Saturday Pages: Mini Reviews: The Rest of Us Just Live Here, An Ember in The Ashes & Winter!!!

Hiya there!

How's your Saturday going? I hope the weekend is going well! I work this weekend so I plan to be really lazy and not do much other than that!

For this week's Saturday Pages I have a bunch of mini-reviews because I have been in a rather massive reiew-writing slump and I feel that mini-reviews are much more manageable and less imposing that having to write a looong review, even more when I really loved all these books and sometimes when you really love a book, it's harder to find the coherent words for it!

I feel like I have mostly abandoned (& FAILED!) my challenges for this year, but since one of the books is a debut, I'm totally counting it towards my 2015 Debut Author Challenge!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It took me a while to read this book because I started it when the hype was at its peak and for some reason it didn't seem to grab me at the time. I decided to set it back down for a while and it was the right call. Now that the hype is gone (and I know for sure there is a sequel coming) I picked it up again and simply devoured it!

An Ember in the Ashes is told in dual POV, Elias and Laia, both part of this reimagined Roman Empire-ish world, one an Elite soldier, the other one of the oppresed & conquered, both looking for freedom and both stuck in a situation where they cannot reach it.

The world is brutal, the military training is brutal, slavery is brutal, the power plays are brutal and there are so many characters driving their own agendas without regard of others that is a wonder how some of them remain human. There's also a magical feel to the world bulding and the world, some glances at beauty and freedom and happiness that are the best motivators for the characters.

Elias and Laia's fights are very different from each other, Laia's trying to fight for her brother and trying to find acceptance of herself and finding her courage. Elias is trying to keep his individuality and his soul/conscience in a brutal world he never wanted to be part of.

And then we have the bigger picture issues, with the Trials, a new Emperor needed and the war that is coming towards the Empire and the humans that was foreseen but no one seems to remember.

The book can feel like its own story sorted but the ending has so many open threads unsorted and unfinished that it NEEDED a sequel, and I'm so very glad we'll be getting it! Not soon enough, because sequels are never here soon enough unless you're dealing with a finished series.

An Ember in the Ashes is a stunning debut! With magical writing, fantastic world building, imperfect & believable character with great development and neck-breaking pacing! Very well deserved 4 to 4.5 stars!




The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


My first Patrick Ness book and I am simply in love! This book is both funny and poignant, reflecting on what it is to try to get through normal life with whatever challenges it may throw at us, showing us what mental health issues can look like without ridicule but with enough humour so it wouldn't feel hopeless.

I love Mikey, I love Mel, I love Jared and I love Henna. They felt complex and genuine and raw and real. They felt very much human. I flipped the book open to check it out and I simply continued reading till I was done with it. Laughing and tearing up and simply loving it to bits!

This book had a strong sense of tongue in cheek humour when it dealt with the paranormal cliches of the "chosen ones" stories, but the focus was always more in the regular lives that the "rest of us" normal people have to deal with, even if we also saw how the events could affect the normal lives as collateral, without really being sure what the hell is going on.

I cannot really write a coherent and good enough review for this book because it has so many different aspects and genres and themes all mixed up and they all work together flawlessly!

This was my first Patrick Ness book and I think it won't be the last. If you haven't checked it out yet, don't fear the hype and go read it, it's very much worth it! Very well deserved 5 stars!



Winter by Marissa Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Oh boy, what a wild ride this was!! And what a lovely book hangover is to be expected now because I really don't want to say goodbye to these characters!!

I'm not sure how to even begin to review Winter... I finished it yesterday and I still don't think I have enough coherent words! The wait was very much worth it and mostly all I can say is that I loved it and *ALL THE FLAILS*

First of all, I must give mad props to Marissa Meyer because she ALWAYS manages to make this romancephobe ship all her ships like there's no tomorrow! Cinder & Kai, Wolf (Ze'ev) & Scarlet, Cress & Thorne (oh boy these two were killing me in this boooook!!!) and Winter & Jacin!! From first attraction to alpha insticts, online crushes to long time friendship & love, she manages to make it work and root for the characters like mad!

