Saturday, September 29, 2018

In My Mailbox #360

I did not imagine it was possible for me to feel even more exhausted than I have for these past months. But I do. Right now. I had a small operation earlier this week, where I got rid of false tonils and such in my nose. It went okay. I had no pain right after, which I'm so happy about. Well, except for the doctor trying to kill me for a moment. Ugh. I survived, though. But the past days after having gotten home have been bad. I'm even more tired and exhausted than usual. Hmph. And hurting a bit too in my face. I'm hoping it is just healing, and that everything will finally start hurting less shortly. Fingers crossed for me, please. Anyway. A few new posts. I shared my review of Library of Souls. And ahh. It ruined me. So so bad. Sigh. I shared the cover for Kingsbane :D Eee! SO stunning. This week I'm waiting on Archenemies. <3 Cannot wait for that precious. I wish I had more energy right now. I need to start reading Beneath the Citadel. Which will hopefully happen tomorrow. Should have started days ago. I need to catch up to tweets and emails and comments. I am forever behind. I don't want to be, but I have no energy for anything. At all. Sigh. Hoping it will get better shortly. Fingers crossed for me, please. Also! I got such stunning mail this week, eee :D SO in love with all of it. <3 But gosh, so little room. Ahhh. But I could not help myself from getting these.


The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. Eee! I loved this book SO VERY MUCH. It is so stunning.
Give the Dark My Love. Ahh, hardcover and intl paperback has arrived :D Both stunning. Loved this one.
Two Dark Reigns. Eee, the stunning international paperback edition :D It is so gorgeous. Loved this book.
Resistance. I'm forever behind on reading Jennifer's books, ack, but I am sure that I will love them all :D
The School for Good and Evil. EEE! New paperback covers! And oh my gosh. They are so GORGEOUS.
His Dark Materials. I cannot help but order everything from these books. These UK covers are stunning.
Percy Jackson. Stunning graphic novel version :D I have not read the graphic novels, but I will, one day.
Graceling. Eee! A new special UK 10 year edition :D It looks so so stunning. Gosh, how I love this book.
Reign the Earth. Finally got myself the stunning AUS paperback edition of this book :D I loved it so much.
The Knowing. This second book was a bit mixed for me, but gosh, I needed the paperback of it too, haha.
Once Upon a Time in the North. New UK paperback edition, which looks stunning. I loved this short story.
Sea Witch swag. Huge thank you to Sarah for this stunning pre-order swag :D Love it. Must read it soon.
Pop Figure. Another of the new Harry Potter ones that I was missing :D He looks so so awesome, haha.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Waiting on Wednesday #363

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

ARCHENEMIES (Renegades #2) BY MARISSA MEYER

Goodreads Description:

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 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.


Hardcover, 560 pages
Expected publication: November 6th 2018 by Feiwel Friends
Pre-Order here and here

Gosh, is it time for this book yet? :D AHH! I feel like I have waited for it forever already, haha. It's going to be so good. And I'm going to love it so much. Sigh. Adore Marissa so very much, and I loved Renegades. <3 Cannot wait to read Archenemies, eee :D Out soon. <3 So so excited. My cover reveal post here. <3
What are you waiting for on this enemy Wednesday?

Monday, September 24, 2018

Cover Reveal: Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

EEEEEE! I AM SO EXCITED! There is a cover for Kingsbane :D The sequel to Furyborn. <3 Eeeee! Is it May 21st 2019 yet? I need this book in my life. There are going to be ARCs. And I'll be heartbroken every day until I may be able to get my hands on one of them. Gosh. Need it the most, when it comes available. Ahh. But anyway :D KINGSBANE. I am dying. That is such an awesome title :D EEE! I loved Furyborn so so very much. Can't believe it's already almost been one year since I read it; in November. I must re-read soon. Cannot wait. Yet so nervous, haha. I fear that Kingsbane will ruin me. Yet I cannot wait. So beyond excited. I love Claire the very most. She is the kindest and sweetest person. And such an amazing author too, eee. I have loved all of her books. So very much. Kingsbane is going to be epic. And I cannot wait to be able to get to read it. I mean, look at that cover! I'm dying! It's beyond beautiful. Eeee. I love the colors. I love the design. I love everything about it. Sigh. Just, dying to read this most precious thing. I need more Rielle and Audric, eee. And more of everyone, of course :D Also! The reveal post link below has a teaser from the beginning of the book; with a young Simon. I adored it. Gosh, how I want all of this book already.


Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien — but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist. Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity’s long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption — fear of becoming another Rielle — keeps Eliana’s power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted — by embracing her mother’s power, or rejecting it forever.



Sunday, September 23, 2018

Review: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

I was expecting to enjoy this book. Since the first two were three stars for me, and I felt sure this third book would be the same or even better, since it was the final one. I was wrong. So extremely wrong. Reading this book just about killed me. And not in a good way. It took everything I had to make it to the final page. But I did.

I finished it. And now I have to write this review of mine. Which, honestly, I am excited about. This book is a one star for me. And my review is not going to be positive. At all. There were parts of the book I liked, but this time, the hate was way bigger. I have so much to share. There will be some spoilers. And honest opinions.

I shall start slow, with sharing a little bit of the plot. Before I start sharing all the things I did not like about this book, haha. I have a feeling I will not be able to stop writing. I will probably even forget some things too. But I need to write down my thoughts about this book, because it pretty much killed me to read it. I want everyone to know why I didn't like this one. Also, to be honest, I very much love writing one star reviews. It's truly much easier to write down negative thoughts about a book. Not sure why. I mean, I'm heartbroken about the fact that this book was so bad. I wanted it to be amazing. I really wanted to love this third book. But I did not. Not even a tiny bit. And so I will be sharing all about it. No regrets. My review will be negative, but hopefully not rude or bad.

