Thursday, April 30, 2015

Review: Earth & Sky by Megan Crewe


Title: Earth & Sky (Earth & Sky #1)
Author: Megan Crewe
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: Copy via NetGalley
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Skylar has been haunted for as long as she can remember by fleeting yet powerful sensations that something is horribly wrong. But despite the panic attacks tormenting her, nothing ever happens, and Sky’s beginning to think she’s crazy. Then she meets a mysterious, otherworldly boy named Win and discovers the shocking truth her premonitions have tapped into: our world no longer belongs to us. For thousands of years, Earth has been at the mercy of alien scientists who care nothing for its inhabitants and are using us as the unwitting subjects of their time-manipulating experiments. Win belongs to a rebel faction seeking to put a stop to it, and he needs Skylar’s help--but with each shift in the past, the very fabric of reality is unraveling, and soon there may be no Earth left to save.
“There's a perfect dependability to math. No matter how many times you perform the same operations, the answer's always the same. As the factors expand out in their unshakeable pattern, my heartbeat steadies, the chill ebbs, and the wrong feeling fades away."
I loved the premise of this book. You have the planet Kemya, where it citizens have basically turned Earth into an experiment. Travelers and Enforcers from Kemya alter the course of history, and they have been doing it for thousands of years. I loved that you had aliens involved in human history and basically controlling its course, but then you have the added ability of time travel.

The main character in this book, Skylar, is has anxiety and is obsessed with the number 3. She is consumed with this idea of wrongness and things not being right in the world. A lot of her mannerisms were annoying and at times she failed to realize the true significance of her actions in the past and how much one little change could effect the entire future. While Skylar was helpful to Win in terms of finding the weapon, she was not a very strong character. I wish she could have been written as a stronger female character. This is not to say she was weak, but there were many times where her characterization irked me.

As for the other main character, we have Win. Win is an alien rebel searching for a weapon to destroy the experiment on Earth. I did not have any major issues with him as a character. I also appreciated that the romance was not obnoxious in this book. There is definitely a connection between Skylar and Win, but this book focused more on their mission and their friendship rather than romantic feelings for each other. I'm sure their relationship will be explored in subsequent books though.

The main reason I’m rating this book the way I am is the writing. The writing was simple, easy to follow and enjoyable. But it fell flat for me, there was nothing spectacular about it and there was nothing that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. While I did appreciate the simplicity of the writing in certain aspects of the book, there were other times when the writing did not fit my vision of the story. For the premise of this book, there was a large lack of true action. Yes, Skylar and Win were on the run from Enforcers and travel both across the world and time, but I did not have a big sense of adventure or action during their travels and “battles.”

Overall, this was an interesting start to the trilogy. I really like this premise, especially with the time travel. I’m also invested in this book enough that I do want to pick up the sequel and see what happens next in this world. However, I was not blow away by this book.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Let me know in the comments if you have the read the book and what your thoughts are!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Top 5 Wednesday- Favorite Series Endings

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey on Youtube. Topics can be found in the Goodreads Group. This week's topic is Favorite Series Endings. Links to Goodreads, as always.

Going from bottom to top:




5. Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins. I had some issues with this series. But I really liked how it was all wrapped up in this book. I also really loved the characters in this series especially Kai and Anna.


4. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. I personally prefer The Infernal Devices to The Mortal Instruments. And while I found the ending a little cliche and taking the easy way out, it still came together great. I cannot wait for the next installment in this world following the next generation in The Last Hours.




3. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini. It took me forever to finally get around to reading the final book in the series but once I did it was perfect. While I found it slow at times, it still was true to the world and characters that Palolini created.



2. The End by Lemony Snicket. This is a series that was so weird and bizarre, but one that I loved.


1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. Even though reading the end was sad. This was the perfect ending to an amazing series. This series as a whole had a huge impact on my life growing up and still continues to.





Let me know what your must favorite series endings are in the comments!

