Waiting on Wednesday #472

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

MY CONTRARY MARY
BY CYNTHIA HAND & BRODI ASHTON & JODI MEADOWS

Goodreads Description:

Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀
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Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀
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Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

Hardcover, 512 pages

Expected publication: June 22nd 2021 by HarperTeen
Pre-Order here and here

This book sounds all kinds of awesome and I cannot wait to read it :D I very much adored the two Lady Jane books by these authors that I have read. <3 Own the third one that just came out, and hoping to read it very soon :) And so excited to read their take on Mary as well. Cover, as always, looks awesome.
What are you waiting for on this contrary Wednesday?

Review: The Oddmire: Deepest, Darkest by William Ritter

This book is not coming out until next summer. And yet I could not resist reading it right away, after I got approved for an eARC via Edelweiss. And I do not regret it for one moment. This book was so very perfect. And I loved every moment of it. Five stars for sure. I will do my best to share a mostly spoiler free review.

I will be including a few important plot pieces, but nothing that really spoils what happens. Just, gosh. This third book was so very good. As I knew it would. I'm so in love with The Oddmire series. There must be more books. It could have ended with this one, but I do not think so. Still much more that needs to be told.

The writing was perfect, as with the other books too. I had no problem at all with connecting to the story and the characters. I decided to not re-read the first two books before I started this, as I did that this summer. So not too far ago. And although I wish I had re-read them, I did not need to. I remembered almost every detail, and this book was good at reminders too. There is just so much to love about this story. I do not know where to begin. Will not write too much about this book. Only sharing a little about what I loved about it. Which might be way too much, ha. These books seem to get darker and darker for each book. All of them are dark. But this one the most. Sad at times. But hopeful and happy too. But it did break my heart a few times. Very rude.

This is still the story about Tinn and Cole. And their friends, Fable and Evie. Their mother too. This time they are searching for their missing dad. Whom the twins have never known, as he went missing when they were babies. Cole wants to find him so badly. Tinn does too. But he is more nervous, so worried that their father will not want him. I understood so well why he was worried about finding him. But gosh, it was sad to read about too. I just wanted to hug this poor boy. He was so different from them. Still their family.

The book starts a little slow, with the boys searching for clues about how to find their dad underground. Then they learn more. And learn how they might be able to find him, if he is still alive. Which is how this next adventure begins. They all go underground. Deep, deep under their town. The twins and their mom, Fable and her mom, and Evie with old Jim too. They all wish to find the missing dad. But this was not a safe journey to take. And it very much does not go as they planned. Which was fully amazing, honestly.

There was so much going on in this third book. We get to see The Thing again. Which was both creepy and so awesome. We get to see so much underground. It was fully interesting and exciting. Things go badly for them all. There are falls and danger and pain. There are evil creatures underneath the earth. And getting to know more about them all was so great. I did not like them one bit, ha. But it was so good to read about. There is a great sleeping thing underneath the magma. Reading about that was the best.

The Oddmire: Deepest, Darkest was everything I wanted it to be. Fully perfect and so fun. Completely evil and heartbreaking at times. So dark yet full of hope. These stories about Tinn and Cole are the very best. I love these twin boys the most. Fable and Evie are both perfect too. And I just love their friendships so much. I will not say more about this book. Just that I loved it so very much and cannot wait for more. You must read them too. Thank you very much Algonquin Young Readers for the approval to read this early.

