February went by fast, and I don't just mean because it was only 28 days instead of 30 or 31. February is always a quick month for me and my family, my sister has a birthday at the beginning of the month and I, at the end, with Valentines Day in the middle. Then this year, being in University I also had reading week. So it all flew by so fast.
At the beginning of the month my work finally had their Christmas party, we went to a Brewery where we were able to sample a beer that they had made in the building. We also had a local restaurant come in and make us this amazing meal. I've honestly been debating on doing an adventure in the summer, where I do a downtown tour of Winnipeg and just find all the best local restaurants. Now I just have to find a few people to go on this adventure with me.
When Reading Week started, I went to a craft store and bought a bunch of stuff to make bookish candles. So I've made a bunch of sample ones already, I haven't been feeling the designing vibe, but I have been getting everything else worked out. It's been pretty fun.
Then this past weekend I went to my first Escape Room, my friend had her birthday party at one. We did one that had the highest "spook' rating, and I was pretty spooked when we started out but eventually my competitiveness won over and I rushed to get all the clues done.
Overall it was a good month, I didn't get a whole lot of reading done, but it was a good month. Hopefully next month is just as good, but with even more reading done!
Hello and welcome to the Reignited Blog Tour hosted by JeanBook Nerd! I've been a huge fan of Colleen Houck since her Tiger's Series released, and so I couldn't not be excited for her Reawakened series, Reignited included! Today I have for you, my review and excerpt of the book, as well as a giveaway! So I hope you enjoy, and good luck with the giveaway!
Release Date: February 21st, 2017 Read: February 17-19th, 2017 Publisher: Coleen Houck Series: Reawakened, #0.5 Format: Kindle Edition, 80 pages Source: Publisher in Exchange for Review
In Heliopolis secrets abound and passions ignite as chaos rises.
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Tiger’s Curse series and Reawakened comes a novella full of celestial marvel, passion, betrayal, and evil that will grow to reign over humanity forever.
Before Lily and Amon met, before the cosmos was in chaos and needed three brave brothers to fight off evil, there were four siblings who helped rule the earth.
Each sibling had a special gift. Osiris, the god of agriculture, helped mortals to grow and thrive in their natural environment. Isis, the goddess of creation, fostered health and wellness. Nephthys, the seer, was able to keep the balance between all living beings and the universe. But Seth, the youngest sibling, was left without any special powers. The Waters of Chaos, which granted each god’s talent, were running dry, and Seth was paying the price.
As time passed, however, Seth’s determination and willfulness resulted in a very special gift, one that should have granted him the ability to enact wondrous change. But Seth’s competitive childhood gave him a heart so cold and vacant that instead, his gift brought about great evil.
Seth was now the god of unmaking, the creator of disorder and destruction. And he was ready to seek his revenge, dominating all who got in his way.
Review:
The cosmos will be in harmony.
There will never be a time when I'm not excited for a Colleen Houck book, especially when it involves her Tiger series or her Reawakened series. Reignited was no exception.
Myths are always varying depending on who is telling the story, in this case Houck was telling them. In Reawakened we learnt of the three brothers that were given immortality to stop Seth from taking over the world. Although we learnt of Seth and his powers, we never really knew why he wanted the world to end. In Reignited, we learn about how Seth came to be the way he is, and who he was as a person before Reawakened occurred. I really enjoyed how Houck made the story to give us more background to his character, I feel like with Reunited releasing in August, I'll be all that more excited to read it!
With Colleen Houck books, you always get that romance that you can never shake. Even with this being a novella, Houck doesn't leave you empty handed. Even in the short time we got to know them, I really loved Osiris and Isis' relationship. Their love for each other was sweet and very dedicated, you couldn't not want to read more of their story. Reignited was short and sweet, and has me very excited to continue on with the series. The finally book Reunited releases August 2017.
Rating:
Favourite Quote:
"I'm to warn you."
Warn me of what?
That the path you're taking is a dangerous one."
Recommend to People Who Enjoy:
Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, Gods, Stars
Seth seized the woman by the throat, lifted her off the ground, and shook her.
“You will cease your caterwauling immediately.”