Library of Souls begin where Hollow City ended. Jacob and Emma and Addison the dog are alone, their friends having been captured by the bad guys. They are injured, and about the be attacked by a hollow monster. But Jacob is controlling it. Somewhat. And that is most of what I will share about this plot. More than half the book is about Jacob and Emma mostly on their own, trying to rescue their friends. This book once again takes place over a couple of days. This time inside of just one loop, and a little of the present.

There is so much I wish to share about this book. And I will. And so I shall not be sharing more about the plot, because there isn't all that much to share. Most of the book is spent searching for their friends. While being somewhat attacked yet never truly hurt and always managing just fine. Always finding the right way to find their friends. Always doing the right thing, with Jacob pretty much being the hero. Yeah. It grew so boring very fast. I missed the other peculiars. They are barely there in this book. I'm so very disappointed.

The biggest reason for why I pretty much hated this book, and why it's a one star for me, was the writing. I have now read all three books in one week. I cannot seem to remember that the writing in the first two were like this one. I don't think it was the same. Because the writing in this third book drove me insane. I want to forget about it so badly. This book took forever to read. Because on every single page there was a word I had never heard about before. Full of annoying descriptions. Full of big words. It was too much.

I do not remember this from the first two books. And in this one, there was just very much of everything. The writing was not good. At all. It is still supposed to be told from the point of view of Jacob. A sixteen year old boy, from our time. Yet he behaves like he too is over one hundred, like the other peculiars. It is supposed to be first person point of view. Which it is. Half the time. The other half, on every page, is the mention of we. We were scared. We could see. Like Jacob was inside the mind of everyone. Uhm. What.

It drove me insane. And made it impossible to focus on much else. I tried to ignore this, but if I did, there would be nothing left of the book. The writing was completely horrible and I shall never get past it. Ugh. Disliked Jacob in the first two books, but in this one I pretty much hated him. I'll be sharing some quotes from the book at the end of my review. They are not positive. In book two, Jacob was very much ready to leave Emma behind forever. In the first pages of this he say he would be ripped in half if he left her. Ugh.

Other things that bothered me was that every single bad thing in this book was described as hell. Like that is the worst thing Jacob could imagine. Or, you know, we. We thought it was hell. Yeah. It hurt my heart to read this writing. Oh, and every curse word is bird. Oh my bird. I felt like murdering someone. Ugh. Oh, and Jacob could do no wrong. He was to be the hero of everyone. What. They were all over one hundred years old. He sixteen. He is a child. Stop trying to make it seem like he was some legend.

I wish I could say that this book was exciting and thrilling and scary. It was not. It tried too hard. There is this loop they travel to, which describes so many horrible things going on. Yet it was written so very badly that I felt nothing at all. Oh, and one of their friends died in book two. Yet we cannot think of that. Oh no. Or we would fall apart. And those are all the mentions of the dead girl. Others in this book gets hurt, and tortured. Peculiars that were with their friends when captured. But their friends were not hurt at all. Sigh.

There is still so much more I want to share about this book. So much more that bothered me and ahh. I cannot. I will stop writing now. Already written a bunch, yet not nearly enough. There were things I hated about this book on every single page. Yet I suffered through it, always hoping for it to get better. It never did. Also, this book took place over three days. Yet they almost never slept. What. Sharing some quotes from the book below, so you can, hopefully, see some of the things that bothered me. Sigh. My poor soul.

Oh. Wait. I completely forgot to mention something, and I just remembered it while writing down some quotes. The romance. Hahahaha. I don't think I have ever read a more badly written romance. I cannot. Jacob and Emma are supposedly so much in love. Why? How? It was very impossible to imagine. They almost never talk. They have nothing in common. They share a couple of small kisses. A couple of hugs. Yet they are supposedly so much in love they cannot live without each other. Yeah. So complete bullshit.

Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for letting me take part in this great read along for this series. I'm happy I decided to try these three books. But I'm so beyond heartbroken over the fact that this third and final one was extremely bad. It was not for me at all. And I sadly would not recommend that anyone read this book. I know, so many love it, and many more will. But I did not find it to be good at all. Hmph. I'm proud of myself for managing to finish, to be honest. But wishing the book had been better.


  
~
That was the most unthinkable of all. I could never: I loved Emma, and I'd told her so, and I wouldn't leave her behind for anything. And not because I was noble or brave or chivalrous. I'm not any of those things. I was afraid that leaving her behind would rip me in half.
~
"Okayyy," I said, exaggerating my disappointment in order to hide it. While seeing Emma in her underwear was an undeniably appealing prospect, all the life-threatening peril we'd endured lately had put that part of my teenage brain into a kind of deep freeze. A few more serious kisses, tough, and my baser instincts might start to reassert themselves. But anyway.
~
"BEAR!" I shouted, redundantly.
~
We were developing a language that was entirely untranslatable into words, a special vocabulary of gestures and glances and touches and increasingly deep kisses that was growing richer, more intense, more complex by the hour. It was fascinating and essential and in moments like this, made me just a little less cold and a little less scared than I might've been otherwise.
 ~
 

