Saturday, October 31, 2020

October 2020 Wrap-Up!

A review of the monthly activities on the blog incl. book reviews, memes, 
reading challenge additions, book hauls

Hey Bookies!

Take a look at my October Wrap-Up:


BOOKS READ:




BOOKS REVIEWED:

THE BETROTHED  by Kiera Cass – (MY REVIEW)

GRACE AND FURY  by Tracy Banghart – (MY REVIEW)


NEW BOOKS:





BOOKS IN PROGRESS:


KINGDOM OF THE WICKED by Kerri Maniscalco


NOVEMBER TBR:


KINGDOM OF THE WICKED by Kerri Maniscalco

BLOOD & HONEY by Shelby Mahurin

If you have any suggestions on improving my Wrap-Ups for future posts, comment below.

Happy Reading!
Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Wishlist Wednesday


*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while*

YELLOW JESSAMINE by Caitlin Starling

Publisher
Neon Hemlock Press 
Release Date: September 5, 2020
Pages: 134

THE STORY:

In Yellow Jessamine, shipping magnate Evelyn Perdanu controls the dying city of Delphinium with trade deals and secrets. But when mysterious sickness sparks death and obsession, all leading back to her, Evelyn's brittle existence is strained to breaking. She retreats to her estate, amidst paranoia and poisonous secrets, intent on rooting out this plague before it destroys everything she has built.



BUY LINK: Amazon


MEET THE AUTHOR


Caitlin Starling is a writer of horror-tinged speculative fiction of all flavors. Her first novel, The Luminous Dead, was nominated for both a Bram Stoker and Locus awards. She has two gothic tales forthcoming: Yellow Jessamine (Neon Hemlock 2020) and The Death of Jane Lawrence (St Martin’s Press 2021), as well as a novella in the Vampire: The Masquerade audio collection, Walk Among Us. Her nonfiction has appeared in Nightmare and Interstellar Flight Magazines. Caitlin also works in narrative design and has been paid to invent body parts. Find her work at www.caitlinstarling.com and follow her at @see_starling on Twitter.


Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

Monday, October 26, 2020

New YA Releases : Week of


Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 
Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.







Are any of these on your Bookish Wishlist or Pre-Order cart? Which do you look most forward to?


Happy Reading!
Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Wishlist Wednesday


*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while*

RULED BY BLOOD by May Sage

Publisher
Twisted Mirth Publishing 
Release Date: October 1, 2020
Pages: 416

THE STORY:

Once upon a time, there was a princess with no notion of right and wrong, and a queen a thousand times more twisted.
In the realm of Tenebris, home to the unseelie folk, curses are served for breakfast with a side of betrayal.
Vlari was born a threat to Queen Morgana. She survived her wrath because she never stepped out of line.
Until one night. One man. One war.
Now that she's unchained, Vlari's consumed by a desire to drain the lives of all those around her. And yet her decisions shape the fate of the entire realm of the fae.
Sometimes the world needs a hero. In a land of shadows, it might just need a monster.
Ruled by Blood is a tale of magic, secrets, and schemes, perfect for fantasy readers who enjoy a dash of romance.
This version combines both parts: Wicked Court and Shadow Cursed.
BUY LINK: Amazon


MEET THE AUTHOR

Chloe Gong is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, double-majoring in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, she now lives at the top of a crumbling, ivory tower in Philadelphia (also known as student housing).

After devouring the entire YA section of her local library, she started writing her own novels at age 13 to keep herself entertained, and has been highly entertained ever since. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear by chanting “Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays and doesn’t deserve its slander in pop culture” into a mirror three times. You can follow her on Twitter @thechloegong or check out her website at www.thechloegong.com.


Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

Monday, October 19, 2020

New YA Releases : Week of October 19th


Here are some upcoming releases this week. Release dates sources: 
Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.




AMONG THE BEASTS AND BRIARS by Ashley Poston 

CITY OF IMMORTAL SHADOWS by T.J. Swackhammer

REBEL SISTERS by Tochi Onyebuchi

THE BRIGHTEST NIGHT by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Are any of these on your Bookish Wishlist or Pre-Order cart? Which do you look most forward to?


