Month: November 2016

WWW Wednesday – November 30th, 2016

img_1384-0

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

28260587

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas

I only just started this book yesterday, but after the whirlwind ride of fun that was Queen of Shadows, I’ve got high hopes for this one! And yes, I know all about the mixed reviews and no, I’m not going to let it rob me of my anticipation. Just let me have this one moment of high hopes before they get bashed into the wall, along with my head.

What did you recently finish reading?

18006496

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas

Y’all, this book was awesome from start to finish. Which was a really nice change, especially after the slower paced Heir of Fire. My full review should be posted in the next few days.

What do you think you’ll read next?

653135 28591281

Even though I know that I won’t make it to either of these in time for Tome Topple, I still plan to read these two hulking books next. I’m pretty excited for both, as I’ve heard great things about The Secret History and early reviews for Moon Chosen have been good, as well!

What are you currently reading? What’s on your TBR for December? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday in the comments below!

Book Review: Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf, #1)

This book had been sitting on my shelf for forever, just waiting for me to finally pick it up. I kept pushing it aside as I was afraid it might be a little boring and push me into a reading slump. Luckily, one of my blogging besties, Britt @ Geronimo Reads had not read it as well so we decided to make it a buddy read. My first ever! I’m so glad that we chose Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf, #1) by Ryan Graudin as it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Code Name Verity meets Inglourious Basterds in this fast-paced novel from the author of The Walled City.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

The Good

  • Storyline – This book was incredibly unique. I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know a whole lot about the plot when I first picked it up, and it turned out to be so good! It was fun, interesting, heartbreaking, and completely unlike anything I had ever read. I loved how Graudin was able to rewrite history and make it so real and believable.
  • Writing – I really enjoyed Graudin’s writing. It was nothing fancy or lyrical, but it flowed so well. I loved how she described everything, especially when talking about Yael’s emotional turmoil. It was simple but very profound.
  • Side Characters – I really enjoyed all of the minor characters in this story. They each had their own distinctive personality and voice. I also loved how each of them were able to affect Yael in so many different ways through each interaction. Her character development was completely determined by these interactions and it showed. I loved that Graudin was able to show you how and why Yael was changing throughout the book, making it gradual and believable. And can we all give a little three cheers for sexy Luka?! I’m not gonna lie, I needed to be cooled down a bit every time he was mentioned wearing that old worn out leather jacket… 😉

10

The Bad

  • Yael – Yael is cool because she’s a badass independent girl, who has had to go through one of the most traumatic experiences ever. However, that girl has zero personality. I read through this whole book and learned about her entire life story, but by the end, I felt like I didn’t know her at all. There was no connection there, nothing that made me want to be her friend. I like my characters to have some life to them, to have a personality that’s either good or bad. But with Yael, there was nothing. It was almost to the point where I was kind of hoping she would die and so the sequel would follow another one of the characters instead. Maybe all of that will change in Blood for Blood and the real Yael will emerge, or may it won’t and I’ll still have the serious urge to smack some life into her. I guess only time will tell…

Overall, this was such a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed it all for the most part and was dying when it ended on that cliffhanger! I actually bought Blood for Blood this past weekend so I could read it during the upcoming holidays. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or is looking for a unique story with a twist. Read it, and then fall in love with Luka and his leather jacket!

Final Verdict: 4/5 Stars

Have you read Wolf by Wolf? What did you think about this book? Have you read the sequel, Blood for Blood?

Teaser Tuesday – November 29th, 2016

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme currently being hosted by MizB @ Books and a Beat. All are welcome to participate!

Rules:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Open to a random page.
  • Share two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don’t want to give too much away so as to not ruin the book for others!
  • Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

28260587

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Manon studied the pitcher, then him. “Am I your prisoner, too?”

“My life debt is paid,” he said simply. “You’re nothing to me at all.”

-page 395

I’m just now starting this book but I’ve heard very mixed things about it. I’m hoping that it ends up being better than what some people are saying, as this is all I have to hold me over until A Court of Wings and Ruin is released – which isn’t until May!