Saturday, September 22, 2018

In My Mailbox #359

Time is moving way too fast. Yet with what I read this week, the whole week moved so very slow, haha. Read two three star books, which took forever, and currently reading the third in the series, which is so far a one star, and it is killing me. Ugh. But I will finish it. Tomorrow. Just, yeah. It's bad. And slowly crushing me, haha. I shall survive. Probably. Anyway. This week have been pretty good. Still behind on just about everything, ugh, but I'm doing okay despite that. Exhausted, still, but okay. Got so many books this week. Gosh. Not sure where I will put them all, though, ahhh. But I love them. Very much. Next week I'm having a small operation, to remove false tonsils. They are making me stay a night at the hospital after, though, so I'm a bit nervous. Hoping there will be no pain. Fingers crossed for me, please. Also blogged a bunch this past week. <3 I shared my review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Then I posted my full review of Give the Dark My Love, eee :D Which I read at the end of July. <3 This week I'm waiting on Descendant of the Crane :) Then I shared my review of Hollow City. And I'm currently more than halfway through Library of Souls. Just want it done. It's so very bad. And it's truly killing me. Sigh. But I will finish.


Obsidio + The Fates Divide + Tess of the Road + Heart of Iron + Beyond a Darkened Shore + Sky in the Deep + Dreaming Dangerous. EEE! Thank you so so much to Becky for helping me get all of these lovely books, ahh :D I'm dying. The hardcovers are all personalized. <3 So happy. DD is a trade with Becky. <3
The Hate U Give. Finally bought this :D Everyone has been loving it, and I am so curious. And nervous.
Seafire. Finally got my gorgeous hardcover. Almost a month behind on arriving, ack. But here. And safe.
Wildcard. I.. got two copies because of the pre-order swag, ack. Getting US help. <3 Did not like this, ack.
Song of the Dead. Eee! Thank you so much PRH International :D Excited to read book one and two soon.
The Golden Tower. Eee, such gorgeous finished copies :D Cannot wait to finally read all five books. <3
The Book of Dust. New UK paperback :D It is so stunning and smallish. I love this version of the cover.
Life After Legend. Finally have this gorgeous :D Cost me a bit to trade, but worth it. Thank you Jami. <3
King of Scars Sampler. Eee, it's so tiny and so cute :D Thank you Asha for trading with me. <3 Love it so.
Miss Peregrine Swag. Huge thank you to PRH International for this stunning promo swag :D I love it so.
Swag. LIFEL1K3 pre-order swag that Becky helped me get, eee. <3 Rest came with the signed books :)


More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Review: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Feeling completely unsure about how to write this review of mine. Book one was not that good for me, and I had hoped this second book would be much better. In most ways, it was. But also a three star for me. I enjoyed the plot and story so much. But I disliked the main characters a bunch too. Hmm. Which was pretty depressing.

What I liked a lot about this book, though, was that it was easier to read than the first one. It was more exciting, from beginning to end. The plot was good. Silly at times, a little much, but also interesting and I enjoyed it lots. It would have been a pretty great read too, if it weren't for the characters. They ruined this book a bit for me. Sigh.

Will try my hardest to write down my thoughts and feelings about this one, though I so much dislike writing three star reviews. They are always the hardest to write. But I do have a lot I wish to share about Hollow City. Shall start with mentioning that there are once again odd images from the past included in this book. And I found all of them to great and fascinating. Another thing that I really liked about this book was the history. It takes place in London, in 1940. Right in the middle of the war. I very much liked learning more about that. There are some heartbreaking things to witness in this story, yet they weren't all that special, as I felt like it wasn't written well enough at all. Because of the character point of view of Jacob. Sigh. Felt like he ruined so much of this book. Hmph.

This book is also told from the point of view of Jacob. I so wish I could say that I finally started loving this boy. But I did not. I think I liked him even less in this second book. Which just makes me so sad. I wanted to love him, but he made it impossible. He was just so incredibly boring. It often felt like he was not even there, with how this book was written. Most of the time the writing was okay, but it was not perfect, and I couldn't help but notice all the small things that bothered me about it. Hmph. Still, it was kind of good too.

The romance. I did not get it in book one, and I got it even less in this book. Jacob and Emma just do not fit together. She was obsessed with his grandfather for years, then fell for Jacob the moment that she saw him. And he fell for her just as fast. They have known each other for days only. It makes zero sense. And the kissing scenes are still written badly. They don't really talk together either. Just, yeah. This romance is still disappointing me so much. I mean. Jacob chose to stay in the past, forever, to be with Emma. What.

A girl he had known for days. And he was willing to give up his parents and his whole life to stay in 1940 with her until he dies? Yeah. That makes no sense at all. They were not that much in love. They had only kissed a little bit. They hadn't even talked much. Still haven't. So yeah. I'm not happy with this romance at all. Sigh. Might also be because I do not like Jacob or Emma at all. Still feel like I do not know them. And what I do know I do not like. They were not completely horrible, of course, I just did not like either of them.

The other characters were awesome, though. I loved Millard a whole bunch. I loved his quiet pain about being fully invisible. Just felt like he would have been even more awesome, if not seen through the point of view of Jacob. I also really adored Bronwyn. She was pretty awesome. The other peculiar characters were great too. But they are all supposed to be over eighty years. Yet they still look like teenagers. And people always call them children. And they act like that. But they are not, and that bothered me a bunch.

There was so much going on in this book. From beginning to end. And I liked that a lot. There was never a boring moment. I may not have loved this book, and did not like everything going on, but it was never boring. And I liked learning more about this peculiar world and how they live and learning more about the loops. It was interesting. Not writing much about what happens in this book, only that they are all trying to find a way to save Miss Peregrine, whom is still a bird. It all happens in three days. A bit rushed but good.

