Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Review: Stray by Elissa Sussman

I do not know why it took me five months to read this book. I had it as an eARC for ages, as I was so excited about it, but I was too afraid to start it, thinking I wouldn't enjoy it. Then yesterday I knew I had to try. And oh. I really loved this book. It was all kinds of awesome. And I'm so glad that I finally read it.

I've decided to give Stray four stars. Because while I really loved it, I also had a few small issues with it. Mainly that I wanted it to be longer. It ended too soon. And the romance. Sigh. I loved how sweet it was, but it was just a little bit too little. Hmph. I'm just so curious too. I need to know everything about everything.

I'm not sure how to begin talking about this book. I really enjoyed the writing. Which is always a plus. And I enjoyed the characters too. I also thought the plot was exciting and different. It took a little while before the most exciting parts happened, but I also enjoyed the beginning of the book. The parts where nothing much happened needed to be there, as we got to know a bunch of people that I grew to love. And I saw Aislynn grow as a person. Which I liked. As I enjoyed reading about her so much, as I loved that the book is from her point of view. Though, sobs. I want more from her. I do not feel like her part of the story is over with. Hmph. I need more of her romance. And her pain. I need it so badly. Want it so much.

There is so much to love about Stray. And I'm not going to mention all of it. Because the plot is awesome and I wouldn't be able to describe it right. Sigh. Just. There are different schools. There are princesses. And fairy godmothers. And mean people. And cute boys. And yeah. This book is just all kinds of awesome and I'm so happy that I read it. Also, there is no love triangle. Boy in the beginning could have been something, but he isn't, so nothing to worry about when it comes to that. Just so you know :)

I just really enjoyed this story a lot. I loved reading about Aislynn. And who she is as a person. And how she changes. I loved the way she thinks and such. She's just awesome. I was a bit unsure about her parents. But I think I grew to love them. Probably. I adored her fairy godmother, though. Sniffs. Want to know more about her. Also. Linnea. I liked her a lot too. And oh, I just need to know what will happen next. I need to know right away. Also. There is a wolf in this book. Which is all kinds of awesome.

There is a boy in this book. Thackery. I love his name. There is not much romance, but there is a little bit. And I really enjoyed it. As it is sweet and I loved reading about Thackery and Aislynn together. <3 I just. I need another book about them. Hmph. Just hoping so so much that there will be more of Aislynn's point of view in the next three books. <3 Crossing all my fingers. As I want to know more about her. As I adore her. And how she hurt herself. Sniffs. It broke my heart, yet it was just all kinds of awesome too.

There is magic in this book. And I'm a little bit confused about it. And I want to know more. Sigh. This book was just too short. And I have so many questions. Yet this book was also all kinds of awesome. So yeah. But yes. The magic. It seems to me that only females have it. Which is why they must all be controlled, so that they do not Stray. Hmph. That bothered me a whole lot. Yet I loved it too. It is just so well done. And I won't say more about it. Just that the plot is so awesome and I loved every part of it.

I thought Stray was a beautiful book. It is exciting and fun and heartbreaking too. The characters are stunning and the story is unique. I loved reading about all of it. And I cannot wait to read more. I just know this series will be epic. And I will be here for every book. I think you should all read Stray, and right away too. It is out in a week. So go order it. Because this book is awesome. And I'm just regretting not reading it sooner, hih. But so good. Sigh. Thank you to Greenwillow for auto-approval on Edelweiss. <3


Cress Tuesday #49

I don't think I will ever get tired of sharing these Cress teasers with you all. It just makes my heart happy to read small bits of Cress every time I choose a new teaser, hih. As you know, I adore these books. So much. And waiting for Winter is torture. November 2015 better arrive fast. <3 I'm also beyond excited for Fairest out in January :D It will be amazing. Sigh. Soon I will re-read them all. And I cannot wait. I adore this story and all the awesome characters. Marissa is amazing. I hope you are all enjoying these small and mostly non-spoilery teasers from Cress :) See all the previous Cress Tuesdays here. <3


~

Of course his brain would do this to him. Of course his insanity would reach such a depth that the hallucinations would return to him the only thing he had ever cared for, and they would twist reality so that she became just another one of his victims. Just another person bought and discarded.
Just another blood sample. Just another lab rat who hated him. His little Crescent Moon.

