28 May 2018

ARC #Review: DEAR RACHEL MADDOW by Adrienne Kisner

28 May 0 Comments

DEAR RACHEL MADDOW

Author: Adrienne Kisner
Series: N/A
Source: ARC via Publisher:
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Brynn Harper’s life has one steadying force—Rachel Maddow. She watches her daily, and after writing to Rachel for a school project—and actually getting a response—Brynn starts drafting emails to Rachel but never sending them. It’s an outlet; Brynn tells Rachel about breaking up with Sarah, her first serious girlfriend, about her beloved brother Nick’s death, her passive mother and even worse stepfather, about how she’s stuck in remedial courses at school and is considering dropping out. 

But then Brynn is confronted with a moral dilemma. She learns that one student representative will be allowed to have a voice among teachers and administrators in the selection of a new school superintendent. Sarah, along with Brynn’s arch-nemesis John, believe only honors students worthy of the selection committee seat. Brynn knows they are more interested in power and perks. Brynn feels all students deserve a voice. When she runs for the position the knives are out and her brother’s memory and her new crush Michaela are shamed. Brynn asks herself: What would Rachel Maddow do?
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters | TBD
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

Dear Adrienne Kisner,

I am a fan of Rachel Maddow, which is why I requested it when I saw the title on Raincoast Books' mailing list form. It sounded good - and I love books written in different formats - so I was really happy when I saw it was included in my package. 

25 May 2018

#ARCReview: FURYBORN by Claire Legrand // + #Giveaway!

25 May 2 Comments

FURYBORN

Author: Claire Legrand
Series: The Empirium #1
Source: eARC via Publisher
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: May 22, 2018
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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.
Purchase:
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

Y'all... Y'ALL..... This book was incredible. Such a fresh, new fantasy story that I highly recommend if you, like me, LOVE fantasy novels. I will say that although this is toted as YA, it is borderline NA as there is some on page sex, but! I absolutely LOVED it. It was over 500 pages and I finished it in about 3 hours of total reading time because it hooked me right away. It was pretty much perfect.

I loved the intensity of this one. It never really slowed down: From the initial scene to the final page you were completely captivated. I did find the beginning scenes to be a little confusing. I thought Eliana's chapters at the beginning were better written and could be understood easier than Rielle's. But it definitely got easier to read Rielle's after the first 10%. The description of the elemental magic in those first chapters was a little difficult to follow and comprehend, but the trials made it easier. 

I absolutely LOVED the magic system and the intricate details to it that Legrand put in. I think it was really well done and explained, but there is still so much more to see in the future novels! Especially since the opening scene took place two years after where the book started for Rielle so we have a lot of catching up to do. I wasn't confused at all by the time differences but it was really linear and didn't jump around too much so that was helpful.

I will say though that there is some obviousness to the story itself. You can immediately guess a lot of the plot points but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of them. I liked seeing how the two stories wove together and think there is a lot of room to continue that in the future. I was surprised by some elements which was nice to have considering I felt as though I had a lot of it figured out. But there are still some shocking moments in there even if you can guess about some things.

One thing I absolutely LOVED about this one was that Eliana was bisexual but it wasn't like a Plot Point. She offhandedly mentions that she has slept with guys and girls and I was astonished and amazed and so in love. Even though the majority of the focus was on men in her life, it was nice to see that there was more to her than that. I would like to see a relationship between her and Navi in book two but that might just be wishful thinking on my part.

Overall: The beginning was a little confusing but once I got into the rhythm of it I couldn’t put it down. It’s over 500 pages but doesn’t feel like it at all. It never slows down - it grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go even after you’ve read the final page. This is what is needed in the fantasy genre right now.

Claire Legrand is the author of several novels for children and young adults, most notably The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, Some Kind of Happiness, and Winterspell. Claire lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Visit claire-legrand.com.


Connect with the Author:

23 May 2018

Audio #Review: CALIBAN'S WAR by James S.A. Corey

23 May 0 Comments

CALIBAN'S WAR

Author: James S.A. Corey
Series: The Expanse #2
Source: Audiobook via Audible
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: June 26, 2012
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:
We are not alone.

On Ganymede, breadbasket of the outer planets, a Martian marine watches as her platoon is slaughtered by a monstrous supersoldier. On Earth, a high-level politician struggles to prevent interplanetary war from reigniting. And on Venus, an alien protomolecule has overrun the planet, wreaking massive, mysterious changes and threatening to spread out into the solar system.

In the vast wilderness of space, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante have been keeping the peace for the Outer Planets Alliance. When they agree to help a scientist search war-torn Ganymede for a missing child, the future of humanity rests on whether a single ship can prevent an alien invasion that may have already begun . . .