As the final book of the series where all things come to an end, I was expecting planning and plotting and scheming and confrontation, but the amount of emotional ups and downs and the tension that the whole book managed to mantain for its over 800 pages is mind-blowing! I couldn't read fast enough and the book never felt long!!

I love the growth and development that the characters had in this one, even Winter we had barely ever met before, we get to know her and understand and feel so much for her, with her insanity born of kindness and a desire to do what's right and never harm anyone!

And as always, Marissa Meyer managed to weave some bits of the original fairty tale here and there, wonderful easter eggs/winks that I loved finding along the book! So well weaved into the story and the world she's created!

I... I just have no more words, and I'm already babbling!. Just, read it! It's brilliant! 5 very MUCH deserved stars!


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Friday Reads: ARC Review of The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes!!

Hello there guys!

Happy Friday! It is sort of a Monday for me, because I'm back to work after a few days off, but I'm feeling rather rejuvenated and rested! Also did some retail therapy on IKEA, in the shape of new shelves, so things are looking up!

For this week's Friday Reads I have the second book in what seems to be a trilogy (at least for now) heist fantasy series (I think this should be its own genre) that is becoming a quick favourite for me! So glad to have listened to Jessica from Rabid Reads and have started this series!



The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was so excited to be approved on NetGalley to read all the books in the Rogues of the Republic series so far, and The Prophecy Con didn't disappoint at all!

It starts pretty soon after the ending of The Palace Job, and we see our characters back in the thick of the action, at least Loch and Kail, because after the events of the previous book the diplomatic relationships between Empire and Republic are quite tense. We learn about the changes (Loch as a Justicar) and we see how everyone is dealing with the aftermath of their saving the world, Dairy and Desidora the ones with more issues finding their way after the extraordinary.

The action and the humour in this one are non-stop and perfectly mixed as it was in the first book. I found myself laughing out loud as well as cackling and simply howling with laughter at some points... what can I say, I simply look the humour in this books, it can be subtle, it can be cheeky... and I love it!

And the action... we start with a diplomatic mission that ends up with a battle, Loch getting a new weapon from her foe and starting a new mission to recover/steal a precious artifact, this time in the name of peace and not personal revenge. And this time is not so much a heist but an ongoing mission about stealing/recovering/winning the damned artifact and discovering what else is threatening the precarious peace between the Empire & the Republic.

As the action moves around quite a bit we get to see much more world building and we meet dwarves and elves. These are and aren't the dwarves and elves we've met before. Their societies are similar enough to what we've seen before, but I feel that the author gave them his own unique twist.

The relationships between the characters have shifted a bit, and some of them are paired up, and their interactions can be both a moment of relief from the action as well as some added gravitas, depending on which relationship. I'm quite more partial to one of them two established ones, but the other two just won me over in the end even if their chemistry is not so obvious or maybe well developed.

As a sequel it expands and builds upon what we knew from book 1, but also manages to give a twist to what we thought we knew and add a betrayal to make things even more interesting and unexpected!

The ending was rather horrible and I was ready to scream at my Kindle in rage, but luckily the author decided to take pity on us poor readers and added a epilogue to make sure we didn't end up hating him!

I'm now thoroughly in love with this series and these characters and will say that if you like fantasy books with humour, diversity and twisty action, you NEED to check them out! Very well deserved 4 to 4.5 stars!



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Sugar Skulls by Glenn Dallas & Lisa Mantchev Book Blitz!

Hello there guys!

Today I'm pleased to be part of the Book Blitz for Sugar Skulls! Ain't that cover just gorgeous?! I'm so intrigued and I cannot wait to start this one!

Read on to learn more about the book and there will also be a giveaway at the end, so don't miss it!



Sugar Skulls by Glenn Dallas & Lisa Mantchev

Published by: Skyscape
Publication date: November 10th 2015
Genres: Dystopia, New Adult, Science Fiction

Welcome to Cyrene, a city where energy is currency and music is the lifeblood of its young citizens. Everyone lives on the grid, and the residents of the world’s largest playground are encouraged to pursue every physical and emotional pleasure imaginable.

