Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Waiting on Wednesday #346

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

IMPRISON THE SKY (The Elementae #2) BY A. C. GAUGHEN

Goodreads Description:

The sweeping Elementae series continues with a heroine so powerful she can command the sky . . .

Stolen from her family as a child, Aspasia has clawed her way up the ranks of Cyrus's black market empire to captain her own trading vessel--and she risks it all every time she uses her powerful magic to free as many women, children, and Elementae from slavery as she can.

But Cyrus is close to uncovering her secrets--not only that Aspasia is a wind Elementa with the ability to sail her ship through the sky, but that she is also searching for her lost family. And if Aspasia can't find her younger siblings before Cyrus does, she will never be able to break free.

Armed with her loyal crew full of Elementae and a new recruit who controls an intriguing power, Aspasia finds herself in the center of a brewing war that spans every inch of the ocean, and her power alone may not be enough to save her friends, family, and freedom.

Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: January 22nd 2019 by Bloomsbury YA
Pre-Order here and here

Eee! I am so so so excited about this book :D I loved Reign the Earth very much. And I am thrilled about this companion novel. It's going to be so good. And it looks so gorgeous too. I simply cannot wait to read Imprison the Sky. Eee. Newish characters, with peeks from the older ones too, I'm pretty sure :D I cannot wait. Sigh. It's going to be so good. Just wishing it was January already. Hmph. I so hate waiting, haha :)
What are you waiting for on this powerful Wednesday?

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Cover Reveal: Undying by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

EEE! I am SO excited about this second book :D Oh my gosh. I loved Unearthed so so very much. And Undying sounds so good. Ahh. I'm going to love this one so so very much. Just wishing it was January 8th already. Ahh. Waiting for this book is already so hard. Hmph. I simply can't wait to read it. Unearthed had such a rude ending, and I must know what happens next :D Pretty much dying to read more about Mia and Jules, eee. They are the cutest together and I hope for some romance so badly. Fingers crossed. Just, gosh. This cover. Undying looks all kinds of gorgeous. I love it so. I love how well the two books fit together. I can't wait to own all copies of this book too. Shall be so good. What do you think of the cover?


Trapped aboard the Undying's ancient spaceship and reeling from what they've learned there, scavenger Mia and academic Jules are plunged into a desperate race to warn their home planet of the danger humanity's greed has unleashed. From the mountains of Spain to the streets of Prague, the sequel to Unearthed is a white-knuckle ride that will send readers hurtling back to earth, and leave them breathless until the last page.

The earth's fate rests in Mia and Jules's hands in the epic conclusion to New York Times best-selling authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner's tomb-raiding sci-fi duology.




Saturday, May 26, 2018

In My Mailbox #342

Gosh, time is moving so fast these days. Barely have time to do anything. Ahh. But doing good, even so. Have not read much, but the days are going by so fast. Only had one day with sun and heat this week, but I sat out for hours. It was awesome. We are having so much wind, though, which sucks. Hmph. I'm working on catching up to things. Still so behind, though. Health still sucks more than anything. I'm finally hearing something new from the hospital next week. I hope. I need medicine that will work. Been so much more sick for so long, and I am goddamn tired of it. No energy for reading. No energy for catching up. No energy for cleaning. No energy for watching movies, even. What. So so tired of this. But yeah. I still hope they will give me a medicine that works shortly. Fingers crossed for me, please. So anyway. Despite my health, I still had a good week :D Lots of spa baths, eee, and lots of time spent with my family, as always. I also cut my hair even shorter this week. Ahh. I love it so. But gosh, it is very very very short right now. If I ever feel well enough, I shall try taking a new profile picture, lol. Hoping to be able to read more shortly. I wish to read, just not able to. Rude :) There are eARCs that I want on Edelweiss and on Netgalley. I keep getting declined on Edelweiss. Ahh. So so heartbroken about it. And not hearing anything from Netgalley. Sigh. I want these books. Hmph. Crossing my fingers. <3 I got some stunning mail this week. Not much, but it is all so so awesome :D I also blogged a little. Shared my review for Smoke in the Sun. Ahh. Not good. This week I'm waiting on Wildcard. <3 And I shared the cover for Archenemies :D Eee. Love it so.