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In My Mailbox #468

Hello. This week have been all kinds of busy and exhausting for me. Gah. Haven't read much this week, only finished my book last Sunday. I know what I'm reading next. I just haven't had the time for it just yet. Ack. But hoping for the next few days. Fingers crossed. This week I have been putting most of my pop figures on new shelves just their size, in my staircase. It turned out awesome. But gosh, I'm tired, haha. And today I decided to finally get up my Happy Hello bookmarks on my wall again. You know,  my several hundred of those. Hahaha. Yeah. I'm dead. But also, worth it. Just a bit too much for my body. I'm simply way too tired and hurting all over. Hmph. But doing good. For now. Corona has officially made it to town. Eight cases so far. I'm certain it will spread. But gosh, I hope not. My family and I are not healthy enough to get this too. So yeah. Nervous and worried. Hoping we will all be safe. Anyway. A couple of new blog posts this week. I shared my review of Twin Daggers :) This week I'm waiting on Deepest, Darkest :D And holy crap. I got SO MUCH mail this week. Ahhh. All the books. Gosh. Help me, hahaha. So love them all, though. <3 Also. Reminder. Too few of you have entered my blog birthday giveaway. Two new free books, international. Link below. Do enter if you have the time. <3 The books are aaamazing :) Would so love a comment too. All the hugs. Winter is officially here. No snow yet, but soon. It is so cold, so dark, haha :)

Pre-orders of Foxheart and Thornlight by Claire Legrand. International. Ends 11/01.

The Lunar Chronicles Box Set. I already own all the new paperbacks. Oops. Had to get this box set. <3
Fairest + Stars Above. I know, I know. I got the box set. But already have them all too; needed these :D
You Were Never Here. I very much adored this book. So of course I had to have a stunning hardcover :)
Broken Wish. So very excited for this book :D Only read one by Julie so far, but I loved it. I'm so excited.
Among the Beasts and Briars. Felt a little bit meh about this, but could not resist buying that cover. Oops.
Cinders & Sparrows. This book sounds pretty awesome. And I very much hope that I will end up loving it.
Ninth House. US and UK paperbacks have arrived :D I didn't know about Waterstones. Sobs. One day.
Swamp Thing. I am so very excited for this graphic novel. Very much in love with Maggie and her books.
Fangirl. I simply had to have this graphic novel. As I did adore this book, all those years ago. Looks cute.
Serpentine. I had to have all the editions of this book. Oops. Could not resist. Ha. One day, I shall read it.
Fable + The Girl the Sea Gave Back. My personalized books are here :D And they are all very stunning.
Taylor Swift. Eee. Another of the different CDs have arrived, haha :) And gorgeous keychain. Love it so.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Waiting on Wednesday #471

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

THE ODDMIRE #3: DEEPEST, DARKEST
BY WILLIAM RITTER

Goodreads Description:

The third adventure in the beloved fantasy series full of folklore and mayhem, from the creator of Jackaby.
 
Brothers Cole and Tinn—one human, one a goblin changeling—are determined to solve a mystery almost as old as they are: What happened to their long-missing father?
 
Joseph Burton vanished without a trace, leaving the baby boys’ mother to raise them alone. Some say he abandoned his family, others that he met foul play looking for a way to get rid of the changeling imposter. Cole is determined to finally push through the rumors and learn his father's fate.
 
With the help of their friends—Evie, expert on the creatures of the Wild Wood, and Fable, the indomitable half human, half fairy—Tinn and Cole set out on a dangerous quest to the deepest, most deadly limits of the Wild Wood. Meanwhile a shudder runs through the forest. Increasingly powerful earthquakes shake the land, sinkholes form, and the spriggans, trolls, and other creatures along their path speak of an ancient evil on the rise . . .

Hardcover, 320 pages

Expected publication: June 22nd 2021 by Algonquin Young Readers
Pre-Order here and here #ad

Eee. I cannot wait to read this book :D And I will be reading it next. So excited that I got accepted for an eARC on Edelweiss. Sigh. I very much loved the first two books in this series. And I am very much dying to know what happens next to all these lovely characters. Gosh. This looks gorgeous. And sounds great.
What are you waiting for on this darkest Wednesday?

Review: Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly

Although it breaks my heart a little, I have to give this book two stars. I truly tried my hardest to love this one. But I simply did not. And I have a whole lot to share about it. While trying my best not to be too negative. As there were parts of this book that I did like. It was a mix between two and three stars. But closer to two stars.