Vee is the lead singer of the Sugar Skulls, an all-girl band that is Corporate’s newest pet project. Micah haunts the city like a ghost after an overdose of a deadly illegal street drug knocks him off the grid. When Micah and Vee forge an immediate, undeniable connection, their troubled worlds collide.

Trading concert stages for Cyrene’s rooftops and back alleys, they have to evade vicious thugs and Vee’s possessive manager as they unravel the mysteries connected to their dark pasts. And before the curtain falls, Micah and Vee will bring the city to its knees in their desperate bid for love, home, and a future together.

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

V

The girl in the mirror is an undead supermodel in search of a catwalk. It’s the handiwork of the new styling team Corporate brought in to deal with my hair and paint my face and glue sequins to my eyelids and shove in the black-light contacts after the old team quit.

Not that I’m admitting I had anything to do with them unceremoniously packing their kits and leaving before the last show. Better to point the finger at Jax.

In the group, Jax is “the crazy one.” Damon recruited her a year ago, just before her eighteenth birthday, and she’s driven every styling team we’ve had batshit insane with her demands.

“Spiderwebs,” she decides for her face paint tonight, then points her index fingers at a case of skunk-striped bedhead so legendary, it looks like mice have nested in it. “Just don’t touch the ’do.”

There’s a continuous rumble coming from the front of the house: newbies, fresh off the nanotech install and frothing at the mouth to get a taste of everything Cyrene has to offer. The mistress of ceremonies appears a few minutes later, hovering around the edges of my mirror like a moth about to get bug-zapped, makeup already settling into creases she thinks no one else can see. Hellcat Maggie drones on for a bit, her words painted in every shade of predictable monotony.

Eyes glued to the set list on her laptop, short hair spiked and pink, Sasha nods and makes understanding noises without really listening. Five months back, Damon pulled her from outside Cyrene, where everything is workaday business as usual, melting polar ice caps and recycling and talking heads, minimum-wage jobs and Wall Street assholes. She told me he offered a considerable chunk of cash to her poor-as-dirt family in exchange for a three-year contract capitalizing on her sound design and computer skills. Means Sasha got to leapfrog over a hundred thousand or more eager applicants all clamoring to get into the city, but instead of acting like a badass, she’s more like a puppy that might pee on the rug.

She and Jax are the same age, but you’d never guess it, because Sasha is “the nice one.”

And me? Well, I guess that makes me “the bitch.” Like now, instead of joining in Jax’s preshow pill binge or Sasha’s obsessive run-throughs of the set list, I hug Little Dead Thing and wish everyone would just shut their cakeholes. He understands my mood, curling up in a tight fur-splotched ball in my lap, purring like a rusted-out lawn mower engine. Sasha dragged this sorry excuse for a cat in off the street a couple months back. He’d almost immediately started trailing after me, gratitude be damned, yowling at doors closed between us and shredding furniture when left behind at the Loft. Just easier to bring him along, a freaky little mascot who leaves hairs all over my robe.

But I banish him to a dark corner before getting dressed. Fuck-me wardrobe. Heels so tall, I prance instead of walking through the dim red lights in the wings. Corseted waist, narrow skirt, a thousand pounds of hand-sewn beads catching the light when I step onstage. The dress was a class-me-up gift from Damon: vintage and gorgeous and beyond expensive.

I’d taken a switchblade to it, because tatters suit me better.

Still miles away from comfortable, I try to draw a deeper breath than the corset allows, and it catches in my throat. I shouldn’t be stressing. Tonight’s just a warm-up for the big to-do at the Dome. Three days and counting. Have to test the set list and the newest energy-grabbing thrum-collectors Corporate’s eager to roll out citywide.

Every time I blow up one of the old ones, it knocks me off the grid. Cue a mind-scrubbing and a nanotech reboot. I’m tired of waking up as a brand-new Vee. I’d like to keep this version of myself, even if that means making nicey-nice with the equipment.

