Monday, May 29, 2017

New YA Releases : Week of May 29th



Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 
Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.





I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

When It's Real by Erin Watt

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

Spectacle by Rachel Vincent

Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney


Are any of these on your Bookish Wishlist or Pre-Order cart? Which do you look most forward to?


Happy Reading!

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Wishlist Wednesday #135


*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*


The Immortal Throne by Bree Despain


PublisherCarolrhoda Lab TM 
Release DateOctober 1, 2016
Pages: 344

The Story:

Daphne Raines knew it was risky to enter the underworld to save the love of her life, Haden, who had sacrificed his own honor as an Underlord for her sake. But she could never have predicted that she'd end up betrothed to Haden's conniving half-brother, Garrick, new King of the Underrealm and bound to his dark world. 

Even worse, Haden is banished to the mortal realm, and has just days to live as poison takes over his body and mind. Only Daphne's kiss can save him, but how can she escape Garrick and reach Haden in time? Surprises lurk around every corner in the final chapter of this epic romance story, as Haden and Daphne fight to fulfill their destinies.

-via Amazon




Meet the Author

Bree Despain is the author of The Dark Divine trilogy and the Into the Dark trilogy. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and two sons. Visit her online at breedespain.com.



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


Happy Reading!

Monday, May 22, 2017

Review: Avenged by Amy Tintera


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

Publisher
HarperTeen
Release DateMay 2, 2017
Pages: 416
Source: Own

The Story:

With the romance of The Selection and the epic stakes of Red Queen, Amy Tintera’s New York Times-bestselling Ruined trilogy continues with the thrilling young adult fantasy Avenged.
Emelina Flores has come home to Ruina. After rescuing her sister, Olivia, from imprisonment in rival kingdom Lera, Em and Olivia together vow to rebuild Ruina to its former glory.
But their fight has only begun. Olivia is determined to destroy everyone who acts against Ruina. Em isn’t as sure. Ever since Em posed as Prince Casimir’s betrothed in Lera, she’s started to see another side to this war. And now that Cas has taken the throne, Em believes a truce is within reach. But Olivia suspects that Em’s romantic feelings for Cas are just coloring her judgement.
Em is determined to bring peace to her home. But when winning the war could mean betraying her family, Em faces an impossible choice between loyalty and love. Em must stay one step ahead of her enemies—and her blood—before she’s the next victim in this battle for sovereignty.
via Amazon

Rating







One-word ReviewFANTASTICAL

Reading Tune Game of Survival  - Ruelle


Tag Line:


What goes around comes around.


Opening Line:


The remains of Em's home sat at the bottom of the hill.


My Review


I am usually hesitant about sequels but I enjoyed Ruined so much that I pre-ordered Avenged when I pre-ordered A Court of Wings and Ruin. So that tells you something. . . 


And I a glad to say it was worth it!

The plot Avenged of is flows smoothly with the first book. Why not suspenseful, the plot does not drag. Emelina Flores has brought down the Lera empire the exterminated almost all of her people, and rescued her sister, Olivia. But there are a few hiccups.

Emelina cannot stay away from the newly minted king of Lera. Her husband. Cas.

Em and Olivia take the remainder of their people back to Ruina. Where there is nothing left for them but the ruins of their home and dead earth.

Olivia is bloodthirsty, the most powerful Ruin and cannot listen to reason. And is the now the Queen of what is left of Ruina.

In Avenged we see the chasm between Em and Olivia grow as the story progressed. By the end of the book, we are left with expectations for the next book.


How many wars will ensue? Jocita against Cas? And Olivia? Olivia against Em? And Cas? 

Will Jocita rise up as a false Queen and hunt down Cas again to ensure her throne?

Will the remains of the Ruina people survive the coming war? The split between the sister queens?

Will Em be capable of betraying her sister, her only family left?

Will Olivia murder her last living relative, the one person who risked and gave up everything to rescue her and the Ruina?

 Em has some decisions to make and sides to take. But where will that leave her and her false husband? What does the future hold her Cas and Em?

All in all, I ate Avenged up! Tintera did a good job with the sequel and I will anxiously await the next installment.

Character Breakdown:


Emelina Flores - Em was a badass from the first book. Fierce and loyal to the people of her blood, the Ruin. Even though she is considered a Useless and they shunned her from being Queen. In she is learns how to forgive and to learn her enemy. Quite literally, might I add.

Olivia Flores Bloodthirsty, blind to reason and hellbent on revenge. A.K.A. annoying and unreasonable as fuck. However, while I do not particularly like Olivia I can sympathize with some of her rage. Her people are near extermination and she was held captive and tortured for a year. 

Meet the Author:




Hi! I’m Amy Tintera, and I write novels for young adults. I grew up in Austin, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in journalism. After receiving a masters in film at Emerson College I moved to Los Angeles, where I promptly discovered I didn’t enjoy working in the film industry, and went back to my first love, writing.
***Check out Amy Tintera's website for more information about her and Avenged HERE


Happy Reading!