Caliban's War is a breakneck science fiction adventure following the critically acclaimed Leviathan Wakes.
Purchase:
See my review of LEVIATHAN WAKES, book one in this series!

I listened to the audio of this one - just like I did for LEVIATHAN WAKES - so I liked how it was paced for that. I thought it was a good Science Fiction book and I am definitely going to continue the series, but I did have a couple issues with it. However, having some Grade A female, main characters was AH-MAZING. And I loved the way that the plot is all starting to fit together, especially at the end. If you're looking for a good, fast-paced, action-heavy Science Fiction book (and series!), this is the one for you!

18 May 2018

Subscription Box #Review: OWLCRATE April 2018!

18 May 0 Comments
I love surprises and subscription boxes so I decided to buy a few different ones and then review them for you guys because why not! So you will get to see a few different subscription box reviews!

Just so everyone knows, I live in Canada, so the prices and such that I am going to talk about are in Canadian Dollars and shipping times are Canadian since they ship it out of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The OwlCrate website!


Every month. They also offer an OwlCrate Jr. box for MG and younger books if you don't get enough with the regular OwlCrate box.


Monthly: $29.99 USD
Every Three Months: $86.98 USD
Every Six Months: $167.94 USD

Plus shipping, which for me, cost $10.59 USD

I just looked at my credit card statement and it cost me $51.96 Canadian. Which is a BIT expensive for me but I am making money now so it's all good.

17 May 2018

#BlogTour: NOTHING HAPPENED by Molly Booth // #Excerpt + #Giveaway

17 May 0 Comments
Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

NOTHING HAPPENED by Molly Booth!

I have an excerpt from the book plus a giveaway for a copy of the book! I hope you check out this retelling of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. So let's learn more about the book...


NOTHING HAPPENED

Author: Molly Booth
Series: N/A
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: May 15, 2018

Summary:

This modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing takes place at the idyllic Camp Dogberry, where sisters Bee and Hana Leonato have grown up. Their parents own the place, and every summer they look forward to leading little campers in crafts, swimming in the lake, playing games of capture the flag and sproutball, and of course, the legendary counselor parties.

This year, the camp drama isn’t just on the improv stage. Bee and longtime counselor Ben have a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that’s complicated by events that happened—or didn’t happen—last summer. Meanwhile, Hana is falling hard for the kind but insecure Claudia, putting them both in the crosshairs of resident troublemaker John, who spreads a vicious rumor that could tear them apart.


As the counselors juggle their camp responsibilities with simmering drama that comes to a head at the Fourth of July sparkler party, they’ll have to swallow their pride and find the courage to untangle the truth, whether it leads to heartbreak or happily ever after.

Purchase:
“BEE, THAT WAS A little harsh,” Margo said, once Ben had ducked out. “Can’t you two bury whatever this fight is already? Have you even tried?”

“We’re not in a fight,” I retorted. “And I have to help with some food stuff. I’ll see you in an hour?”

“Sure, darlin’.” She shook her head, kissed my cheek, and grabbed Hana.

15 May 2018

ARC #Review: SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young

15 May 3 Comments

SKY IN THE DEEP

Author: Adrienne Young
Series: N/A
Source: eARC via Publisher
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Rating: 2/5 stars

Summary:
OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield — her brother, fighting with the enemy — the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.
Purchase:
I feel like I read a different version of this book than what everyone else did. I did not enjoy it at all. It felt super flat for me because there was no real history there and it was very lacking. It was another one of those books that felt like it tried to hard to be Amazing and fell short. The biggest issue for me was that the entire time we were supposed to come to the conclusion that both clans were exactly the same but there was not enough information about Aska's culture in the beginning for me to compare to the Riki. I got the idea: they were the same. But I wasn't even sure what the Aska believed in, wanted, etc. for me to actually draw comparisons.

11 May 2018

#BlogTour: LOVE BEYOND OPPOSITES by Molly E. Lee // #Review

11 May 0 Comments
Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

LOVE BEYOND OPPOSITES by Molly E. Lee!

I have a review of the book for you today plus a giveaway for a $15 Amazon gift card! I can't wait to share my thoughts with you on this one since I loved LOVE BETWEEN ENEMIES. Let's learn more about the book!


LOVE BEYOND OPPOSITES

Author: Molly E. Lee
Series: Grad Night #3
Source: eARC via Publisher
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
Publication Date: May 7, 2018
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:
If high school has taught mathlete Jade Aaron anything, it's that nerds never get the guy. 

So when rock star Lennon Pryor starts pursuing her, It's not rocket science. This doesn't add up. 

I mean, sure, he's hot. 

And charming. 

And a god on the guitar...