Anything to keep Damon off my back for a little while longer.

About the authors:

When not working on puzzles for Penny Press or writing about them for PuzzleNation, Glenn Dallas is an author of short stories and at least half of one novel. After appearing in the acknowledgments of several outstanding novels, he looks forward to returning the favor in the future.

Lisa Mantchev is the acclaimed author of Ticker and the Théâtre Illuminata series, which includes Eyes Like Stars, nominated for a Mythopoeic Award and the Andre Norton Award. She has also published numerous short stories in magazines, including Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Weird Tales, and Fantasy. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State with her husband, children, and horde of furry animals. Visit her online at www.lisamantchev.com.

Lisa:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Glenn:

Website / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

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The Last Faerie Queen by Chelse Pitcher Blog Tour: Guest Post & Giveaway!!

Hello guys!! Today I'm super happy to take part of the Blog Tour for The Last Faerie Queen by Chelsea Pitcher hosted & organized by the lovely ladies of RockStar Book Tours!!

I will be hosting Chelsea over in the blog talking about the importance of diversity and how she feels she will always include it be it contemporary or fantasy stories! And not only that, there will also be a giveaway to enter at the bottom of the post!

But first a lil bit more information about the book!

THE LAST FAERIE QUEEN
Author: Chelsea Pitcher
Release Date: November 8, 2015
Pages: 408
Publisher: Flux
Formats: Paperback, eBook

A FAERIE REVOLUTION . . .


After risking her life in the mortal world, the faerie princess Elora returns home to incite a revolution. Allied with the Bright Queen, Elora rallies her people for a battle aimed at overthrowing her mother, the Dark Queen. While some question their ability to win, Elora senses victory, knowing she has a secret weapon: Taylor, the human boy she loves, and a motley crew of his school friends, each armed with a skill that can turn the tide of the coming battle. 


A MORTAL SACRIFICE . . .

But then Elora's supporters in the Dark Court turn on her, believing she has forsaken them in favor of humans. When the Dark Queen kidnaps two of her human friends, Elora must mount a daring rescue mission to free them before her mother offers them up as a sacrifice. 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Diversify Your Faeries! 

Why My Fantasies Will Never Be White-Washed or Straight-Washed 

Several years ago, I was tinkering around in a shop in Eugene, Oregon. It was the kind of shop that specialized in magic-related items (less cards tricks and sleight of hand, more faeries and paganism). I was just rounding a corner, looking at the little winged figurines, when I overheard a conversation between a customer and the shop-owner.

“I’m looking for the goddesses,” the customer said.

The shop owner, a middle-aged man with a Jerry Garcia beard, pointed to a row of statues from Africa and Asia.

The customer shook his head. “No, the real goddesses,” he said, pointing at a poster. I followed his gaze. There, splayed out in a come-hither pose, was a blond, buxom lady with milky-white skin. The real goddesses, I thought, gaze trailing back to the statues along the wall. Not, mind you, the goddesses from the oldest civilizations on earth. Not the ones with brown skin and curves. No. To him, the word “goddess” conjured up an image of a pale-skinned, golden-haired lady who looked remarkably like Pamela Anderson with a pair of wings slapped on her back.

I wanted to say something, but I didn’t. Questioning random guys in magic shops isn’t exactly my thing, and besides, people can like what they like. Still, this idea of “real” stuck with me when I sat down to write “The Last Faerie Queen.” Creating a white-washed fantasy world just didn’t make sense. If faeries are elemental beings (the spiritual aspect of the earth’s physical body), wouldn’t they have skin in shades of golden brown, or even inky black? They might have branches for limbs or leaves growing out of their hair. They definitely wouldn’t all be pale and blonde:


“She rose, and that light bled away from her like rivulets into the sea. Now unburdened by her luminescence, I could see her more clearly: those curves, bound tightly in a gown of diaphanous green; that skin, warm and brown as the earth kissed by sunlight. She was larger than life, this great forest queen. And she had power I could not comprehend.” 


