions and a template that you remove from the book. You then follow the lines on the template, cutting and folding to make your own kirigami model.

All you need is a scalpel, a cutting mat and a ruler. Clear cutting tips help you with the tricky stages and give you an order in which to complete your work, while photos of the finished model show you the final design. Suitable for folding experts and beginners alike, Paper Dandy's Horrorgami makes the perfect Halloween activity.

 

Review

Paper Dandy’s Horrorgami is a creepy and beautifully done kirigami project book with 20 different types of scenes mimicking graveyards and howling wolves to keep any horror fan absorbed for hours. The designs range from more easy projects to much more complex and time consuming work. The only tools you need to start working in this fabulous book are a craft blade, a cutting mat and a metal ruler. (All of which I brought for a couple of quid each on Amazon!) The pictures are clear and beautifully done, with photos of what the finished project will look like at the end which is a really brilliant and wonderful extra to add a finishing touch to the book.

The only two issues I’ve had so far with the book are that I found it quite hard to remove the scenes from the book to cut them out. I had to carefully use my knife to cut the page from the book in fear of ripping the page when trying to remove it. I also found that although the instructions were long, they weren’t as easy to follow or as detailed as I’d hoped. This is all well and good for someone who’s being working with kirigami before, but as a newbie to the craft, I was rather confused and worried I’d cut the wrong parts! I think it would have been a lot easier to follow if the instructions were shorter and simpler so people at different levels of crafting could follow.

Overall, I’ve loved this book, it’s a brilliant way to keep my brain and hands occupied and while away the hours. I’m not particularly skilled at cutting curves yet, but I’m definitely going to keep practicing and hope to get a whole lot better. You can easily photocopy the scenes so you can freely mess up without worrying about spoiling the whole scene as well. The scenes are printed singularly on white card which is easy to cut and fold making the whole process that much easier. Although the card is thick, it can get a little flimsy when you’re cutting delicate parts out, so I’d be careful not to tear the tiny pieces, which I’ve done on more than one occasion. I’d recommend this book to any craft minded people out there, even to the ones who haven’t tried their hand at kirigami before; I know I’ve personally had so much fun working on these little projects!

September 2015 Book Haul

 

Hey book nerdigans! :D How are you all doing? I hope you're all doing well, I know I certainly am! I'm really tired, but I'm insanely close to my due date, which is really crazy. I've got less than a week to go! :O Although I have a funny feeling that the little lady is going to be late, which is rather strange, because I'm always early for things! xD Anyway, this will probably be my last proper post, save for a review or two, for quite a while as I'm going to be very busy. :) I will try and get an October Wrap-Up done, but I really can't promise anything, which is a shame, but oh well. This will also probably be my last book haul for ages, as I'm now officially on a book buying ban as I have run out of space! :( Oh well! I hope you all enjoy this September haul though, I got some awesome looking books. :D

 

Video

 

Photos And Book Information

Secret Garden Artist's Edition: A Pull-Out and Frame Colouring Book by Johanna Basford.

Paper Dandy's Horrorgami by Marc Hagan-Guirey.

A HUGE thanks to Laurence King Publishing who sent me the Secret Garden colouring book and Paper Dandy's Horrorgami for review. :D I've already reviewed Secret Garden here and I hope to review Horrorgami as soon as possible! :)

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

A HUGE thanks to Bloomsbury who sent me a copy of Queen Of Shadows for review, I LOVE this series and can't wait to catch up on it. :) Also a BIG thanks to Macmillan who sent me a copy of Carry On for review, it looks amazing and I can't wait to finally get around to reading it! :D

Nymphs (Nymfit, #1) by Sari Luhtanen & Miikko Oikkonen.

A BIG thanks to Headline who sent me a copy of Nymphs for review, it looks awesome and I will try and get around to reading and reviewing it as soon as possible. :)

Torn by Cat Clarke.
The Killing of Kayla Sloane by Kim Harrington.

