tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78583143725526140462024-03-05T04:13:32.806+00:00Journey Through FictionA book is the first step on a beautiful journey...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.comBlogger485125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-47724137441584377692017-03-28T16:00:00.000+01:002017-03-28T16:00:15.153+01:00Excerpt: Dream Forever by Kit Alloway<br />
<p style="text-align:justify">Happy Release day to Dream Forever! Dream Forever is the final book in the Dream Walker trilogy by Kit Alloway, and as with every final book in a series, it’s so bittersweet. I really want to know how everything is resolved, yet I don’t want to say goodbye to the characters! I’m currently a little over half way through reading the book and it’s awesome so far! I hoped to be finished reading it by release day, but unexpected life-stuff has gotten in the way of my reading time over the past week and hopefully I’ll have a full review up soon. But I do have an excerpt from Dream Forever to share with you, and if you haven’t read the trilogy yet, maybe I can convince you to give it a shot? Here’s the links to my reviews of <a href="http://journeythroughfiction.blogspot.ie/2015/03/Review-Dreamfire-by-Kit-Alloway.html">Dreamfire</a> and <a href="http://journeythroughfiction.blogspot.ie/2016/02/review-dreamfever-by-kit-alloway.html">Dreamfever</a> if you’re interested! </p>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">As the veil to the Dream becomes dangerously thin, Josh must stop it from tearing to save the world, in the conclusion to The Dream Walker Trilogy.
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Trying to control her powers as the True Dream Walker is hard enough with Feodor as her instructor. But trying to learn her strengths with a broken heart makes it nearly impossible for Josh. When mysterious tears in the veil separating the Dream from the waking world begin to appear, and with Peregrine still on the run and Haley trapped in Death, Josh finds herself truly in over her head. With the World threatening to crumble around her, Josh must figure out who she really is and what she wants in time to save it, herself, and everyone she loves.
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You won’t be disappointed in this exciting conclusion to Kit Alloway’s The Dream Walker Trilogy. </p>
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<p><b>Dream Forever Excerpt</b></p>
<p>“Sometimes people give me special access because I’m Peregrine’s granddaughter.”</p>
<p>That was only part of the truth. Josh had a reputation among dream walkers as a prodigy, and they were usually more than happy
to bend over backward for her.</p>
<p>“Ironic,” Feodor said, but he smiled at her in a way that made
her feel like he saw right through her. “Unfortunately, triangulating the bodies will give us, at best, a rough idea of where Peregrine
might be.”</p>
<p>Not to discount the lives of the five men Peregrine had killed,
but Josh had a larger concern. If he found a way back into the
Dream, he was likely to hurt a lot more people. “What are the
chances he’ll figure out how to deactivate the symbol?”</p>
<p>Feodor considered. “I could do it. But then, Peregrine is not me.”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s reassuring,” Josh said.</p>
<p>“However . . . the power of obsession to propel a man to acts of
which he might not otherwise be capable should not be underestimated. I believe Peregrine will continue until he finds a way.”</p>
<p>That was not reassuring.</p>
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<p><b>Chapter 2</b></p>
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<p>“I really think I’m over it,” Will Kansas told his counselor.</p>
<p>Malina wasn’t technically a therapist, but as a pastor, she’d been
trained in counseling, and because she was a dream walker, Will
could tell her the truth about what had happened to him. They
were sitting in her office, which smelled pleasantly of herbal tea
and was cluttered with little statues of angels.</p>
<p>
Malina lifted her eyebrows at his words. “That’s pretty quick,”
she said. “How long has it been? Six weeks?”</p>
<p>
“Eight,” Will corrected. Eight weeks since they’d gone into the
Hidden Kingdom. Eight weeks since Will had killed Bayla. Eight
weeks since he’d failed to kill Peregrine.</p>
<p>Eight weeks since he and Josh had broken up.</p>
<p>“How do you know you’re over it?” Malina asked.</p>
<p>“I’ve stopped having flashbacks and nightmares. I’ve stopped
thinking about it all the time. I feel—mostly—at peace with what
I had to do to save everyone. I took down my stalker wall.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Malina said, but the way she broke the syllable told Will
she wasn’t crazy about his answer. “That’s all good evidence that
your post-traumatic stress is under control, but I’m not sure how
that indicates you’re moving on.”</p>
<p>Isn’t holding it together enough? Will wondered. It felt like it
should count for something.</p>
<p>“Did you try out for track like we talked about?”</p>
<p>
“No.”</p>
<p>“Did you join the Amnesty International Club?”</p>
<p>“No.” Before she could ask what other activities he had avoided,
Will said, “I just keep thinking that Peregrine’s still out there.
What’s the point of starting something new when I know he’s going
to come back and screw it all up?”</p>
<p>“You’re certain he’ll come back.”</p>
<p>“As long as Josh has power he doesn’t have, he’ll be back to try
to take it. I doubt he’s done with Mirren, either.”</p>
<p>“How’s Josh doing?”</p>
<p>In the two months since they’d broken up, Josh had tested out
of her senior year and graduated early. She spent ten hours a day
in the Dream, most of them with Feodor. She’d stopping eating
meals with her family, and Will was pretty sure she was living on
protein bars and candy. She’d also quit brushing her hair and was
getting dressed in the dark, apparently, but her bizarre appearance
was only part of the wiry, disheveled look she’d developed. Every
time Will saw her, she seemed distracted, hassled, confused by the presence of other people, and more than once he’d caught
her muttering to herself in Polish. Whatever was going on with
her had ruined her already tenuous grip on the margins of normal
behavior.</p>
<p>“Same as usual, I guess,” Will said.</p>
<p>Malina didn’t let him get away with the deflection. “Do you
miss her?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he admitted. “I . . . still miss her. I wish things had gone
differently.”</p>
<p>
“What do you wish had gone differently?”</p>
<p>Everything, he thought.</p>
<p>“I wish we hadn’t lied to each other. I wish I’d asked for support when I needed it. I wish she had confided in me. But mostly
I wish Feodor and Peregrine were gone. I think we could have
worked things out if not for them.”</p>
<p>
“Have you talked to Josh about what happened?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>That was an understatement. Josh barely spoke two words to
him. Then again, he barely saw her. She spent all her time with
Feodor.</p>
<p>At least, Will thought she was spending all of her time with
Feodor. Except for when she was dream walking, she wasn’t at
home very much.</p>
<p>“Do you want to talk to her about it?” Malina asked.</p>
<p>
“Do you want to talk to her about it?” Malina asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. Sometimes. Sometimes I want to explain why I
had to break up with her.”</p>
<p>“What would you say?”</p>
<p>“That I did it to protect myself emotionally. That it had less to
do with her than it had to do with Feodor and Peregrine and all
that chaos. I want to tell her . . . that it wasn’t because I didn’t care
about her.”</p>
<p>
“Do you think she knows that?”</p>
<p>
Josh, with her monstrous capacity for guilt and self-blame?</p>
<p>“Nope.”</p>
<p>“Would you feel better if you told her?”</p>
<p>(c) Kit Alloway and used with permission from St. Martin's Press.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Meet the Author</h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioLzLzxc7U5F6XT81CuCmPkxZE8txLdE3imnqTsYJlRV2v2O5pRA1wvaX53M3pFDyGmiGwq5UGWF_8nc5klkKGX002Ac-XF_4FkpuSEzei30Q-ygXi4P1tSeYliqXVki1zX3YIX5qXWi3/s1600/Kit+Alloway+CREDIT+Fusion+Photography.jpg" width="200px" height="autopx" alt=" Kit Alloway author"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Kit Alloway writes primarily for young adults, having always had an affection for teenagers. In addition to writing, she plays various musical instruments, decorates cakes, mixes essential oils, and studies East European languages. She lives in Louisville, KY with her family and four very tiny dogs. <br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8123145.Kit_Alloway">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Kit_Alloway">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/author/kitalloway/">Macmillan</a> | <a href="https://www.kitalloway.com/">Website</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-12151586629114059602017-03-23T09:00:00.000+00:002017-03-23T09:00:07.249+00:00Review: A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi<br />
<a imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhJwlYWLmdITVo_AGV_oJSvPHD8PXhGy0gRq9mzk4MOjoReo_L-EFdU568epoLFdetBqD5pj0jX-ep8_7djch8s_vaujoamcyqgGP425EVjeooOO27n3QEAb0UkbeMBL-TzmJd7rt97vE/s1600/CrownofWishes_BlogTourBanner.jpg" width="720px" height="autopx" alt="A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi blog tour Journey Through Fiction"/></a>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Roshani Chokshi's new novel, A Crown of Wishes, which is hosted by St. Martin's Press. I got the chance to read the book early, and I have my thoughts about the book included below, as well as other information about A Crown of Wishes and Roshani. Hope you enjoy! </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPxdaNabsb2P1RZ5q9hJSJccVgK_wAJSyslKbguju_b9Rwdwc2ocZ0PGB1_IsrahsqlBJrHH4N5O-UVJyt_tLtC55-ozKdOTupusQiu6nw8MDLPt57lyAtiosh31UYcY-kyfqSM7NGPrl/s1600/A+Crown+of+Wishes.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> A Crown of Wishes <br />
<b>Author:</b> Roshani Chokshi <br />
<b>Series:</b> Companion novel to<br /> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25203675-the-star-touched-queen?ac=1&from_search=true">The Star-Touched Queen </a><br />
<b>Format:</b> eARC kindly provided by<br /> St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for <br />review. (Thank you!!) <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 4 / 5<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> 28th March 2017 <br />
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<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939047-a-crown-of-wishes?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes—a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.
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Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.
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Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><i>*I received an eARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.*</i></p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">When I read The Star-Touched Queen last year I fell completely in love with the world Roshani Chokshi created, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the companion novel when it was released. I remember loving both the writing style and the characters she created and I was so excited to dive into a new story from her. Technically, A Crown of Wishes is a standalone novel and it definitely can be read as one. Apart from taking place in the same world as The Star-Touched Queen, it has few similarities to that story and any over-lapping will be described and recapped in this book. It follows the story of a Prince and Princess from enemy kingdoms joining forces to enter a Tournament of Wishes, and they take on a series of challenges in order to win a wish which can be used to grant the winner their hearts desire. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Considering how much I loved Maya’s story, I was really interested to see how her little sister’s story would compare. It took me a while to connect Guari with how Maya’s little sister was described from the first book. She’s very different to the character we met back then, and while that isn’t a bad thing at all, it did take a bit of getting used to. She’s grown up into a complete badass and I absolutely adored her! I also really liked Vikram, and the chemistry and banter between the two was my favourite part of the novel. Their sass and snark was so entertaining to read!</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I can’t help but love Roshani’s writing style. It’s so consuming and visual it’s so easy to get swept up in the story and forget about everything else. However, I personally preferred the overall story arc from the first book a bit more and I thought the writing style in general suited the whimsical qualities of that story perfectly. It pains me to say this, but I felt that sometimes the descriptions and metaphors in A Crown of Wishes distracted instead of enhancing the story. I have to be honest, there were a few occasions where I hadn’t a clue what was being described, and I don’t remember having that problem at any stage reading the first book.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">While there were a couple of things I didn’t enjoy quite as much as the first book, overall, I think A Crown of Wishes is a must read if you loved The Star-Touched Queen. I love the world that the author created, and it was so awesome to revisit the Night Bazaar again! I can’t wait to see what she’ll be working on next and to read more of her works in the future.</p><br />
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Meet the Author</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFR1iwhrbT8ZQj1d5RmgRjjH7LRNO8FWALkNr3o_wAPI8ZgRD3RwndFjchMm9cPjcMGoxsxQGZio0V3_lQ79M6-vMgIuQWVJ3O72ICopmv2oIkVqsCat9wkFgKOqWdGJHGwkY1-RQ50gE/s1600/Roshani+Chokshi+CREDIT+Aman+Sharma+220x330.jpg" width="200px" height="autopx" alt=" Roshani Chokshi"/></a></div>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. Her work has appeared in
Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. Her short story, "The Star Maiden," was longlisted for the British
Fantasy Science Award.<br /><br /></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/NotRashKnee">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13695109.Roshani_Chokshi">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/roshanichokshi/?hl=en">Instagram</a> || <a href="http://www.roshanichokshi.com/">Website</a> </p>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-4605677549778343772017-02-04T09:00:00.000+00:002017-02-04T09:00:05.253+00:00Blog Tour: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLR_HWrkfK7_m4buFgHOtgQKVZnOhRVrUHNGvUkZPQeMENTI6SSNSe1NQ9_agfwxcNexG-5JdWjRlCBapn13CJdi9uPyh77M7fg-byj-sSTYkNQARsbip3FHwBAUroYrtlrHEJKogbTlb/s1600/Wintersong_BlogTourBanner.jpg" alt="Blog Tour Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones St. Martin's Press Journey Through Fiction" width="700px" height="autopx"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones! Wintersong is one of my most anticipated 2017 new releases, and it lived up to all my expectations and I can't wait to share all my thoughts with you. Before I get to that, I also have a pronunciation guide to share and lots of other information about J.J. and Wintersong. Hope you enjoy!</p><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cx9cnFdDGgPNy7UnM_vpmVkHAcow9WBmKh8CoswwPM3MAKtWGl3NcxWOC_JaPCHttpc_qJU-uTOn3RJS6JkC-a25PbSQUbmK0B8B2FBVGcvBxm12g-DHmF-4w4gF78IGcGc22RwZB5ci/s1600/Wintersong.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones book cover Journey Through Fiction"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Wintersong <br />
<b>Author:</b> S. Jae-Jones <br />
<b>Publisher:</b> Thomas Dunne Books <br />
<b>Release Date:</b> February 7th, 2017<br />
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<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24763621-wintersong?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief,
the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of
running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor
of more practical concerns.<br /><br />
But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her
sister and return her to the world above. Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the
Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent
blossoms, Liesl faces an impossible choice. As she grows closer to the Goblin King, both of them
must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the
world.<br /><br />
With an enchanting winterized cover, WINTERSONG will keep readers cozy while experiencing a
chilling adventure like no other. S. Jae-Jones’ richly imagined debut spins a spellbinding tale of
music, love, sisterhood, and a young woman’s search for self-actualization.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Meet the Author</h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpDTQiQw2sOnz9LIRuPPZMAc-AGGur8vvCn9Y8LAqNgD-VkbbKFxB2evQRqVtUzc9LXCxQCVpyRLcdIbmOcyJyfcSIncnMzxYRVm3A9USDZpJqzCyyOmGWOl6bzMB5aAUO_ioF4cDr8q7/s1600/Jae-Jones%252C+S_NO+CREDIT.jpg" width="300px" height="autopx" alt=" S Jae-Jones author image"/></a></div>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">S. Jae-Jones (called JJ) is an artist, an adrenaline junkie, and erstwhile editrix. When not obsessing over books, she can be
found jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, co-hosting the Pub(lishing) Crawl podcast, or playing dress-up. Born and
raised in Los Angeles, she now lives in North Carolina, as well as many other places on the internet, including Twitter,
Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, and her blog.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Pronunciation Guide</h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNndZ4Rits9y90HPtfZLbYD6PhU_2RUCcYvrwP1Lbr_24ys5mqdDNT3jj99imThYhF3AGAQLAp4KzdHtsufgsNllqOktbMMfmL2lY-IeJl0S7aIs7Vr4jUpEA7eIGAyUQNKLcMUru4FBG/s1600/Wintersong_Glossary_Final.jpg" width="695px" height="autopx" alt="Wintersong Pronunciation Guide Journey Through Fiction"/></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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I’m struggling to put into words just how much I enjoyed <b>Wintersong</b>. It was one of my most anticipated 2017 new releases, and when I was invited onto the blog tour I jumped at the chance and immediately said yes! It’s a very loosely inspired Labyrinth retelling, and I personally love that this story moved away from the original and found its own voice. My only concern is that if you begin reading this book with the hopes of a pure Labyrinth retelling, you might end up being disappointed. It’s so much more than that, and I feel there are quite a few other inspirations woven in that had a stronger relevance to the overall story. For example, I did notice quite a few nods to both the Phantom of the Opera and Hades and Persephone which I absolutely LOVED!
