Showing posts with label L.J. Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label L.J. Smith. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2020

Bookstagram Mondays: (3)


My family on my dad's side is german, my grandparents were from Germany. My sisters and I went to a german immersion school growing up. I took german classes until I was in grade 10. 

While I've grown rusty over the years, I still collect german editions of books. I don't have a huge selection as it's expensive to ship from Germany, and the books are just expensive in general, but I'm proud of my collection. 

Do you collect different language books?

Friday, June 30, 2017

June Wrap Up 2017

   Like most of the months, June was all over the place for me. From graduations, to my sisters finally being done school for the summer, and to getting a new job! So it was busy and hectic as usual, and of course all the days blurred together. 
   Unfortunately for June, I wasn't able to get out of my book slump, which was my fault. I ended up picking two books that I just could not enjoy, resulting in me not wanting to pick anything else up after them. Hopefully the next thing I pick up ends up being really good and fixes my mistake for June.
   Some of you may follow me on Instagram, or maybe just noticed that I changed my Bio on most of my social media platforms, but for those of you who haven't noticed or heard, I got another job! Come the last week of June, I got a call for an interview to one of my favourite places, McNally Robinson. Also known as my local Indie bookstore, one which I occupy more frequently than not. Anyways, shortly after the interview they called me back and I was hired! I've already had my first shift, and I couldn't be happier working there. Having already known most of the people in the department that I'm in, from always stopping by, everything has been so easy to adjust too! You'll probably be hearing much more about the store in the next upcoming months!
  Like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, June time brings graduations, and one that I went to this Spring was for my good friend Sabrina, who you all know from the book blog Beyond the Book Reviews. So if you guys have a spare moment, definitely head on over to her blog and congratulate her!

   That pretty much sums up my month, so now onto the monthly stats!


Books Read:

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau 
The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson

Book Haul:


Books Reviewed:


July Releases I'm Excited For:



   That's it for this month! Come back next month to see what shenanigans I partook in during the month of July!



Friday, December 30, 2016

Recommendation Fridays: The Night World Series by L.J. Smith

   I've been a fan of the Night World series by L.J. Smith, since I first discovered the Twilight Saga.  After just starting my obsession with reading, the Night World series was the first series I picked up after finishing the Twilight Saga. It was the perfect series to get me out of my slump. Originally I had only picked up the first omnibus, but surprisingly I finished that in a week. And so the trend started, I would finish the omnibus in a week and then head to a store and pick up the next omnibus. The series had me hooked, with the first 6 books being their own little stories, and then the last 3 slowly connecting them all. Even though it's been 7 years since I read the last omnibus, and 19 years since the last book was released, I'm still awaiting the day when the final book in the series will be released. (The series is being published in hardcover, with new covers for the first time since the omnibus'. So I have hope that this means the series is finally coming to an end.)
   The series is full of vampires, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, it has everything really. If you're looking to go back to the good old days, where the YA books were filled with simplistic but entertaining reads, as well as vampires, then this is the series for you. 

   Since first picking up the series, I've collected the omnibus', the original 1990s first published editions, some of the german editions and you bet your butt that I'll be picking up the hardcover editions! You could say I'm a bit obsessed.

The series would probably be best for people who like the following books:
Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Werewolves, Shapeshifters, Witches, Soulmates, Ghouls

Night World, No. 1 by L.J. Smith


Release Date: June 3rd, 2008
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Series: Night World, #1-3
Format: Omnibus Paperback, 729 pages


Description from GoodReads:


   Includes:
   Book 1 - Secret Vampire
   Book 2 - Daughters of Darkness 
   Book 3 - Spellbinder 

   Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

   In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

   Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

   Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.


Night World, No. 2 by L.J. Smith


Release Date: November 18th, 2008
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Series: Night World, #4-6
Format: Omnibus Paperback, 662 pages


Description from GoodReads:


   Includes:
   Book 4 - Dark Angel
   Book 5 - The Chosen
   Book 6 - Soulmate

   Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

   In Dark Angel, Gillian is saved from drowning by her guardian angel. Only visible to Gillian, Angel will fulfill her heart's every desire. But when Angel starts making strange and sinister requests, Gillian must question who he truly is and where he came from.