~


I kind of really liked reading about Dr. Erland. Though his story is all kinds of depressing.

Was allowed to do this by Marissa and Macmillan; Thank you. <3 Marissa is the best. Check out her amazing website :D I'm also very much in love with the Lunar Chronicles facebook. So pretty. I hope you enjoy the teasers :) There will be one teaser each Tuesday. Can't wait for you all to read Cress :) Also, the teasers are now from my finished hardcover copy of Cress :D And oh, how it is gorgeous. <3

Monday, September 29, 2014

Cover Reveal: The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

I'm so excited about this book. The first one, The Falconer, was perfect. And that ending! DIES. I need to know what happens next. <3 And The Vanishing Throne sounds AMAZING. The title is perfect. And this UK cover edition? Stunning! I love it to pieces. And it fits so well with the first one. Sigh. This book will be perfect, I just know it. And I cannot wait to read it. But damn it. I'm pretty sure it is still a whole year until it is out. Which breaks my heart a little bit. But I can wait. Probably. September 2015 better arrive fast. <3 As I need to read more about Aileana & Kiaran. <3 I think The Vanishing Throne will be amazing. And this cover. Sigh. It is so so perfect looking. What do you think of this stunning cover?


My name is Lady Aileana Kameron.

First the fae murdered my mother. Then they destroyed my world.

Now I’m fighting for more than revenge.

Aileana took a stand against the Wild Hunt, and she lost everything: her home, her family and her friends. Held captive by her enemy, and tormenting herself over her failure, escape seems like only the faintest possibility. But when she gets her chance, she seizes it . . . to rejoin a world devastated by war.

The future is bleak. Hunted by the fae, running for her life, Aileana has only a few options left. Trying to become part of a society scarred by – and hiding from – the Wild Hunt; trusting that a fragile alliance with the fae will save her; or walking the most dangerous path at all: coming in to her own powers as the last of the Falconers . . .




Sunday, September 28, 2014

Review: The Witch of Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

I wanted this book once I saw both gorgeous covers for it. And read the awesome summary. But then I got worried, as I heard talk about how it ends. So I feared I would not like it. But I got a print copy for review, so I would read it. And I must say that I actually liked it a lot. Which makes me happy, as I did want to.

For the most part, I loved The Witch of Salt & Storm. Which is why I'm giving it a four star. Sure, I had some huge heartbreak and issues about something before the ending. Didn't see why it couldn't be changed. But I also didn't hate it. And I liked the rest of the book, so yeah. I kind of really enjoyed reading this book.

The book is told from the point of view of sixteen year old Avery. Whom I adored. I hadn't fully peeked at the ending, so I didn't know what she would choose, and I was worried that she would choose to do something that I did not approve of. But she didn't. So yeah. I really liked Avery. There was one choice I wish she had done differently, but it also made a lot of sense, so I can't really dislike that either. Mostly I just liked reading from her point of view. As I liked her. I'm not going to share details about the plot. As I don't want to. But I will share a few small things. Like her mother. I didn't like her mother one bit. Sure, she had reasons for doing some of the things she did, but I will not forgive her, because those things she did were not okay. They weren't. I might have felt a bit of pity for her, but not enough. Sorry :) I just did not like her.

Then there was Avery's granma. I can't decide how I felt about her. Though her I really did feel sorry for. Especially at the end. There is just so much pain and heartbreak and anger. It is a bit depressing. Yet all kinds of awesome. I do wish her granma had tried more, though, and not been so mean at one point. But yeah. I did like her as a character. There are a bunch of other characters in this book too. Some I disliked a lot. Some I liked. Liked Avery's friend, Tommy. Just a little about him, but he was so kind.

There were many things in this book that I liked. I loved that Avery was an almost-witch. I loved that she was able to understand what dreams meant. It was pretty awesome. I also liked reading about the other witchy things. Like the charm spells. Those were amazing. Though I hated how much the people counted on them. As if the witch owed them anything. That bothered me a whole lot near the end of the book. And made me dislike a lot of those people, lol. But not all of them. Some were kind. Probably.