~ Elora, describing the Queen of the Bright Faeries in “The Last Faerie Queen” ~ 


Once I had a clear idea of how the faeries would look, I started to think about their sexual identity. I knew that faerie sexuality would be different, because they wouldn’t be influenced (biologically or socially) by a need to reproduce, and they wouldn’t believe in human religions. In my version of Faerie, people would love who they loved, and want who they wanted. The gender of the lover wouldn’t be important.

Still, knowing something and effectively portraying it in fiction are two different things. If all of my faeries were bisexual (or polysexual or pansexual) would they indentify that way? Or would they take for granted that love was love and desire was desire, and not feel the need to label themselves? In “The Last Changeling,” Elora chooses to define her sexuality because she’s in the mortal world:


“Human distinctions of sexuality don’t exist in Faerie, but if they did, I would probably identify as polysexual.” 


But in “The Last Faerie Queen,” I decided to show the fluidity of faerie sexuality, rather than announce it. It isn’t hidden (in a “Dumbledore is gay, but I’m telling you after the fact” kind of way), but it also isn’t explicitly explained. As an author, and a bisexual person myself, I knew it was important to put this information into the novel, but using human definitions in the Faerie world didn’t make sense. So, while two human characters (Kylie and Keegan) openly identify as bisexual and gay, the faerie characters illustrate that their sexuality is fluid. You can see it in their actions (when a satyr leads Keegan off into the forest) and hear it in their conversations (whenever the Bright Queen’s affections are discussed). In the end, I found I’d written a story with one straight character, and a whole host of queer faeries and humans!

Thank you so much to Pili for having me, and please leave us comments about the kinds of diversity you love to see in fantasy worlds!!

Thank you so much Chelsea for this amazing guest post, I just cannot wait to read the book! Faeries are never ones to let themselves be judged by human standards!

  

About the author:

Chelsea Pitcher is a karaoke-singing, ocean-worshipping Oregonian with a penchant for wicked faerie tales. She began gobbling up stories as soon as she could read, and especially enjoys delving into the darker places to see if she can draw out some light. She is the author of THE S-WORD (Simon and Schuster), THE LAST CHANGELING (Flux), and THE LAST FAERIE QUEEN (Flux 2015).

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Tumblr

GIVEAWAY

  2 winners will receive a signed finished copy of THE LAST FAERIE QUEEN, US/Canada Only.


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TOUR SCHEDULE

Week 1

11/2/2015- Seeing Double In Neverland- Interview

11/2/2015- Driftless- Spotlight

11/3/2015- Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps- Excerpt

11/3/2015- Revolutionary Reads- Review

11/4/2015- Kelly P's Blog- Interview

11/4/2015- PBC - Spotlight

11/5/2015- Books Eater- Guest Post

11/5/2015- Arkham Reviews- Review

11/6/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

11/6/2015- Curling Up With A Good Book- Excerpt


Week 2

11/9/2015- Once Upon A Twilight- Guest Post

11/9/2015- Milky Way of Books- Review

11/10/2015- The Cover Contessa- Interview

11/10/2015- alwaysjoart- Review

11/11/2015- In Love With Handmade- Guest Post

11/11/2015- Literary Musings- Excerpt

11/12/2015- BookHounds YA- Interview

11/12/2015- Cover2Cover- Review

11/13/2015- Me, My Shelf and I- Guest Post

11/13/2015- The Book Lovers' Lounge- Review 

Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Soundless by Richelle Mead!!

Hello there guys!!

Monday is here and for me is my 6th day on a row of work (even if it's a night) but yeah, technicalities aside... I really need a day off!

I've been in a bit of a reading and review writing slump this past week and I hope I'll be getting over it this week! And I'm trying my best by starting the week right, with a new review for Mark This Book Monday!


Soundless by Richelle Mead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Soundless is not my first Richelle Mead book, because I'm in love with her Age of X series, but those are adult dystopia/fantasy, and since I almost am scared to admit, I haven't read her Vampire Academy series, this was my first Richelle Mead YA.

