28 Feb 2018

EVERLESS

Author: Sara Holland
Series: Everless #1
Source: Won in a Giveaway from Indigo Teen
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Rating: 4/5 stars

 Summary:
In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

 No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

 But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.
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Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book in a giveaway through Indigo Teen's Twitter account. This in no way impacts my opinion of the book.

 WOW. That was a really fantastic series opener for a YA Fantasy series. Filled with twists, turns, and great magic, I loved every second of reading EVERLESS. I know there are a lot of comparisons to other media (In Time comes to mind immediately) and it falls into the trap of a lot of tropes, but I REALLY enjoyed this one. 
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26 Feb 2018

IMMORTAL REIGN

Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #6
Source: Purchased from Chapters
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Rating: 4/5 stars

 Summary:
As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms.

 Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

 Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

 Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

 Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?
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See my review of:

This is the last book in the series so there may be spoilers for the other books! You have been warned...

I can't believe the series is actually over. And honestly, series finale books are so hard: everyone wants something different and someone will always be disappointed. I wasn't disappointed, per se but I did not enjoy some elements of this one. Overall I was really happy with how this series played out and the final arc of this one. Plus the ending left it open for a(nother) spin-off down the line so everything is coming up golden for me.
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23 Feb 2018

FAITHFUL

Author: Michelle Hauck
Series: Birth of Saints #2
Source: Copy courtesy of Publisher
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: November 15, 2016
Rating: 3/5 stars

 Summary:
Following Grudging--and with a mix of Terry Goodkind and Bernard Cornwall--religion, witchcraft, and chivalry war in Faithful, the exciting next chapter in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints series!

 A world of Fear and death…and those trying to save it.

 Colina Hermosa has burned to the ground. The Northern invaders continue their assault on the ciudades-estados. Terror has taken hold, and those that should be allies betray each other in hopes of their own survival. As the realities of this devastating and unprovoked war settles in, what can they do to fight back?

 On a mission of hope, an unlikely group sets out to find a teacher for Claire, and a new weapon to use against the Northerners and their swelling army.

 What they find instead is an old woman.

 But she’s not a random crone—she’s Claire’s grandmother. She’s also a Woman of the Song, and her music is both strong and horrible. And while Claire has already seen the power of her own Song, she is scared of her inability to control it, having seen how her magic has brought evil to the world, killing without reason or remorse. To preserve a life of honor and light, Ramiro and Claire will need to convince the old woman to teach them a way so that the power of the Song can be used for good. Otherwise, they’ll just be destroyers themselves, no better than the Northerners and their false god, Dal. With the annihilation their enemy has planned, though, they may not have a choice.
A tale of fear and tragedy, hope and redemption, Faithful is the harrowing second entry in the Birth of Saints trilogy.
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Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinions.


So I have mixed feelings about this one. Because I really liked GRUDGING and was glad that I had access to the second book right away, but I was meh about reading FAITHFUL. In fact, I put it down for a while before I continued and ended up finishing it. But I am excited to see where the story leads to and will definitely be picking up STEADFAST!
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21 Feb 2018

My biggest flaw is focusing too much on the future: what is coming two, five, ten years down the line rather than the present. I do the same thing with blogging. Rather than focus on the books I already have on my shelves, I request new ones and am thinking more about books that come out in 6 months to two years and don't promote already published books that I absolutely love. We focus too much on debut authors rather than authors who have a book or two under their belt and I want to spend this post focusing on them. So here are 6 books I am really excited for whose authors are not debuts!

SAVE THE DATE

Author: Morgan Matson
Series: N/A
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 5, 2018

 Summary:
Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

 The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

 There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

 There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

 Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

 Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.
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FURYBORN

Author: Claire Legrand
Series: Empirium #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: May 22, 2018

 Summary:
The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.

 When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.

 A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.

 As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.
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19 Feb 2018

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

INK, IRON, AND GLASS by Gwendolyn Clare!