New YA Releases : Week of May 22nd



Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 
Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.




The Gauntlet by Megan Sheperd

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare


Are any of these on your Bookish Wishlist or Pre-Order cart? Which do you look most forward to?


Happy Reading!
Saturday, May 20, 2017

Bookish Movie Review : Everything, Everything



Synopsis: Maddy is a smart, curious and imaginative 18-year-old who is unable to leave the protection of the hermetically-sealed environment within her house because of an illness. Olly is the boy next door who won't let that stop them from being together. Gazing through windows and talking only through texts, Maddy and Olly form a deep bond that leads them to risk everything to be together, even if it means losing everything.

Release date: May 19, 2017 (USA)


Director: Stella Meghie


Adapted from: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon


Production companies: Alloy EntertainmentMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer


Trailer:


Cast:





Maddy Whittier played by Amandla Stenberg











Olly Bright played by Nick Robinson






 Dr. Pauline Whittier, Maddy’s mother, played by Anika Noni Rose

Carla, Maddy's nurse, played by Ana de la Reguera 

 Kara Bright, Olly’s younger sister, played by Taylor Hickson  

Rosa, Carla's daughter played by Danube Hermosillo


My Review:

Rating






One-word ReviewEverything

From the moment I watched the trailer for Everything, Everything I was smitten. I NEEDED to see the movie set to hit the big screen months later.

I was chomping on the bit as the countdown drew nearer to the release date. We purchased tickets in advance.

Movie Day: Fruit snacks in hand, I settled into my reclining seat and theater AC as I anxiously waiting the previews to be over.

Then Magic!

From start to finish.

I did not blink once. 

The on-screen chemistry between Olly and Maddy was perfect! Amandla and Nick did such a superb job playing Maddy and Olly, as individual characters and as a couple. The quirkiness, the romantic and awkward tension was so on point - especially the scene when Olly Visited Maddy in the Sun-room.



The character-actor dynamic was fantastic - they vibe together very well. The screenplay writer and the casting director did a great jobs translating the characters from book to screen and choosing the actors to play them. 

The scene settings were exactly how I imagined them to be, while I was reading Everything, Everything, and more. Although, I wish the Sun-room was more of a sunny room - more windows, to be honest. But other than that, Maddy's sterile home, Olly's dark boyish room, the trip to Hawaii, were cinematic visions.


Serendipity: 

-Olly covers Maddy’s window with photos of the ocean in the book *key:swoon*

-Text conversations transport Maddy and Olly into her architectural models.

-Rosa, Carla's daughter, had more of a prominent role in the film than in the book; they were friends in the film but not in the book


Maddy,
Every ocean deserves to be seen by you.

Peeves: 

-The lack of emphasis on Maddy's favorite book, The Little Prince. And therefore, to the ending when Maddy tells Olly to find The Little Prince in the bookstore. Olly not only shows up, but finds the book. And Maddy. Boom! But, in the movie, Maddy just texts him to meet her in the bookstore. Talk about boring and a flop!




All in all, Everything, Everything is a fantastic cinematic rendition of its novel. If you have not gone to see it, you must!


Happy Reading!

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Wishlist Wednesday #134


*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*

The Freemason's Daughter by Shelley Sackier

Publisher
HarperTeen 
Release DateApril 11, 2017
Pages: 384

The Story:

Saying good-bye to Scotland is the hardest thing that Jenna MacDuff has had to do—until she met Lord Pembroke. Jenna’s small clan has risked their lives traveling the countryside as masons, secretly drumming up support and arms at every stop for the exiled King James Stuart so that he may retake the British throne. But their next job brings them into enemy territory: England.
Jenna’s father repeatedly warns her to trust no one, but when the Duke of Keswick hires the clan to build a garrison on his estate, it seems she cannot hide her capable mind from the duke’s inquisitive son, Lord Alex Pembroke—nor mask her growing attraction to him.
But there’s a covert plan behind the building of the garrison--a secret that cannot be revealed. Will Jenna hide her family’s mutinous plot and assist her clan’s cause, or protect the life of the young noble she’s falling for?
In Shelley Sackier’s lush, vivid historical debut, someone will pay a deadly price no matter what Jenna chooses.

-via Amazon

Meet the Author

Shelley Sackier is the author of The Freemason's Daughter and Dear Opl. She blogs at peakperspective.com about food, family, and the folly that is life while living atop a mountain in the Blue Ridge. You can read more of her work at www.shelleysackier.com and follow her on Twitter @ShelleySackier.



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


Happy Reading!


Monday, May 15, 2017

Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

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

Publisher
Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Release DateMay 2, 2017
Pages: 720
Source: Own

The Story:

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.
via Amazon

Rating





One-word Review ENTHRALLING

Reading Tune Dead Man's Arms  by Bishop Briggs


Tag Line:


A nightmare, I'd told Tamlin.


was the Nightmare.