Come on, Maas, don’t deny me the good stuff!

What book are you currently reading? Have you read an Empire of Storms yet? What did you think of it? Leave a link to your Teaser Tuesday in the comments below!

Musing Mondays – November 28th, 2016

Musing Mondays is a weekly theme hosted by the lovely MizB @ Books and a Beat, that asks you to answer one of the prompt questions and that week’s random question.

PROMPTS:

  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) this past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: If you were a character, which author would you trust with your life (to write your story)?

I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…

This is just a little warning for everyone – I’m about to go on a serious Monday morning rant. Things are about to get a little dicey.

I love being a book blogger. I love getting to share my love for reading and books with so many different awesome people all over the world. This community is one of the most supportive, accepting, and caring group of people that there is… USUALLY.

Unfortunately, lately things have been getting a little out of control and quite frankly, downright awful. I’m not one to normally commentate on or get involved in all the social media (mainly Twitter) hullabaloo, as I find it a little childish, but this past week has just really irked me to no end. So let me just say this once…

DON’T BE A SOCIAL MEDIA ASSHOLE.

Y’all, bashing one on another on social media just because you don’t agree on something is about the most trivial and immature thing you can do. Instead, if you don’t like what someone else thinks or does – please just block, unfollow, or ignore them. It’s pretty simple and makes everyone’s lives just a little less negative. This bookish community should be positive and a shining example to the rest of the world what it’s like to be tolerant, accepting, and uplifting. By blasting or passive aggressively subtweeting someone, you are only giving that person more power over you and letting them affect your life. You can’t fix stupid, especially by going on a Twitter rampage. So just let Donald Trump be the official Twitter ignorant idiot. Because you are are better than that!

So let’s try and spread a lot more love and positivity this holiday season, okay?

I love each and everyone one you nerds and I want you to know that I’m always here if you need a hug, a laugh, or just a little pick-me-up.

#KeepTwitterPositive

If you were a character, which author would you trust with your life (to write your story)?

Hmmm, this is a tough question this week! I don’t really know who would be able to write my life story… It would need to be someone who can write sassy female characters really well. Schwab does a really good job with Lila Bard, and Maas has as well with Aelin, so I’d be okay with either one of them to write me. Oh, and I’d definitely trust Mindy Kaling as well! Although, I think she’d do better with turning my life into a tv show.

What are your thoughts on all of the Twitter negativity lately? Am I overreacting because I’m too old? (HAHA!) What author would you trust to write your life story? Leave a link to your Musing Mondays post in the comments below!

Spotlight Sunday – November 27th, 2016

Spotlight Sunday is a weekly meme created by Balie @ Nerd in New York & Closet Readers for their Goodreads book club, Nerdy Reads. Each Sunday share a book that you think is underrated and needs to be read ASAP – put it in the spotlight! *wink-wink, nudge-nudge*

Rules:

  1. Make sure to link back to the original creators in your post.
  2. Share your post on the Goodreads page so that others can read your post.

26118377

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

I was able to snag an ARC of this book from NetGalley right before it came out, and I am so glad that I requested it. This book is supposedly listed as Middle Grade but I definitely don’t agree with that. The story is a little too dark and mature for younger kids and I think a lot of the plot might go over their heads a bit. But for adults and teens, this book is perfect! If you like dark, gothic mysteries – this book is for you! You can read my full review of it HERE.

To earn a secret so profound, I would need to tell momentous lies, and make as many people as possible believe them…

Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is modest and well mannered—a proper young lady who knows her place. But inside, Faith is burning with questions and curiosity. She keeps sharp watch of her surroundings and, therefore, knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing—like the real reason her family fled Kent to the close-knit island of Vane. And that her father’s death was no accident.

