Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley!!!

Hello guys! Happy Monday!

I work night shift today, so althought I do have to work, I get to sleep in and spent most of my day at home!
I'm starting the week for Mark This Book Monday with a tough read and a wonderful book all rolled into one, one I cannot recommend enough for everyone to read and then stop and think.

This is one book that will be better if read with someone, and that's why I'm so happy I was doing a buddy read for it with the very awesome Becca of Pivot Book Reviews and Pivot Book Totes! You can read her review of the book HERE.

I got approved for it by Harlequin Teen that are usually wonderful to me like that via NetGalley! As an ARC it is part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge and also my ARC August challenge!

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was one tough book to read, at least the first third of the book was extremely heartbreaking to read. But, this is one of those books that I think everyone needs to read, we all need a reminder about what the perpetuated lies and standards of "us vs them" really are.

This a great example that if we are looking for diverse reads they are out there, this is historical fiction set in more modern times, of the long and very tough journey of integration.

The story is told from two points of view: Sara, the black girl that is for the first time enrolling into an all white school; and Linda, the white girl whose father is the main opposer of integration and equality in their town, and the more vocal, given that he runs the local paper.

The book starts with Sarah's POV, and there was a point I wasn't sure I could continue reading. The amount of hate and humiliating stuff they go through was upseting, saddening, maddening and made my blood boil. I was feeling as anxious and my heart rate got higher with the tension and anxiety that Sarah went through. Really amazing how the narrative made me feel so much!

Then we switch to Linda's POV and we see things from her side, and lil by lil see her thinking for herself and finding out that maybe those beliefs she thought she had weren't so right or as strong as she thought they were. It was a fantastic example of how reality differs from theory and how when "them" as an abstract entity becomes a real human being in front of you, the differences are not so big.

This book is mainly about the differences or lack thereof about being black or white, but then adds yet another layer and it can be just about being different in a way that society as a whole, or a chunk of society seems to disapprove of, for no other reason than being different, fear and hate just turning it into an " us vs. them" fight once again.

Hope and finding the right way to live life the way you want to, making sure you don't have to hurt others but not letting them making your choices for you would be the very positive message by the end of the book. So be warned but not be discouraged at all, this is a must read of a book! 4 to 5 stars for this one, I can't seem to be able to pick a rating for it!



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Saturday Pages: ARC Review of Rain by Amanda Sun!

Hey guys! Welcome to Saturday Pages!

This week I've been catching up on my review pile, so today I have another ARC for review! As such, it also counts for my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge! I didn't have this one ready for release week cause I was dealing with the Ruin & Rising hangover, but I want to give big thanks to Harlequin Teen for approving so many of my requests on Netgalley!

Rain by Amanda Sun

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


First of all, thank you so much Harlequin Teen for approving so many of my requests on NetGalley!

I had this one on my review pile to have it up on release week, but then Ruin & Rising and its massive hangover happened, so I ended up ignoring my review pile for a while and did some comfort reading... But now this week I've decided to go back to crack on my ARCs!

I liked Ink quite a bit overall, although I ended up giving it 3 stars cause some things really managed to annoy me enough, and with Rain it seems like we're exactly at the same point. There are some parts of the book that I absolutely adore, and others that annoy me to no end and make me want to skip pages to avoid them.

Let's start with what I loved in Ink and continued to adore in Rain, first of, the Japanese contemporary part. I've never been to Japan, but I feel like we really get a very authentic and real look at Japan, with it's everyday traditions and customs and all the little Japanese words here and there (I might end up learning a lil Japanese with this books, as a side perk!), and also how genuine the way Katie feels like an outsider. I've spent months in India, and no matter how comfortable or how welcome I was everyone, there were always little things that made me stand out or reminded me I was foreign, so I could relate with Katie. Even more imagine studying in a country where you have to learn a language with a complete different alphabet and way to write... challenging to say the least!

I also loved the whole mythology about the Kami, and all the revelations we got on this book and how it opened for what I feel will be an epic battle in the conclusion in the next and final book.