The Queens of Innis Lear. Unsure about this one. I hope it will be good, but sounds so so much like 3DC.
My Plain Jane. EEE! Thank you so much Rachael for trading with me :D I am so so happy. Reading soon.
All the Rage. Ahh! Love this UK ARC so very much. Thank you so very much for trading with me Beth :D
Pop Figures. Eee, another Stranger Things one :D He is so cute. Love. And finally have this Ariel version.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Cover Reveal: Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

EEE! The cover is here! And oh my gosh! IT IS SO PERFECT. I love it. It's stunning and has awesome colors too. I just cannot wait to own this precious. Eee. I adore Marissa Meyer more than anything. She is so awesome and I have loved her books ever since Cinder came out. Gosh, Renegades was aaamazing. And I am thrilled about Archenemies being out on November 6th :D Wish it was sooner, though, haha. <3 Cannot wait to know what happens next with Adrian and Nova. Eee. And oh gosh! It was also announced that this series is now a TRILOGY, and not just two books :D AHH! I am SO HAPPY. <3 I'm already dying because of the wait for book three. Hmph. But so so very happy, because there needed to be more with these characters and this world. Yesss. Also, years back, this was supposed to be three books. Then got changed to one. Ack. Then two. And now three again. But I am so so happy about these changes, eee :D Because three books is the best. <3 Cannot wait to read more about all of these amazing characters. So so happy. Archenemies is going to be so very awesome. And I love these covers so. What do you think?


The Renegades Trilogy continues, in this fiercely awaited second installment after the New York Times-bestselling Renegades by Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles. 

Time is running out.
Together, they can save the world.
But they are each other’s worst nightmare.

In Renegades, Nova and Adrian (aka Insomnia and Sketch) fought the battle of their lives against the Anarchist known as the Detonator. It was a short-lived victory.

The Anarchists still have a secret weapon, one that Nova believes will protect her. The Renegades also have a strategy for overpowering the Anarchists, but both Nova and Adrian understand that it could mean the end of Gatlon City – and the world – as they know it.
On sale 11/6/2018!



Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Waiting on Wednesday #345

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

WILDCARD (Warcross #2) BY MARIE LU

Goodreads Description:

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?


Hardcover, 352 pages
Expected publication: September 18th 2018 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Pre-Order here and here

Oh my gosh how I am excited and nervous about this book :D Ahhh! It's going to be so very good. <3 I cannot wait to read more about Emika and all of her friends and more of this awesome world. Sigh. And Hideo. Swoon. My precious. I loved this boy so much in Warcross, and I ship them so so badly, and gosh, how I am worried about this romance. Ahh. But beyond excited too. I think I will love this sequel so much.
What are you waiting for on this wild Wednesday?

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Review: Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh

Wishing so badly that I could say that this second and final book was amazing. But it was not. And after having finished it, I'm left feeling pretty disappointed. I just read the first book, which was a four star, and which I found to be exciting and good. It was sadly nothing like that. I'm going with two stars for this. So sad about it.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book. And sadly most of them are not very positive. But I did enjoy parts of this book too. Which is why I had planned on giving this three stars, but after thinking about it some more, most of this story just disappointed me. And so I cannot give it three stars just because. It was not worth that.

There is so much I wish to talk about when it comes to Smoke in the Sun. I will try not to share too many spoilers, but yeah, there are things that must be written down. And I very much need to share my honest feelings about this book. First, I liked Flame in the Mist so much. And I had hoped this sequel would be even better. Instead it ended up being so incredibly boring and full of open endings. Just about nothing happened in this one. Nothing of import. And I feel so disappointed about it all. I liked the writing in book one, but it felt different in this one. And so I had issues connecting to the story. There are a lot of new stories to learn about, and they all had such open endings, and they all felt so rushed, and I failed to connect to any of it. Disappointed.

This book tells the rest of the story about Mariko. She is now at the royal castle and about to marry the brother of the emperor. While her love, Okami, is trapped in the prison. Where he is tortured all the time. It was not written very well. Should have been sad and such, but it was not, because there was not any comfort to be had after it. I'm so disappointed. This story is about Mariko and her choices. Sadly she does not do very much. I wish I could say more about the plot, but there really isn't much to say about this one.

After the Yumi short story, I expected her to be in this book a lot. She was not. She is barely there. She does not really do anything at all. I'm hugely disappointed. There are a lot of point of views in this book. Including Mariko's brother, again. And gosh, how I disliked this man. He kept getting worse and worse. Not once did he see this. We did not get to see an ending for him either. He was simply there to be awful. And honestly not make much sense either. His point of view bored me so. And it was awful to read it too.

Most of this book is from Mariko. Probably. I'm unsure, because there were a lot of views from so many different people. And it grew to be pretty boring, because they were there for just a moment, then nothing more. I so wish that I could say that I loved Okami once again. But I did not. He was just in this book to be tortured. And not on page either. He changed a little in the book, realizing that he needed to be more of a leader. Yet we do not get to see this leader thing at all. It could have been so great. But it was not there.