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<p style="text-align:justify;">The story is set in a small village in Bavaria where our main character, Liesel, spent much of her childhood days playing in the nearby Goblin Grove with a childhood friend, the Goblin King. With a friendship built on silly tricks and flippant remarks, she made an innocent promise to her friend and didn’t think anything more of it, and like all little girls, she grew up and left her childhood stories behind. However, the Goblin King didn’t forget her promise, and he intends to hold her to her word. <b>Liesel </b>is a character that could divide opinions, but I fall into the loved her half. If you like imperfect main characters with realistic flaws and self-doubts, Liesel will be the perfect character for you to root for. All her life she’s been overlooked, and with her mixed jealousy, envy and unconditional love toward her younger siblings, I found her very easy to empathise with. There are two sides to her personality, and I loved seeing her journey of self-discovery. Hurt after hurt, battle after battle of being ignored, undervalued and taken for granted, she built a wall and hid behind a mask of duty to supress her own anguish and desire for others to notice her talent as a musician and composer. For once in her life she decided to be selfish, and it leads her to understand and accept herself for who she is and I loved seeing how she changed and matured throughout the book.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">In a way, Wintersong reads like a book of two halves. One half focuses more on Liesel and her family, and the other on the Underground world inhabited by the Goblin King and various other goblin and fae creatures. I liked each for different reasons, but if I had to choose, I slightly preferred the first half of the book to the second. Overall, the book is a slower paced, more atmospheric read which I thought suited the story beautifully. Also, the writing style is gorgeous! It captured the moody atmosphere effortlessly, and the images popped off the pages with no need for embellishments and purple prose. While the slower pacing and lack of all-out action scenes might not work for everyone, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. </p><br />
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I always prefer slowly developing romances, and the romance that developed between the Goblin King and Liesel was no exception. But being completely honest, I’m torn on whether I liked them together and this is the only complaint I had with the story. One minute, I’d love them and I felt and believed the chemistry between them, and then the next it would slip and I’d end up feeling disconnected. I do believe they have deep feelings for each other, yet there was something holding me back from loving them completely. I can’t pin down anything specific that occurred to make me feel this way, and it’s very frustrating as I want to ship them together so badly!</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Overall though, Wintersong definitely lived up to my expectations and that made the ending twice as bittersweet. And yes, I may have been a weeping mess at one stage, not going to lie, but it was worth it! Exploring music, faith, love and hope, Wintersong is a journey of self-discovery that took inspiration from a well-known source and made it its own. If you love retellings that create their own story without relying on the original too much, then I can’t recommend Wintersong highly enough.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nv07TM5rCE16DV5mv_PSMwPMOQqVX1JGfBywiVcPzJPy_UdC2OkP57SdVFjua5c3n01yDjibluzoj3cwuUwSof-TvJg3I85qck1OoHo95QYxiTyWD_AaUJfRu-uDxctGWnjQ7DHBjyZF/s1600/_4.5Stars_250_104.png" alt="4.5 Stars I Loved It!" width="250px" height="104px"/></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-28376687019534923302017-01-30T12:00:00.000+00:002017-01-30T12:00:10.050+00:00Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1hR0bNDyV18df0x7Hx9RfpbbdDA_iQ2DZmV-h6_LAxd97s2vYCOCMfCXsc1xxazhWtsYeX5KrgyqcX2wwTh3r5lVrB7MxN6Qd3BM_AgBFmdXUFyiu6S46R80ir7X6p8wpVOF_rbqph0g/s1600/Clockwork+Angel.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare book cover Journey Through Fiction"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Clockwork Angel <br />
<b>Author:</b> Cassandra Clare <br />
<b>Series:</b> The Infernal Devices, #1 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 3.5 / 5<br />
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<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7171637-clockwork-angel?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
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The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">I have a mixed relationship at best with Cassandra Clare’s writing style, so I’m pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed Clockwork Angel as much as I did. Comparing it to my feelings after reading City of Bones a few years ago, I greatly prefer the beginnings of this trilogy. The book is set in Victorian London, and while I do think it got the broad picture of the era across well, it wasn’t as immersive or engaging as I was expecting. I have a mixed relationship with Steampunk books in general – give me subtlety over being smothered in steampunk any day, please and thanks – so I’m really glad it was more on the subtle side here. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
Moving onto the characters: Tessa Gray seems like an interesting main character – she seems to have a spine, so that’s an improvement over Clary. I preferred her at the beginning of the book, but by the end she seemed to weaken a bit, and I hope this isn’t a downward trend that’ll show up in the next book. When two potential love interests show up in a story I usually prefer one over the other and never doubt my decision ever again, so it’s a nice change to genuinely like both Will and Jem here. I’ve seen LOTS of love and swooning over William Herondale over the years so I kind of knew what to expect – a concentrated version of Jace Wayland. James Carstairs, on the other hand, I didn’t know anything about, and I’ve got to admit, as intriguing as Will is, Jem is just a complete sweetheart and I have a big weakness for kind-hearted characters. I’m really looking forward to seeing how all their characters develop over the rest of the trilogy.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">While I did enjoy the story overall, I did have a few issues. The beginning was really good, but things started to slip after a bit and the story started to dawdle along without anything of relevance happening. I wish the pacing was a bit snappier, and I’ve notice I had a similar complaint in the last book of Cassandra Clare’s that I read. I hope it’s not going to become a trend! As for the story overall, well, I feel like I’ve read it before. I can’t help feeling like it’s a rehashing of City of Bones set a few hundred years in the past. I really hope my opinion changes when I read the second book, so I’m willing to reserve judgement for the time being, anyway! </p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ucMdjUpUyrTN5voeqocOvZ7AtemzFB5jFcUKSg2ECt61NWgkgf1JCSjjGnMIRQZZoKglwCXZ7xk-4BdpD_Cw1KiDQ3G7S6v37h4SAOaflCG6mq9DJoOFCrctNm-ZXXyz21HNPRWfdyAq/s1600/_3.5Stars_250_104.png" alt="3.5 Stars I Liked It" width="250px" height="104px" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-79469161582742596532017-01-05T09:00:00.000+00:002017-01-05T09:00:04.323+00:00Blog Tour: Freeks by Amanda Hocking<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH3OvNBjo9GNwyY0CVn9tsg9S4863lQ3iN8AUQgU0ZeDe2k5LEcbuTbz_JNN9POHvznz1rQFd8pqwb75VA1XXoqOwPuXUU5OPnFqW5lRaF8Uw5WppGryBmaaTPFl7zrnti-IFjMeaLeUi/s1600/Freeks+Blog+Tour+Banner.png" width="700px" height="270px" alt="Blog Tour: Freeks by Amanda Hocking St. Martin's Press Journey Through Fiction"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Welcome to my stop on the Freeks blog tour! Freeks was released Tuesday past (January 3rd, 2017), and it's a standalone novel set in 1987, and follows Mara and her family and friends as they take their Carnival act to a new town where things might not be quite what they seem. I have lots of information to share about the book today along with an excerpt, and further on down the post I have some of my thought on Freeks. Hope you enjoy! </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOBmRLc4zL_o-JraJaflcgbsJB34A6vf4N8-WF7KGVQKaLvucTpQM_3JOt2vjB-MfM3yMONtfoKFtln3V_H3sNz5Yz6Mmu2VoKGd0aXjIAMLTK60SXlsb6tnyBiTGckUYVV0SAlotXCzO/s1600/Freeks.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Freeks by Amanda Hocking book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Freeks <br />
<b>Author:</b> Amanda Hocking <br />
<b>Series:</b> Standalone <br />
<b>Format:</b> eARC, kindly provided<br /> by St. Martin's Griffin for the blog<br /> tour. (Thank you!!) <br />
<b>Publisher:</b> St. Martin's Griffin <br />
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<p style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31291194-freeks" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/freeks/amandahocking/9781250084774" target="_blank" >Buy from Macmillan</a><br />
<a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250084774" target="_blank" >Buy from Books-A-Million</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/freeks-amanda-hocking/1123132964?ean=9781250084774" target="_blank" >Buy from Barns & Noble</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freeks-Novel-Amanda-Hocking/dp/1250084776/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481577471&sr=1-1&keywords=9781250084774" target="_blank" >Buy from Amazon</a></p>
<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Welcome to Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Sideshow, where necromancy, magical visions, and pyrokinesis are more than just part of the act…<br /><br />
Mara has always longed for a normal life in a normal town where no one has the ability to levitate or predict the future. Instead, she roams from place to place, cleaning the tiger cage while her friends perform supernatural feats every night.
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When the struggling sideshow is miraculously offered the money they need if they set up camp in Caudry, Louisiana, Mara meets local-boy Gabe…and a normal life has never been more appealing.
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But before long, performers begin disappearing and bodes are found mauled by an invisible beast. Mara realizes that there’s a sinister presence lurking in the town with its sights set on getting rid of the sideshow freeks. In order to unravel the truth before the attacker kills everyone Mara holds dear, she has seven days to take control of a power she didn’t know she was capable of—one that could change her future forever.
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Bestselling author Amanda Hocking draws readers inside the dark and mysterious world of Freeks.</p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Excerpt from Freeks</h2>
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<h3 style="text-align:center;">1. premonitions</h3>
<p>My feet rested against the dashboard of the Winnebago as we lumbered down the road, the second vehicle in a small caravan of beat-up trailers and motorhomes.</p>
<p>The sun hadn’t completely risen yet, but it was light enough that I could see outside. Not that there was much to see. The bridge stretched on for miles across Lake Tristeaux, and I could see nothing but the water around us, looking gray in the early morning light.</p>
<p>The AC had gone out sometime in Texas, and we wouldn’t have the money to fix it until after this stint in Caudry, if we were lucky. I’d cracked the window, and despite the chill, the air felt thick with humidity. That’s why I never liked traveling to the southeastern part of the country—too humid and too many bugs.</p>
<p>But we took the work that we got, and after a long dry spell waiting in Oklahoma for something to come up, I was grateful for this. We all were. If we hadn’t gotten the recommendation to Caudry, I’m not sure what we would’ve done, but we were spending our last dimes and nickels just to make it down here.</p>
<p>I stared ahead at Gideon’s motorhome in front of us. The whole thing had been painted black with brightly colored designs swirling around it, meant to invoke images of mystery and magic. The name “Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Sideshow” was painted across the back and both the sides. Once sparkles had outlined it, but they’d long since worn off.</p>
<p>My eyelids began to feel heavy, but I tried to ward off sleep. The radio in the car was playing old Pink Floyd songs that my mom hummed along to, and that wasn’t helping anything.</p>
<p>“You can go lay down in the back,” Mom suggested.</p>
<p>She did look awake, her dark gray eyes wide and a little frantic, and both her hands gripped the wheel. Rings made of painted gold and cheap stones adorned her fingers, glinting as the sun began to rise over the lake, and black vine tattoos wrapped around her hands and down her arms.</p>
<p>For a while, people had mistaken us for sisters since we looked so much alike. The rich caramel skin we both shared helped keep her looking young, but the strain of recent years had begun to wear on her, causing crow’s feet to sprout around her eyes and worried creases to deepen in her brow.</p>
<p>I’d been slouching low in the seat but I sat up straighter. “No, I’m okay.”</p>
<p>“We’re almost there. I’ll be fine,” she insisted.</p>
<p>“You say we’re almost there, but it feels like we’re driving across the Gulf of Mexico,” I said, and she laughed. “We’ve probably reached the Atlantic by now.”</p>
<p>She’d been driving the night shift, which was why I was hesitant to leave her. We normally would’ve switched spots about an hour or two ago, with me driving while she lay down. But since we were so close to our destination, she didn’t see the point in it.</p>
<p>On the worn padded bench beside the dining table, Blossom Mandelbaum snored loudly, as if to remind us we both should be sleeping. I glanced back at her. Her head lay at a weird angle, propped up on a cushion, and her brown curls fell around her face.</p>
<p>Ordinarily, Blossom would be in the Airstream she shared with Carrie Lu, but since Carrie and the Strongman had started dating (and he had begun staying over in their trailer), Blossom had taken to crashing in our trailer sometimes to give them privacy.</p>
<p>It wasn’t much of a bother when she slept here, and in fact, my mom kind of liked it. As one of the oldest members of the carnival—both in age and the length of time she’d been working here—my mom had become a surrogate mother to many of the runaways and lost souls that found us.</p>
<p>Blossom was two years younger than me, on the run from a group home that didn’t understand her or what she could do, and my mom had been more than happy to take her under her wing. The only downside was her snoring.</p>
<p>Well, that and the telekinesis.</p>
<p>“Mara,” Mom said, her eyes on the rearview mirror. “She’s doing it again.”</p>
<p>“What?” I asked, but I’d already turned around to look back over the seat.</p>
<p>At first, I didn’t know what had caught my mom’s eye, but then I saw it—the old toaster we’d left out on the counter was now floating in the air, hovering precariously above Blossom’s head.</p>
<p>The ability to move things with her mind served Blossom well when she worked as the Magician’s Assistant in Gideon’s act, but it could be real problematic sometimes. She had this awful habit of unintentionally pulling things toward her when she was dreaming. At least a dozen times, she’d woken up to books and tapes dropping on her. Once my mom’s favorite coffee mug had smacked her right in the head.</p>
<p>“Got it,” I told my mom, and I unbuckled my seat belt and went over to get it.</p>
<p>The toaster floated in front of me, as if suspended by a string, and when I grabbed it, Blossom made a snorting sound and shifted in her sleep. I turned around with the toaster under my arm, and I looked in front of us just in time to see Gideon’s trailer skid to the side of the road and nearly smash into the guardrail.</p>
<p>“Mom! Look out!” I shouted.</p>
<p>Mom slammed on the brakes, causing most of our possessions in the trailer to go hurtling toward the floor, and I slammed into the seat in front of me before falling to the ground. The toaster had slipped free from my grasp and clattered into the dashboard.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic, but I could hear the sound of squealing tires and honking behind us as the rest of the caravan came to an abrupt stop.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Blossom asked, waking up in a daze from where she’d landed on the floor beneath the dining table.</p>
<p>“Mara!” Mom had already leapt from her seat and crouched in front of where I still lay on the worn carpet. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m fine,” I assured her.</p>
<p>“What about you?” Mom reached out, brushing back Blossom’s frizzy curls from her face. “Are you all right?”</p>
<p>Blossom nodded. “I think so.”</p>
<p>“Good.” That was all the reassurance my mom needed, and then she was on her feet and jumping out of the Winnebago. “Gideon!”</p>
<p>“What happened?” Blossom asked again, blinking the sleep out of her dark brown eyes.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. Gideon slammed on his brakes for some reason.” I stood up, moving much slower than my mother.</p>
<p>We had very narrowly avoided crashing into Gideon. He’d overcorrected and jerked to the other side of the road, so his motorhome was parked at an angle across both lanes of the highway.</p>
<p>“Is everyone okay?” Blossom had sat up, rubbing her head, and a dark splotch of a bruise was already forming on her forehead. That explained why she seemed even foggier than normal—she’d hit her head pretty good.</p>
<p>“I hope so. I’ll go check it out,” I said. “Stay here.”</p>
<p>By the time I’d gotten out, Seth Holden had already gotten out of the motorhome behind us. Since he was the Strongman, he was usually the first to rush into an accident. He wanted to help if he could, and he usually could.</p>
<p>“Lyanka, I’m fine,” Gideon was saying to my mother, his British accent sounding firm and annoyed.</p>
<p>“You are not fine, albi,” Mom said, using a term of affection despite the irritation in her voice.</p>
<p>I rounded the back of his motorhome to find Gideon leaning against it with my mom hovering at his side. Seth reached them first, his t-shirt pulled taut against his muscular torso.</p>
<p>“What’s going on? What happened?” Seth asked.</p>
<p>“Nothing. I just dozed off for a second.” Gideon waved it off. “Go tell everyone I’m fine. I just need a second, and we’ll be on our way again.”</p>
<p>“Do you want me to drive for you?” Seth asked. “Carrie can handle the Airstream.”</p>
<p>Gideon shook his head and stood up straighter. “I’ve got it. We’re almost there.”</p>
<p>“All right.” Seth looked uncertainly at my mom, and she nodded at him. “I’ll leave you in Lyanka’s care and get everyone settled down.”</p>
<p>As soon as Seth disappeared back around the motorhome, loudly announcing that everything was fine to everyone else, Gideon slumped against the trailer. His black hair had fallen over his forehead. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, revealing the thick black tattoos that covered both his arms.</p>
<p>“Gideon, what’s really going on?” Mom demanded with a worried tremor.</p>
<p>He swallowed and rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>Even though the sun was up now, the air seemed to have gotten chillier. I pulled my sweater tighter around me and walked closer to them. Gideon leaned forward, his head bowed down, and Mom rubbed his back.</p>
<p>“You didn’t fall asleep, did you?” I asked.</p>
<p>Gideon lifted his eyes, looking as though he didn’t know I was there. And guessing by how pained he was allowing himself to look, he probably hadn’t. Gideon was only in his early thirties, but right now, he appeared much older than that.</p>
<p>That wasn’t what scared me, though. It was how dark his blue eyes were. Normally, they were light, almost like the sky. But whenever he’d had a vision or some kind of premonition, his eyes turned so dark they were nearly black.</p>
<p>“It was a headache,” Gideon said finally.</p>
<p>“There’s something off here,” Mom said. “I felt it as soon as we got on the bridge. I knew we should turn back, but I hoped that maybe I was imagining things. Now that I look at you, I know.”</p>
<p>That explained that frantic look in her eyes I’d seen earlier in the Winnebago, and how alert she’d been even though she’d been awake and driving for nearly twenty hours straight. Mom didn’t see things in the way Gideon did, but she had her own senses.</p>
<p>“It’s fine, Lyanka,” Gideon insisted. He straightened up again, and his eyes had begun to lighten. “It was only a migraine, but it passed. I am capable of having pain without supernatural reasons, too.”</p>
<p>Mom crossed her arms over her chest, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. “We should go back.”</p>
<p>“We’re almost there.” Gideon gestured to the end of the road, and I looked ahead for the first time and realized that we could see land. The town was nestled right up to the lake, and we couldn’t be more than ten minutes outside the city limits.</p>
<p>“We could still turn around,” Mom suggested.</p>
<p>“We can’t.” He put his hands on her arms to ease her worries. “We don’t have any money, love. The only way we can go is forward.”</p>
<p>“Gideon.” She sighed and stared up at the sky, the violet fabric of her dress billowing out around her as the wind blew over us, then she looked back at him. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”</p>
<p>“Yes, I’m sure. Whatever pain I had, it’s passed.” He smiled to reassure her. “We should go before the others get restless.”
