It's a Manic Monday: It's MY Birthday Giveaway!!!

Hellooooo there guys!!

I might be a lil too happy for it being a Monday BUT it's MY birthday!! And even if I'm getting rather old already! (I can't believe I'm turning 35!!, I wish I could have got stuck at 28, I loved being 28) it's a day to celebrate and to do whatever the heck I want!

And because of that, I'm gonna be hosting a giveaway that will last the whole week here in my blog and another one in my Twitter!

As an unrepentant bookwyrm there's no better way to celebrate my birthday than with books (and of course cupcakes!!). I wish I had a bit more time to have organized a lil bit more of a celebration of my birthday, but with my regular work and all the work that is still to be done in my apartment... I just didn't have the energy!

 This year was a recovery year for me, and I think I'm fully recovered yet but I'm getting much much better and I have so many amazing things that happened to me, so I gotta count it as a win!

- I attended BEA and got the most awesome roomies ever (I love you Britt, Becs and Sarah!!), and also got to meet and hang out with other amazing bloggers that I loooove and that I cannot wait to meet again next year!! ( Cassi, Octavia, Nikki, Christina, Cristina, Melissa!!).

And of course meeting so many amazing authors and getting books signed and getting some brilliant early ARCs and well, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

And BEA is relevant to this giveaway because what I'm giving away is a preorder or copy of one of my top 5 books from BEA that I've read so far!

And which one are those books you might ask? Here they are:

- Fall Out by Gwenda Bond

- Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

- Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

- Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

The 5 books are all 5 stars for me and I can highly recommend them all, so they lucky winner will choose one of these! The giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY since the book will be ordered via The Book Depository!  (Obviously if the book is not released, I'll be preordering the book at TBD for you!).

I will be checking the entries, so no cheating dears, I'm in a celebratory mood but I don't like cheaters, so don't get cheeky!

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Best of luck everyone! I'll have a busy day having lunch with the parentals, spending time with a friend in the afternoon and having my nephews over for dinner! Oh boy, I think I need a cupcake now!

Have a great Monday and Happy birthday to me! ;)

Saturday Songs & Pages: #TLCReadAlong: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer!!

Hello guys!

Today I'm a mixed up sort of post since I was feeling quite unmotivated to write yet another review... so I got an idea for this post!

It's a mix of my usual Saturday posts, Saturday Song and Saturday Pages! I'll have a mini review of my re-read of Scarlet for the #TLCReadAlong and also a few songs that made me think of the characters!

To begin with, I'm sharing a song that I feel it's perfect for these amazing retellings, because they are familiar versions of a Once Upon a Time story but they're amazing stories on their own! (and I LOVE this song from the Maleficent movie!).

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner




I remember being rather unhappy about how the focus in the book kept changing from Cinder to Scarlet the first time I read the book, before I realized that was how the series was, both consecutive/sequel like books but also with different main characters (and couples) at the head of each book, adding to the cast and the team, making the world richer and the plot even more complex!

So this time around I was ready to read again about Scarlet and Wolf with a different mindset and I found myself liking Wolf almost from the get go, and getting to warm up to Scarlet so much easily too! She's got quite a temper and I feel like teen-Pili would have related with her throwing tomatoes at the wall so much!

I have once again realized that I had forgotten quite a few details but holy cow! I totally had forgotten about some bigger things that I cannot mention because SPOILERS but damn, I'm so glad I re-read this before Winter! 

I also found that I had a few more issues with how Scarlet and Wolf's relationship progress, mostly in the time frame it takes place... somehow I don't think I felt it went too fast as much as I did this time. I can understand that for Wolf it is more of a primal thing, an Alpha finding his mate, but for Scarlet? Even after knowing what I know about her... it doesn't make the same sense for me. But by the end of the book I'm once again totally onboard with the ship and I find them so adorableee!!

Dear Captain Thorne, I had forgotten how conceited and irritating he read from Cinder's POV, since I got used to him being a lil different and seeing him way differently from Cress' POV! But I liked how he quite quickly became an ally for Cinder and how he and Iko ganged up on Cinder whenever Kai is involved!