I have a review of the book and a moodboard today so you can learn more about the aesthetics of the story! But first, let's learn more about the book...

INK, IRON, AND GLASS


Author: Gwendolyn Clare
Series: Ink, Iron, and Glass #1
Source: ARC via Publisher
Publisher: Imprint
Publication Date: February 20, 2018
Rating: 4/5 stars

 Summary:
Can she write a world gone wrong?

 A certain pen, a certain book, and a certain person can craft entirely new worlds through a branch of science called scriptology. Elsa comes from one such world that was written into creation by her mother—a noted scriptologist.

 But when her home is attacked and her mother abducted, Elsa must cross into the real world and use her own scriptology gifts to find her. In an alternative 19th-century Italy, Elsa finds a secret society of pazzerellones—young people with a gift for mechanics, alchemy or scriptology—and meets Leo, a gorgeous mechanist with a smart mouth and a tragic past. She recruits the help of these fellow geniuses just as an assassin arrives on their doorstep.
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Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

 I thought this one had a bit of a slow start, but it had such a fantastic finish that I think it is one of the better historical fantasy novels I've ever read. It had a bit of a Shadowhunter vibe to it which made it really fun. I liked the world building and the characters as well. It was such a fun read and I highly recommend taking the time to read it!

1 comment:

16 Feb 2018

BINTI

Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Series: Binti #1
Source: Purchased from Kobo
Publisher: Tor.com
Publication Date: September 22, 2015
Rating: 3/5 stars

 Summary:
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

 Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

 If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself - but first she has to make it there, alive.
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There was so much of this one that I loved but I did have some problems with it that were glaring and I couldn't ignore. But this was a great novella length story and it did everything I needed it to within that time frame without me wanting it to be longer to solve the problems so I would recommend this if you're looking for a short Science Fiction read.
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12 Feb 2018

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

ANDORRA PETT AND THE OORT CLOUD CAFE by Richard Dee!

I have an interview with the author for you so be sure to check that out below. But first, let's learn more about the book!

ANDORRA PETT AND THE OORT CLOUD CAFE

Author: Richard Dee
Series: Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Cafe #1
Publisher: 4Star Scifi
Publication Date: June 15, 2017

 Summary:
Meet Andorra Pett; with her trusty sidekick, she’s taken over a derelict café. On a mining station. It just happens to be orbiting Saturn!
She’s hoping for a fresh start, away from all the drama of her old life. It’s a chance to relax and start again in a place where nobody knows anything about her or her past.

 

But the café holds a secret, and secrets have a habit of coming out; whether you want them to or not. And being accident prone doesn’t help. The more you try to pretend that you know what’s going on, the worse it gets.
Andorra’s plans for peace and quiet get lost amid the revelations and skulduggery and she soon realises that the fate of the whole station lies in her hapless hands.
In space, you can still trip over your feet; the question is, will you land upright?
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Describe the book in 10 words or less.

Richard Dee: Agatha Raisin meets Miss Marple, in Space!

What was the most difficult part of writing a Science Fiction Cozy Mystery novel?

Richard Dee: Setting the scene, I wanted to create the ultimate escape from it all for Andorra Pett. Starting off, I had the idea of a person who wants to get away from it all. Then I gave them the ultimate destination at the edge of civilisation. I wanted to make it all seem realistic, based on what we know now, modified into what might be. Fortunately, you can assume that human emotion and vice will remain the same, which took care of the plot. Which only left me with the science behind the space station (and everything on it), to develop. Once I thought about what humanity would need to survive out there, I had to make it sound real and incorporate it into the narrative.
1 comment:

10 Feb 2018

Hello and welcome to my blog tour stop for the

DRAGON BORN SAGA by K.N. Lee!

You can learn about the books below plus enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card! So let's get started learning about the books!

The series started with...

