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Anxiety and Me

Today I want to talk to you about my anxiety. I've mentioned in in the past when reviewing books featuring characters with anxiety, or when it's effecting my blogging, but I haven't spoken about it specifically. I think talking about mental illness is just so important; the more we talk, the more we break the stigma.

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My Love of Art

Today, I want to talk to you about art I love. I'm in no way an expert, just a layman who loves what I see, so I can't wax poetic about it or anything. But I do love specific artists and subjects. All images can be clicked to be taken to the website page to learn more.

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Review: Queen of Fury by Tracy Banghart (#Ad)

I received this eProof for by/free from Hachette Children's Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Queen of Fury by Tracy Banghart

Published: 11th July 2019 | Publisher: Hachette Children's Books | Cover Designer: | Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Tracy Banghart's Website

Nomi and Malachi find themselves powerless and headed towards their all-but-certain deaths. Now that Asa sits on the throne, he will stop at nothing to make sure Malachi never sets foot in the palace again.

Nomi's sister, Serina, is far away on the prison island of Mount Ruin - but it is in the grip of revolution and Serina leads. The women there have their sights set on revenge beyond the confines of their island prison. They will stop at nothing to gain freedom for the entire kingdom. But first they'll have to get rid of Asa, and only Nomi knows how.

Separated once again, this time by choice, Nomi and Serina must forge their own paths as they aim to tear down the world they know, to build something better in its place. From Goodreads

My other reviews of the Grace & Fury Duology:
Grace & Fury

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Rep: Secondary dark skinned character, secondary lesbian characters in f/f relationship.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features authorised abduction, violence: fighting, guns/shooting, knives/stabbing, death, murder, mentions of paedophilia and rape.

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Snapshot Stories #1

I am not a fiction writer in general. I've tried, but I really don't enjoy it. I don't have the patience for something that takes so long - I get bored very quickly in any endeavour that takes a long time to complete. And all that editing afterwards? Definitely not for me.

However, sometimes I see something out a window while people watching, and think "Who? What? Why?" Or I read a line in a book that is nothing in context of the story, but on it's own, it gets me thinking. I think "What if?" These questions spin in my brain until I create answers for them, and suddenly there's something. A scene or a character. And I can't help writing it down. They're so very short, they can hardly be called short stories, so I call them snapshot stories; just a moment in the life of the characters created. I thought I would share them with you, as and when I write them.

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Being a Migraine Sufferer with Fragrance Sensitivity

I have suffered with migraines for almost as long as I can remember. What do migraines look like? They can be slightly different for each person, but mine tend to be extremely bad headaches, and exhaustion with nausea/vomiting, migraine aura (which is a visual disturbance, which for me is like those coloured blobs that appear if you look at a light for too long - except mine grow and get bigger, and end up blocking out everything so I can't see), and, very rarely, tunnel vision. Over the years, there has been so much trial and error with my doctor to find the right medication not only to treat, but to also prevent. Some didn't work, others had side effects - there was one preventative medication that kept me from sleeping, and a treatment medication that made it feel like a had a huge weight on my chest, with the weirdest sensation, and every time I moved, the weight and sensation would be unbearable, so I would have to lie completely still, feeling terrified.

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Review: Heartstream by Tom Pollock

Heartstream by Tom Pollock

Published: 4th July 2019 | Publisher: Walker Books | Cover Designer: Maria Solar Canton | Source: Bought
Tom Pollock on Twitter

I just wanted to see you. Before the end.

A taut psychological thriller about obsession, fame and betrayal, for fans of Black Mirror.

Cat is in love. Always the sensible one, she can't believe that she's actually dating, not to mention dating a star. But the fandom can't know. They would eat her alive. And first at the buffet would definitely be her best friend, Evie.

Amy uses Heartstream, a social media app that allows others to feel your emotions. She broadcasted every moment of her mother's degenerative illness, and her grief following her death. It's the realest, rawest reality TV imaginable. But on the day of Amy's mother's funeral, Amy finds a strange woman in her kitchen. She's rigged herself and the house with explosives - and she's been waiting to talk to Amy for a long time. Who is she? A crazed fan? What does she want? Amy and Cat are about to discover how far true obsession can go. From Goodreads.

Book Depository | Wordery | Goodreads

Rep: Lesbian MC, male secondary character who wears make-up.

Trigger/Content Warnings: Pregnancy, birth, death, grief, a funeral, bullying, discussion of self-harm, phishing, hacking into social media/email, trolling, blackmail, a description of an explicit photo, suicide ideation, child abduction, bomb threat, captivity, and captivity in a mental hospital.

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My Love of Theatre

Today, I thought I would talk to you about my love of the theatre. I have been a huge fan of drama and theatre - especially musical theatre - for as long as I can remember. To me, musical theatre is the best form of storytelling - yes, even more so than books! As a child, I would always ask to borrow my grandma's videos of My Fair Lady, The King and I, and her video of Cats live on stage, when Elaine Paige played Grizabella. As a ten-year-old, I joined my primary school's after school Drama Club, and there I discovered a love of acting. The club went on a trip to see Bugsy Malone - sparking my love of musical theatre - and then put on our production. I played Roxy Robinson, the second character on stage and the first character to die(!), and, of course, Baby Face - because, really, with my face, who could be better for the part?

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Review: The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman (#Ad)

I was sent this review copy for free by Titan Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

Published: 16th April 2019 | Publisher: Titan Books | Cover Designer: Natasha MacKenzi | Source: Publisher
Christine Lynn Herman's Website

Branches and stones, daggers and bones,
They locked the Beast away.

After the death of her sister, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn't: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods.

Justin Hawthorne's bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray—a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family's powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can't let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect.

Ever since Harper Carlisle lost her hand to an accident that left her stranded in the Gray for days, she has vowed revenge on the person who abandoned her: Justin Hawthorne. There are ripples of dissent in Four Paths, and Harper seizes an opportunity to take down the Hawthornes and change her destiny-to what extent, even she doesn't yet know.

The Gray is growing stronger every day, and its victims are piling up. When Violet accidentally unleashes the monster, all three must band together with the other Founders to unearth the dark truths behind their families' abilities—before the Gray devours them all. From Goodreads.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features physical violence, death, grief, dead bodies, animal death, kidnap, and a cult.

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