The romance. Gosh, the romance. Haha. This beautiful cover features a stunning heart. Which kind of screams romance. But the romance in this second book was incredibly bad. There was so little of it. I think they touch only a couple of times, at the end of the book. Sure, there are thoughts of love all the time, but they are not together for just about the whole book. It only takes place in less than two weeks, but even so. I'm so very disappointed. The romance was amazing in book one. It was not so in this one.

There is so much that could have been in this book. I was expecting it to be full of romance and fighting and more adventure. And more of the amazing Black Clan. But it had neither of these things. Instead it was all about court. And not written in a good way either. It was mostly about the two brothers. How the emperor is cruel and tortures and kills people all the time, even very much described torture of a twelve year old boy. That did not need to be there. Just saying. And the other brother was not that much better.

Just, yeah. I'm disappointed in this book. A lot of it was about Mariko wanting to get Okami out of prison, sure. They talked a little. But their romance was not epic like I expected it to be. And The Black Clan? Hahaha. They were barely there. For very very small moments. And there were a few deaths too, and it just meant nothing. This whole book meant just about nothing. Because barely anything happened. The first two hundred pages were so slow and boring and ahh. Still cannot believe how little this book was.

And now I have already shared way more than I had planned to. And yet not nearly all of my feelings about it. Mostly I just wish this book had been epic. And fantasy. And exciting. And romantic. Like it was supposed to be. Instead it was boring and just not good. I'm so sad about it, because I really wanted and thought that I would love it. Still, I am glad I read this series. Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for sending me the free ARC copy of this book to read and review. Love my copy so much.


Saturday, May 19, 2018

In My Mailbox #341

This week have been filled with sunny days and I have loved it. But gosh, how I am beyond exhausted. Have been sitting outside for hours each day in the sun, me and my cat. So good with the sun heat. And I have gotten so so so tan. But have had so little time to read. Ahh. I'm working on Smoke in the Sun, but so slow. Shall read a lot today, I hope. Also still behind on everything else. As this week I have been out in the sun most of the day, then taken my two hour long spa bath every evening. But now it shall be a few days with no sun, so I'm hoping to be able to read a lot and catch up too. Fingers crossed. My health also still sucks the most, though. Sigh. But must continue with this medicine at least until June 7th. Hopefully then they will realize that they must give me something else. So anyway. A bit of blogging. I shared about the cover reveal for Courting Darkness :D I shared my review for Flame in the Mist. <3 Then shared my reviews for Okami & Yumi :D This week I'm waiting on Muse of Nightmares :) I did not get a lot of mail this week, but got a little bit, and it is all so so awesome :D Eee! And waiting on much more, ack. Love.


A Reaper at the Gates. Gosh. Thank you so so much PRH International :D EEE! I am SO happy to have this ARC. It's gorgeous. But gosh. Now I must read my hardcovers of book one and two. Ahh. And very soon. Next month. I'm nervous. Yet I really really wish to love this fantasy books. Crossing all my fingers.
Lord of Shadows. New UK paperback version :D I cannot help but own all versions of these books, eee.
Pop Figures. Fury Road :D Eee! And the rest of my Jurassic Park pops. Love. And Will and Gollum. Love.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Waiting on Wednesday #344

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

MUSE OF NIGHTMARES (Strange the Dreamer #2)
BY LAINI TAYLOR


Goodreads Description:

The highly anticipated, thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer, from National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, author of the bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.

Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.
She believed she knew every horror, and was beyond surprise.
She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice--save the woman he loves, or everyone else?--while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she's capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.


Hardcover, 528 pages
Expected publication: October 2nd 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pre-Order here and here

I am so unsure about this book. Strange the Dreamer was only a three star for me, and not a book that I will read again. Aaack. But that ending killed me. And I so wish to know what happens next. I need this series to have a happy ending, but I have no idea how that will happen. Hmph. I do know that I will read this second book, though. And I am crossing all my fingers that I will end up liking it more than book one.
What are you waiting for on this destructive Wednesday?

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Review: Okami & Yumi by Renee Ahdieh

This was such a very short story. Less than ten pages. Yet it was also such a stunning one. I loved being inside the head of Okami again. He had a few small point of views in Flame in the Mist, and I adore this boy more than I can say. Fingers crossed he will have a point of view in Smoke in the Sun. Want that so.

In this short story, Okami is being taken as a prisoner back to the castle. Where he is sure he will end up dead. These pages are about him thinking a little about his life, and him coming to terms with his upcoming death. Which breaks my heart. This boy does not deserve death. He deserves the very longest life.