It is heartbreaking to me, as I am huge fan of MarcyKate. Have adored her for years and own all her books and have read them all too. Have enjoyed them all very much. And I will of course still continue to buy and read books by her. As she is awesome. And although this book was not for me, I'll not stop reading her books.

I will try my best to share all my thoughts about this book. But I will also try not to share too much. Just enough. I so wish I could say that I loved this one. Sigh. But that just wasn't the case. Still. I am glad that I read it. And I will still be reading the sequel, since I do very much want to know what happens next to the characters. I just also had many issues with this story. Which makes me sad. But, oh well. It is what it is. I did not like this one much and I will be sharing why. I shall begin by saying that I had issues first with the writing. It wasn't bad, not fully. But I was not able to connect at all. I felt nothing for these characters. It felt like this book was only telling never showing. It felt stiff most of the time. The main character did not feel real to me. Which made it even harder for me to enjoy this book. I so wish I had loved the main girl.

It took me forever to read this one, as I could never ignore the writing. Which made me feel like the book never ended. Which was so not a good feeling. But it was not all bad. I did like the world created. I was curious about the magic and the techno parts. But some parts were a bit too much for me. It was like all Aissa thought about. How bad the technocrats were, how they killed all the magi one hundred years ago. And kills them still if they find them. Which was so horrible, of course. And exciting to read about at times.

But I did not like the way Aissa was thinking about all of it. Sigh. There was too much focus on certain things. How she would do everything for her people, and things like that. Then the romance happened too. How she fell for a technocrat. Her people's enemy. She is always thinking about that. How she and him are not meant to be. This book is said to be a somewhat Romeo and Juliet re-telling. I saw that, but not much. It was insta-love. Which I don't mind, but felt like I never got to see them actually be together.

Oh, and there was another boy. A childhood friend, another magi person like her. Whom was totally into her. But all she could think of was the other boy. And yet she cries into his arms. She spend a night out in the wild curled up into his arms for warmth. Yeah. It was very much almost a love triangle. Shudders. But not really that either, as nothing happened, not yet, at least. Sigh. But anyway. I wish I could have loved her romance with Aro. I just did not feel it. Not one bit. I liked him, I liked her, but loved none of them. Oh.

Another part of this world I liked was the story of the Heartless. Babies being born without a heart. Having to get a clockwork heart put into them from birth. And then a new one each year, before that killed them. Though they barely lived more than twenty years even so. It was heartbreaking yet so interesting to read about. And I liked learning more about that. There were also small magic parts in this book. I liked that a lot too. I wish there had been more focus on it, as I wanted to know way more different spells and such.

This book tells the story of Aissa and her twin sister, Zandria. Magi spies living in a world that hunt their people down. Trying with their people to take over again, to get their place back. But it is not as simple as that. Full of different twists and such. Secrets that were not really secrets at all, that I felt like the main girl was stupid for not figuring out. A lot of those. Gah. I kind of disliked their parents. Since they were never there. Barely spoken of. I sort of liked Zandria, but we barely saw her as well. This was the story of Aissa.

There is much I could say about this book. And I have already said enough. Yet barely even mentioned the plot. Oops. It bothered me that Aissa never figured out all the secret things. They were all so obvious. Some things were too convenient. There were mentions of her seeing torture. It was kind of dark, yet I felt nothing. I wish I had felt something while reading this book. But I just did not. Which still makes me sad. As I really did want to love this. But I tried. I wanted to know what would happened, just didn't care much.

Even though Twin Daggers was not everything I had hoped it would be, it was still a good read. It was still a good story and I am glad that I read it. I just wish it had been better for me. And I know that others will love it. Which is always the case. But yeah. Sadly this book was not for me. Still going to read the sequel, though. And hoping that I will love that one more. As I must know what happens next. But wishing I was more invested as well. How rude. Still. This book looks stunning and so thrilled to own it for my collection.

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