Clay Charms by Kaitlyn Nichols

Taken from Waterstones.com:
"Create your own adorable adornments with Clay Charms. Charm bracelets are always in style and this book shows girls how to customize their own bracelet with more than 30 different clay charm designs. Budding jewellers can learn how to make custom charms, bake them in an ordinary oven, add shine with the special glaze, and then attach your creations to the included bracelet."

I had to order this book in to our store for a customer and when it arrived it caught my eye as the charms looked very cute and it claimed to contain most of the things you'd need to make them. As I had a long Sunday ahead of me, I thought it might be a fun idea to order one in for myself and give it a go. I was not to be disappointed!

The book comes with different colours of clay to make the charms, glaze, charm hooks, rings, a bracelet, shaping tool and a display stand to hang them on whilst the glaze dries. The only things you need to provide yourself are paper clips to hang the charms on whilst they dry, a permanent marker to add finishing touches and foil, a baking sheet and an oven to cook them in. The only thing I feel is missing is a container for the clay to go in as it is unlikely that you will use it all up at once.

The book is incredibly user friendly. They've provided pictures at the beginning of each charm for you to measure up the amounts of clay that you need to create that particular one. The instructions are logical and easy to follow. There are tips on how to shape the clay, mix colours and deal with potential problems. The only charm I really struggled with out of the ones I tried was the cake one (I did abandon the attempt in the end) but I'm sure this will become easier with practice. I honestly thought it would be trickier but I am pleased to say that this is a great book. The quantity of clay provided is more than enough as well, even though it doesn't look like much at first, as in reality you use very little for each charm.

My creativity usually only stretches as far as stick men but here's proof that this book genuinely is easy to follow:

I would definitely recommend this book and am curious as to whether the other titles in the Klutz range are just as good.

I give it 8/10.

Title: Clay Charms
Author: Kaitlyn Nichols
Publisher: Klutz Press Inc.
Children's Activities

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Taken from Waterstones.com:
"Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful - the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King's contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all ...And trying to may just destroy her. Love or loathe Celaena, she will slice open your heart with her dagger and leave you bleeding long after the last page of the highly anticipated sequel in what is undeniably THE hottest new fantasy series."

First of all, I'd like to say a massive thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me an advanced reading copy of this book. It is possibly the book I've been most anticipating this year!

In preparation for Crown of Midnight, I reread  Thone of Glass and I am happy to say that it was just as good as I remembered it although I was struck again at how few assassin-y things Celaena does in it and so I picked up Crown of Midnight desperate not to be let down and looking forward to seeing Celaena unleashed at last in her new role. I can safely say that I was not to be disappointed!

Celaena still has her girly moments, which is to be expected as she is only 18, even if she is the most deadly assassin in Adarlan - something which finally Maas leaves the reader in no doubt about! Celaena is brilliantly dangerous, absolutely stunning, talented and yet is still human and can love. She has to be one of my favourite characters in teen fiction at the moment! Maas hasn't exhausted all of her talent in creating Celaena however. She's also created the honourable, gorgeous, caring Chaol. I truly fell in love with this Captain of the Guard over the course of this book. He is so well meaning that it is literally heart-breaking when things go wrong. And Maas wasn't done yet! The crown prince also becomes more of a man in this book. He really grew as a character and I cannot wait to see what will become of them all. All three face death along with the unexpected and this just helps to make them so much stronger individually.

Maas' world building is simply superb. She feeds the reader the right amount of depth and detail - not so much that you become overwhelmed and bored but not so little that you fail to enter it each time you pick up the book. This is a true fantasy novel, one worthy to make a home on your shelf for along with the best of the genre. The author's writing style is still brilliant and, aside from one detail, I had no idea what would happen next. Escaping predictability seems to be a rare gift these days! I have no idea what will happen in the third book and cannot wait for it. Therefore, my plea to Maas is to finish the next novel soon and pop me near the top of the advance readers list as I am desperate to know what happens next (the downside to advanced reading copies if that often you have to wait that little bit longer for the next instalment!).

Ignore any comparisons with The Hunger Games - they are completely different. Mass' world feels more natural in the past and as an alternate world, yet Collins' is what seems to be a future America. Yes, both have a ruler and oppressed people but their overall feel is very different. The fact that they are different is not a bad thing as there is a place for both of them and so I hope that all mentions of the current ruler of dystopia is removed from Crown of Midnight as this book should be trusted to stand on its own.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book! It is such a well-rounded novel, with brilliant characters, a vivid world and an unpredictable plot. If you like a good fantasy novel, you have to read this series! Crown of Midnight is an excellent sequel and a gripping page turner.

I give it 10/10 :)

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Teenage Fiction