Waiting on Wednesday: The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

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 Winter Duke
Author: Claire Eliza Bartlett
Publication date: March 3, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT

Synopsis

An enchanted tale of intrigue where a duke’s daughter is the only survivor of a magical curse.

When Ekata’s brother is finally named heir, there will be nothing to keep her at home in Kylma Above with her murderous family. Not her books or science experiments, not her family’s icy castle atop a frozen lake, not even the tantalizingly close Kylma Below, a mesmerizing underwater kingdom that provides her family with magic. But just as escape is within reach, her parents and twelve siblings fall under a strange sleeping sickness.

In the space of a single night, Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother’s warrior bride, and ever-encroaching challengers from without—and within—her own ministry. Nothing has prepared Ekata for diplomacy, for war, for love…or for a crown she has never wanted. If Kylma Above is to survive, Ekata must seize her family’s power. And if Ekata is to survive, she must quickly decide how she will wield it.

Part Sleeping Beauty, part Anastasia, with a thrilling political mystery, The Winter Duke is a spellbinding story about choosing what’s right in the face of danger.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Waiting on Wednesday: The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

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

Synopsis

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

YOU GUYS, THIS IS THE FINALE WE
HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.
IS IT NOVEMBER YET?

If It’s Not A Rant, It’s A Rave: The Lost Sisters by Holly Black

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, what happened to sisters before misters?!

Home fries before fae guys!

Taryn, I swear, you need to get it together, because Jude doesn’t take betrayal too lightly!

My Rating of :

Note:   I bought this e-novella with my own funds, and was not asked to review it by the publisher. All statements and opinions are my own.

Waiting on Wednesday: Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

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: Grace and Fury
Author: Tracy Banghart
Publication date: July 31, 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.

Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace–someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir’s eye, it’s Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.

Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

If It’s Not A Rant, It’s A Rave: Review of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

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.

BUT…BAM!

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.

If It’s Not A Rant, It’s A Rave: Review of Devils & Thieves by Jennifer Rush

Title: Devils & Thieves
Author: Jennifer Rush
Publication date: October 3, 2017
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Synopsis

Power corrupts. Magic kills.

Eighteen-year-old Jemmie Carmichael is surrounded by magic in the quiet town of Hawthorne, New York. In her world, magic users are called “kindled,” and Jemmie would count herself among them if only she could cast a simple spell without completely falling apart. It doesn’t help that she was also recently snubbed by Crowe—the dangerous and enigmatic leader of Hawthorne’s kindled motorcycle gang, the Devils’ League.

When the entire kindled community rolls into Hawthorne for an annual festival, a rumor spreads that someone is practicing forbidden magic. Then people start to go missing. With threats closing in from every side, no one can be trusted. Jemmie and Crowe will have to put aside their tumultuous history to find their loved ones, and the only thing that might save them is the very flaw that keeps Jemmie from fully harnessing her magic. For all her years of feeling useless, Jemmie may just be the most powerful kindled of all. 

LINKS:   Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository

---

I am so glad I picked up this entertaining book during October. Similar to this Halloween-ish month, this novel is filled with magic, mayhem, and mystery. In Devils & Thieves, every magic user, aka “kindled,” has their own unique power that they inherit from family members, who are linked to local motorcycle clubs. I really felt like this book was a perfect mashup of Charmed and Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road series. The story plot is very straightforward, but it’s the main character’s (Jemmie Carmichael) attempt to figure out her powers and her love life that sucked me in.

One of my favorite characteristics about Jemmie is her unique ability to smell and see power. As a very wallflower-ish type, Jemmie tends to underrate her magical abilities with fear and discouragement. She is very different among the other kindled population, and I can understand why she wants to hide something that she thinks is a flaw in her magic from other people. Jemmie is often predictable in her ways, but I can see her maturing and adapting to new scenarios in the next book, especially after that odd and creepy ending.

In the romance realm of  Devils & Thieves, there’s a strong sense of a love triangle. And what I like about both Jemmie’s “love” interests are that even though they are protective over her as she is over them, they always encourage Jemmie to appreciate who she is and her magical abilities. But with any type of love triangle, I picked my OTP, because deep down I knew who made Jemmie’s heart flutter uncontrollably. I have one word to encourage you to read this novel, and that is “Crowe.” *SWOONS*

Overall, I liked the magic and conflicting havoc that litters the pages of this novel. Devils & Thieves is a great start to a series that I foresee a lot of growth in the characters, more swoony romance scenes, and some more understanding of the kindled magic users. I am a big fan of one of the male leading characters, *cough* Crowe, and I cannot wait to see what other sexy pandemonium he gets into. If you want your reading month of October to be filled with spells and swoons, I highly recommend that you add Devils & Thieves to your TBR. 

My rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

NOTE: Thank you to NOVL for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All statements and opinions are my own. Please note that all graphics and photographs were created by me. All quotes are from the an advanced reader’s edition of the novel and are subject to change upon publication.

Treat Yo Shelf: June 2017 Monthly Recap

June 2017: Monthly Recap

Welcome to my monthly recap post, in which I fangirl over 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)

 

Thank you NOVL for an advance reader’s copy of Fireblood. I cannot wait to read it. 

   

   

June’s Uppercase Box

June’s Fairyloot Box

Book Of the Month Club Box

#OTSPSecretSister

Foreign Editions I Bought

   

How did you treat your shelves in June? What books did you read and would highly recommend?

 

If It’s Not a Rant, It’s a Rave: Review of Frostblood by Elly Blake

 

Title: FROSTBLOOD
Author: Elly Blake
Publication date: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Format: ARC (won from NOVL’s monthly newsletter)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby’s powers are unpredictable, and she’s not sure she’s willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.

All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king’s tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.

Fast-paced and compelling, Frostblood is the first in a page-turning new young adult three-book series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that could change everything.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N |  The Book Depository

---

*singing* THIS BOOK IS ON FIIIRE!!!

As a fantasy genre fanatic, lets just say, Elly Blake’s Frostblood unexpectedly won me over. It is definitely a series that had me enamored in a setting of epic world-building, swoony scenes, a feud between firebloods and frostbloods, and hilarious banter. More importantly, I fell in love with a main character with sass, power, and jaw-clenching fierceness that could melt a glacier. 

After reading Frostblood, Ruby has become one of my favorite fantasy characters to root for. As a gifted fireblood, she is fiery both literally and in attitude. I really liked that Ruby was depicted as a persevering warrior, an authentic female protagonist, with fire in her heart and virtue in her soul. Every page allowed Ruby to radiate as a character that upholds great emotional strength, determination, quick wit, passion, and selflessness. She is a fighter and throughout the novel, I wanted to fight along with her. 

I also adored the character Arcus. As a mysterious, rogue-like character, his mystery had me mesmerized and his mischievousness had me dazed with warm fuzzies. The friendship and chemistry that develops between Ruby and Arcus in this book is enough to make glaciers crack, volcanoes erupt, and the earth quack. WOOO!!! *fans self*

Frostblood is one of my new favorite fantasy series, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for Ruby and Arcus. I’m a sucker for prophecies and innate magic, so of course after reading this book in less than a day, I WANT MORE! Give me a fantasy filled with secret identities and slow-burning relationships any day, and I will be a melted mess of swoons. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

NOTE: Thank you to NOVL for providing me an advance reader’s copy of FROSTBLOOD, which I won from their monthly newsletter. I read this book at my own discretion. All statements and opinions are my own.

To win future books from NOVL, be sure to sign up for their monthly newsletter. Click on the  picture below to be linked to their newsletter signup page.

Review: Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

Title: Seven Days of You
Author: Cecilia Vinesse
Publication date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Format: ARC
Source: Won in NOVL’s February NOVLBox curated by Poppy

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.

Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N |  The Book Depository

---

MY RANTS AND RAVES OF SEVEN DAYS OF YOU

As a mood reader, winter always leaves me in a reading funk. I wasn’t too sure if I was in the mood for a contemporary book, but I am so glad I picked up Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse. You guys, I read this book in less than one day; I just could not put it down! The storyline is quick-paced, realistic, and so adorable.

I loved how Seven Days of You took me out of the routine of contemporary books. Instead of basing this love-story in America, England, or even France, this book inserts you in a Japanese setting, building on a culture that I’m not too familiar with. The author does a great job of touring her readers around a city and culture that loves amazing food, parks, monuments, and karaoke bars (who knew?!). Vinesse doesn’t overwhelm you with descriptions, but she provides enough details that makes you yearn to visit Japan and learn more about the Japanese culture. This book will consume you with wanderlust, and a great thrill and hunger to visit Japan.