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Teaser Tuesday #10- Earth & Sky

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme where you post a quote from a book you are currently reading. It is hosted by A Daily Rhythm.
"Win's people have supposedly been shifting our planet's history for thousands of years. It's held together this long. It's not as though we're all going to disintegrate with one more week." - Earth & Sky by Megan Crewe
Find the book here: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Let me know in the comments what book you are currently reading!

Monday, April 27, 2015

May 2015 New Releases

These are the new releases that I'm most looking forward to in May! So I have 6 that I showcased and then I have some honorable mentions because there are so many books coming out in May.


Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
About: This is literally one of the books I'm most excited for all year. Sarah J. Maas is definitely one of my auto-buy authors and I will buy everything she ever publishes. This book sounds so amazing too. We have Fae and it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. ACOTAR is also going to be a trilogy, and it is apparently more mature than most YA. I have preordered 2 copies of this book, that is how excited I am for it! And I'm meeting Sarah on May 11th!!!
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Title: The Heir
Author: Kiera Cass
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015
Publisher: HaperTeen
About: I really enjoyed The Selection Series so I'm excited about the next two books following America and Maxon's children. However, I'm also slightly hesitant because it seems like we are getting new books just to sell more books. I really liked the way The One ended and I'm weary of this next two books. However that being said, I am exited to see Eadlyn's Selection. Like with ACOTAR, I have had this book preordered since it was announced. And the cover is gorgeous.
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Title: End of Days
Author: Susan Ee
Publication Date: May 12th, 2015
Publisher: Skyscape
About: This is the final book in this trilogy which is very sad. I absolutely love both Penryn and Raffe and having to say goodbye to them will be really sad. I honestly have no idea how this series is going to end, but I cannot wait to get my hands on it. The relationship between Penryn and Raffe is one of my favorites and I need more of them together bickering and being around awesome. There are also a lot of great side characters in this trilogy. 
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han
Publication Date: May 26h, 2015
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
About: To All The Boys I've Loved Before ended on such the cliffhanger that I've been waiting what feels like forever for this sequel. I really need Lara Jean and Peter to work everything out. Plus I think we get to hear more from the people the original letters were sent to.
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Title: Crimson Bound
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
About: First off this cover is gorgeous. Secondly, it is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling which is awesome. While this cover matches Cruel Beauty (which is awesome for my shelf), it is a standalone. I really enjoyed Cruel Beauty, it was a really interesting take on Beauty and the Beast and I cannot wait to see what Rosamund Hodge has in store for this book. I absolutely love the Green and Silver on this cover with the little bit of Red.
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Title: The Cage
Author: Megan Sheppard
Publication Date: May 26th, 2015
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
About: While I own the Madman's Daughter Trilogy (first two books), I have not read them. But I have heard nothing but good things about it. The success of that trilogy, plus the premise of this one is what has me so intrigued. This book is literally about what I assume is aliens capturing teenagers to display in a Zoo of some sorts. That is so captivating to me. Plus it looks like Cora (our main character) has a captor love interest, Cassian. This sounds like it is going to be a really interesting trilogy and I cannot wait to dive into this new world
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository
Honorable Mentions: 

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon  (May 19th) 
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository
Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen (May 19th) 
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (May 12th)  
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository
Hold Me Like A Breath by Tiffany Schmidt (May 19th)  
Where to Find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository
 
Did I forget any books that you are looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

Friday, April 24, 2015

Review: Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You





Title: Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You
Author: Greg Gutfeld
Publication Date: March 17th, 2015
Publisher: Crown Forum
Source: from BloggingForBooks
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

DNF at 25%







I knew when I got this book that it would be a hit or a miss for me. I would ether really enjoy it or absolutely despise it. Unfortunately it was the latter of the two. The premise of this book is the idea that there are two groups of people in society. Those that are “cool” and those that are not. Greg Gutfeld “argues” that the cool people threaten the uncool and actively try to put them down and work against them. Gutfeld then basically goes on a rant.