I was quite excited about Soundless since it was a standalone fantasy book, but once I got my hands on an ARC at BEA, it was quite a tiny ARC so I began to worry about the world building and the full ARC of a fantasy story in a book with less than 300 pages!

BUT I should have not worried! Somehow the author managed to wove a complete story with a fantastic world building and some lovely Chinese mythology included, that made for a very welcome change!

Our main character, Fei, lives in a village on top of mountain and their livelihood depends on their mining of precious metals since they send them mountain down in exchange of all the food they cannot grow. Everyone in their village has been deaf for generations so they depend on the artists to paint everyday their news and happenings. But now the villagers are also going blind, starting by those that work in the mines, they're sending less metals down and getting more foods up.

Things are getting dire, and when Fei's sister starts losing her sight, Fei feels like she needs to do something more. And then she recovers her hearing and that changes everything.

The world building is done in such a lovely progression. We get to know the village, and their way of life and surroundings quite well through the work of Fei and her interactions with others. Then when Fei starts her way down the mountain with Li Wei, we see more and more of what's in this world other than their little village cut from everything and everyone.

As they discover that they really knew nothing of what's going on down the mountain and so many secrets are revealed, we meet a few new characters here and there. Some of them felt more vague, like more archetypes than characters, and others were more fully fleshed.

The relationship between Fei and sister is the main motivator of Fei's quest and I was quite glad to see that for a change, instead of the romantic feelings. Even if there are romantic feelings, but for Fei, her sister is first and foremost.

I don't know a lot of Chinese mythology and I always mean to read more of it, but getting a smaller story based on it like this one, it's always a good reminder and a good motivator to do so!

The feel of this book is not of epic fantasy, but more of folk tale or fairy tale (and I agree with Jessica from Rabid Reads on that) but that for me was not a bad thing at all!

The descriptions felt very visual and rich and I feel the author did a great job at trying to describe and explain hearing when everyone around you has been deaf for generations, and you have to try and find books written by people that could hear, and figure out what sounds are what words! Made me really think about how many things us lucky enough to be in possession of all our senses take them for granted!

The ending was what I had expected more or less with a few clues that we were getting and it was both open but with enough resolution to imagine what might continue to happen in the village. Once again, it felt very fairy tale-like!

Very well deserved 4 stars for this one!!



View all my reviews

Friday Reads: ARC Review of The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes!!

Hello there guys!

Some days life as an adult sucks! I've been worrying about money and bills and still trying to buy things for the house and sort trips for next year and dammit it's a doozy for the brain! *flops down in bed*

I think that's partly why I've been a bit more unmotivated to blog as of late, I keep on reading and not reviewing and half the time I'm online, I'm only fluffing around...

But today I just realized it's Friday so I managed to crank up a half decent review for this week's Friday Reads for a very cool book that if you're a fantasy lover and you enjoy amazing humour, YOU JUST NEED TO READ!


The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There are some reviews that really make you want to read a book, and when I read Jessica from Rabid Reads review for The Palace Job, it really made me want to read this one ASAP!

So when I saw this one and the next two book of the series up for request on Netgalley, I just had to give them a try, and yet, very wise choice on my part!

The Palace Job is a fantasy heist book, with a very random crew of people trying to steal a very precious something for itself and for revenge.

Fantasy heist in a world with magic, magical floating cities where only the rich live, the Republic is at peace with the Empire but no one seems to be happy about it, and a puppet theater keeps the public informed of the goings-on, political or otherwise!

Our main character is Loch, a prisoner in the bowels of the floating city of Heaven's Spire, former military and with a past that shapes her motivation to get out of there. Loch is a woman, a fighter and a Ursujan, a woman of colour. The Republic is supposed to have equal rights for all, but prejudice for the Ursujan is still rampant.

Then we have Kail, also Ursujan, former military and an uncanny ability to insult someone's mother is probably every known language. Tern is the expert on safes and picking every lock, Icy the Imperial contorsionist and martial arts pacifist expert, a magical unicorn, Hess the magician,a Death Priestess with a talking warhammer and a boy with no apparent ability that was rescued along with the magician.