Scent of Magic (Healer, #2) by Maria V. Snyder.
Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, #2) by Veronica Rossi.

Shackled by Angela Carling.
Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf.

Love and Other Theories by Alexis Bass.
The Infects by Sean Beaudoin.

Landry Park (Landry Park, #1) by Bethany Hagen.
Control (Control, #1) by Lydia Kang.

Seeker (Seeker, #1) by Arwen Elys Dayton.
The Novice (Summoner, #1) by Taran Matharu.

I actually brought this book used online, and when it arrived in the post I found out it was signed by the author which was really amazing! :D

 

Thoughts

So many books, so little time! I love the looks of all of these books, and they're all so pretty as well! :D I really hope to make sure I have time in the coming months to continue reading, even though I'm going to be insanely busy. I really can't decide which book here I'm most excited about, possibly Carry On or Torn. :D I have also been having a really fun time trying out the Horrorgami book, it's a book full of different Kirigami Horror scenes to cut out and fold. It's really tricky, but a lot of fun! :) Have you read any of these books? Let me know! ^.^

 

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What books have you brought or received lately? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (:

Review: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Title: A Thousand Nights.
Author: E.K. Johnston
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2015.
Publisher: Macmillan.
Genres: Fantasy, Re-telling, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 256 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

Lo-Melkiin killed three hundred girls before he came to my village, looking for a wife.

When Lo-Melkhiin – a formidable king – arrives at her desert home, she knows that he will take her beautiful sister for a wife. Desperate to save her sister from certain death, she makes the ultimate sacrifice – leaving home and family behind to live with a fearful man.

But it seems that a strange magic flows between her and Lo-Melkiin, and night after night, she survives. Finding power in storytelling, the words she speaks are given strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. But she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a King… if only she can stop her heart from falling for a monster.

 

Review

When I first read the blurb for A Thousand Nights, I was extremely excited – I thought the whole premise and idea behind the novel sounded brilliant. So I went into reading A Thousand Nights with rather high expectations even though I’d not read the original tale of Arabian Nights or read any reviews on it beforehand. I’m pretty sure this proved to be my undoing, as I really didn’t enjoy reading A Thousand Nights as much as I thought I would. I’m afraid I was only vaguely interested in what was happening, and as much as I was curious to find out what happened next, I just couldn’t wait for it to end. So much could have been done with this retelling, and it could have been crafted beautifully, and I actually feel really sad that I didn’t reading it like I hoped I would.

Our main protagonist is a bit of mystery, this is because we don’t know her name until the end of the book. I didn’t actually realise that she hadn’t been called anything other than ‘my lady’, ‘lady-bless’, ‘sister’, ‘wife’ and ‘daughter of mine’ until I was over half way through A Thousand Nights. The main character wasn’t anything special, or that well developed in my opinion, which was a real shame as I thought a lot more could have been done with it. The only thing I knew about her was that she had a high morals, which I actually really commended her for, she fought for what she believed in and wanted. She would literally do anything to save the ones she loved, unlike a lot of characters that say they would but never actually follow through, and I thought that was beautiful. Other than that there isn’t a whole lot else to say about her character, as nothing else is really given away, which is probably why I found it so different to relate to her character on any level which is a real shame.

Overall, I wasn’t keen on A Thousand Nights at all. There were many occasions where I wanted to just put the book down and not complete it, but I hate doing so, so I forced myself to keep reading the story. I didn’t completely dislike A Thousand Nights, as I believe the whole idea of the story is amazing, but I just didn’t get on with E.K. Johnston’s retelling of Arabian Nights. I’ll definitely be reading a different retelling of the storyline, as I own another, but unfortunately this particular one just wasn’t for me. I felt like I couldn’t connect with the characters, I was thoroughly confused on more than one occasion, and although I loved the whole idea of the storyline and the concept, the writing style and general pace of the book bored me. I hate to rate a book such a low rating, but I feel like 2.5/5 stars I gave it best reflected my opinion. Don’t be too discouraged by my review though, if you think you’d enjoy it, then you should definitely pick it up and give it a go. Just because it wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean it won’t be yours!

