Thursday, November 1, 2018

Blog Tour: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Hello and welcome to The Darkest Star blog tour, hosted by Raincoast Books! I'm very excited to be apart of the tour, as I've been the biggest fan or Jennifer and her Lux series since basically forever. I can't wait for you all to continue the Lux universe with The Darkest Star! So hopefully you enjoy the tour!

The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Release Date: October 30th, 2018
Read: September 20th - October 1st, 2018
Publisher: Tor Teen
Series: Origin, #1
Format: ARC, 368 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review. 



Description from GoodReads:


   When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Trick or Treat Tour


Hello and welcome to the Trick or Treat Tour, hosted by Moonlit Reads! I'm so excited to be able to show you my exclusive interview with author, Mary Watson! But first, let me introduce you to her upcoming release, The Wren Hunt!

The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson

Release Date: November 6th, 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Series: Standalone



Description from GoodReads:


   Every Christmas, Wren is chased through the woods near her isolated village by her family's enemies—the Judges—and there’s nothing that she can do to stop it. Once her people, the Augurs, controlled a powerful magic. But now that power lies with the Judges, who are set on destroying her kind for good. 

   In a desperate bid to save her family, Wren takes a dangerous undercover assignment—as an intern to an influential Judge named Cassa Harkness. Cassa has spent her life researching a transformative spell, which could bring the war between the factions to its absolute end. Caught in a web of deceit, Wren must decide whether or not to gamble on the spell and seal the Augurs’ fate.


Friday, October 5, 2018

Book Review: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
Read: October 1st-5th, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Series: Montague Siblings, #2
Format: ARC, 450 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for honest review.




Description from GoodReads:


   A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

   But then a window of opportunity opens—a doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid.

   In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.


Friday, September 28, 2018

Blog Tour: Children of the Bloodlands by S.M. Beiko


   Hello and welcome to the Children of the Bloodlands blog tour! I'm super excited to introduce you to S.M. Beiko, a local author from where I live, and her latest release in her Realms of the Ancient series, Children of the Bloodlands!
   Today I have for you an interview with the author, as well as a giveaway. I hope you enjoy!


Children of the Bloodlands by S.M. Beiko


Release Date: September 25th, 2018
Publisher: ECW Press
Series: The Realms of Ancient, #2



Description from GoodReads:


   Three months after the battle of Zabor, the five friends that came together to defeat her have been separated. Burdened with the Calamity Stone she acquired in Scion of the Fox, Roan has gone to Scotland to retrace her grandmother’s steps in an attempt to stop further evil from entering the world.

   Meanwhile, a wicked monster called Seela has risen from the ashy Bloodlands and is wreaking havoc on the world while children in Edinburgh are afflicted by a strange plague; Eli travels to Seoul to face judgment and is nearly murdered; Natti endures a taxing journey with two polar bears; Phae tries desperately to obtain the key to the Underworld; and Barton joins a Family-wide coalition as the last defense against an enemy that will stop at nothing to undo Ancient’s influence on Earth — before there is no longer an Earth to fight for.

   Darkness, death, and the ancient powers that shape the world will collide as our heroes discover that some children collapse under their dark inheritance, and those that don’t are haunted by blood.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Book Review: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Release Date: July 31st, 2018
Read: August 25th-26th, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Source: McNally Robinson




Description of GoodReads:


   Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

   Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch. 

   A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

   But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain. 


Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Book Review: Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Release Day: May 29th, 2018
Read: August 5th-8th, 2018
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Series: Caraval, #2
Format: ARC, 451 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for a honest review




Description from GoodReads:


   A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

   After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

   The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

   Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun. 

Saturday, September 1, 2018

DNF Review: Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Release Date: February 21st, 2017
Read: August 12th-20th, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 422 pages
Source: Borrowed




Description from GoodReads:


   Freya was never meant be queen. Twenty third in line to the throne, she never dreamed of a life in the palace, and would much rather research in her laboratory than participate in the intrigues of court. However, when an extravagant banquet turns deadly and the king and those closest to him are poisoned, Freya suddenly finds herself on the throne.