And now for some more songs!

This Florence +  The Machine song is perfect for the relationship between Scarlet & Wolf, given how primal and visceral it feels at times!







 
This Metallica song is perfect for Wolf, even if it might refer to shape-shift at some point, the title is quite on point!




 

I had the harderst time finding the right song for Scarlet, because she's such a firecracker and strong character... And I think this one is pretty accurate after all! If you have any other suggestions, let me know!






And last but for sure not least I found this song that I'd say would be the perfect fir for Queen Levana! Found it while I was looking for the right song for Scarlet!!





Do you guys have any other songs that make you think of The Lunar Chronicles or any of the characters? I have a few ideas for Cress!

Friday Reads: Ungodly by Kendare Blake!!!

Hey guys!

It's Friday! And although I work this weekend, since it's just 3 days till my vacation time, I'm truly in the mood for celebrating Friday, even if I have to work it!

For this week's Friday Reads I have one hell of an awesome book, the final one in an awesome series! I'm a bit sad that there's no more in the Goddess War trilogy but I'm really looking forward to next book and series by the author, so it's all good!

Since it is all about Greek Mythology it counts towards my 2015 Mythology Reading Challenge and since it's the last one in a series, I'm gonna count it towards my September is for Sequels challenge (because I am seriously failing that challenge! September has been a slow reading month for sure!).

Ungodly by Kendare Blake

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a fantastic final book for this trilogy! As action filled and creepy and gory as the other two, or maybe a lil more! Kendare Blake doesn't pull any punches, so prepare yourself for a wild ride!

With the evil cliffhanger ending that we were left after Mortal Gods, the trepidation of what might happen in this one was real, so much that I read a sampler with the 10 first chapters because I NEEDED TO KNOW!

I will do my best to be as spoiler free for the whole series and this book in particular as possible, but I'm not sure how well I'll do about previous books in the series spoilers. If you haven't started the series read on at your own risk, and really... go and read the books now!

We follow three different story paths at the beginning of the book, and as usual Cassandra was the one I had more issues relating to, she's so angry and so irrational AND seriously so angry and out of control... But as this book progressed I felt like I could understand her better and not being so rubbed the wrong way.

Athena has been my fave character I'm pretty sure throughout the whole series (although dear Andie and Hermes are also firm candidates in the top 3 of favourites) and I really liked how her character development worked in this book. She's found herself in a very vulnerable position she would have never expected herself to be, and dealing with her possible mortality has been a severe kick in the arse!

Kendare's writing is as visual and compelling as always. She doesn't shy away of the blood and gore, and I think she might have kicked it up a notch in this final book. I kept on fearing for all the characters because you cannot be sure about who will survive by the end of the day, or how they will survive!

There were certainly quite a few plot twists and turns in the story that I was NOT expecting and even how they played out ended up being unexpected! Some things I think I should have seen coming but I didn't and in that respect I was at the same level of the characters!

We get some new characters, quite fascinating all of them, some more than others of course and we see some of the old ones with new eyes. Unexpected allies and gods changing sides, unexpected deaths and near deaths and not deaths! Battles and shields and fevers and shears... You'll keep on turning the pages waiting for the other shoe to drop... and boy, do they drop!

After that shocker of an ending I was extremely happy for the epilogue that we get! We don't get all the answers but we have enough closure to be satisfied!

Very well deserved 5 stars to this final book in the trilogy that cements Kendare Blake as an auto-buy author for me!





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Walk On Eath A Stranger Release Day Blitz!!

Hello there guys!! Today is release day for  WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER by Rae Carson, and I'm super pleased to take part on the celebrain that includes an awesome giveaway!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful new series by Rae Carson, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a set of the GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS series (in paperback format). US only. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About The Book:

WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER by Rae Carson

Pub. Date: September 22, 2015

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Pages : 448

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. 

Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? 

Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar
fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research. 

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iBooks

Read chapter 1 of WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER annotated by Rae Carson HERE!