There is more to learn about the monsters in this one. I liked that a bunch. More about Jacob's peculiar gift too, which I liked. I still do not like Jacob. At all. But I liked the way he was different than normal. Just wishing he could have been more interesting as a person too. Ugh. Hollow City was not perfect. But the plot almost was. I liked this second book a lot. Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for letting me take part in this great read along for this series. I'm glad that I am giving these books a try.


Waiting on Wednesday #362

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

DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE BY JOAN HE

Goodreads Description:

"Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own." Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father’s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death... because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant and alluring investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.


Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: April 2nd 2019 by Albert Whitman Company
Pre-Order here and here

When I first heard about this book I knew I had to have it. But how am I supposed to manage waiting until April for it? Gah. How rude. I love that cover. So beautiful. And the story sounds all kinds of awesome too. A bit like a few other books I have read, but I did not like those much, and I'm hoping I will love this one. It sounds like it could be so so very good, and I'm crossing all my fingers. Cannot wait to read it. So excited.
What are you waiting for on this unstable Wednesday?

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Review: Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

Finding the words to describe my love for this book will not be easy. But I will try my hardest. I had high hopes for this one, as I adore Beth, and it sounded just like my kind of book. I'm thrilled to say that it was. And I enjoyed it all very much. Even that very evil ending. It was so awesome. Five stars for this precious book.

This book tells the story of seventeen year old Nedra. I adored this girl beyond words. She was amazing to read about and I so loved getting to know her more and more. She broke my heart so much towards the end of the book. I still loved her the very most. Though, yeah, not knowing what's going to happen next kills me.

There is so very much to know about Nedra. She is from a small village, where she lived with her parents and her twin sister. And gosh, how I adored her family. They are not in this book a lot, but they were important even so. So kind and sweet and supportive. I loved it. Her father was a book seller. Which I loved even more. Nedra was such an awesome girl, and I loved her to pieces. She just got accepted to this amazing school to learn about medicinal alchemy. She wants to learn more about the plague and what she can do to help. Arriving at this school was not as easy as she had hoped it would be. Everyone already knows each other. And they are all rich. She is the only one on a scholarship, only one from a poorer village farther away. That does not stop her.

Nedra was strong and brave and just all kinds of awesome. I loved her so. In the beginning of the book, many of the other teenagers at this school did not treat her well. Because she was not like them. But she was smart. And did so well at alchemy. She ended up getting private lessons very fast, and so she did not hang out much with the other students. Except for this one boy, a boy that started talking to her the very moment she arrived. And whom was kind to her. Grey. Gosh, how I adored this boy. He was so amazing.

And reading about their growing friendship was the very best thing. There is a small romance in this book. And it's beyond cute and adorable. Though, yeah, Grey was a bit stupid at times, which I think I blame on him growing up rich and not understanding much of the poor parts of the world. But he never did anything bad, which I loved him for even more. He was there and he was adorable. And I shipped him and Nedra so much. Sigh. I'm a little worried about the next book. No triangle at all, though, so so happy about that.

Although there was romance in this book, the story does not focus on that. I shall not talk too much about everything, but I will mention the biggest parts of the plot. Mainly the plague. A lot of poorer villages have been killed by a plague for about a year now. The symptoms are pretty bad. And there are very, very few people who survive it. It has started spreading now to other places as well. Nedra is desperate to help the people who are getting sick and dying. Especially when the plague makes it to her family. My poor heart.

This book focus on Nedra. And her need to help those who are sick and dying. She studies so much of alchemy and she learns more about the plague. And how she can help. Which is not an easy thing. And oh, there is a lot of people that die in this book. It's pretty horrible. Yet written really well. I loved reading about the life of Nedra. And her relationship with Grey. This book takes place over six months. Nedra spends most of this time working at a quarantine hospital, helping those who are dying. It's exhausting.

I shall not mention much more about this plot. Only that it was awesome and that I loved it so. My heart was breaking for every person that died. My heart was breaking for Nedra too, because she was doing too much. Yet I loved her for it. She was such a good person. Though then the ending happened, and I'm not fully sure what she is anymore, haha. But I do know that I still love her so very much. This story was exciting. And rude. There is a lot happening. The book is long. And I loved every moment of it. So good.

After seeing Beth mention this, I would agree that this is pretty much a villain origin story. Nedra ends up going very dark. For good reasons, though. But there is treason. And she has crossed a lot of lines by the end of the book. I still love her so much. But oh gosh, I need a happy ending so badly. And I am not sure I will be getting one. Hmm. But I have hope. I adore Nedra and Grey so much and I am dying to read more about them both. The final book cannot come soon enough. Very excited to read whatever happens next.

Give the Dark My Love was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was a little different from what I had imagined, in a good way. Nedra was such an amazing character to read about. And I very much adored Grey. Reading about them together was the best. The world in this book pretty much broke my heart. Oh. There is a lot of death. Which was heartbreaking to read about. But so good. Give the Dark My Love was such a thrilling story full of heart. The alchemy was interesting and exciting to read about too. Loved it all.

Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for sending me the free ARC copy of this book to read and review. Feeling so happy and thankful for the chance to read this book early. I cannot wait to own all the finished copies of it too. Eee. I read this book on July 29th. Now I shall have to try to patiently wait for the final book to come out. I need it so badly. Must know what happens next. I'm so excited and so nervous. I need you all to read this book. It is so good and so worth reading. You must buy it right now.


Monday, September 17, 2018

Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This is my second read of this book, the first time being seven years ago. It was a three star for me back then, and it's a three star now too. Gosh, I did not remember anything from this book when reading it again just now. There were parts of this I liked a lot, but also some parts I didn't care for at all. A bit disappointing.