This book was literally a rant rather than an actual argument. Gutfeld does not really use any evidence to bak up his argument and at times sounds like someone who is resentful of things that happened in the past. I also cannot get past the fact that Gutfeld claims to be looking out for those “uncool” people who are left out but then he goes on to rip on and attack all these people. It seems very contradictory to me.

Now while I had so many issues with this book, that does not mean other people will feel the same way. I think for me, it was too much of a long rant than an actual argument. I also think Gutfeld’s strong conservative views turned me off as well. This book first intrigued with the idea of hipsters and this elite group that is against the “normal” person. But I was expecting something completely different than what I read.

*I received a copy of this book from BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review*

Since I did not finish this book, I will not be giving it a rating.

Review: Awakening by Shannon Duffy





“This was Darian One Sterling. A murderer. And my childhood friend.”

Title: Awakening
Author: Shannon Duffy
Publication Date: April 7th, 2015 
Publisher:  Entangled Teen Books for Young Readers 
Source: eARC from publisher
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository








So I know I should not make this connection at all because they are two completely different books, but this book started out with a very Matched feeling to me. And I really disliked that book, however, the writing in this book was much better. I really enjoyed the way the world was laid out and the story that was being told. Desiree conflicting feelings were wonderfully explored.

My big issue with this book was the predictability. I get that it is a dystopian book, so there is a level of predictability which what is going to happen. But I feel like it went beyond that layer of needing to break free from the “perfect” society.

What I really loved about this book was the writing. Shannon Duffy has this way of pulling you into the story and the characters’ lives. The writing is what kept me interested and reading as fast as I could to get to the end and see what happened to the characters and world. While some of the plot points were predictable, I still enjoyed the overall story in this book. I appreciated that this book was focused on Desiree finding out the truth for herself. We see her timid, subconscious distrust of The Protectorate morph into this desire to find proof and eventually the need to do something about it.

Like I said, I appreciated the premise of this book. While the whole matching you to your soulmate thing screamed Matched Trilogy at me, I loved the idea of The Protectorate and their “brainwashing” of citizens to keep them in line. The Protectorate is there to take care of everyone’s needs. I also thought it was amusing the the past was called the Manic Age, as if things were utter chaos when you got to choose your own job, significant other, number of children, etc. Finally, the whole Dreamscape aspect and the reliance on this machine to sleep and as a way for the Protectorate to subdue individuals, and remove to nightmares was captivating. It is beyond disturbing to think that punishment for noncompliance was basically to have to live in your nightmares, rather than the wonderful dreams you are always used to.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book even if it was predictable. I think I have gotten to the point where I have read so many YA dystopian books that there is not much that could surprise me when it comes to plot points in a dystopian. I also appreciate that this was published a standalone, rather than the typical trilogy. It definitely left things open for a possible sequel, but for the most part things were tied up nicely.

*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are if you have read the book or if you plan to read it!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Review: This Start Won't Go Out




“The measure of friendship is not its physicality but its significance. Good friendships, online or off, urge us toward empathy; they give us comfort and also pull us out of the prisons of our selves."

Title: This Star Won't Go Out
Author: Esther Earl
Publication Date: Jan 28th, 2014 
Publisher:  Dutton Books for Young Readers 
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository






I do not really know what to say about this book. I have put off reading it since it came out because I do not like books that are inherently sad. And while this book is sad, I appreciate how it showcased what Esther went through post diagnosis. This book is constructed as entries from Esther’s diaries, her parents blogging about her progress, and other entries by people who knew and loved Esther.

This book has a lot of mixed reviews and I think that is mostly due to it not being what you expect. It is a document dump, but it is the truth and it what was really going through their minds throughout this whole process. And yes there were typos and grammar issues, but that is because that was how it was written by Esther. The entries were kept as she initially wrote them.