She lowered her eyes, but when he leaned in to kiss her, she let him. She turned to go back to our motorhome, and as she walked past me, she muttered, “I knew we should never travel on Friday the thirteenth. No good ever comes of it.”</p>
<p>I’d waited until she’d gone around the corner to turn back to Gideon, who attempted to give me the same reassuring smile he’d given my mom.</p>
<p>“We could go back,” I said. “There’s always a way. We’ve made it on less before.”</p>
<p>“Not this time, darling.” He shook his head. “And there’s no reason to. Leonid assured me there’d be a big payday here, and I’ve got no reason to doubt him. We can make a go of it here.”</p>
<p>“As long as you’re sure we’ll be okay.”</p>
<p>“I haven’t steered you all wrong yet.” Gideon winked at me then, but he was telling the truth. In the ten years that my mom and I had been following him around the country, he’d always done the best he could by us.</p>
<p>I went back and got into the Winnebago with my mom and Blossom. Within a couple minutes, Gideon had straightened his motorhome out, and the caravan was heading back down the road. At the end of the bridge was a large sign that read WELCOME TO CAUDRY, POPULATION 13,665.</p>
<p>As soon as we crossed the line into town, the air seemed even colder than before. That’s when I realized the chill wasn’t coming from outside—it was coming from within me.</p>
<br />
<p>Copyright © 2016 by Amanda Hocking and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Griffin.</p>
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</div>
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<br />
<h2 style="text-align:center;">Meet Amanda Hocking</h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXcB1DF_eFCQmMzXA6GfqkIKDjiU0qAiWU44NkbIRMHGfW8W76foHbdTRxYel4vdmHi6Yp1R8hJNgwWrl4kj7REvmnbyiPjoyFAAYlFm-_gKAYbxRZWZaY8E7emiJK-dnuN9DzWqtNDsj/s1600/Amanda+Hocking_.jpg" width="300px" height="400px" alt=" Amanda Hocking"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">
Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with Batman and Jim Henson. In between watching cooking shows, taking care of her menagerie of pets, and drinking too much Red Bull Zero, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
<br /><br />
Several of her books have made the New York Times Bestsellers list, including the Trylle trilogy and Kanin Chronicles. Her zombie series, The Hollows, has been adapted into a graphic novel by Dynamite. She has published over fifteen novels, including the Watersong quartet and My Blood Approves series. Frostfire, Ice Kissed, and Crystal Kingdom - all three books in her latest trilogy, The Kanin Chronicles - are out now.
</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b><a href="http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/">Amanda's Website</a> || <a href="http://twitter.com/amanda_hocking">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amandahockingfans">Facebook</a> || <a href="http://www.hockingbooks.com/blog/">Amanda's Blog</a> || <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/aehocking/">Pinterest</a> || <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3486415.Amanda_Hocking">GoodReads</a></b></p>
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<br />
<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><i>*I received an eARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.*</i></p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">FREEKS caught my interest straight away when I saw the absolutely gorgeous cover, and once I read the synopsis I was intrigued even more. Necromancy, visions, and lots of other supernatural happenings set in a carnival?! Yes, please! The story is set in 1987, and Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Sideshow has been struggling financially for quite a while. A potentially lucrative job opens up in Louisiana, and the carnival sets out to Caudry where the main story is set. Mara, our main character, and her mother live and travel with the carnival, and since Mara doesn’t have any supernatural abilities of her own to have her own act, she helps out everyone else wherever she can. Shortly after arriving in Caudry one of their group goes missing, followed by attacks on other members of the carnival, and slowly they realise that Caudry might not be the sleepy Southern town they initially thought it was.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I really enjoyed the carnival aspect of the story and with the supernatural elements mixed in. I love when books grab your attention right from the first few pages and don’t let go, and I found that here. Despite a few repetitive explanations here and there, I really liked the writing style. It reminded me little of C.C. Hunter, so if you’ve read the Shadow Falls books and enjoyed her writing style and are looking for something similar, then I’d definitely recommend checking out FREEKS.
</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">There’s quite a large cast of characters, and I really liked the diverse representation right across the board. In general, I liked all the characters, but I particularly liked the friendship between Mara and Roxie. FREEKS is a standalone novel, and I think this could be where my preference for series will show through: I feel like I didn’t get to know any of the characters well enough and I would have loved to get to know some of the secondary characters better. With so many people living in such close quarters with each other, I half-expected their relationship dynamics – whether functional or dysfunctional – to leap off the pages. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">There is one huge elephant in the room I need to talk about, and that’s the romance between Mara and Gabe. When the smooching begins at 9%, I start to worry! Joking aside, I want to stress I have no problem with Mara and Gabe individually or as a couple, but, it was the speed of their romance and the supposed depths of their feelings that develop over the course of mere days rather than months which left me with a sense of disbelief and an unwillingness to get behind and support their romance. I’m sorry, but I can’t describe it as anything other than an insta-love. Honestly, with a longer time-line they could be pretty cute together, and I kind of wish they’d gotten that chance.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I’m a bit torn on how to sum up my feelings about FREEKS. I did enjoy the story and found it engaging and entertaining, however the romance that tended to take over the story at times has overshadowed my feelings a bit. This is the first book I’ve read by Amanda Hocking and despite some of the reservations I had with the romance here, I’m curious to try some of her other books in the future. </p><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-11564750874793394742017-01-03T09:00:00.000+00:002017-01-03T09:00:06.675+00:002016 Annual End of Year Survey<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5Ah7fzY7h_SqcicM6i7CpG1lbjruJfXrtCqWg-bJ8XAwMdBvwGCY7ZN8FZ1KHI7fpXvgOZglew6a4hlmzH_S6oSZqFdIgZQ4goSWZ4TZJAwDAVNS_BMVQOBy9mxTmjgQRj_SW7jHrzBA/s1600/2016-end-of-year-book-survey-1024x984-768x738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5Ah7fzY7h_SqcicM6i7CpG1lbjruJfXrtCqWg-bJ8XAwMdBvwGCY7ZN8FZ1KHI7fpXvgOZglew6a4hlmzH_S6oSZqFdIgZQ4goSWZ4TZJAwDAVNS_BMVQOBy9mxTmjgQRj_SW7jHrzBA/s1600/2016-end-of-year-book-survey-1024x984-768x738.jpg" width="580px" height="560px"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Happy New Year!! I can't believe it's 2017 already, the years really seem to be flying by so quickly lately. I'm going to start the New Year off with a look back at 2016. This post is inspired by <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2016/12/7th-annual-end-of-year-survey-2016-edition.html">Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner's Annual End of the Year Survey</a>. I've answered quite a few of her questions, and added in a few of my own, too. Let's start with a few stats.
</p>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align:center;">
2016 Reading Stats:</h2>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Number of Books I Read:</b> 68</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Number of Re-Reads:</b> 9</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Number of Series I Completed:</b> 7</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Number of Series I Won't Continue: </b>5</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Number of New-to-Me Authors: </b>28</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Number of 2016 New Releases:</b> 22</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Most Read Genre:</b> Fantasy</p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">2016 was a weird year, what else can I say?! I didn't read as much as I had hoped to. I set my Goodreads goal to 50 books, but I had secretly hoped to beat it by a lot more than 18 books. I had an unofficial total of 75 for the year in mind, but that didn't work out too well! Maybe it'll happen this year. Also, blogging took a back-seat. I had little desire to write posts or take part in challenge, and I lost a lot of bookish motivation for five or six months of the year. Also, I haven't been as involved in the bookish community in general, and I do miss it. (But one thing I definitely didn't miss was drama and general hostility for daring to express an opinion, but that's a discussion for another day!)</p>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Best In Books:</h2>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>My Favourite Book of 2016:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEZGygfa40JrMhOvobGCRz4IPLhKNmoFfZyaFf4DDnOyQZuRw73_R0pGmnbAC2K9swM7hfx9WeYKZ4beF0aYaHDv0rkSGfozF58xfspOWSkw_C3dKBexZh7TAAGd0pibAMFO6F-EcjhX5/s1600/Six+of+Crows.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - I absolutely adored Six of Crows, and the only down side to loving it so much was the reading slump it triggered for most of the summer until I managed to get my hands on Crooked Kingdom in September. The lack of reading was worth it in the end, though! </p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Favourite 2016 Debut:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrN8fqw1fxy9JI_jfRar5bHXBTqPzZCp8IWd0vljLQyJtW2goM88OWn6QxDfBiSYdtA6Bv9nAwS61XWLD9fpSpkZgettOtHDYQnpRE_JliZy59tf8C89cn__7KQ-4uGujeGM3GXGXFS2vC/s1600/Rebel+of+the+Sands.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>My Biggest Disappointment of 2016:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47oLBvFBGtmeQgE26HBn7E65vAgt93no5XOgf9GTXr3ZBzLx9_dhxN_awH6nhqAfr3CoH-GLjvs_e-voZtga8jAWXjYu2LCs20uvzQKutG1OtvD5M4uOXahlynqftzskdpKwatHrxsb4G/s1600/Nevernight.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Nevernight by Jay Kristoff"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - I know this one will be on quite a few favourite lists this year, but unfortunately the writing style wasn't for me and I couldn’t get into the story.</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>My Favourite Series Conclusion:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCmyzdhil99qCPwrK6x6LjYpoF7umyn6Yo1ItBmQrBMyKJk9jWxz5eTV_sv1B5nKbxBTF8bS5gBX1HEiyVlLcvlVdm2qN90fMeRd17-jwobhlI2wUqGH9Z1ttU0XlvsTXExtn8oZXgUar/s1600/The+Winner%2527s+Kiss.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski - If only every series ended as perfect and satisfying as this trilogy, I'd be one happy reader!</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Best Series I Started in 2016:</b></p>
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWo8yB6qZn3yno6NaIgP6FTbTVNJL0utoprMRF3w3OKOqr8cAW0chgjUmU7PBbaYy__pWveFyh3Y4p_5gB38ASftCvC0wS6STVoQcYbO3Rh4r3xVjmbkrbf332FuCGpFy5EW-9sH4nSyJw/s1600/Queen+of+the+Tearling.jpg" style="width:140px; height:autopx; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="The Queen of the Tearling"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqUHHBa_lfZod_LnOg3iM_0BjGwItLRxFOsET4Fi5xgUJZsOFmVFpN0irhe6f5VnUwHhgjn4JgxYdXljbMecJWyoFktzNpPhYCb4zWISk2_AO2MVERZFePSQ1-AuNduMSR_QUpfz2e5Wf/s1600/Finnikin+of+the+Rock.jpg" style="width:140px; height:autopx; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Finnikin of the Rock"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<p style="text-align:justify;">I can't choose between two series, so I have to include both! The Queen of the Tearling trilogy by Erika Johansen and The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Favourite New-to-Me Author I Read in 2016:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDThCbpcUWzmyzxK1de91Gyb6OJA6k8O2lZ9VBgHdiLOD1bzPhq7_SxJyo7cpUBuvjMWtSi64NnpJ-YlLxT1qfmdErDP6RgTRMuVoHHmYrFMvC-jj9A4rHsXAnhodpIYOv_dtr4JjmeJ_O/s1600/Erika+Johansen.jpg" width="300" height="auto" alt="Erika Johansen"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">Erika Johansen, author of The Queen of the Tearling trilogy.</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Most Addictive Book of the Year:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEZGygfa40JrMhOvobGCRz4IPLhKNmoFfZyaFf4DDnOyQZuRw73_R0pGmnbAC2K9swM7hfx9WeYKZ4beF0aYaHDv0rkSGfozF58xfspOWSkw_C3dKBexZh7TAAGd0pibAMFO6F-EcjhX5/s1600/Six+of+Crows.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Six of Crows. I read it in two sittings, which is a pretty rare thing for me these days!</p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Favourite Cover:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrN8fqw1fxy9JI_jfRar5bHXBTqPzZCp8IWd0vljLQyJtW2goM88OWn6QxDfBiSYdtA6Bv9nAwS61XWLD9fpSpkZgettOtHDYQnpRE_JliZy59tf8C89cn__7KQ-4uGujeGM3GXGXFS2vC/s1600/Rebel+of+the+Sands.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. Crooked Kingdom's cover would be a VERY close second, though.</p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Favourite World-Building/Setting:</b></p>
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisleHfaIvbBoE8T7f9t8BsngizIgyTIOguxI185WruAe0GBvD6C_EquqTUSwDItPs6wjFpdso8YsRJJS0MZHGWUnen6k6IoipcPiXOh-cK8ZiN3qX55HGdLjmXL8ii6MQY7Q_WB1VwQRm9/s1600/The+Forbidden+Wish.jpg" style="width:140px; height:autopx; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kaCzKETWIxGZmpD-ZSxSknvRqzVKJY7K4M-cGy6ghcB-SpgnViSkDxUd0KV6A5-BEQYR10ONcRukRelN76bvCNcMS0N0yWhZ1-mHexrNzKF95ypdHtvXO5sx5lwHMdIy5Id7sNDv-PSj/s1600/And+I+Darken.jpg" style="width:140px; height:autopx; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="And I Darken by Kiersten White"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<p style="text-align:justify;">It's a tie between The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury and And I Darken by Kiersten White.</p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Most Memorable Character of 2016: </b></p>
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kaz Brekker aka Dirtyhands aka the Bastard of the Barrel aka King of Clubs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SixofCrows?src=hash">#SixofCrows</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrookedKingdom?src=hash">#CrookedKingdom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kevinwada">@kevinwada</a> <a href="https://t.co/Gy7VUgsngQ">pic.twitter.com/Gy7VUgsngQ</a></p>— Leigh Bardugo (@LBardugo) <a href="https://twitter.com/LBardugo/status/753650039864471553">July 14, 2016</a></blockquote></center>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Kaz Brekker. Love him or hate him, he's VERY memorable! (I fall into the love him half, by the way!)</p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>My OTP of the Year:</b></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Choosing my favourite OTP is like asking me which lung I prefer. *panics* It's an impossible choice! Okay, okay! So, if I have to choose, I'll say Kaz and Inej from the Six of Crows duology. (I'm sensing a theme here…)</p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Shortest and Longest Book I Read in 2016:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiT5PmRiezAJwQR8QdEtfjY_6k2EFzIe6xnS0dDPCSoOf-MgOfTeApSIxT2ZslOmNVQySfM1dyAmXGzgRAoesSX-fDh-6jjBpN9Mh4hz32G3b67VolDS4fsyE771qhvd-KPcqALpyGjPD/s1600/2016_GR_Stats.PNG" width="480px" height="autopx"/></a></div>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Book that Made me Cry:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_vV0XtJTb3yEggl6NC9eYw7BVnDYDF8i_YCXrjuZJ2r8kmtHt-N4kOxyAO2HzI5DcFOK8hC_GbcdS6tBL_IMy7FT3mYm5IKWxo7deMoYX9ar5oK-F9c2sfWwSYXw9HMraoJz5dCacsps/s1600/Crooked+Kingdom.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. - I could see what happened coming for quite a while, but it still hurt. *wipes away tears*</p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Hidden Gem of the Year: </b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L-Hu0YtWD0ls4HR_nvhvH8ONX8Voadp2836iQjcrVo3hjh-Snjwg5f4cdQWFcQ35nBMNXryeA-XhSbaG81RIIPpDC3uL6YCLJyfoa5zjEfm7JZRIDefjA2pkbu1ozEIBPaqzJsuU6Siu/s1600/Of+Metal+and+Wishes.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine. - It's a Phantom of the Opera retelling set in a slaughter house. How could I not love it?!</p>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Looking Ahead to 2017:</h2>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>A 2016 Release I WILL Read in 2017:</b> </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOl9R_3h5MfUxvttrd4sHm_xMugBrgEYP10WEY-HxboZZq4LEAe3VR_FKgmbWS02zWJAuglXwU1Ue2b1VMp5E7-OVckBsfKc6WvClehEvkEwomr1kbUggXn0lOfAaatWjoBObso5fGES0k/s1600/Truthwitch.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="Truthwitch by Susan Dennard"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">Truthwitch by Susan Dennard</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Most Anticipated 2017 Release:</b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79wniCdVi3qTS_P7s2rzAKzHVTLKLoXw9qxvBBRzxxKcoUDWjsYLJbsdHjNBjBhE8adJMtL2eQxq3CCmvq1CX3s-_VpKrCqgEMMV76hbX8nbbFGEcuDbtZ33U-h-aQGBhrHPPpYar99bo/s1600/The+Fallen+Kingdom_US.jpg" width="160" height="auto" alt="The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Most Anticipated 2017 Debut:</b> </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivp8axfCrwL0oFHkMlpam2ISP2LDBtj6shuYPDakc7lb24Xao74_ENhqVZ4OLpXPIp-pw_h-N_v8lVadKDtuTc6u7eBuY-YjOC3k6ueC1oJa3mWdGGL9KjWjtklJsFCR7Pau2dbZS2HM3i/s1600/Gilded+Cage.jpg" width="160" height="auto" auto="Gilded Cage by Vic James"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">Gilded Cage by Vic James</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Most Anticipated 2017 Series Continuation:</b> </p>
