The Glow of Fallen Stars (Ventura Saga #2) by Kate Ling

Last year I joined my friend Laura at the Books With a Bite blogger evening, where YA and children's teams across the Hachette Group presented some of their most exciting upcoming titles. One of the books that came on my radar during the evening was The Loneliness of Distant Beings, a debut by UK author Kate King. The space opera adventure sounded both intriguing and romantic, and I really enjoyed it. So I was very excited when I was unexpectedly sent a copy of the sequel, The Glow of Fallen Stars.

I Am Traitor by Sif Sigmarsdóttir

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but surely I'm not the only one who gets pulled in by a stunning design? I rarely read science fiction novels, and if I do they're more on the post-apocalyptic / dystopian side of things, they almost never are about alien invasions. But the striking red cross on top of the otherwise monochrome cover art was so eye-catching that from the moment I saw I Am Traitor, I was bought in and it was calling me from my to-read shelves so much that it magically made its way to the top of my to-read pile just days after I got my copy.

13 The Musical at Ambassadors Theatre

Photo credit: Roy Tan I first became aware of 13 The Musical back in 2012 when the National Youth Music Theatre performed songs from the show at West End Live and I was instantly hooked. The tunes by Jason Robert Brown (of The Last 5 Years, Honeymoon in Vegas, Songs for a New World fame) were immensely catchy and I've been keen to see a full version of this musical ever since. And I finally got a chance to do so this week with the British Theatre Academy's incredible West End version comprised of a mega-talented cast of young performers. Combined with the funny book and excellent score it makes this production an absolute must-see.

The Lustre of Lost Things by Sophie Chen Keller

Sometimes you're in the mood for a feel-good read to take you away from the stresses of every day life – and The Lustre of Lost Things is just the novel to fit this purpose. It is a wondrous tale filled with eclectic characters and magical realism, bringing the dark and greyness of New York City alive through the imagination of a young boy on the adventure of a lifetime. Sophie Chen Keller's story is whimsical and delightful, the perfect anecdote to all the horrible things currently happening in the world.

Plan52 escape room at clueQuest

Ever since trying my very first escape room in Canada last year I've loved this strategic adventure game where you have to put your puzzling skills to the ultimate test to uncover a mystery and (as the name may give away) escape from a locked room – usually several consecutive ones, where each room gets just a little trickier than the one before. It's an activity that has really gathered popularity in recent years with a variety of adventures popping up across the UK capital too and this week I had the chance to try the first game at clueQuest near King's Cross: Plan 52.

Moonrise by Sarah Crossan

The mesmerising One by Sarah Crossan was my absolute favourite book from 2015. Not only was her use of verse unique and beautiful, adding another level of depth to the book, but the story of conjoined twins Grace and Tippi was also a stunning mixture of normal teenage angst and heart-wrenching extra-ordinary circumstances. It certainly was a young adult novel like no other I had read before (or since) and she has captured that same combination of elegantly written verse and a highly original story in her new novel coming out next month: Moonrise.

An Immersive Night In With Sony and Currys PC World

Last month I had the pleasure of joining Sony and Currys PC World for an immersive night in at a vibrant London location, which meant a night of murder mystery mayhem, movie-themed cocktails and finger food, and dazzling acrobatics to showcase how you can create an epic cinematic experience from the comfort of your own home (or in very beautiful and cosy event space that I now want to move into!).

What I Read in July 2017 – Wrap Up & Mini Reviews

Wow, July was a whirlwind reading month. I went to Edinburgh for a long weekend, which means I was on trains for a good ten hours providing plenty of reading time, and I picked up quite a few quick reads in the past month as well – so I ended up reading eleven books in total! In an attempt to finally read some of the ones that have been gathering dust on my shelves, I've also made a (small) dent in my TBR, which feels awesome, though being less picky did mean that I read three books I rated with just 2 stars and another I gave 2.5 stars. To balance that out though, I got lost in the magical worlds of Lost Boy by Christina Henry and Moonrise by Sarah Crossan, both of which were so incredible that they will likely make my top 10 of favourite books for all of 2017.