Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #70: Ten Books I Read Because of Recommendations

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
 
This Week's Topic:
Ten Books I Read Because of Recommendations
 
1.
A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)
I was going to Susan Dennard's Truthwitch signing, which included a bunch of Tor authors and Victoria Schwab was one of them. I heard that it was a really good book, so I bought it while I was there and got it signed!
 
2.
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)
Everyone seemed to love this book, so I caved and bought it. It sat unread on my bookshelf for a while, but I finally read it and really enjoyed it!
 
3.
Starflight (Starflight, #1)
A fellow blogger loved this book and her glowing review convinced me to buy it. Needless to say, I am very happy I read it.
 
4.
Vengeance Road
I never thought Western was my thing, but another blogger told me to give it a chance and I'm happy they got me to read out of my comfort zone!
 
5.
The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1)
I had this one on my TBR for a long time, but I finally read it after prompting from a blogger. And now I will forever be in their debt for making me read this book sooner.
 
6.
Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling, #1)
I got this recommendation for Adult Paranormal Romance, and now this series and I are in a committed relationship. I can finish one of these books in one day. I just love them so much.
 
7.
Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy, #1)
This is one of those sad cases where someone encourages you to read a book and you did not like it at all. I didn't expect to love it, but it's still super disappointing.
 
8.
Air Awakens (Air Awakens, #1)
I saw this one all around Twitter and was being told by multiple people to read it. I really liked the first, but, sadly, the second fell a bit flat. I plan to read the third because I hope it goes much better.
 
9.
Riders (Riders, #1)
I finally read this book a couple months ago after being told over and over again that I just had to read it. And I loved it. The cover for Seeker, the sequel, was revealed recently and I love it!
 
10.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1)
I was told by a couple bloggers that I really should read this series. I read the first book, and I thought it was OK. I've heard the other books are better, so plan to read the others and see if they do get better.
 
I don't typically get too many recommendations, so these are most of them. Some of been hits, others have been misses. But that's inevitable.
 
Do you have any books that you always recommend? Have you read any of these books?

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Review ~ "Sweet Evil" by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy, #1)Title: "Sweet Evil"
Series: The Sweet Trilogy, #1
Author: Wendy Higgins

Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook

Published: May 1, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 464
Format: ebook
Source: Overdrive

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

Fans of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series will be drawn to Wendy Higgins's sexy, thrilling Sweet Evil series.
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Waiting on Wdnesday #44: "Glitter" by Aprilynne Pike

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Glitter 


Title: "Glitter"
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Expected Publication: October 25, 2016
 
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.

Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.
When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.
Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.
But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.
 
I haven't read anything by this author yet, but it sounds so good! A girl sells drugs to get out of an arranged marriage? Why not! Plus I'm super excited for the Versailles setting! It's so opulent and over the top.
 
Preorder
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #69: Ten Favorite Villains

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
 
This Week's Topic:
Ten Favorite Villains
 
1.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
Severus Snape
I LOVE Snape. I think that the reason he's bad is because he feels betrayed by people and that's the only place he'll be accepted. Yeah, he's been unnecessarily mean to students other than Harry, but my heart still bleeds for him
 
2.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
Lord Voldemort
He also had a sucky childhood, but he went full on evil. When you learn about his family and how he grew up, it all makes sense.
 
3.
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
The Darkling
Another villain with a tragic backstory. I'm such a sucker for them. Personally, I feel like he could have changed (with my love), but he'll always be in my heart.
 
4.
The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)
General Trajan
I don't want to give anything away, but he's pretty terrible for what he did. He's not really a villain, or the main villain, but he's still not a great guy.
 
5.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
Rhysand
 He's not the main villain, but we're still meant to dislike him. And if you haven't read ACOMAF, just wait.
 
6.
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)
Levana
It's pretty easy to hate her. She's the worst. But Fairest did help give us a glimpse as to why she's so terrible.
 
7.
Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
Warner
He seems absolutely horrible when we first meet him. But is he?
 
8.
Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)
Aeduan
Is he really as bad as he's supposed to be? We'll find out in Windwitch!
 
9.
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)
A.I.D.A.N.
Well, I guess it was inevitable that AI would try to rise up against us.
 
10.
A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)
Holland
 While the Dane twins are the real enemy, Holland is still pretty evil. But I still felt bad for him. He didn't have control over his life and just wanted his freedom.
 
Here are some of my favorite villains! I always love it when a character's villainy is questionable, or when the villain is the absolute worst. It's gotta be either one, or else I probably won't like them that much.
 

Saturday, October 1, 2016

What's on My Radar ~ October '16

What's on My Radar highlights the releases for that month that I'm excited for and gives the opportunity to discuss what everyone is looking forward to.

October 4
Replica (Replica, #1) 



Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. 'A sickly child', her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father's connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she's always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father's name seems inextricably linked to it.

Amidst the frenzy outside the institute's walls, Lyra - or number 24 as she is known as at Haven - and a fellow experimental subject known only as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing , they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven's purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever...

  Nemesis



The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

A thrilling futuristic fantasy in which the fate of the world's energy source is in the hands of a prince and princess who are rivals, by the New York Times-bestselling author of the Syrena Legacy.
  When the Moon Was Ours



When the Moon Was Ours follows two characters through a story that has multicultural elements and magical realism, but also has central LGBT themes—a transgender boy, the best friend he’s falling in love with, and both of them deciding how they want to define themselves.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.
  Fear the Drowning Deep



Witch’s apprentice Bridey Corkill has hated the ocean ever since she watched her granddad dive in and drown with a smile on his face. So when a dead girl rolls in with the tide in the summer of 1913, sixteen-year-old Bridey suspects that whatever compelled her granddad to leap into the sea has made its return to the Isle of Man.

Soon, villagers are vanishing in the night, but no one shares Bridey’s suspicions about the sea. No one but the island’s witch, who isn’t as frightening as she first appears, and the handsome dark-haired lad Bridey rescues from a grim and watery fate. The cause of the deep gashes in Fynn’s stomach and his lost memories are, like the recent disappearances, a mystery well-guarded by the sea. In exchange for saving his life, Fynn teaches Bridey to master her fear of the water — stealing her heart in the process.

Now, Bridey must work with the Isle’s eccentric witch and the boy she isn’t sure she can trust — because if she can’t uncover the truth about the ancient evil in the water, everyone she loves will walk into the sea, never to return.
 
October 11
The Secret Horses of Briar Hill 



There are winged horses that live in the mirrors of Briar Hill hospital. In the mirrors that line its grand hallways, which once belonged to a princess. In those that reflect the elegant rooms, now filled with sick children. It is her secret.
      One morning, when Emmaline climbs over the wall of the hospital’s abandoned gardens, she discovers something incredible: a white horse with broken wings has left the mirror-world and entered her own.
     Tucked into the garden’s once-gleaming sundial, Emmaline finds a letter from the Horse Lord. He is hiding the wounded white horse, named Foxfire, from a dark and sinister force—a Black Horse who hunts by colorless moonlight. If Emmaline is to keep the Black Horse from finding her new friend, she must collect colorful objects with which to blind him. But where can Emmaline find color when her world is filled with gray?
 
Bound by Blood and Sand




Jae is a slave in a dying desert world.

Once verdant with water from a magical Well, the land is drying up, and no one remembers the magic needed to keep the water flowing. If a new source isn’t found soon, the people will perish. Jae doesn’t mind, in a way. By law, she is bound by a curse to obey every order given her, no matter how vile. At least in death, she’ll be free.

Lord Elan’s family rules the fading realm. He comes to the estate where Jae works, searching for the hidden magic needed to replenish the Well, but it’s Jae who finds it, and she who must wield it. Desperate to save his realm, Elan begs her to use it to locate the Well.

But why would a slave—abused, beaten, and treated as less than human—want to save the system that shackles her? Jae would rather see the world burn.

Though revenge clouds her vision, she agrees to help if the kingdom’s slaves are freed. Then Elan’s father arrives. The ruler’s cruelty knows no limits. He is determined that the class system will not change—and that Jae will remain a slave forever.

October 18
Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)



The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.”

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

October 25
Glitter




From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.

Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.
When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.
Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.
But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.

Here are all of the October releases that I'm really looking forward to! There are just so many, that I wouldn't be surprised if I forgot a few that I'm excited for. There are so many being released on the 4th! Hopefully I don't go broke this month!

Have you read any of these books so far, and, if so, what did you think of them?

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #43: "Bound by Blood and Sand" by Becky Allen

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Bound by Blood and Sand 


Title: "Bound by Blood and Sand"
Author: Becky Allen
Expected Publication: October 11, 2016

Jae is a slave in a dying desert world.

Once verdant with water from a magical Well, the land is drying up, and no one remembers the magic needed to keep the water flowing. If a new source isn’t found soon, the people will perish. Jae doesn’t mind, in a way. By law, she is bound by a curse to obey every order given her, no matter how vile. At least in death, she’ll be free.

Lord Elan’s family rules the fading realm. He comes to the estate where Jae works, searching for the hidden magic needed to replenish the Well, but it’s Jae who finds it, and she who must wield it. Desperate to save his realm, Elan begs her to use it to locate the Well.

But why would a slave—abused, beaten, and treated as less than human—want to save the system that shackles her? Jae would rather see the world burn.

Though revenge clouds her vision, she agrees to help if the kingdom’s slaves are freed. Then Elan’s father arrives. The ruler’s cruelty knows no limits. He is determined that the class system will not change—and that Jae will remain a slave forever.

A slave girl who gains magic and, instead of using it to punish those who have hurt her, she decides to use it to help other slaves? A terrible ruler? I want it. Plus, I smell a forbidden romance, and I tend to be a sucker for those.
 
Preorder
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #68: Ten Books On My Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
 
This Week's Topic:
Ten Books On My Fall TBR
 
1.
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)
Ohmygod it releases today and I can't wait to get my copy.
 
2.
Heartless
I've heard some really mixed reviews, but I can't wait to finally have this book in my hands even if I don't like the cover at all.
 
3.
Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)
I started this the moment I got it at Target, but I haven't had much time since then because of school.
 
4.
Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, #4)
I'm hoping to finish the Vampire Academy series because I really want to get to Sydney's spin off.
 
5.
The Problem with Forever
I'm really excited to try JLA's YA contemporary, even if it is a lot longer than most other contemporary novels.
 
6.
Black Iris
I'm really excited for Bad Boy, so I want to read his other books while I wait.
 
7.
The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1)
Everyone loves this book so I obviously need to read it.
 
8.
Champion (Legend, #3)
I WILL finish this series this year!
 
9.
Scarlet (Scarlet, #1)
I've heard such great things and I have it on my bookshelf, so I have to read it!
 
10.
Earth's End (Air Awakens, #3)
While I was a bit disappointing by Fire Falling, I do want to continue the series and see if it gets better.
 
My (tentative) Fall TBR has a bunch of new releases and backlist books that I'm trying to read to catch up on those series. So many books, too little time.
 
What's on your Fall TBR?