New YA Releases : Week of January 30th

Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 

Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.

Blood of Wonderland by Colleen Oakes

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

Wait for Me by Caroline Leech

Happy Reading!

Review : Noah: Ila's Story by Susan Korman

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Titan Books 
Release Date: March 18, 2014
Pages: 128
Source: Own

The Story:

The ancient world. A young girl, Ila, is found, injured after a violent raid. She is taken in by Noah and his family and grows up strong and happy – she even finds love with her soulmate, Shem, Noah’s son. But when devastation comes to the world in the form of a huge flood, Ila and her new family are responsible for saving not only themselves but all life on earth. Against all odds they set off in the Ark, but all is not as it seems...
As events unfold, Ila has to find the power within her to help Noah in his epic quest, and ultimately save humanity.

via Amazon

Rating: 

One-word Review:  FRESH

Opening Line:

The young girl moaned, her eyes flitting open.

My Review: 

Plot:

Ila's Story is a short story based on Ila's character in the movie Noah. I enjoyed the movie based on the Biblical story of Noah's Arc. After learning they printed Ila's Story of how she came to be with Noah and his family and thereafter, I thought why not read it?

Entire village raided and murdered, Ila is left for dead among the ruins of her dead life before. With a stroke of luck, Noah and his family stumbling across her and saves her life. Raising her as his own daughter, Noah embraces her. 

Not long after Ila is taken in by Noah and his family, does she feel a connection for his eldest son, Shem. Growing up happy, strong and loved her fated love with Shem blossoms and so another story writes itself alongside Noah's Arc  . . . 

Ila's Story.

How she survived the death of her village. How she fit into Noah's family. Her place in the world during the age of Noah's Arc. The unforeseen consequences of her and Shem's love. And more.

On that note, while the writing was not terrible per say . . . it did leave something to be desired. Clean in language and sparse on the detail-front, it felt half done. Not fleshed out. There was definitely potential for a heartier story - I understand it is a short story but more effort would have been appreciated.

All in all, Ila's Story  was cute, short and a good way to up your count in the Goodreads' Annual Book Challenge.

Meet the Author:

Susan Korman is the author of over thirty books ranging from picture books and licensed works to YA novels. She has written tie-in novels for Ice Age, Monsters Vs Aliens, Kung Fu Panda, Kicking and Screaming and various Transformers movies. She has also written YA titles under her own name including Overexposed and Bad Deal (a 2012 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers).

Happy Reading!

Wishlist Wednesday #119

*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Publisher: HarperTeen 

Release Date: September 19, 2017
Pages: 320

The Story:

THE BATTLE FOR THE CROWN HAS BEGUN, BUT WHICH OF THE THREE SISTERS WILL PREVAIL?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.

-via Amazon

Meet the Author

Kendare Blake grew up in the small city of Cambridge, Minnesota. She is a graduate of Ithaca College, in Ithaca, New York and received a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Middlesex University in London, England. She loves to travel, is an advocate for animals, and cheats a lot when she plays Final Fantasy. Adopted from South Korea at the age of seven months, she arrived with the following instruction: "Feed her chocolate." Though not medically advisable, she and her parents are eternally grateful for this advice.

Kendare is the author of six novels: the contemporary SLEEPWALK SOCIETY, YA horror duo ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD (2011 NPR Top 5, Kirkus Top Ten), and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES (2012 Kirkus Reviews Top Ten), and the Goddess War trilogy (ANTIGODDESS, MORTAL GODS, UNGODLY). 

Coming in September 2016: THREE DARK CROWNS, the first book in a fantasy series about warring triplet queens.

Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

New YA Releases : Week of January 23rd

Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 

Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.

Dreadnought by April Daniels

After the Fall by Kate Hart

The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins

Margot & Me by Juno Dawson

My Clueless Broken Heart by Jennifer Digiovanni

Happy Reading!

Wishlist Wednesday #118

*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*

Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

Publisher: Scholastic Press 
Release Date: May 30, 2017

Pages: 320

The Story:

On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.

But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn into the throne much sooner than she expected.

In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.

In the first book of a remarkable duology, Sara B. Larson sets the stage for her reimagining of Swan Lake -- a lush romance packed with betrayal, intrigue, magic, and adventure.

-via Amazon

Meet the Author

Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy DEFY trilogy: DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE, and the forthcoming DARK BREAKS THE DAWN. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day (while mourning the demise of naptime) and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction. You can visit her at www.SaraBLarson.com.

Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

New YA Releases : Week of January 16th

Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 

Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.

Pushing the Boundaries by Stacey Trombley

History is All I Have Left by Adam Silvera

Radius of Us by Marie Marquarot

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Happy Reading!

Wishlist Wednesday #117

*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Release Date: April 4, 2017
Pages: 512

The Story:

She's a soldier.

Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She's willing to risk anything--including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she's a rebel.

He's a machine.

Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that's begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he's an abomination.

Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they're not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they're forced to question everything they'd been taught was true.

-via Amazon

Meet the Author

Claudia Gray is the author of the bestselling Evernight series, Fateful, the Spellcaster trilogy, and the Firebird trilogy. She is also the author the young adult Star Wars novels Lost Stars and the forthcoming Bloodline. 
She has worked as a lawyer, a journalist, a disc jockey, and a particularly ineffective waitress. Her lifelong interests include old houses, classic movies, vintage style, and history. She lives in New Orleans.

Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

New YA Releases : Week of January 9th

Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 

Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.

Frost Blood by Elly Blake

Poison's Kiss by Breeana Shields

RoseBlood by A.G. Howards

Windwitch by Susan Dennard

Happy Reading!

Wishlist Wednesday #116

*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*

Gilded Cage by Vic James

Publisher: Del Rey 

Release Date: February 14, 2017
Pages: 368

The Story:

A darkly fantastical debut set in a modern England where magically gifted aristocrats rule, and commoners are doomed to serve—for readers of Victoria Aveyard and Susanna Clarke

NOT ALL ARE FREE.
NOT ALL ARE EQUAL.
NOT ALL WILL BE SAVED.

Our world belongs to the Equals—aristocrats with magical gifts—and all commoners must serve them for ten years.

But behind the gates of England’s grandest estate lies a power that could break the world.

A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.

Abi is a servant to England’s most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of their noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family’s secrets might win her liberty—but will her heart pay the price?

A boy dreams of revolution.

Abi’s brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution.

And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.

He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

-via Amazon

Meet the Author

Vic James is a current-affairs TV director who loves stories in all their forms. Her programs for BBC1 have covered the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Britain’s EU referendum. She has twice judged The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize. Gilded Cage is her first novel, and an early draft of it won a major online award from Wattpad for most-talked-about fantasy. She has lived in Rome and Tokyo, and currently lives in London.

Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

New YA Releases : Week of January 2nd

Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 

Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.

Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser

Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken 

Happy Reading!