About the author:

Rae Carson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. Her next book, Walk On Earth A
Stranger, will be available September 22, 2015. She lives in Arizona with her husband.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

1 winner will receive a set of the 3 GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS series (in paperback format). US Only.

Ends on September 30th at Midnight EST!


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Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!!!

Hello there!

Today I had to get up earlier than planned because the carpenters were coming home to fix up the last thing that was pending in my house, and now that is done so hooray! Now it's just getting the rest of the furniture, sorting more stuff and unpacking things... A few months still of work, I think, but very much worth it!

For this week's Mark This Book Monday I have one of my BEA ARCs for review, one that I simply adored and I'm itching to re-read and that was full of diverse characters, so it'll be counting towards my 105 Challenge in the diverse category!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I had been silly enough to start reading the first 3 chapters as FierceReads started sharing them and I was left wanting so much more (will I ever learn not go for excerpt? I don't think so!) so very soon after I returned from BEA with this amazing ARC (signed!) I caved in and read it.

I had loved The Grisha trilogy very much, but I must confess that I love this one even more! I was captivated since page 1, wondering about what was going on and how will these characters that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley were going to be involved in a heist.

The beginning of the book reminded me a bit of the start of Ocean's Eleven, since we meet and gather our team of dangerous outcasts, recruiting and rescuing when there's need for it.

Six of Crows was a multiple POV book done right. All the different POV voices were distinctive, relevant and captivating. My favourite character has to be Inej, but my favourite chapters have to be Kaz's, because his story was such a mystery and he's such a fascinating character! You would never consider him a good guy, but he is a multifaceted characters with so many layers and grey areas that I was so drawn to him!

The basic plot is essentially assemble team of dangerous outcasts with special abilities to do the impossible and get something from an impregnable somewhere at the time where it'd be harder to do. But this plot done right is one that has you turning pages like there's no tomorrow! And Leigh Bardugo really did it right!

The alternating POVs worked great for it because you never have all the information, the only one that does is Kaz and he isn't exactly forthcoming or inclined to share it all with either his teammates or us readers, because he is a character with so many secrets! And that reluctace on sharing does gain us (and the others) more than one near heart attack with changes of plan, betrayals that might or might not be real and unexpected tanks (yes, you read right, tanks... you'll know what I mean when you read it).

Even though if romance is not a priority or even a side plot (well, maybe there's one exception) for this book, I ended up shipping quite a lot of ships SO VERY MUCH!! I will not say more because discovering those ships was also part of the experience but one in particular gave me all the feels and I just cannot!!

A wonderfully diverse cast of characters that are all in shades of grey, not really evil, but not what you'd easily qualify as the good guys, with a plot full of surprises, pacing done perfectly, with slow moments and heart stopping moments, full of ships to ship that won't take off from the character development or the plot development and a cliffhanger ending that has me begging for the sequel... this is my favourite Leigh Bardugo book to date!

Very much deserved 5 stars to this one and I'm just dying to re-read my finished copy as soon as it arrives in the mail!



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Saturday Pages: DNF Review for Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman.

Hello there guys!

Happy weekend! I hope you guys are having a great weekend, all I'm hoping is for a pair of quiet shifts at work, because at least I have awesome co-workers for the weekend!

For today's Saturday Pages I have a DNF review... I have a hard time not finishing books, but I'm learning to let go of those that really don't grab me enough, so I can focus on the next one that I might just LOVE!

 

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to newcomer Katerina, who must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But Kat’s first love, Jacob, will go to unthinkable lengths to win her, even if it means competing for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet fiancée, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the salacious and fascinating details of real history, New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known: Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series


DNF Review:

I was quite excited to read this one because Alexander the Great is quite a favourite historical character of mine, and the Alexandros series by Valerio Massimo Manfredi is one of my favourite historical fiction series! 

That one is NOT YA and this book is, and I hope that I was not drawing unconscious comparisons mentally while reading, because that wouldn't have been fair to the book... 

I read till 48% of the book, stopped... and didn't feel like getting back to it at all. I sort of wanted to know what happened, but I just didn't want to grab the book again AT ALL. And that's a sign that I needed to DNF for sure.