   Armed with a wooden stake, martial arts, and the will to resist a vampire's mind control, Rashel struggles to avenge her mother's death in The Chosen. Then she meets Quinn, her soulmate, who is part of the world she has vowed to destroy.

   Hannah receives notes warning her of incredible danger in Soulmate. But if death is her destiny, is the Lord of the Night World's love strong enough to save her?


Night World, No. 3 by L.J. Smith


Release Date: April 7th, 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Series: Night World, #7-9
Format:


Description from GoodReads:


   Includes:
   Book 7 - Huntress
   Book 8 - Black Dawn
   Book 9 - Witchlight
   Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters - they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

   The apocalypse is drawing near. But four Wild Powers can save the world from the impending doom. Circle Daybreak, an underground organization with both Night World and human members, is searching for the four who can stop the darkness.

   A vampire hunter - who is half vampire - stalks her own kind to protect humans in Huntress.

   In Black Dawn, Maggie stumbles upon an old Night World kingdom where the ruling vampire prince is both an enemy and an ally.

   And Circle Daybreak hires Keller, a shapeshifting panther, to guard a new Wild power in Witchlight. But when Keller falls in love with the Wild Power's soulmate, her love could destroy everything...


   That is the Night World series for you! I hope you guys pick up the series, I hold it close to my heart!

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Ohana Talks: Top 5 Favourite Authors.

   Since I began my obsession with reading oh so long ago, I've come to read a lot of books over that time, and with those books, I've fallen in love with so many great authors. Today I wanted to show you all, my top favourite authors. The authors that I own almost all of their books, as well as multiple editions of them. Many of them don't need any help getting their books out there, they're already big names, but I wanted to show them off to you anyway.

   I was originally just going to do my top 5, but I found that I had two authors that were tied in 5th place. So now I have 6 total.


Marisa Meyer/ Kiera Cass

   I was lucky enough to have met both Kiera and Marissa, to be completely honest, I've met all the authors on this list, expect one. I met Kiera Cass back in 2014, at YALLfest. She still remains one of the sweetest people I have met in my entire life. She adored how loved my copy of The Selection was, as well as The Selection and The Elite earrings that my sister was wearing. (That I made, hehe) I've loved her book since that one camping trip when I happened to have picked up The Selection at the library to bring along, and finished it in one day.
   I first met Marissa at BEA 2016, when I went through what you could say was A LOT of trouble to get tickets to her Heartless signing/ARC drop. I've adored her books since I first read Cinder, oh so long ago. Her Lunar Chronicles had been instant pre-orders, the minute the next book in the series was announced. 


Richelle Mead

   The Vampire Academy series was one of the first series' that I got into when I first started reading. My mom thought that because I started reading because of Twilight, that it was the vampires that sucked me in. (LOL, excuse my pun.) And so my love of Richelle Mead started. I went from reading and loving her Vampire Academy series, to her Bloodlines series, to eventually reading all her adult series' like the Dark Swan series. As of today, I've read everything but two books that Richelle has published, and I just can't wait to read her latest upcoming book, Midnight Jewel


Cassandra Clare

   Cassandra's City of Bones is what got me into her writing. The first trilogy of the series, The Mortal Instruments, was all released when I first picked up the series, and so I was able to read them all as a binge read. But it wasn't until I realized that she had a prequel series out as well, that I really became a fan of hers. I picked up Clockwork Angel, and read it, I believe in a week, although, Clockwork Prince is what really got me hooked. Will and Jem are who won my heart. Since then, I've read everything that connects to the Shadowhunters, and made it my mission to own all of them in hardcover. 


L. J. Smith

   The Night World series was another one of the series that got me into reading, reading it after Twilight but before Vampire Academy. I had picked up the Omnibus of the first three books, and so I was able to read them all at once. Even though the three should have lasted me a while, I had to go to the bookstore twice in the following two weeks to pick up the next two omnibus'. To this day, the series still has a place in my heart. Unfortunately it's been almost 19 years and we still don't have a conclusion to the series, but I still have hope. I even own the originally 1990's editions of the series. 
   I fell in love with the original few seasons of her Vampire Diaries TV show as well, even though it's totally different from the books. I still love them just the same. 
   She is the only one of my top five authors that I have yet to meet, I hope to change that one day.


