March Favourites

Let's get down to business! Can anyone name what film that's from? But anyway, here are my March favourites:

• Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Lipstick 'Rocksteady'- I got this lipstick new this month. I was quite ill at the beginning of March so decided I needed to treat myself to something to cheer myself up. So this happened. I will be reviewing this very soon but sneak peek: I really like it! Plus, can we all appreciate how beautiful the packaging is?

• Lancome Juicy Shaker 'Meli Melon'- This is something I'd never thought I'd ever own or like. I don't like lipgloss and I don't like pink. So how did this happen? My first product from Lancome which I won in a giveaway and it is honestly one of the most fun make up items I've ever tried. Review coming soon!

• W7 Go Colour Corrective Concealer 'Green'- I've had this since sometime last year and the reason it is in my favourites this month is because I'm so surprised it has lasted me so long. I use green corrector concealers on the majority of my face nearly every day so I love how long this has lasted. Probably the one I've used the longest! You can read my review on it here.

• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn- Oh. my. god. This book. I don't want to leave any spoilers, but lets say this book left me feeling shaken up. I read this in under 24 hours because I was so incredibly gripped by it. I felt so many emotions reading it and I do cry at books a lot, but never have I ever felt so shaken up by a story before. I literally sat in silence for 5 minutes after finishing trying to come to terms with what I've read. A few graphic scenes, but definitely an enticing read!

What were your favourites in March? Here's to April: my birthday month!

Books | Magisterium: The Copper Gauntlet

Hey!


Back in July you may remember that I reviewed a book called Magisterium: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. (click here to read it). Today, I am back with the second book in the series called Magisterium: The Copper Gauntlet.


The Copper Gauntlet begins with Callum  back at home with Havoc the chaos-ridden werewolf and Alaister, Callum's father. The beginning of the book sets the scene which is good as it reminds you of the story so far just in case you've forgotten any details.


One thing I really liked about the second instalment in the Magisterium series is that it delves more into the the character's backgrounds and their personalities. For example, in the book we found out more about Alaister and his personality. We learn about his past and realise just how much he loves his son. Additionally, we also find out more about Callum's best friends, Aaaron and Tamara. They've all grown up very differently: Callum alone with his father, Tamara with a rich family and luxurious household and Aaron without family. In the first book the character of Aaron is very mysterious so it is nice to find out about where he came from and why he is so reluctant to talk about his background.


My favourite character in the book by far is Havoc, Callum's loyal chaos-ridden wolf. He is super cute and makes me want a chaos-ridden wolf for myself! He is completely devoted to Callum, just like dogs in our world are, and if I could have him I totally would.


Likewise to the first book there are elements of the book that reminds me of Harry Potter. I can relate to Aaron to Harry Potter: Aaron without parents, similar to Harry. Aaron then goes to stay with Tamara's family for the summer, just like Harry Potter stays with Ron Weasley's family. This is why I think that people who love the Harry Potter series would also like the Magisterium books because they are similar in some ways, obviously including the fantasy and magic part.


Furthermore I must mention the cover artwork again. They've done it again with the beautiful cover! I like how the first book was covered in cold colours, just like iron (relating to the book's title, 'The Iron Trial') and then in the second book the colours are warm and fiery, just like copper ('The Copper Gauntlet'). You can tell that this has been well thought out which makes the books even more likeable. 


Overall I enjoyed the book. My favourite things about the book is that we get to know the characters better, we see how the 3 best friends work as a team and face challenges together and we also see how Alaister and Callum's father-son relationship is flawed but they finally understand one another in the end. All of these things contribute to actually feeling like I know the characters like actual real life people and I am still hooked on the series. 


As I said above, I would recommend this book to Harry Potter fans. I would also recommend it those who love The Mortal Instruments (written by Cassandra) and the Spiderwick Chronicles (written by Holly). I believe the authors are really good at capturing magic and fantasy together which is a genre I particularly like.


Magisterium: The Copper Gauntlet was published on September 3rd (so it's fairly quite new!) and you can buy it here.


What is your favourite book recently? Let me know!

*This book was sent to me. However, all opinions are 100% my own and I would never lie about liking a product. In this case, I really like the authors of this book because I love The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra and was a big fan of the Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly as a child. So, it would have been a book I probably would have ended up finding and buying anyway!

Book | Magisterium: The Iron Trial

Today I bring you a review of Magisterium: The Iron Trial, written by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. Both authors are bestsellers. Cassandra Clare is what immediately made the book catch my eye because I am a big fan of her series The Mortal Instruments. I wasn't sure I knew who Holly Black was at first and after googling her I flipped out. She is the author of the Spiderwick Chronicles! I LOVED them as a child and I felt kind of ashamed I didn't realise she was the author. So knowing that I already have their books in my collection, it was an absolute privilege for me to be sent this book and have a chance to read and review it. 

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I will vaguely describe it. The book begins with a prologue; one that definitely leaves you confused and asking questions. The book then follows the likeable character Callum Hunt. It starts in typical high school fashion: Boy is naughty in school and drives away substitute teachers. He has noticable features such an injured leg with a bit of a limp. The book is based about Callum going to a magic school called 'Magisterium', where they learn to perform magic with the elements of fire, water, earth and air. The plot is certainly full of twists and turns and there is a meeting with an enemy. 

So what is my opinion? For starters, I really like the illustration of the book cover. The blues really stand out against the white and it is overall quite pretty. There are also illustrations at the beginning of each chapter which is good at helping you to visualise certain characters or aspects of the story. As for the contents, I actually quite liked the book. Some aspects remind me of Harry Potter (magic, two boys and a girl who are a team and stand by one another and an enemy) and the style of writing also reminds me of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments. By the middle of the book I was completely hooked and couldn't put it down for hours. You know a book is captivating when it makes you stay up until 3 o' clock in the morning! I think my favourite part of the book was the school itself. The authors did fantastic at describing the Magisterium in a detailed manner and I could really picture how luxurious and eye catching it was. I wish the school I went to was as cool as that!

The book itself is 295 ages so it isn't a super long book but isn't necessarily short either. I think it is a nice read and it would one of those books you could easily carry around in your bag to pull out whenever you have a spare moment. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel coming out on the 3rd September called Magisterium: The Copper Gauntlet. I really want to see how Callum gets on after his first year learning magic! I would recommend this book to people who enjoy the Harry Potter series, The Mortal Instruments and the Divergent trilogy.

You can buy the first instalment of the Magisterium series here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magisterium-Iron-Trial-1/dp/0552567736/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Have you read this book? Let me know!

*This book was sent to me. However, all opinions are 100% my own and I would NEVER lie about liking a book.