Weekly Highlights: the 'Mad Book Buying' edition

Weekly Highlights is a feature borrowed from Faye of A Daydreamer's Thoughts, where I get to highlight my posts of the week, show you my new books and talk about bookish things!

I didn't have a chance to do one last week, so I have rather a lot to tell you! I have never hid anything from you guys and you all know about my job hunting last year, so: I found out last week that my contract at Waterstones will be ending at the end of April. The staffing is being reshuffled and because I'm the only one on a temporary contract, I'm out. It sucks and I'm really going to miss it. So, I've gone a little bit mad with my staff discount while I can and bought all of the books! 

On The Blog

Review of Salt and Stone by Victoria Scott (5 stars)

Review of Picture Perfect and All That Glitters by Holly Smale (4 stars)

Review of The Lives and Loves of Jesobel Jones by Anna Mainwaring (3 stars)

Review of The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (4 stars)

Currently Reading

I'm marathoning The Mortal Instruments series, right now I'm on book two.

On My Bookshelf

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

This has been on my wishlist ever since I made my wishlist! I'm so happy I finally have my hands on this; I also got Scarlet and Cress.

Night School: Legacy by CJ Daugherty  
In the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought dark-eyed Carter West into her life hasn't hurt either. But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could have imagined. The students and faculty are under threat, and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandmother to her runaway brother - are at the centre of the storm. Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart... 

I read Night School a while back and loved it and you know me, I have to complete the series for my shelves! I also got Fracture and Resistance; I'm planning on marathoning the rest of the series soon.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Love makes us such fools...

Pain in love appears to be a Roux family birthright, and for Ava Lavender, a girl born with the wings of a bird, it is key to her inheritance.

Longing to fit in with her peers, Ava ventures away from home, ill-prepared for what awaits her in a world that does not know whether to view her as girl or angel. 

Ava's quest and her family's saga build to a devastating crescendo until, on the summer solstice, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air and Ava’s fate is revealed.

A mesmerizing, lyrical tale of longing, desire and the nature of love.

I've been eyeing this one up since it was announced on Waterstones Children's Book Prize, so I've borrowed the staff room copy to see what all the fuss is about. 

It's About Love by Steven Camden
Real life is messier than the movies. A bold, thought-provoking novel from the exceptionally talented, Steven Camden.

He's Luke. She's Leia.

Just like in Star Wars. Just like they’re made for each other. Same film studies course, different backgrounds, different ends of town.

Only this isn't a film. This is real life. This is where monsters from the past come back to take revenge. This is where you are sometimes the monster.

But real life? Sometimes, only sometimes, it turns out just like in the movies…

… maybe.

The store was sent a review copy and I took it immediately! I read Tape a little while ago and really liked it, so am looking forward to what Camden comes up with next.