The biggest thing for me was just how real Esther’s thoughts and emotions were. Her entries really showed how hard what she was going through was. It showed how hard it was for her to stay positive and not completely give up. And even when she was sad and wanted to give up she was still a rock and was more concerned about others rather then herself.

This review is all over the place, but I’m struggling with what I want to say. Yes, I’m glad I finally read it, even if it was heartbreaking to read from the perspectives of people who knew her rather than my perspective of knowing a bit about her and her contributions to nerdfighteria. But at the same time how do you review a book about someone’s life, especially someone who was taken from this world way too soon.

I’ve decided that I’m not going to give this book a “rating”. I honestly don’t know what to give it. I want to give it five stars for how amazing Esther was as a person, however I feel like I cannot adequately give it a rating that it truly deserves both as a book and as a window into Esther’s life. Just know that I am glad I read it.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Teaser Tuesday #9- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme where you post a quote from a book you are currently reading. It is hosted by A Daily Rhythm.
"I can’t believe you are still reading this. You should smack yourself in the face a couple of times right now, just to complete the outstandingly stupid experience that is this book." - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Find the book here: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Let me know in the comments what book you are currently reading!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Review: A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic





“A woman haunted the woods behind my house. I used to watch her from my bedroom window. She glowed silver in the moonlight, a pale wraith in a white dress that curled around her ankles and twisted in an ancient wind that didn’t touch the pine trees around her.”

Title: A Magic Dark and Bright
Author: Jenny Adams Perinovic
Publication Date: April 28th, 2015 
Publisher: Bookish Girl Press 
Source: eARC via NetGalley
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository





This book starts out very eerie and creepy. From there, I continued to be intrigued and into the story enough that I could not wait to finish and see what was really going on in the small town of Asylum. The cover of this book can be slightly misleading, this is a ghost story and it is a lot creepier than the cover would have to believe, but I still think the cover is pretty. This book comes out April 28th and is a great ghost story with great characters.

As for the characters in the book, we mostly follow Amelia, Charlie, and Leah. Amelia is dealing with a lot in her life between seeing ghosts, losing her brother, and her father leaving all in the span of a year. Then you get the mysterious teenage girls dying in the town after Charlie appears. Charlie is the mysterious grandson of the town "witch" who also happens to be Amelia's neighbor. Charlie comes at the beginning of the summer and immediately there is a connection with Amelia. While I found it slightly cliche and predictable, I did like how the relationship between Charlie and Amelia progresses. Charlie is seen as this all-around good guy. The characters in this book were well developed and each one had their own background story that we slowly learned.

I also really enjoyed the writing in this book. Jenny Adams Perinovic has a very unique style that kept me entertained and wanting to read as fast as I could to find out what was going to happen next. I can also say that she is cruel with that ending. Now I’m going to have to wait over a year to find out what happens next.

As for the setting of this story, this was the best part of the book. Asylum is this small town with a lot of history surrounding it. I loved the jokes about a small town that come out at the beginning when Charlie first comes to town. My favorite was definitely: "'You know what they say about small towns," I teased. "Low on crime." "And big on secrets," he said." You can also tell that a lot of thought and research went into constructing the world and town of this book.

This book was a great start to what I know is a series, I just do not know how many books we can expect. This was a paranormal mystery. This book had ghosts, mysterious deaths, magic, and secrets that all wove into this story that I really enjoyed.

*I received a galley of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

♛ ♛ ♛

Let me know if you plan on reading the book and what your thoughts are if you have read it already!

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews




“Also, what the hell does “weird even mean? I’ve just written it like five times and all of a sudden I’m staring at it and it doesn’t even mean anything anymore. I just murdered the word “weird.” Now it’s just a bunch of letters. It’s like there’s all these dead bodies all over the page now.”

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publication Date: March 1st, 2011 
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: eBook
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository




I absolutely loved the style of this book. I loved how Greg was talking to you the reader. I also loved the mix of lists, scripts, and “normal” writing. It really added to the uniqueness of this book. For me the best part of this book was the way in which it was written, but also the humor. There were so many lines in this book that had me giggling and laughing to myself. This is definitely not a book I would want to read in public, because I definitely would have gotten some strange looks.