The romance. Tane. There is a cute boy in this book. With tattoos. A broken past. Yeah. I pretty much loved Tane. Wishing there had been more about him, and maybe some crying/broken scenes, as I love those, hih, but I also loved the scenes that he is in. And though the kissing might have happened a little bit fast, it was also so sweet. And I just adored the romance. And I wanted to read about Tane and Avery at all times. Sniffs. And ohh. I did like it a lot when he gives a tattoo. That was all kinds of awesome.

There is a bunch of things I could say about The Witch of Salt & Storm. But I will not. I will just say that this book is amazing. The plot is exciting. The characters are awesome. The romance is sweet. I enjoyed this book a whole lot. And I'm so glad that I read it. Despite the ending making me cry a whole lot. How mean. Yet so good. Huge thank you to Victoria at Hachette Childrens UK via BooksWithBiteUK for the print copy for review. <3 I adore this UK edition. And my US hardcover. Now, go buy this book.


Review: Lark Rising by Sandra Waugh

I'm unsure about this book. When I first saw that cover I knew I had to read this book. And I thought it sounded pretty awesome as well. So when I saw the details for the blog tour at Rockstar Book Tours I had to sign up. So happy to get accepted. <3 Thank you so much to Jaime for the gorgeous print review copy of it :)

But oh. This is where the heartbreaking part of it begins. As I did not love this book. I tried so hard to like it. And I wanted to, I wanted to love it so much. As I have seen others love it and it just looks so stunning. But I had issues with it. Because of that I did not love it. Sniffs. It must be a two star from me. I'm sorry.

I want to begin, though, with saying what I did like about this book. Because while I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either. There wasn't a single thing that I hated. I just didn't like it. Which makes me depressed. But it is what it is. I was thinking about giving it three stars, but I cannot. Because I didn't like it that much. But yes. What I did like about it. I enjoyed the plot. I found it to be quite interesting and I wanted to know what would happen next. And.. well. That might have been everything I liked about this book. Which makes me even more sad. I'm trying to think what I liked about it, and that is all that comes to mind. Well. I didn't want to quit reading it at least. I wanted to know how it ended. And I am curious about the next books, as I still want to know what happens next. I just wish I could have liked it more. But I didn't.

Then to try to explain why I disliked Lark Rising. It is different, true, which is a good thing. And I do not doubt that others will love it. It just was not for me. I knew from the very beginning that I didn't like the writing. I had huge issues with how the book was written. How the characters were speaking. It just bothered me a whole lot and I was never able to forget about it. Which sucked for me. It isn't an awful writing, just written in a way I didn't like. I couldn't connect with it. Meaning I didn't connect with Lark.

Sigh. Lark. I did want to love her. And I didn't dislike her. I just couldn't understand her. She has the Sight. Which is a bad thing, apparently. As it leaves her in pain and weak and whatnot. And because of this she hasn't been around people other than her cousin and her grandmama. So she is very shy. Yet she is chosen for a mission, and then she meets a bunch of Riders and other people. And they all like her right away and she is not shy at all and it bothered me a lot. Because it happened so fast, to be honest.

And then. I didn't like the way Lark was as a person. She is sweet enough. But she changes so fast in a small amount of days. And she acted like a child all the time. Shouting and running and being a bit weird. It just bothered me a little bit. Though I also adored it. Then there is the romance. Thankfully, no love triangle, but kind of insta-love. They meet and she likes him right away. Though he tried to kill her. Then days later there is talk of love. And it didn't make sense to me. They never get to know each other.

I just. There were a bunch of things that bothered me in this book. I wish they hadn't. I really wish I had loved this. But I didn't. I was annoyed at just about everything. Sigh. And at the others things I just didn't care. Another thing that bothered me were all the weird names. I have not heard any of them before, and they sounded weird to me. Sigh. I'm sorry. But Lark Rising just didn't work for me. But I do think others will love it. Hopefully. Because I did like the story for the most part. Thank you Jaime. <3


