Top Ten Tuesday 9/19/2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Each week, a new topic is put into place and bloggers share their top ten accordingly. This weeks topic is: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List (in no specific order). Fall is when I’m MOST excited to settle down with books that are mostly dark Fantasy, Magical Realism, and Psychological Thrillers. This year I’m throwing in a bit of Sci-Fi for a change of pace. Most of these books are also arcs that I either picked up at Bookcon or was approved for on Netgalley/Edelweiss.

* Covers link to Goodreads

September 19th 2017: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

1. Wild Beauty By Anna-MarieMcLemore

Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

* I read When The Moon Was Ours some time last year & fell in love with McLemore’s writing! I’ve heard early reviewers speak highly of Wild Beauty, I’m SOOOO ready for this one 🙂


2. The Tiger’s Daughter (Their Bright Ascendency #1) by Arsenault Rivera

Even gods can be slain….

The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.

Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.

This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.

* I caught wind of this one on Twitter & V.E. Schwab’s blurb immediately had me well on my way to Netgalley. As a Fantasy lover I was intrigued & to see that the author is Latinx was enough for me to know I had to give this one a go 🙂


3. Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

* Historical Fiction in YA is one of my fave sub-genres & this one just has my name written all over it! maybe just maybe…it will fill the void the SHOWtime series Dexter left in my little dark heart *evil grin*


4. The Glass Spare (The Glass Spare #1) by Lauren DeStefano

A banished princess.
A deadly curse.
A kingdom at war.

Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

OK! confession…I’m just as guilty as the next bookworm when it comes to impulse cover lusting lol. I requested 1st & then read the synopsis but I’m so happy that It’s one I’m genuinely interested in *phew* I can’t resist a female heroine especially one with hidden magical abilities.


5. Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo

aughter of immortals.

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Daughter of death.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

It’s Wonder Woman…Lol am I right?


6. The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

* When the Queen puts out 2 books in one year, they must be read at once! lol. Leigh is one of my fave YA authors & this illustrated gemstone (nod to The Glass Spare haha) of a book is one I know I won’t be able to put off reading.


7. The Alchemists Of Loom (Loom Saga, #1) by Elisa Kova

Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom

So I have had my eyes on this series for quite a bit now & it hasn’t been easy resisting the urge to just buy them all cuz would you just look at them! they have STUNNING covers (all 3) 😍😍😍. I’m also a sucker for all things Dragons or mystical creatures in general really. After having just finished Before She Ignites, this one went into my Amazon cart lol. 


8. Artemis by Andy Weir

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you’re not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you’ve got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she’s stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

* I didn’t read or watch The Martian although it is on my TBR, Artemis is a Netgalley approval though & so it will be the one I get to 1st & I’m pretty excited for this title 🙂


9. Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff

Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.

The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

Long overdue, my twin bff Gretchen @ChicNerdReads has raved about this book & she knows my soul & IT’S TIME! + I pre-ordered Godsgrave smh…it arrived LOL…I have a problem. 


10. The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden

The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingalecontinues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.

Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

My MOST prized arc (next to They Both Die at the End of course hehe), I am waiting for November to read this one because it’s so atmospheric that It begs for cold weather. The Bear and the Nightingale was one of my top 10 faves of last year, ahhhh! so excited to have this one 🙂


Happy Tuesday Bookworms!!! I’m posting really late in the day but better late than never right? lol *sobs* if you’ve read any of the books on my list, please feel free to leave me some motivating words  if you think I need to boost any of these to the top of my TBR. Also link me to your TTT & I’ll swing by for some recommendations 😉


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June Wrap-Up

Hello Readers! another month has passed & with it comes my typically-late-thus-making-it-right-on-time? Wrap Up smh haha! this time around I excluded my haul simply because Bookcon happened & in one day I managed to haul way too many books & that’s not including my regular books bought for the month. Also, I posted my Bookcon haul last year & that was all fine and well because I was new in the blogosphere & was very excited to share my 1st bookish event. Whelp, 1 year later I was still very excited to attend Bookcon but this time around I’d like to think I was a bit more wiser & aware of all the drama surrounding ARCS. Not to mention that book hauls from these types of conventions tend to generate negative attention & I’m not here for that. So I decided to skip the haul & just speak about the event itself…

The best part of the event was seeing my twin aka bff Gretchen who most of you know has a blog called ChicNerdReads (pictured below in the glasses next to me). My hubby also accompanied us which is always fun since he’s also a reader & I’m his source for new book recommendations. The event seemed to have been dominated by Penguin with giveaways every hour on the hour as well as author signings. This made for extremely long lines, stampedes, and overall madness tbh…

I am honestly surprised to have acquired the ARCS that I did but it wasn’t easy & took a bit of prioritizing. Gretchen & I pre-gamed for this event mapping out which books we were aiming for & I do believe this actually helped as much as we thought otherwise during the event. Overall, the event & it’s lack of organization was terrible for our anxiety. The positive however is that we got to spend the whole weekend surrounded by BOOKS & talking about BOOKS and that’s always a fun time no matter what. Also! we met another Puerto-Rican Bookworm who had flown in for the event. She told us about getting caught in the stampede for Warcross on Saturday & how after hours of standing in line she walked away w/out the ARC. My hubby gave up his ARC to Warcross which we had at home. We shipped it to PR & when it arrived she sent me a very happy text which made my week 🙂

Me (left side) & Gretchen (right side)

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali ★★★★★ (5 Stars)

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser ★★★★ (4 Stars)

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios ★★★★ (4 Stars)

Bearly a Lady (Novella) by Cassandra Khaw ★★★★1/2 (4.5 Stars)

Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue ★★★★★ 5 Stars

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) *Conclusion to duology w/spoilers for This Savage Song ★★★★★ 5 Stars 

Although for the month of June I only read YA, each book was so different from each other that it honestly felt like I read diversely. I read some books with hard topics like Saints and Misfits and Bad Romance which led me to discovering two amazing authors. I had a ton of fun reading The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue and Bearly a Lady (novella) with many laughs. Started a new Diverse Fantasy with Song of the Current & can’t wait to read the sequel to this du-ology. I also read the conclusion to monsters of Verity…Our Dark Duet broke me yet it is the most satisfying conclusion I’ve ever read. Yea, I was a bit all over the place but my reading reflected my life as a whole in June haha!

My most highly anticipated flick for 2017 DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Wonder Woman had me engaged from the opening scene. I have always been fascinated by the Amazons & Wonder Woman has always been a icon for me…getting her back story on the big screen felt like the best earliest Christmas gift I never thought to ask for LOL! little Diana was lively & eager to learn the ways of the Amazons & seeing her natural born instincts play out gave her a new sparkle in my eyes. My only regret is not reviewing this movie on the blog when my feels were fresh haha. I loved the entire cast, humor, fight scenes, and plot as a whole! my interest in The Justice League sky rocketed after leaving the theater googling for any bit of early news hinting at a sequel to Wonder Woman. For those who didn’t think Wonder Woman deserved her own solo debut…Gal Gadot sure showed you *5 Stars* 😉

My second date night with the hubby (we got lucky in June with sitting) was great & all but Transformers The Last Night was lackluster. I was really rooting for this one more for the hubby’s enjoyment than mine really. I just went to see Markie Mark & Bumble Bee but the irony in that I tell ya smh! So, as a lover of all Mark Whalberg’s movies I can go ahead and say this…In my opinion, he should’ve never accepted the lead role no matter how badly he wanted to realize his childhood dream of playing with life sized Transformers #jussayin. Love me some Markie Mark but that role really needs to go to another younger guy (not shia Labeouf, that ship has sailed). I’m hoping that the history they introduced means we are due a new main character *fingers crossed* I found myself bored & ended up rating this movie *3.5 stars* 😦

Happy reading in July Bookworms!!! Hope you all had a wonderful June month & are enjoying your summer reads. Read or watched any of these? drop a comment down below <3’s!