This story is not very long, so I'm not writing a lot about it. Also because there truly was not much happening, haha. But it was still such good pages. Great writing. And I just love Okami so so very much. I so cannot wait to read Smoke in the Sun next, to know what happens to this precious person. And so so excited for more of him and Mariko together. Eee. Well, I hope there will be a lot of romance happening. Crossing all my fingers for that, as they were the cutest together. Okami was a stunning short story. Not much happening, mostly just the thoughts of Okami. And I did not mind that one bit. Because he is amazing and I loved learning a bit more about him. If you have read Flame in the Mist, then you must read this short story. Four stars for this one.



Such a short story, but full of heart. It is less than ten pages long, and this story is from the point of view of Yumi. She is the sister of Okami, and we met her a little in Flame in the Mist. She is training to be a Geisha. And so she is living a pretty safe life right now. In this story we learn that she is tired of living it safe.

And gosh, I adored getting to know Yumi a little more. I hope there will be her point of view in Smoke in the Sun, as we did not get to read about her in the first book. Crossing my fingers. This was not a long story, so there was not that much to get to know about Yumi. But we get to see a little bit inside her head.

Yumi seems like such an incredible girl. She also knows a lot. And I think that she is going to end up being an important and awesome character in the second book. At least, I hope so. I would love to read more about her. She and her brother have mostly lived in hiding, after what happened to their father when they were young. And I am so curious to know what will happen next, if Yumi is going to leave her safe place. I do not want this girl hurt. But gosh, I want her to get to have some adventures too. And maybe a bit of romance. At least, with this short story, I'm assuming she will play a bit part in book two. Hope I am not wrong. If you have read Flame in the Mist, then you really need to read Yumi too. It is short, but it is so stunning. Four stars.


Monday, May 14, 2018

Review: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

I have been wanting to read this book for so long now. Yet I could not decide if I would enjoy it. But I had hoped to. And when I got the chance to get an ARC of book two, I knew I could not resist reading this stunning thing any longer. And I'm thrilled that I read it now. Ended up being a very strong four star for me. So happy.

Shall begin by saying that I found the writing in this book to be so good. Had no problem at all connecting to the characters and the story. Which I loved so much. It was also a pretty fast and easy read, as I did not want to stop reading it even once. I loved that very much. And I cannot wait to start my copy of book two. Eee.

I do not think I will manage to write all that much about this book, to be honest. My mind feels pretty blank. At the moment I'm just so happy that I liked this book so much. Even with that very rude ending. Hmph. It was pretty evil, yet not truly that bad, and I was left feeling very happy about all of this book. The romance was completely beautiful. Sigh. And no triangle or weird drama. I am so happy. And I very much loved the characters in this book too. Especially the girl and the boy. But the side characters were done so well too. Everything about this book was pretty amazing. And the only reason for why I'm giving it four stars is because I did not fully love the book with all my heart. But I had no faults with it. At all. Yesss. And I liked all of it so very much. So good.

This book tells the story of seventeen year old Mariko. She is the daughter of a samurai, and her purpose as a girl is to marry well. Which she is not pleased with. Mariko has always wanted to be more. But it is not possible for her as a girl in this world. I must admit to not knowing much about the culture this book is about. But I have seen Mulan, and read a few other books, and so understanding this book was no issue. And oh, how I loved the setting of this book. It was simply stunning. Written so well. Loved every part of it.

Anyway. Back to Mariko. The book begins with her traveling to meet her betrothed. On the way there, she is attacked. All her guards are killed, and she was supposed to die as well. But she did not. She survived. Barely. Those chapters were a bit scary to read through. I loved it. Mariko does not want to just go back home, she wants to find out who wanted her dead. As she knows it was the Black Clan that attacked her. This search of hers will not be easy. Or safe. But it is such an epic adventure. I loved every moment of it.

And so begins this story. With Mariko trying to figure out who hired the Black Clan to kill her. And for her to figure that out, she has to dress as a boy, and join them. It is not easy for her. And I loved that so very much. It was so awesome and fun to read about her dealing with pretending to be a boy. And her getting to know the Black Clan men. They were all amazing to read about. I loved the cook a whole bunch. He was so adorable. And the leader was pretty awesome too, I liked reading about him. About all of them.

Another character that I loved very much was Okami. He is the strongest fighter for the Black Clan. He is pretty brutal and ruthless and just all kinds of amazing. I loved every moment that he was in. Eee. And I loved how Mariko started out hating him. And then slowly started loving him too. All the while he thought she was a boy. But that secret comes out. And it was done in the best way. And I loved every moment of it. Gosh. Okami was truly incredible. Brave and strong and kind and just the very best. I loved this man.

There was a little romance in this book. Not that much, but also enough. It was gorgeous. And I loved every moment between these two characters. Sigh. This book was very much about revenge, though. And Mariko trying to find out what almost happened to her. Also about her starting to care for all of these men, even though she is trying not to. There is also a bit about her twin brother, whom is searching for her. At first I pretty much loved him. But now I am not so sure. Ack. He was written really well, though.