   Freya may have escaped the massacre, but she is far from safe. The nobles don’t respect her, her councillors want to control her, and with the mystery of who killed the king still unsolved, Freya knows that a single mistake could cost her the kingdom – and her life.

   Freya is determined to survive, and that means uncovering the murderers herself. Until then, she can’t trust anyone. Not her advisors. Not the king’s dashing and enigmatic illegitimate son. Not even her own father, who always wanted the best for her, but also wanted more power for himself.

   As Freya’s enemies close in and her loyalties are tested, she must decide if she is ready to rule and, if so, how far she is willing to go to keep the crown. 

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Book Review: What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Release Date: October 9th, 2018
Read: July 21st - 22nd, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Standalone
Format: Signed ARC, 448 pages
Source: BEA 2018



Description from GoodReads:


   Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

   Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.

   But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

  Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.

   Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

   But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?

   What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?

   What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?


   But what if it is?

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Book Review: The Traitor's Ruin by Erin Beaty

Release Day: July 10th, 2018
Read: July 18th, 2018
Publisher: Imprint
Series: The Traitor's Cycle, #2
Format: ARC, 384 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review




Description from GoodReads:


   After proving her worth in book one as a deft spy and strategic matchmaker, Sage Fowler is now comfortably positioned in high society as the royal tutor. When she’s called upon to teach his majesty’s soldiers how to read and write, she jumps at the chance to serve her kingdom of Demora—and to be reunited with her fiancé, Captain Alex Quinn. 

   During a skirmish, Sage and Alex are separated. She watches him die before he can deliver important military intel—or so she thinks. She escapes from the enemy and makes an unlikely alliance with a mysterious soldier from a third nation. As Sage tries to rally their support against a common foe, the important political alliance is plagued by secrets and betrayal. 

   Can Sage complete Alex’s mission and save her kingdom once more? 

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Book Review: Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
Read: June 30th - July 10th, 2018
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Series: Shadow of the Fox, #1
Format: ARC, 400 pages
Source: BEA 2018




Description from GoodReads:


   Once Every Thousand Years...

   Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns...and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret.  

   Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune shapeshifting powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has...and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.

   A wish will be granted and a new age will dawn. 


Thursday, August 2, 2018

Book Review: The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo

Release Date: September 18th, 2018
Read: June 14th - 24th, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 320 pages
Source: McNally Robinson Booksellers




Description from GoodReads:


   Cottonwood Hollow, Kansas, is a strange place. For the past century, every girl has been born with a special talent, like the ability to Fix any object, Heal any wound, or Find what is missing.

   Best friends Rome, Lux, and Mercy all have similar talents, but to them, their abilities often feel like a curse. Rome may be able to Fix anything she touches, but that won’t help her mom pay rent or make it any easier to confide in Lux and Mercy about what’s going on at home. And Rome isn’t the only one. Lux has been hiding bigger, more dangerous secrets.

   As Rome struggles to keep her friendships close, she discovers the truth about life in Cottonwood Hollow—that friends are stronger than curses, that trust is worth the risk, and sometimes, what you’ve been looking for has been under your feet the whole time.


Thursday, July 26, 2018

Book Review: Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

Release Date: February 13th, 2018
Read: July 17th, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Series: The Honors, #1
Format: ARC, 467 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review




Description from GoodReads:


   Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead of moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

   Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

   Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Book Review: Campfire by Shawn Sarles

Release Date: July 17th, 2018
Read: April 14-20th, 2018
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 304 pages
Source: McNally Robinson




Description from GoodReads:


   While camping in a remote location, Maddie Davenport gathers around the fire with her friends and family to tell scary stories. Caleb, the handsome young guide, shares the local legend of the ferocious Mountain Men who hunt unsuspecting campers and leave their mark by carving grisly antlers into their victims' foreheads.

   The next day, the story comes true. 

   Now Maddie and her family are lost in the deep woods--with no way out--being stalked by their worst nightmares. Because there were other, more horrifying stories told that night--and Maddie's about to find out just how they end...