1 Year Blogoversary Q&A/Giveaway Announcement!

Good Monday morning my AMAZING Bookworm family! I am so excited to share this milestone with you all. On 5/24/17, LairOfBooks will have its 1st Blogoversary!!!! *confetti* HAHA! I honestly didn’t think I’d make it to the 1 year mark what with all of the curveballs life has thrown my way. SO many amazing things have happened this past year & this little blog has helped keep me centered. Before blogging, my audience for all things books was my hubby & he’s great and all but I realized he has to sleep too. I was in search of a community similar to Booktube minus the having to get on video cause that’s just not my thing *introvert* lol & I’m happy to have found all you amazing book bloggers/readers.

Q&A

So now here’s where it gets innnneresting 😉 I’ve never done one of these & I’m kind of hoping you all have fun with it. Starting today & running until Friday May 26th 2017 (12 Midnight EST.) I will be be accepting all of your questions be it blog related or personal, I’m a open book (see what I did there? jeje). Also, for those who submit a question I will count that as an additional entry to the giveaway.

Giveaway

This will be my 2nd Giveaway, my first being sometime in the beginning of the year for an Owlcrate box. One lucky winner will win a pre-order of 1 of the titles pictured below. I wanted to offer all of you some options while still making sure I stay true to LairOfBooks mission to read Diverse Books as much as possible. Two of these books aren’t diverse reads but I know they are titles EVERYONE including myself are looking forward to (eeeeeeK Wonder Woman!). The titles are listed after the rules & addtl’ entries. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!!! *more confetti* So without further ado, I present to you the rules to enter:

  • Since this giveaway will be open to my INTERNATIONAL bookish peeps as well, you just have to have a valid mailing & email address that you are willing to share with me
  • Must be 18 years or older
  • Follow my blog of course  (i’ll be checking loves)
  • Simply comment down below that you’d like to be entered & it shall be done

For Additional entries

  • Ask a question, be it about books/blog/or personal (1 extra entry)
  • Follow my Bookstagram account Lair_Of_Books  (1 extra entry)
  • Follow my Twitter @LairOfBooks 

*This giveaway will run starting today 5/22/17 til Friday 12 Midnight EST. 5/26/2017

Good luck to all those who decide to throw their hat in the ring. I’ve dusted out the old Mason jar & can’t wait to start filling it up 😉

 

Waiting On Wednesday 


Title: Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons Series)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Book: Hardcover, 304 pages

Expected Publication: August 29th, 2017

Publisher: Random House Books For Young Readers

 

 

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

The highly anticipated coming-of-age story for the world’s greatest super hero: WONDER WOMAN by the # 1 New York Times bestselling author LEIGH BARDUGO.
She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .

Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.

Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

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.

REASONS

Let’s preface this with I AM COMPLETELY UNABLE TO NOT READ ANYTHING BARDUGO PUTS OUT! haha! I am so happy that DC has tasked her with the unbelievably tough challenge that will be Wonder Woman. As a female myself, I want to see Diana Prince/Wonder Woman done right & who better than The Queen Of Dark herself? am I right? I’ve always been a big fan of the Amazons & wondered why they are covered so scarcely. We recently saw Gal Gadot tackle the role of Wonder Woman in Batman Vs. Superman. I’ll admit, I had my doubts she would pull it off. She silenced my doubts though & for that I am thankful because now we get to see more of her on the big screen. Now more than ever, I want to see the same success in this book. For some reason Wonder Woman has been a character that many have feared taking on. The general feeling was (maybe still is) that whoever took on that project, would have the responsibility of doing it justice. Why? because women of all ages & generations will be watching. The boys have their pick of the litter when it comes to superheroes but us gals have very few & Diana is a classic 😉

P.S. last but NOT least…Helen Of Troy’s descendant is in this book?!?!?! YES PLEASSSSSSE! 

Are any of you looking forward to the 1st book in the DC Icons Series? What are your thoughts on Leigh Bardugo writing Wonder Woman?