So much is going on in this book. And I am not going to say more about it. Just that I really loved all of these characters. And the story was pretty incredible too. That ending was so rude, and I cannot wait to know what happens next. I think will two is going to be so epic. Fingers crossed. Flame in the Fist ended up being everything I had hoped it would be. It was so so good. And I'm so thrilled that I finally read this book. So curious to know what all of you think of this book too. If you have not read it yet, then you must.


Cover Reveal: Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

Eee! I am SO excited about this book :D Gosh, Courting Darkness is going to be so amazing. I loved the Grave Mercy trilogy so so much and I cannot wait for more in this amazing world. Eee. I simply cannot wait to finally re-read Grave Mercy as well. Soon. It's going to be so awesome. I loved Sybella so much and I cannot wait to read about her again. And Genevieve sounds amazing too. Gosh. This book will be so good. And oh my gosh! THIS COVER! I cannot :D It is STUNNING. I love it so. So so much. And eee, there is a new Grave Mercy cover too :D And it is so so lovely. Is it February 5th 2019 yet? I simply can't wait to read this gorgeous thing. And own all the copies of it. Eee. What do you think of this cover? <3


Death wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning…

Sybella has always been the darkest of Death’s daughters, trained at the convent of Saint Mortain to serve as his justice. But she has a new mission now. In a desperate bid to keep her two youngest sisters safe from the family that nearly destroyed them all, she agrees to accompany the duchess to France, where they quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. Their one ray of hope is Sybella’s fellow novitiates, disguised and hidden deep in the French court years ago by the convent—provided Sybella can find them.

Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, she struggles to remember who she is or what she’s supposed to be fighting for. Her only solace is a hidden prisoner who appears all but forgotten by his guards. When tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands—even if it means ignoring the long awaited orders from the convent.

As Sybella and Gen’s paths draw ever closer, the fate of everything they hold sacred rests on a knife’s edge. Will they find each other in time, or will their worlds collide, destroying everything they care about?





Saturday, May 12, 2018

In My Mailbox #340

How is it already Saturday again? Ahh. Time is moving so fast. Probably because of my two hour long spa bath pretty much every day, eee :D It is the best thing. <3 Though it does make me exhausted. And health is not better at all. But shrugs. I am dealing with it. Probably. Yesterday we also had such a hot summer day, which usually does not happen until July. I sat out in the sun for hours. It was so awesome. And did the same today. Eee. So anyway. I have only read one book this week, ack, and it wasn't good. Aw. But I'm starting Flame in the Mist today, and I'm hoping to love it so much. Fingers crossed. Since I have the ARC of book two as well, ack. I blogged a little this week. <3 I shared the cover reveal for King of Scars :D This week I'm waiting on Shadow of the Fox. <3 And I shared my review of Angel and Bavar :) This week I also got a little bit of stunning mail, eee. I love it all so so much :D Trying to deal with my health, but besides that I'm doing okay. Still spending tons of time with my baby niece too :D I love her.



Runaways. Ack. I have never read the Runaways. But I adore Rainbow. I had to get it. Reading one day.
5 Worlds. I liked the first graphic novel last year, so I wanted to know what happens next :D Gorgeous.
Sky in the Deep. AHH! Thank you so much Andye :D My collection is complete. Oh gosh. My precious.
The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik. Thank you PRH Global :D Cannot wait for the blog tour. <3
The Burning Maze. Ahh. I'm so behind on reading books by Rick. But I will read all of them, very soon :D
A Conjuring of Light. The third one is out, finally :D Could not resist these covers, eee. Just so stunning.
Pop Figures. Eee! Special Maui :D He is awesome. Expensive. But worth it. Love love my kitty too. Eee.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Review: Angel and Bavar by Amy Wilson

I wanted so badly to love this. Because that cover is completely stunning. And the summary was so good too. And so I could not resist getting this via Edelweiss. It is coming out this November, though it is already out in the UK, I found out. I could not resist reading this book so early. And it did not take me long to read it.

But oh, how I wish I could say that I loved this book. I wanted to, so badly. But I did not love it. Not even one bit. I'm even giving it two stars. Which is a bit heartbreaking for me. Was thinking three stars, but I did not like it that much, if I am going to be completely honest. This one was disappointing to me. For so many reasons.