My first issue with the book was the multiple POVs. I don't always enjoy multiple POVs, but there are books that I've loved to bits and the different POVs have not been a hindrance for the plot or the storytelling, but here... we jumped from one POV to the next with very little information about what would tie them all together, or where the story was going. And when we did, we got the information repeated in various POVs...  And by halfway through the book I wasn't sure of the relevance of some of the POVs to the story overall... Somehow I barely cared about the different characters and I didn't find them compelling.

The plot... we get too many unsubtle hints about some things and at the same time, we have no idea why the different POVs matter or how they will combine to form a coherent plot... 

I liked that it seemed to be a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, but the writing and the character progresion (or lack thereof) really were off putting for me. I just didn't care enough!

So, if I had to sum up my review for this book in one word and the reason why I DNFed it?: MEH!


Now, for something different I leave you with Iron Maiden's Alexander The Great! An epic song that tells the whole story much better than this book would in about 8 minutes!

 

Friday Reads: Nice Dragons Finish Last & A Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron!!

Hello there guys!

Happy Friday and even more to those of you that don't have to work the weekend (unlike me)! And for those like me that have to work... well, make the most of it anyways!

For this week's Friday Reads I have another pair of mini reviews because backlog... I really get too caught up on reading and end up ignoring the reviewing and it's not pretty!

These two books I read while ARC August was going strong but I needed a break from reading ARCs! They were exactly what I needed and I totally binge read them both in a day! I have to thank the awesome Kim from The Midnight Garden for highly recommending (aka book pushing) these to me! KIM YOU WERE SO RIGHT! If you want, you can read Kim's reviews HERE and HERE!




Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


4.5 stars for this amazing urban fantasy with what might be my favourite take on dragons ever! Thank you so much Kim from The Midnight Garden, I owe you one!!

Julius, our main character is an unusual dragon, not just to any fantasy novel standards, but more importantly to his own family standards. Why? Well, he's a nice guy! Not a scheming, coniving and plotting evil kinda dragon, he even hides from the rest of the family in his room!

He finds himself in a very hard situation because his mother decides to give him an ultimatum to learn to behave like a "proper" dragon or die. And he ends mixed up with more ruthless dragons and also finds a rather unlikely ally in a mage called Marci, that has a soul sucking cat as a sort of... companion, pet?

My absolute favourite part of this book, aside from the fantastic characters, not just the main ones, but also the brilliant secondary characters that at no point felt two dimensional or flat, or the fantastic mix of urban fantasy & postapocalyptic sort of world building, or the action filled plot, with more than a few surprises, was the humour!! I adoooore the humour in this book! It's sort of everywhere without being ridiculous at any point, it makes you snort, giggle and laugh out loud alternatively!

There's a lil bit of romance here, but for the most part is a very very slow burn that made me look forward to how it'd play out in the next book! And it never overtook the rest of the book, plot or character development!

If you like dragons, urban fantasy and love when books can surprise you and make you laugh and make you turn pages like there's no tomorrow... Give this series a try!!




One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another 4.5 stars!

I adore Julius and Marci and I must confess of a soft spot for the Superpowerful Seer Dragon with the Most Mundane name ever: Bob! A fantastic, game changer of a sequel!

The second book in the series takes off very closely where book 1 left us, with Julius and Marci working together as curse breakers, trying to stay out of the way of Julius' family but not being too successful... Blame the seer dragons meddling with everything!

This is exactly what a good sequel should be, with character growth and more than a few surprises that our dear Julius would have never had a clue about, an expanded world building that goes beyond what we had seen in the first book, with extra information about dragons and their past, and not only their present.

And things change, things do change a LOT! New alliances are made, we meet new characters (there are quite a few Heartstriker sibling to meet and some of them aren's half as bad as one would have expected!) and we find out the truth about some characters that we wondered how important they'd really be.

Julius and Marci keep being their awesome selves, Marci in particular keeps on being an awesome kick arse mage that manages to make the best of everything, avoiding falling into traps and manouvering herself like an absolute pro! Julius is his adorable self and discovers that doing things his own way is being a dragon in his own way (redefining dragoness, so to speak!).