I do not really have all that much to say about this book. But shall try my best to write down my thoughts. The writing was good; not perfect, but I didn't have many issues with it. Though I had issues with the main character. I simply could not connect with him at all. Wanted to adore him, but I did not. He was not easy to like. Hmm.

This book is told from the point of view of Jacob. The book begins with learning about him, who he is, and who his family is. I did not care for any of them, honestly. But then there was his grandfather. I liked reading about him, though he is only there for a short while, before getting brutally murdered. Then there's a time jump of nine months, which Jacob spent being depressed and scared. I think I did not care much for him because all that was skipped, and then comes back to him suddenly being pretty much okay again, believing that the monster he thought saw the night his grandpa died was not real. His grandfather used to tell him stories. Stories about children that he knew while growing up, about monsters too. Jacob believed him when he was little but not as he grew up.

This book tells the story of Jacob. From when he lost his grandfather and how he dealt with it. Well, how he didn't deal with that. I sadly did not care very much at all. Found those first pages to be pretty boring, to be honest. The book became more interesting when Jacob finally figured out what his grandfather told him as he was dying. And so Jacob finally travels to an old island where his grandfather spent a lot of his time when he was younger. I liked reading about this remote small island and how people lived on there.

And there were parts of this book that I enjoyed a lot. I liked getting to know all about the peculiar children and their home. How they were living. Learning about the time loop. I found all of that to be so interesting. And I liked getting to know more about the monsters in this world too, as they were pretty exciting. These peculiar children are hidden away from the world, to keep them all safe. Because regular humans would probably hurt them. And the monsters that would kill them. It was interesting getting to know everything.

But I must mention a few things that I did not like. Mainly, the romance. Jacob meets a girl. A girl around his age. Yet she has lived for over eighty years. And she used to be together with his grandfather, many many years ago. I found that to be a bit too much, maybe. Especially because this girl is still in love with his grandfather. Has been obsessed with him for years, ever since he left. Yet when Jacob arrives, she seems to fall for him right away. And it grossed me out, to be honest. And that was pretty disappointing.

Especially with how very badly done the kissing scenes were. Yeah, I get that this is a boy point of view, but kissing scenes can still be written good. These were not. At all. And that was disappointing too. I'm wishing it will approve in the next books, though. As there were times when I found the point of view of Jacob to be pretty awkward. Ah. Still. Was not all bad. And I did like this story a lot. There are also some interesting and different and pretty pictures included in this. Old ones. And those were awesome to see.

Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for letting me take part in this great read along for this series. I'm excited about giving the next books a try too, as I have not read them before. While this book was not perfect for me, I am glad I gave it a second chance. It was pretty interesting, and I did enjoy reading it most of the time. I do think that you should all give Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children a try as well. I am crossing all my fingers that I'll end up liking the next books a bunch more than this one.


 

Saturday, September 15, 2018

In My Mailbox #358

Was it not Saturday just yesterday? Ahh. The days are going by too fast lately, haha :) I am slowly doing more catching up; so I'm happy about that. Still so behind on commenting. But shall start that this coming week as well. I'm a bit behind on reading this week, aaack. But I'm working on it. Had a pretty good week, though. Exhausted, as always, but happy. I also got some stunning mail that I love a bunch. Eee. And a few blog posts too. I shared my blog tour review for Two Dark Reigns :D This week I'm waiting on Come Find Me. <3 Then I shared my review of City of Ghosts :) Planning on starting and finishing and reviewing a book today. Hoping I will manage to find the time, haha. Wish me luck. Hope you're all doing well too :)



As She Ascends. Gosh, this hardcover is huge. All kinds of gorgeous. Love this cover. Can't wait to read.
Two Dark Reigns. Eee. I loved this precious so very much. And the finished hardcover is so so stunning.
Shadow Weaver + Comet Rising. EEE! Thank you MarcyKate :D Personalized too; from an auction. <3
King of Scars Swag. Ahh! So in love. So so happy. Thank you so much to a sweet person for trading :D
Grim Lovelies Cards. Gosh. These are perfection. Eee. Thank you Megan :D Very happy I won these :D


More Instagram photos here. <3

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Review: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

I have been pretty excited about this book for a long time now, waiting for it to finally come out. Because I adore Victoria. And have loved a bunch of her books. And so I felt sure I would love this new stunning middle grade book by her. I'm so disappointed and sad to say that I did not love this book like I wanted to. Sigh.

I am giving this book two stars. I did not love it at all, sadly. But I also did not hate it. There were parts of the book that were pretty good, that I enjoyed a bunch. But for the most part this book was pretty disappointing. And so it is two stars, and not three which I had hoped it could be. To me, this one was more bad than good.

Will not be writing such a long review for this one, as I don't want to share just negative things. Though I will share all the reasons for why I did not love this book. Sigh. Although also sharing the things I did like about it. I really wish I could have loved this one. I wanted to, so badly. Because, as I said, I adore Victoria. And I love middle grade books. And this one looked so gorgeous and sounded so good. But it fell short for me. Maybe because I have read so many great middle grade books. And I simply could not get into this one. Mostly because of the writing. Which breaks my heart. I didn't enjoy it. Did not like the way it was written. Like the main girl was telling a story to the reader at times. On almost every page there were words in italics. Highly annoying.

This book tells the story of twelve year old Cassidy. She lives with her mom and dad and their cat, Grim. Whom seemed adorable. Her parents are writers, writing about ghosts and history. They are just about to start filming a tv show. I did like her parents, but felt like they maybe didn't pay that much attention to their girl. And ah. Cassidy. I wish I could say that I loved this girl. But I did not. I did adore her a bunch, though. And I liked reading about her too. I did like getting to know her; I just wish there was more. I know so little.