In pursuit of revenge and justice for the father she idolizes, Faith hunts through his possessions, where she discovers a strange tree. A tree that only bears fruit when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit, in turn, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father’s murder. Or, it might lure the murderer directly to Faith herself, for lies—like fires, wild and crackling—quickly take on a life of their own.

Have you read The Lie Tree? What did you think of it? What’s a good book that you’ve read lately that deserves a Spotlight Sunday post? Leave a link to your post in the comments below!

Hype or Like Friday – November 25th, 2016

Woohoo, it’s Hype or Like Friday again! This meme and Goodreads group were created by myself, Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. To join our group and find out more information about what it’s all about, please go to our Goodreads page HERE.

The November BOTM is going to be Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. All of the topics this month revolve around being thankful! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season, right?

RULES:

  • Answer the weekly discussion topic.
  • Optional: Discuss your chosen hyped book of the week.
  • Optional: Talk about your progress on the BOTM.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK: Three Dark Crowns Book Review

23207027

Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns, #1) by Kendare Blake

Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest.

The Good

  • World Building – Fennbirn was a really interesting world. I loved how the island was set up with the different magic wielders each living in their own cities and areas. The magic system was really interesting, too. I never would’ve though of poisoning being a magic, so that was really unique. The poisoners were also very perfect for their magic – clever, cold, haughty, and malicious. It was also really neat to see how the different magic wielders each had their own characteristics and personalities. I think I would’ve been a naturalist running wild through the woods and reading books to squirrels up in the trees. HA!
  • Arsinoe – This girl is me. She doesn’t care what others think of her, is stubborn as hell, and just does whatever she wants. I loved her personality and sarcastic little comments. She was really the only character I thought that had any personality, other than Pietyr. I would have much rather the entire book just be in her POV.
  •  The Ending – All of the action FINALLY showed up in the last 60 or so pages. I would’ve preferred more throughout the rest of the book, but I’m just glad that it showed up at all. Things were so intense once Beltane arrived and I couldn’t put the book down to see what was going to happen next! And that plot twist?! Seriously, my mouth dropped and was like WTF?! Then it ended… And now I have to wait until the sequel arrives. I’m not pleased.

ORIGINATES FROMTHE MEANING.png

The Bad

  • Almost Every Character – I really just didn’t care for any of the characters, except for Arsinoe and Pietyr. Katharine started off all whiny and “poor me”, and kept being described as too small and weak. I found it extremely annoying. Then she has some sort of sexual revelation and turns into a horny bitch. I wish I was kidding, but I’m not. I really didn’t like her but I’m hoping that she goes on a psycho revenge binge in the next book because of her little ‘adventure’ at the end. Maribella was just boring. She didn’t really have a personality to me and so I found myself bored during her chapters. As for Jules, well she was a bit too obsessed with her boyfriend (who I really didn’t care for). I mean, come on girl – grow up!
  • Pacing – As I briefly mentioned earlier, this book was a bit slow. While I never struggled to make myself pick it up, there was never any real action either. I would’ve preferred to have a bit more of it spread throughout. I think it was sacrificed in this book for all of the world building, background information, and information that was needing to be explained.
  • Pointless Sexual References – I don’t know if this society is just more sexually open or something, but there was just a lot of references to it. I swear everyone was either doing it, talking about it, or doing it. It was just weird. Like what is the point of this? I don’t mind sex in books at all, but it just seems strangely prominent in this book serving no purpose at all other than to maybe create some drama. Yawwwwwwnnnnnn….

Overall this book was alright – nothing special or terrible, just alright. I enjoyed that it was dark and I really liked the plotline, but I wish that the characters would have been better. I would have also liked there to have been a bit more action, and not the sexual kind. I do plan to continue with this series to see where it goes and if there is any growth in the characters. Blake is a pretty popular writer so I’m hoping that she knows what she’s doing with this story. I think this is one of those books that is going to get very polarizing reviews and I’ll be interested in seeing what others think of it, so you should read it just for that reason alone. Now go read it and then let me know what your opinion is!