Happy Reading!
Thursday, October 15, 2020

Review: Grace & Fury by Tracy Banghart





*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release DateJuly 31, 2018

Pages: 320
Source: ARC

THE STORY:

Bold, brutal, and beautiful--a must-read fantasy full of fierce sisterhood, action, and political intrigue for fans of The Selection series, Caraval, and The Handmaid's Tale.
Serina Tessaro has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace--someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. It's her chance to secure a better life for her family, and to keep her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, out of trouble. But when Nomi catches the Heir's eye instead, Serina is the one who takes the fall for the dangerous secret her sister has been hiding.
Trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one option: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to save Serina. But this is easier said than done... A traitor walks the halls of the palazzo, and deception lurks in every corner.
Meanwhile, Serina is running out of time. Imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive, surrounded by women stronger than she is, one wrong move could cost her everything. There is no room for weakness on Mount Ruin, especially weaknesses of the heart.
Thrilling and captivating, Grace and Fury is a story of fierce sisterhood, and of survival in a world that's determined to break you.
BUY LINKS: The Lit. Bar    |    Amazon


RATING

ONE-WORD REVIEW: CAPTIVATING

OPENING LINE:

Serina Tessaro stood on the steps of the fountain in Lanos' central piazza flanked by nine other girls her age, all in their finest gowns.
 


REVIEW:

I loved the premise of GRACE AND FURY
Dystopian Cinderella meets THE SELECTION meets GLADIATOR. A royal family with two handsome princes. Women are groomed for the chance to be one of the Heir's harem of Graces -- subjugated to being meek, beautiful, and provide an heir. 

“In Viridia, women were oppressed because men were afraid of them.
Women had ruled this country. And history had denigrated them. Erased them. Nomi was certain this wasn't what Renzo had been taught. He would have told her.
But the Superior knew. Whoever had given her this book knew.
And now she did too.”

The pacing of GRACE AND FURY was suited to the plot and the world-building was well-done. I truly felt immersed in the dystopian world where women weren't allowed to read and write. The drama of the Heir unexpectedly choosing Noomi over her sister, who trained her entire life to become a Grace, was delicious. And the unforeseen delight was the action and court intrigue.

“My father used to say that oppression isn't a finite state. It's a weight that is carried until it becomes too heavy, and then it is thrown off. Not without struggle, not without pain, but he believed the weight would always, always be fought and overcome.”

As for the romance, we are led to believe Asa is the good, kind younger brother to the Heir. This persona lulls Nomi into a false sense of security with him. Low and behold, Asa isn't who he pretends to be . . .

"“I don’t think this city is ugly. And I don’t believe in fairy tales.”

All in all, while GRACE AND FURY is a story about sisterhood and the fierce instinct for survival in a world meant to keep you oppressed. While GRACE AND FURY has its flawsI still enjoyed it -- especially the plot-twists.



CHARACTERS:

NOMI TESSARO: Nomi was defiant — which I like— BUT dumb— which I don't like. She was gullible and blind when it came to Asa. So, while I loved how defiant she was, as the story went on her invigorating defiance morphed into belligerent ignorant.

“This book was home to her, more than the palazzo and it’s fine furnishings could ever be.”

SERINA TESSARO: Serina was submissive to a fault — which I don't like— but smart — which I like. One thing I hate more than submissive female characters are willfully submissive female characters. Luckily, I really enjoyed her character arc. By the end of the book, I had a soft spot for her.

“For every woman who has been told to sit down and be quiet... And who stood up anyway.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracy Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She grew up in rural Maryland, with a cornfield in her backyard and flying squirrels in her bedroom walls, and spent her summers on a remote island in northern Ontario. All that isolation and pretty scenery led to a reading addiction, writing obsession, and several serious book boyfriends.

After high school, Tracy escaped to North Carolina, where she got her BA in English from Davidson College. After college, she sampled city life in Canada and D.C. before jetting off to England, to pursue a master’s degree in Publishing at Oxford Brookes University. When she returned stateside, Tracy dabbled in various publishing jobs but didn’t give up on her dream of being a published author. Her husband convinced her that writing full time made perfect sense given the unpredictability of his job, thus affirming her conviction that he was better than any book boyfriend.

Tracy now lives with her husband, children, and dogs in Virginia, but it won’t be long until the Army sends them off on new adventures.

***Check out Tracy Banghart' website for more information about her and GRACE AND FURYHERE

Happy Reading!



Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Wishlist Wednesday


*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while*


THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS by Chloe Gong

Publisher
Imprint 
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Pages: 400

THE STORY:

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark YA fantasy by A.M. Strickland, author of Beyond the Black Door, whom Richard Kadrey calls “a storyteller of both grace and power.”
In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them―and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.
Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.
Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart―if she doesn’t betray them first.
BUY LINK: Amazon


MEET THE AUTHOR


A.M. Strickland was a bibliophile who wanted to be an author before she knew what either of those words meant. She shares a home base in Alaska with her husband, her pugs, and her piles and piles of books. She loves traveling, dancing, tattoos, and every shade of teal in existence, but especially the darker ones. She is the author of BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR and the forthcoming IN THE RAVENOUS DARK (2021), and co-author of SHADOW RUN and SHADOW CALL under the name AdriAnne Strickland. Find her on Twitter @AdriAnneMS.



Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

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