Finding lockdown comfort in YA and Harry Potter…
February 2020 was a crazy month for all of us. The COVID-19 panic was growing in China, but the idea of a global pandemic started to become a reality. I even decided to get on a plane in February – which seems insane now! I went for a four-day trip to Edinburgh and had an incredible time up there – despite the stormy weather. Remember when storm Dennis was the UK’s biggest worry?! ?
It was the beginning of a new year of travel for me, and I had lots of plans to finally make the most of a steady income. I am so glad I pushed for a trip as early as February rather than waiting any later, as it turns out Edinburgh is likely to be the only fun place I get to travel to this year. Which isn’t half bad as the Harry Potter capital was as magical as I could have hoped for.
As we entered Spring properly in March I loved seeing the blossoming flowers and lighter evenings. My friend from France came to visit and I was finally feeling like I had a handle on this old thing called life. On the 17th of March, I went into work as usual. Little did I know that would be the last time I would set foot there for many months to come. Within an hour it was decided our office should shut down and so I frantically scrambled to grab what I needed for working from home. Sweets? Check. My favourite plant? Check. Anything that would come in handy long-term? Not so much.
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was still a feeling of “it will only be a few weeks, a month or so at most”. If I had known that 3 months later I would still be at home I definitely wouldn’t have abandoned my plants so readily! Lockdown officially came into place the week afterwards, and then sadly I got the news I would be put on furlough from April 1st.
Needless to say, this was a stressful time, and every little part of my life went up in the air. For the first few weeks, I relished all this extra time. I Kon-Mari-ed my flat, decluttering and organising like never before. The bin bags of stuff are still sitting in the corner awaiting the day they can finally be donated. My anxiety reached new levels and I just didn’t leave the house at all. The world became a scary place and I found it hard to cope.
Thank goodness for the escapes of Netflix and books is all I’m going to say, and by the end of April, I started to find my footing again.
So Spring 2020 will be forever synonymous with COVID, and the turning to comforts to get us through. For me, I delved into some fun YA books and was very grateful that I still had the Harry Potter audiobooks to provide some stability and familiarity each day.
Here’s a round-up of the 13 books I read during these turbulent months. It may not be many, but I am proud I was able to keep drudging through no matter what.
A Court of Thorns and Roses series
By Sarah J. Maas
Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
A bookstagram staple it was about time I delved into the ACOTAR series! I read the three main novels (A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin) and the latest novella (A Court of Frost and Starlight) in quick succession. I found myself completely enthralled in the story and fell in love with Feyre and Rhysand and the rest of the supernatural gang.
This was my first adventure into the world of Sarah J. Maas and I see now why she is so beloved. While this is billed as YA, it is definitely on the ‘older’ side as the romance plays a big part in the story intertwined with all the action. While I definitely enjoyed the second and third books much more than the first, the series as a whole is a thrilling ride that I recommend.
I’m excited to see there’s another spin-off to come and will definitely come when another ACOTAR story beckons!
Serpent & Dove
By Shelby Mahurin
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.
The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.
And love makes fools of us all.
Well and truly in the mood for some YA fantasy Serpent & Dove was in an ebook sale and so I took the plunge. And I’m absolutely glad I did as it turned out to be one of my recent favourites!
Again I would call this more of a ‘new adult’ book than YA, as the romance was very prominent – which made it all the more fun to read! But it was the main character Lou who made the book work so well for me. She stood out amongst the many female protagonists of YA fantasy and was more than the strong badass stereotype.
The fantasy element in Serpent was witches and the Romeo & Juliet style romance was well-paced and kept the pages turning as the story unfolded.
The first in a series I believe, I cannot wait to join Lou and Reid once again.
The Vicious Vikings (Horrible Histories)
By Terry Deary
A comical review of Viking history.
After binging Vikings, the awesome TV show currently on Amazon Prime that follows Ragnar Lothbrook and his family as they rise to fame and infamy, I was intrigued to find out more about this time in history. I wondered if there was some artistic licence at play on the show and wanted to find out a little more about the real-life history behind the stories.
So I turned to a children’s book for my education! I was feeling nostalgic for the Horrible Histories and spotted this in the library so thought it could be a light and easy read to get a flavour for things.
The book was full of pictures and jokes, some a bit dated – or less funny viewed with an adult lens. But overall I did learn a little more and was surprised to find how much on the show was taken from the truth.
Don’t You Forget About Me
By Mhairi McFarlane
Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to rise again…
If there’s one thing worse than being fired from the grottiest restaurant in town, it’s coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else.
Reeling from the indignity of a double dumping on the same day, Georgina snatches at the next job that she’s offered – barmaid in a newly opened pub, which just so happens to run by the boy she fell in love with at school: Lucas McCarthy.
And whereas Georgina (voted Most Likely to Succeed in her school yearbook) has done nothing but dead-end jobs in the last twelve years, Lucas has not only grown into a broodingly handsome man, but also has turned into an actual grown-up with a business and a dog along the way.
Meeting Lucas again not only throws Georgina’s rackety present into sharp relief, but also brings a dark secret from her past bubbling to the surface. Only she knows the truth about what happened on the last day of school, and why she’s allowed it to chase her all these years…
A classic contemporary romance novelist Mhairi McFarlane is praised for her fun reads. In the mood for something a little lighter, I decided to at last give McFarlane a try.