Quotes

It began slowly. One moving spark in a sky full of fixed lights, spiralling blue and gold, and then doused by the blackness of the sky. Not all of us saw it, it burned so quickly, but soon there were plenty of lights to marvel at.
I hoped my sister was watching. I hoped she did not fear the sight, but stood in the sand and watched this beauty with her strong heart. - Page 76.

They were burning up, and they didn't even know they were afire. - Page 107.

She was not of my kind, yet there was some power to her that was not human, not quite. She did not die, and I wondered if I might at last have found a queen for whom I could set the desert on fire. - Page 109.

Good men fall to monsters every day. Clever men are tricked by their own pride or pretty words. - Page 258.

Review: Monster by C.J. Skuse

Title: Monster.
Author: C.J. Skuse.
Publication Date: September 24th, 2015.
Publisher: Mira Ink.
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 384 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

There are things out there, real things that we need to worry about.

At sixteen, Nash thought the biggest fight that she'd face would be the battle to become Head Girl of prestigious boarding school, Bathory.

Until her brother's disappearance leads to Nash being trapped at the school over Christmas with Bathory's assorted misfits. As a blizzard rages outside, strange things are afoot in the school's dark, dangerous hallways.

And the girls will have to stick together if they hope to survive.

 

Review

Monster is a hard book for me to review, mostly because I'm in two minds about what I really thought about it. On one hand it had a lot going for it, with a creepy setting and plot with some rather intense scenes and on the other, it was incredibly slow at the beginning! It took over 150 pages before anything remotely interesting happened, and I was bored to tears during that time and considered DNF’ing it on more than one occasion. However, when it did finally pick up, I found it rather enjoyable! There are quite a few twists and turns throughout Monster, and although it was a little predictable at times, I thought it was a rather fun and creepy stand alone novel.

Nash is our main protagonist in Monster, and I liked her character a little bit, but mostly I wasn’t that fond of her. She managed to keep a level head throughout most of the book, which I commend her for, but other than that I thought she was rather immature, and some of the things she said had me furrowing my brow and wondering what on earth I was reading. She was also a little too stuck up for my liking, and I wasn't keen on how quickly she went from disliking and not wanting to associate with a bunch of the misfits to being all pally with them. The other characters in Monster were well developed and fun to read about and I really loved Maggie, Nash’s new friend, she was incredibly sarcastic and funny. There was also a little bit of romance between Nash and a local boy, Charlie, but I thought it was rather stale, and didn't care for his character whatsoever – it was also a very bad case of instalove!

Overall, I did enjoy reading Monster when the action started to happen and the pace picked up. C.J. Skuse has a very funny and quirky writing style that I found fun to read, and I admit I chuckled quite a few times at some of the lines throughout Monster. However, the slow paced beginning really did drag down the rating for me, and I found it rather disappointing because of this. Also, some of the aspects throughout the book seemed a little too juvenile for my liking, and I was a little confused about some of the general things that were said. I will definitely be reading more from C.J. Skuse in the future as I’ve heard her other novels are really good, so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy them more than I did this one. And finally, I would recommend this book if you’re interested in thriller mystery novels, but please be prepared for a very slow beginning!

Quotes

I had to see it more clearly. I had to know if it was there for sure, the thing I’d been seeing for weeks now, darting across fields, hiding around corners, vanishing behind trees. The killer of dozens of sheep and chickens. And possible humans.
But, in a second, it had gone, vanished into the hedge with barely the rustle of a leaf. - Page 12.

A branch cracked somewhere in the woods.
'What was that?' I said, a frozen ache spreading all through my limbs.
'Maybe it's the Beast, come back for the spine?' - Page 66.