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqC1rxQjtPeMqpL4ph5bIu0DG1BBdsBYhjuTBTRD7slb2pBaUzr9ugOY1s7gBrZsjzXfvT7hEKVQHtRGjW5N5mLv9QNy6-pfTs_kdzuDjueXvcJHxqhnu-oW4WWulJpZu47SDdWg9MEbQ/s1600/Now+I+Rise_US.jpg" style="width:140px; height:autopx; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Now I Rise by Kiersten White"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv_w9nf9GmHcsd8oo8CRNePe9NMMY0K43SvdHBr32P7qmt_rKhNvWVWqWXE9spdzqqWtfsk2PEtxf2Tqg8LyghI-lm_AGupxNskMKwAKCppWISybDtYbC36ggKvFwkgsnu0599yqaxO5i/s1600/Traitor+to+the+Throne.jpg" style="width:140px; height:autopx; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<p style="text-align:justify;">I have two, (shocking, I know!), and they're Now I Rise by Kiersten White and Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Most Anticipated 2017 Series Conclusion:</b> </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">It doesn't have a title yet (or a cover), but I can't wait to see how the Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff ends!</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;">Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Reading!</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNObYJ-mlPUHw_9RrQvKU83RVjVPfOnUrSOOf7gJ7AHqqeZGohArFtI5VusNCgfO8MSJFOaDEQu1ss97lP0fC0gPYS81ThiBapXEaQphA621nIZ8xCWEj0aeIFSHIQYg69Xbb8-VdpHtVi/s1600/_Post+Signature_.png" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-72987153948780537072016-12-13T09:00:00.000+00:002016-12-13T09:00:20.855+00:00My 10 Most Anticipated 2017 Book Releases: January to June Edition<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAY4xyWDkMOvcZ_ggxIJwXSQj5CavgX1yd9rjpIazk4V-etdTe26zJ6Iz1KV4o7VPVH0kYgKf3JLvA6AiVYBnFGEmKgdAe64h2MalN-0Pmi51mmXKkgvQo58HPWp-5mXtqcvuRB_KAYaKu/s1600/_Top+Ten+Tuesday_.png" width="640px" height="474"/></a></div>
<br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I think I say this every year, but <i>where the heck has the past 12 months gone!?</i> I swear it feels like only a few weeks ago since I was planning for last Christmas and New Year! One of my favourite things about this time of year – apart from Christmas and the colder weather – is knowing that dozens of my most anticipated releases are a little closer to me reading them. There are SO MANY new releases I could have chosen for this list, and it was really hard narrowing it down to only 10. The list isn’t in any particular order, and all links below the book covers are to Goodreads. </p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish.</a> </p>
<br />
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCDpsyu41vAlx9rcWcsCvZX0lAfXZWyqUrfZd6KogA-vNDfrPYCiPSz8YpbsxzuJrZs1r5WF2O5czHISrwL1z6KKn0NoLQHBhpGSTnkc5KcXd0cMT-rg931clF7XMS9Bw3k8d-7FywPvP/s1600/Traitor+to+the+Throne.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa-dWh3oMvpgtW5NR-EawYRhJ-PH9azB2laKwEs3gh5cUXd3ygaRRtnJW_xAAuRT5wd7hCy1Xy3ZkwS1MpPOyh2m7a6gCK3MzT9FPHRMomIUsKiwfDKeuin2CMPWBpz9wkNmx-xaghDWz/s1600/The+Fallen+Kingdom_US.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUpfTp2zxaiLvWjWy3BF15XjwBHzputNsIeCvyIipuL_9VxnbnnFpgV_jNApJCI4lcARMJjLdSNfRo3rYCtPiILCdVx6Tp0HMsKwts-h0LOpvhcfvU-Q7rrbeIJ0CI2_fFIsY2FhnUb-i/s1600/Flame+in+the+Mist.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczFxSFfyRhWP62sApXisHqU6NtuwHPRmiARPGGNHGidXr4i5mdQ50sSC6cHkflrFgWqWJgITll2f3RyNnb4XKEQBnzab17obzcM0pfvZDK2K662TUG9FLCdbH1UvMBtJONPOKg-48qNBz/s1600/Now+I+Rise_US.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Now I Rise by Kiersten White"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigneSa55z11uJKjWz5UjlZGiohxLZeu__ZAHqA4hPCgIxOR9uruQAM6TqQM9dmiwjdgvNt6PBnoAGlsflqTDWOdpfMeJm-A9Zqyr9igtcJjtqXEueE2qWysxTfZTx7hxMaM3EYEtR-ZtIq/s1600/RoseBlood.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="RoseBlood by A.G. Howard"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31574408-traitor-to-the-throne">Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32498439-the-fallen-kingdom">The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23308087-flame-in-the-mist">Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22817331-now-i-rise">Now I Rise by Kiersten White</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28818314-roseblood">RoseBlood by A.G. Howard</a>
</b>
</p>
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWawp6sAPtwILCyJIAoTouVFqAVII58qbXJkqh7hIOSZhcjz7ng7ml3V8ct7zxer3gsbFfJ6s27ksRbBeUPAUvEr9-LgyIpxMET7FL1FsNhs6jRxNUlhMIUo6OEtJz3N5KtwACj6cJ79PR/s1600/The+Bone+Witch.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqS0aCd4_0c_m3bInnyVg84Gc1f-7FD0eypLl5hkc_6Ol4Jcs-GZ1Wi9owsoDm7R8rTO7CLUMRFSZHMPzC7eSvvQktyzyaFfhUK4CAicV0-pbtVARLVdUEglP0R7CkZZ2lcH7-XqJ-buyt/s1600/Hunted.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Hunted by Meagan Spooner"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9GO45qmfV_0qMpkx2xG6OcovdXhqvbsmH8z4Z2A44T6hiJtVquvvZfn8cEsHuquKFHqkgOH2yJfYTxW434YxF7TajXnzOJVP71VVz_J2lzDYjrbTvf1qlyLvbo04vRNUTf1Un1i3AFct/s1600/Spindle+Fire.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEelirffXjC-l_TdRpM18L2TpC9wJySXhabLLFYvr7C7c4jvsLn29xklCMPE5YzCsb946GCJaPMX2N6aU69kYnTC5sQkyTuw0X0Qz6j9FlI9WejKoFEaw321iXzzEiuIDKJ-grVdWRF1ei/s1600/Wintersong.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASdSovRbkxPa77peoGZGJeppvaKApMj8bhDfV1an8LSAkUJsAX9GrRgq1ZkkDy6x0uofluvOmvKBgbpf26F3mVMNgn7Vd6F_l8jqulVUQyQyhmVEhyphenhyphenx1f8CjfGq1OwqdXQwiH61sA7S7P/s1600/Roar.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Roar by Cora Carmack"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30095464-the-bone-witch">The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24485589-hunted">Hunted by Meagan Spooner</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30163661-spindle-fire">Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24763621-wintersong">Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939048-roar">Roar by Cora Carmack</a>
</b></p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"> Do we share any most anticipated releases?? And, what are some of your other most anticipated 2017 releases? </p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"> <b>Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Reading!</b> </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNObYJ-mlPUHw_9RrQvKU83RVjVPfOnUrSOOf7gJ7AHqqeZGohArFtI5VusNCgfO8MSJFOaDEQu1ss97lP0fC0gPYS81ThiBapXEaQphA621nIZ8xCWEj0aeIFSHIQYg69Xbb8-VdpHtVi/s1600/_Post+Signature_.png" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-24221497233308241242016-12-08T08:30:00.000+00:002016-12-08T08:30:11.443+00:00#ReadIndie Review: Possess by Sarah Dalton<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiisrtMAivH7Z2s19ZanqYpPk3lVu3Bb2uDypM-LGI5cZ2CjzDVKnLL5f3GEKaby5zNWSTXDphVWWW58ZuPttTCEMBQiw_FYp42VBNmV_z-SKIAMOtO3wBdCCbce_UYv25mGUCWzf-jKuz/s1600/Possess.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt=" Possess by Sarah Dalton book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Possess <br />
<b>Author:</b> Sarah Dalton <br />
<b>Series:</b> Mary Hades, #2 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Kindle; bought <br />
<b>Publisher:</b> Createspace <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 4 / 5<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22392431-possess?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Mary Hades is drawn back into the world of the macabre as she moves with her family into the mysterious old house, Ravenswood. The mere mention of Ravenswood induces terror among the locals, and when strange things begin to occur, Mary and Lacey decide to get to the bottom of the secret hidden in the historic house once and for all.
<br /><br />
As a dark power gathers, Mary finds her life becomes interconnected with the disturbing events that transpired in 1847 to eleven year old Liza Blair. The more Mary is drawn into Liza’s story, the more she realises someone close to her is in grave danger from the sinister energy at Ravenswood.
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Set in the backdrop of an unsettling forest, and with strange neighbour Emmaline Delacroix obsessed with death and séances, Possess will take you even deeper into the murky depths of Mary Hades’s unusual life. </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<br />
<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">I bought Possess quite a while ago, and I had intended to read it long before now. I loved the first book in the series, but as with so many of my reading plans I only got around to continuing the series this Halloween past. Better late than never, I guess??</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
Possess continues on shortly after the family returns home from their holidays in Yorkshire where the first book ended. Mary’s parents soon announce that they are moving to an old manor house on the outskirts of a village close to her father’s workplace to cut down on his commute time. It’s a very quick move, and Mary and her mother begin the process while her father is away on a business trip. Right from the outset Mary is drawn to their new house, Ravenswood, and into the past and the mysteries and hauntings that surround it.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I loved that this book has a more sinister atmosphere than the first book. It still has all the creepiness that you expect from a ghost story, but I loved that it took a completely fresh approach, rather than sticking very closely to the first book in the series. The atmosphere that was created was fabulous, and without giving too much away, I loved how the diary entries were incorporated into the story. The parallels between what happened in the past and what was happening in the present was awesome, and kept me glued to the pages throughout. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
Mary Hades is the main character and narrator, and I like both her and her best friend, Lacey, equally. Mary and Lacey met when they were both patients in a mental institution, and while Mary walked out of the hospital alive and well, Lacey wasn’t quite so lucky. She decided against crossing over after her death and has remained as a ghost by Mary’s side ever since. I absolutely adore their friendship, and it’s fabulous to see just how much both characters have grown in the space of two books and a couple of novellas.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">For those that like their spooky stories romance-free, there is no romance in this book. And I really liked this! The focus was purely on the hauntings and creepy occurrences that happened in spades throughout the story, and to be perfectly honest, it was lovely to read a book where the main character wasn’t floating along with heart eyes after the nearest pretty face! </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
I was under the impression that this was going to be a trilogy and everything would be wrapped up in the next book, and it was only a couple of weeks ago that I found out that there will be two more books after this one! And I’m so glad about this, as with the amount of things that have been revealed about certain characters toward the end of Possess, I can’t wait to continue on and find out how the series continues. Overall, I really enjoyed Possess, and if you love creepy and atmospheric ghostly haunting stories, then I highly recommend giving the Mary Hades series a chance.</p><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEIDcFoucDrWvlFZHlOahOjsQIPIxyPFmHJhzGms0AzGPOdP85kXva0gpUiZWwwJwwuKrnYQDBF9ZsHPFZasuEDaZlBH9fdF9Bsy4pGWBLJLT2owuccyzHk_CB8dGT4nmh02Cdq5jKSM2/s1600/_4Stars_250_104.png" alt="4 Stars Really Liked" width="250px" height="104px"/></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNObYJ-mlPUHw_9RrQvKU83RVjVPfOnUrSOOf7gJ7AHqqeZGohArFtI5VusNCgfO8MSJFOaDEQu1ss97lP0fC0gPYS81ThiBapXEaQphA621nIZ8xCWEj0aeIFSHIQYg69Xbb8-VdpHtVi/s1600/_Post+Signature_.png" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-70027245629447274072016-12-06T09:00:00.000+00:002016-12-06T09:00:13.019+00:0010 New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2016<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAY4xyWDkMOvcZ_ggxIJwXSQj5CavgX1yd9rjpIazk4V-etdTe26zJ6Iz1KV4o7VPVH0kYgKf3JLvA6AiVYBnFGEmKgdAe64h2MalN-0Pmi51mmXKkgvQo58HPWp-5mXtqcvuRB_KAYaKu/s1600/_Top+Ten+Tuesday_.png" width="640px" height="474"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">After a few reading challenge filled (and stress filled!) reading years, I wanted 2016 to be as stress and plan free as it could possibly be. And I think it helped! I didn't read as much as other years, but what I did read I enjoyed a lot more. Also, I reread quite a bit, which is something I've really missed doing over the past few years. (I'm currently three books in to my first ever Harry Potter reread, and it's awesome!) Combining lots of rereading and being determined to continue on with series I've already started, I didn't read quite as many new-to-me authors as previous years. But of those new authors, there were quite a few that I really loved and I can't wait to read more of their works. So, I've created a list and these are my 10 favourite new-to-me authors that I read for the first time in 2016. </p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish.</a> </p>
<br />
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFiXqRf8lr0KzI5oMaNbl1VqAuARygyahWTqCPmBdyai09-Fyckt0fhINlBhZoCfZaVzAM9jGyoiRf2x7QRrvpBNFPWEy0-PPiX2u3qEAzfx7V68bs7vnCsF866BQhBOsK_3PD9_9ZvZ4/s1600/And+I+Darken.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Kiersten White – And I Darken"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWPkSwj6Y5lERq2VnrqFor7h4OEemYK14EFAhFd0nKfEfmYil1SkOQxjXF3KBRiPDygOhACvKtYfvxkcfokwI6EdL08gsow7gLP0lHi786-B_Q7nMDocpRylBk4C1qbTsaB8EKeqQLUPG/s1600/Rebel+of+the+Sands.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Alwyn Hamilton – Rebel of the Sands"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6k-paDaJjGojAQxUL1YgiF2exGpGQEcbyVDuyPwQeoqedCFky0lURxYwf-n_IYYMhX_DTSFZxglp2FwGTn2yw7b7D9XCk3BKcyOy542Kc9jD46UhsSgyZiOCsqyjf1fubcq0Ym1unPDh3/s1600/The+Forbidden+Wish.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Jessica Khoury – The Forbidden Wish"></td>
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<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNRzcY-sl-PoGwpFEMw79QCv6pXBsCI0vNBY2NRAuTi5UYOXmtvkZG1zk4RRQbywywvk1447_FUG6juCGrXFV2AdeCUX_6rSUmhbPmMobkPVrvzDFARgmQVRrMkSLjaC1blaQt8EqjudU/s1600/The+Girl+from+the+Well.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Rin Chupeco – The Girl from the Well"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Wt94qBW6C3uEG29XTBxAiZJEIJUEYILQmJqimwng_9QOKhDGAP1J8yqKm8GgsKOrZmlLpIoFs_doSr9R1LITTMPqpAwjSGyeTtuKk2bUzs0FkHCuJ0Jf7f9KTygR-mty542y3tD8xfyi/s1600/Alice.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="
Christina Henry – Alice"></td>
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<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Kiersten White – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25324111-and-i-darken">And I Darken</a> <br />
Alwyn Hamilton – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24934065-rebel-of-the-sands">Rebel of the Sands</a> <br />
Jessica Khoury – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21396155-the-forbidden-wish">The Forbidden Wish</a> <br />
Rin Chupeco – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25263927-the-girl-from-the-well">The Girl from the Well</a><br />
Christina Henry – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30196357-alice">Alice</a> </b><br />
</p>
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<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_kLCvzSo2o-VThwF7n56byo9qFzRuN4mml4MTEBCsJaUQ35vRaCcSS4eazuNaw5DzLLlmSKSTjFF2oAEc4bw3rd6BGR2ODMaXlcHDVPjEocGh1RMQR79qgj_uWs32smwIoUYaY256Eqx/s1600/Of+Metal+and+Wishes.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Sarah Fine – Of Metal and Wishes"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTSCD1ebyo7jWGp6TSC1e0PL2T8yNKxKIgtIzpfSmTJvfrEpGGph1LLKGAzjCFoUCpwF9woVkSbWs0IuY8LeYpeFmu4vokHfV60oFbJSjL-crXsEebWnegMsDvkVDRQD5gPY7wMzJFbyN/s1600/Queen+of+the+Tearling.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Erika Johansen – The Queen of the Tearling"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EBdgkMHp4AcP-KKP2wGpod8Gx3_jKuYZDFenkk5IWl6L0MsyfhyEXl_9rDXVU9lEyDAcZp8U5DC6ESuNa3toakmZdoAAcx0EWC0BpSo1r6NqM-8dUFT8SNYazcvVLP-JMDQsVGuggqWF/s1600/Daughter+of+Smoke+and+Bone.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Laini Taylor – Daughter of Smoke and Bone"></td>
</tr></table></center><p style="clear: both;">
<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSHhxsAXaJBbyV-o8fPUWzkalrWBkxMk4PqjWPL0_Vz1dUeCJTYuRUa-tDm3skiyUrMnhbwTLm3E_ZM_g2_UNeD2AzmXHWesd1KH7e9mwnNRR-beC3EQ1i1lErkVRZtNPZTiQNKknpRZB/s1600/Finnikin+of+the+Rock.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Melina Marchetta – Finnikin of the Rock"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0SzT_k9-sGZdCEnEDv6NbsMm8GBwPzAchDM6amweyrJjJj3Uk3hbIZLYYI1aaohEXlT0D7dyu2QFgULOjdFgUkhCeqUVQDBwQ1EGzSBcfoSeT2JIHNijbyhncjRu6HuhTW6G9EDjT6sr/s1600/Red+Rising.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Pierce Brown - Red Rising"></td>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>
Sarah Fine – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23309709-of-metal-and-wishes">Of Metal and Wishes</a><br />
Erika Johansen – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21792577-the-queen-of-the-tearling">The Queen of the Tearling</a><br />
Laini Taylor – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone">Daughter of Smoke and Bone</a><br />
Melina Marchetta – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22077977-finnikin-of-the-rock">Finnikin of the Rock</a><br />
Pierce Brown - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839976-red-rising">Red Rising</a>
</b></p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"> <b>Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Reading!</b> </p>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-35215565200496987012016-12-02T09:00:00.000+00:002016-12-02T09:00:12.589+00:00#ReadIndie Review: Veiled by Karina Halle
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bqq37VgCVmxzU_-8ssB_SO9N8ZuMwbWjSB6FYYKjcb4l4engVboEV8N9zD44sCOcoV43DmhBAChqVKp4Zoi4Bc1Ckmponc6U0bypXKTZuu_eJXkhlm5s-co_yOr-Uwd9lR-VmmXNp-zu/s1600/Veiled.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Veiled by Karina Halle book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Veiled <br />
<b>Author:</b> Karina Halle <br />
<b>Format:</b> Kindle, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 4 / 5<br />
<b>Publisher:</b> Metal Blonde Books <br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31284240-veiled?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
<br />
<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">
Death.<br /><br />
It's something that Ada Palomino has always known so well, having grown up in a house of horrors, surrounded by a family plagued by ghosts and demons and things that go bump in the night.