And the ending... oh boy what an ending! The final was quite epic with a battle, a regime change and then some quite unexpected appearances and disappearances, waking ups and dyings and BAM! I just need the next book STAT!!

VERY VERY RECOMMENDED series!!



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Cover Reveal: The Fallen Prince by Amalie Howard!!

Hey there guys! Today I'm very pleased to be part of the cover reveal for The Fallen Prince by Amalie Howard, the VERY awaited sequel to The Almost Girl, one of those amazing and unique books published by Strange Chemistry that were left hanging after the closing of the imprint, and that FINALLY is getting the continuation!!

Riven has fought for a hard-won peace in her world, and has come to shaky terms with who and what she is—a human with cyborg DNA. Now that the rightful ruler of Neospes has been reinstated, Riven is on the hunt for her father in the Otherworld to bring him to justice for his crimes against her people.

But when she receives an unwelcome visit from two former allies, she knows that trouble is brewing once again in Neospes. The army has been decimated and there are precious few left to fight this mysterious new threat.

To muster a first line of defense, her people need help from the one person Riven loathes most—her father. But what he wants in return is her complete surrender.

And now Riven must choose: save Neospes or save herself.

Pre-order THE FALLEN PRINCE TODAY

Amazon | BN

Giveaway

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About the author:

Seventeen Magazine Summer Club author Amalie Howard grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 22 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts. She currently resides in New York with her husband and three children.

She is the author of The Aquarathi series from Harlequin TEEN (Waterfell and Oceanborn), The Almost Girl from Strange Chemistry, Alpha Goddess from Sky Pony Press, and Bloodspell from Langdon Street Press. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency. Visit her at www.amaliehoward.comor on Twitter (@AmalieHoward).

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Mark This Book Monday: Mini Reviews for Reawakened and Ink & Bone!!

Hello everyone!

Today is one of those Mondays where I'm gonna forego sleep for the most part in the name of social life and time spent with my favourite people! Since one of my besties lives in Italy, the whole group doesn't meet together more than twice a year, so whenever we do, it's always a celebration! And this time, I'm hosting breakfast at my new apartment, so I'm extra excited!

Today for Mark This Book Monday I have two mini reviews, since I do have a bit of a backlog of reviews pending! Since one of them is all about Egyptian mythology I'll be counting it towards by 2015 Mythology Challenge and the other book will be counted for the 2015 Release category for the 105 Challenge!

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had read quite a few super positive reviews of this one, but I wasn't sure what to expect of this one when I started reading it.

Despite having a rather large cast of secondary characters, we follow Jess's POV throughout the whole book, except for the communications/letters/memos we get in the beginning of each chapter, that I loved, btw, since it gave us a lil more information about how the Library has always been working, and some outside info that Jesse wouldn't have.

The world building of this book has to be my favourite part of it for sure! The Great Library of Alexandria never burnt and instead it became the greatest power of the world, with daughter libraries all over the world. And since knowledge is power and power corrupts, the Library holds to the knowledge and its power with an iron fist, and won't tolerate any suggestions of change that will lessen their absolute control.

As a book lover and book hoarder the thought of not being able to own copies of books is something that made me panic a lil bit! And I absolutely could relate to Jess's horror and disgust at the thought of someone destroying books or eating them! So very few copies of them, and people decide that they want to eat them? Twisted indeed!!

I loved how we get to know our batch of students that want to enter service to the Library, with their own motives, hidden or not, and how they competed and helped each other all the time. I also loved seeing their opinions of each other and their mentor change with their tasks and their triumphs and loses.

There's plenty of character development and there's also a lil bit of romance here and there that didn't take over the book or the plot and that was rather believable and well done.

The ending was both the right way to close this book as a chapter in a larger story but still giving it enough closure and also the perfect set up for what's to come in the sequel!

This was my first Rachel Caine book but it won't be the last, because now I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the next one! Very well deserved 4 stars to this one!