'Keep safe?' said Maggie. 'How are we supposed to keep safe, Nash? We've got a friggin' murderer running loose about the hills, there's so much snow out there I keep expecting a Yeti to come hiking through it at any minute, and we've got no internet connection. How do you expect us not to panic?'
'Leon's not running about the hills,' snapped Dianna. '[...] It's too cold to go out in this. He's probably just as frightened as we are.'
'Poor baby,' said Maggie. 'Are his lil' stabby hands getting all frozy-wozy?' - Page 181.

Maggie, Dianna and Clarice all looked at each other then, one after the other, went into the Aladdin's cave I'd just opened up for them - a dressing room, ostensibly, but also the room where the Saul-Hudsons kept all their most strictly private 'stuff'. It wasn't long before the screams came.
'What the hell is all this stuff?'
'Oh. My. God!' Maggie shrieked. 'It's a total kink fest! Like where Ann Summers went to die!'
I laughed. 'Just bring the fluffy pink handcuffs. Nothing else.' - Page 212.

September 2015 Wrap-Up

 

Hey book nerds! :D How are you all doing? I hope you're all enjoying the start of October, I can't believe how fast this year is going, it's crazy! I'm due at the end of this month, which is so scary and rather bizarre. :P Because of the fact I'm due in such a short period of time, this, along with my September book haul (which I hope to have filmed and up within a week or so) may be some of my last posts for quite a while! I'm not sure how I'm going to juggle being a single mum and blogging/vlogging, but I do hope to try and continue to read, but I do know I'm going to have my hands full. :) So, I'm really sorry for any future delays in posting reviews and videos, I'm not forgetting you guys, I promise! :D Anyways, as for what I read last month, I think I did really well with my reading progress! I surpassed my Good Reads challenge of 30 books for the year, and managed to read 8 books in September - which I think is really brilliant. :) That's it for today, I hope you all enjoy this post, and I'll talk to you all again soon! ^.^

 

Video

 

Books Read In September 2015

• The Secret Fire by C.J. Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld.



• Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick.



• Alienated by Melissa Landers.



• Nil by Lynne Matson.



• Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout.



• Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout.



• Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout.



• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.

 

Total: 8 books read.
Click on the link to be taken to the review.

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What books did you read in September 2015? Don't forget to leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! ^.^ Happy Reading! (:

Review: Secret Garden, Artist's Edition by Johanna Basford

Title: Secret Garden, Artist's Edition Colouring Book.
Author: Johanna Basford.
Publication Date: September 14th, 2015.
Publisher: Laurence King.
Format: Paperback, 20 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

From the artist and the publisher that brought you the hugely successful Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest - this special artist's edition features 20 beautiful, pull out art prints for colouring in. Colouring fans of all ages will enjoy immersing themselves in a selection of the most popular artworks from the original book, now presented in a new, large-scale format for maximum colouring enjoyment. Each detailed illustration is printed on high-quality card and can be removed easily for framing or craft projects.

 
 

Review

Usually I review novels, so testing out and reviewing this gorgeous edition of the Secret Garden colouring book is a first for me. I'm hoping this review will go smoothly, but also bear with me as I'm new to this type of review. The Secret Garden, Artist’s Edition colouring book contains 20 of the most popular and gorgeous images from the original Secret Garden colouring book, mounted individually on thick, high quality crème coloured card that’s easily removable and pretty enough to frame if wanted!

I've been testing out a variety of different mediums on pages to see which suits best, and I personally think you can use anything you like! I've loved using fine liners to colour in the intricate designs, and the best part? Is that if you flip over the page, you don’t get any bleeding through the page onto the back, which has happened a lot with other colouring books I've tested out. I'm no pro at colouring by any means, it’s something that I've recently started doing again and I love it! The designs in this colouring book are stunning, and different enough that, although they link in together with the Secret Garden theme, they aren't practically the same. The only small, tiny problem that I've noticed with the colouring book is that from where I've opened the book to colour, the spine has literally ripped open and split near the top. This may be just bad luck on my part, however if you’re particularly fond of how the book looks on the outside as well, I’d be careful just in case this may happen to you. I've posted a picture below.