But after the sudden and tragic death of her mother two years ago, death has never felt so personal.
Or so close.<br /><br />
Now eighteen, Ada is trying to move on with her life and the last month of summer holds nothing but sunshine and promises with her first year at a Portland design school just around the bend.<br /><br />
That is until her increasingly violent and realistic dreams, dreams of other worlds, of portals and veils where her mother is tortured and souls bleed for mercy, start to blend into reality. Ada has to lean on her older sister, Perry, to try and make sense of it all but even then, she's never felt more alone.<br /><br />
Then there's Jay. Tall, handsome and deeply mysterious, Jay would be just another stranger, a familiar face on the bus, if it wasn't for the fact that Ada has met him before.<br /><br />
Every night.<br />
In every single dream.<br /><br />
And the more that Ada is drawn to him in both worlds, the more she's in danger of losing everything.<br /><br />
Including her heart.<br />
And her very soul.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<br />
<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
<br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">As you may know, the Experiment in Terror series is one of my all-time favourite series and when I found out that Perry Palomino’s little sister, Ada, was going to get her own spin-off series, I was SO HAPPY! It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here, and it was worth the wait.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Veiled takes place in the same urban-fantasy style world as the Experiment in Terror series two years after the conclusion of Dust to Dust. Technically, yes, you can read this book without having read the original series and you’ll have absolutely no problems being caught up in the world. Buuuuut… okay, this will be bias-me talking, but if you have even a teeny tiny plan on reading the EIT series in the future, then <b>I’d personally recommend reading those books first</b> as you will be spoiled for the endings of both Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust in Veiled. Both of those books are crazy creepy emotional rollercoasters in their own rights, and I’d love everyone who chooses to read them to experience them as I did – with no spoilers or preconceived notions of what’ll happen – and to get the full impact of the horrors of the original series. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">The best way I can sum up my feelings on Veiled is that it felt like an impromptu family reunion with of all your favourite relatives that you love and get along with really well. Perry and Dex do make an appearance, (YEEESSSS!) and I may have been grinning like a complete idiot when they showed up. Also, a few characters from The Devil’s Metal duology show up which was a complete surprise and I was completely in heaven! Yes, okay, I may have been fangirling and reminiscing like crazy for quite a huge chunk of this book, but it was so worth it.
</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">And this brings me onto the main characters of Veiled: <b>Ada and Jay</b>. I adored Ada in the original series and I still really liked her here, but she didn’t quite manage to emerge from her big sisters shadow and stand out on her own merit. To be honest, as unfair as this may sound, I think she will always be Little Fifteen to me. Jay, well, his character didn’t really work for me. Uber alpha male tendencies don’t do anything for me, so some parts of his attitude and mannerisms weren’t winning any favours with me.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I hate to say this, but the romance between Ada and Jay was a bit too quick. The chemistry didn’t feel that strong or believable, and as I mentioned above, Jay isn’t the kind of character I’m particularly drawn to. Now, take my feelings on this with a grain of salt: the EIT series has one of the slowest-burning and most rewarding romances I’ve ever read, so with those HUGE expectations already floating around in my head for any developing romance in this book, having those expectations met over the span of one book isn’t really going to happen.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">The story itself was just as creepy as I was expecting. Paranormal and creepy horror stories are, in my opinion, what Karina Halle does best and she manages to create so many genuinely creepy moments throughout the book that are so much fun to read. Ovarall, I really enjoyed Veiled, and it was so nice to be back in the Experiment in Terror world again. While I didn’t connect with Ada as much as I did with her sister, I still loved seeing her story and the aftermath of what happened at the end of Dust to Dust. Also, reading this book has reminded me why Perry and Dex are two of my all-time favourite characters, and I have a feeling I’ll be trying to reread the original series as soon as I possibly can! </p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEIDcFoucDrWvlFZHlOahOjsQIPIxyPFmHJhzGms0AzGPOdP85kXva0gpUiZWwwJwwuKrnYQDBF9ZsHPFZasuEDaZlBH9fdF9Bsy4pGWBLJLT2owuccyzHk_CB8dGT4nmh02Cdq5jKSM2/s1600/_4Stars_250_104.png" alt="4 Stars Really Liked" width="250px" height="104px"/></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-28067891726434157952016-11-30T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-30T09:00:01.848+00:00WoW #87: Hunted by Megan Spooner<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rv3LX-nLSISwMxIGyjBiVIk_yzs929PyRV7FEcZS5dO9mlIhNfBQORJ__z-wDoeE8HXsbt90IeL3lOOy6DyDS6m5EZf129y6zZ7ZTx_pn8QfAP4OIJRnb3VaQniO32vKyVIptXWp0mcQ/s1600/_Waiting+on+Wednesday_.png" alt="Waiting on Wednesday Journey Through Fiction"/></a></div>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;">This week, I'm waiting on...</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:32px; color:#000000; text-align:center;">Hunted </h3>
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<h3 style="color:#000000; text-align:center;">by Megan Spooner</h3><br />
<p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEU4j-8oMQ7TFaS6bZyTYhcEbILRyiCZdPfH2RNELom3k6IXociaVoTrm0gGAEZyWOvIxvmZV2ZOA8ATYAWGfi5BPB3Xk_qQszXN0GHJHlbyTqeRWCEgu2aJuLEfmB_wLc_La56cFtDEQ/s1600/Hunted.jpg" width="300px" height="autopx" style="float:left; margin-right:10px;" alt=" Hunted by Megan Spooner book cover"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Expected publication:</b> March 17th 2017 </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Genres:</b> Fantasy; Retellings </p>
<p style="font-size:22px; text-align:center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24485589-hunted?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></p>
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<blockquote ><p style="text-align:justify;">Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.
<br /><br />
So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.
<br /><br />
Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?</p></blockquote>
<p style="clear: both;">
<br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling… so, I need it! You may be familiar with my fairy tale retelling addiction, and I really hope this will be the perfect fix. I hope it’s not too similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses… hopefully it’ll take a completely different direction. Fingers crossed, anyway!</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Do you like retellings? What are some of your favourites? And are you planning on reading Hunted? <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by!</b></p>
<br />
<p style="text-align:center; font-size:14px;"> * Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ie/">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *</p>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-90719696360090704872016-11-28T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-28T09:00:07.047+00:00Review: The Secret Fire by C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0LZNZkwNzgFkM2cvOAlSxHFjQd_H2sIWJz66MxYUDs-Ygq_jA7zAkbGT1iqY373X8_-d8vprej7Y4ceLOb4tLtCgssC40LS5C17DzbsRAoamSrEXOVwtj6cgkIQ-LB5Ljp9O8ZIUidKs/s1600/The+Secret+Fire.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="The Secret Fire by C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> The Secret Fire <br />
<b>Authors:</b> C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld <br />
<b>Series:</b> The Alchemist Chronicles, #1 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 3 / 5<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22911719-the-secret-fire?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
<br />
<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">French teen Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.
<br /><br />
Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.
<br /><br />
There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.
<br /><br />
They have eight weeks to find each other.
<br /><br />
Will they survive long enough to save the world? </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
<p style="clear: both;">
<br />
<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
<br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Being a huge fan of the Night School series, I was really looking forward to reading more of CJ Daugherty’s works. I knew that her new series was going to be more fantasy focused, and I was so happy about this. Fantasy is my all-time favourite genre, so combining one of my favourite authors with my favourite genre seemed like it would be a win-win scenario. By contrast, this was my first time reading any of Carina Rozenfeld’s works, and I was intrigued to see how both authors would collaborate and how the story would develop. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Well… it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. When I began reading I quickly realised my fantasy expectations might be a little off. I kept reading and realised it felt like I had unexpectedly picked up a YA Contemporary novel that just happened to have a few paranormal and supernatural threads woven in. Now, here’s where I need to clarify something. All of this is not necessarily a bad thing… however, I’ve read dozens and dozens of Urban Fantasy books over the years and I’ve seen all these tropes many times before. Combine all this with lots of familiar YA Contemporary tropes and the story just wasn’t that unique to me, and I found my interest in the story wandering more than once.
</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">The narration is split into two separate points-of-view. Taylor is an English teen and Sasha is French, and over the course of the book both characters stories become intertwined and they need to work together despite various outside groups trying to keep them apart. Each character had <b>their own distinct voice</b> throughout the book which was awesome to see and I always knew which character was narrating throughout. Out of the two main characters, <b>Sasha</b> was the one I was intrigued by the most. He does have a cheeky-chappy kind of personality, and they’re usually the most entertaining characters to read about! <b>Taylor</b>, on the other hand, I wasn’t that connected to. She was Little Miss Perfect incarnated, and to be honest, I find perfect characters to be very unappealing. Give me flaws and questionable morals in my characters any and every day! Personally, I find them more fun to read about. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I absolutely loved the <b>family dynamic</b> that both Taylor and Sasha had in their own respective homes. <b>Absentee parentism </b>is a plague that haunts Young Adult literature, and to see that both teens had a parent that was present in their lives, cared for them and took an interest in their wellbeing was EXCELLENT to see. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Now I move onto something that didn’t work for me. On the back cover of my book it says three sentences in lovely sparkly golden font: “A Battle Against Fate. A Race Against Time. The Clock Starts NOW” So after reading this I expected a blisteringly fast paced plot with the constant threat of impending doom as each day ticks by until death, destruction and despair. I hate to say it, but I never got any sense of fear, or desperation, or that time was actually running out. Everything felt very slow and cushy and cozy for well over half the book, and it didn’t match the sense of urgency that the synopsis on the back cover was promising right from the beginning.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I was really hoping to love The Secret Fire more than I did. Maybe my expectations were too high? Or maybe it was bad timing? I did begin reading it straight after reading A Torch Against the Night and Crooked Kingdom, and they were my two most anticipated releases of 2016! Yeah, okay, looking back on that decision, it probably wasn’t the best timing, was it?! Maybe it did have more of an influence that I thought, but I’ll never know for sure. Personally, I think this book would be a perfect fit for any contemporary readers that are looking to branch out and explore some new genres – Urban Fantasy in particular. Overall, I thought it was a good read, but didn’t quite live up to all my expectations.</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFkqOt6uF-xZHOrUEOq2hAPjHG84-kWoz_iU87BWZQzq_kjphHLwEkXOWtQ8InDZNi9fqu2Hxfj7xJQ8lpwlN7V_XLig84qSairBkYp075xOkiO_M6MHeVvGFokQzaymbzrmcXvoScRxm/s1600/_3Stars_250_104.png" alt="3 Stars Good" width="250px" height="104px" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-51611544939973706572016-11-24T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-24T09:00:17.361+00:00Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6wmkFfQgRy1so72sRujRCn8d_fz8TaCHcZIJ6Tc2detjlp6FLJeFjQ3-ZWKYEj8LR2A-X-tdeTL0_VcuF5sokgwSlz-VNA1zH8Ya27QIMciMsO8UvkVH268qXRipOJyYbsu8v30FN7AZ/s1600/Red+Rising.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Red Rising by Pierce Brown book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Red Rising <br />
<b>Author:</b> Pierce Brown <br />
<b>Series:</b> Red Rising, #1 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 4 / 5<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839976-red-rising?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.
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Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
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But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
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Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">I read Red Rising quite a while ago and I made the mistake of not writing a review straight away. I remember loving the story at the time, but I have a feeling this review won’t be quite as gushing as it would have been if I’d written it back in March.
</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
The <b>world building</b> was easily my favourite thing about the book. The best way I can describe the story is if you put Harry Potter and The Hunger Games in a blender with a handful of Roman gods, blitz them together and throw the result 500-plus years into the future and set the story on Mars. And I really liked it! Despite the familiar HP and THG vibes, the story manages to bring lots of uniqueness to the table, which is always a good thing. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Darrow</b> is the main character, and while I did like him as a narrator while I was reading, looking back on it now I’m a bit unsure why I liked him. I mean, there wasn’t anything that particularly bothered me about him, and in a way I think that’s the problem. When the book began he seemed quite interesting and I was looking forward to seeing how his character was going to develop. I really liked the Reds and the Helldiver aspect and then… things changed and he becomes all nice and polished and perfect. This makes sense for the faceless leader of a rebellion, but as a character in a book I’m supposed to care and root for, well, not so much.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Just thinking of the <b>secondary characters</b> for a second, I found myself more curious about their stories rather than Darrow’s. I really liked <b>Mustang </b>and hopefully she will have a main role in the sequel. I’m thinking of quite a few other characters right now, but I won’t mention them just in case I cross the line into spoiler territory.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
He wasn’t in the book that much, but from what I have seen, <b>Sevro</b> is perfection and needs to be protected at all costs. That is all. Oh, and also the Howlers! I have a feeling they’ll be in future books, and I can’t wait to find out more about them.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Writing-style and pacing:</b> Maybe it’s just me, but Red Rising was A LOT slower paced than I was expecting. Also the writing style, while really good, took me a while to like and enjoy. The first hundred pages or so seemed a bit… tense? Uptight? Maybe a little bit too structured? But after that, things slowly started to relax and the natural flow of the story took over and I began to really enjoy the book.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Trusting Pierce Brown is a bad idea, right!?</b> Seriously, though! I mean, with all the characters he had no problem killing in this book I’m slightly terrified of what he has come up with for the rest of the trilogy! Also, can I just say, he’s a genius for planting VERY subtle clues. There were quite a few times when I was surprised when something was revealed, but I felt like I should have seen it coming as the clues were there, I just didn’t connect them because I was distracted by a billion other things. I love unpredictability like this, and it was SO well done! </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
Overall, I really enjoyed Red Rising, and now that I’ve finally written a review for it, I’m starting to remember why I enjoyed it so much. I do remember finishing the final few pages thinking I needed to get my hands on Golden Son ASAP. Well, fast forward eight months and I haven’t read it yet. (Oops?) I do plan on changing this status as soon as I can, and hopefully I’ll be able to complete the trilogy next year.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-63262059808987489192016-11-22T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-22T09:00:05.170+00:0010 Things I'm Thankful for this Year<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5E8dQcVVLZz_S_HFQccXnk_2MrfqqWyCVdgAU_VkceB271LrrqQsoceUsMtTow4lJOSwZkqp394xlF2PEB1dce2Oh7_KxfmJpHvw025eMMER2yEAEnlnzbM3nAsFxkZJAnq4H0csaZ6z/s1600/10thingsI%2527mthankfulforthisyear.jpg" alt="Journey Through Fiction Book Blog 10 Things I'm Thankful for this Year" width="700px" height="700px"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">To everyone in the U.S. that’s celebrating Thanksgiving this week: Happy Thanksgiving! We don’t celebrate here in Ireland, but I hope everyone that does has an awesome day. For my list this week it will be separated into real life things and bookish things I’m thankful for. I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday this week, and it's a weekly meme run by <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish.</a></p>
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<h3 style="text-align:center;"> Things I'm Thankful for in Real Life </h3>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>My family and friends:</b> How could I <i>not</i> be thankful for my friends and family?? They’re everything to me. </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>My dog:</b> From angelic puppy to manipulative mastermind, this little bundle of fur came into my life almost five years ago, took over and has ruled with an iron paw ever since. All joking aside, she’s the most precious thing to me, and if you can’t already tell, I love her to pieces. (And, yes, that is my bed she insists belongs to her, not me. We may have regular disagreements over this!) </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Music: </b>“Without music, life would be a mistake.” -- Friedrich Nietzsche. I couldn’t agree more. </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Having a warm home and food to eat:</b> There are so many people out there right now that don’t have a single thing in the world beyond the clothes on their backs. And they don’t know where their next warm meal will come from. So, as we all sit down to feast ourselves on huge meals over the coming months for various holidays and celebrations, please take a moment to remember those that don’t have what we have. Please. </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">And on that sombre note, moving onto... </p><br />
<h3 style="text-align:center;"> The Bookish Things I’m Thankful For! </h3>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"> <b>Books and Reading:</b> This one is pretty self-explanatory, really! I’m so thankful my mum got me into reading when I was very young. I may have wandered away now and again, but I always end up returning. </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"> <b>The Bookish Community:</b> I love how welcoming the online bookish community is, and no matter what books we love we can find people that have similar tastes to us. It’s so hard to find people in real life that share what we love, and it’s awesome to have the space online where we can find those people, even if they live thousands of miles away from us.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Twilight:</b> Regardless of whether the Twilight saga deserves the hype it got, I’ll be forever thankful that I read this series. It completely changed my attitude to reading, and liking Twilight gave me a much needed kick up the rear and encouraged me to find and read the books I really love and can become invested in, rather than what others or society deems acceptable. </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>The Hunger Games:</b> Twilight might have changed my attitude toward reading, but The Hunger Games was the series that started my YA addiction. Once I finished the series, I began to be drawn to more and more Young Adult books, and to be perfectly honest I haven’t really looked back since! </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Young Adult Authors:</b> I never understand why the label “young adult” gets so much blind hatred and sneering, but that’s an argument for another day… What I would like to say is thank you to all the YA authors that keep sharing their awesome stories and don’t let any negativity silence their words. </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>All My Favourite Books!</b> This list keeps growing, and it’ll never stop growing and evolving throughout my life, and the image above shows only a handful of my favourite books. From Pride and Prejudice to Angelfall to Nevermore to Crooked Kingdom, I love them all so much and I’m so thankful that I read each one. </p>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-39896672550687680632016-11-20T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-20T09:00:12.970+00:00Mini-Reviews: The Secret of Ella and Micha and Crossed<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iMK3EcgoQeqSMh5dwwNn-ziEEOyaGuhp2eTr2ILb7o3i5XxHpgp-eYv4rio0_slNIJRM9stOwhln4MmyxMXwz4zMhObyoOyqtQ4itQQKPlmngbx_zByVB1wi4KxBO-3fRYDZjdmKvwGG/s1600/Minis-EllaandMichaCrossed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iMK3EcgoQeqSMh5dwwNn-ziEEOyaGuhp2eTr2ILb7o3i5XxHpgp-eYv4rio0_slNIJRM9stOwhln4MmyxMXwz4zMhObyoOyqtQ4itQQKPlmngbx_zByVB1wi4KxBO-3fRYDZjdmKvwGG/s1600/Minis-EllaandMichaCrossed.jpg" width="700px" height="autopx" alt="Journey Through Fiction Mini-Reviews: The Secret of Ella and Micha and Crossed "/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> The Secret of Ella and Micha <br />
<b>Author:</b> Jessica Sorensen <br />
<b>Series:</b> The Secret, #1 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 4 / 5<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18296175-the-secret-of-ella-and-micha" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">A rule-breaker with a fiery attitude, Ella always wore her heart on her sleeve. Then she left everything behind to go to college, where she transformed into someone who follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. Now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. But once there, Ella fears that everything she's worked so hard to bury might resurface-especially with Micha living right next door.