HALF-BLOOD DRAGON

Author: K.N. Lee
Series: Dragon Born Saga Book #1
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Publication Date: January 14, 2017

 Summary:
Pirates, dragons, mermaids. A new world of mythical creatures and epic adventures await. Embark on a coming of age journey that will leave you breathless. 
New York Times bestselling author, K.N. Lee presents Half-Blood Dragon, the first epic fantasy adventure in the Dragon Born Trilogy. 

 
Time is running out for half-blood, Rowen, a lady-in-waiting to a princess. While the two princes of the Dragon Court vie for her affection, she spends her days and nights dreaming of a future free from prejudice based on her lineage. The half-blood is not who she appears to be. As a prophet, she knows what the fate of the realm holds, and it's not the grand parties the kingdom is used to. 

 
Death is on the horizon, and Rowen sees herself as its cause. 

 
The taunts of her sleepless nights are realized when she is framed and sentenced to death for the prince's murder. For a human, there's nowhere to run and no one to turn to in a kingdom where power is tightly held by full-blooded dragon shifters. 

 
It will take a stranger from the shadows to save Rowen from an unjust execution and reveal a truth full of terrifying potential. She must face her fears, navigate through dangerous lands of magical creatures, and find the courage to accept her fate, awaken her gift, and set the world on fire.

 
Grab your copy of this action-packed sword and sorcery adventure perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Throne of Glass, and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn today!
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The story concludes in...

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9 Feb 2018

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

WICKED CHARM by Amber Heart!

I have a guest post for you today about what it takes to write a compelling mystery so check that out below! But first let's learn more about the book...

WICKED CHARM

Author: Amber Heart
Series: N/A
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: January 30, 2018

 Summary:
Nothing good comes from living in the Devil's swamp.

 Willow Bell thinks moving to the Okefenokee area isn't half bad, but nothing prepares her for what awaits in the shadows of the bog.

 Girls are showing up dead in the swamp. And she could be next.

 Everyone warns Willow to stay away from Beau Cadwell—the bad boy at the top of their suspect list as the serial killer tormenting the small town.

 But beneath his wicked, depthless eyes, there's something else that draws Willow to him.

 When yet another girl he knew dies, though, Willow questions whether she can trust her instincts…or if they're leading to her own death.
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Writing a compelling mystery begins, for me, with that edge-of-your-seat, what’s-going-to-happen-next, feeling. It’s unpredictable, exciting, and keeps the reader guessing. Ordinary things, like moving into an old house in a small town, become sinister. 

The settings are eerie—dark nights, deserted roads, spooky swamps. Like if you reach out, it just might grab you. The characters are sly and complicated, all having a backstory the reader has to discover. You can’t figure out what they’re really up to, and that’s a good thing. Everyone is a suspect. They get inside your head, and make you see them from every angle. 

Are they really who they say they are? They lie, and test your trust of them. Secrets are everywhere, little breadcrumbs to keep you going. 

And, of course, there are often surprise twists. A gut-wrenching realization. 
2 comments:

7 Feb 2018

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang!

I have a review of the book today plus a sneak peek inside as I show you my favourite panel! This is such a fun book so I hope you all check it out. But first, let's learn more about the book...

THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER

Author: Jen Wang
Series: N/A
Source: Finished copy via Publisher
Publisher: :01
Publication Date: February 13, 2018
Rating: 4/5 stars

 Summary:
Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:

 Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!

 Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.
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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

 This was a really cute graphic novel! I loved the artwork and the characters and the story and pretty much everything about this one! I thought it was a great story with an incredible message: be yourself. I liked how strong the characters were and the type of obstacles they faced and overcame. It was nice to see how both Prince Sebastian and Frances stood up for themselves so they could achieve what they wanted. THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER tackles the fears everyone has when they want to stand out but are afraid of societal repercussions. I absolutely recommend this graphic novel as your go-to for graphic novel reading!

 But let me tell you a bit more about my FAVOURITE panel from this one.
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