There's plenty of action and even social commentary here and there, but the thing that this book does brilliantly is mixing amazing sense of humour everywhere! Sometimes a bit some subtly, others a lil more blatantly but always always SO WELL DONE!

Planning and plotting and second guessing and keeping an ace up their sleeve and even confraternizing with the enemy! There is never a dull moment in this book!

The world building was very well done, although I think the bigger strenght was on the social and political climate more than on physical desriptions, but it was done in a way that the Republic felt very real!

The book can be divided, no exactly half and half but nearly so into assembling the team and the actual heist, so keep that in mind when you start to wonder what trolls have to do with anything in the story!

Not much romance to speak of in here, even if there are some bits here and there. One of them was easier to see and root for and the other was more told than shown, so maybe that's what didn't make me give this one a full 5 stars? I'm not sure, I simply go with my gut feeling and this one felt like a 4 to 4.5 stars.

If you like fantasy, this is a book and a series to add to your reading pile ASAP!


View all my reviews

GIRL AGAINST THE UNIVERSE FIRST ARC INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY!!!!

 Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

 Release date: May 17th 2016

Synopsis:
Maguire is bad luck. 

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch. 

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought. 

From author Paula Stokes comes a funny and poignant novel about accepting the past, embracing the future, and learning to make your own luck. 

Hey guys! Today I am more than happy and honoured to be part of the shared FIRST INTERNATIONAL ARC GIVEAWAY for Girl Against The Universe by Paula Stokes! You'll be introduced to one of my favourite characters in the book (oh boy, she made me laugh so much!) and DO NOT forget about the chance to win the very first ARC in the giveaway!!

I have been one of the lucky ones to read it early and I fell head over heels in love with the story, and Maguire, Jade, Penn, Jordy and the rest of the crew! 

There's a great balance between the more serious parts of the book and the absolutely delightful banterfluff moments (banterfluff is one of my fave maybe-words coined by Debby from Snuggly Oranges). 

I've recently re-read it and it managed to make me tear up again, make laugh out loud and shake my head, swoon and go all "aweeeeeeeeeeee!!" and simply adored this book as much or maybe even a lil bit more than the first time I read it! I've already have it preordered and I just cannot wait till I can add a finished copy to my library room!

Now over to Paula so she can tell you all about my fave character!!

Paula:  Jade is the first friend Maguire makes at her new school. She gets a lot of the book’s funniest lines and steals practically every scene she’s in. (She’s an aspiring stage actress, so I guess that makes sense, right?) Jade and Maguire have an honest and mutually supportive friendship that develops slowly throughout the book. Here’s more info on Jade: 


Name: Jade Lee
Age: 16
Grade: Junior
School: Pacific Point High School
Family: Mom, Dad (AKA the overlords), two older brothers who have both abandoned me for college
Hobbies: acting, tennis, watching movies, fashion design


Here’s what happens when Maguire first meets Jade:


A tall Asian girl wearing patterned kneesocks and a black tennis dress emblazoned with purple geometric shapes makes her way up the bleachers, scanning the rows like she’s looking for someone. She was also in my sixth-hour class. She sat in the back with me and redid her nail polish behind her book for most of the period. 

“Bloody hell,” she says to no one in particular, in what I think is a British accent. “I cannot believe I’m going to spend all semester with you turnips.” She passes everyone up and comes to sit by me. “You’re the new girl, yeah?” she asks. “Maguire?” 

“Yeah.” I scoot a little bit away as she drops her tennis bag on the ground. It’s more of a plain duffel strategically cut and sewn to convert it to a racquet bag. Tiny patches with slogans like “I think, therefore I am (better than you)” and “Death to pop music” cover the front of it.
“Right then,” she says. “I’m Jade.” She dusts off the bleachers with one hand before sitting down. She’s got fresh black and silver polish on every nail except for her thumb, which is adorned with a sunflower decal. 

“Jade.” I scoot back toward her. “Nice to meet you.” Okay, so it’s totally dumb to like someone for her name, but jade is lucky in several different cultures. I’m counting this as a good omen. 