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Smart, sexy, and confident, Micha can get under Ella's skin like no one else. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. If he tries to tempt the old Ella to return, he will be impossible to resist. But what Ella doesn't realize is that when she left, she took a piece of Micha's heart with her. Now he's determined to win back the girl he lost, no matter what it takes.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">What a pleasant surprise! It’s been a really long time since I’ve read a contemporary romance and I’ve had The Secret of Ella and Micha sitting on my shelves for well over two years, and on a whim I decided to pick it up and give it a go a few weeks ago. I enjoyed it so much more than I initially expected to. Is it a bit predictable? Yep. Is it a unique story amongst the thousands of other contemporary romances out there? Ehh, probably not. But you know what, I don’t care. It ticks the boxes you expect to find within the genre and did it well. I got caught up in the story, I liked the characters, and overall I enjoyed reading it. All of that is exactly what I look for when I take a break from my more usual Fantasy/Sci-fi reads, so no complaints from me! </p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEIDcFoucDrWvlFZHlOahOjsQIPIxyPFmHJhzGms0AzGPOdP85kXva0gpUiZWwwJwwuKrnYQDBF9ZsHPFZasuEDaZlBH9fdF9Bsy4pGWBLJLT2owuccyzHk_CB8dGT4nmh02Cdq5jKSM2/s1600/_4Stars_250_104.png" alt="4 Stars Really Liked" width="250px" height="104px"/></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiENcUQf3hSHdpT5LVOgahMtkwK-OvXdU1yu_Qj33V5dxMvkmVjuWAc85n52QXFGWGypo8ER-aZR6nlhX_Hd-VFfydQZsrKT2nzM3CS8So3_e75Q_GMz3txEs453Lv2zFKJVsHzzOiC5Ne/s1600/Crossed.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt=" Crossed by Ally Condie book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Crossed <br />
<b>Author:</b> Ally Condie <br />
<b>Series:</b> Matched, #2 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> DNF<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15812814-crossed?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">The Society chooses everything.
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The books you read.<br />
The music you listen to.<br />
The person you love.<br />
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Yet for Cassia the rules have changed. Ky has been taken and she will sacrifice everything to find him.
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And when Cassia discovers Ky has escaped to the wild frontiers beyond the Society there is hope.
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But on the edge of society nothing is as it seems...
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A rebellion is rising.
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And a tangled web of lies and double-crosses could destroy everything. </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
<p style="text-align:justify;">DNF @ page 118</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I read Matched in mid-2014 and I’ve been mildly curious about the sequel ever since. Fast forward two years, and I really wish I stomped that curiosity into oblivion. Two years isn’t that long ago and usually when I pick up a sequel the general gist of the story will come back to me after the first few chapters. Well, I don’t know what went wrong here, but I hadn’t a clue what was happening. Either Matched wasn’t as memorable as I thought it would be, or my memory is in need of a serious upgrade. The main character, Cassia, was a complete stranger. I did remember Ky, though vaguely. I don’t think the first book had multiple POVs, so I was a bit surprised to see both Cassia and Ky with their own separate viewpoints. The portion I read was way too mopey, too nauseatingly lovey-dovey and I just couldn’t stomach it any longer. Maybe it eases out later in the book, but I wasn’t interested in sticking around to find out. I was warned that this book was where the series began to go downhill, and I should have heeded the signs that were there from other readers I trust.</p><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-34069552414616639332016-11-18T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-18T09:00:14.970+00:00#ReadIndie Event Sign-Up<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoHPb6Cf5yxGq_A9K79lEowyO8fdCffcJA4MNb7jWI5OpgB6jsj_j8B1x0jrCRMZsGP-_3VOhPXzVBIW39DKGvIA7uSD3cB8pCiOdRxvWmdQ9cZCHFK8wN5VxTlYbHU1vqunVfwom-I2D/s1600/readindie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoHPb6Cf5yxGq_A9K79lEowyO8fdCffcJA4MNb7jWI5OpgB6jsj_j8B1x0jrCRMZsGP-_3VOhPXzVBIW39DKGvIA7uSD3cB8pCiOdRxvWmdQ9cZCHFK8wN5VxTlYbHU1vqunVfwom-I2D/s1600/readindie.png" width="700px" height="400px" alt="#ReadIndie Event"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">I’m so excited to be taking part in the #ReadIndie event hosted by Tracy @ <a href="http://www.cornerfolds.com/">Cornerfolds</a> and Christina @ <a href="http://booksandprejudice.blogspot.ie/">Books & Prejudice</a>. When Tracy contacted me as asked me if I’d like to take part, I instantly said yes. How could I not! What’s not to love about sharing books you loved that just happen to be written by self-published authors, or published by small press publishers?? Sharing bookish love is always a good thing in my eyes!</p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">
The event runs from <b>December 1st – 16th 2016</b>, and the aim is to post reviews of indie and self-published books we’ve recently read and loved. If, like me, you always come across indie books to read but never manage to get around to reading them, then this is the perfect time to choose one and give it a go! (Plus, giveaways are always a good incentive, am I right?!) </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">The event is nice and relaxed, but there are a few rules to keep in mind: </p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>The Rules:</b></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">• Linkup to the blog or account where you will be reviewing. <br />
• If you're using a blog, create a blog post linking back to the signup post and listing your goals.<br />
• Grab the button below and share. <br />
• Post indie book reviews between December 1st and 16th. <br />
• You do not have to post indie reviews exclusively (but only indie reviews count toward the challenge). <br />
• Books do NOT have to be read during the challenge dates, but that is when the reviews must be posted.<br />
• Titles must be from independent publishers. <a href="https://almossawi.com/big-five-publishers/">(i.e. not the big 5)</a><br />
• Link each review you post in the rafflecopter to gain entries. <br />
• Giveaway will be international. (More details to come when challenge begins!) <br />
• Include #ReadIndie in your review titles. (e.g. #ReadIndie Book Title by Author Name)<br />
• Tweet your progress using #ReadIndie.</p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">If you’re interested in taking part, don’t forget to sign up by clicking on the link to <a href="http://www.cornerfolds.com/2016/11/readindie-challenge-december-1st-16th.html">Tracy’s sign up post right here!</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-52747126125710367882016-11-10T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-10T09:00:01.353+00:00Review: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86GuuL98vL3v_GjorA1GPf7lKDUvScWmHd1UAtS9zfO4ED3uUoIb-AV70LiJR2vOeGkWlmXdcuMvJ9dg9vPhTDtHfc8Bytq3qzan0Ax5f-KS3m7-FMIi7zfjT5-TI1yXKT4irkxfIJobk/s1600/City+of+Fallen+Angels.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> City of Fallen Angels <br />
<b>Author:</b> Cassandra Clare <br />
<b>Series:</b> The Mortal Instruments, #4 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 2 / 5<br />
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<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6752378-city-of-fallen-angels?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.
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But nothing comes without a price.
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Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace. </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Uhhh. That was disappointing. And boring. Honestly, I feel like we took two steps forward in City of Glass and five steps back in City of Fallen Angels. What the heck happened?! Reading a 435 page book where 15% at best is relevant plot progression and 85% is unnecessary padding gets old VERY fast. I think the best way to tackle this is to list out what worked and didn’t work for me. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Too many Points-of-View:</b> I’m someone who dislikes multiple POVs in books anyway, and City of Fallen Angels is the guidebook to why I dislike them so much. I didn’t have a problem in the previous three books, but this one… uhhh. There was quite a bit of backtracking and repetitiveness when we switch over to a new narrator; character development went out the window in favour of re-explaining things we already knew, and the pacing grinded to an all-out crawl resulting in me craving a character death just to get some action back into the mix. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Too much Simon:</b> He was the unexpected surprise in City of Glass, and while I really liked him in that book, that doesn’t mean I wanted to be stuck in his head for a billion pages in this one. He had A LOT of the main focus in this book, but honestly, I found all of his POV sections very boring and tedious to read. I know he is adored by many, many TMI fans, but… I just don’t get it. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Clary:</b> Now, Clary has never exactly been a shiny beacon of awesomeness, but I feel her character has dwindled down to insignificance the longer the series has gone on. I really feel like she’s at risk of becoming irrelevant beyond being the person Jace loves. And that’s just sad. I don’t particularly like Clary, but geez, the girl desperately needs some decent character development. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Jace:</b> Love him or hate him, I find Jace to be the most entertaining character in this series. Well, snarky humorous Jace is, anyway. Here… I’m torn. I can understand why Jace is acting as he did, but all the moping around got boring after the first hundred pages; never mind the next three hundred! I miss humorous Jace. Also, was it just me or were his POVs too scarce? </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Romance: </b>I though all the romantic aspects throughout the book felt forced and unnatural. And this was with all characters, not just Clary and Jace. Alec seemed a bit OCC to me, and the whole Isabelle/Maia/Simon thing… uhhh. Also, was it just me, or did the dialogue in general seem a bit off? </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>The ending was… pretty good!</b> I know, I’m surprised too! I enjoyed the last three or four chapters, but what grates on every strand of patience I have within me is when all relevant plot progression is contained within those final few chapters. *screams internally*</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">So, after all that, Alma, do you plan to continue the series? Emm… yep. I do. I know, I know! I’m a sucker for punishment, but I made the mistake of buying the fifth book in the series before reading the fourth book, and I feel like I should at least give it a go. Considering I bought it in good faith that I’d like City of Fallen Angels… Well, look how well that turned out! *sobs*</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqIC_bwv4AoZ9kqeXhT_NMVYvnZ3Fdt5snvPAToE0HJmOC7zNOISTznvRyAsU2aWLninrZpw8ADAVaik7lK12OnvewizDNouLhSC3jwOhkH1QY_K8iWQDUPjATiX9t4x9H5kasVjrE1l1/s1600/_2Stars_250_104.png" alt="2 Stars Meh" width="250px" height="104px"/></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-70412290551126904202016-11-08T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-08T09:00:23.714+00:00Nine Books I've Recently Added to My To-Read List<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEp0l5va-Cf7ZDao_W3Ti20_9IUXPTDH2mYS5yYobpksV0ZtkCY-l6Y1zU_0Mz1CUpZ-aChpqMWz_H8tPGbbQcCfKK_nXekQ7Et3r8sDboJnsjOKCxPM1I0eMRzKUQNSQeawNsLIN4Td2/s1600/NineBooksAddedToTBR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEp0l5va-Cf7ZDao_W3Ti20_9IUXPTDH2mYS5yYobpksV0ZtkCY-l6Y1zU_0Mz1CUpZ-aChpqMWz_H8tPGbbQcCfKK_nXekQ7Et3r8sDboJnsjOKCxPM1I0eMRzKUQNSQeawNsLIN4Td2/s1600/NineBooksAddedToTBR.jpg" alt="" width="700px" height="467px"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">To-read lists are dangerous. Seriously, they really are! They can leave you penniless within seconds if you give in to the temptation to buy every book that catches your eye. They refuse point blank to shrink. And don’t even get me started on the torment of trying to figure out what to read next. I swear I spend just as much time deciding what I want to read as I do reading! The nine books I’ve chosen for this list are only a small selection of what I’ve added to my TBR list over my break and since returning to blogging. (And that’s another point! If you stray away from reading for a little while, double the books will come back to haunt you and demand to be read. Lesson learned!) </p>
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<p style="text-align:center;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish.</a> </p>
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<h3 style="text-align:center;">Two Backlist Titles I Want to Read </h3>
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<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIASdy9CouwfFWDMGr3LKwjrsuhoMWI8lwckkIKYvxuiVJW_zjcwAvxcTGd7g437GEEKfcorSOY0uFwdDIxQCq8MBD2aQ2a1wZEzWF53pBwX3PQkZf-9tJtjV3JDgDKbICFyzbl7ftxfqr/s1600/The+Long+Way+to+a+Small%252C+Angry+Planet.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt=""></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4TsoY8eESugRLXaDf5SmDYEiWtJM-uvg9PTARkUUUFKb8J5NJQxt6oMYNQn_QZZ1NiE3x90rWL3yWhchLInEhnNwW4BJ65XUy0KM5bOtfDBCKH4S02sW52eHKO6pjSXVA2NGnvCizNME/s1600/The+Golem+and+the+Jinni.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker"></td>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"> <b>The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers</b> – Recently Sam from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ThoughtsOnTomes">Thoughts on Tomes</a> recommended this book in one of her videos, and I absolutely LOVED the sound of it. I hadn’t heard of it before and I’m always looking for new Sci-fi recommendations. If you’ve read it, what did you think of it? </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b> The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker</b> – I confess, I vaguely remember when this one was released, but I forgot about it shortly after. I only came across it again a couple of weeks ago and I’m very intrigued! </p>
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<h3 style="text-align:center;">Three 2017 New Releases </h3>
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<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORdopqi2xXzpG4ZxkjBx7OkEOS5tY_J__q_X6q3M72yowkFj-3LBU60UD9V0vHjkhSsaJZP9a3VW2mqFX19Us5PKN5CdI80U1oI8pVU86CLto0v-RI0tkpl0qP3cdzhkIYwfTs90j80iq/s1600/Empress+of+a+Thousand+Skies.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46ledL6IIGUsHi8N3Yg9Ib__lSMUOyhYa6DOan6rR9lqW4VH41gQpnQvF_uXnF9tXJUK4nVhb9gVHGJCWWhEM29819s2q8o8m4OQeae61MB2bqq9SWXt0_rXDISDIiVc0RvKV2KdhGH-8/s1600/Roar.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Roar by Cora Carmack"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0c6GXsUqLJvr63MgHimvqawqlFEvCkaREQnbbKq-jbqPvTLFYKynWUeITroVehPGBxwzusdKKfH2kd-kiJCy9Sp4_eYkfryphh9qZYB-pQVcuua8BNIq-De5gCiJfJWxkypmNIkhK969/s1600/Dark+Breaks+the+Dawn.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson"></td>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza</b> – Oh beautiful covers, how you tempt me so! I need to read more science fiction, and I hope this book will help with that craving. </p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Roar by Cora Carmack</b> – Even though the cover reminds me of Truthwitch, it sounds so good. Sounds like a straight up high fantasy novel with lots of magic. Perfect.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson</b> – High Fantasy, corrupt monarchies, kingdoms at each other’s throats, and a magic wielding princess? Yep. I need it!</p>
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<h3 style="text-align:center;"> Four Series I Want to Continue</h3>
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<center><table><tr>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IeJEFjCYxPoruzROdXQnn7EVj6L5aSupavXBaz4CcaELJ5g8VsY5SAbvHRU06NoqkeqNl0tn8pHunSBlPKsI68ykuDn1LTG4UgRdiH3Sh3dNiSJ-OBjT1MFjxn0UL8HY8r7SXIDbh8OQ/s1600/The+Invasion+of+the+Tearling.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rm4kFN0NcUz-9Z2PSNHD4h9HP6YlTvBJPbJqcmtGjVhgeBmolOHdwrJNrpyhFRRcAddVg1EyqqIc442Qtgrq6UcDBc4ycaEA_A_rI24L9IrETYKBGj-IQky04W8_ddwcapsg2ID4Cmyo/s1600/The+Red+Queen.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="The Red Queen by Christina Henry"></td>
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<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEJE_C-_4g7LTryHqrM6v5ld1Jn9_uNIdCj0vMeuim4mVo1AH2evekxPMBcYNPfSlmHhPKgw1jpKLtt7bOL1cwlDYf9f3tuKxE5VZNBcCczG1EXU7dHdYqI72zvA2BLpuLdA3MHDM8QRx/s1600/Froi+of+the+Exiles.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilg_VWilr1CJQlLBuf55IK5gw62hZI0Z9LsqsJ_jmope9PfGnNvQsT1VcQwf-Z_0DfeVZz23OUuXITLsDhyEmT7ev79C7WIo5Qz6NtGeLwdok7K9lzkeki8Ju-7vbMW0MNtBtqzYKNkXJo/s1600/Of+Dreams+and+Rust.jpg" style="width:12em; height:18.25em; float:left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 5px;" alt="Of Dreams and Rust by Sarah Fine"></td>
</tr>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">
I started all four of these series this year, and I desperately need to get my hands on these sequels ASAP. I love high fantasy, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to me that I loved both THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING and FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK. ALICE and OF METAL AND WISHES, on the other hand, unexpectedly exceeded all my expectations! ALICE is a dark and twisted Alice in Wonderland inspired retelling, and OF METAL AND WISHES is a Phantom of the Opera retelling set in a slaughter house. Looking back on things, I probably should have expected that I would adore them, but with retellings, I tend to be a little cautious with my expectations. </p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"> Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Reading! </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNObYJ-mlPUHw_9RrQvKU83RVjVPfOnUrSOOf7gJ7AHqqeZGohArFtI5VusNCgfO8MSJFOaDEQu1ss97lP0fC0gPYS81ThiBapXEaQphA621nIZ8xCWEj0aeIFSHIQYg69Xbb8-VdpHtVi/s1600/_Post+Signature_.png" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-5852221749540856972016-11-02T09:00:00.000+00:002016-11-02T09:00:24.902+00:00WoW #86: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rv3LX-nLSISwMxIGyjBiVIk_yzs929PyRV7FEcZS5dO9mlIhNfBQORJ__z-wDoeE8HXsbt90IeL3lOOy6DyDS6m5EZf129y6zZ7ZTx_pn8QfAP4OIJRnb3VaQniO32vKyVIptXWp0mcQ/s1600/_Waiting+on+Wednesday_.png" alt="Waiting on Wednesday Journey Through Fiction"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;">This week, I'm waiting on...</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:32px; color:#000000; text-align:center;">Carve the Mark</h3>
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<h3 style="color:#000000; text-align:center;">by Veronica Roth</h3><br />
<p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2fDIj-WLjhVf4UbW9jGGUHqkJOUu5PQbYKlzJFH6mXE3ZDuu_6URnglrfgmctkk01Xd0dXvNI9x1ZwREPGHDx4WdO54YjqoUckmbwlRI3rOj-LvZcDlZ8oQmXiewYeltNYycp8rGDzZL/s1600/Carve+the+Mark.jpg" width="300px" height="autopx" style="float:left; margin-right:10px;" alt="Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth book cover"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Expected publication:</b> 17th January 2016</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Genres:</b> Science Fiction; Young Adult </p>
<p style="font-size:22px; text-align:center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30117284-carve-the-mark?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></p>
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<blockquote ><p style="text-align:justify;">On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not—their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?