What I wasn't keen at all was the romance and the teenage angst. Katie and Tomo with their starcrossed lovers bit and then all the added satellites around and all the drama that was created and added on top of the Kami?? Wow, it was just too much for me. Not a fan of drama, and some of them were petty teenage woes and ended up making me want to skip paragraphs. Katie and Tomo took the whole bloody book to finally realize that secrets are no good and communication is key, so I'm hoping most of the drama has been left behind now!

I feel like the teenage drama mixed with the Kami threat is a bit too much for me, so I'm hoping the next book with focus more on the Kami and less on the drama!

I am quite curious enough about more information on Katie and her dad (hopefully) and more answers on that front, as well as the big confrontation I expect will happen, and even more information about the Kami and their myths. So, I'll be awaiting the third (and I think final) book.

I'm giving this one 3 stars, cause after all the likes and dislikes it comes to a bit of a happy middle of sorts!



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Showcase Sunday #38!

Showcase Sunday is a weekly feature hosted by Vicky of Books, Biscuits, and Tea where all book lovers can share with others what bookish goodness we got this week, be it purchased (physical or eBook), won, gifted or for review!

This week was a bit more quiet on the book front, but that doesn't mean that I didn't get any books, just not as many as the past weeks! Still, I got some really cool books!

I finally got my preorder of Hexed by Michelle Krys that I had won in a giveaway (THANK YOU NOVA)!! I really cannot wait to read this one, hopefully soon!

And I also got myself a signed copy of Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision after reading and loving an ARC for the blog tour!

Jennifer also sent me some amazing swag! That cover is gorgeous and that blue is my favourite colour! Thank you so much!

Purchased (via Kindle app)

Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo

As You Turn Away by Molli Moran

For Review (via NetGalley)

Thank you so much Harlequin Teen for the approvals on these!

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Rain by Amanda Sun

And that's all for this week! Quite a nice haul after all!
What all did you guys get this week?

Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa!!!

For the final entry for this week's Mark This Book Monday I'm having an ARC that made me ignore everything else that I was reading and start it right away, even if I was completely exhausted that night after work! I have to say a big big THANK YOU to Harlequin Teen for approving my request for this one via NetGalley.

This one is part of three of challenges! As the final book of the Blood of Eden series is part of my 2014 Series Challenge, as a paranormal postapocalyptic dystopia it is part of my Dystopian Reading Challenge 2014 and since I got my eARC via NetGalley for review, it is part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge! Phew!

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I was approved for The Forever Song on NetGalley I was immediately running towards my eReader to get it to load, and I totally ignored whatever books I had pending to read, even The Winner's Curse, that I had just started! Thank you so very much to Harlequin Teen for approving my request for this book! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!

This review is gonna be as spoiler free as possible, and trust me I'm gonna try my hardest! This was one amazing book to read without knowing what was coming, and I want you all to go into it as I did. That means it'll also be a bit vague. What you might expect is some spoilers for book 2, but nothing that you wouldn't get for reading the summary for this book. If you haven't started the series, just don't read this review and go read the books!

The Forever Song has to be one of the most perfect final books in a trilogy ever. I've been lucky to get some really great final books for a series this year, but this one... Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect after that ending in The Eternity Cure, but Julie Kagawa managed to surpass any expectations I had (and those I didn't know I had)!

This books is full of heartbreak and it shakes you in a way that you don't expect. Very early on I was saying "Noooooo, that can't beeee!" out loud! And the emotional scenes and onslaught to the heart continues for all the book, one way or another. With happy emotional to heartbreak and back again. There's plenty of action and we get a few unexpected twists to the plot here and there.

Allie has lost herself to the monster inside, she refuses to feel and keeps on telling herself it's better to not care and to treat humans as bloodbags, than to acknowledge the pain that carries inside after the death of Zeke. She only has one thing in her mind: Revenge. She wants to kill Sarren and she won't mind dying in the process as long as she takes him with her. Kanin isn't happy with her new mindframe but Jackal seems to be enjoying the new attitude on his blood-sister. It's heartbreaking to see her like this, and when the change comes it's even more emotional. First tears right there.

Then, as they continue to follow Sarren's trace trying to stop him ending the world, we encounter what I'd call the biggest shock of the book. Just, wow, it broke my heart right there. Second moment of tears.

Jackal becomes the voice of reason and common sense on more than one occasion and it really makes you think of messed up things really have to be for that, aye? Aye. He's one character I love to hate, and even if he annoys me sometimes, I wouldn't want him to be any other way.

