Waiting on Wednesday #168

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

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES BY SARAH J. MAAS

Goodreads Description:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

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

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

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Hardcover, 432 pages

Expected publication: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury Children's 
Pre-Order here.

I am all kinds of curious about this book. Yeah, I haven't read anything by Sarah yet, but I do own her books. I just need to get started ;p Okay, after I know how the romance thing works out :p Sigh. But this book. This book sounds so exciting. And that cover is stunning. I cannot wait to read this book. <3 And just crossing all my fingers it will be amazing. With no love triangle at all. I cannot wait to read it :) UPDATE. I wrote all those things above weeks ago. But now I have to update it. Because, damn. I have heard SO MANY good things about this book! And damn it. I want it so so much. Sigh. I really cannot wait for this book. And I wish I could read it right away. <3 It seems all kinds of perfect. So excited.
What are you waiting for on this thorny Wednesday? 

Review: Fight for Power by Eric Walters

Well. I wasn't going to read this one. But because I'm part of the blog tour, I thought I should. And even though I did not like book one at all, I admit to being curious about this one, as I felt like book one ended way too soon. Hmph. I wish I could say I loved this book. But I actually liked it less than book one. Sad face.

It just makes me so sad that I disliked these books. But damn. They were not for me. Not at all. I really wanted them both to be amazing, but for me, they were all kinds of awful. I don't think there was anything I liked about this sequel. Sort of sorry for my negative review, but I'm going to be honest about it.

I know I should have read this sequel. As I did not like book one; it was a one star for me. But I was also curious about it. And since I had the ARC from Macmillan, I just had to read it. And, of course, the blog tour in a few days. So I gave it a try. And, honestly, I had hoped this sequel would be better than book one. But no. For me, this sequel was worse than the first one. Which I'm not even sure is possible. I just so wish I had loved these books. But so happy I didn't, because these books had a lot of issues. Especially this second one. Also. Book one just suddenly ended. And then book two starts up in the same damn scene. Seriously. They are still up in the plane. I have never read any series where that has happened. It bothered me.

One of the biggest issues for me in this sequel was the writing. I cannot stand it. I'm sorry. It was just.. awful. Not realistic. There is almost no talking at all in this book. Most of it just takes place inside of Adam's head. And that isn't a good thing. Nothing is happening. Sure, some deaths. Don't care. Some kisses. Don't care. Just as bad as the first book; we kissed. She is beautiful. But not a single damn thing about the girl. Or anyone else. Who are all these people? I have no damn idea. It annoyed me so much.

Then there was all my issues with Adam. He is still just sixteen. He is still being included in all the important meetings. He is still getting to decide things. He is still so damn smart. It isn't natural. And I still don't get how the he knew to fly so damn well. How he knew just about everything. Yet he was still such an idiot. He didn't see anything coming. He didn't understand anything about anyone. Well, there isn't enough going on anyway. Hah. There is so little interactions going on. And it bothered me greatly.

I just cannot with this book. It was all kinds of awful. I'm not going to bother to explain all the things I disliked about it, because I feel like I could talk about it for ages. But I don't want to. I really don't want to. But I shall mention a few things. Like this old guy, Herb. I don't get the point of him. How come he is in charge, sort of, how come he knows all the things? How come he have so many guns and other things? Those things bothered me too. Sigh. I'm using the word bothered a whole lot in my review right now.

Then there was that guy, Brett. Seriously. I couldn't care less. He is obviously not a good guy. Yet Adam is always thinking of him as the hero and blah blah blah. He didn't like him, but damn it. Stop thinking about that idiot. I just couldn't stand him. And he is in this book a lot. Just so much boring. So much things that didn't need to be there. So many dumb people. I wish this book had been better. I wish it had been more about the power being gone. I wish there had been less people. I wish it had been exciting.

Because, damn it. This book was so boring. I wanted to stop reading it at all times. But I managed to read it fast, with few breaks. Just wanted to be done with it. I was curious about some things, true, but I was never excited about a single thing. The writing was too dull for that. I still don't know what any of the characters look like. I still don't know what any of them likes doing. Who any of them are. Oh, Adam likes to fly. Which he does all the damn time. It got boring pretty fast. Sigh. Enough of this book for me.

Huge thank you to Ksenia at Macmillan Kids for sending me a review copy of Fight for Power. <3 You are the most awesome. I'm so sorry I disliked these books. But yeah. They weren't for me. I wish I could say I'm happy I read them, but I'm not. I'm curious about other thoughts, though. So if you do read it, please let me know :) I read this because of the blog tour in early January. I might get kicked off because of my negative reviews, but if not, I am happy about being a part of the blog tour for this book. <3 Hopefully.

Goodreads - Pre-Order

Cress Tuesday #62

Already more than one year of Cress Teasers. <3 Ack! Which is so so exciting. I'm still not sure how long I will be posting these teasers, but I do not want to stop doing so, so I shall not, at least not for now. <3 As so many of you still haven't read Cress. Hmph. And I'm hoping my sharing of the teasers make you more excited about reading this stunning book :) And, well, I love sharing the teasers. <3 So much. You must all read Cress. Right away. But yeah. I don't think I will ever get tired of sharing these Cress teasers with you all. It just makes my heart happy to read small bits of Cress every time I choose a new teaser, hih. As you know, I adore these books. So much. And waiting for Winter is torture. November 2015 better arrive fast. <3 I'm also beyond excited for Fairest out in January :D It will be amazing. Sigh. Soon I will re-read them all. And I cannot wait. I adore this story and all the awesome characters. Also, Marissa is all kinds of amazing too. I adore her. I hope you are all enjoying these small and mostly non-spoilery teasers from Cress :) See all the previous Cress Tuesdays here. <3 Have you read it yet?