When she didn’t, he threw her on the ground and shouted, “By the gods, I wish the heavens would erase your face from my view!”
Her cries were suddenly cut off and all that could be heard was the bleating of the animals and the crackling of the wheat as it burned.
The woman had crumpled to her hands and knees. Her whole body shook but no sound came from her. Sticking the toe of his boot beneath her bulky form, he thrust her aside and her body rolled away.
Seth gasped. Where there had once been a hooked nose, thin pale lips, and eyes that sat too close to one another, he now saw a blank oval.
Skin as smooth as a reddening peach stretched where a face should have been.
The woman’s hands reached up, clawing, gouging the skin where the mouth and nose once were. But as if a switch had been flipped, her body jolted and then she slumped over, dead.
New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she’s not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.
- 12 Winners will Receive a Copy of Reignited, Scarab Necklace + Exclusive Bonus by Colleen Houck
- 15 Winners will Receive an E-Copy of Reignited by Colleen Houck
Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the book, and if you haven't had the chance to pick up a copy of Reawakened yet, then the whole series!
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 might win some real money.
But the Society isn’t all it seems . . . and soon Hope finds that playing the game isn’t a choice—it’s a requirement.
Review:
Cheaters always get caught.
I've been excited for Dead Girls Society since forever, I hadn't read any of Michelle Krys' other works yet, but knowing that this one was going to be a thriller, I knew that it was going to be something I loved. I wasn't wrong.
Our protagonist, Hope, is sick. With cystic fibrosis, she has a lot of problems when it comes to breathing. This makes certain things hard for her to do, like swimming or say, sit by a campfire with smoke. Although it's a tough living for the character, it made the character feel real. Instead of getting the perfect, hero character that saves the day, we got a real character. I loved it, and couldn't have been happier. I hope that in the future, more books will have more realistic characters like Hope.
Where I had chills and felt the constant need to know who the Society was, I also had some problems when it came to the story. In some cases I felt that the story was a bit rushed, in length and in writing style. Personally, I think with a bit slower of a pace, the story could have gone on a bit longer and even had a few more dares. Besides that one quirk, it was the perfect thriller. Dead Girls Society was a thrill to read, with daring challenges, murderous motive and mysterious characters. I couldn't put it down, I can not wait to read Krys' other books.
Rating:
Favourite Quote:
"It's just so hard to let go."
Recommend to People Who Enjoy:
Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery, Murder, Revenge
Mere months ago, gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she's fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.
When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan's palace—she's determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan's secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she's a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she's been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.
Why I Want It:
I read Rebel of the Sands in December 2016, and I completely adored it. I couldn't put it down, I stayed up into the late night just finishing the book. And so, I can not wait to see where Alwyn Hamilton takes us with the rest of the story, in Traitor to the Throne. Action, gun fights, djinni, and magic, what more could you want in a book?
That's my Waiting on Wednesday this week! Will you be picking up Traitor to the Throne? What are you waiting on this week?
He will never stop hunting me down. I have to end him, and soon.
Lee Westfall survived the dangerous journey to California. She found a new family in the other outcasts of their wagon train, and Jefferson, her best friend, is beginning to woo her shamelessly. Now they have a real home—one rich in gold, thanks to Lee’s magical ability to sense the precious metal in the world around her.
But Lee’s Uncle Hiram has survived his own journey west. He’s already murdered her parents, and he will do anything to have Lee and her talents under his control. No one is safe. When he kidnaps her, she sees firsthand the depths of his depravity.
Lee’s magic is changing, though. It is growing. The gold no longer simply sings to her—it listens. It obeys her call. Will that alone be enough to destroy her uncle?
Review:
Gold comes hard but goes easy.
When I discovered Walk on Earth a Stranger back in 2015, I didn't realize that I discovered a treasure that would have me silently anticipating when the next book in the series would release. When Like a River Glorious was announced, I was in aw from the moment I heard about it to when the gorgeous cover was released. I wasted no time on getting my hands on a copy.
