Monday, September 12, 2016

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Review)


Genre:
YA, Supernatural
Publication Date:December 8, 2014
Pages:300
Published By: Author
Series:The Wicked Saga #1
Review copy:E-copy Purchased
Buy it:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Chapters



Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.



  His brows lifted.  "She could kick ass, therefore she was hot."
  My fingers tightened on the stake.  Okay.  So Merida was a badass, and I guessed that was better than saying I reminded him of Belle, the Stockholm victim, and now I was oddly flattered.  "This conversation has taken a weird turn."
  Oh my God, I was groping him   his shirt.  Could you grope a shirt?  I was pretty sure I was groping his shirt.
  Dropping my hands, I took a step back and bounced into the brick wall.  Total stealth move right there.  I wanted to kick myself.
  I had to act fast.  Cocking my arm back, I threw the dagger.  It spun through the air, hitting the fae in the chest, sinking deep.  A startled look crossed the fae's face, and then he too disappeared in a flash of light.



  I have never not enjoyed a JLA book that I have picked up.  However, I also try not to pick them up when all of the hype flares up and I stick to her paranormal/supernatural books.  Admittedly I picked this one up because the hype for Torn was in the air, and it was on sale.  That doesn't mean that I didn't want to sooner, but more it just felt like the right time.  This YA read was just what I needed when I picked it up.  I guess it's more upper YA, with a little light NA flare.  OH, yes this book has something a little different and I enjoyed the ride.

  Okay, so along with hiding from the hype and not reading the raving reviews, I actually had no idea that this book was about the Fae.  Yup...  Totally for whatever reason thought Vampires.   Not that there is anything wrong with Vampires but it's more I read by what I feel fits at that time and Vamps just weren't it.  So when I picked up Wicked and figured out it was about Fae, I was so believably in.  I loved the characters, I loved the plot, the pacing...  Well, I loved the pacing once it really took off.  I had a slower start, despite the fact that the book picked up in action really quickly.  I also loved the vibrant setting.  It was depicted wonderfully,  without going over board and drowning its beauty.  By the last page I found that this was a marvellously balanced book.

  Ivy was not a damsel in distress by any means.  She's lost everyone that she loved and spent her life fighting for those she lost.  At times I found it a little monotonous, a little predictable.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I did pick up on this a couple of times.  What made me enjoy her was, her snark, her consistency and her strength.  Ivy was not a naive little girl or an overly hormonal teenager.  She had lived her life training to fight like many others, yet she did work for more.  Ivy is focused on her 'job' but wants more in her life and I admired that greatly.  She was an anomaly in some ways, and this is what made her original and fun to read.  Confusing take I know but I honestly don't know how else to describe Ivy...

  I think the secondary characters were spectacularly done.  Everyone.  It's so easy to love Val and Ren.  Val because she is quirky, has no filter and is the kind of person you have as you best friend without hesitation.  She is not as big of a part of the book as I would have liked, but she definitely added her own something to the pages.  Ren was your typical save the day, I'm top secret but will share with you kind of guy.  However, I did enjoy what he brought to the table.  He did kick up the steam factor and brought a little extra snark and flare into Ivy's life.  He was also a lot different than I expected from start to finish.

  Wicked is not a book that will ride quietly into the night.  No it has loudly demanded that I find a way to get a physical copy in my hands, and one of its newest partner Torn.  For me Wicked lived up to the hype that was risen because of it (though I didn't read any reviews just saw it everywhere).  I will look more into these books and continue to pick them up well after their release date because I think it gives me the chance to enjoy it for my own reasons, not the reason everyone else did or have it flop because of too much hype.

Friday, September 9, 2016

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Review)



Genre:
YA, Retelling, Fantasy
Publication Date:May 5, 2015
Pages:416
Published By: Sky Pony Press
SeriesA Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Review copy:Won
Buy it:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Chapters



When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.




  He snorted as I took the knife from the table and turned to procure the bow from my room.  "I think I'm starting to like you   for a murdering human."
  He left me, and I took a gasping breath, not realizing I'd been holding it.
  Not realizing that I craved his warmth, his nearness, until he was gone.
I knew   I knew I was headed down a path that would likely end in my mortal heart being left in pieces, and yet...And yet I couldn't stop myself.