This girl almost died a year ago, by falling into a river. Ever since then, she has been able to see ghosts. It is more complicated than that, but I shall not describe it. Did find it different and interesting, though. Not perfect, but I enjoyed reading about the ghost part of this story. She has a ghost best friend, Jacob. A boy that started haunting her after he saved her life when she almost died. They have been best friends for a year now. I wanted to love him so badly. But felt like I did not get to know him well enough. Wanted more.

This book takes place in Scotland, and I loved that, especially since it is so personal to Victoria. I did find the setting of this book interesting. There were parts of this story I found to be great too. But, yeah. When it comes to it, I found more of the book to be bad than good. Makes me so sad, because I really thought this one would be awesome. Hmph. But it wasn't. At least not for me. I liked reading about Cassidy and Jacob, and the ghosts. But felt like there was way too little about all of them, to be honest. Needed more.

I have seen Victoria mention that this book was less than fifty thousand words. I must admit that I prefer my middle grade books to be much longer, ack, to be able to connect with the characters and story more. But I did like that this book was easy and fast to read. I only wish that I could say that I loved it. But I did not. Sigh. I wanted to love everything about this one. But it seemed impossible to me. But I did not hate it, and I'm thrilled about that, haha. Happy to have my copies of this book, as it is gorgeous. Love the cover.

Though I will admit to being disappointed that it was not for me. I will say, though, that I think and hope that a lot of younger readers will love this book. And those that are not as picky as me when it comes to writing. I simply could not let it go, lol. But it will not bother all. I need you all to read this book. Because Victoria is awesome. And though I did not love City of Ghosts, I'm glad I gave it a try. And I do know that I will read the second one too, when it comes out, and will hopefully love that one. Crossing all my fingers.


Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Waiting on Wednesday #361

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

COME FIND ME BY MEGAN MIRANDA

Goodreads Description:

From the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger comes a captivating thriller about two teens who connect when each discovers a mysterious radio frequency, which suggests their family tragedies are mysteriously connected.

After surviving an infamous family tragedy, sixteen-year-old Kennedy Jones has made it her mission to keep her brother's search through the cosmos alive. But then something disturbs the frequency on his radio telescope--a pattern registering where no signal should transmit.

In a neighboring county, seventeen-year-old Nolan Chandler is determined to find out what really happened to his brother, who disappeared the day after Nolan had an eerie premonition. There hasn't been a single lead for two years, until Nolan picks up an odd signal--a pattern coming from his brother's bedroom.

Drawn together by these strange signals--and their family tragedies--Kennedy and Nolan search for the origin of the mysterious frequency. But the more they uncover, the more they believe that everything's connected--even their pasts--as it appears the signal is meant for them alone, sharing a message that only they can understand. Is something coming for them? Or is the frequency warning them about something that's already here?


Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: January 29th 2019 by Crown Books for Young Readers
Pre-Order here and here

EEE! I simply cannot wait to read this book :D Just wishing I had the ARC of it right now. Hmph. I adore Megan Miranda. And have read all of her books, minus one, ack. They have all been aaamazing. I cannot wait to read this new book by her. It looks awesome. And sounds so so very good. Eee. So very excited.
What are you waiting for on this searching Wednesday?

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Two Dark Reigns Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

I'm beyond excited to be taking part in the blog tour for Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake today :D I love Kendare beyond words. Her books are all so so very good and perfect. And this series of hers just kills me with how good it is. I read Two Dark Reigns two days ago, and it was perfection. Today I will be sharing my five star review of it, and a tour-wide international giveaway too. Huge thank you to Jean at JeanBookNerd for letting me take part in this tour. <3 I love this series so very much. If you still haven't read Three Dark Crowns and One Dark Throne and Queens of Fennbirn and Two Dark Reigns then you are seriously missing out. Such a stunning world. Such amazing characters. You need them in your life.



There is so much I wish to say about this book that I have no idea where to begin. My love for this world and these characters have no ending. I'm so thrilled there is four books in this series, that there is still one more after this one. Though I'm also not sure how I'll survive waiting another year to know what happens next to everyone. Two Dark Reigns had a pretty dark ending. And I loved every moment of it. But yeah, I very much need a happy ending for these most precious girls. I worry I will not get that. But I have hope.

I'm giving this amazing third book five stars. Because I loved every moment of it. I only wish it had been even longer, because I did not want it to end. I have so much that I wish to share about this book, though, and shall try my best to do that without that many spoilers. But even though I loved every moment of this book, there were a few things that bothered me, with the characters. Will share all about it. It was not bad, though, and I did not hate a single thing. I'm so thrilled about that. Once again, the writing was perfection.

Two Dark Reigns start a little after the ending of One Dark Throne. With Katharine as the queen crowned. With Arsinoe and Mirabella having gone to the mainland. With Jules having stayed with the warriors. To be honest, this third book was a whole lot slower than the first two. There is not a whole lot of action. Not all that much going on. But I wouldn't have had it any other way. I so loved that it was slow. I loved that it focused more on the characters and everything going on with them. It was all written so so very perfectly.

There is much that I could share about this book. But I shall mostly just share my feelings a little about everything. Well, mostly everything. This book was all kinds of perfect. I loved reading about Katharine, how she is now queen of Fennbirn. It is not going all that well, as things are happening around the island that gets blamed on her. And I missed Natalia. A whole bunch. There are so many Pietyr and Katharine scenes that my heart is bursting. Their romance and friendship is the very best. Eee. Love them so much.