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Book Review: Emergency Contact by Mary H.K Choi

Release Date: March 24th, 2018
Read: April 6-7th, 2018
Publisher: Simon and Schuster for Young Readers
Series: Standalone
Format: Signed Hardcover, 400 pages
Source: Bought




Description from GoodReads:


   For Penny Lee, high school was a nonevent. She got decent grades, had a few friends, and even a boyfriend by senior year but basically she was invisible. Having just graduated from high school, she’s heading off to college in Austin, Texas, and she’s ready for it.

   Sam has had a rougher time over the last few years. He grew up in a trailer park and had to bail when he caught his addict mom taking out credit cards in his name to buy more crap from the Home Shopping Network. He gets a job at a café whose owner is kind enough to let him crash on a mattress in a spare room upstairs. He wants to go to film school and become a great director but at the moment he has $17 in his checking account and his laptop is dying.

   When Penny and Sam cross paths it’s not exactly a Hollywood meet cute: they’re both too socially awkward for that. But they exchange numbers and stay in touch—almost entirely by text message, a form that allows them to get to know each other while being witty and snarky and intimate without the uncomfortable weirdness of, you know, actually having to see each other in person.  

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Book Review: To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Read: March 26th-April 2nd, 2018
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 342 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for honest review




Description from GoodReads:




   Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

   The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Book Review: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
Read: May 20th- June 14th, 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 416 pages
Source: BEA 2018



Description from GoodReads:


   It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods. 

   Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.

   The only thing is: they didn’t do it. 

   On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Book Review: Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

Release Date: May 8th, 2018
Read: June 8-10th, 2018
Publisher: Razorbill
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 320 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for honest review.




Description from GoodReads:



   Mila Flores and her best friend Riley have always been inseparable. There's not much excitement in their small town of Cross Creek, so Mila and Riley make their own fun, devoting most of their time to Riley's favorite activity: amateur witchcraft.

   So when Riley and two Fairmont Academy mean girls die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone's explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, armed with a tube of lip gloss and an ancient grimoire, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.

   Unfortunately, Riley, June, and Dayton have no recollection of their murders, but they do have unfinished business to attend to. Now, with only seven days until the spell wears off and the girls return to their graves, Mila must wrangle the distracted group of undead teens and work fast to discover their murderer...before the killer strikes again.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Book Review: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

Release Date: June 26th, 2018
Read: December 29th 2017- January 1st, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: My Lady Janies, #2
Format: ARC, 464 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for honest review



Description from GoodReads:


   You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

   Or does she?

   Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.


Review:

 
 I feel like we're getting a bit off topic.
   It's been almost two years since I first read the hilarious and exceptionally cute book My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows. It was one of my favourite reads of 2016, and I couldn't have been happier to hear that the publisher had purchased two more books in the series. Flash forward to a month or two ago, when I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of it's sequel My Plain Jane.

   With both books, I knew the history of the original story of both Janes going into the books. Unlike My Lady Jane, I never enjoyed the original Jane Eyre story. So it was exciting to go into My Plain Jane and expect a comical twist to the originally bland story.

   Of course with a trio of such fabulous authors working together, I couldn't have expected anything less than perfection. My Plain Jane turned out exactly as I'd imagined, and more. The humour from their first novel was back and even stronger than before.

   With My Plain Jane you had the perspectives of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brönte and the supernatural ghost hunter, Alexander Blackwood. What made this book all that more intriguing was that while having the perspective of Charlotte Brönte, the original writer of Jane Eyre story, the authors made Jane Eyre a real life friend of Charlotte, and that she was the object of Charlotte's novel that she continues to write throughout the book.

     Like the first book, you did not need to know Jane Eyre's story to understand My Plain Jane. I found in this case that if you had read it before picking up this book, then you would have noticed a few head nods in it's direction. But otherwise you will find that you will be rather pleased with the book no matter what your situation was before reading the book.

   One of my favourite parts of the book was when we got a bit of a peak at a few of the characters from My Lady Jane, confirming that the stories take place in the same world but rather at a different place in time.
   