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Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.
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Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive—or to destroy one another. </p></blockquote>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Doesn’t Carve the Mark sound so good? Also, I love how simple yet striking the cover is. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a few reservations about this book: I loved Divergent, but disliked Insurgent, so I really hope Carve the Mark will fall on the ‘I love it’ side of the equation! One thing that I really like is that the synopsis sounds more Sci-fi rather than dystopian oriented, so maybe that’ll be a good thing? We’ll see soon enough!</p><br />
<p style="text-align:center;">What do you think of Carve the Mark? Have you read the Divergent trilogy, oh, and have you seen the movies? What did you think of them??</p>
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<p style="font-size:20px; text-align:center;"><b>Thanks for stopping by!</b></p>
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<p style="text-align:center; font-size:14px;"> * Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ie/">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *</p>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-92041145456062890542016-10-31T09:00:00.000+00:002016-10-31T09:00:19.648+00:00Review: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEya7Xz0MSTnMowLDGhTp0mzBFs6Zzu7lggR1QnT8gBFHZBkeuTKGtixR8vkyyoKXMt2q07fUbELOIxouAHg92-d25wwkXXnqYggM_dPudZR2XS9yFlQAC3TndyQuItIbLJHbb474O7cOI/s1600/Nevernight.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Nevernight by Jay Kristoff book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Nevernight <br />
<b>Author:</b> Jay Kristoff <br />
<b>Series:</b> The Nevernight Chronicles, #1 <br />
<b>Format:</b> eARC, kindly provided<br /> by the publishers via NetGalley<br /> (Thank you!!) <br />
<b>Publisher:</b> St. Martin's Press <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 1.5 / 5<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114463-nevernight?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
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Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.
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Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
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Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="font-size:40px; text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><i>*I received an eARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.*</i>
</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">
In theory, Nevernight should be the book I’ve always wanted to read. If I find out assassins will be a main feature of a book – or if a main character is an assassin – you can bet I’ll be planning on reading it the minute I can get my hands on it. So when I saw what Nevernight was about you can imagine how hyped I was to read it. A school for cold hearted assassins set in a medieval Italian-type world?! YES! It has to be freaking awesome, right? Well… in practice, it’s not so simple. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I had quite a few issues with the book, but the more I think about it, they all revolved around one central issue: <b>the writing style.</b> Good grief, it was unbearable. Let me warn you, if you like a crisp, straight to the point writing style, you won’t find it here. On the other hand, if you like dense, overly descriptive writing styles thicker than tar, then this book could be everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Here’s the thing, though: I don’t usually have any issues with densely descriptive novels! I’m usually the one that will like books that others might find overly flowery and off-putting. Unfortunately, Nevernight was my breaking point and I couldn’t take it seriously.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I’m of the opinion that well placed metaphors and similes can add so much to the overall atmosphere and readability of a story. Okay, let me clarify: metaphors and similes that <i>make sense</i> add to a story. But when they’re overused or abused, I find they distract and take the focus away from the plot, characters and overall atmosphere. For my tastes, adding descriptions for the sake of adding descriptions, or describing the same thing five different ways in the one sentence feels forced and a bit pretentious. Seriously, I was expecting Nevernight to be an action packed story with lots of stabbing and murder, not a bloody thesaurus filled with incomprehensible and over written metaphors! Sometimes I hadn’t a clue what the author was even trying to say. It’s like if you’re standing at the top of a tall building and look out the window hoping to see a beautiful view, but all you can see in front of you dense fog. I know there is a story I could love here, I just couldn’t see it. Also, if I ever read the word ‘gentlefriend’ again, it’ll be too soon. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Another thing that didn’t work for me was the footnotes. I read an eARC and they appeared at the end of each chapter which meant I could choose to skip on and search out the corresponding note, or wait until I reached the end of the chapter and read them all in one go. By the third chapter, I ended up skimming over them, and by the fifth chapter I ignored them completely. Maybe if I could have read them in sync with the rest of the story I might have appreciated them more, but for my tastes, they felt unnecessary and distracting.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">My opinions on the characters didn’t fare much better. I guess it would be easiest to say I was neutral toward them all. Mia, while she does have an antihero slant that I’m usually drawn to, didn’t appeal to me that much. I suspect the events that happened at the beginning of the book were supposed to instil some sort of sympathy for her, but it didn’t really work for me. Maybe it comes back to the writing/narration style, but I didn’t feel connected or sympathetic to any character in the book.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">While the concept of the story is everything I look for in a book, Nevernight turned into an unexpected endurance test. I’m not too sure who I would recommend this book to specifically, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say if you enjoy the writing style, you’ll most likely adore the book. If you’re a little concerned about the flowery prose, my best advice would be to try out a few sample chapters and see whether it might suit you or not. I’m so disappointed that I didn’t enjoy Nevernight. It was one of my most anticipated 2016 releases, and I was almost positive I would love it. In practice, unfortunately, we just didn’t get along.</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFRxqnffpaKLnwSgumyoNcxAC8N8b3bihPaxfXbEtzyZQre8x5EmoC5CzUhseYUfn-APmP_s-U_hvpzOGphyP39jZLevEZ5jrWNmTpiwTwimkMzOdwZDcRW9QnLxPCD_uN1qKWS1Enx9R/s1600/_1.5Stars_250_104.png" alt="1.5 Stars Not Great" width="250px" height="104px" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-12079166592820350722016-10-26T09:00:00.000+01:002016-10-26T09:00:27.137+01:00WoW #85: RoseBlood by A.G. Howard<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rv3LX-nLSISwMxIGyjBiVIk_yzs929PyRV7FEcZS5dO9mlIhNfBQORJ__z-wDoeE8HXsbt90IeL3lOOy6DyDS6m5EZf129y6zZ7ZTx_pn8QfAP4OIJRnb3VaQniO32vKyVIptXWp0mcQ/s1600/_Waiting+on+Wednesday_.png" alt="Waiting on Wednesday Journey Through Fiction"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;">This week, I'm waiting on...</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:32px; color:#000000; text-align:center;">RoseBlood</h3>
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<h3 style="color:#000000; text-align:center;">by A.G. Howard</h3><br />
<p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgni1HOgo6EqkswuUrRecdsTc-_kUnWXSRZQT3mV3A9t5kedc0peurAZfW14fIZRFSLqsUlxs6N1FmRfngsBPgDm0Lb0dNUch2vM_TbvVg7OxlsmsnatEoDZ3THY36NsgkiLOox7j9TnndB/s1600/RoseBlood.jpg" width="300px" height="autopx" style="float:left; margin-right:10px;" alt=" RoseBlood by A.G. Howard book cover"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Expected publication:</b> 10th January 2016</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Genres:</b> Retellings; Fantasy; Young Adult </p>
<p style="font-size:22px; text-align:center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28818314-roseblood?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" ><b>Add to Goodreads</b></a></p>
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<blockquote ><p style="text-align:justify;">In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.
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At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.
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A. G. Howard brings the romantic storytelling that Splintered fans adore to France—and an entirely new world filled with lavish romance and intrigue—in a retelling inspired by a story that has captivated generations. Fans of both the Phantom of the Opera musical and novel, as well as YA retellings such as Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, will devour RoseBlood. </p></blockquote>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">A Phantom of the Opera retelling, you say? And written by one of my favourite authors?? I don’t need to know anything else, just take my money! I remember hearing about it this time last year, and the wait is almost over. I have super high expectations, but I have every confidence that it’ll be just phenomenal as I think it’ll be. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Are you planning on reading RoseBlood? What do you think? Also, have you read the Splintered trilogy?? And do you like that the covers have a similar vibe?</p><br />
<p style="font-size:20px; text-align:center;">What are you waiting on this week? Thanks for stopping by!</p>
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<p style="text-align:center; font-size:14px;"> * Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ie/">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNObYJ-mlPUHw_9RrQvKU83RVjVPfOnUrSOOf7gJ7AHqqeZGohArFtI5VusNCgfO8MSJFOaDEQu1ss97lP0fC0gPYS81ThiBapXEaQphA621nIZ8xCWEj0aeIFSHIQYg69Xbb8-VdpHtVi/s1600/_Post+Signature_.png" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-64425177763601928582016-10-24T09:00:00.000+01:002016-10-24T09:00:18.311+01:00Mini-Reviews: Love Reborn and Fallen<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUxeBP6mZ84IJQVMPNNvwjSSXa8HO9xUGJG_ZYRr0bo2BDBKtDi4Et2pbhmVI81mGn4wTEkz7sZYitus-SdFiujJ6IMrJFVOlYPOo-o3PbVdRweI0O9WQaYx77uZJOdC-bZatRqEUaSNS/s1600/Minis-LoveRebornFalle.jpg" alt="Mini-Reviews: Love Reborn and Fallen" width="700px" height="509px"/></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19oHom9m9RX8jmm4cyOaDlyuA3riL2F1gc5DYrY-7mWFqTax8INtgHDaIew-p77fs5wTav3w5t3ajzoWVPQ8uRvdx0OZTdrpu8hbFfgOICENbFoDSHXkUW-7VrWcqGTTNKcwl6RrH0Aky/s1600/Love+Reborn.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Love Reborn by Yvonne Woon book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Love Reborn <br />
<b>Author:</b> Yvonne Woon <br />
<b>Series:</b> Dead Beautiful, #3 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 4 / 5<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21927772-love-reborn" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Renée and Dante are dying. The soul they share cannot sustain them both, and they're quickly running out of time.
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But Renée has in her possession a legendary chest said to contain the secret to eternal life-if only they could solve the clues that lie within it. With both the Liberum, a Brotherhood of the Undead, and a team of Monitors, led by Renée's own grandfather, in hot pursuit, Renée and Dante must keep the chest safe or risk having it fall into the wrong hands.
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With the help of a mysterious letter-writer called only Monsieur, Renée and Dante follow a series of clues that lead them on a treacherous journey across Europe. They seek the Netherworld, a legendary chasm where souls go to be cleansed. It's their only chance at a fresh start, but with it comes a terrible choice, one they never imagined they would be forced to make.
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The third novel in the acclaimed Dead Beautiful series is a haunting story of sacrifice, loyalty, and a love that can never die</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="font-size:40px; text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
<p style="text-align:justify;">A few years ago I picked up Dead Beautiful without knowing too much about it, and I didn’t have the best experience with it. But something told me to push through and try the second one, and I ended up finding two books that I really enjoyed. Both Life Eternal and Love Reborn turned into unique and entertaining reads that I’m so glad I got the chance to read. I’ve been on a mission since the start of the year to continue or finish as many series as I possibly can, and the time finally came to say goodbye to Renée, Dante and Co. It was a very bittersweet ending, but I thought it made sense considering all the build-up in the previous books. The mystery elements were tied up really well, and I loved the journey the characters took across Europe. My only criticisms would be it felt a little too neat, and the last chapter… umm, that’s all we get?! I can’t help wanting to see a little more of the aftermath… but overall, I’m quite satisfied with how it ultimately concluded. </p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEIDcFoucDrWvlFZHlOahOjsQIPIxyPFmHJhzGms0AzGPOdP85kXva0gpUiZWwwJwwuKrnYQDBF9ZsHPFZasuEDaZlBH9fdF9Bsy4pGWBLJLT2owuccyzHk_CB8dGT4nmh02Cdq5jKSM2/s1600/_4Stars_250_104.png" alt="4 Stars Really Liked" width="250px" height="104px"/></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWHPzdlDL4k4gYKs5765gVIGw9Gx3HxW47CEOazBGIiamj4L_whoDnjasinLE7z1C4-vdHN_nMOWgpVTU2kJTaDU6fC_XcJtaBobO5astKECabTc1Ow8OjCKwwcs_6goPX8YcH4NbJjb8/s1600/Blog_Divider.png" width="600px" height="51px"/></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEutbmzAY2ESOLixPtnfu7McG3TL4RLlN7Q4ISv9If0qNnv5Yaue4rEy1MtUgZ5SDr6hwbo1Y__pqaYLda_DVb6gvhoDdMFk3k989tJ5kaFiGqGRSplF4heS7m_ZCk_TXEXG1VQxjzMsQu/s1600/Fallen.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Fallen by Lauren Kate book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Fallen <br />
<b>Author:</b> Lauren Kate <br />
<b>Series:</b> Fallen, #1 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> DNF <br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6487308-fallen?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?
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17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross . . . only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart.