I shall begin with the writing. It bothered me at all times. It simply was not very good. And I could not connect with the story or the characters at all. Everything just felt silly. It did not feel real, not one bit. I have a weird relationship with writing in books. And if I do not like a writing, it makes it pretty much impossible to like the rest of the book. Which was the case with this one. The writing was not good. But it wasn't completely terrible either. Sadly the rest of the book was not better. I did not really care for Angel and Bavar at all. I didn't love their new and growing friendship at all. It even annoyed me. Which I do not approve of it at all. Hmph. My review is not going to be very long, because this book was pretty short, and I do not have that much to say about it all.

This book tells the story of Angel and Bavar. She is twelve years old, and he is thirteen. She just moved to his town, as her parents were killed about a year back, in a pretty bad way. She now lives with foster parents. And reading about that was pretty interesting. I did like Angel. But was just a bit upset with her sometimes too. But learning about her past was interesting too. And I liked the foster parents that she was living with. They seemed pretty nice. My heart broke for her at times too, because of her parents.

Then there was Bavar. I somewhat loved this boy. He was pretty broken and sad. But also not enough broken. Ack. If only it had been written better. Sigh. But yeah. This boy had his parents leave him a year ago, and so now he lives with his aunt and uncle. In a big magical house. Where he must fight monsters. It's a little complicated. Yet not nearly enough so. Aw. But anyway. I liked reading about Bavar. He was interesting. But, uhm, he is described as being really, really tall, and that was a bit confusing, honestly.

This book is about Angel and Bavar meeting, and learning each others secrets. Her figuring out about his magic, and how she can learn the truth about how her parents died. And then it is about them trying to figure out how to get rid of all of the monsters. I wish I could say that it was exciting to read about. But it was not, sadly. I just wanted this book to end. Ack. I didn't love the characters. I did not care much for the story, because not that much happened. Honestly, I wanted this book to be so much bigger than it was.

I cannot help but share that I was completely disappointed by the friendship in this book. I was hoping it would be huge and sweet and just the very best. It was not. I never felt like Angel was spending time with Bavar because she liked him. It was more that she liked his magic, and wanted to learn more about how her parents had died. And she was even mean towards him at times, for nothing that he had done. I was not pleased. This friendship was not epic, like I wanted it to be. It was mostly good, but nothing special.

Which just disappointed me so much. Aw. Then there was the magic in this book. There was not a lot of it at all. There are some mentions of monsters, but only one kind, something with wings. And there are a few scenes with Bavar fighting them. And it just felt a bit weird, to be honest. And the ending felt pretty rushed, I think. This whole book could have been so much more. And I just feel sad because it was not. Maybe it is just me. Shrugs. I do not know. But I do know that I did not love this book. It was not for me.

Angel and Bavar was not the book I wanted it to be. I was expecting a much more stunning friendship. More magic. More story. More broken characters. I feel pretty let down about it, to be honest. But I will also say that the book was not all bad. I did like Bavar a bunch. I just did not love him. And I liked reading about Bavar and Angel spending time together, sometimes. I liked their small families. I enjoyed reading about this magic house and the talking portraits and all that. Just wish that there had been more of it all.

Huge thank you to the publisher, Katherine Tegen Books, for the auto approval on Edelweiss that made me able to read and review this book early. Despite my disappointed feelings for this book, I am glad that I gave it a try. Because otherwise I would have been curious about it all the time. I wish it had been better, though, so I'm a bit sad about that. Aw. I think there are people that will love Angel and Bavar. I was sadly just not one of those people. Still, though. This is one of the most gorgeous covers I have seen. I love it.


Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Waiting on Wednesday #343

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

SHADOW OF THE FOX BY JULIE KAGAWA

Goodreads Description:

Once Every Thousand Years...

Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns...and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret.

Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune shapeshifting powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has...and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.

A wish will be granted and a new age will dawn.


Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: October 2nd 2018 by Harlequin Teen
Pre-Order here and here

Eee, I am SO excited about this new book by Julie :D She is so awesome and I have been a fan of her for so many years. <3 My favorite of her books are The Immortal Rules trilogy. Which was so perfect. Sigh. And oh gosh, Shadow of the Fox looks so awesome :D Love that cover a bunch. And it sounds great too. Wishing I could read this one right away, as I think I'm going to end up loving it so so much.
What are you waiting for on this legendary Wednesday?

