May + June Wrap-Up

Hi guys! Soooo I haven't written a wrap-up since December, but I'll just recap the past two months because I didn't really keep track of all the things going on during the past six months (I can't believe we're halfway through 2017 already...)

Books Read in May
- Windwitch by Susan Dennard - 5/5
- Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - 4/5

Books Read in June
- Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody - 3/5
- Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed - 4.5/5
- Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu 3.5/5
- The Universe of Us by Lang Leav - (rating pending)
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone - 5/5

Book Haul
- Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (ARC)
- Umberland by Wendy Spinale
- Blacksouls by Nicole Castroman
- BookCon haul
- Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
- Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart (ARC)
- The Fashion Committee by Susan Juby (ARC)
- When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Blog Things - Literary Legionnaire turned TWO in June! Thanks to everyone who has supported me the past few years (and sorry for not having a fancy blog post/giveaway or anything this year. Will hopefully do something for next year!) <3

BookCon Haul

Hi everyone! So it's been a while since I've done a recap or haul or anything, but since it's been more than three weeks and I'm sure you've already read TONS of BookExpo and BookCon recaps and that sort, I figured it would be easier (and less boring) if my friend Izzy (who's blogged with me once before) and I just shared what we picked up at BookCon!

Alexandra's Haul

Most of the events/signings/whatever I went to did not require purchases, and I tried to keep spending to a minimum, so I ended up predominantly hauling ARCs. Here's what I got!

1. Hunting Prince Dracula (received an ARC during Kerri and Lyndsay's signing)
2. Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely (received an ARC during Kerri and Lyndsay's signing)
3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (picked up an ARC at The Novl booth)
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (received in the Underlined book box)
5. Otherworld by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller (received ARC from the Underlined book box)
6. Monstress by Marjorie Liu (purchased)
7. Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody (received an ARC at the Harlequin booth, got signed in the food court with help from the lovely Christine Herman)
8. Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore (received an ARC from my lovely friend Mish @ Chasing Faerytales, who had an extra copy)
9. Odd and True by Cat Winters (picked up an ARC at the Abrams booth)
10. 27 Hours by Tristina Wright (received an ARC during Tristina's signing)
11. Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed (received an ARC during her signing)
12. Warcross by Marie Lu (won during an impromptu trivia game at the Penguin booth)
13. Dear Martin by Nic Stone (ran out of ARCs at BookCon but Penguin mailed them out to everyone who went to Nic's signing on Sunday)

I also brought three books from home to get signed at BookCon: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, and Truthwitch and Windwitch by Susan Dennard.

Izzy's Haul

1. Windwitch by Susan Dennard (purchased, signed at Susan Dennard's autographing table)
2. Monstress by Marjorie Liu (purchased + signed at Image Comics booth)
3. Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger (purchased)
4. Warcross by Marie Lu (ARC from Penguin in-booth signing)
5. Vanilla by Billy Merrell (ARC from random stranger)
6. Mean Girls by Micol Ostow (MG ARC from Scholastic booth giveaway)
7. The Big F by Maggie Ann Martin (ARC from Swoon Reads giveaway)
8. Ten Dead Comedians by Fred Van Lente (purchased)
9. No Good Deed by Goldy Moldavsky (ARC from Scholastic in-booth signing)
10. Bonfire by Krysten Ritter (ARC received at panel, signed in-booth)
11. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (giveaway at signing at the OwlCrate booth)

and

Three Dark Crowns (Guest Review)

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Series: Three Dark Crowns #1

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Format: UK Paperback

Page Length: 407 pages

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

About Three Dark Crowns (via Goodreads):

When kingdom come, there will be one.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

So I’ve read Three Dark Crowns twice now, and both times I have just fallen head-over-heels with every aspect of it.  It’s a novel that constantly catches me by surprise and one that I can never forget. Filled with deeply relatable characters alongside three masterfully crafted heroines, Three Dark Crowns delivered on its unique yet familiar promises and concepts to create a beautiful world that I love going back to.