Saturday, September 27, 2014

In My Mailbox #152

I feel like time is moving so fast. And I'm so behind on everything. Yet I feel like I'm always catching up on things. But I'm still so so far behind on comments. Hmph. But soon. I just need to feel better, which has not happened yet. More medicine on Monday, so hoping it will get better. <3 Anyway. I was going to read a lot this week, but that did not happen. Hah. But I did read two books :) And I'm going to start The Witch of Salt & Storm today. <3 Hoping I will love it. This week I read The Iron Trial. <3 which I loved. I also read The Accidental Highwayman, which I did not fully like. Then I shared another Cress Tuesday. <3 And I'm waiting on Atlantia. I'm also a part of the Firebug blog tour this week :D Where I have a guest post with Lish. <3 and an US/Canada giveaway. Go enter. And I'm sharing the cover for Rebellion. <3 And also the stunning cover for The Winner's Crime :D What did you get this week? <3



Shadows + Haze. YAY! I won these two gorgeous books from Tundra Books via the blog tour :D Thank you so so much. <3 I have yet to read these. But I will. Have also ordered myself the paperback of Shimmer, so I will read them soonish. Also. Shadows is signed. <3 SO pretty. Hoping that I will love the books.
Stormdancer. Foreign edition :D I had to buy this via bookdepo. Love the book. This one is stunning.
Godzilla. Had to buy this, as it was a bit cheaper. <3 3D version. I did really enjoy this move as well :)
Firebug. This book is amazing. <3 Love it so much. And oh, this hardcover is just so stunning. Love it.
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place. I loved this book. So much. Finished copy is perfect.
Lark Rising. I didn't fully love this, but I wanted the finished copy. And isn't it just so pretty? Sigh.
The Infinite Sea. I'm unsure if I will ever read this. One day. But I wanted the paperbacks as well, hih :)
Salt & Storm. I wanted this cover as well, as the hardcover looks stunning. So pretty in person as well.
The Witch of Salt & Storm. Review copy gotten from UK publisher. <3 Will start this today. Excited.
Mockingjay. Been so long since I read this book. Sigh. But I needed this movie-tie in. <3 So so pretty.
Philip Pullman. Two gorgeous paperback books. <3 Didn't have these editions, so I had to buy them :D



If You Find Me. Huge thank you to Emily Murdoch for sending me these gorgeous signed books. <3 And that card is the best. Sniffs. So so happy. <3 Emily is amazing and so kind. There are STARS! Inside the books too. So cute :D Also got the signed winner books, so those have been shipped now as well :)



Plush. I adore My Blue Nose Friends. And I need to own all of them, hih. <3 These are just so gorgeous.


Angry Birds. This GORGEOUS Stella snoods I won from Angry Birds over at twitter. <3 Thank you so so much. It looks gorgeous. And I love the box it arrived in. And that card! Hah. I love it so so much. <3


More Instagram photos here. <3

Cover Reveal: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

SO EXCITED! This cover is STUNNING. Oh, how I love it. It is perfect. I loved The Winner's Curse so so much. And I am just dying to read The Winner's Crime. <3 I just know it will be perfect. Though those first three chapters killed me a little bit. Yet I cannot wait to read this book. It will be perfect. And oh. I want it so badly. Anyway. This cover! I cannot. The blue is stunning. This book will look so gorgeous on my shelf. I cannot wait to finally own it. And to read more of Kestrel and Arin. <3 Ack. Just hoping the ending won't be as heartbreaking as the first book was, hih :) The Winner's Crime is coming out on March 3rd 2015. <3 I think both covers for this series is stunning. Though I think my favorite is the first one. Maybe. They are both just gorgeous. And I need to own it soon. What do you think of this cover? :)


Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

 


Friday, September 26, 2014

Firebug Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

I'm so excited to be a part of this blog tour! Thank you so much to Ksenia at Macmillan Kids for the chance to take part in this. <3 As I pretty much loved Firebug. My review can be seen here. And I adore the author. Lish is awesome. Now I'm just waiting for news about book two. <3 Which I'm beyond excited about. Cannot wait! Today I'm sharing a guest post that Lish wrote for me. <3 And I love it to pieces. Thank you, Lish. You are awesome. Thanks to Ksenia there is also an US/Canada giveaway at the end :)

http://www.macteenbooks.com/ya/blog-tour-firebug-by-lish-mcbride/

Guest Post by Lish McBride.

My topic suggestion: Her thoughts on why she chose to have Ava, Lock & Ezra have such a close friendship.
(As I adored their very close friendship.)