Reawakened by Colleen Houck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was my first Colleen Houck book, and I'm happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I had heard some rather meh things about her previous series, but then I read some awesome reviews for this one from bloggy friends, and it had this gorgeous cover and Egyptian mythology that I love, so I decided to give it a try!

It took me a little to warm up to Lillian, because at first I really didn't like her or her attitude much. But once she finds herself dealing with a guy that appears out of seemingly thin air, dressed in a skirt and that needs "sustenance", I really liked how very realistically she reacted, trying to rationalize his ramblings into something she can understand at first, and how she simply wants to help him and get back to her regular life.

But of course that's not how things work out when you are dealing with a resurrected mummy/god/prince that needs to find his brothers to stop the end of the world at the hands of the god of Chaos. And I started to warm up to her and the way she tried to face things and how she dealt with the "what's expected of me" and the "do I want to do this, how do I know what I want to do" doubts that are her main point of growth in this book.

Amon was a character driven by his mission and that finds himself in a much more hostile environment this time around, not waking up close to his brothers or with a Vizier ready to help him, and he makes the most of the odd circumstances he finds himself, and learns the most of the changing modern world he awakens in this time. He was rather swoony and sunny too (pardon the pun) and I loved how he managed to teach Lily a few lessons about enjoying life by enjoying some of the small things, and I loved how much he enjoyed "feasting"!

The humour in this book was great and it got even better once we meet Amon's brothers! Those two are adorable and are ever bantering and are so snarky sometimes... I loved them!

Having so many Egyptian myths and legends explained thoughout the book was also one of my favourite parts, although I knew them all already, I loved reading about them, and how the author managed to weave them into the story!

The ending seems quite final as it is, except for that final bit, and now I just cannot wait to see how it will all come to play in the sequel! Very much deserved 4 stars for this one!


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Friday Reads: ARC Review of Into The Fire by Manda Scott!!

Hey guys, happy Friday!

Today I know it's a rather somber day specially to all my US friends so I'm sending loads of love to everyone that was touched by tragedy that day.

For this week's Friday Reads I have an ARC that was on my late pile and that I read for ARC August!

Into The Fire by Manda Scott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a fantastic book!

Manda Scott is the author of my of my favourite historical fiction series: Boudica, and so when I saw this book up for request on Netgalley I was really excited to see a book about Jeanne of Arc, decided to read it closer to release day and next time I saw it, I thought it was a dystopian YA and postponed reading it until I properly checked the book and remembered which one it was... I blame my mind gone nuts with my moving!

I usually love a good mix of historical fiction and alternative (slightly conspiracy theorist) theories with a good foundation in history! The dual narrative at the time of the Maid and then in the present time complemented each other greatly, both building on each other towards the discovery of the intended truth and both keeping me turning pages anxiously!

One of the two narratives is on present time, with Capitaine Ines Picault trying to uncover and apprehend the perpetrators of arson attacks on the city of Orleans, claimed by an Islamist terrorist group via phone calls. But things get more dire when a body is discovered is one of the fires and while investigating it seems that Ines' past and present might be more than relevant to the case.

The second narrative is the historical fiction one, and deals with the rise and fall of the Maid of Orleands, and it's from the POV of Thomas, English spy trying to discover the truth about Jeanne to bring her downfall.

Both narratives are connected by the Maid of Orleans and the mystery of who she really was, if she really was just a peasant girl from Domremy that happened to ride and joust like a knight or if there was someone else behind the Jeanne of Arc name. And this kind of mysteries, where we take a different look at an established historical fiction account that doesn't seem to be based on many facts and take a look at the story with a least miracle-inclined eye, are something I simply love to bits.

Ines is a fantastic character, a captain of the police and one that is resented by some of her colleagues, but that focuses on doing her job the best she can. Her personal circumstances with the family connections and power plays added quite an interesting twist to the already captivating mystery of the arsons and the murder and the motives and discovering what they might have to do with the identity of the Maid.

Thomas was a very interesting character too, changing names and personas from English to French side, being a spy and finding himself with unexpected sympathies for the side that he's intent on bringing down.