There's more heartbreak and tears along the way, with more emotional moments, thankfully not all of them on the negative side, and quite a few that are just fantastic.

The ending is perfect. Full of hope for the future, even after all the massive heartbreak and sacrifices. I might not be happy with how it came to be, but once you stop to think about it, it's really fitting for the character and perfect for the storyline to come full circle. Sad and heartbreaking, but perfect. The brightest day comes after the darkest night and that is very much true for this book.

Very much deserving of 5 or more stars. Stock on the tissues before reading!



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ARC Review: Witchfall by Victoria Lamb!

I continue my quest for improving my ratio on NetGalley and on having the reviews for ARCs I've received on a timely manner! This one I didn't manage to have up before relase day this Tuesday, but it's up on release week at least! I wanna give a great thank you again to Harlequin Teen for being so kind to me and approving my request once again!

This one is also part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge!

Witchfall by Victoria Lamb

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was approved on NetGalley for Witchstruck, the first book of this trilogy and I really enjoyed, so when I saw that book too was also available for review since it was coming out soon, I had to know what was coming next for Meg, Alejandro and Lady Elizabeth!

Thank you so much to Harlequin Tee for once again approving my request!

As always, since this is the review of a sequel you can expect spoilers for book 1 as those are very hard to avoid but know that I will do my best to avoid spoilers for Witchfall!

Meg finally can breathe without the shadow of witchhunter behind her, but she exchanged that for the long hand of the Inquisition. She has moved to court since Lady Elizabeth was recalled by her sister, Queen Mary. It would seem a good thing, but Lady Elizabeth and Meg are under even a more strict vigilance there, and the Inquisition is there at every step.

The thing I really really love about these books is how fantastically they mix the period time events and politics, with the customs and the atmosphere with the world of magick. While you are reading, it all comes together to seamlessly that you simply think that is how it had to be, with magick in between all the political intrigues!

Being so truthful to the period it also means there are loads of mysoginistic attitudes that always grate on my nerves, nothing against the book but something to be warned about. Also, the Inquisition is scaring as hell (pun not intended, but approppriate) and there's some torture in the book that even if not graphic, it was both deeply uncomfortable and enraging to read.

This is a very solid sequel, without middle book syndrome, with a plot that takes a few unexpected turns, with some very dangerous foes, some new, some old. More magick, more political intrigue, more secrets revealed and more to uncover.

Meg grows as a character, even if sometimes she can be a bit irritating, she has a backbone and she won't stop from doing what's right. Alejandro continue to be slightly heatheaded when it comes to Meg sometimes, but he always manages to be there for her and to help as he can. There's no love triangle despite someone else being interested, it was never an issue of having doubts, though some jealousy was experiencen here and there.

Lady Elizabeth is still not the strong woman the world will meet as Elizabeth I, but she is still trying to navigate the waters of Court and avoid the dangers of the Inquisition. Her change of heart and the end of the book was not unexpected, but it was disappointing.

The climax was a bit quick and over a bit too soon, too easy and at the same time it seems that we go through a loop of "it's over, but no it really isn't" sort of a feel.

A book with exquisite world building, even if I don't seem to connect with them emotionally as I'd wish. Well deserved 3.5 stars.



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Friday Reads: ARC Review of White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L Armentrout!

For this final Friday Reads of this week I have a review of an ARC of a book that I got at the same time than the finished book. So it's as such part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge and it'll be also another book off my NetGalley list! I'm really hoping I can reach my 80% ratio on NetGalley soon!

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had White Hot Kiss preordered since it was announce and available for preorder, but when I saw it on NetGalley, I thought I'd request it and see if I could get lucky to read it before release day, but as fate would have it... I got approved for it on release day! So I had both copies to read, the ARC and the final book! Thank you Harlequin Teen for the approval!

I'm a bit of in two minds about this book, and that's because even though I liked it well enough as a whole, I kept on being meh about some things and enthusiastic about others. Hence the 3 star rating, that could be a 3.5, but I think will remain a 3 star.