But he's also the world's biggest player. Being with him would be a bigger mistake than 2+2=5. 

Until graduation night, when a reckless moment leads to a reckless kiss. And now Jade's falling for the one guy destined to break her heart.
Purchase:
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

I seriously love this series and this night. I love the idea of a promise of hope and something more in the future that is given because it is the "last night" for anything to happen since it's grad night. I really enjoyed Jade and Lennon's story and the way they fell into one another. If you're looking for a cute contemporary novel, this is the one for you.

7 May 2018

Celebrating 3 Years of Blogging!

07 May 5 Comments
I honestly don't know what to say. I've been staring at any empty post for about 2 hours and have had this drafted for a month because I wanted to "get ahead." And yet, here I am, not sure how to put into words what blogging means to me and how I am so grateful to have been able to do it for three full years.

Last year I didn't even celebrate my two years because I barely blogged. There was nothing to celebrate because I had to give up blogging, the one thing I truly loved to do, in order to complete my MA. I'm done that now, but working full time so blogging still takes a bit of a back seat.

So what's the issue? The issue is that in my first year of blogging I was able to do everything and more than I could even fathom. But I wasn't working full time, I wasn't in school, I was able to spend all my time blogging. Now I have to try to balance working, volunteering, prepping to try to do another degree program, and this, my pride and joy, my blog.

Blogging has given me something though - an outlet to be creative. And the understanding that anything I do in my "real" life, I want to be able to use what I do in my "online" life. So I've started looking into doing additional courses in digital marketing, graphic design, and so much more. I want to take what I've learned through this blog and transform it into a way for me to impact others.

5 May 2018

Audiobook #Review: EARTHCORE by Scott Sigler

05 May 1 Comments

EARTHCORE

Author: Scott Sigler
Series: N/A
Source: Audiobook via Audible
Publisher: Dragon Moon Press
Publication Date: October 15, 2005
Rating: 2/5 stars

Summary:
Deep below a desolate Utah mountain lies the largest platinum deposit ever discovered. A billion-dollar find, it waits for any company that can drill a world's record, three-mile-deep mine shaft. 

EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company's driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure.

But at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting ...and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out first-hand why this treasure has never been unearthed.
Purchase:
I don't think this was the book for me. There were a lot of really terrible, unlikeable characters which I usually am okay with but they were just SO BAD that I couldn't get around it. There were no redeeming qualities about any of the characters which doesn't make sense to me. We don't need the Amazing One Character but to have every character be a general piece of shit? No thanks.

2 May 2018

#BlogTour: TINY INFINITIES by J.H. Diehl // #CharacterInterview

02 May 2 Comments
Hello and welcome to a special post for

TINY INFINITIES by J.H. Diehl!

I have a character interview for you today and I can't wait for you to learn more about this book. So let's get right to it!

TINY INFINITIES

Author: J.H. Diehl
Series: N/A
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: May 8, 2018

Summary:
When thirteen-year-old Alice's dad moves out, leaving her with her depressed mom, Alice does the only thing that feels right: she retreats to her family's old Renaissance tent in the backyard, determined to live there until he comes home. In an attempt to keep at least one part of her summer from changing, Alice focuses on her quest to get her name on her swim team's record board. But summers contain multitudes, and soon Alice meets a new friend, Harriet, whose obsession with the school science fair is equal only to her conviction that Alice's best stroke is backstroke, not freestyle. Most unexpected of all is an unusual babysitting charge, Piper, who is mostly deaf and entirely mute - until Alice hears her speak a word.

Funny and devastatingly honest, this sharply observed depiction of family, friendship, and Alice's determination to prove herself - as a babysitter, as a friend, as a daughter, as a person - rings loud and true. 
Purchase:
WHO: ALICE AMARY ALLYN, aka, TRIPLE A. A competitive swimmer, average student, excellent babysitter, just-turned-thirteen; doesn’t mind the summer heat in her tent.

OWEN PHOEBE. Fifteen, visiting for the summer next door, an aspiring sushi chef; a little too chillax about math last year at school; half-brother to Piper, who is mostly deaf and mute and no one is exactly sure why. She’s four and Alice babysits for her.

HARRIET BARCLAY. Alice’s uber-nerdy friend on the Cherrywood Sharks Swim team; off-the-charts smart, thirteen and tutoring Owen for his math class do-over; kind of obsessed with figuring out an experiment about fireflies for the school science fair.

WHERE: THE CHERRYWOOD POOL SNACK BAR, Cherrywood Community Pool, in a suburb of Maryland close by D.C. Known for excellent curly fries.

WHEN: After the late afternoon summer team swim practice.

WHAT: Snacks are on the table. Curly fries (of course), fruit smoothies, cheese quesadillas.