I will admit that the book took me a little bit to get into.  However, the first three chapters of the novel do a great job of introducing the three queens and their expansive world thanks to Kendare Blake’s exquisite, emotional, and illustrative writing style.  The construction and placement of these first three chapters is near-perfect as well; they sum up the world perfectly in a condensed length and give a great span of what lies ahead for the arcs of the characters and what to expect of the world ahead throughout the novel.  Katharine’s sweetness and naïveté in the poisoner-dominated capital helps to give a great, broad introduction of the world that is further expanded by the main cities of the other queens.  Arsinoe’s down-to-earth nature introduces her small naturalist city on Fennbirn in a casual way that suits her character perfectly.  And the storm cloud looming over them both is the super-powered sister Mirabella dictated by the island’s religion and tradition; Blake expands on her character in the third chapter with grace and style, revealing a troubled girl not ready to become a woman.

It is easy to fall in love with at least one of the queens and their storylines.  I latched on to Arsinoe and the Milone family almost immediately.  Arsinoe’s fatal flaws, casual nature, wit, and extreme loyalty made her deeply relatable.  Her bond with Jules is well-crafted, but admittedly Jules is not as well-written of a character as Arsinoe, and sometimes Blake’s overemphasis on Jules’ storylines and friendship with Arsinoe gets tedious.  It honestly seems like she’s setting up for a big twist in the series that a handful might start to see coming upon a second read.  In contrast, Arsinoe’s bond with Billy is an amazingly crafted relationship.  Usually male-female pairs would just be eviscerated by trying to jam in a romance, but Blake counters that trend through a pair of friends that truly understand where each other stands in each other’s lives.

Now that I’ve clearly shown how much I support Arsinoe being queen, let’s talk about her sisters. Katharine’s character arc throughout the novel is pretty inspiring and powerful, and her transformation is hypnotizing to read about.  The Arrons are incredibly intimidating, and Blake crafted an amazingly devious and dubious family from them.  Unravelling Mirabella was really fun, despite her tired story as the wedge between Jules and Joseph’s relationship.  It’s something we’ve seen it before, but Blake unpacks Mirabella in a way that feels refreshing and sympathetic.  Speaking of which, Jules and Joseph’s relationship is magical in that it feels incredibly forced yet incredibly integral to the narrative at the same time.

Overall, Three Dark Crowns is one of my favorite novels for these reasons and more.  It introduced three to four powerful heroines who took change and adversity and molded it to their advantage (I am counting Jules.  Jules is great).  It strived me to form better relationships with my friends and appreciate the family I had with me at home and while in college.  Flying through the 400+ pages only made me want to start at the beginning of the book, and I can’t wait to sail back through Fennbirn when One Dark Throne comes out in September.

My Rating: 4.9 stars

COVER REVEAL: The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross

With gorgeous description and detailed rendering of a world where not everything and everyone are what they seem, Rebecca Ross weaves an intricate tale of revenge, loyalty, and, ultimately, self-discovery. Don’t miss the beautiful cover for Rebecca Ross’s debut young adult fantasy, THE QUEEN’S RISING!

THE QUEEN’S RISING Synopsis:

When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.

Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen?

Add it to Goodreads.

THE QUEEN’S RISING Pre-Order Links:

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | HarperCollins

 
Rebecca Ross Bio: Rebecca Ross received her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Georgia. In the past, she has worked at a Colorado dude ranch, as a school librarian, and as a live-time captionist for a college. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her husband and her dog. THE QUEEN’S RISING is her debut novel. Visit her on the web at www.rebeccarossauthor.com or on Twitter @_RebeccaRoss.          

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Mini Review)

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary/LGBTQIA+
Page Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

About Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (via Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was an absolute delight to read. Becky had me laughing out loud on too many occasions to count, while also making me shed some tears.