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Get ready to fall . . .</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="font-size:40px; text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
<p style="text-align:justify;">DNF @ page 104.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">
Sometimes you just know a book will stretch your patience to breaking point even when you’ve only read a handful of pages. I’m sorry, I just can’t do it. I bought Fallen on a whim several years ago but for some reason the right moment to read it never cropped up. Well, a few months ago I took a chance on it and it confirmed something I’d been suspicious of when I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16070143-teardrop" target="_blank">Teardrop</a>: I don’t like Lauren Kate’s writing style. It comes across as being incomplete – I know that sounds so weird, but it’s the only way I can describe it. Cam was the only potentially interesting thing I encountered in the hundred odd pages I read, but it wasn’t enough to justify investing in a series where I disliked everything else.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo1h_6yPBpyf0CBMugsBUsUe4bVBP2w7C2x2QGsX4STS1AbktK4GDn1-O_VwzGdR0zJgWLmmktQ-hUOtNV9pMBhU8ieaZTGqnL4vKOjm6rHHg8RTp6_1sAuYk6Gw28Igjo4DitWeqFrFZ/s1600/_DNF_250_104.png" alt="DNF Did Not Finish" width="250px" height="104px" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-54297262731359701412016-10-22T09:00:00.000+01:002016-10-22T09:00:15.613+01:00Book Series I’ve Completed this Year... and Others I've Abandoned <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbI1L6khFw89pzfUsgZpZs52BlzoRZ-etUZlOg3TdTHyj7VFJJf6zHHTeze0fePPsGu0c1U9qLvxRcu_oQ6qJ9B440sE7PTe0YG71Tl8lfm_-TJ0mo4qa-RNvGPd4e8jIL96erW5Z63qUl/s1600/BookSeriesCompletedandAbandoned_.jpg" width="700px" height="700px" alt="Book Series I’ve Completed this Year... and Others I've Abandoned "/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">One of my New Year’s resolutions was to have as pressure-free reading year as I possibly could, and since I hadn’t signed up to any official reading challenges, back in February I challenged myself to try and <a href=" http://journeythroughfiction.blogspot.ie/2016/02/i-solemnly-swear-ill-complete-these-series-this-year.html" target="_blank" >catch up with or finish as many series</a> as I possibly could. I’ve sort of kept to my original list… but there were a few changes.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align:center;">Series I've completed in 2016</h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrntHg0Uf4riyWej8SKNJRmnaUId1lDKX0K0jv9FNnAxin4MNU7fMV6TuCyUd8lkOrglaA1KAiShyS0npdSF1cuaSNY8dBQzzO0acVwsh6q8QueNVsD180KurlnDRXtpgN4Lo5a_I3ycq1/s1600/SeriesCompleted2016.jpg" width="700px" height="700px" alt="Book Series I’ve Completed this Year... and Others I've Abandoned" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Tunnel Vision Duology by Susan Adrian</b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski</b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer</b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Hex Hall Trilogy by Rachel Hawkins</b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Dead Beautiful Trilogy by Yvonne Woon</b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo</b></p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">So far, I’ve completed six series. (Wooo!) But, only four of these series were on my list at the beginning of the year. I’m not sure how I feel about this, to be perfectly honest! I thought I’d done a little better with sticking to my plans, but I’m so glad I’ve got four series that’s been haunting me for a while completed. </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Since February I have found out the His Fair Assassin series is getting two more books, so, technically I can't finish that series until 2019 even though I do own Mortal Heart. I plan on continuing with both the Infernal Devices and Mortal Instruments series soon. I own both Clockwork Prince and City of Lost Souls, so I hope to read both of those by the end of the year even if I don’t get around to completing each series just yet. </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">The Vampire Academy series on the other hand, well, I'm debating whether to continue on or to abandon it. I loved the first book, but the second wasn't anywhere near as enjoyable. I bought the third book, Shadow Kiss, recently so I'll probably give it a go and see how I feel about the series then. I’m conflicted. It’s really hard to justify investing the time to read a six book series when I’m not completely in love with it, ya know? If you’ve read the series, do you think it’s worth continuing?</p>
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<h3 style="text-align:center;">Series I've Decided to Abandon</h3>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Speaking of investing time in books, while I was on a blogging break I went through all the series I’m currently in the middle of reading and <b>I’ve started 45 series that I actively want to finish.</b> That’s… an awful lot of books. So, I think I need to become a bit more heartless regarding whether I want to continue a series I feel conflicted about or to just cut ties and move on. </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Now, I’ve decided to abandon a few VERY popular series and it might anger some people. I just want to say that these are my feelings, opinions and the reasons why I’m unwilling to invest time (and money) on something that isn’t making me happy. Please, please respect this. Okay *deep breaths* Here we go!</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPd3IXAR0y4cPKp5gZ9cKgbVv69kRWEVNqKFen1VSay9aPDxd0Rg8zLJiy9t2xoc39EYgS0SLn2tm0PRyB62NFN0rp9gJOTtcgtdwCqmHPCN2YyD8p9Oq13MDP412_TWAkeObdZ3vlMqrb/s1600/SeriesIAbandoned.jpg" width="700px" height="267px" alt="Book Series I’ve Completed this Year... and Others I've Abandoned"/></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie</b> - I should have listened to all the reviews for Crossed and Reached. But, oh no, my stubborn curiosity got the better of me and I had to try Crossed. There's only so much lovey-dovey pining and moping I can take before my nausea reflex kicks in. </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine </b>- For some weird reason after I had finished reading Carpe Corpus (book six) I felt like the series was complete. It's definitely not: there are nine more books after this one, but I felt like it was a good time to step away. I was happy with the ending, and I thought walking away on a happy note would be good idea. </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">
<b>Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas</b> - As many of you may know, I didn’t like Queen of Shadows. At all! I had been back and forth on whether to continue the series for the entire year up until Empire of Storms was released. Since I love Chaol Westfall with all my heart, I was on the verge of convincing myself to read the book just to see what he was up to. You can see where this is going…. I'm sure the entire world has <b>seen the spoilers at this stage, but if you haven't, <u>don't highlight the following text!</u> --- </b> <font style="color:#fff;">I’m all for series changing and developing, as they rightly should. However, when the first half of a series doesn’t match the second half of the same series, there’s a SERIOUS consistency issue. I was here to read the story of the Crown Prince of Adarlan, the Captain of the Guard, and Adarlan’s best assassin. That was the story I invested my time and money in. But now it’s morphed into the fae version of The Blackdagger Brotherhood series, where abusive alpha assholes abound. It’s been obvious for quite a few books now that Chaol is the scapegoat for everything negative that has ever happened to anyone in the series. With regards to QoS and EoS, when I saw a certain little novella announced, I began to worry. I’ll support change that makes logical sense, but when a main character receives a personality transplant for no reason, gets his past rewritten mid-series, is shoved aside for the sake of a ship and is quite literally crippled at the end of one book, and then is written out of the next book only to get his own novella like someone is throwing crumbs to a starving crowd... ooh you have no idea how angry this makes me. I can’t justify reading, supporting or spending money on the rest of the series in a situation like this. I can’t. </font> --- I'm sorry, but you've also used up all my reserves of patience. I’m done.</p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;"><b>A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas</b> - I was drawn to this series because it was advertised as a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a little bit of Tamlin woven in. When I saw lots of talk of the second book morphing into a Persephone and Hades retelling I had MAJOR reservations. I will always adore Sarah J. Maas as a person. But, as an author, my trust in her books has been severely and irreparably damaged. I’m unwilling to put myself through a scenario of Chaol 2.0, and I’m walking away from this series before history repeats itself. Sometimes you have to face up to the reality that a once favourite author doesn’t hold the same magic anymore, and sadly, you have to move on with a heavy heart.</p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">
*Sigh* I really hate leaving series unfinished as I love seeing the same characters grow and evolve over multiple books, but sometimes you just have to let go. It’s at times like this I wish I could escape my addiction to series. Standalones are starting to sounding extremely appealing! Which do you prefer: series or standalones? Or do you like both equally? Thanks for stopping by!</p>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-44942549389242772942016-10-20T09:00:00.000+01:002016-10-20T09:00:26.399+01:00Review: Partials by Dan Wells
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkMa4j0RV_vmgYdaMbfmc_iWQeARqj8I8TwVYtfDhF-iBtjmO9gDp-pgtrmMp6nxrjtKr_-m0aMMYPsrqrSrZy8aRvnP01lPAa1rPJXpOaeXDQGWHE07Ccygz02pXhNPxJcrzunJTaQ7c/s1600/Partials.jpg" width="300px" height="455px" alt="Partials by Dan Wells book cover"/></a></div>
<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Title:</b> Partials <br />
<b>Author:</b> Dan Wells <br />
<b>Series:</b> Partials Sequence, #1 <br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback, bought <br />
<b>My rating:</b> 1 / 5<br />
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<h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12476820-partials?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank" >Add to Goodreads</a></h3>
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<blockquote><p style="text-align:justify;">Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war's origin that she never knew to ask.
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Playing on our curiosity of and fascination with the complete collapse of civilization, Partials is, at its heart, a story of survival, one that explores the individual narratives and complex relationships of those left behind, both humans and Partials alike—and of the way in which the concept of what is right and wrong in this world is greatly dependent on one's own point of view.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><i> -- As seen on Goodreads</i></p></blockquote>
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<h2 style="font-size:40px; text-align:center;">My Thoughts</h2>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">Ahh, Partials, what a disaster you turned out to be. When future-me looks back on this book I can imagine I’ll be classing it amongst some of my most hated books – and I only read 251 pages before I began skim reading to see if things improved. They didn’t. Maybe I missed some of the finer details, but there wasn’t anything that grabbed my attention to make me regret skimming on ahead. Let me explain my hatred. *Cracks knuckles*</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Whenever I read a dystopian book, it’s inevitable I’ll compare it to The Hunger Games. Those books are pretty much a blueprint to everything I love about the dystopian genre, and everything I crave to experience when I pick up a dystopian book: fast pace; action packed; a real sense of risk; a bond with the characters; awesome writing etc. They’re my benchmark. Yes, it’s a bit unfair, but it’s how I subconsciously as well as consciously compare how I liked a book overall.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Here’s the thing: Partials is too slow. Slow, slow, slow. I don’t mind a slower pace if there’s an equal amount of heart stopping action popping up throughout the story. The glaring problem I had was that nothing happened. In my copy, on page 158 it says: “but nothing happened” and also on 159 it says “but nothing happened”. Why in the world would you even bother writing an action sequence where, quite literally, nothing happens?! The characters didn't do anything beyond talking to each other for dozens of pages at a time, walking through abandoned streets, or riding horse-drawn carts down even more abandoned streets. It’s tedious. For all the warning we get of how terrible The Voice is, and how lethal and horrible the Partials are, honestly, they didn’t seem very threatening in the grand scheme of things.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">I haven’t a clue where this impression came from but I thought Paritals was going to be a zombie book. I was expecting hoards of the undead coming to eat every brain in sight and eradicate every glimmer of humanity left in the world. Colour me surprised when I began reading to discover a breeding programme that every woman is forced to participate in. *Grinds teeth* I’ll be honest here, if I had known about this going into the book, I wouldn’t have read it. Forcing pregnancy on anyone is something that’s guaranteed to unleash my inner fire breathing bitch queen. Ohh, I could just imagine someone coming up to me and telling me it was my responsibility, by some bloody proclamation, that I had to pop out a baby once a year as long as my fertility lasted. Honestly, the expression on my face alone would probably cause the coward to run away in fear, and that would be the sensible thing to do. Oh my good grief, heads would ROLL. </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Also, the subtle layer of sexism throughout what I read infuriated me even more. I’m not sure if it’s accidental or intentional, but either way, I have some huge issues with ‘traditionally female activities’ being sneered at or classed as lesser. It doesn’t sit well with me on ANY level, and it makes it even worse when the female main character reinforces these themes. Overall it left me feeling very uncomfortable, and angry.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">And speaking of the characters, quite frankly, they were unbearable. Kira was the biggest pain in the arse I’ve ever come across in YA. She’s sixteen, yet she acts like she’s freaking forty-six! And, of course, a sixteen year old will be the one to suggest a new avenue of study to enlighten poor little humanity on how to save itself. Feck all the people that were in the field studying for decades before the Break – they haven’t a clue! But the sixteen year old INTERN with TWO YEARS of study is smarter than the lot of ya. Sorry, I can’t buy this. We’re given the excuse that she’s supposed to be some sort of medical/biological genius. After two years of schooling! *Sigh*, I can’t take this stupidity.</p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Something else that hindered my suspension of disbelief: the book is set 60 years in the future. ONLY 60 YEARS! Since verbal traditions have been passed down through thousands of years – not to mention that buildings can last in various stages of abandonment for hundreds of years – it makes no sense to me whatsoever that they don’t know what an ice-rink or a weather station is. Or where the State of Georgia was located!! If we’re two, three or four hundred years in the future, then maybe I could try and accept it, but not sixty! </p><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">Add in endless info-dumping, stagnant writing and not enough action to stem off the boredom, and there was a never going to be a doubt about my overall feelings toward the book. In short, it was slow, boring, dull and pointless – and that was just the characters. The plot and pacing was even worse. Honestly, you won’t be missing anything if you skip reading Partials.</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyFJaGbaS9CLy-qj2uNtjDYuE8Vgz-xI3MxiioJ67mn_MNHYQp1U_IDC-V3klNGWBdA8ZTiO6vz2klwaL6k7aF82bbAfw4HU9wrRe2k9yEQkWkcAUsrMt1i_Af4rbhwOewm-6BFbcQik3/s1600/_1Star_250_104.png" alt="1 Star I Hated It" width="250px" height="104px" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889303601242344598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858314372552614046.post-25208443220041545992016-10-18T09:00:00.000+01:002016-10-18T09:00:05.617+01:00I Know You're Fictional, But I'd Name My Children After You
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesHX0Vy4KR6T9ytP3fmdKnL9Bcbfo8nON1ZuxjQ00aw7UZpdq480R70k3YD25XBhrQ9ZrEpdYBQkwI6OP0DVJcxRnwBap_IlYKgQQZTF156CEAmUGZhyphenhyphenMobp0uQy9Q_PTSfmLNWy15UWA/s1600/_Top+Ten+Tuesday_.png" width="640px" height="474"/></a></div><br />
<p style="text-align:justify;">As tempted as I would be to name a child Voldemort just to see if people would run away in fear, I’m going to leave my evil sense of humour out of this list and keep things semi-realistic. I have included eight names on this list, and being honest, the odds of me having EIGHT children is non-existent – I mean, convincing me to have one would be an achievement in itself, never mind<i> eight!</i> But, hey, at least lots of naming choices never hurt anyone, right?! </p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish.</a> </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WkG2yBb8op4mpzL9QZVLig9hSNyoBzcFYZY_LhCt16sH4jw6cdEuXmjXiLyydJBjoZ2qGhyh-FG9a_KjVtbtuVgq6lgS-sXuaOxs3YpQDvT-Jw9j9hnNXdwe0rtXf4h8ZkoMv3tB_dh4/s1600/TTT-Clara_Unearthly.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Clara</b> – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7488244-unearthly?ac=1&from_search=true">The Unearthly Trilogy by Cynthia Hand</a> – I loved Clara’s character throughout the Unearthly trilogy but I feel I don’t include her in favourites-type lists often enough. So, I shall hypothetically name a child after her! Fair trade, I think? </p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pLPefcjOuR5XZPocXPHxcHWB6NYb9ZhjjeE0zd-yRPFW8y18MDE5Aed-VCIhWZYQaqv2U9351UAO0BmEpzh-pNDm8yPYYXRNlNicbF4KFuqq_t4At8iyn7Cgrjxq0mzhdOiWbWFghepi/s1600/TTT-Sylvain_NightSchool.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Sylvain</b> – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12576579-night-school?ac=1&from_search=true">The Night School Series by C.J. Daugherty</a> – Okay, this might depend on whether the father is French. So, hello hypothetical French future father of a child of mine, I hope you like the name Sylvain. </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJtgn3w_iLDhsC3Ugdtn5q1Rf4oY3uXrcUVO9NepctIWRtcD7MeTdHl52cLhrOzn2JQ7KKHVmERjhmAAI43gAhMhUpsPE6t0l0JH9t63lZ6gUBwuSXX4gIbh_a0jB9n7Egd4Ronxo3Qwg/s1600/TTT-Nina_SixofCrows.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;"> <b>Nina</b> – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23437156-six-of-crows?ac=1&from_search=true">Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo</a> – Okay, I was really tempted to choose Kaz… but let’s be honest here, the thoughts of having a spawn of yours start to emulate his namesake – and that namesake just happens to be KAZ BREKKER – well, that slightly terrifies me, so, we’ll go with Nina. Also, I adore her so it’s a very easy decision. </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzcR_Mbt3xAx5C4YKk3VjMcw7f3qd2WWxteRlaMQUiEk-XRNaSJoJKwnd3Or8TLopnwjBbcSxNct1KG0nTiK9HDzlG_X7ameiD3oyUtLtBF-67oV7PBJaGVHB_9lEgtyqLSJSfcvS_O0e/s1600/TTT-Tobias_Animorphs.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Tobias</b> – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125333.The_Encounter?ac=1&from_search=true">The Animorphs Series by K.A. Applegate</a> - Way back in the day when I read the Animorphs series I made the decision if I ever had a son, he’d be named after Tobias. Funnily enough I still like the name, so in honour of 13-year-old-past-me, Tobias makes this list.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKMk6j9S75MrOV0nHtlrdQFZVhF0XwD5vwNNHK8o7nsHBUxD7oj-sVFZI1IiRrrw28fC6mAb4t1nN5IyVZ4k82jruKlUK6-AJlIMdB7oRtNgXzLO89h0bGq0ULaDet8L0sH1kBjSQFC6X/s1600/TTT-Kaden_RemnantChronicles.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;">
<b>Kaden</b> – <a href="http://">The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson</a> – Speaking of emulating namesakes... Oh well, I adore the name Kaden way too much so I’ll take the chance!</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjBrTJbvscEZvZ7nKH0uASN9cUJmkKWLzMkCLMf7o_7LSi01RYfRAr_MC0379idM5mQgp1qo0ZhN5SV8Zqd9CUEK-K-PpkLxIp4ZKLcnO5UCUEsv_Ba1BYip5BqtQ9HsO9fNCukaUzvdg/s1600/TTT-Chaol_ThroneofGlass.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Chaol</b> – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7896527-throne-of-glass?ac=1&from_search=true">Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas</a> – I can’t resist, I have to include Chaol’s name. Well, I’d hope a real version would be treated a little better than the fictional version was… just sayin’. </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDyVPbACHUrPKIY1i0cMW0wu0NmS0P_5vFsgy1q2gEHb8czNx_8M2wedsM30R-q87ZU7sHi40gJByVkQ5luQhrQn3JSz5bRKnFktZb_MwTyag22BI0jBGhyphenhyphenhMucLCKrugj5iZA3LmVTKr/s1600/TTT-Kelsea_QueenTearling.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Kelsea</b> – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18712886-the-queen-of-the-tearling?ac=1&from_search=true">The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen</a> – I can’t really put my finger on exactly why I love the name Kelsea so much, but if I had a daughter named after Kelsea Glynn and she started emulating her, I’d actually be very proud! </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJG1gdsL9uEIr-EYEWfT5duF7wLYGboIw7XmzMW-tSWb86eeG8ZCdj555yfT1ViLJKwF0vBcrLSFfcpfz6J1-v24DANzN2M1R4t5aXjl-zjunQLRkz8QH5qhyH4GjpxbCHVyw_SGQycB-z/s1600/TTT-Kami_LynburnLegacy.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p style="text-align:center;"> <b>Kami</b> - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10866624-unspoken?ac=1&from_search=true">The Lynburn Legacy Trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan</a> - To me, Kami is a very underrated YA heroine. I loved her personality and individuality when I read the trilogy last year, and everything I said about Kelsea above I'll echo here.</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;">Just looking back over this list I seem to have a strange affinity for names beginning with C and K. Huh. I have a feeling I'll be a bit paranoid over this for a while! What are some of your favourite character names? Do we share any favourites? </p><br />
<p style="text-align:center;"> Thanks for stopping by!</p><br />
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