Something that I thought was a brilliant touch to the colouring book was how easily and quickly the pages could be removed. I’ve often come across books with ‘easy tear’ pages, and when you try to remove the pictures, you end up creating a big rip right across the image you were trying to save! This, however, is not the case, and from what I can gather, the pages are glued to the spine for easy removal. Johanna Basford is an amazingly talented artist, and has created a gorgeous selection of pictures for people of any age and gender to colour in to their hearts desire. I love the simplicity of the design of the colouring book, no frills or extras, just beautiful content. If you’re a fan of any adult colouring books, or you’re looking to start using them, I’d definitely recommend this Secret Garden, Artist’s Edition colouring book – you won’t regret it!

August 2015 Book Haul

 

Hey book nerds! ^.^ How are you all doing? :) I can't believe we're nearly half way through September already! It's crazy, this year has been going by so quickly, it's ridiculous. I've got less than six weeks until my due date, which is really scary! :P I don't feel nearly prepared enough, but I'm sure all will be well when the little one makes an appearance. I was going to do some YouTube videos on my pregnancy, but unfortunately I've been suffering from low iron levels and I've just been tired CONSTANTLY and I haven't had the energy. I found out a while ago that I'm actually having a little girl, which is really exciting as I was sure I was having a boy! :) Anyways, I got some amazing books last month and I'm really excited to be sharing them all with you all. I hope you enjoy! :D

 

Video

 

Photos And Book Information

The Tattooed Heart (Messenger of Fear, #2) by Michael Grant.
Reawakened (The Reawakened, #1) by Colleen Houck.

A BIG thanks to Electric Monkey who sent me The Tattooed Heart for review, I can't wait to get around to reading the first book in this series! Also and HUGE thank you to Hodder who sent me a copy of Reawakened for review, it looks amazing! :)

The Keeper (Vega Jane, #2) by David Baldacci.
The Secret Fire (The Alchemist Chronicles, #1) by C.J. Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld.

A HUGE thanks to Macmillan who sent a copy of The Keeper for review, this series looks brilliant and I can't wait to start it. ^.^ Also a BIG thanks to Atom who sent me a copy of The Secret Fire for review, it was an AMAZING book and I've already posted my review here.

Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith.
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West.

These were both belated birthday gifts from my best friend, Sarah. THANK YOU, Sarah, I LOVE YOU! :D

Find Me (Find Me, #1) by Romily Bernard.
Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy, #1) by Jennifer Estep.

Skin Deep (Eternal Forces, #1) by Megan D. Martin.
Hurricane (Hurricane, #1) by Jenna-Lynne Duncan.

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1) by Renee Ahdieh.
The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1) by Mary E. Pearson.

Nil (Nil, #1) by Lynne Matson.
Between the Spark and the Burn (Between, #2) by April Genevieve Tucholke.

In the After (In the After, #1) by Demitria Lunetta.
Made for You by Melissa Marr.

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell.
No One Else Can Have You (No One Else Can Have You, #1) by Kathleen Hale.

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3) by Cassandra Clare.
The Bane Chronicles (The Bane Chronicles, #1-11) by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson.

I brought this book used online, and it arrived SIGNED by Sarah Rees Brennan! :D How awesome is that?!

Shades of Earth (Across the Universe, #3) by Beth Revis.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas.

The Walking Dead, Compendium 1 (The Walking Dead, #1-48) by Robert Kirkman.

 

Thoughts

I am OVER THE MOON about having all of these books in my collection. The excitement I have for each book is ridiculous, I can't wait to read them all. :D I'm currently reading Nil by Lynne Matson, and I'm loving it so far, and it's fantastic. I think I'm also going to be starting maybe The Kiss of Deception or The Wrath and the Dawn really soon, but I'm not sure. :P I have so many books that I own and want to read now that it does get a bit overwhelming, but oh well! :D Have you read any of these books? Let me know! ^.^

 

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What books have you brought or received lately? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (: