Waiting on Wednesday (24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Riders by Veronica Rossi
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Mythology
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: February 16, 2016

About Riders (via Goodreads):

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?

I have never heard of or seen a book quite like this, and it intrigues me to no end. I've heard about the horsemen of the apocalypse, but don't know much about them, and think it would be interesting to see a YA spin on them. This book sounds absolutely fascinating and brilliant and I need to read it NOW.

COVER REVEAL: Exit Wound by Alexandra Moore

Exit Wound by Alexandra Moore
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Publication Date: December 8th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Thriller

~ 

Being crowned as royalty in Rosewood Academy’s secret society wasn’t in Bea Morrison’s plans…
A senior in high school, Bea’s life changed forever when a tragic car crash claimed her best friend’s life, leaving her devastated and alone. Now at Rosewood Academy of the Arts, Bea owes a debt. With her best friend no longer queen, it’s up to Bea to be fulfill the role until graduation.
There is nothing money can’t buy, including Crosley’s king status…
When Bea accepts her place as queen, the arrogant Crosley is quick to remind her of her royal duties. Obsessed with the era of the Tudors, Crosley insists they must consummate their relationship—but spousal duties aren’t what Bea signed up for. When she rejects Crosley’s proposal, his expectations twist into absolute obsession.
A sadistic mind makes for an expert stalker…
After graduation, Bea thinks the nightmare of Rosewood Academy is over. She’s pleasantly surprised to reconnect with the gorgeous Everett Thompson, a drummer for her brother’s band. As feelings from their past fling resurface, Bea hopes for a fresh start with the guy who got away.
Bea’s hopes are shattered when she receives threatening texts from Crosley, who is still determined to collect his debt. And as Crosley continues to pursue her, a terrible tragedy proves he is even more dangerous than she feared.
If Bea has learned one thing, it’s that life is too fragile, and it’s anybody’s guess who will make it out of this nightmare alive.

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Making Waves (10) ~ NaNo Edition

Making Waves is a weekly question feature created by the Waterwitch Babes (part of Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch Street Team). Every Thursday, we’ll have a fun question that all are welcome to answer on their blog. Anyone can join! The questions will be random and/or relate to the upcoming book Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. A linky is provided so that everyone can link up their post and participate in the fun!

This week's question is...  Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? How has your experience been so far?

Yes and no, I guess. I'm signed up for NaNo and wrote approximately 5000 words the first week, but then I got caught up in school and have not worked on my project since. My school is on a trimester system so there's always a ton of work in mid-November as the first trimester comes to a close, and I just got less and less motivated because I was so far behind and I also love my story but not how it was translating into words. I adored the idea and now I'm starting to hate it because it's not what I know it can be. I wrote one good scene for it back in fall '14, but I've been having trouble extending it from one scene to a whole novel. I never expected it to be a full-fledged novel, but I found love for the story again this year and wanted to see if I could. Yet between school and my lack of motivation to write, I'm currently about 25,000 words behind and I don't have any time to actually write and catch up by the end of November because of Thanksgiving and other things.

Waiting on Wednesday (23)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 14, 2016

About Ivory and Bone (via Goodreads):

The only life seventeen-year-old Kol knows is hunting at the foot of the Great Ice with his brothers. But food is becoming scarce, and without another clan to align with, Kol, his family, and their entire group are facing an uncertain future.

Traveling from the south, Mya and her family arrive at Kol’s camp with a trail of hurt and loss behind them, and hope for a new beginning. When Kol meets Mya, her strength, independence, and beauty instantly captivate him, igniting a desire for much more than survival.

Then on a hunt, Kol makes a grave mistake that jeopardizes the relationship that he and Mya have only just started to build. Mya was guarded to begin with—and for good reason—but no apology or gesture is enough for her to forgive him. Soon after, another clan arrives on their shores. And when Mya spots Lo, a daughter of this new clan, her anger intensifies, adding to the already simmering tension between families. After befriending Lo, Kol learns of a dark history between Lo and Mya that is rooted in the tangle of their pasts.

When violence erupts, Kol is forced to choose between fighting alongside Mya or trusting Lo’s claims. And when things quickly turn deadly, it becomes clear that this was a war that one of them had been planning all along. 

I am a huge fan of the blog Pub(lishing) Crawl, which Julie Eshbaugh has been a part of for as long as I can remember. I'd heard her mention her book a few times on the blog and was interested, but now that I've seen the synopsis and the glorious cover, I honestly cannot wait seven more months! CLASHING CLANS, DARK PASTS, ROMANTIC TENSION?!?! *grabby hands*

Red Queen (GIF Review)

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen #1
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian/Fantasy
Page Length: 383 pages
Format: Hardcover

About Red Queen (via Goodreads):

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

Aveyard's writing style was superb. Despite the fact that I saw a lot of common tropes and typical elements of other popular YA in Red Queen, I thought Aveyard wrote Mare's story masterfully (and better than 99% of those books with similar tropes). It was overall a pretty good read. I'd definitely give it 3 stars.

I have been trying to come up with words to describe how I feel about this book, but I've been struggling a bit since my feelings are a bit all over the place about the book. So I figured today would be the day to have my first ever GIF review!!! *throws confetti*

~ MY THOUGHTS ON THE CHARACTERS ~

Mare

It wasn't exactly like I ever hated Mare, but I wasn't exactly sure what I thought of her at first. I don't think that she's the most amazing protagonist out there, but she definitely has some good qualities and I overall liked her as a character. I feel like she could have had a bit more character development, but I'm satisfied, I suppose.

Cal

I loved Cal, but at the same time he had this rough exterior and also this hidden hatred that kind of scared me. I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye on him in the next book!

Maven

That was... interesting, to put it lightly. I sort of saw it coming, but at the same time I didn't. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL. RIGHT NOW ALL I FEEL IS RAGE AND HATE AND BETRAYAL. BUT HE WAS SO GOOD AT BEING A LIAR *cries*

Kilorn

Kilorn was barely there throughout Red Queen but I really want to see him more throughout the rest of the series because I loved him when he was there.

Evangeline

~ MY THOUGHTS ON THE ROMANCE ~

Mare and Cal

They definitely have an interesting relationship, but I love it. I love it so so much. Probably more than I should. (I guess it didn't help that there was a romantic dance scene though. I am a complete sucker for those <3)

Mare and Maven

MEHHHHHHHH. I was never really invested in their relationship. Not one bit. And by the end I just hated Maven too much to even care. And that last ditch effort to get Mare back... NO.

Mare and Kilorn

I'm not usually a fan of the childhood crush romances, but Kilorn didn't play a huge role in the book, and I really want to see them together. Maybe. I don't really know. It's hard to say. But so far, I really do like Kilorn.

Cal and Evangeline

Because their relationship was totally existent. I mean, the whole Queenstrial thing made sense. But even when they were trying to look like they were actually happy. Nope nope nope. Not convincing at all. (Although maybe it was supposed to be that way because it was from Mare's POV the whole time?? Who knows.) Is this even going to be a thing after everything that happened?!?

The horrible thought that has plagued my mind:

IS THERE GOING TO BE A LOVE-PENTAGON?!?!?!?

~  MY THOUGHTS ON THE PLOT ~

I guess there were supposed to be a lot of twists in the book, but whenever a "twist" came, it felt like this to me:

Okay, so not quite like that. But basically none of the twists completely shocked me the way I think they were supposed to. I guess I was expecting a lot because my friend told me there were a lot of twists involved, so I was kind of coming up with scenarios way before things would happen, so even though I didn't know the exact twists, I was not really surprised when things went awry and people were betrayed by the people they trusted most.

Despite the lack of shock factor, the plot was overall pretty good, although most of the action did not occur until the last hundred or so pages. In fact, those last hundred pages were probably my favorite part of the book. SO MUCH ACTION AND REBELLION AND BETRAYAL AND SO MANY FEELINGS.

Waiting on Wednesday (22)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Mythology
Page Length: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: May 3, 2016

About The Star-Touched Queen (via Goodreads):

Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth.

But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly.

Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves.

THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN is a lush, beautifully written and vividly imagined fantasy inspired by Indian mythology.

*flails* I NEED THIS BOOK. First of all, I am one of those people who obsesses over horoscopes, so that first sentence of the synopsis totally hooked me. Second, everything about the plot sounds like something I WOULD LOVE. I am a huge fan of books based on mythology, and HAVING GARDENS OF GLASS AND A TREE THAT BEARS MEMORIES INSTEAD OF FRUIT JUST SOUNDS AMAZING *flails* Oh, and that cover? Absolute perfection.

Candy Book Tag

Hey guys!! Today I'm doing the Candy Book Tag! I was tagged by Sophie (@ Sailing Through Books) before Halloween, but I'm one of those cheap people who just goes and buys all the candy that's discounted the next day, which is why I chose not to complete this tag until after Halloween... Or at least that's the reasoning I'm going with. (I'm horrible, I know.) I promise these answers aren't discounted though ;)

~

Rocky Road - A series or author that you have a complicated (er…rocky) relationship with

The Divergent trilogy. I read the first one, and it was fine, but I just couldn't really get into it. And once I was spoiled for the ending of Allegiant, I gave up on reading the series altogether.

Laffy Taffy - A book that stuck in your mind long after you finished reading it (or in the case of the candy, stuck in your teeth)

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. It's one of the few books that made me cry, and the only book that's ever made me cry several days after finishing it. But it was all worth it <33

Mint Chocolate - A book that everyone loved, but you didn’t

I don't think everyone loves this book, but I was not a huge fan of Looking for Alaska by John Green. I didn't dislike it, but it just wasn't a favorite of mine. I had trouble connecting with the characters and it just didn't quite do it for me, although I can understand why it has the praise it does.

Sugar-free Candy - A book that just didn’t make any sense

I'm going to have to go with a manga for this one, but Now Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys Fault I'm Not Popular!, Vol. 1 just made absolutely zero sense to me. I should have known based on the title (the grammar *cringes*) that it would not be for me, but I picked it up anyway. Even as a manga, the pictures did not help make the plot any clearer. I was absolutely positively lost throughout the story. It's the only time I've ever been so confused in my whole experiencing reading books and manga. Most reviews have been positive for it, but for some reason I just did not see the point or understand what was going on.

Sweethearts - A book that made you go “Aww…”

My True Love Gave to Me. It's an anthology, but all of the stories were so precious and I ultimately just could not deal with how sweet the collection of stories was!

Kit Kat - A book that everyone needs to read

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. That book is pure perfection in every way, shape and form.

Snickers Brand Mixed Nuts Bar (coming November 2015…) - A book that you are really excited for

Until January, my answer is going to be the same, but Truthwitch by Susan Dennard!! If you've seen my other tags (or just seen my blog or talked to me in general about books lately), you probably know that it's my most anticipated read of 2016. I. CAN'T. WAIT.

I TAG... Anyone who wants to do it :)

Waiting on Wednesday (21)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Page Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: May 17, 2016

About The Crown's Game (Via Goodreads):

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.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!!! Literally everything about this book makes me happy -- the cover is gorgeous, the plot sounds glorious, and it overall just sounds perfect! I especially love competitions in books, and the fact that they're magic competitions? YES PLEASE! Oh and also their  magical abilities just sound awesome and the characters seem intriguing and I JUST WANT IT TO BE MAY ALREADY, OKAY?!?!

OCTOBER BOOK HAUL

Hey everyone!! I really apologize for my lack of substantial content the two months... School has been killing me (along with all my free time), which means no time for reading, thus no reviews, and I've been a bit of a slump trying to come up with ideas for posts. BUT I got quite a few books hat I AM SO EXCITED TO READ, so in lieu of an official monthly wrap-up, I thought I would just do a haul post :)

BOUGHT -

1. The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy - I've heard a lot of good things about it, and I really wanted to try something new since I NEVER read books in the horror/mystery/suspense/thriller genres. Since it is October, I thought it was only fitting to buy this book.
2. The Rose Society by Marie Lu - OH MY GOSH YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THIS BOOK. As soon as I finish my five million other books I'm already reading, I am going to read it. THE FEELS FROM THE YOUNG ELITES, YOU GUYS. THE FEELS.
3. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch - I've been meaning to read this book for a while, especially after Rachel (from APCB) reviewed it so highly several months back.
4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Confession time: I have not read The Grisha Trilogy yet. I'm part of the way through Shadow and Bone, but I haven't had the time to read much of it. BUT THERE IS SO MUCH BUZZ ABOUT SIX OF CROWS NOW (AND IT WAS SO PRETTY IN THE BOOKSTORE) SO I JUST HAD TO BUY IT. And I've read an excerpt of it and fell in love instantly ;)

NEW YORK COMIC CON - I unfortunately was unable to attend NYCC this year, but my cousin was a dear and picked up a few ARCs for me!

1. Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
2. Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
3. Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr

EBOOKS -

1. Double Life by S. Usher Evans
2. Outspoken by Lora Richardson (for review!)

Secret Truthwitch Blog Tour - Safiya fon Hasstrel Fan Art

The Truthwitch Blog Tour is a surprise blog tour hosted by Liran (@ Empress of Books). Although there is an official blog tour, Liran recruited a ton of Susan Dennard fans (or just people who are super excited for Truthwitch in general) to this blog tour in order to spread our love and appreciation for Sooz and spread the word for Truthwitch! What's different about this blog tour is that it consists of content made by fans in anticipation for Truthwitch's release.

I am absolutely IN LOVE with both the UK and US Truthwitch covers, so I thought it would be interesting to see what they would look like combined. Thus, my sketch of Safiya fon Hasstrel was created, with her UK look to the left, and the US look on the right. For reference, here are the UK (left) and US (right) covers of Truthwitch. (Aren't they absolutely GORGEOUS?!?!)

So without further ado, here's my sketch of Safi!

~Alexandra

Check out all the stops on the tour!

November 1

Liran | Empress of Books

Alexandra (yours truly!) | Literary Legionnaire

November 2

Kit | Let The Pages Reign

November 3

Hedvig | Sunroadreads

November 4

Em | Piplup's Shadowy Bookshelf

Angel | Avid Reader

November 5

Stacey | Write All About It

November 6

Jaimie | Jaimiesam

November 7

Casey Marie | Little Red's Reviews

About Truthwitch (via Goodreads): 

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.