As far as the plot and the originality of the paranormal creatures, the unexpected revelations and the twists in the story, this book would get a 4 to 4.5 stars no questions asked, but the characters seemed too formulaic to me, a bit too Armentrout typical if you may, so I'd give them a 2 to 2.5 stars.

Roth was a bit too much of the typical Armentrout bad boy, with a forward sexual presence and cheeky self bad boy. But it also felt a bit tame for a demon? I'm not sure. Layla was lacking a bit of the usual spunk female Armentrout characters usually have, and though I could see where her issues would come from and she wasn't entirely a whiner, she got on my nerves a bit. And then we got Zayne, good boy, fighter and friend-with-hints-at-more and apparently unrequited crush of Layla's aaaaand we get a maybe love triangle... And I'm so NOT a fan of love triangles!

The redeeming qualities of the plot and the mythology that the author presents us here was more than enough for me to want to continue reading and manage to enjoy the book and also look forward to the next book (I have actually already preordered it) and I have high hopes that the characters will continue to grow in the next book and won't be as cookie cutter as they seemed in this one.

I'd say if you really like Jennifer L Armentrout books and characters or if you are looking for a new twist on paranormal creatures (because gargoyles & demons, not seen very often out there!) with an interesting and engaging plot that leaves you wondering and hoping for more revelations, do give this one a chance. Even if it's only a 3 star for me, it was still a good enough read!



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Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Grim, an anthology of fairy tales retellings!

Trying to keep in good shape with my NetGalley ratio and with my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge I'm having for my second Mark This Book Monday entry another review for an ARC of a book that I got through NetGalley, a big thank you to the kind people at Harlequin Teen that approve my requests despite me being in Spain! Thank you!

Grim by Christine   Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a fantastic collection of short stories, all versions in each of the different authors very own voice of classical Grim fairy tales.

I'm no expert on Grim tales, and I probably only know of the better known, and maybe not even the original Grim brothers' versions, since most of the versions that we read for kids (and I'm not talking about the Disney ones) are not as gruesome as the originals were.

I couldn't identify all the tales in this anthology but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy those stories as they were, even if I was left wondering what tale was the inspiration behind it.

Others I'm pretty sure I guessed what book it was behind it, even if some were easier to identify than others, since some authors took a bit more liberties than others with the story.

Most of the stories are set in either actual times or even the future, though some are set in the past too and others have a certain sense of timelessness about it.

The two versions of Beauty & the Beast, one by Sarah Rees Brennan and the other by Tessa Gratton are probably my faves from the entire anthology. SRB's one because it was hilarious and so different from what you might expect after how dark the stories usually are. And the one by Tessa Gratton was simply fantastic, dark and twisted and a joy to read.

The version of Bluebeard by Rachel Hawkins and The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo were another two I could guess and that I loved, as well as the version of Hansel & Gretel by Kimberly Derting were ones I could identify easily and really liked the way they were changed.

From the ones that I couldn't identify that I really liked as they were are the stories by Myra McEntire, Saundra Mitchell  (even though this is a tough one to read, as it deals with incest) and Jon Skovron.

The rest weren't bad, but not as memorable as those I've mentioned above. Some were too similar to the original story and others didn't stay in my mind as much.

All in all a very enjoyable collection of stories and very well deserving of 4 stars.



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Showcase Sunday #23!!

Showcase Sunday is a weekly feature hosted by Vicky of Books, Biscuits, and Tea where all book lovers can share with others what bookish goodness we got this week, be it purchased (physical or eBook), won, gifted or for review!

Purchased (via Kindle app)

Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

What Kills Me by Wynne Channing


For Review (via NetGalley)

This was one heck of a surprise, and one I'm super grateful for, I requested it and was approved for it in a matter of hours! So thanks a lot, Tanglewood Press!! And Harlequin Teen are always very nice to me!

Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Grim - A compilation of various authors

Friday Reads: ARC Review of Pawn by Aimee Carter!

Next on this week's Friday Reads is an ARC review that is part of my NetGalley November challenge! I still have a lot of catching up to do, but at least I managed to read and review Pawn before its release date of November 26th!

Pawn by Aimee Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm quite a fan of dystopian books so when I found out about Pawn I requested it immediately on NetGalley, so thank you Harlequin Teen for approving my request!