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Cover Reveal: King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Gosh, I cannot wait to read another Grisha book by Leigh :D Eee! King of Scars is going to be all kinds of amazing. And oh my gosh this cover is killing me with beauty. GOLD! GORGEOUS! Full of details! Ahh. I love it so :D I'm just the most excited to be back in the Grisha world. <3 Cannot wait to read about these characters again, eee. I simply adore Leigh. She is so so sweet and amazing and her books are the best. And so rude. Hmph. Crossing my fingers that Mal and Alina will be in these books a little bit too :D I want that very much. <3 But ah. Nikolai. I had such complicated feels about this boy. I did not like that he was a romance drama figure. Hmph. But I also found him to be so so interesting to read about, and I think I'm going to be able to love him very much in his books :D Crossing my fingers. Either way, I am so so very excited. King of Scars is going to be so good. Sigh. I'm also a little bit nervous. Because it has also been revealed that Nina will be one of three point of views in this book :D And oh, my poor girl. I love her so. But I do not want her with anyone else. Ahh. My most precious boy needs to be brought back from the dead. Hmph. Yes? Yes. This series will be a duology, which I think is so so awesome. <3 And King of Scars will be out on January 29th 2019. Hoping the wait will go fast :D What do you think of this cover?


Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.


Saturday, May 5, 2018

In My Mailbox #339

Eee, I turned 25 years old this week, on May 3rd :D Had a small birthday with my family, which is small, but it was awesome. <3 I love my birthdays, haha. This week has also gone by so fast. I'm a bit behind on reading, as I'm so exhausted, but managed to read all of Spinning Silver this week, so yay for that. Also had a hospital visit, where we agreed on testing something new with the medicine I'm taking. So far to effect. Please let it work. Sigh. Tired of being sick and in pain every hour of every day. Did also not get a lot of mail this week, but I love what I got even so :D But gosh, I really do need to think about my shelf space; which is gone. Ahh. More books needs to be sold.. sigh. I do not approve. Anyway. A couple blog posts this week. This week I'm waiting on A Room Away From the Wolves. <3 And shared my review of Spinning Silver :D I'm trying my best to stay positive with all my health issues. But it is hard sometimes.


Heartless. Eee, the US paperback edition is finally out :D I had to have two of it, hih. <3 So so gorgeous.
Kane. I still haven't read this trilogy by Rick, ack, but I own all these small books of his, had to have this.
Pop Figures. Finally have the Night King pop :D It is so awesome. And also Lucas from Stranger Things.
Lego. Eee, new Jurassic World Lego :D Birthday present. <3 I love it so. And a small Mulan lego too :D
Plush. Had to share about this gorgeous chicken plush I got from my sister, haha :D I love plushes. Cute.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Friday, May 4, 2018

Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

This book was difficult and slow to read. Yet it was worth it too. I loved this story a whole lot. The characters were interesting and I loved this world so so very much. Some parts were not perfect, though, and I had a few small issues. Even so, Spinning Silver is a four star for me. It was a book I liked a lot. Happy that I read it.

I shall try my best not to share spoilers in this review. But there are some things I need to talk about, with the characters and the romance and such. Nothing big, though, only a few small details. This book took me days to finish, because it was so slow to read and with tons of words, but was worth the time it took to finish it.

Though I must also say that I did not love the writing in this one. I felt connected to the world and the characters, and I loved that. But this writing was so messy. And it bothered me a whole lot of times. Many mistakes included, and just not written all that very good either. Hurt my head a little to read it all. Yet this book was pretty much magic, with the plot and the characters. And so it is still a four star for me. I'm not sure, though, that I would ever be able to re-read it. But it was good. And I am glad that I have read it. It's also all kinds of gorgeous looking. This is a story about three young women. Miryem and Wanda and Irina. The book is told from all of their point of views. A bit messy, and without knowing who's mind I'm in when their parts starts. A bit annoying.

We get to know these three girls a lot, though. Shall try my best to share a little bit about each of them. Though this book is long, and we get to know all of them pretty well, and there is so much to know about each of them. I shall not share even most of it. Though I will admit that I wanted to know even more about all of them, haha. And I wish that the ending had been longer. Felt like I deserved a longer ending, after having spent so long having read all of the book, lol. But it was good too. Just, could have been perfect.

Anyway. The first girl we get to know if Miryem. She lives with her mom and dad in a very small town. Her father is a moneylender. He has given money to everyone in town, and he has been letting them all get away with not paying him back. And so this small family is starving and freezing. Until Miryem decides she has had enough. So she starts going door to door, slowly getting their money back. The town may hate her for it, but she is doing what is fair, what they deserved. Oh, how I liked Miryem. She was great.

There is so much more to her story, though. Her story also involves fairies. The Staryk. They are a people living in their winter kingdom, and they are often in towns to steal gold. Their king ends up hearing about Miryem, how she can turn silver into gold. How she has been making her town pay her family back. And now he is at her door, demanding that she turn his silver into gold. And so she does. And her reward for doing so is pretty great. And awful. And all kinds of interesting and awesome. Loved it a lot, to be honest.

