Showing posts with label Sabaa Tahir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sabaa Tahir. Show all posts

Monday, January 14, 2019

Ohana Reads' 5th Blogiversary!

Hello friends! It's certainly been a year, and I haven't spent as much time here as I would have liked. Where I miss posting all the time, I just haven't been able to get into a routine of things anymore. I think saying that, I've come to terms with it. I'm officially okay with being that person who just posts randomly, I hope you guys are alright with that too.

Even though I haven't posted a bunch on the blog, I've still been very active on Twitter and in the book community. So if you ever want to chat, don't be afraid to hit me up!

Anyways, time for me to tell you about how my 2018 went:

Break Down of the Year:

Over 203, 672 Total Page Views
247 Published Comments
462 Published Posts
My Top Series Enders of 2013 being my most viewed post...at 47, 352 views
The Ohana Reads' 4th Blogiversary Post being my most viewed post of 2018... at 300 views
28 GFC Followers
1, 386 Twitter Followers
532 Instagram Followers

Like every year, I wouldn't have been able to survive the year without the help of some amazing friends and people in my life. Here are the people that made my year amazing.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

BEA 2016: Day 3


      The third and final day of BEA 2016 began at 4:15am on the Friday, this is because I really wanted a ticket to the last Marissa Meyer signing/ Heartless drop. So at 5:30am I made it to the ticket line to wait with the others who had already lined up, the ticket drop was at 8am. I was roughly 20th in line, from what I had heard there was going to be 100-150 tickets, so I had thought that I'd be good to go. Once 8am came, and the drop line opened for business, the first 3 people in line got tickets then they were out. How could that be right? Well, apparently all the other tickets were taken when people paid for fast passes/first in line passes, something that had sold out when I finally bought my BEA pass. (Fast Passes, guaranteed you advance tickets so that you didn't have to wait in line. When buying the pass, you get 3 passes to ticketed lines of your choice.) When I finally got to the front of the line, not wanting to have gotten up super early for no reason I grabbed a ticket to Alexandra Bracken. Feeling super disappointed, I went to the entrance line to wait till 9:00am when everyone was let onto the floor. 

   Having a drop at 9:30am, Stephanie and I headed straight to the Random House booth for the drop of The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. We didn't have to wait long until the drop happened. Right after the drop happened, Stephanie ran off to the Friday Three Dark Crowns drop, and since I didn't have anything until 10am I lingered a bit. And lucky I did, because no more than 5 minutes after Stephanie ran away did Nicola Yoon walk by. Being the sneaky girl that I am, I ran up to her to ask her to sign my copy of The Sun is Also a Star. From there I walked happily towards the Alexandra Bracken line.

Alexandra Bracken
   At the line a few great things happened, the first being that I met Asma, who was such a sweetie and delight to talk too! And second being that the other lady I was talking, overheard me talking to Asma about how I didn't get a ticket to Marissa, and offered me her advance pass to Marissa that she wasn't going to use, I started tearing up right on the spot. It was the nicest gesture, and honestly it made BEA for me.

Marissa Meyer
   Once Bayram, joined me in line for Alexandra Bracken, I could not shut up about how excited I was to see Marissa. Eventually we reached the front of the line, and were finally able to meet Alexandra. Having just read the first 2 books in her Darkest Minds series, we had a great little convo about it!

   From there I rushed to the Marissa Meyer signing line, where I almost cried again from excitement. I had to wait roughly an hour but in the end it was worth it. I was a blabbering mess when I finally got to the front of the line, my smile in the pictures that were taken, looks gigantic and I could not stop rambling on about how my blog was in the Cress paperback. I couldn't have felt anymore excited, I hope Marissa didn't just think I was a weirdo or anything ha!

    After the Marissa signing (11am), I had nothing planned until 1pm. So I wandered around with Stephanie, looking for trouble and more exciting things. This was after I started tearing up again in front of Stephanie and her mom about Heartless.

Veronica Roth
Leigh Bardugo
   With this aimless wandering we discovered a wild Veronica Roth, author of Divergent (We really just spotted her at her booth), a wild Leigh Bardugo, author of Shadow and Bone, (Okay, so actually she was having lunch with Alexandra Bracken, Kami Garcia, author of Beautiful Creatures, and Amie Kaufman, author of Illuminae, but we were too polite to intrude, that was until they were done eating of course;), and finally some *interesting* photos of each other were taken. Then I received a text, my friend Kristie, some of you already know her previously from Ohana Reads, knew that while in the states I wouldn't have any data, I would only have whatever wifi I could find, so she came to my rescue. Apparently Jay Kristoff had tweeted that the first three people to find him and tell him a secret password (Never Forget), would get a signed ARC of his upcoming release Nevernight. This particular ARC wasn't available or being featured at BEA. Stephanie being a super fan of his, we just had to hunt him down. So we spent the next hour or so looking for him. 
   Eventually 1pm rolled around, and I was off to the ARC drop and signing of Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco. And boy was she a sweetie! Debut authors when they're nervous about seeing their *children* sent our into the world is the sweetest thing. 