Since I've read quite a few dystopian books already I usually trust my judgement on the blurb of the book but with Pawn I'm glad I decided to not trust my first instinct completely, cause I wasn't 100% sold on it, but the title reference to chess made me want to read the book, and I'm quite glad I did!

This world we found ourselves in boasts of being based on merit, you take a test at 17 and it will determine your rank number and from then on your jobs and the kind of life you'll have. From I to VI, because the VII's are by birth only and they're the Harts, the ruling family. Kitty can't complete her exam and is awarded only a III, which means she'll spend her life cleaning sewers. She rebels against her fate and tries another not-much-better option and due to some random chance she's given the chance to became a VII, being Masked and taking the place of Lila Hart, the niece of the current Prime Minister.

One of the best things about Pawn and that I must really praise the author for is how she doesn't hold back any punches. She does show us all the ugly stuff and she's not afraid to face the reader with a very harsh reality out there. In this dystopian the Earth is not trying to kill us with natural catastrophes, here it's all about power, political and economical, control and the ugliness that human nature is capable of.

Kitty is thrown into a mess of family conflicts and political intrigue without much of a warning and she has to learn how to be someone else and how to negotiate who she's supposed to be without losing sense of who she really is. She has to face the ugly and shocking truth behind the propaganda of the Harts and she keeps on being threatened by almost everyone around her to take their side. She's a strong character and she fights to try and make her own choices, to keep those she love safe and to try and stay alive. And she finds that she has the strengh and the wit to do just that by the end of the book.

One thing that I kept on wondering about during the first part of the book was how much all the mentions of the Hart family made me think of Alice in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts and the rest of court... I don't know if I'm the only one that thinks so, or if it was even part of what the author intended...

Pawn is full of twists and turns and most of them really took me by surprise! One of the biggest shocks, so big I had to close the book for a moment was the revelation of that Elsewhere really was. Shocking, harsh but not something that humans haven't done before, unfortunately.

There's some romance in the book, but Benjy and Kitty had been together before the story starts in Pawn, so we get mostly longing for being together and a motivation for keeping each other safe. There might seem to be some hints to a possible love triangle with Knox, Lila's fiance, at some point but I'd say it was averted in this book and hopefully for the rest of the series!

Very happy I got to read this one in advance and very intrigued where the series will take us next. A very original take on the dystopian genre that deserves 4 stars.





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ARC Review of The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa!

The final entry for this Saturday edition of Friday Reads is for the second book of The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten series, The Iron Traitor that was released on October 29th.


The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First of all, I have to say a big thank you to Harlequin Teen for approving my request for an eARC of this via NetGalley!

The Iron Traitor is a sequel and though I'm not sure if it's just a second book or a middle book (is it a series or a trilogy?) it had to keep up to quite high standards for me and thankfully, it did that and then some!

I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but there might be some spoilers for book 1, even if I'll try to avoid those too. What I'm gonna say from the very beginning... you need to be warned about something, yes THAT cliffhanger ending! I feel like going into the book forewarned about it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of it, but does help a bit dealing with the shock and emotional misery! So thank you, Sam, for the warning about this cliffhanger, I will join your petition for banning them!

Ethan now is still getting used to the fact that he's not alone in his fight against the Fey, and he's not even sure he's so against them anymore. He has Kenzie to fight for and he has found some allies in the Nevernever, Keirran and Annwyl, Razor, even Grimalkin and Puck. When the Lost Prince was mostly about Ethan and his own path and fight, here Keirran has a growing role since Ethan and Kenzie are mostly dragged along trying to help him on his quest to save Annwyl.

The biggest strenght of this book is that it takes everything that was good from book 1 and takes it up a notch. Our quartet has to go into the Nevernever and not just for a short trip, they have to face Titania and her whims and cruelty, they have to fight old beasts and they will probably start something worse than a war, all of that in the name of love. All the characters grown and progress and Keirran in a very disquieting way, and you start not being sure what is really going on with him. There seems to be quite a deal of information we're not privy to and I'm hoping we'll get some more answers in the next book.

The ending... well, you have been warned about the massive emotional cliffhanger from the start, and trust me, it's the kinda cliffhanger that makes you want to be for the next book to come out like yesterday, but we still have a year to wait!!

All in all, a great read very much deserving of 4.5 stars!





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