Final Verdict: 3/5 Stars

Have you read the Three Dark Crowns? What did you think of it? If you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to in the future? Have you read any other books by Kendare Blake? Leave a link to your Hype or Like Friday post in the comments!

The Playlist Shuffle Tag

I haven’t done a tag in quite a while, so I thought today would be a good day for The Playlist Shuffle Tag. I decided to use my Soundtracks playlist on Spotify for this one because it’s what I listen to while I’m reading. Here’s some new tunes that y’all can listen to as you try and drown out all of those loud family members while you’re trying to read this holiday weekend! “TRY” being the key word, haha!

Thank you to Britt @ Geronimo Reads and Cindy @ The Book File for tagging me!

Rules:

  • List the first 10 songs that come on shuffle (no skipsies)
  • Then write your favourite lyric (or verse) from that song
  • Tag others

 1. “Be Our Guest” – Beauty and the Beast: Cast

tumblr_n35g11vyr01sntvgdo1_500

2. “Riff Off: Mickey/Like A Virgin/Hit Me With Your best Shot/S&M/Let’s Talk About Sex/etc.” – Pitch Perfect: Cast

tumblr_nou726TCsT1qgp557o2_500.gif

3. “Flying” – Peter Pan: James Newton Howard

tumblr_n6ltalbr901twpyg0o1_500

4. “End Credits” – Pride & Prejudice: Dario Marianelli, Jean-Yves Thibaudet

tumblr_odv4g11VoN1r591ado1_540.gif

5. “Light of the Seven” – Game of Thrones: Ramin Djawadi

tumblr_o928vbHZI61v5iv7io1_400.gif

5. “Hakuna Matata” – The Lion King: Cast

tumblr_nhxiw1Jvf91tu8sz5o1_1280.gif

6. “Main Title” – Game of Thrones: Ramin Djawadi

tumblr_oaep89VaO71rerjtso2_r1_400.gif

7. “Edelweiss” – The Sound of Music: Bill Lee, Charmain Carr

tumblr_nqnxxoEbmT1txihrro1_r1_500.gif

8. “Think of Me” – Phantom of the Opera: Andrew Lloyd Webber

tumblr_nq09mvqriz1uyvuuio1_500

9. “What’s This?” – The Nightmare Before Christmas: Danny Elfman

tumblr_nbi5xmwHzo1rh92sko1_500.gif

10. “The Hologram/Binary Sunset” – Star Wars A New Hope: John Williams

tumblr_o26qpmTb0L1v4hyfzo4_r1_540.gif

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

TAGGED:

If you’ve already done this tag or don’t want to, don’t worry about it! Or if you would like to, then I tag you as well!

What do you like to listen to while you’re reading? 

WWW Wednesday – November 23rd, 2016

img_1384-0

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I’m still currently making my way through Three Dark Crowns but I hope to finish it by tomorrow. The action is still pretty lacking at this point, but I am seeing a gradual build finally so I’m hoping that means I’m getting close! I wanna see some murder! Preferably Joseph’s, but I’ll take what I can get at this point.

I actually have yet to read any actual pages in Queen of Shadows, as I’m trying to finish up the other book first. I know that once I start, it’ll be incredibly hard to put down to read something else. My Tome Topple Read-A-Thon is slowly going down the drain. I’ll be lucky if I can finish even two books at the rate I’m going. For all of you younglings out there, never become an adult and get a real job because it totally cuts into your reading time.

 What did you recently finish reading?

I really enjoyed The Diabolic. It was a fun and brutal read, with lots of murder and mayhem. However, there were lots of similarities to the Red Rising series that kept me from rating it higher. I mean, it’s tough to live up to one of my all time favorite books so it’s not really a big deal. I still highly recommend it to everyone!

