Waiting on Wednesday: (60)

One Blood Ruby

Melissa Marr

Seven Black Diamonds, #2

HarperCollins

Expected: February 28th, 2017

Description from GoodReads:

   Now that Lilywhite Abernathy is the heir to the Hidden Lands, everything is about to change.

   The Queen of Blood and Rage wants Lily to help broker peace with the human world, but Lily knows that harmony won’t come easily. After decades of waging war on the humans, who cost the queen her firstborn daughter, the fae are struggling to accept Lily, a half-human monarch. And the humans, while no match against faery affinities, will hardly agree to the queen’s détente without resistance.

   Lily wants to be a fair ruler but fears having to abandon the life she’s known to do so. Now that she and Creed are more than just fellow Black Diamonds—operatives for the queen—her priorities have shifted. But her worries about assuming the throne are derailed when it becomes clear that someone—or some fae—is masterminding violent attacks to discourage peace.

Why I Want It:

   Like I said in my review of Seven Black Diamonds' review, I wasn't a fan of Melissa's original series, Wicked Lovely, but her stand alone thriller, Made for You, made me give her books another chance. Seven Black Diamonds exceeded my expectations, the story had me hooked since the first page. I cannot wait to see where the story continues in  One Blood Ruby.

Check out my review for Seven Black Diamonds here.

   That's my Waiting on Wednesday this week! Will you be picking up One Blood Ruby? What are you waiting on this week?

Book Review: Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr

Release Date: March 1st, 2016
Read: December 22nd- 30th, 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Seven Black Diamonds, #1
Format: ARC, 400 pages
Source: McNally Robinson/ Two Thumbs Up Program

Description from GoodReads:

   Lilywhite Abernathy is a criminal.

   Her guilt lies in her DNA. Lily is half human, half fae, and since the time before she was born, a war has been raging between humans and faeries. The Queen of Blood and Rage, ruler of the fae courts, wants to avenge the tragic death of her heir—a death that was the fault of reckless humans.

   Lily’s father has shielded her from the repercussions of her ancestry, but when she’s sent to the prestigious St. Columba’s school, she’s delivered straight into the arms of a fae sleeper cell --the Black Diamonds.

   Mysterious, glamorous, and constantly at odds, the Diamonds are planted in the human world as the sons and daughters of the most influential families, and tasked with destroying it from within. Against her will, Lilywhite’s been chosen to join them … and even the romantic attention of the fae rock singer Creed Morrison isn’t enough to keep Lily from wanting to run back to the familiar world she knows.

Review:

   You are their future.

   I have a bit of a love hate relationship with Marissa Marr's books, I first started off by reading her Wicked Lovely series which unfortunately did not sit well with me. Fast forward a few years, I had won a bunch of Marr ARCs which included Made for You. One of her more recent novels, this novel fortunately did sit well with me. It actually became one of my all time favourite reads. So when Seven Black Diamonds was revealed I knew to give Marr another chance, especially where Faeries where concerned.
   The book started off slow and a bit confusing, the novel itself is written in the perspective of 4 different characters. So when you're just starting to be familar with each of the characters, it's definitely a jumble of mixed feelings. After you've grown accustomed to the characters, everything becomes fabulous, especially since the plot also speeds up a bit and the action begins to happen.
   The plot and characters of the novel are everything you'd want them to be, fae being terrifying as always, their powers being maleficent, you couldn't help but be intrigued with their politics. I was particularly intrigued with the Black Diamonds and the history behind the queen, hopefully we'll get to see more action on that front in the next few novels.
   Lilywhite was probably my favourite character in the novel, with her Crime Lord father, and her demeanour. It all had me excited whenever her name would appear at the beginning of the chapter. She didn't do anything she was "destined" to do, or just because she was told to do something from the queen. She stood tall, and was the strongest her, that she could be, and you admired her for it. Lilywhite was the perfect Black Diamond without even knowing it, she was perfection.
   Seven Black Diamonds was a novel that showed that even villains have their motives for the way the are, and that people will do everything in their power to protect the ones they love. Thrilling and magical, Seven Black Diamonds will cure any Faery or strong willed character craving you have.
 
   

Rating:

Favourite Quotes:

"He left her there with tears on her cheeks and a lie still burning on her lips."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Faeries, Fae, Crime Lords, Celebrities

Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in the First Half of 2016

   As always, I have huge list of books that I'm looking forward to this year. Unfortunately only half of there covers have been released, so in order to show off all their beauty I've decided to only show you my favourite books from the first half of 2016. So here they are! 

   

   Those are them! Are you excited for any of these? No? What books are your excited for in 2016? Let me know! I'd love to add them to my TBR pile! 

Book Review: Made for You by Melissa Marr

Release Date: September 16th, 2014

Read: August 20th, 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins

Series: N/A

Format: ARC Paperback, 368 pages

Source: Won in a giveaway.

Description from GoodReads:

   When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

Review:

Please, let me go. I'm sorry. I don't want to die.

   When I first read Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange I just couldn't really get into the story. When I had won Made for You, I had already read the summery for the novel and was some what enticed by it. So naturally I gave Melissa Marr a second chance.
   Made for You was written in two perspectives. Eva and Judge, Eva being the main character of the book and Judge. The sociopath. Judge's perspective gave me chills through out the novel, his attitude the way he viewed things was horrifying. His 'messages' were always a creep factor for me, the bug being my favourite. All those things were what kept pulling me back for more. His character always had me guessing who he could possibly be. With out his creepy persecutive I think Made for You would be just another memory loss story.
   Eva, the rich vain girl. I had no sympathy for this girl, I might just not have connected with her character but for whatever reason but with both her and Judges points of view I found myself excited to see what he had in store for he. It's not every day where you read the perpetrator's side of the story. One thing I really didn't get about Eva's characters was her being able to see how everyone dies. Being stalked and having the power of seeing how someone dies isn't real, this book could have worked out perfectly without that little trait. So really to me the trait was unnecessary.
   Made for You was written lovely and thrilling to read, I was very glad I gave Melissa a second chance. I can't wait to read her next release!


~ This really had nothing to do with the book, but I loved who Made for You was dedicated too. If you followed Melissa on Twitter in I believe was the fall of 2013 to the winter of 2014, you'd have noticed that Melissa had problems with her new baby and the baby had to stay in the hospital for what seemed like forever. So seeing Made for You dedicated to the doctors, nurses, etc. at the Eastern Maine Medical Centre in Bandgor, Maine warmed my heart. I just thought I'd share that.

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"I'm not sure I'm getting paid enough to deal with both of you." ~ Nate

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Gothic, Thriller