Sarah J Maas

   I met Sarah J. Maas back at YALLfest 2014, along with Kiera Cass. At the time I had only read her Throne of Glass, which I hadn't really enjoyed. It wasn't until after that festival that I received the first ARC for her new book/series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, that she finally had me obsessed. I couldn't wait for the sequel, but since it was an ARC, I knew I had a long wait ahead. So I finally picked up the rest of the Throne of Glass series. Today, the A Court of Thorns and Roses series remains my all time favourite, and her Throne of Glass series is just a little bit below on that list.
   For her A Court of Mist and Fury tour, I was able to meet her again, but as a true fan. I was a blubbering mess, but at least I was able to see her and have my prized books signed for my collection.


   Those were my top 5,(6) all time favourite authors. Who are your favourites? What stories do you have behind those authors? What do they mean to you? I'd love to hear about your favourites!

Friday, August 26, 2016

Ohana Talks: Top Ten Anticipated Releases of Fall 2016


   With the end of August slowly approaching, in my mind that automatically means it's time for the fall. So today I'm going to be showing you my top 10 anticipated releases of Fall 2016. Most of the time my most anticipated reads release in the fall, so expect some pretty amazing books on this list! 

   The list will slowly graduate to my most anticipated!

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Kerri Maniscalco
Jimmy Patterson
Expected: September 20th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

   Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.


   My friend Kristie from Lost in Ever After was the one who got me pumped for Stalking Jack the Ripper, originally I was a little excited when I saw it's reveal but it wasn't until her freak out when I was at BEA 2016 that I slowly started anticipating this fall release. 


Dead Girl Society

Michelle Krys
Delacorte Press
Expected: November 8th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   You are cordially invited to participate in a game of thrills and dares. Tell no one, and come alone. If you dare.

   Hope is sick of everyone treating her like she’s breakable. Sure, she has cystic fibrosis (basically really bad lungs), but she’s tired of being babied by her mom and her overprotective best friend, Ethan, not to mention worrying about paying for her expensive medication and how she’s going to afford college.And she’s bored with life in her run-down New Orleans suburb. 

   When an invitation arrives from a mysterious group that calls itself the Society, Hope jumps at the chance for some excitement. This could be her ticket out. All she has to do is complete a few dares and she just might win some real money. 
But the Society isn’t all that it seems . . . and soon Hope finds that playing the game isn’t a choice—it’s a requirement. 


   When Michelle Krys' Witch Hunter series was first published I was super excited, who doesn't love witches, especially coming from another Canadian like myself? I have yet to pick up the series, but either way I still can't wait for this particular read to release!


Labyrinth Lost

Zoraida Córdova
Brooklyn Brujas, #1
Sourcebooks Fire
Expected: September 16th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

   Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation...and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can't trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange marks on his skin.

   The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland...


   Back in the beginning of the year I was super excited to get my hands on this book, Day of the Dead is a low key obsession of mine. Raincoat Publishing was the magical being that gifted me an ARC to review, and at this point I've read it already so I won't say anymore about it but you can definitely expect a very magical adventure in this book.


Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, & Robin Wasserman
Margaret K. McElderry 
Expected: November 15th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be.

   But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon’s trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D.

   Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. Written by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman, these moving and hilarious short stories are perfect for the fan who just can’t get enough of the Shadowhunters.


   Honestly at this point Cassandra Clare is a auto buy for me, so you really shouldn't be surprised that I want this book. 


The Black Key

Amy Ewing
The Lone City, #3
HarperTeen
Expected: October 4th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   For too long, Violet and the people of the outer circles of the Lone City have lived in service to the royalty of the Jewel. But now the secret society known as the Black Key is preparing to seize power.

