Flourish and Blots Favourites

Yes, you've probably guessed the first one from the reference.

You can tell a lot about a person by what they read, so here are some of my favourite series.

(Note: I will be using the blurbs to describe them to avoid spoilers)

Harry Potter (Book 1: The Philosopher's Stone) 

~JK Rowling

Harry Potter is an orphan brought up by his aunt and uncle who do not like him at all. Together with his cousin Dudley they wish that he didn't exist at all and make him live in the cupboard under the stairs. Harry though, is special. He finds out that he is a wizard and that he is to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic. Only when he arrives at Hogwarts does he realise how special he actually is…

Unfortuanely I'm a little young to be in the 'Harry Potter Generation'; the first film coming out when I was 3 and the first book published before I was born. My dad encouraged the series and it has become one of my favourites. I have met the Phelps twins and Mathew Lewis at cons. I have merch and books and yes fanfictions. I have been to Harry Potter World and Levingston Studios where it was filmed. So to say I like the series is an understatement.

Shifters (Book 1: Stray) 

~Rachael Vincent

There are only eight breeding female werecats left...

And I'm one of them.

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays — werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back... for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever — and whoever — I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays — 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them.

Favourite series! Amazing, bad ass, self empowered female lead who wants to change the feudal (and sexist) social construct her species are guided by. Funny in some places but it also deals with mature themes like kidnapping, m*rder and r*pe. So this book is not for everyone. I got the entire series for £11.

Chicagoland Vampires (Book 1: Some girls bite)

~Chloe Neill

They killed me. They healed me. They changed me.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world. When a rogue vampire attacked me, I was lucky he only got a sip. Another bloodsucker scared him off and decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Now I’ve traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed,

four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude—and servitude. Right…

But someone’s out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches? 

My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

Ok it may sound a bit corny but it is hilarious and the main character is sassy and bad ass. I promise it's really good, I actually still need to read the next in the series. Later in the series there are some sexual themes.

Deltora Quest (Book 1: The Forests of Silence)

~Emily Rodda

The evil Shadow Lord is plotting to invade Deltora and enslave its people. All that stands against him is the magic Belt of Deltora with its seven gems of great and mysterious power. When the gems are stolen and hidden in dark terrible places throughout the kingdom, the Shadow Lord triumphs, and Deltora is lost.

In secrecy, with only a hand-drawn map to guide them, two unlikely companions set out on a perilous quest. Determined to find the lost gems and rid their land of the tyrant, they struggle towards their first goal - the sinister Forests of Silence.

With Deltora Quest do not compare it to the series, the series is nothing like the books, they changed the plot, characters appearances and the books were much better in my opinion.

A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book 1: The Bad Beginning)

~Lemony Snicket

Dear Reader,

I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket.

The movie is a rearrangement of the first 3 books and the movie is really good too. I'm excited to see the Netflix Original series in production. Once I started the series I couldn't stop.

Happy reading!

Catch you later xx