Additionally, I liked how the main character, Sofia, is portrayed  in the novel. She is not set up as a cute, angsty teen girl. In one week, Sofia is thrown in a whirlwind of emotions and change. I really enjoyed her perspective and thoughts on her inevitable move. I was too wrapped up in Sofia’s concerns and troubles to even step away from this book. I liked that she owns up to her own flaws and insecurities; more importantly, Sofia portrays a mindset of wanting to grow and understand the world around her. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she tries to use her last week in Japan as a means to create new memories, while also cherishing the memories and friendships she has already made. Sofia is not only saying goodbye to a country she loves, but she is also saying goodbye to her best friends, and a potential relationship with someone she likes, Jamie. Although Sofia and Jamie have a past of misunderstandings and heartbreak, I was really immersed in how honest, sweet, and patient they were to each other.

Seven Days of You is very emotion driven. As Sofia is wrapping up her life in Japan, I was very invested in every fight, fear, tear, and flashback that she encounters before her departure. I loved how quick-paced the book read, and even though there is more drama invested in this book than I have ever encountered in my own life, the story wraps up in the most realistic and sentimental way. At times I thought the story portrayed some typical Young Adult literature cliches, but overall I liked how different Sofia’s life was compared to most people her age. Her life is complex but her story is rich with lasting friendships, strong female role models, swoony moments, and opportunities to grow. 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

NOTE: Thank you to NOVL for providing me an advance reader’s copy of this book in their February 2016 NOVL Box curated by Poppy. I was not asked or compensated to review this book. I read this book at my own discretion. All statements and opinions are my own.

Throwback Thursday Mini-Review: Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood

Title: Six Impossible Things
By: Fiona Wood
Release Date: August 11, 2015
Publisher: Poppy
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 304 (Hardcover)
Format: ARC
Source: Won from NOVL newsletter (2015)

About Six Impossible Things:

1. Kiss Estelle.
2. Get a job.
3. Cheer my mother up.
4. Try not to be a complete nerd/loser.
5. Talk to my father when he calls.
6. Figure out how to be good.

Nerd-boy Dan Cereill is not quite coping with a reversal of family fortune, moving, new-school hell, a mother with a failing wedding cake business, a just-out gay dad, and an impossible crush on Estelle, the girl next door. His life is a mess, but for now he’s narrowed it down to six impossible things…

In this charming story of one guy’s efforts to get it together when his life is falling apart, award-winning author Fiona Wood introduces an irresistible voice and a delightfully awkward character who is impossible to forget.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N |  The Book Depository

---

MY RANTS AND RAVES OF SIX IMPOSSIBLE THINGS

I went into this book with very little knowledge of it, other than it is a new contemporary read. Six Impossible Things was the perfect book to cozy up on the couch with as the rain splattered against the windows. I’m not an aficionado in Aussie lingo, so I had a hard time understanding some of the Australian slang/wordage, but other than the small slang barrier, I enjoyed this book.

In the beginning of Six Impossible Things , the saying “when it rains, it pours,” fits Dan’s life perfectly. All has gone wrong in Dan’s life, but as the story progresses, life’s mishaps slowly begin to mend. Dan wants to do things right by his family and his friends, but sometimes he breaks the rules for selfish reasons. In the end, Dan matures into a likeable main character for both the reader and his fellow characters.

Six reasons you should read Six Impossible Things:

1) Dan is a self-proclaimed nerd. He has great taste in music and has the most perfect friendship with his dog.

2) Howard, Dan’s dog, is a Dan-proclaimed “psychic” and knows how to correctly respond to all situations. EEEeee!!! Howard steals every chapter that he is in. You will want to hug him and never let go.

3) Dan loves making lists. I love making lists. So in other words, Dan is perfect. HAHAHA!

4) This book will tug at your heart strings. Dan has to deal with divorced parents, in which his dad leaves his family bankrupt and homeless. Dan’s mother starts a business with wedding cakes; her only downfall is that she usually convinces her customers that marriage is a fluke. And while Dan’s family life is in knots, he has to go to a new school and deal with bullies. AHHH SO MANY DILEMMAS AND PROBLEMS FOR SUCH A YOUNG GUY.

5) Dan has a dark but witty sense of humor. It’s his best quality and a great mechanism to deal with all that goes wrong in his personal world.

6) Dan is a black sheep who becomes the ultimate hero. He cares for his old and new friends, he helps his mom through emotional and financial troubles, and in the end I wanted to go back to high school, befriend Dan. His sarcasm and philosophies are validating…he definitely has swoonworthy qualities.

MY RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

Note:   This review was previously posted on my Goodreads account on June 28, 2015, and has been updated for my blog. I received an Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) as a winner of NOVL’s monthly newsletter giveaway.  Thank you, NOVL and Poppy! I was not provided a copy of this book by the author or the publisher as an exchange for a review; I reviewed it at my own discretion.  All statements and opinions in this review are mine.