In terms of actual plot, I appreciated that while this is a cancer book it did not focus on the cancer. Instead it was about the weird group that Greg, Earl, and Rachel formed as a result of Rachel’s diagnosis. While I found it really improbable how their meeting and friendship came about, I loved the interactions from Greg’s point of view on what happened. I loved that Greg didn’t care what he said, his only goal was to make Rachel laugh and for a little bit of her day forget about her cancer.

But like I said this was not a cancer book, it wasn’t even really about Rachel. We literally learn little to nothing about her by the end of the book. And while Greg admits this toward the end of the book, I would have liked to have learned more about her rather than the focus solely on Greg. This book was about Greg and his coming to “hang out” with Rachel. But these hang outs were mostly just Greg talking and making Rachel laugh. We don’t actually learn about what Rachel likes to do and what she is like as a person.

My main issue with this book was the lack of depth of the characters. We have Rachel who is the “dying girl” who we learn little to nothing about even though she is in the title. Then we have Greg who while we know the most about him, I feel like he was a very easy character to dislike. And finally you have Earl, who is just the enigma of a stereotype. The characters in this story were flat and showed little to no growth throughout the book. I think the book would have been better if the characters were more fleshed out and we knew more about them, especially in Rachel’s case.

As I said, the humor and writing were the strong aspect of this book and why I gave it such a high rating. While this is a book about a girl with cancer it really is not a “cancer book” and i appreciated that. I'm also really looking forward to the movie!

♛ ♛ ♛

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on the book and if you're excited for the movie!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons




“If the scientists here are so great, how come they can’t do what we can do? How come they can’t make a boy? The Governess once told us they’ve tried but the results were deformed, or sickly or not right in the head. That’s why we’re so important. That’s what they get for messing with nature.“

Title: The Glass Arrow
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publication Date: Feb 10th, 2015 
Publisher: TorBooks
Source: Audobook from RecordedBooks
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository




I have a lot of mix feelings about this book. To stat off with, the premise is absolutely captivating. You have a society where girls are hunted and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Girls like Aya are prized due to their ability to be bred for males. The society that Simmons has created with the Magnates, Drivers, and the girls is unique and fascinating. At at the same time, it is scary to think of a society where young girls are sold due to their ability to potentially create male heirs.

In this book, we have Aya who grew up in the mountains with a small group of other women on the run. When she is caught and brought to auction, live takes on a whole new meaning in terms of surviving and being free again. This is a story of survival and gaining your freedom. And that is what I liked most about it. This was simply a story about Aya’s journey to freedom. It was her on her own with help from Kiran. But for the most part she was a strong independent girl who could take care of herself. The book was also not a full on love story between Aya and Kiran. It was a subtle building of something more without it driving the plot completely.

As for my issues with this book, the big thing was how incredibly slow the plot was. It took me way longer to get through this book due to how long it took to get to the story. The first third or so of the book is just Aya attempting to escape, time and time again. It was annoying and incredibly boring to see her make little to no progress. The last few chapters is where everything really happens and comes together. And I can say I did not see the identity of a certain character coming.

I listened to this book on audiobook narrated by Soneela Nankani. I’ve never been a huge fan of audiobooks and this book was no exception. Many people love audiobooks, but I personally prefer holding a book in my hands to read and enjoy it. That being said, I think Nankani did a good job of sharing the story. I just personally am not an audiobook listener.

Overall, this book was a fascinating premise and I enjoyed Simmons writing. I appreciated the way the story unfolded, I just wish it had not been so slow in the beginning. Plus this is a stand alone which is incredibly rare in the genre of dystopia. I would recommend this book to people who are okay with slow starts but more importantly for someone who wants to dive into a truly corrupt and enthralling  world.

