Tag: fantasy

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at @Breaking The Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

                                  
                   

And I Darken

(Top image is Hardcover, Bottom is Paperback)

Author: Kiersten White  

Book: Hardcover, 496 pages

Expected Publication: June 28th 2016

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Reasons: Vlad the Impaler. Anti-hero. Alternate POV’s. I am so intrigued by the synopsis of this book & after watching Kiersten White’s interview on PolandbananasBooks, I felt even more excitement for this book. I know nothing about Vlad The Impaler which is great because Kiersten White said that she researched him & Romania extensively in preparation for this book. I love when an author does their homework on their setting & time in history. It adds to the whole experience especially since I’ll never be able to time travel so the more detail the better (at least for my mind to envision anyways). We also are made aware that Lada is not your conventional hero as a matter of fact, she’s an anti-hero. I expect this to be a dark read which I’m looking forward to since I think it will make it stand apart from current YA Fantasy reads. Alternating POV’s between Lada & her brother Radu. My favorite books are told in alternating POV’s & sometimes can help push me to read if I ever reach a slumpy part. Also, alternating POV’s allow me to familiarize myself with a character’s frame of mind and I enjoy that aspect quite a bit. This is a trilogy & what’s even cooler about this series is that we start off with protagonists around their teen years & go up to about their early 20’s. I’m super excited about this book & will be getting my copy next week!!! 😃

Goodreads Synopsis:

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. 

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

Something Old, Something Read, & Something New

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So today started off a bit nerve racking, not sure if anyone else feels this way, but I get extremely nervous/anxious when i’m sent for ultrasounds. Thankfully, It went well & I just need to follow up with my doc but it left me rattled enough to go running to my favorite place. Yup, a bookstore! and while there I realized I had not gifted myself a wedding present…lol yea a gift to myself for getting married, its a thing…right? Anyways, Something Old (Graceling), Something Read (More Happy Than Not), and Something New (With Malice). I remixed the tradition to fit a booknerd’s lifestyle 🙂

 

Graceling by Kristin Cashore- I’ve heard so many good things about the Graceling series & have been dancing around the idea of ordering it off of Amazon. I found it today in hardcover for $8 in Strand and knew it was kismet. Blurbed by some pretty impressive ladies like Tamora Pierce, i’m pretty sure Graceling will be right up my alley.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight – she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po’s friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace – or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…

 

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera- I read this book in the beginning of 2016 along with the bff of 18 years who i’m slowly converting into a bookworm AND his partner. All 3 of us enjoyed this book to the point where we now follow (stalk) Adam Silvera on all of his social media platforms (no shame-the day he liked my GR review was a good day!) waiting for him to drop a crumb our way for his next book (History Is All You Left Me). More Happy Than Not is an LGBTQ YA that felt very familiar to me because of it’s setting and the characters you meet throughout the neighborhood. It stirred up nostalgia of my old Brooklyn block. This book really tore my heart out & I never saw that ending coming, i’ll leave it at that.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the months after his father’s suicide, it’s been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again–but he’s still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he’s slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely.

When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron’s crew notices, and they’re not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can’t deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is.

Why does happiness have to be so hard?

With Malice by Eileen Cook- it’s not often that we get a thriller-suspense in YA & after reading the Goodreads synopsis I found myself wanting to know the outcome. Hoping it’s a good one.

Goodreads Synopsis-

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be. She discovers she was involved in a fatal car accident while on a school trip in Italy. A trip she doesn’t even remember taking. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident.

As the accident makes national headlines, Jill finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. It doesn’t help that the media is portraying her as a sociopath who killed her bubbly best friend, Simone, in a jealous rage. With the evidence mounting against her, there’s only one thing Jill knows for sure: She would never hurt Simone. But what really happened? Questioning who she can trust and what she’s capable of, Jill desperately tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

Stacking The Shelves


Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews in which we share the books that we’re adding to our shelves be it purchased, borrowed from the library, or received for review.

This Sunday I decided to take a trip to Strand to decompress a bit from all of the pre/post wedding blitz. I got married to my love of 7 years this past Friday & it was a day I’ll always cherish. The hubby & I are both bookworms so Strand was calling to us and we complied. While there I found Brandon Sanderson’s Calamity wich is the 3rd book in the Reckoners series. Now that I have all 3, I can start them. Yea, I’m funny that way but Brandon Sanderson has become an auto-buy author. This is his first YA fantasy series & has often been described as having an X-Men feel. This was all I needed to hear for me to say I WANT I WANT I WANT. I won’t add the Goodreads synopsis for Calamity since this is the 3rd book in the series, instead I’ll give the synopsis for book #1…

Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning — and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Ruined (Ruined #1) by Amy Tintera

A revenge that will consume her. A love that will ruin her.

Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.

But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.

In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.

Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.
The hubby who decided to give me some space while I was in my comfort zone lol, found & gifted me 3 magnets he felt I would love…he was right! I married the right man 😉

May Book Haul


I hope everyone had an AMAZING Memorial Day weekend! Whether it was at the grill serving up that BbQ or just chillin with a good book, some wine & or beer 😂😂😂 I just got back to NY from Massachusetts. The hubby & I took our two penguins on a road trip and had a blast! Mosquitoes for days but after a few twisted teas & a little bug spray all was good.

Now,ya know! my fellow book lovers, that we cannot just simply drive past a Barnes & Noble (or any book store) and not pull over or make a U-turn lol. No, we as book lovers have a sacred duty to visit any & all bookstores we spot while in other states. So that being said, Mass has a HUGE B&N and while there the hubby gifted me The Crown’s Game (The Crown’s Game #1) by Evelyn Skye & The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen #1) by Roshani Chokshi Both of these are YA Fantasy & have had amazing positive reviews, they’re very popular in booktube at the moment. I’m just excited to dive into these two because I’ve been on a Fantasy kick lately. Also, the covers on both of these are STUNNING!

A Court Of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas, I purchased earlier in May right after reading & liking (not loving but seeing potential) in ACOTAR. I have NO regrets, and I’m very happy that I decided to continue with this series. I do think however, that we are In a different ball park with this series in terms of rating or genre. This was def a mature, not a YA read which I enjoyed immensely but I do think that it should (since I’ve heard many express feelings of awkwardness) be put out there as what it is…STEAMY! Lol! My favorite read of 2016 so far, I’m missing my ACOMAF babies 😦

Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGuinnis, this was from Bookoutlet & it will be my 1st Mindy McGuiniss book. The Goodreads synopsis for this dystopian world made it sound so interesting. With this opening synopsis line—-“Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water” you know you’re going to get one kick ass protagonist. I’m excited about this one.

The Shock Of The Fall by Nathan Filer, Goodreads has this one as “an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness” I’m glad that the full synopsis is vague, I’ve heard great reviews on this & was immediately intrigued because it deals with mental Illness.

The First Bad Man by Miranda July, for this one Goodreads gives away too much of the quirk that this book seems like it will deliver. So, I’ll give the last bit of the synopsis—

“Tender, gripping, slyly hilarious, infused with raging sexual fantasies and fierce maternal love, Miranda July’s first novel confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling, disorienting, and unforgettable”

I picked this one up on Bookoutlet as well after reading the entire Goodreads synopsis, I can honestly say this sounds like a unique read & I’m hoping it’s full of quirkiness.

I’ve always been a mood reader so this may be why I lean towards books filled with humor in the Summer. In prepping for my summer reading, I’ve noticed myself picking up books that although they are meaty in plot, the characters themselves offer up humor or quirkiness. I ordered Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman yesterday which is why I didn’t include it in my May Haul. I am really looking forward to this one because its about a curmudgeon elderly woman in a town filled with people and children who she can’t stand. It seems like Britt lives a rigid life but sometimes the universe has other plans for us (at least that’s the vibe that I got on Goodreads). Ultimately, it’s a story of second chances and these types are my favorite Fiction to read 😉

Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Award

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Thanks to Gretchen @ ChicNerdReads for tagging me!!!

By way of accepting this award, here are the rules to follow:
Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
Put the award logo on your blog.
Answer the questions the tagger has given you.
Nominate six other bloggers.
Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.

***i’m new to the blogging scene SOooo this is more like a starting point 😉

1. What are you most passionate about?

My 2 little ones aka My Penguins & my books

2. How long have you been blogging?

All of 2 days…more like just today since I started this blog at around midnight

3. How many series have you completed so far? Any favourites?

10 series so far, this question made me realize just how many stand-alone’s I’ve read. Below are some of my favorite series I’ve completed:
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4. What do you like to do aside blogging?

Read (this includes audiobooks), Hulu/Netflix then discuss with the bestie lol, explore the city with my little family, and snap photos of my books & two penguins ❤

5. What’s your dream job?

It used to be Editor, now I’m thinking owner of a bookstore with tasty pastries…the quiet life 🙂

6. Any particular person or people who inspired you to blog?

My hubby & Sister, both have sat up late at night listening to me rant & rave about books, always encouraging me to put pen to paper.

7. Have you been into reading slumps?

I think it’s inevitable as an avid reader, I try not to force myself back into reading when I’m in one.

8. If your answer is yes to the above question, then how do you get out of it?

Embracing it & picking up a good graphic novel or binge watching a new tv/online series. Watching some of my favorite Booktubers also gives me that little nudge from time to time.

9. What’s your favourite subject in your school/college?

English and History

10. Which one do you prefer- Ice cream or cake?

Hands down, Haagen Dazs ice cream (Vanilla or coffee) OR Coldstone (The Pie Who Loved Me) 😁😁😁