The story starts up a little bit after Walk on Earth a Stranger ends, with the dangerous trek being over, the gang finally being able to find a place to settle. I really enjoyed how Carson was able to dedicate each of the books with a rather large part of the process in the California Gold Rush, with Like a River Glorious being dedicated to settlement.
With the troubles of Lee's Uncle finally catching up to her, I really liked how Carson didn't downplay how bad the immigrants, who weren't white, and the indigenous people, had it when it came to colonization. Carson told history as it actually was, instead of downplaying what actually happened, it made the story feel all that more real.
I loved Lee as our protagonist in Walk on Earth a Stranger, and I loved her even more in Like a River Glorious. Lee grew up so much in the first book, that when it came to her in the sequel, she was almost a completely new person from who she was when we started the series. I found that her character just became such a strong independent woman, who was never afraid to fight for what she believed in. I hope that her character continues to develop more in the final book in the series. Like a River Glorious was as perfect as I hoped it would be, I can not wait to see how Rae Carson finishes the series on October 10th, 2017 with Into the Bright and Unknown.
Rating:
Favourite Quote:
"I’m still trying to figure how to make my own way, my own fortune."
Recommend to People Who Enjoy:
Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adventure, The Gold Rush, Shoot Outs, Mining
Release Date: November 1st, 2016 Read: December 30th 2016-January 3rd, 2017 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Series: Wolf by Wolf, #2 Format: ARC, 481 pages Source: BEA 2016
There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.
For the resistance in the Third Reich, 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 Hitler’s army, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.
But in the midst of the chaos, Yael’s past and future collide when she comes face to face with a ghost from her past, and a spark with a fellow rider begins to grow into something more. Dark secrets reveal dark truths and one question hangs over them all—how far can you go for the ones you love?
Review:
Why was she always the only one left?
Wolf by Wolf was one of my favourite books of 2015, it surprised me with its hint of fantasy in the story that was obviously historical fiction. I went to BEA 2016 with only four books that I wanted to leave with, Blood for Blood was one of them, and I certainly did leave with it. With not wanting the series to end, I put off reading my ARC until roughly two months after it's release. Eventually I knew that I was going to have to read it. Blood for Blood was not what I was expecting, for all the hype I heard, and with everything that happened in the first book, I had some high expectations for its sequel. Unfortunately, the book didn't meet those expectations. Where Wolf by Wolf was planned out, and had direction, I found Blood for Blood didn't. I kind of feel like Graudin didn't really have a solid solution when it came to the ending of the series, especially with how it all went down. I understand that people had to die in the end, the story takes place in WWII, so they kind of have too. But with Wolf by Wolf we had the book take place throughout different terrain because of the race, with this one, it was all over the place with no purpose.
Although I found the plot of Blood for Blood to be a bit disappointing, I loved that Yael was her same old self, the same as she was in the first book. Even when things were tough, she was still true to herself. I really liked how she still kept up with the tattoos when the whole thing was over. In the first book, I also felt myself connecting with Felix. In this one, I couldn't have hated him more. There was a rather large shift when it came to his character, and I just couldn't get over it. What I loved about him was just gone, and so I just wanted his parts to be over.
I didn't love Blood for Blood, and when I think about it, I get a disappointed feeling. Having only read this series by Ryan Graudin and none of her others, I probably wouldn't pick up any more of her books if it wasn't for how much I enjoyed Wolf by Wolf. Hopefully in the future, I'll enjoy her next books more.
Rating:
Favourite Quote:
"Fear is not an excuse, fear is being human."
"Talking a life takes something from you."
Recommend to People Who Enjoy:
Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, World War 2, War, Shapeshifters
At the beginning of the month my work finally had their Christmas party, we went to a Brewery where we were able to sample a beer that they had made in the building. We also had a local restaurant come in and make us this amazing meal. I've honestly been debating on doing an adventure in the summer, where I do a downtown tour of Winnipeg and just find all the best local restaurants. Now I just have to find a few people to go on this adventure with me. 
Then this past weekend I went to my first Escape Room, my friend had her birthday party at one. We did one that had the highest "spook' rating, and I was pretty spooked when we started out but eventually my competitiveness won over and I rushed to get all the clues done. 
Book Haul:
