Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #30: "My Lady Jane" by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

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

My Lady Jane 

Title: "My Lady Jane"
Authors: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Publication Date: June 7, 2016

For fans of The Princess Bride comes the comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong.



I absolutely love all of these authors (they've all made me get emotional while reading their books), so they can't go wrong together! I don't know too much about Lady Jane Grey, so I feel like I should do some research before reading.

Preorder
 
What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #56: Ten Books I Feel Differently About After Time Has Passed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
 
This Week's Topic:
Ten Books I Feel Differently About After Time Has Passed
 
1.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I liked it a lot right after I read it. But after I wrote my review, I realized that it wasn't as good in retrospect. I still plan to read the sequel, in case it redeems the series for me.

2.
Winter by Marissa Meyer
I'm not so sure if my opinion went down so much, but looking back I was a little disappointed in things. I really wanted more development with Cress and Thorn's relationship, but there wasn't much with that. My poor heart must go on.

3.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
I really liked this series, until Allegiant came out. Then the Internet was filled with spoilers that I did not like. I looked back at the first two books and thought that they were lacking something. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't, but now I don't like the series as much as I used to.

4.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
I, like many other middle school girls, was a Twi-hard. I was absolutely obsessed. I begged my mother to take me to the midnight release of Breaking Dawn, which I never finished. I'm not sure if I'll ever finish it. Looking back I can't believe I loved it. In my opinion, that relationship was not healthy.

5.
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepherd
I loved this series at first, and I plan to finish it, but it's gotten tedious. How many secrets can four high school seniors have?

6.
The Selection by Kiera Cass
I was super wary of his series when I started it. I thought it was OK, but looking back, it was not good. I feel like the series just went down hill. Looking back, the series was just teenage Bachelor with vague dystopian elements.

Currently, I can't think of four more, so here are my top six. What books did you change your opinion of after time? Do we have any in common?

Friday, May 20, 2016

Review ~ "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1)Title: "A Girl of Fire and Thorns"
Series: Fire and Thorns, #1
Author: Rae Carson
 
Website ~Twitter ~ Facebook
 
Published: September 20, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 423
Format: Paperback
Source: Own
 
Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young. Most of the chosen do.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

What's on My Radar ~ May '16 Releases

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.

Yes, I know it's more than halfway through the month, but I made the graphic so I though I might as well use it, even if it is late.

May 3
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) 


Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Ruined (Ruined, #1)



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.

Traitor Angels 


Six years have passed since England’s King Charles II returned from exile to reclaim the throne, ushering in a new era of stability for his subjects.

Except for Elizabeth Milton. The daughter of notorious poet John Milton, Elizabeth has never known her place in this shifting world—except by her father’s side. By day she helps transcribe his latest masterpiece, the epic poem Paradise Lost, and by night she learns languages and sword fighting. Although she does not dare object, she suspects that he’s training her for a mission whose purpose she cannot fathom.

Until one night the reason becomes clear: the king’s men arrive at her family’s country home to arrest her father. Determined to save him, Elizabeth follows his one cryptic clue and journeys to Oxford, accompanied by her father’s mysterious young houseguest, Antonio Vivani, a darkly handsome Italian scientist who surprises her at every turn. Funny, brilliant, and passionate, Antonio seems just as determined to protect her father as she is—but can she trust him with her heart?


When the two discover that Milton has planted an explosive secret in the half-finished Paradise Lost—a secret the king and his aristocratic supporters are desperate to conceal—Elizabeth is faced with a devastating choice: cling to the shelter of her old life or risk cracking the code, unleashing a secret that could save her father…and tear apart the very fabric of society.

Summer of Sloane



Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

May 17
The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1) 


Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love... or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear... the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

The Problem with Forever



For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

May 24
The Hunt (The Cage, #2) 


They’ve left the cage—but they’re not free yet.

After their failed escape attempt, Cora, Lucky, and Mali have been demoted to the lowest level of human captives and placed in a safari-themed environment called the Hunt, along with wild animals and other human outcasts. They must serve new Kindred masters—Cora as a lounge singer, Lucky as an animal wrangler, and Mali as a safari guide—and follow new rules or face dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, Nok and Rolf have been moved into an enormous dollhouse, observed around the clock by Kindred scientists interested in Nok’s pregnancy. And Leon, the only one who successfully escaped, has teamed up with villainous Mosca black-market traders.

The former inhabitants of the Cage are threatened on all fronts—and maybe worst of all, one of the Hunt’s Kindred safari guests begins to play a twisted game of cat and mouse with Cora. Separated and constantly under watch, she and the others must struggle to stay alive, never mind find a way back to each other. When Cassian secretly offers to train Cora to develop her psychic abilities—to prove the worthiness of humanity in a series of tests called the Gauntlet—she’ll have to decide fast if she dares to trust the Kindred who betrayed her, or if she can forge her own way to freedom.

I've read Summer of Sloane (review), I currently have A Court of Mist and Fury, and I plan to order The Hunt and The Problem with Forever (since I won't be able to make it to the signing *sob*). What about the others? Order or no?

Friday, May 13, 2016

Review ~ "In the Afterlight" by Alexandra Bracken

In The Afterlight (The Darkest Minds, #3)Title: "In the Afterlight"
Series: The Darkest Minds, #3
Author: Alexandra Bracken 

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Tumblr ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest 

Published: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Pages: 535
Format: Hardcover
Source: MeL Cat 

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Bout of Books 16: 5/9-5/15

Bout of Books
I found out about this after it started, so I'm jumping in a bit late to the game.

Goals:
~Finish 1 book
~Start (and maybe finish) 2 others
~Participate in 3 challenges

Daily Progress:
5/9
~Currently Reading: The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
~Number of Pages Read Today: 60
~Total Pages Read: 60
~Total Books Finished: 0
~Challenge:

5/10
~Currently Reading: The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
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5/11
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5/12
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5/13
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5/14
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5/15
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Thursday, May 5, 2016

Review ~ "Boundless" by Cynthia Hand

Boundless (Unearthly, #3)Title: "Boundless"
Series: Unearthly, #3
Author: Cynthia Hand

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Published: January 22, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 453
Format: ebook
Source: Overdrive

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Described as "utterly captivating" by Richelle Mead and as "enchanting and exciting, romantic and believable" by Melissa Marr, the New York Times bestselling Unearthly series has dazzled readers and critics alike. In this riveting finale, Cynthia Hand explores the timeless question of whether it is better to follow the rules or your heart. This incandescent paranormal romance will win the hearts of fans of Becca Fitzpatrick, Andrea Cremer, and Cassandra Clare.

The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Now, with the fallen angel who attacked her watching her every move and the threat of Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny—a destiny that includes Christian Prescott by her side. But in order to complete her purpose, Clara must first find a way to give up the thing she wants most . . . a future with the boy she loves, Tucker Avery.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Blog Tour & Review ~ "Summer of Sloane" by Erin L. Schneider


Summer of SloaneTitle: "Summer of Sloane"
Series: N/A
Author: Erin L. Schneider

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Published: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher 

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble


Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.