Waiting on Wednesday (52)

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

A World Without You by Beth Revis
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: July 19, 2016

About A World Without You (via Goodreads):

Seventeen-year-old Bo has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo claimed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So when his concerned parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending Berkshire Academy, a school for kids who, like Bo, have "superpowers."

At Berkshire, Bo falls in love with Sofia, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Sofia helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofia, who lost her mother and two sisters at a very young age. 

But even the strength of their love isn’t enough to help Sofia escape her deep depression. After she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she's not actually dead. He believes that she's stuck somewhere in time — that he somehow left her in the past, and now it's his job to save her.

Book/Blog-Related Facts About Me - Top Ten Tuesday #10

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is "Ten Facts About Me," so I knew I had to do it. I haven't been doing Top Ten Tuesdays in a while (since February!), but I thought this topic would be a nice way for you all to get to know me a bit better. Some of these facts you may find boring, but hopefully a few of them will be relatable and/or interesting :)

1. I've never rated a book 1 star (then again I usually don't finish books that are that awful, and I never rate books I DNF)

2. I never read books in audiobook form because I have a relatively short attention span and get distracted by other things too easily

3. I typically flail about books a lot more than I let on (not sure if this is a good or bad thing?)

4. Despite the revelations I made about my rereading experience last year, I'm still afraid of rereading books (no matter how much I adore them)

5. I am really bad at finishing series (legit I've probably finished less than 10 series in the last 7 years, and I've been a bookworm for all my life)

6. Historical fiction used to be one of my least favorite genres, but when done well, it houses (if that's even the correct word) many of my favorite books.

7. I don't typically have book boyfriends for myself because I usually love them with their romantic interests so much that don't want to take away their beautiful relationships from them.

8. I don't think this is an uncommon thing, but I find it so much easier to finish writing reviews for books I don't like than to write reviews for books I did like. However, I find it much harder to actually start writing the reviews for the books I don't like.

9. This blog is over a year old now and only eleven people know of its existence (that aren't part of the blogosphere)

10. Literary Legionnaire now has a coblogger (surprise!)

A Study in Charlotte (Review + Playlist) ~ My Love for This Book is No Mystery

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Series: Charlotte Holmes #1
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary/Mystery/Retelling
Page Length: 321 pages (hardcover)
Source: eBook won in a giveaway - thank you so much, Tamara!
Publisher: HarperTeen

About A Study in Charlotte (via Goodreads):

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy.

REVIEW

A Study in Charlotte was definitely one of the fastest-paced and most entertaining books I've read all year. Although I can't say I'm familiar with most of the Sherlock Holmes stories, I am happy to say that Cavallaro did a brilliant job recapping the original Holmes and Watson's adventures, family trees, and overall histories. Hopefully I'll have the chance to read the original Sherlock Holmes stories in the near future. Anyway, enough about that.

While the plot moved rapidly, with the stakes raising higher and higher each chapter, I still managed to get a good understanding of the characters and the world. Often, I find that plots that move as quickly as A Study in Charlotte lack proper character development and other problems, but I didn't notice that at all with this novel. I understood the characters and could really sympathize with them throughout. In addition, I loved that Charlotte and Jamie shared traits similar to their predecessors while also having their own unique flair.

Charlotte and Jamie are probably two of my favorite characters ever. They were quirky (obviously), and they clashed while also working together so well. They were amazing partners and friends, while also being possibly one of my favorite couples. Not many books have the same pair being my favorite friendship and OTP, but Holmes and Watson somehow worked out that way.

If I have one complaint about A Study in Charlotte, it's that the mystery was solved almost too quickly. I don't read many mysteries, but I was hoping there would be a bit more of a twist in the end. While I did enjoy the many other twists Cavallaro threw in and understand that the original Holmes and Watson do tend to know things too quickly for their own good (based on the little knowledge I do have of their work), I still wish the mystery could have been prolonged for a bit longer.

A Study in Charlotte promised an exhilarating story with murder, mystery, friendship, and a dash of romance, and Cavallaro delivered beautifully. I absolutely loved this new generation of Watsons and Holmeses, and I can't wait to see what Brittany Cavallaro has in store for them next in The Last of August.

My Rating: 4 stars

PLAYLIST

Hey guys! So I was kind of idiotic and didn't write my review for A Study in Charlotte right away, and even if I had written it sooner, the review couldn't have been very detailed without spoiling the mystery. That being said, I thought it would be fun to do something else to supplement the review, so I chose to share five songs off my A Study in Charlotte playlist! I hope you enjoy!

"Next time around, think about what you say

before you run your mouth."

1. Body Bag by Hit the Lights - Jamie definitely has some anger issues... and he may have gotten into a fight with someone who ends up dying. I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil the book, but I think this song is kind of perfect for A Study in Charlotte. (Also, if you were wondering, I randomly stumbled across this song while listening to iTunes Radio.)

"So we can take the world back from the heart-attacked

One maniac at a time we will take it back"

2. The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy - my explanation for this one is a bit less straight-forward, but bear with me. There is a dance scene in the story that kind of goes awry, and there are some pretty crazy people in the book that Charlotte and Jamie have to stop in order to save everyone (and themselves). And of course they're racing against the clock, so these lyrics all apply.