   And while Violet knows she is at the center of this rebellion, she has a more personal stake in it—her sister, Hazel, has been taken by the Duchess of the Lake. Now, after fighting so hard to escape the Jewel, Violet must do everything in her power to return to save not only Hazel, but the future of the Lone City.


   After receiving the first two books in this series, and binging them in a week, I just could not wait for The Black Key. The series is coming to its conclusion and I can't wait to see what Amy has ins tore for us!


Heartless

Marissa Meyer
Feiwel and Friends
Expected: Novemeber 8th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

   At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

   Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.


   Marissa is another auto buy of mine, her Lunar Chronicles is phenomenal. As much as I'm anticipating this read, I actually have a signed ARC. So the wait for this one isn't that bad!


Hardcover Editions of the Night World Series

L.J.Smith
Night World, #1-3
Simon Pulse
Expected: December 6th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   The pain was something Poppy couldn’t ignore. The diagnosis was death. There was no hope—until James appeared in the darkened hospital room.

   James, her best friend and secret love, the most handsome boy in El Camino High. But this was a James she didn’t know, menacing yet irresistible as he offered Poppy the gift of eternal life.

   Only he could open the door to the Night World, and spirit her into its lonely, secret universe.

   One dizzying kiss and she can see into his soul. She finds that he has always loved her. They’re soul mates—but can she follow him into death and beyond? It’s a desperate choice, and Poppy’s time is running out...


   There’s something strange about the new girls in town. Briar Creek, Oregon, has never seen anything like the supernatural grace of Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade, three sisters who move into the dilapidated old house next to Mark and Mary-Lynnette Carter.

   Mark is obsessed with Jade—but she and her sisters have a secret. And when Mark and Mary-Lynnette follow them into the woods one night, they are plunged into a nightmare beyond their imagination.

   Because the sisters are fugitives from the Night World, and their brother Ash is hot on the trail behind them. He’s ruthless, gorgeous, and he has orders to bring the girls back at all costs. And when he sees Mary-Lynette, he decides to take her too…


   Her name is Blaise and she’s irresistible to boys. Her dark, smoldering beauty is an invitation to jealousy and madness. And now she’s ready for the kill. Eric Ross is the perfect catch, a star athlete who wants to be a vet. But her cousin Thea, is determined to protect this particular human boy from the girl who was born to destroy men.

   Blaise’s black magic is powerful. The only way Thea can fight back is to use her own white magic, to bewitch Eric herself as a bluff. But soon Thea finds herself getting too close to Eric, feeling forbidden emotions, breaking Night World laws. Falling in love. As Halloween and the Night of the Witch draw closer, can Thea save Eric—and herself—from Blaise’s vengeance?


   The Night World series is an absolute favourite of mine, I'd say in the top 5. I own so many editions of this series including the original editions. With the series getting hardcovers, and new covers, I'm in desperate hope that they plan on finishing the series finally after 18 years of waiting.


Blood for Blood

Ryan Graudin
Wolf by Wolf, #2
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Expected: November 1st, 2016


Description from GoodReads;


   There would be blood.
   Blood for blood.
   Blood to pay.
   An entire world of it.

   For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.

   Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.

   But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?


   I finished Wolf by Wolf last fall, in I think it was one night. Ever since I made it my mission to get my hands on the ARC of Blood for Blood. Now i'm just waiting for my friend to finally have a chance to read her copy so we can read it together. 


Like a River Glorious

Rae Carson
The Gold Seer Trilogy, #2
Greenwillow Books
Expected: September 27th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

   Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.


   Most of you probably saw my Waiting on Wednesday a little while ago of this one, so I won't say much. But I will say, MAGIC, ADVENTURE, AND HISTORICAL FICTION.


Empire of Storms

Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass, #5
Bloomsbury USA Children's
Expected: September 6th, 2016


Description from GoodReads:


   The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.

   As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

   Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?


   At this point if you still haven't read Throne of Glass then I don't know what you're doing with your life. But otherwise for everyone else that has read the series, you know why I'm dying to get my hands on it! No words are needed from here on that front!


   Those are my most anticipated reads for the Fall 2016, what about you guys? What are you excited for?