While beginning in quite sad place, we get to know Georgina inside and out, which makes it all the more delicious when a man from her past emerges. I liked how we the reader seemed to know what she was thinking before she did herself, as she tries to comes to turns with the many changes in her life.
There was a lot to relate to – the struggles of finding a career, working out what you want out of life etc – and there are many fun scenes that made me laugh out loud.
I loved that this felt more than romance – it was first and foremost about Georgina. Her friends and family all feature too and she feels like a fully fleshed-out human being. So when the romance finally starts to blossom you really feel happy for her as her life comes together.
Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight
By Sarah J. Maas
Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?
After the success of ACOTAR, I was ready and waiting to delve into a Sarah J. Maas book again. This time I went for her original series Throne of Glass.
Celaena is a fun twist on the YA female stereotype. She is 100% a badass and the ‘best assassin in the world’ but she isn’t a hero. She kills for a living and that takes its toll, especially on one so young, trained as a child into a life of shadows and murder.
The storey was easy to read as you’re sucked into the tournament Calaena must compete in, and there are even two love viable interests (the prince and the captain).
However, by the time I got halfway through the second book in the series Crown of Midnight, my attention started to wane. Without the plot of the tournament holding it together, the story felt aimless and predictable.
Now Caleana is painted as very much the good guy, trying to bring down the evil system, and it just felt… I hate to say it… a little boring.
So while I enjoyed Throne of Glass (four stars worth probably), I finished Crown of Midnight feeling unsatisfied and decided not to continue on to the third in the seven-book series.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince & the Deathly Hallows
By JK Rowling
Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him.
Sadly I came to the end of my Harry Potter journey this Spring. After 5 lovely months of listening to the Wizarding World each night, it would be weird to end my days without a soothing Stephen Fry voice!
Phoenix, Prince and Hallows are the other half of the Potter series – where shit gets real. In Phoenix, the Horcruxes are introduced and as older teens, the trio finds themselves in more complex and dangerous situations than ever. Voldermort is well and truly back and now it’s time to put a stop to it.
I found a new appreciation for Phoenix this time around, as this long-ass book goes into so much detail you feel truly immersed in the story. While the subject matter gets darker and darker, there is still a lot of humour to be found and I loved all the scenes with Dobby and Winky that were so sadly cut from the film.
The first chapter of Prince is one of my favourites out of all the books. We are introduced to the Muggle Prime Minister and you really get a sense of the connection of the muggle and wizarding worlds and how they function side by side. This exploration of the political and societal implications of Voldermort’s return on the muggle world is fascinating and makes the story so much more realistic.
As Dumbledore and Harry go out alone to retrieve the first Horcrux, I had forgotten just how terrifying their journey was – not ideal for bedtime reading! Prince truly comes into its own as an adult book – a far cry from Philosopher’s Stone and is a great joy to read with twists and turns keeping you gripped to the very (tragic) end.
By Hallows, the darkness becomes overwhelming, both figuratively and literally in the case of the locket Horcrux. The first half follows the trio as they try to evade capture from the death eaters, as they apparate and disapparate across Britain, camping in damp forests. By the time we come closer to the final battle the tension is palatable, as virtually every character we know and love come together (with the exception of the introduction of Dumbledore’s notable brother). What might be joyous in their reunion soon turns sour as battle commences and bodies go flying.
Rereading the ending of the series is bittersweet. Knowing what is to come is sad, but the details in between become heightened and truly beautiful. I am so glad I renewed my passion for Harry Potter once again and it is an experience I hope to relive very soon!
Dark Tides (Books 1 – 4)
By Candace Osmond
Find the witch. Return to the future. Don’t fall in love with the devil…
When Dianna Cobham accidentally breaks an enchanted ship-in-a-bottle she’s washed away to 1707 Newfoundland and taken prisoner aboard a pirate ship captained by the infamous Devil Eyed Barrett. Dianna fights to survive by proving herself indispensable to the crew, all the while forging a secret plan to get back home.
But when Dianna learns of the Devil’s vengeful mission to seek and kill her ancestors, her hopes for returning to the future transform into an elaborate plot to save her lineage. Can she charm the Devil’s heart and change his mind before it’s too late? Or will she sacrifice herself to save the man hidden underneath it all?
While billed as four books, this ebook series was on sale as one ebook and so I read each ‘book’ back to back. As the four books combined were 634 pages I feel like that’s the equivalent of one long book! Despite being quite a ‘long’ book, I raced through it in a week or so as it was by far one of the most exciting reads I’ve read so far this year!
Outlander meets pirates was always going to appeal to me. I love a good time travel story and this one was so much better than expected. A romance ebook on Amazon doesn’t scream amazing, so I was surprised as anyone at just how good the story was.
Modern-day Dianna is sent back in time onto a pirate ship and that’s just the least of what happens to her next! You are immediately transported to the 1700s, and as Dianna adjusts to her new reality – and tries to work out how to get home – we meet an infamous pirate who isn’t as evil as she thought…
What follows is an excellent romance, and the fast-paced escapades of the two and their crew as Dianna needs to decide whether she tries to go back to the 21st century or remain with her new love.
There are so many twists and turns to the story, and the action just doesn’t stop until the last page! It was definitely one of those just-one-more-chapter books that make reading oh so fun!
The fifth book has just been released so I may soon join the adventures of Diana and Henry once again…