  Why in the heck of it did it take me so long to pick up this book??!!  I am such a sucker for twisted tales and I have heard phenomenal things about Sarah J. Maas, that after reading this book I'm really not sure what is wrong with me!  I mean Beauty and the Beast tossed up with Fey and twisted into something EPIC with brilliant writing, and dazzling characters!!  There's very obviously something wrong with me.  A Court of Thorns and Roses was a blow your mind kind of read and I want more!

  How do you even talk about plot and pacing, when all of the words that I want to say come out garbled.  I mean this is one of those books that makes you go OMG and HOLY ****!! Everything in this book, for me was all kinds of perfect.  How do you express this kind of love for a book in words, because there are none to do it justice.  The setting was fleshed out extremely well, I loved every step through the world Maas created.  Every character that she sculpted vivid and had a depth that was beyond what I had expected.  This is a perfect example of stepping right into the pages and becoming a part of the book.  From the start A Court of Thorns and Roses was the perfect book for me.

  One of the best things about Feyre is her complete honesty.  I'm not even sure that I can properly put this girl into words.  She is strong because she feels she has to be, and then she is strong because that's what she wants to be.  The snark and the personality of this kick ass character was addictive.  This is the type of character that you want to read, you want more of and you route for.  A part of me wants to say that she had some huge character flaw but I just can't find one.  Honest.  She is bad ass, beautiful and everything that so many of us want in a heroine.  Her one mistake becomes her saving grace and yet the end of everything she thought to be true.  She is totally a case of the end is only the beginning and yet she is far beyond a happily ever after.  Feyre's journey is only beginning and yet everything has already changed for her.  Seriously I love her and I cannot wait to see how she handles everything

   I'm not going to lie to and tell you that Tamlin was awesome or that I completely fell for him.  The truth is that up until about 3/4 the way through the book I was even fond of him.  I'm not sure why there was no connection because by about half way I started to feel that Feyre and him could work.  It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast so it was bound to happen, but part of me worried about their lack of chemistry.  Their biggest buffer was his best friend and then Rhys stepped in.  Once again I'm not sure how I felt about that.  I'm sure that they could create some super steamy, sparks flying and review aflame romance but honestly by the end I was so happy with Tamlin and Feyre.  They work in their own way, actually give a crap about each other and after everything I just plain want them to work after everything. I'm not saying I'll rally against the next book if something happens but for all things holy, I really hope the romance can hang in there without adding an extra point.

  A Court of Thorns and Roses was basically everything that I had hoped and wanted.  There are really no words that I can use to express just how awesome this read is.  My first Maas book was a total success and I am eagerly looking forward to reading A Court of Mist and Fury now that I have managed to get a semi acceptable review out on this one.  If you are a lover of twisted tales, fae and/or fantasy this is a MUST read.  I highly doubt we will find many people out there that enjoy fantasy and don't want to hug this book!!

Thursday, September 8, 2016

The Reader by M.K. Harkins (Book Blitz + GIveaway)


Welcome to The Reader by M.K. Harkins Book Blitz!!! I'm super excited about this
read and even more excited to share this post today <3  Don't forget to check out the
giveaway at the end of the post (I know you don't want to miss it).




The Reader by M.K. Harkins
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: August 25th 2016

Hunted, shot, and without her memory, eighteen-year-old Ann Baker wakes in shallow water on a deserted Pacific Northwest island. She is soon approached by two young men claiming to be her friends. Something isn’t right, but when gunshots sound, Ann is left with little choice but to allow Devon and Archer to help her escape. Soon she finds herself in their North Bend mountain compound, where the higher evolved humans claim to be mind-readers. While Ann heals, she realizes they believe her to be one of the last and most powerful of all – The Lost One.

She’s welcomed by most with opened arms, but not everyone is happy about her arrival. A jealous adversary has plans for Ann, which spirals the entire Reader community into chaos.

As lies, murder, and betrayal threaten to rip apart the once harmonious mountain dwellers, Ann is thrust into making a decision that could save or devastate not only The Readers, but all of mankind. But there’s just one glitch: by doing so it may require her to make the ultimate sacrifice.