I write a lot about friendship and about family, especially the kind of family you make as you get older, not necessarily the kind you’re born with. I don’t necessarily set out to do this. In fact, I didn’t plan on Ava having so many friends. I’d just written two books with a fairly large ensemble cast and I wanted to try and pare it down. As much as I love big casts, they can be a headache to juggle.
            So I was set on a small cast. The thing is, the more I worked on Ava, the bigger the cast became. This might make you wonder why, if I don’t set out to write big casts and I don’t try to write about friendship and family, how these things keep happening.
            The thing is, I write about teens going through rough things. They’ve lost parents, usually. They’re hiding what they are, so they have to keep things from family. There’s a lot going on. When these kinds of things are happening, a common coping mechanism is to seek out a support system. Kids build their own family. At least, all the kids I knew growing up did.
            That’s the thing—if you take the magic out of my stories, you still have the same problems teens deal with. They lose parents, they’re changing and maybe don’t want to share things with their families. They’re dealing with crazy, complicated, painful stuff. Most of them will seek out people who understand or who will, at the very least, support them through it.
            Like most people I had a hard time in high school and many of my friends were having a worse time. So we banned together. We helped each other out. And you know what? I’m still friends with most of them. And we still ban together and help each other out. Only now it’s expanded to include our families. I recently had to go to the emergency room. My friend, Erica, drove me—and even had a snack packed for me. My son wasn’t supposed to be with me, but ended up going with us to the ER. So Erica called her husband and had him come down and pick up my kid and get him dinner. She stayed and sat with me in the hospital until very late at night. Good friends, right? Amazing. I have the best friends, I really do. So how do I know Erica? She married my friend Brian. I’ve known him since I was seventeen, and I know that if I need anything, ever, his family is there. Just like when his wife got sick and he needed to take her to the hospital, they knew that when they called me in the wee hours of the morning, I’d drop everything and get there. They are family. They are important. And those kinds of friend choices are what got me through my rough time. So when my characters are facing the same kind of thing, when I’m running them through the ringer, the least I can do is give them that same lifeline. It’s the least I could do.

Thank you Lish. <3 This guest post is perfect. And you are awesome. I'm so glad you decided to write Lock and Ezra into Ava's life, as I loved reading about them with her. And felt like she needed them too :) Close friendships are the best. <3 Erica sounds amazing.



Ava is a firebug—she can start fires with her mind. Which would all be well and good if she weren’t caught in a deadly contract with the Coterie, a magical mafia. She’s one of their main hitmen . . . and she doesn’t like it one bit. Not least because her boss, Venus, killed Ava’s mother.

When Venus asks Ava to kill a family friend, Ava rebels. She knows very well that you can’t say no to the Coterie and expect to get away with it, though, so she and her friends hit the road, trying desperately to think of a way out of the mess they find themselves in. Preferably keeping the murder to a minimum, in Lish McBride’s Firebug



Lish McBride is an author, bookseller, and all-around ne’er-do-well living in the Seattle area. She has an MFA from the University of New Orleans, which she is sure they’d like to take back. The poor people stuck with her include her long-suffering Man Friend, her son, and her furry legion, which number many. (Well, three.) When she isn’t working, which is most of the time, and reading, which is the rest of the time, you can probably find her whining on Twitter about how she needs a nap.

~ Read an excerpt of Firebug now!
~ Download the first five chapters of Firebug for free!
~ Follow Lish McBride on Twitter!
~ Become a fan on Facebook!
~ Check out her website!



Enter to win one hardcover copy of Firebug. <3
The book will be shipped from Ksenia at Macmillan Kids.

Rules. 
One winner.
US/Canada only. 
Must reply within 48 hours.
Giveaway will end in three weeks.


Tour Schedule:
Monday, September 15 ~ Adventures of a Book Junkie
Tuesday, September 16 ~ Read.Sleep.Repeat.
Thursday, September 18
~ Teen Librarian Toolbox
Friday, September 19
~ Maria’s Mélange

Monday, September 22
~ Tales of a Ravenous Reader
Tuesday, September 23
~ Novel Novice
Wednesday, September 24
~ MacTeenBooks Blog
Thursday, September 25
~ Good Books and Good Wine
Friday, September 26
~ Carina’s Books