   My Plain Jane was a absolute hit with me, written with the perfect amount of wit and romance. I can not wait for it to release for everyone else to read it, and I look forward to the next in the series, My Calamity Jane

Rating:


Favourite Quote:


"Let's start with the girl.
 Her name was Jane."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Paranormal, Humour, Jane Eyre, Ghosts, Retellings



Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Book Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Release Date: April 10th, 2018
Read: January 28th- February 15th, 2018
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Series: The Shadow Game, #1
Format: ARC, 400 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for honest review





Description from GoodReads:


Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems. 

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Review:


   Don't trust unless you must.
   Like everyone, I too, was excited to get my hands on Ace of Shades. A book of gambling your money, and your life? WITH powers? How couldn't I be excited? But of course, the anticipation was short lived when I actually picked up the book.

   You'll notice I have two strong opinions when it comes to Ace of Shades. The first being about the world building, and the second being that I couldn't shake the feeling of having read it before.

   Amanda Foody's world building was exceptionally marvellous, you couldn't help but be in awe when it came to the society, as well as the gang groups and wealthy families. Amanda had them so well put together that when I walk by someone with white hair in the streets I can't help but be a little more cautious. The rankings of the groups, the way the gang's bloodline was still a major focus as it is in reality, but with special abilities, you couldn't help but be amazed at it all.

   The biggest flaw to Ace of Shades was that it wasn't published earlier. If the novel had been published maybe two, three years earlier I'm sure it would have been a huge hit with me. But unfortunately I had already read The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell, and heard so much about Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo before reading this one. I couldn't help but compare everything, and I mean everything from Ace of Shades to The Last Magician. It was actually kind of ridiculous how similar they were. Even the plot twist in Ace of Shades was predicable because the plot twist in The Last Magician was the exact same thing. It was because of this, that I couldn't stand the book. That and the  character Enne, literally drove me mad with all her whining.

   I really wished I could have loved Ace of Shades, but it ended up being a wrong place at the wrong right situation. Since it was the story rather than the writing that ruined the book for me, I still look forward to reading Amanda Foody's debut, Daughter of the Burning City

Rating:


Favourite Quote:


"People do not play this Game to win, my dear. They play this game not to lose."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Fantasy, Powers, Gambling, The Last Magician, Six of Crows


Friday, March 9, 2018

Book Review: Fireblood by Elly Blake

Release Date: September 12th, 2017
Read: August 22nd-23rd, 2017
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Frostblood Saga, #2
Format: ARC, 416 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review.




Description from GoodReads:


   All hail the Fire Queen.

   Against all odds, Ruby has defeated the villainous Frost King and melted his throne of ice. But the bloodthirsty Minax that was trapped inside is now haunting her kingdom and everyone she loves. The answers to its demise may lie to the south in Sudesia, the land of the Firebloods, and a country that holds the secrets to Ruby’s powers and past…

   Despite warnings from her beloved Arcus, Ruby accompanies a roguish Fireblood named Kai to Sudesia, where she must master her control of fire in a series of trials to gain the trust of the suspicious Fire Queen. Only then can she hope to access the knowledge that could defeat the rampaging Minax—which grows closer every moment. But as sparks fly in her moments alone with Kai, Ruby no longer knows whom to trust. The fates of two kingdoms are now in her hands.

Review:

 
   The last thing I want is to smother you
   I didn't adore Frostblood, the first book in the series, that much is known if you read my review. But in the end I requested the ARC since the author is Canadian and I wanted to give her another chance. 
   All the problems that occurred in Frostblood that I did not enjoy, reoccurred in Fireblood. Everything from the similarity to Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, to the book being a walking cliche of everything Young Adult. The Deja Vu factor had returned in full force.
   In complete honesty, the cliche factor was a deal breaker for me. I thought I could get over the fact, but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy really anything about Fireblood. Especially not when the only memory I still have of the novel is me groaning every five minutes. 

   Although, saying all of this, I do still believe that anyone just starting to read YA books should give the Frostblood saga a chance. If you haven't read a ton of YA yet, then I could certainly see Fireblood as an interesting and fun read. Because of that fact, I would still recommend it to people. 