There is a lot going on with Katharine, though. She is not fully herself. With her head full of dead queens. And they make her do things. And it broke my heart a little. But Pietyr is there for her, always, and I loved that so. But Katharine has such a heartbreaking story, to be honest. She does not have anyone besides Pietyr. But then Luca and Bree arrives with her, and I wanted them to love her so badly, and ahh. I want Katharine to have friends. To be loved. To be cared for. I think that it might happen. I hope so. I wish so.

Arsinoe and Mirabella is at the mainland for some weeks. They are living with Billy and his mother and his sister, which I loved. I loved that Billy was there for them. The romance between Billy and Arsinoe was so great in this book. Eee. But I do wish all this romance had more kissing scenes. Hmph. Although Arsinoe and Mirabella are happy to be safely away from the island, they are not doing all that well either. Arsinoe starts having some weird dreams about a past queen, which is basically telling her to go back home. Ack.

Then there was Jules. I loved this girl the very most in the previous books. In this one, I was pretty unsure about her. Which hurts my heart. She just lost Joseph. And while she has some thoughts about him, there was not that many, and that hurt my heart too. She is with the warriors, learning more about her war gift. And making new friends too. I did not really like Emilia at all. Ack. I wanted to, but she was difficult to like. Hmph. They are trying to make Jules into a queen. Getting rid of Katharine. I did not approve of this plan.

There is so much going on in this book. While it is slow, and does not have many action scenes, there is still tons happening. And I shall not share more about it. Just that I loved everything that went on. Though there were a few deaths that were a bit bad. Ack. But written so good. But gosh, that ending. I'm worried. I do not see a happy ending at all. But I want it so. I cannot wait to read what happens next. I simply love these characters so very much. Especially Katharine and Pietyr, eee. They are the cutest. Ship them so.

Even though this book was slow and mostly about the characters, I could not stop reading for a moment. It was everything I wanted it to be. I loved learning more about all of them. Katharine is my favorite. Then Arsinoe. And now Mirabella too. Jules used to be my favorite, ack, but in this one I liked her least. Which breaks my heart a little. I hope I will go back to loving her tons in book four, though I worry. I just did not support the cause around her. At all. Hmph. But I still love her and Camden. So much. Just not the same.

The thing that bothered me in this book was how the other queens were treating Katharine. I suppose I get why they hate her. Probably. But she has always been my favorite, and I so loved her to pieces in this one, and it breaks my heart that both Arsinoe and Mirabella has such bad thoughts about her. Want them to support her, to learn to love her too, like I love her. Mostly I just want a happy ending for them all. I am not sure I will get that. But I want it, more than anything. I want everyone to love Katharine like I love her.

Two Dark Reigns was everything that I could have wished for and more. It did not have all the heartbreak that I feared, though that is probably still to come in the fourth book, haha. But it did have a killer ending, which I will not soon forget. This book was filled with amazing characters and getting to know them all so much more. And more details about this stunning world and why the island is a certain way. Still so much more to learn, though. I can't wait to read and love the final book in this series, out next year. So excited.



#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake returns with the highly anticipated third book in the Three Dark Crowns series! And while Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Katharine all have their own scores to settle, they aren’t the only queens stirring things up on Fennbirn Island.
 
Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There’s also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead—or if they’re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.

Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the minland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.
  
Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can’t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine’s doorstep.

This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected.


Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, most of which you can find information about via the links above. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She was born in July (for those of you doing book reports) in Seoul, South Korea, but doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, as she was packed off at a very early age to her adoptive parents in the United States. That might be just an excuse, though, as she is pretty bad at learning foreign languages. She enjoys the work of Milan Kundera, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, Richard Linklater, and the late, great Michael Jackson, I mean, come on, he gave us Thriller. 

She lives and writes in Kent, Washington, with her husband, their cat son Tyrion Cattister, red Doberman dog son Obi-Dog Kenobi, rottie mix dog daughter Agent Scully, and naked sphynx cat son Armpit McGee.


Where to find Kendare Blake:


Giveaway Rules.
International. Hosted by Jean. Must be 13+.
Prize details in the rafflecopter below.
Ends on September 25th 2018.


Saturday, September 8, 2018

In My Mailbox #357

How is it already Saturday again? Ahh. Time is moving way too fast. And I keep getting just about nothing done. Ugh. How rude. Health is the same as always, but I'm mostly dealing with it. Though I have gained a lot of weight after starting my new medicine, and I do not approve at all. When I first started it ten years ago, I gained more than twenty kilos. I will not accept that again; as I haven't lost those kilos at all yet. Ah. Anyway. I read a bit this week :D One long book, one half book, haha. Both were perfection. Sigh. Finally perfect books, haha. And will be reading lots this coming week too, which I'm excited about. Hopefully to finally start having enough energy to catch up as well. I'm trying my best; by doing a little each day. But it is hard. I'm so tired and exhausted all the time and have zero energy for just about anything. So rude. But I have hope it will pass soon. Fingers crossed. Also a few blog posts this week. <3 I took part in the blog tour for Sadie, eee :D This week I'm waiting on Umbertouched. <3 Then shared my review of Queens of Fennbirn :D And my five star review of Two Dark Reigns coming for the blog tour tomorrow morning :D I also got such stunning mail this week, eee. Love it. <3 Trying my best to catch up; but it is going slow :)



Lady Midnight. A new type of the US paperback edition, that I couldn't stop myself from buying, haha :D
Crooked Kingdom. Eee, this US paperback edition is all kinds of gorgeous. This book ruined me, though.
Sadie. Gosh, this book was good. And the hardcover is all kinds of stunning :D Also adore Courtney. <3
Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children. Book 1-3 :D From PRH International, for the read along this month.
Pop Figures. Eee, some special editions :D More expensive, but they are all just so so cute. Love them.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Review: Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake

I was not ready for these two short stories. I have been meaning to read them for months, but ended up waiting until I could read Two Dark Reigns as well. I'm glad I did so. Because, gosh, these two stories ruined me. Five stars for sure. But my heart may not recover. I truly did not expect all of this heartbreak, to be honest.