Sooo, that was our introduction to Jade, and trust me... it only gets better (and funnier)!

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About the author:

Paula Stokes writes stories about flawed characters with good hearts who sometimes make bad decisions. She’s the author of several YA novels, most recently Liars, Inc. and The Art of Lainey. Her writing has been translated into eleven foreign languages. Paula loves kayaking, hiking, reading, and seeking out new adventures in faraway lands She also loves interacting with readers. Find her online at authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.


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Saturday Pages: Mini Reviews for Maxon and Portia by Christina Bauer!

Hello there guys!

Happy Halloween! I hope you are all enjoying this day, handing out candy, dressing up or reading and/or watching some spooky movies! My plans are to watch Nightmare Before Christmas before work tonight... Yes, I work on Halloween night and I'm extremely bummed about that!

Today for Saturday Pages I have a pair of mini reviews for two ARCs that I got via NetGalley (thank you Ink Monster) and that are part of a series that I'm really enjoying, Angelbound and Angelbound Offspring!


Maxon by Christina Bauer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Since I fell in love with Myla and Lincoln in Angelbound I have continued to read all the books in the series, and although I haven't felt the same love for any of the books as for the first one, they are still good and fun to read!

This is the story of Maxon as an adult, and as such we don't really see as much of Myla and Lincoln even if they do appear here and there. I'm pretty sure this book can be read without having read the previous three books, because we get enough little tidbits here and there about past events that are relevant to understand.

The book is told in dual POV, Maxon's and Lianna's. I really liked Lianna, how she was trying her best and standing her ground, I could really relate with her hate of being addressed as "a girl" in a demeaning or patronizing way! I loved that she could stand her own, even if she had some growth to do and adapt to the new situation!

Maxon is one of those alpha-ish guys that never really veers into the arsepha side of the spectrum, and that never treated Lianna as a "must be protected and therefore underestimated" being, so that was a big plus to him. Reading his POV felt like a rather realistic male thought process, so that was also another plus. He was a bit hormone driven and hot and cold on occasion, but he had his own issues that could justify the back and forth!

As far as world building goes we get a look at Elementals and their society and culture and how they interact or not with our previously known realms, as well as a little look at the human realm. The plot is both a mix of Lianna's quest and an Elemental and how to remove a tirant from power and Maxon and Lianna's relationship development.

The pacing was fast and so I read the book quite quickly! I guess I felt like it lacked maybe a lil bit of depth or lenght to develop the relationship a bit more, because it felt a lil bit too quick, even if we have to accept some supernatural connection given the world the book is set in. I guess that my main complain and why I give this one 3 stars, but on the very good side of the three stars!


Portia by Christina Bauer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Portia is the second book in the Angelbound Offspring series and just like Maxon, it can be read as an standalone, not only from the Angelbound series but also you don't need to have read Maxon to read this one, but I'd recommend that you read them all, everything will make a lil more sense!

Portia is a lil bit different from the rest of her family, not so much of a fighter with her hands, more with her brain. She's always been a bit of a second rate sort of royalty given her marks and has got more scorn than respect. I loved that she was a bookworm and had a big connection with both her maternal grandmother & grandfather!

I really liked that Portia could stand her own and show her family (and the general population) that she doesn't need to be a big physical fighter to be able to do something to save the world! And to do so she does have some help, namely Tempest, the Furor Emperor, a full on demon and dragon!!

I really enjoyed the quest to save all the realms that Portia and Temptest embark themselves on, I really like the world building that was done during the quest, but I felt that the romance progression was a bit too fast (even faster than it was on Maxon) and although it is understandable to some extent once something is explained in the narrative... It just felt too fast and too convenient.

I'm tempted to give another star to this one or at least a half star because of the Furor dragons and the ending because I really loved it, but I still felt that the book was a bit too rushed and maybe a bit too short? I wouldn't have minded 50 more pages or so!

This one gets 3 stars but once again, 3 to 3.5 stars and the good side of the 3 stars!



View all my reviews