Buy Links:

Author Interview


1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I know the exact date – February 3rd, 2013. I ran out of reading material on my Kindle. I stared at the wall, for what seemed like hours. It was then that I had a light bulb moment. I thought “Well, if I can’t find anything to read, I’ll just write something!” The “something” became my first novel, Intentional.
2. Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
Yes and no. I need uninterrupted time (I’m not one of those authors who can write for an hour per day) Give me four hours, and I’m good to go. I do my best writing in the parking lot waiting for my daughter to finish her basketball practice.
3. Where did you get the idea or inspiration for The Reader?
I have absolutely no idea! When I sat down to write it, the words, plot, dialogue literally flew from my fingers to the keyboard.
4. What books have most influenced your life?
The first book I remember reading was Exodus. I was in the 7th grade and I couldn’t put it down. Although I can’t remember all the details, I’m sure it has made me more compassionate.

The next book would have to be Slammed by Colleen Hoover. I know these two books are polar opposites, but nonetheless they both left their mark. With Slammed, I was introduced to a simple, yet complex love story. It brought out all my dormant feelings of first love. My heart raced, my palms became sweaty – all of those feelings came back in a rush. If it were not for Colleen Hoover, and her wonderful writing, I would not have written my first book. That’s a pretty big influence!
5. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
When I’m not writing, I like to think about writing. When my fingers are not on my keyboard, my brain is batting around dialogue. I think it’s called “Voices in my Head” but for writers, it means creativity, not craziness (I think - lol)
6. Any future writing news you would like to share?
Yes! I am currently working on Famous by Default (another YA book). Also, if I get enough requests, I’ll continue with The Reader Series J (So email me!)

 



About the Author

MK has always been a voracious reader. After hitting a dry spell of reading material, she decided to write the kind of book she'd like to read. This resulted in the creation of her debut novel, Intentional. (Award for Best Sweet Romance - eFestival of Words- August 2014)

Unintentional, her second book, is based on the life of one of the characters in Intentional. Unintentional was written as a stand-alone book.

Breaking Braydon and Taking Tiffany have both been released. Available on Amazon.

The Reader is MK's latest project, due out 2016.

When she's not writing novels, she likes to spend her free time traveling the world, splashing in mud puddles (She lives in Seattle, what can she say?), watching movies and reading (!)

MK also runs her own business in her current hometown of Mercer Island, Washington.

Author Links:




Up for grabs is a $25 GC!




*Escaping... One Book at a Time, is not responsible for this giveaway.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine 
and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



 
Genre:
YA, Fantasy
Publication Date:May 4, 2017
Pages:344
Published By: Myra Ink
SeriesThe Talon Saga #4


Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone the love of a human and a former dragonslayer, at that. With ex-soldier Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against the dragon-slaying Order of St. George and her own twin brother Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known.

Talon is poised to take over the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who refuse to yield.

Why I'm Waiting


  I have been addicted to this author ever since I picked up the first Iron Fey novel.  Then I had the chance to meet her and I told her how it had brought me to tears...  She told me those tears fuel her writing and I laughed, but now I'm starting to wonder lol.  Any book by Julie is an auto buy for me and then add that this is about dragons... Well, this saga has become a serious addiction.  If you want to know why I'm waiting, it's simply because I'm hooked!


What are you waiting on?!
Link me up so I can see 

Monday, September 5, 2016

Curses & Ash by Tiffany Duane (Review)


Genre:
YA, Fantasy, Mermaids
Publication Date: January 2016
Pages:254
Published By:  Jester Ink Press
WebsiteTiffany Duane Website

Review copy:Physical for honest review
Buy it:
Amazon 



Discover the spellbinding sequel to Coral & Bone... 

A demented twin sister, a demon hijacking her powers, and a mysterious journal filled with more questions than answers—Halen needs her Guardian Dax more than ever. But if she confides in Dax, she fears he will never forgive her, not after all he sacrificed to help her vanquish Asair. Halen drowned Asair in a tornado of wings—at least, she thought she killed him. Why then does his mocking voice snake through her thoughts, enticing her to surrender her power? Maybe she screwed up—big time—but she will never allow Asair to control her magick. And when Etils' fires threaten the Earth, suspicions surrounding Asair's death rise, igniting restlessness within the realms. Her life in balance, Halen must race time, purge the demon's soul before flames consume the Earth or the Tari strike first.




