It’s a new month, which means a new “To-Be-Read” pile.
Below is a photo of the books I plan to read this month.
GOODREADS LINKS:
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
Title: The Queen of Nothing
Author: Holly Black
Publication date: November 19, 2019
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.
Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.
Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.
Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.
And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Happy December! I know I’m a little late, but it’s a new month,
which means a new “To-Be-Read” pile.
I’m joining a readalong and a readingathon this month, so my December TBR is filled with some holiday reads and a few more books that I cannot wait to read/reread.
GOODREADS LINKS:
I’m joining Miss Print’s “Cruel Prince Readalong” this month. You can find the full details here: #cruelprincereadalong
Along with a few of my monthly reads, I am also joining TistheSeasonathon.
Title: The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5)
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: NOVL
Release Date: October 2, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Novella, Short Story
Synopsis:
Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes . . .
While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.
Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.
The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.
The Lost Sisters is an e-novella that provides Taryn’s , Jude’s twin sister’s, point of view of the events that took place in The Cruel Prince. And you guys, it feels so good to back in Elfhame even if it is through a handful of pages. I enjoyed this short story because we get another person’s perspective of the twisted dynamics that play between Cardan and Jude. And more importantly, we watch and understand the relationship that blooms between Taryn and Locke. UGH, and LOCKE! He is such a weasel. I hope his trickster ways finally catch up to him.
I also liked that Taryn puts her heart and soul in this confession to Jude–we begin to understand Taryn’s motivations and heartache. But overall, even with Taryn’s actions explained, I still do not sympathize with her.
Taryn, I swear, you need to get it together, because Jude doesn’t take betrayal too lightly!
My Rating of :
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Bionic Book Worm.
Click on my book cover or my photographs to be linked to my review or the book’s Goodreads page.
Title: The Wicked King
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis:
The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself strong.
After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.
When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.
Remember how floored I was after reading The Cruel Prince. Well, I’m not going to hold anything back, but you guys, The Wicked King is just as enticing and brutal as the first book. Jude is still badass and fighting tooth and nail to survive in the Faerie folk world; Cardan is slouched on the throne in a state of boredom and drunken bliss; and every character that we encounter throughout the story is just as biting and cutthroat as the other.
And instead of going into a full review of The Wicking King where I talk about how my heart cannot take much more of these twists, turns, and acts of betrayal inked by Holly Black’s storytelling, I decided to dabble in creating an mood board, which I hope gets you more excited for this sequel. Because honestly, right now, I cannot fathom to express my thoughts on the angst and treachery ingrained in this book into words. I just CANNOT! *sobs uncontrollably* . . . I need The Queen of Nothing now.
My Rating of The Wicked King:
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Bionic Book Worm.
Click on my photographs or book cover to be linked to my review or the book’s Goodreads page.
The UK edition of Caraval has five different mystery “under the covers,” which include a dress, clock, tent, rose, or top hat.
While trying to collect different versions of The Night Circus, I found this beauty.
I can’t find a personal picture that I have taken of the naked hardcover of The Cruel Prince, but if you ever lift up the jacket–behold the beauty!
I am currently collecting all four “under the cover” hardcovers of Legendary. My favorite so far is the Shattered Crown edition.
Once again, I cannot find a personal picture, but you guys, trust me, the naked hardcover of The Wicked Deep is beautiful. If you ever find a copy, the hardback has a moon and stars foiled into the hardback. I love it.
Welcome to my monthly recap post, in which I highlight the books I read in the last month, bookish items I acquired, book events I attended, bookish news, and/or subscription boxes I received this month.
(Click on the banner to be linked to blog post)
Netgalley/E-Arcs
Physical ARCS
Thank you to Fierce Reads/Macmillan for these ARCs to review.
I received Grim Lovlies from Margie for a “books for trade.” I cannot wait to read it.
I have the greatest book friends. Emma at Miss Print sent me a copy of The Wicked King and she completely made my year.
Emma also sent me this cute ARC and the pocket mirror for The Wicked King. GAH! She is the best!
I got to meet Stephanie Garber again, and this time I got Legendary signed.
I won an ARC of Stay Sweet on Instagram, but since I pre-ordered the book too, I received this cute t-shirt, enamel pin, and a book plate signed by the author.
Title: The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: January 2, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis:
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository
You guys this book broke me in the best ways possible. At first, The Cruel Prince shocked me with its grim and gruesome first chapter. But then I was slowly dangled into the cruel politics of the fairy world. At first, I liked the story, but I felt like something was missing. My stubborn self craved so much more than family history and fae politics. Plus I was not a big fan of the sister dynamics that were wearing down on my last nerve.
Once I got to the 150ish page mark, I could not put this book down. I was engrossed with the storyline’s darkness, the espionage, the secrets, the twists, and OHMYGOD that ending!
The Cruel Prince is a gorgeous and gritty read. It’s simply a stunner from the beautiful cover to the unique characters and all the unexpected plot twists. This book has everything from mouth-dropping scenes, several punch in the gut romances, and the most unforeseen betrayal that had me grasping for more pages.
I am floored that this book did a 180 on me and I cannot wait for book two. If there is one book that I highly recommend that you TREAT YO SHELF to at the beginning of 2018, please for the love of all fairies, pick up The Cruel Prince. You will not regret it.
NOTE: I was not provided a copy of this book by the author or the publisher in an exchange for a review. I received an advance reader’s copy through a blogger book trade and reviewed it at my own discretion. All statements and opinions in this review are mine.
rants and raves of a bibliophile 