And yet there is more to her story. I'm not going to share much more of it. Her family is Jews, and that plays a bit part in this book too, and I liked that a lot. Her story features a lot of magic. And I loved that too. But mostly I loved the Staryk king who came to her. I loved reading about him. And I wish she had treated him a bit better at times. I mean, yeah, he was pretty cold and kind of awful at times. But I loved him, haha. And he was protecting his people. I wish there had been more romance. Sigh. I needed that.

Then there was Wanda. She was a girl who ended up working for Miryem in their small town. She helped her collect the money from those who had borrowed from her father. And oh, the story of Wanda ruined my heart a lot. She was such an amazing girl. But she had had such an awful life. Her mother died some years ago, and she has two brothers, Sergey and Stepon. Their father was a drunk and he beat them and abused them and oh, it was hard to read about. They were also poor. And my heart just ached for them.

There is not all that much to say about Wanda. She was so great to get to know. But she doesn't really have a big journey in this book. She is always there, but more as a background person. I loved her so, though. And I loved how she changed a little in this book. How she grew more confident. We see some point of view of her younger brother Stepon too. And that had a bunch of messy writing that bothered me. Sigh. But I did adore that boy. But I will admit that reading his chapters were simply painful to get through.

And then there was Irina. She is the daughter of a Duke in a town a little bit away from the other girls. She is not beautiful. And she does not think she will end up with a good life. But then Miryem is coming to this town with faerie silver that is getting melted down to jewellery for the duke. And this is a bit thing for Irina. Her future is changed; she is now to marry the Tsar. A boy only a little bit older than her. A boy that she believes is a sorcerer. So much happens with this. Both good and bad. And so exciting too. Loved all of it.

But gosh, I'm conflicted about how I felt about Irina. At times I loved her so much. But at other times she was a bit too cruel and treated the world a bit too harshly. I did not really approve of most of her choices. Ack. And getting to know the tsar she married, Mirnatius, was all kinds of awesome. I grew to love him so much. Yet she treats him badly, and never makes up for it, and ugh. Could have been such an amazing romance. But it was not, not on page. And I am very disappointed. He was such a complicated character.

This book a little bit dark. A little bit hopeful. And full of magic. I loved this world that was created a whole lot. And I loved reading about it. The story was interesting and exciting. I liked most of the characters a whole bunch. I loved how all of the characters were connected. Connected by magic too. There is so so much about this book that I have not shared. And I am not going to. Already written way more than I was going to, haha. I simply could not stop writing about all of these characters and my feelings for all of them.

But I did not like how the romance was. I was expecting there to be romance and love in this story. There was not. Not even kisses. I mean, there are two marriages early on. Yet no kissing. No sleeping together. Seriously? I am so tired of reading books where characters get married, historical time periods, yet they always cheat out of them sleeping together. So tired of that. And then there was just about zero romance as well. I did not approve. Sigh. I shipped them. Small hints. But nothing big. Nothing of what I wanted.

But even so. Spinning Silver was a stunning read. Exciting and beautiful, and filled with characters that I adored. But it also had some issues. And I did not love all of it. But I am glad that I read this book. Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for sending me the free ARC copy of this book to read and review. I am so curious to know what the rest of you think of this book. You must let me know. This is also my second book by Naomi, I sadly did not like Uprooted all that much, years ago. Though many did.


Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Waiting on Wednesday #342

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

A ROOM AWAY FROM THE WOLVES BY NOVA REN SUMA

Goodreads Description:

Bina has never forgotten the time she and her mother ran away from home. Her mother promised they would hitchhike to the city to escape Bina’s cruel father and start over. But before they could even leave town, Bina had a new stepfather and two new stepsisters, and a humming sense of betrayal pulling apart the bond with her mother—a bond Bina thought was unbreakable.

Eight years later, after too many lies and with trouble on her heels, Bina finds herself on the side of the road again, the city of her dreams calling for her. She has an old suitcase, a fresh black eye, and a room waiting for her at Catherine House, a young women’s residence in Greenwich Village with a tragic history, a vow of confidentiality, and dark, magical secrets. There, Bina is drawn to her enigmatic downstairs neighbor Monet, a girl who is equal parts intriguing and dangerous. As Bina’s lease begins to run out, and nightmare and memory get tangled, she will be forced to face the terrible truth of why she’s come to Catherine House and what it will take for her to leave...


Hardcover, 315 pages
Expected publication: September 4th 2018 by Algonquin Young Readers
Pre-Order here and here

Gosh, this book is going to be soso good, I think :D I adore Nova, and have loved some of her books a whole lot. This book looks gorgeous and sounds heartbreaking too. I cannot wait to read this, and I am hoping that I will love it so, so much. It sounds like it will be pretty sad, though. Hopefully a bit happy too :)
What are you waiting for on this tragic Wednesday?