The Maid is also an extremly interesting character, full of love for France and a woman that acted like a knight while pretending to be a poor, illiterate maid from Domremy. I found this characterization so refreshing, seeing her fighting amongst the men and directing the fight with a knowledge of strategy, a woman in a position of power unheard of at the time! And with a much believable explanation that just the one that made her a saint, after being burnt at the stake by the same church. Is it the truth? Probably not, does it make more sense than the usual miracle-filled story? Quite so!

If you like historical fiction and strong female characters, look no further! I'm kicking myself for not reading this one earlier! Very much deserved 4 to 4.5 stars to this one!




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Sweet Temptation Release Day Blitz!!!

GUUUYYYYS!! Today SWEET TEMPTATION by Wendy Higgins is OUT IN THE WORLD! And I am beyond happy to be part of the celebration (that includes a giveaway!).

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful series by Wendy Higgins, be sure to check out all the details below, because this is not your usual angels and demons series, AT ALL! I discovered Sweet Evil, the first book, when it was first released and there was no knowing if the trilogy would be completed or not, and I couldn't be happier that not only we got to see the whole story, but we get to see it from Kai's POV with this book!

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a a paperback of the book with a signed bookplate
and bookmarks! US only. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About The Book:

SWEET TEMPTATION by Wendy Higgins

Pub. Date: September 8, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 485

Format: Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it.

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

 Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iBooks, 

Author Note:

Sweet Temptation will encompass the entire trilogy in a condensed version, beginning with Kai's life before he met Anna, and taking readers through the epilogue of Sweet Reckoning. Sweet Temptation is a companion novel, not meant to be a standalone story. It will definitely be a richer experience for those who have read the original trilogy.

Go HERE to read an excerpt from SWEET TEMPTATION!

Also check out Wendy's PINTEREST board for KAI! *swoons*

About the author:

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue. 

Wendy earned a bachelor's in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS| PINTEREST | TUMBLR | INSTAGRAM

Giveaway

1 Paperback of SWEET TEMPTATION and a signed bookplate and bookmarks. US Only.

Ends on September 18th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tell Me Tuesdays #31!!

Tell Me Tuesdays is a meme/feature created by the awesome La La In The Library, where we can share how we choose the book we are currently reading from our TBR pile!

I'm always curious about that, cause as much as I tend to make myself a rough schedule for books to read and the like, I'm quite a mood reader and sometimes I just HAVE to ignore my schedule and read something else!

 Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it.

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

 Gabriel by Nikki Kelly

The handsome Angel from Lailah gets center stage in this continuation of Wattpad sensation Nikki Kelly’s romantic and action-packed series about mortals, vampires, and angels.

Gabriel is an Angel Descendant. He's also an ally to a generation of vampires who want to break away from the demon who controls them. His faith in the power of good over evil wavers, however, when he discovers that Lailah, the woman he considers his only true love, may be both angel and demon. Is their love enough to overcome the dark forces who are ready to go to war with Gabriel, the vampire Jonah, and the angel and vampire forces? And can Gabriel compete with Jonah, who is also in love with Lailah?

Once again, Nikki Kelly looks deeply into the heart and soul of good and evil to create a romantic, action-packed reading adventure.


I started Gabriel Sunday night at work, then paused to finish Truthwitch that I was reading at home, and then paused again to start reading Sweet Temptation (as soon as it downloaded to my Kindle), and now I'm switching between those two and probably will finish them both today or tomorrow at the latest!

So what are you all guys reading and how and why did you decide to pick up that book? Shiny new ARC? Comfort read? Scheduled for review? Must have new release? Tell me!!

Mark This Book Monday: Tonight The Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

Hiya guys! Happy Monday!

In my case it's Buying Groceries Monday because I still need to stock up in a lot of things since I just moved to my apartment last week. And to add some motivation to the grocery shopping after night shift I'm also buying ingredients to make ice cream! Mmmmm, ice cream!!

For this week's Mark This Book Monday I have the last book that I read as part of ARC August and one of the ARCs that I got at BEA'15! Since it is a YA contemporary I'm counting it towards that category for the 105 Challenge!

Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Another unconventional coming of age story about a girl learning who she is and finding her worth not definying herself in relation to others.