*I received the audiobook from Recorded Books via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review*

♛ ♛ ♛½

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on the book or in you have any thoughts on audiobooks!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Teaser Tuesday #8- The Silkworm

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme where you post a quote from a book you are currently reading. It is hosted by A Daily Rhythm.
"He found himself pondering the accidents that had brought all of them into being. Every birth was, viewed properly, mere chance. With a hundred million sperm swimming blindly through the darkness, the odds against a person becoming themselves were staggering." - The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith, pg. 7
Find the book here: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Let me know in the comments what book you are currently reading!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Review: Rumors by Anna Godbersen




“So this was betrayal. It was like being left alone in the desert at dusk without water or warmth. It left your mouth dry and will broken. It sapped your tears and made you hollow.”

Title: Rumors
Author: Anna Godbersen
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2008 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository







I have a very weird relationship with this series. I never know what to think about it. I love the writing and the setting, but the plot, characters, and storyline tend to annoying me. For me the best part of this series is the setting and the beginning of every chapter with the little newspaper snippets and gossip. I find these to be a great touch to the overall book and series as a whole.

As for the characters, they are so annoying to me. Each one makes choices without thinking about the potential repercussions as well as thinking they should always get their way. They are devious and will stop at nothing to get what they want. The only character who does not annoying me to no end is Elizabeth, but I even question some of her choices.

I can however say that the end of this book did surprise me. And it also cemented that I will have to pick up the final two books in the series to figure out what happens. Along with the plot, I have to say that this book was so incredibly slow and really nothing happened. We just follow the lives of the different characters to the end. While some choices and actions did come about, I still feel like as a whole, I do not know what the message or goal of this series is.

This series is definitely not for everyone. For me, I like it as a mindless read that takes little to no effort to get through. It is one of those fluffy books that you can read when you do not want to have to think about what is going on. It is also very Gossip Girl-esque with the scheming and plotting. So yes I will be picking up the next in the series, but that is largely due to the ending of this one and less to do with my actual enjoyment of the series.

♛ ♛ ♛

Have you read any of this series? What are you thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Review: Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes





“Hatred is like fire. It burns the one who harnesses it. It's also extremely hard to see more helpful truths through its flames.”

Title: Gathering Darkness
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publication Date: Dec 9th, 2014
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository






While I really enjoyed Falling Kingdoms and Rebel Spring, I loved Gathering Darkness. Each installment in the series has gotten better, but Gathering Darkness was in a league of its own. These characters are so complex with so many different allegiances and underlying reasons for each and every one of their actions. There were many times in this book where I was completely caught off guard with what happened. Morgan Rhodes is not afraid to make difficult choices and take the story in a completely different direction than you are expecting.

We also get to meet new characters including Amara and Felix. Right from the beginning, I was weary of both Amara and her brother Ashur. They come from a foreign country and have a ruthless father, who sounds even worse than Gaius. But from the start, I liked Felix. He was helping Jonas so I had no reason to doubt him. We also get to see even more of Alexius and Lucia using her powers.

The characters Morgan Rhodes has constructed are so amazing and intricate. I love that there are so many facets to each character and they are not black and white. There is so much more to their motivations, actions, thoughts, and feelings and Morgan Rhodes is showing us all these different sides.

I also love that we are starting to read from more and more character’s perspectives. It is is adding to the massive world that she has created. A world that I cannot wait to dive into again with A Book of Thieves and Spirits and of course Frozen Tides.

My only true complaint with this series right now is the insane amount of love interests for each character. I feel like it is always changing who loves who and who I should root for. Right now I ship Cleo and Magnus so hard that I do not think I can handle if they do not end up together. While I also love Nic, I feel like he is the brother to Cleo not a love interest (plus other things that occur in this book that I do not want to mention because Spoilers).

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛½ 

Let me know what your thoughts on this book and series as a whole are in the comments! And if you have not started this series yet, you definitely should!