  Nothing she could say would comfort him.  Right now, their lives hinged on Asair's memories.  Whether he was alive or dead, their fate still lay in the demon's hands.
His rage called to her, fuelling her magick.  She found Dax tripping on the seam of her soul; wavering between the light and dark.  The darkness tugged harder, and Dax fell in with open arms.  As his anger consumed her, she understood what he needed.
  Her friends' faces flashed through her thoughts one by one.  Was she blind?  Had they all lied?  "What about my friends   Tage and Ezra?"  Their names stung.  "Carch and Pepper?"  Her Voice was but a whiper.
  Lies run deep, darling.



  Saying that this is a spellbinding sequel just does not cover how absolutely amazing this book is.  Duane out did herself creating a second book that is not only as good as the first book, but quite possibly out does it.  Okay, so maybe it's Coral and Bones equal but there is nothing mediocre about this second book.  In fact this book holds its own and shows us all that being second isn't always a bad thing and that Duane rocks it as an author!  

  I think the biggest thing for the plot in this book was the massive twist that it took.  I can't say exactly how it happened or when I realized that it was happening, but it did and I just couldn't grasp it to start.  This is not saying that I didn't realize that something was changing, that something was off.  However, I didn't see the depth of deception that was going on.  The pace didn't let up and kept me quickly turning the pages.  One of the biggest appeals and perks of the pacing and the plot twist was that the book had the excitement of a first book, but the bonus of knowing the characters that you are reading.  You get to see all of the old friends and still get the feel of the first time you met.  There was nothing that I can think of that I would change, nor a moment that I would change, knowing what I know now.

  Halen is in quite a predicament.  Spending so much of her life being lied to is still blowing up in her face.  It's hard to know who to trust when everyone you thought you knew, you didn't and everything you thought to be true is gradually twisting with no way of knowing what's really the truth.  There is also the matter of her and Dax, and the lines that they seem to be walking.  Basically, if Halen thought things were tough before, her life has just gotten two times more complicated.  Halen did manage to maintain her appeal through all of this.  She continues to be a strong female lead, and yet she is not without her weaknesses or faults.  Halen is unique in the fact that she does adapt to a situation quickly and she will fight to do what needs to be done, but she also is willing to admit that there is much she can't do on her own.  For this I have always enjoyed Halen and am sure I will continue to do so.

 Halen isn't the only one going through a tough time.  In fact basically everyone in this book is going through something.  Though I ache to explain further, I honestly fear that in doing so I would ruin so much.  Even the other major voice Tage (I can't even say point of view because it was like a separate story that ties in near the end), holds far too much to explain fully without destroying some key points.  What you do need to know is that everyone still plays their part no matter how big or how small, and there are lives that are either forever changed, or taken.  Duane showed that she had no fear when it came to removing a character, even if it did twist you up or take a little piece of you each time it happened.

  Duane used her magnificent plot/plot twist  and her magical writing to pull off something amazing in a second book; she flat out made it just as good as the first.  This book was not for one moment a filler, or anything less than an equal to Coral and Bone.  Page after page Curses and Ash kept me captivated and anxious to find out what happened in the end.  I wasn't expecting there to be another book after this, and was equally excited and disappointed to find out that there will be a third book.  I am disappointed only because I will have to wait until 2017 to get my greedy hands on the next book, because beyond that I am nothing but a ball of anticipation and excitement.  If you haven't had the chance pick up this exciting series because there is very little chance of disappointment.  Fans of paranormal, action and a well written read will surely love this book.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

I'm BACK!!! (P.S. It's my Birthday too!) + Giveaway

I'm Back!!!



  I have written this post so many times.  It has been on write, erase, repeat for almost a week now.  If I'm being honest it is now Sunday (and my birthday) and I am writing this post because I NEED to get this up because I wanted it up Thursday.  THURSDAY people, and I'm doing this now. I feel that it's falling flat of everything I want and NEED to say.  Oh, how I have missed blogging but I suffered from something...  Something terrible... Blogger burnout.