   Fireblood was a walking "ugh" for me, so I probably won't pick up Nightblood, the final book in the series, unless someone shoves it in my face. 

Rating:


Favourite Quote:


"You’re quite amusing when you’re not lashing me with that sharp tongue."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Old Time YA Books



Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Book Review: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Release Date: January 18th, 2018
Read: August 15th-21st, 2017
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Series: Standalone
Format: ARC, 368 pages
Source: McNally Robinson




Description from GoodReads:


   Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

   Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.


Review:


   My love he wooed me. My love he slew me.
   It's been roughly seven months since I read The Hazel Wood, and I still remain bitter about the story and the hope I had for the book being crushed. I had such a strong anticipation for The Hazel Wood before it released; the cover was gorgeous, the synopsis was everything I needed from a fairy tale novel, but in the end it let me ever so down.

   I found the lead up to the Hazel Wood to be a complete mess, to me nothing made any sense at all. It was clear that everything was done in anticipation of heading to the Hazel Wood, but it was just filler to me. Not to mention we were constantly told about how all the Hinterland stories were oh so important to saving the mother as well as other things, but we basically got a list of their names and were told the stories later on when the novel was basically almost done. It was later announced after The Hazel Wood was written that there'd be a bind up of all the Hinterland stories, but I honestly think they were needed to comprehend this novel.

   I also found the protagonist and friend were completely bland characters, nothing about them stood out and at times I was even annoyed at hearing their voices. It didn't matter what happened to them in the novels, I could care less about what happened to them.

   I wanted a unique new fairy tale story, but what I got was a bland mess. I still don't understand the hype to the book after having read it, and I'm still so disappointed that a book with such a gorgeous cover could be such a mess underneath.

   The Hazel Wood was a disaster, and under no circumstances will you see me picking up it's sequel in the future.
   

Rating:

Favourite Quote:


"If you're not with the book you want, you might as well want the book you're with."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fairy Tales, Retelling, Cities, Murder, Blood



Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Book Review: Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

Release Date: September 5th, 2017
Read: October 18th-29th, 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Series: Even the Darkest Stars, #1
Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
Source: McNally Robinson




Description from GoodReads:


   Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous Empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance.

   But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister, Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor means cimbing Raksha, the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then, Lusha sets off on her own mission to Raksha with a rival explorer, and Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit.

   The challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected—or prepared for—with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and other dangers at every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the truth about their mission and her companions—while surviving the deadliest climb she has ever faced.


Review:


   Why do you fear me, brave one.
   At work we have this shelf of Advance Readers Copies that us booksellers are allowed to take to read and keep. That was how I first encountered Even the Darkest Stars. Unfortunately by the time I had finally decided to pick the book up and read it, someone had already taken the copy. I found that by not being able to read it anymore, it made me want to read it all the more. Long story short, I went out the next day and bought my own copy to read.

   Even the Darkest Stars was one of my favourite fantasy books of 2017. After reading it in 11 days, I could not stop talking about it to people and I still can't. I even went on about it WHILE reading it to all my book friends. The book had all my favourite elements of a fantasy; witches, kingdoms, magic, mountains and dragons. They were all blended together beautifully to create a magical world of mystique and adventure.

   I couldn't be happier with how Heather Fawcett wrote her story in a setting of hard cold and snow. I live in a setting where we are known for our harsh winters, we even have nicknames relating to how our only season is winter. Most YA novels take place in biomes that have warm temperatures or just don't have to deal with the same kind of weather as we do. It was fantastic to finally have a story where I could relate to the elements, I hope that other writers take the hint and start to have their own stories be set in a similar element.

   Even the Darkest Stars is the adventure that'll make you realize that even on the the most dangerous adventures, not everything and everyone is who they seem.

   And with that, I begin my countdown to the release of All the Wandering Light, the second and final book in the Even the Darkest Stars duology. 


Rating:




Favourite Quote:


"Your soul is rich like honeycomb. Like strawberries."


Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Fantasy, Witches, Magic, Mountains, Shapeshifters, Adventures