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Top 5 Wednesday- Books I wanted to start yesterday

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey on Youtube. Topics can be found in the Goodreads Group. This week's topic is books I wanted to start yesterday. Links to Goodreads, as always.

Going from bottom to top:



5. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and now have two copies of Hollow City (both in paperback and in hardcover) but for whatever reason I have not picked it up. Soon, I just have so many books to choose from on my TBR


4. Lady Thief by A. C. Gaughen. I really enjoyed the first book, plus it is a Robin Hood retelling. Robin Hood may be my absolute favorite myth/fairy tale character. I really need to read this one before Lion Heart comes out in May.




3. Invaded by Melissa Landers. Again I really enjoyed the first book, Alienated, and I have a signed ARC of Invaded, I just have failed to pick up the sequel. Plus in this one we actually get to go to L'eihr.
2. Unhinged by A. G. Howard. Yet again, I have read the first book, Splintered, and absolutely loved the world Howard has created, but have failed to read the sequels. Plus she has made one of my favorite characters after only reading a single book with him, Morpheus. The added bonus with this book is that Morpheus is on the cover! I really need to read this book and the final in the trilogy, Ensnared. I may have to add them to my TBR for May. Plus the novella, #3.5 book is coming out in Dec, called Untamed.


1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. This book is not even out yet, but I do not care. It is at the top of this listt because I need it. I am even going to have two copies. One preorder to arrive on release day and another preordered for her signing I'm going to (which I am beyond excited for). So yes, I needed this book yesterday and I need to read it. Sarah J. Maas is oneof my favorite authors and I cannot wait for this Beauty and the Beast retelling with fae. 


Let me know what your must save books are in the comments!

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Teaser Tuesday #7- Quantum Mechanics?

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme where you post a quote from a book you are currently reading. It is hosted by A Daily Rhythm. So technically I finished this book last month, but I absolutely love this quote and the science it explains (I'm a Chem and Child Psych major so I enjoy this kind of thing). I remember laughing when I read it the first time.
“Each one must play out as a different dance. In quantum mechanics, it's termed the uncertainty Principle, which says that the more you know about the position of one matter, the less you can control, determine, or know about the momentum of the other. When Ambrose came back and began interfering with the timeline of this universe, he created a buckle or bridge between the planes of existence. Things are now coming into this universe that weren't here before." -Infamous, pg. 270-271, Sherrilyn Kenyon
Find the book here: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Let me know in the comments what book you are currently reading!

Monday, April 6, 2015

Review: Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

 





“A gown does not make a bride, just as a few empty threats do not make a rebel.”


Title: Rebel Spring
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publication Date: Dec 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository





First let me just say this book totally worked with getting me out of my slump. I flew through it and clearly all I needed was a good fantasy book to get me out of my funk. That being said, I really enjoyed this second book in the Falling Kingdoms series. Again, this review is going to be very basic because it is the 2nd in a series. But I highly recommend you start this series if you have not already. You can read my review of Falling Kingdoms here.

This is one of those series that has a multitude of different characters and plot lines to follow and I absolutely love it. While at times it can be a little confusing to follow all the different story lines, they all weave together into this epic fantasy.

The strong point of this book was definitely the characters. I love each and everyone one of them. Magnus is by far my favorite character. He is so complex with all these different intricacies that make him into this character you cannot help but feel bad for and want to see him succeed. There is definitely a lot of character growth in this book for him. He is grappling with the changes brought about in Falling Kingdoms and where he stands in the fight against King Gaius.

Speaking of Gaius, I absolutely hate him. Which I know is a given in this series, but he is overly maniacal and cruel. He leads through fear, rather than respect. I hated how much he hurt everyone around him, whether it was Cleo, Aron, Jonas, and even his own family of Magnus and Lucia. I cannot wait for when we finally see his downfall, in what I assume will be the final book.