   Then rushing occurred, because my next signing was at 1pm as well, and that signing was for Eleanor Herman, Amy Lukavics, Keira Drake, author of The Continent, and Jennifer L. Armentrout for The Problem With Forever. Having already met Eleanor and Amy the day before, I was really there for Keira and Jennifer. I've been a huge fan of Jennifer since YALLFest 2014, so I just had to get an ARC of her latest book. I also had to go to at least one of her signings because I promised my sister that I would get her ARC of Don't Look Back signed for her! It was AMAZING getting to see her again!
Jennifer L. Armentrout 
   Finally, with only having one thing left on my schedule for the day and it being 1:30pm, I headed to my 3:00pm book drop for Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. I was there a little early huh? Well, apparently an "unofficial" line had already started at 1:00pm. People really wanted that ARC. And so I, along with Stephanie and her mom stayed. Everyone taking turns leaving and going around places, always making sure we had at least one person saving our spots in line. I left only, perhaps 5 times. Twice, for random book drops that people around us told us about, once for a picture with Ransom Riggs and Tahereh Mafi, (Authors of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Shatter Me) and twice for two more special things. One being A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir.

Me, Ransom Rigs, Tahereh Mafi, Stephanie

Sabaa Tahir
   At 2:00pm the signing/drop for A Torch Against the Night began, but because it was a Random House/Penguin event, the tickets for the event were given out an hour before the signing, the same time I was at the Harlequin ladies signing. So I had no hope of snagging a ticket. Low and behold, I heard a whisper from someone while I was waiting in the Gemina line, a whisper that they had left over ARCs from the signing. So I jumped up and ran to the line, by the time I got there, there were a few people already lined up in front of me, but I made it. I didn't even realize that Sabaa was still there signing them, so along with the ARC, I was able to get it personalized. It was pretty great! I still remember that thrill of running to the line and actually making it.

Steph and Jay Kristoff
   The last special thing that happened was that while getting up to find Stephanie, I saw her with, guess who? Jay Kristoff, that lucky girl had found him and gotten one of the ARCs of Nevernight. I swear she was crying, she was so happy. Pictures were taken, and then tons of people started to crowd him. Apparently he had pre-signed the ARCs just in case he was going to be too busy to sign them later, but Steph was lucky enough to get hers personalized too. I will never forget the moment when he asked who to sign it to and she said Doodle, because right after she said that, he did a double take and replied, "Doodle? That means something totally different in Australia." I snorted a little too loudly after that, and continued to tease Steph about it for the rest of the trip.


   Then back to the Gemina line we went, and finally we were able to get those ARCs. (Here is Jay Kristof's video of the Gemina line) Two Kristoff ARCS within an hour of each other, I swear Stephanie was in Heaven at this point. My Marissa Meyer ARC was her Kristoff ARCs. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

   And that pretty much concluded BEA 2016 for me, of course the next day BookCon 2016 was going to happen but as far as Book Expo America was concerned, it was over for me.

   Here is my book haul for BEA Day 3!


   An that concludes BEA 2016 for me!


 If you haven't seen my other posts from BEA you can see those here:



   Until the next post!


Thursday, December 24, 2015

Ohana Talks: Bookish Christmas Wishlist


   My family has the same traditions for Christmas every year or every second year. But I decided that instead of giving you all the boring details of my plans, I decided that I'd do something for fun. So today I'm going to telling you what books I asked Santa for! (Yes, Santa;)

Hardcover:




Paperback:

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass (International Edition)
Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder (UK Edition, black background with flame)
Storm Glass  by Maria V. Snyder (UK edition, black background)
Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout (UK Edition, white background with blue)


   Yes I know I'm bad for not reading a bunch of these yet, and to be honest I forgot to add a bunch of them. Oops, too late now.


   What books did you ask for for Christmas? What else do you have on your wishlist? Let me know int the comments!



Saturday, December 12, 2015

Ohana Talks: 10 Books I Wanted to Read in 2015 but Didn't


   At the beginning of the year I made a list of some of my most anticipated reads for 2015, while that list did grow throughout the year I still did not accomplish reading all the ones on my original list, and more. So today I have for you, my list of books that released this year that I wanted to read but didn't get a chance too!




   For some of these I just never got a chance at reading them( I wanted to buy them before reading them), and for some I just haven't had enough in my bank account to purchase them aha!

   What about you? Were there some books that you meant to read but didn't? Which ones were they? I'd love to know!



Sunday, October 11, 2015

Ohana Talks: Top 10 2015 Releases I Meant to Read but Haven't


  2015 is almost over and there are still so many books I have yet to read, including a rather large list of 2015 releases. Because of the large list, I've decided to put together a post with my top 10 that I've been looking forward to! So today I'm going to tell you about my top 10 releases of the year, that I haven't read yet but meant too!  

Red Queen 

Victoria Aveyard
HarperTeen
Red Queen Trilogy, #1
Published: February 10th, 2015

Description from GoodReads:


   This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

   The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

   That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

   Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

   But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...


   There was a lot of word about Red Queen before it was released, so much word that everyone was completely pumped within a month and dying to read it. I was one of those people, and even though months have passed I'm not dying to read it as much as I was in January, I'd still like to read it. 


The Wrath & The Dawn

Renne Ahdieh
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
The Wrath & The Dawn, #1
Published: May 12th, 2105


Description from GoodReads:


   One Life to One Dawn.

   In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

   Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?


   Who doesn't want an Aladdin retelling? That is what drawer me in!


The Last Time We Say Goodbye

Cynthia Hand
Harper Teem
Published: February 10th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   There's death all around us.
   We just don't pay attention.
   Until we do.

   The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

   Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

   As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

   Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.


   I adored Cynthia Hand's other series, Unearthly, so when I heard of this one I just knew I was going to love it!


The Stars Never Rise

Rachel Vincent
Delacorte Press
The Stars Never Rise, #1
Published: June 9th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

   When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

   To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

   Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

   The Stars Never Rise was another one of those books that I adored the authors other works, I've read all of Rachel Vincent's books except her recent releases from this year. That is going to change, starting with this one!


All the Bright Places

Jennifer Niven
Knof
Published: January 6th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
   Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
   When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
 

   Every person that I know that's read All the Bright Places has cried, so I've felt like I need a good cry. So All the Bright Places is my go to for that! 


Insidious

Dawn Metcalf
HarlequinTeen
The Twixt, #3
Published: August 25th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   True evil is rarely obvious. It is quiet, patient. 

   Insidious. 

   Awaiting the perfect moment to strike. 

   Joy Malone finally knows who she is, where she comes from and how to live in two worlds at once. And now she can introduce her family and friends to her mysterious boyfriend, Indelible Ink. But when Ink's twin sister, Invisible Inq, calls in a favor, Joy must accept a dangerous mission to find a forgotten door between worlds—a door hiding a secret that some will kill to keep. 

   Unseen enemies, treasonous magic and an unthinkable betrayal threaten both the Twixt and human worlds as Joy races to expose an ancient conspiracy and unleash the unalterable truth—some secrets cannot remain secret forever. 


   After the ending in Invisible I'd just like to see more of that happy ending we got! 


An Ember in the Ashes

Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill
An Ember in the Ashes, #1
Published: April 18th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Laia is a slave. 

   Elias is a soldier. 

   Neither is free.

   Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

   It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

   But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

   There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.


   This was another one of those books that everyone was hyped for, so I obviously I became hyped too!


Every Last Breath

Jennifer L. Armentrout
HarlequinTeen
The Dark Elements, #3
Published: July 28th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

   Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

   Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

   Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell… 


   This one I have a reason for not reading yet, the first two books are some of my all time favourite books but with the publishing house being bought over it caused a few problems. So by not reading Every Last Breath I'm low-key protesting the cover change and the height change. I will eventually read it though, once I get over my little protest.


Fairest

Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5
Published: January 27th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

   Mirror, mirror on the wall,
   Who is the fairest of them all?

   Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 


   The only reason I haven't read this one yet is because I'd like to buy it and read it, and I just haven't gotten a chance at buying it yet!


Dead of Winter

Kresley Cole
Simon & Schuster for Young Readers
The Arcana Chronicles, #3
Published: January 6th, 2015


Description from GoodReads:


   Can Evie convince her rival loves to work together? Their survival depends on it in this third book of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles, a nonstop action tale of rescue, redemption, and a revenge most wicked.

   Heartbreaking decisions 
   Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her—until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, the Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death’s uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts…and stolen glances from a former love.

   Uncertain victory 
   Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on the Lovers. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn’t know what will prove more impossible: surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana—or convincing Jack and Death to work together.

   Two heroes returned 
   There’s a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn’t know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first...?


  My sister and I actually bought Dead of Winter together but she read it before me, and now she's obsessed and won't give it up! I'll eventually get it from her to read, but for now I'm out of luck!



   Those are the 2015 releases I haven't gotten a chance at reading yet! What about you? Are there any 2015 releases you haven't gotten a chance to read yet?