Unfortunately I couldn't relate as much to Arden as I would have liked, and when you can't relate with the main character the emotional connection with the book diminishes, and since I'm a gut-feeling kind of girl when it comes to rating, I cannot give this one more than a 3 stars.

Characters are very well written and realistic, complex and with good and bad things. The relationships between friends and family are also complex and feel real. Friends are there for each other, but also resent each other on occasion and feel like they matter less or underappreciated. The way that Arden deals with her mother leaving is also excellently done.

The writing was fantastic too, but that is something to be expected of Leila Sales, so even if I wasn't too keen on Arden or her story I just couldn't stop reading. Seeing Arden's growth towards the end of the book was satisfying and I also liked how the people around her shook her ideas about them and herself by the end too and how she learnt to look at herself and others in a different way.

But for most of the book I just couldn't stand Arden and the way she was handling herself or her life... I just couldn't relate to her at all, and then when we meet Peter? Nope, couldn't stand him at all either...

One of the things I loved the most about this book, as I did with TSWSYL, is that the romance is not magically fixing anything, and that it's not the most important part of the book. Growth for the characters is, figuring out who they are and who they want to be and understanding themselves and others better is.

And I think that after loving This Song Will Save Your Life so MUCH and relating so much and feeling so much for Elise, it was dissapointing to feel so contrary and so little empathy for Arden...

So yeah, clearly this was a case of "it's not me, it's you" with a book. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because of its superbly written characters.





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Saturday Pages: ARC Review of Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson!!

Hey there guys!

It's the weekend! Well, I say so while I crash after working night shift and going grocery shopping afterwards to avoid the weekend crowds! *collapses in bed* I shall be taking a nice middle of the day nap!

But I'll leave you with a Saturday Pages review for one of the books that I read for ARC August! And it is another YA Western! I think I have a new appreciation for westerns since I really enjoyed the two that I've read, and they were quite different from each other!

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I adored Rae's Fire & Thorns trilogy so I was dying to grab her next book and when I heard it would be a western I was even more intrigued!

If any of you are wondering about similitudes with Vengeance Road, they really don't exist aside from that both are YA westerns with a female main character that disguises herself as a boy for a part of the book. The main characters couldn't be more different and so couldn't be their journey, voice or plot.

Leah can feel gold, keeping her ability secret for fear of robbery, murder or exploitation. She lives modestly with her parents, until her life is turned upside down and she must flee from a man that would use her ability for his own means.

She decides to run away and join the Golden Rush to California, hoping that her ability will help her find a new life there amidst the gold madness.

Leah's journey is one of running away a future that she doesn't want, towards the hope of a better one. But in the end the destination isn't as important as the journey itself.

Leah as Lee finds herself with a freedom that would have been unheard of and meets quite a few characters that both change her and are changed by her.

I must confess that at first I was expecting the voice of the book to be in dialect too, and at first it sounded very modern, but once I got hooked on the action and the characters' relationships and dynamics I stopped noticing if the language sounded modern or not.

The biggest strenght of this book for me is in its characters and the way their relationships change and evolve as the journey goes on. All the secondary characters had more complexity than expected at first and they keep surprising us now and then. How some accept the conventions and rules of the time, and how some of them subtly bend them to their convenience. It really irked me how some attitudes changed from being Lee to being Leah, but I was glad that she had enough allies and friends that would not change the way they treated or appreciated her no matter what she was called or if she wore skirts of pants!

The plot of the book is pretty straight forward, it's a road trip in oxen carts, looking for a chance at a better life, so it's all about the very hard journey that it is. Injuries, power plays, encounters with "Indians" that will make your blood boil for the treatment of the Native Americans, but so true for the time, and that might make us think of what has really changed from then to now.

The end of the book brings us full circle to a situation that could have been very much the same that Leah was running away from but that is completely different because of the journey she and her fellow travelers went through. I know this is the first book of a trilogy, but it could have equally been a standalone with enough resolution if a lil bit of an open ending to imagine more details of the future on our own.

Very well deserved 4 stars to this one!



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