Another character I love is Cleo. She is dealing with a lot in this book, but she still has time to be compassionate and a strong character. I really loved her and Magnus in this book and I really want them to become more than friends. Right now it kind of seems like we are leading to that which is awesome!

There are a bunch of other characters in this book I could talk about, but I don’t want this review to be all me gushing about the characters. In this installment, we definitely learned more about the prophecy and how the rest of the series is going to unfold with the search for the Kindred. I cannot wait to pick up Gathering Darkness and be completely caught up with the series, even if I have to then wait until December for Frozen Tides.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

Let me know in the comments if you have read the book and what your thoughts are.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Reading Slumps...

So ever since I marathoned The Chronicles of Nick during #Gautierathon, I've been in the biggest reading slump. I've read three books since then, but they have each been a struggle to get through.

For me I've basically been coming up with excuses to not read everyday. Part of this is overwhelming school work, plus the book "hangover" post Chronicles of Nick. I have also had 4 major papers due the last two weeks, so that has definitely not helped the situation.
But I want to read, I just cannot seem to get into a book and read straight through it like I typically do. I normally can read a book every three or four days, but I'm getting to the point where I read 100 pages one day, then do not read at all for 2 or 3 days.

I decided to write this post up today to see what other people's strategies are for overcoming reading slumps. For me, I think it is best if I do not force myself to read. I need to just let myself pick up a book when it feels right, and not to worry too much about reading as much as I have been. I have been really lucky the last 6+ months with great reading months, where I'm constantly starting and finishing books. But right now, I'm just in one of those moods where I'm not feeling the motivation to read.

I think I'm going to put down Rumors for a bit and try reading Rebel Spring this weekend. A good old fantasy may be just what I need to get myself out of this funk, but we will see.

What other suggestions do you have? What do you do to get out of slumps? Let me know in the comments.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

March 2015 Wrap-Up/April 2015 TBR

I completely failed this month when it came to sticking to my TBR. While I was wildly successful when it came to my #Gautierathon, it was an epic fail when it came to reading the books I chose out of my TBR Jar. I read a total of 14 books and am currently in the middle of one. As always, if I wrote a full review it is linked, so you can see my full thoughts.

  1. Vicious by V.E. Scwab (5 Crowns)
  2. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (4 Crowns)
  3. Red by Alyxandra Harvey (2.5 Crowns)
  4. Red Hill by Jamie McGuire (3 Crowns)
  5. Angelfall by Susan Ee (5 Crowns)
  6. The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith (4 Crowns)
  7. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4 Crowns)
  8. Invicible by Sherrilyn Kenyon (3.5 Crowns)
  9. Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 Crowns)
  10. Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon (3 Crowns)
  11. Illusion by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4 Crowns)- Review of series so far.
  12. The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma (4 Crowns)
  13. Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh (4 Crowns)
  14. World After by Susan Ee (5 Crowns)
#0by16 is still going decently. I only read 4 ebooks this month and those were all for review. My total TBR stands at 70, and that is due to my Mom taking me out to get some new books. I still think it is doable to get down to zero, but that is going to involve absolutely no more buying. I'm clearly struggling with not buying books and a lot of that is due to me wanting new releases and then caving and getting them.

So if you don't remember at the beginning of March I pulled Tumble & Fall along with Rumors out of my TBR Jar. While I'm in the middle of Rumors right now, I still didn't finish it in March. As for Tumble & Fall, it has gone back into the jar to be chosen at a later date. The winners for this month are (links to Goodreads as always):
  1. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
  2.  All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
  3.  This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl
This month I only chose 3 books because I want to get caught up with the Falling Kingdoms series by reading Rebel Spring and Gathering Darkness. So I will hopefully be reading those two along with the 3 chosen. As for review copies I will hopefully get to Not Cool by Greg Gutfield and A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic. And I do realize that most of these books are large, so it will be interesting to see if I can read them all or if I deviate again. Plus they are different than the kinds of books I have been reading recently.

How did you do in March? What are you planning for April? Let me know in the comments!