I buddy read Wolf by Wolf with my one of my blogging partners in crime, Britt @ Geronimo Reads (go check out her awesome blog!). We both really enjoyed it, though we did have some issues with the main character, Yael. I do plan on reading the sequel and I hope that some of those issues are addressed. I wasn’t really sure if I was going to like this book when I first bought it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Yay for my first buddy read!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Once I finish Three Dark Crowns I will officially be able to dive into my Tome Topple TBR all the way. I plan to finish up the ToG series and then start on the new release P.C Cast novel. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because she wrote the House of Night vampire series. I used to love those books when I was in high school so I’m interested in seeing how her new book turns out. You can read all about my Tome Topple Read-A-Thon TBR here.

Have you read any of the books from my WWW Wednesday list? What are you currently reading? Are you participating in the Tome Topple Read-A-Thon too? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments below!

Book Review: The Diabolic

I have to say that I’m a little partial to science fiction novels. I think it runs in the family as that’s basically the only genre my dad and brother reads unless I force a book on them. It’s also a genre that’s not really popular in YA, though I do think it’s gotten a lot more popular recently. So when I first heard about The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid, I knew I had to get my hands on it.

A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.

Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.

When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.

As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.

The Good

  • Action – Yep, there’s killing and stabbing and poisoning and breaking necks happening all over the place in this book. AND I LIKE IT! I need more women in YA just kicking ass and taking names. Yes, it’s probably mean and ruthless but I don’t care, sue me!
  • Nemesis – I loved the character development that her character went through. She spends most of the book thinking that her only purpose is to protect someone else and that she is incapable of having any feelings or the ability to sympathize. However, as she continues her mission, she is able to develop new emotions and recognize that there is more to her than just being a Diabolic. She’s an actual human being, even if she is genetically modified.
  • Political Intrigue – I’m a sucker for it. Give me a book that’s full of backstabbing and power hungry people, and I’ll fall in love. It’s amazing what kind of psychological insight you can learn from reading books that use this as a major plotline. But maybe it helps just a little that I think I’d be pretty good at playing the game. Does this make me a bad person?!
  • Tyrus – Oh man, I think we’d be a match made in heaven.

The Bad

  • Ending – The climax felt a bit rushed and messy for me. I would’ve liked to have seen even just about 50 pages more to bring it all together. I also didn’t like how the “twist” happened that was the catalyst for the ending. It didn’t really make sense in that Nemesis had been a very skeptical and critical thinker for the entire book, so this seemed a bit out of character for her.
  • Similar to Red Rising – There was quite a bit of similarities to the plot of Red Rising, more so than what I originally thought when I read the synopsis. And let’s be honest, you can try to imitate that book but you will seriously fail at it. It’s far too good for any of that!

I’m gonna give this book 3.75 stars. It’s a really fun read and very entertaining, but because I have read Red Rising and it’s probably my favorite series ever, this book just can’t get a higher rating from me. It probably deserves it but I’m biased on this one, sorry! I do highly recommend it though to anyone who’s interested in reading some good YA science fiction or is just looking for a fun ride!

Final Verdict: 3.75 Stars

Have you read The Diabolic? What are your thoughts on this book? Do you like to read science fiction?

Teaser Tuesday – November 22nd, 2016

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme currently being hosted by MizB @ Books and a Beat. All are welcome to participate!

Rules:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Open to a random page.
  • Share two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don’t want to give too much away so as to not ruin the book for others!
  • Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

I’m still in the middle of Three Dark Crowns but since I already shared a teaser of that one last week, I thought I’d leave it off this week’s post. Sorry, peeps!

18006496

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas

Aelin peered down at her former master, her face blank save for a slight tightening around her mouth. “I hope the dark god finds a special place for you in his realm,” she said, and a shiver went down Rowan’s spine at the midnight caress in her tone.

-page 388

I’m finally getting to start on my TBR pile for the Tome Topple Read-A-Thon. I plan to get A LOT of reading done during this long holiday weekend. Yeahhhhh, buddy!

Have you read Queen of Shadows? How does it compare to the rest of the Throne of Glass series?What book are you currently reading? Leave a teaser of it or a link to your Teaser Tuesday post in the comments!