Opening Line:


The painting was a lie.

My Review

Plot:


A Court of Wings and Ruin 
is the third installment in Sarah Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series . . .


And I LOVED it. 

SHE DID NOT LET ME DOWN.

What I loved most about A Court of Wings and Ruin was: the sexytime between Rhysand and Feyre *cough, cough* and the side romantic stories - Azriel and Mor, Cassian and Nesta (my favorite), Azriel and Elain, Elain and Lucien, Amren and Varian. Off-guard does not describe how Amren and Varian caught. They came completely out of left field. I would have never thought Amren having the capacty of harboring romantic feelings for anyone. I mean he barely liked Rhysand and the gang! 

But a male voice pleaded from behind, "Don't"
Varian appeared from the rocky path, gasping for breath, splattered with blood.
Amren smirked. "Like a hound on a scent." - page 657

Ireally hope Maas writes a story for Cassian and Nesta. They have such a banterific chemistry. And, oh, boy, the tension!

Something drew Cassian's attention behind me. And even as his body remained casual, a predatory gleam flickered in his eyes.
I didn't need to turn to know who was standing there.
"Care to join?" Cassian purred.
Nesta said, "It doesn't look like you're exercising anything other than your mouths." -- pages 202-203

As well as Lucien and Elain. Although, I have a feeling that is going to be a love triangle for Azriel - Azriel and Elain and Lucien.

The plot was suspenseful. Feyre had to balance adjusting to going from human to High Fae, becoming the High Lady of the Night Court, making amends and protecting her newly turn sister, while simultaneously trying to find some semblance of ally-ish between the High Lords of the Courts they can defeat a massive, unstoppable army with the most powerful weapon in the history of history so powerful it is tied to the earth bent of killing and enslaving humans . . . 


*pheww* That was a lot to say.


A Court of Wings and Ruin pacing was perfectly timed for the story. At no point did I feel the story drag. Maas' writing was as ensnaring as ever! Her writing style for the A Court of Thorns and Roses series just speaks to me on a visceral level. I never wanted the story to end - not in any of the ACOTAR books. All in all, you absolutely have to read A Court of Wings and Ruin. A Court of Thorns and Roses

Character Breakdown:


I bow down to Maas. Usually by the sequel, the story is weakly executed and the characters fall flat. Not in the case of 
A Court of Wings and Ruin! The characters are more alive than ever! The different personalities meshed so well with each other and the storyline.

Feyre  - Feyre was sa badass in 
A Court of Wings and Ruin. She was cunning and clever. She was kind and strong. Unapologetically herself and kickass in combat.

Winnow. Strike. Winnow. Strike.
We were a black whirlwind of steel and shadow through the clearing, and months of Cassian's brutal training clicked into place as I kept my feet under me.
I had the vague sense of Lucien gaping, even Brannagh taken aback by my show of skill against her brother. -- page 91

Tamlin - I was #TeamTamlin for the longest. . . but, my, how Maas made him flip the switch. Anywho, here's a little tribute to My Tamlin:


"This was such a lovely dream. I'd never slept so wonderfully before. So warm, nestled beside him. Calm. Faintly, echoing into my world of slumber, he spoke again, his breath caressing my ear. "You're exactly as I dreamed you'd be, too.'"- ACOTAR, pages 212

"Tamlin," I got out, but his green eyes narrowed. Run, he seemed to say.
that was who had been running alongside us. Trying to find us. 

He ripped and shredded, the hounds launching themselves wholly on him. -- page 576


Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

This is the part of my review, when trying to selected only a few of my thousand favorite quotes from A Court of Wings and Ruin where I realize most of them involve Cassian and Nesta. That goes to show you how much they stole the show.

But Helion gave her the same bow he'd offered me--though his smile was edged with enough sensuality that even my heart raced a bit. No wonder the Lady of Autumn hadn't stood a chance. "I don't think we were introduced properly earlier," he crooned to Nesta. "I'm--" 

"I don't care," Nesta said with a snap of her wrist, striding right past him and up to my side. "I'd like a word," she said. "Now."

Cassian was biting his knuckle to keep from laughing--at the utter surprise and shock on Helion's face. It wasn't every day, I supposed, that anyone of either sec dismissed him so thoroughly. -- page 457

~*~
Cassian casually slid Nesta behind him, his fingers snagging in the skirts of her black gown. As if to reassure himself that she wasn't in Amren's direct path. Nesta only rose onto her toes to peer over his shoulder. -- page 283

~*~
We held each other in silence for minutes. Hours. Two souls, twining in the dark. I lowered my shields, let him in fully. His mind curled up around mine. -- page 290


Meet the Author:









Sarah J. Maas is the author of the New York Times and internationally bestselling Throne of Glass series. A New York City native, Sarah currently lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her husband and dog.

***Check out Sarah J. Maas' website for more information about her and A Court of Wings and RuinHERE






Happy Reading!