Both short stories are just over a hundred pages, and took some time to read. I loved that. Loved that they were not so short. That they were hard to read. And they were both written so perfectly. I very much love this world that Kendare has created. It's done so well and so evil. I love reading every moment of it. Mostly, haha.

I shall not be sharing too much about these short stories. Only a few of my thoughts about them. And you must read both of these stories after Three Dark Crowns and One Dark Throne. They are both in such a stunning paperback edition too. Very much worth buying. I cannot wait to read book three next, and book four next year. Ack. I am beyond worried, though, especially after reading The Oracle Queen. I need these books to have a happy ending. I want a happy ending for all three queens and Jules too. And gosh, how I am nervous that I will not get my happy endings. Hmph. So excited to know everything, though, even if it ends up breaking my soul. Which I am sure it will, no matter if the endings are happy or not, haha. All the books so far have been very rude.

The first story is The Young Queens. It tells more about Arsinoe and Katharine and Mirabella as children. Not too much about their six years together, but a little bit of that too. And it was so sweet to read about. They were such loving sisters for six years. Until they were forced apart, having to live in different places, until being forced to kill each other ten years later. Gosh. The story in these books are so heartbreaking. Yet beyond interesting to read about and I love all the details so very much. It was all written so well too.

This first short story is about all three young queens, when they were taken away from each other. I loved reading more about all of them. Still like Mirabella the least, haha, but I did love her in this short story. Her love for her sisters was so good but sad. And those years she had to spend locked away. Gosh. Reading about that killed me a little. So yeah. I liked Mirabella in this short story. And Katharine. My love. My heart aches just thinking about her, and how she had to grow up. She did not have a lot of happy in her life. Oh.

But Arsinoe did. She grew up in a good place, with Jules, and I am so happy about that. Though reading about Arsinoe and Jules in this short story broke my heart. How very rude. We learn more about Jules's family. I loved her aunt so very much. And what happened with her, well. I shall not get past it. Especially remembering what happened in the previous books too. She deserved much better. Gosh. My poor heart. But yeah. Very much loved reading The Young Queens. Such a strong short story. Such great characters.

Then there was The Oracle Queen. I fear I shall never forget this story. It completely ruined me. I loved every moment of it, but I am not sure my heart will ever recover. It is set five hundred years earlier, and tells the story of the oracle queen Elsabet. I will not be sharing her story in my review. It would hurt too much. But I will say that her story killed me. And it was so heartbreaking from start to finish and it never got any better. That story did not have a happy ending. At all. But it was so so very much worth reading.

My heart is breaking for Elsabet, though. Oh. Her story was the very best. Written so well. But it was the saddest thing I have read in ages. Gosh. And with a sad ending too. How very rude. She had two great friends, though, and I adored reading about them. Until that ending. Ahh. She has been queen for three years. Her king consort is not a good person. And I cannot. It was so painful to read about. So good, but so painful. Shall not be sharing more from her story. I can't. But oh. It was so very good. You must read it.

I'm so thrilled that I finally made myself read Queens of Fennbirn. These two stories were worth reading. And even though the second story ruined me, I would still have read it, knowing all that happened. And I think you should all read it too. It's important. In these novellas we learn more about the island too. Which was awesome. Both stories were incredible. And I loved them so. If you still have not read these books by Kendare, then you really must get started. They are incredibly painful at times, but so very good. Worth it.


Waiting on Wednesday #360

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

UMBERTOUCHED (Rosemarked #2) BY LIVIA BLACKBURNE

Goodreads Description:

The mission was a failure. Even though Zivah and Dineas discovered a secret that could bring down the empire, their information is useless without proof. Now, with their cover blown and their quest abandoned, their only remaining hope is to get home before Ampara brings the full might of its armies against their peoples.

As Shidadi and Dara alike prepare for war, Zivah and Dineas grapple with the toll of their time in the capital. After fighting alongside the Amparans against his own kin, can Dineas convince the Shidadi—and himself—where his loyalties lie? After betraying her healer’s vows in Sehmar City, can Zivah find a way to redeem herself—especially when the Dara ask her to do the unthinkable? And after reluctantly falling in love, what will the two do with their lingering feelings, now that the Dineas from Sehmar City is gone forever? Time is running out for all of them, but especially Zivah whose plague symptoms surface once again. Now, she must decide how she’ll define the life she has left.

Together, healer and warrior must find the courage to save their people, expose the truth, and face the devastating consequences headed their way.


Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: November 6th 2018 by Disney-Hyperion
Pre-Order here and here

I have had a bound manuscript of this book for some months now, that I was so lucky to win from this awesome author, eee. But gosh, I have been scared about reading it, haha. I adore Livia. But had a few issues with Rosemarked, so a little bit nervous about this sequel. Yet I think it sounds pretty awesome. And I will read it. And I am excited about it. Just a little nervous too, because I really want to like it a lot. Ack. Fingers crossed that I will :D I promise that I will read my manuscript copy this month, for sure. <3
What are you waiting for on this marked Wednesday?