"When the world falls into pieces

You'll be the one voice of reason

When I can't face all my demons

You are the one I believe in"

3. Queen of Hearts by We the Kings - there's honestly only a few lines from this song that I think apply to A Study in Charlotte, but I wanted to include it anyway because I think those few lines really represents Charlotte and Jamie's relationship.

"Lights flash and we'll run for the fences

Let them say what they want, we won't hear it

Loose lips sink ships all the damn time

Not this time"

4. I Know Places by Taylor Swift - as much as I love Charlotte and Jamie together, I didn't choose this song because their relationship was in jeopardy. Obviously since it's a murder mystery, a lot more was at stake. Their reputations, their lives, etc. That being said, I Know Places seems like a perfect track for A Study in Charlotte.

"We got a friendship, no one can contest it

And not to mention, I respect you with my all"

5. Don't Wait by Mapei - I think the song overall is a good representation of Charlotte and Jamie's relationship. It's kind of hard to explain it in words, but basically, Jamie relies a lot on Charlotte for support and companionship, and would probably be alone (or at least lonely) without her in his life... There's more to it than that (which you'll understand if you read the book), but ultimately, what's a Watson without his Holmes?

Waiting on Wednesday (51)

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

Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Paranormal
Page Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Publication Date: October 4, 2016

About Fear the Drowning Deep (via Goodreads):

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.

On Monthly TBRs

Hi everyone! As it is the beginning of the month, I thought I would discuss monthly TBRs. I always seem to set a monthly TBR, but 90% of the time, I just don't follow through. So I thought I'd briefly (and I do mean very briefly) talk about why I set a monthly TBR, and a few problems I always seem to have.

Why We Do It:

The main reason why I think we set monthly TBRs is for motivation. A lot of us have goals for reading. Whether we are participating in the Goodreads challenge, simply like to be consistent readers, or want to stay on schedule with our review output for the month, we usually need to have some way to motivate ourselves to stay on task.

Problems:

Mood Reading - I know this is true for me, and I'm sure this is true for a lot of other people as well. Sometimes, we're just not in the mood for a particular book or genre. Or we're in the mood for a very specific type of book. For example, a few months ago I just really wanted to read a book in the vein of Rebel of the Sands. There were plenty of other books on my TBR, but something in my brain told me I had to read it. So I did. It's hard to explain where those feelings come from, but because of this inability to pinpoint it, I think it's all the more difficult to counteract these moods and actually read the books we initially planned on reading.

Life - This is obviously vague, but sometimes life just gets in the way. I know I'd rather be reading a lot of the time, but naturally life will continue to go on whether we chose to be living our own or living through someone else's (although those lives will pick up where we left off), so we sometimes don't always have the time to read as many books as we initially planned. My life always seems to get in the way. I know that I probably could make more time for reading, but I rarely ever meet my reading goals for a month (and I barely scrape by on my Goodreads yearly reading challenges).

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Review) - A Heartwrenchingly Beautiful "True [Love] Story"

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Page Length: 418 pages
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About Daughter of Smoke and Bone (via Goodreads):

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor was sublime. It had all of my favorite things in a book: a fantastic protagonist, a searing romance, and an exquisite world. Although the series is a pretty popular one, going into it I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. However, the book was recently recommended to me by one of my favorite authors, so I knew I had waited long enough, and I chose to finally pick it up. Boy am I glad I did.

The world-building, though not as emphasized in the first half of the book, was one of my absolute favorite parts about Daughter of Smoke and Bone. As each tidbit of information was revealed about the magic system and the other worlds beyond our own, I was drawn further into the story's intricate web of tales. The magic system was so intriguing, otherworldly, and gloriously refreshing. I'd never read about anything quite like it. In addition to the other worlds Taylor built, however, I was also captivated by Prague and the many places Karou travelled throughout the novel. I actually really want to go to Prague now, even though I won't be able to find my own Akiva there to greet me.

The characters were so wonderfully eccentric and I loved them all dearly. I was so fascinated by the chimaera, seraphim, and even all the humans Taylor incorporated into the story, as well as their backgrounds and the history behind everything. I especially loved Karou. She might be one of my favorite protagonists out there! She's just so spunky, sassy, and overall fabulous! I LOVE HER. AND AKIVA. I LOVE HIM TOO. I LOVE THEM BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND TOGETHER. THEY WERE JUST SO BRILLIANT AND ROMANTIC AND *fans self* PERFECTION.

Another thing I loved about the characters is that none of them are truly "bad guys". Throughout the novel, readers learn both sides of the story, and the lines are so blurred and grey. It's not as simple as black and white. There's hundreds of years of strife and it's hard (if not impossible) to pinpoint who's to blame. And it's brilliant. There is no true villain, except perhaps the concept of war itself.

Everything about Daughter of Smoke and Bone was so elegant and beautiful. The writing style was captivating, the descriptions gorgeously vivid, and the characters vibrant, deep, and perhaps a bit peculiar. Yet I soaked it all in and loved the story with every fiber of my being.

My Rating: 5 stars

July TBR

Can you believe it's already July? I definitely can't! Anyway, I'm hoping to read a bunch of books this month:

1. How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
2. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
3. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
5. The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy
6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (reread)
7. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
8. Everland by Wendy Spinale

What are your reading plans for July?