Blogger Burnout 


  I left here because I was burning out...  I felt that I wasn't doing the best I could by this blog, I wasn't doing the best I could for all of you, for the books I was reading.  So, I thought with college and home life crushing in on me I would be better off somewhere where there was less pressure. Though moving gave a temporary relief, I began to feel like I was lagging, like I just didn't fit into the blogging community anymore.  Though my new blogging family did everything in their power to make me feel  right, I slipped further into burnout.



 
  The struggle was seriously real and the harder I fought, the more it pulled me under.  I was drowning in the books that I was so excited to buy, the ones I was once happy dancing to receive.  Books were staring at me from my shelves accusing me of neglect, and the longer this happened the worse it got. 

  My solution...  I stopped forcing myself to read.  I bought the books and I appreciated them but I just didn't try.  I was sad and I missed reading but it had to be done.  Miraculously one day I realized that there was no longer a guilt, no longer a pressure.  So, I tried to pick up a book.  I was cautious but I wanted it so bad and to my delight I loved it.  So, I picked up another and another and another. 

 Then my real test came... Writing a review.  I struggled.  I struggled with what to say and if the review was good enough and if anyone would like it.  Then I remembered that pressure that I felt and started to panic. How could anyone ever want to read my reviews when I had been gone?  When they aren't as good as so many reviewers, reviews are?  After a bit of a meltdown I remembered...  THIS IS FOR ME.

  Yes, I want people to enjoy my reviews and my blog.  Yes, I want authors and publishers to want me to post about them on the blog but it's okay if they don't.  I may never be hugely popular but I will have people, authors, bloggers and others that support me and I will do the same.  I hope that many of you will find my return happy.  That you will share your blogs with me so I can visit and start being an active part of blogging.  I want to support others and I WANT to be a part of the community.

So for all of you reading this:



Giveaway


  So because I'm back and super excited about it, and because today is my birthday I want to give one of my readers something!!  You will have a choice of a Book from the Book Depository up to $20 or something from Evie's Society 6 store up to $20 (this is not from Evie it's just I love her store and I REALLY know many of you will love her awesome designs).  The only catch is you have to be in a country in which the BD ships free and if you pick the Society 6 route I will ship when the shipping is World Wide free.


Here's the link to her store if you want to scope out what you could pick:
Evie Seo's Society 6


Saturday, April 5, 2014

This is NOT Goodbye...

(Visit me @ Bookish)

  Well, this is a day that I did not for one second see coming.  I am so sad to be writing this post and honestly I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it for quite some time.  In fact it took telling someone that would remind me if I didn't to get this done.  However, as you read this please remember this is not goodbye!!  This is I will see you later... An extended vacation if you will.

  My Indie Girl March event is the event I look most forward to the entire year.  I LOVE indie authors and honestly they are the ones that keep me going.  The things is they kept me going through the month of March but at times it was a lot.  Not because of them (as I said they kept me going), but because of all of the other stresses I have had in my life... 
 
  In March Adam's father got ill.  I spent the better part of a week at a hospital where we found out his cancer returned...  This took a lot out of me and my family.  We know he will beat it but it is still not easy to take in.  This made me realize how easily everything can change...
 
Which brings me to:
 
 Turns out school is only getting harder.  This semester was supposed to be easier on us but there was an increase in papers.  Like lengthy papers that took up more time than I wished they had... Now as much as it irritates me I must give a little.  I was blogging here and on the amazing Bookish.  There is a team of us there and I have been letting them down.  I have not posted in a few months (2-3 shame on me), and I think at this point being where there is constant support will help me out. 

  So, all of the giveaways here will remain on and the winners will still be drawn and sent off to the authors.  My giveaway that has winners drawn from awhile back will be contacted in the next week or two, so I can get them their prizes sent out asap! If you are an author that I have worked with before I would be overjoyed that you allow me to continue on with me over on Bookish.  

  I do intend once school is done and life is settled to return here but please visit me on Bookish, as I will miss you all!! 

*Tears*  This is not goodbye...
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