I'm not usually one to call people "precious cinnamon rolls" or any of that stuff, but I can see how that applies to this book. Simon and Blue were just so freaking adorable and I was smiling from ear-to-ear whenever they interacted (and especially when they finally met IRL). Although I had a suspicion as to who Blue was from relatively early on (and I was ultimately right), Becky definitely made sure to throw some curveballs that completely threw me off guard and made me question my guess throughout the story.

Honestly, all the characters were so relatable and realistic (more so than any I've ever seen) and I instantly fell in love with all of them (even all the secondary characters were so precious and wonderful, including Simon's ridiculously awkward and lovable parents)!

Overall this book was so cute and heartwarming (and also important!), and now I understand why everyone loves it so much because I love it too *clutches all the characters protectively to my chest* I just want to hug them all and have them be my best friends.

My Rating: 4 stars

Daughter of the Pirate King (Review)

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Series: Daughter of the Pirate King #1
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Adventure
Page Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

About Daughter of the Pirate King (via Goodreads):

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

I went in with high expectations (DOTPK was one of my most anticipated books of the year) and greatly enjoyed it overall, but was a bit underwhelmed in some ways. The plot and premise were absolutely fantastic, and I completely devoured the story, but the writing itself didn't quite live up to the grandeur I was expecting from such a swashbuckling and entertaining story.

I really loved all of the characters, but I would have liked more from them. The characters all seemed really unique and fun, but none of them seemed fully developed (even Alosa and Riden, despite being the main characters on the adventure). They definitely were developed enough to make the reading experience enjoyable, but I would have appreciated just a bit more character development throughout the story.

Alosa and Riden were definitely an interesting pair. Although the romance was a bit rapid and on/off (and not a major factor of the story), I really enjoyed how much they butted heads and the rollercoaster of emotions between them. Even though Riden was her captor, he was a genuinely kind person who I really loved learning about throughout the novel.

Overall, Daughter of the Pirate King was an immensely enjoyable read and wonderful debut from Tricia Levenseller. Diving straight into the action from the very first page, Levenseller hits the ground running (or the sea speed-sailing??? Idk if that's even a thing but I give up on my attempt to make this more applicable to the setting of the book *hangs head in shame*) and never relents with keeping up the pace.

My rating: 3 stars

Stalking Jack the Ripper (Review)

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #1
Genre: Young Adult/Mystery/Historical Fiction
Format: ARC (given to me by my lovely friend Rachel)
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Publication Date: September 20, 2016

About Stalking Jack the Ripper (via Goodreads):

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.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco was an absolutely fascinating and fantastic read. I went in with uncertainty, but quickly enthralled by Maniscalco's spectacular debut.

Historical fiction and mysteries are not the genres I typically gravitate toward, but Maniscalco's superb writing really transported me into late-19th century London and I was captivated by every intricate detail woven into the story. While some of the forensic elements were especially gory, it fortunately did not dominate the plot, as there were plenty of swoon-worthy romance scenes and laugh-out-loud dialogues.

The plot overall was just the right pace. It was a perfect blend of anticipation and action, and I was never bored because Maniscalco kept me on my toes with the mystery, romance, violence, and more. While I haven't read a lot of mysteries, Maniscalco did a splendid job redirecting my thoughts along with the characters. Although I kind of figured out who was behind it all before the characters did, I will admit that it was a completely random, serendipitous thing that led me to suspect the culprit. I don't want to say much else because I don't want to give it away, but despite suspecting the character, the ending definitely threw me for a loop anyway.

The characters were so snarky and witty and overall wonderful. I absolutely loved how Audrey Rose and Thomas interacted, with so much banter, attempts to outsmart each other, and steamy kiss scenes resulting from passionate arguments. Audrey's cousin Liza was also surprisingly a favorite of mine, despite (or possibly because of) all her deception as being the perfect daughter and lady when she was really quite bright and attuned to everything (and had her secret, somewhat scandalous motives).

All in all, I absolutely adored Stalking Jack the Ripper. In fact, it is now one of my favorite books ever, and I am eagerly anticipating Hunting Prince Dracula, the next installment in Maniscalco's brilliant series.

My rating: 5 stars