~

He wasn't alone. Was he? Anxiety crawled up his throat. Of course he wasn't. He had a entire 
country behind him, and all the people in the palace, and... No one. No one could truly understand 
what he was risking, what sacrifices he may be making. Torin was smart enough to realize it, of course, 
but at the end of the day he still had his own home to return to. And Kai hadn't confided in him 
that he and Nainsi were searching for Princess Selene again. He would never tell Torin that a part of 
him hoped Cinder would be safe. And he would never tell a single living soul how terrified he was, 
every moment of every day. How afraid he was that he was making an enormous mistake.

~

 Sniffs. My poor Kai. He is still just a boy.
I just want someone to love him and help him. <3
 
Cyborg Monday. News: Fairest.

My five stars review of Cress. Scarlet Paperback.
My review of The Little Android. The Little Android.
My new Cinder post. My book recommendation of Scarlet.
Cinder. Scarlet. Cress. Winter. Glitches. The Queen's Army. Marissa Meyer.
The Book Depository. My book recommendation of Cinder. My review of Scarlet.
My review of Glitches. My review of The Queen's Army. My blog tour post of Cinder.

Was allowed to do this by Marissa and Macmillan; Thank you. <3 Marissa is the best. Check out her amazing website :D I'm also very much in love with the Lunar Chronicles facebook. So pretty. I hope you enjoy the teasers :) There will be one teaser each Tuesday. Can't wait for you all to read Cress :) Also, the teasers are now from my finished hardcover copy of Cress :D And oh, how it is gorgeous. <3

Review: The Rule of Three by Eric Walters

Oh, how I had issues with this book. I really wanted to love it. Though it did take me over a year to finally read my copy. But yeah. I thought this book sounded exciting and a bit different. I was nervous, as I wasn't sure it would be for me, but I hoped. And I'm so disappointed, because I really did not like this book.

I'm not sure how to begin talking about it. And I don't think my review will be all that long, because when I think about this book, I don't have any positive things in my head. I wish I did, but I don't. There was so many things that did not work at all for me. Which is why this book get a one star rating from me.

First there is the writing. I really disliked how it was written. None of it seemed realistic. The characters were so weird when talking together. None of them fit. There is a tiny bit of romance, and the only mention of it is this: they kissed. Seriously. That is so not how you describe a kiss in a book. Ugh. I did not like this writing at all. It annoyed me a bunch of times. Okay, it isn't the worst writing I had read, not even close, but it was bad. Especially with all the other things I disliked in this book. One positive thing: there is only one point of view in this book. Thank god for that. But yeah. I didn't even like the main character. Which is just all kinds of depressing. There was so many things I did not like in this book. Which is just so sad.

Main character is Adam. Whom is sixteen year old. And then the power goes out everywhere, and his mom is a police officer, and he is a pilot, all kinds of young. Hmph. And when things go bad, he seems to know the answers to everything. He gets to be in on all the important meetings. He gets to decide things. Oh, and he has a small weird plane in his garage that works; which he uses. Sigh. I did not like this boy. He was a bit too much, yet not nearly enough. I didn't care for him a single bit. Sad face.

Then there is his best friend, Todd. Whom we see a tiny bit. And all of that made him just seem like an idiot. Disliked reading about him. And we don't get to know anything about Adam or Todd prior to the power thing. Adam also has a crush on this girl, Lori. But why does he have a crush on her? I have no idea at all. We get to know nothing of her. She is a farm girl. She is beautiful. That is all. What does she look like? Don't have a clue. What does she like? No idea. Ugh, how I hated that no details at all thing.

I wish I could say I loved the plot. I was so curious about it, with the whole power thing going away. But it didn't fully go away. Old cars worked. And lots of other things. And I just. I didn't believe in any of it. I didn't like how the people reacted. Or didn't react. None of it seemed realistic. Especially since it was set in our time. None of these people should be that stupid. Seriously. Oh, how this book annoyed me. Everything they did and didn't do. It all bothered me so much. Wish it wasn't so, but it totally was.

There is so much I could say about this book, but I don't want to. I just want to be done talking about it. I thought it would be great. It wasn't. Not at all. Oh, and the old guy, Herb. Ugh. That bothered me too. Just so many silly things. Not real at all. I wanted to quit reading this book so many times, but I did not. Only because it is a Macmillan book, and I adore them, and I really wanted to finish it. I regret reading it, sort of, but yeah. Now I'm done with it, hah. Just so many things about this book bothered me.

Huge thank you to Ksenia at Macmillan Kids for the review copy of The Rule of Three that she sent me over a year ago. <3 I'm so sorry I didn't like it. But yeah. It wasn't for me. Not at all. Now I'm trying to decide if I should read book two as well, since it is a review copy, and I'm to be on the blog tour on the 5th. But I'm not sure. Because I really don't want to. Might try, though. Anyway. I do think some people might love this book :) I'm curious to hear other thoughts on it. Have any of you read this book yet?

Goodreads - Buy it

In My Mailbox #165

Happy Holidays everyone. <3 This week have been better. I have blogged a whole lot. Okay, I have only read one book, but I'm planning on reading more. I must read The Rule of Three book one and two before early January, as I'm on the blog tour. <3 Excited about that. This week I read I'll Meet You There, which was disappointing. Then I was a part of the This Shattered World quote stop tour. <3 So exciting. I posted another Cress Tuesday; small Kai teaser :) Then there was the Until Midnight launch post with International giveaway :D This week I'm waiting on A Book of Spirits and Thieves. <3 Aaand I shared my Best Books of 2014 post. <3 Which include 15 books this year. I also shared the cover for Island of Graves. <3 Which looks stunning. I had an amazing Christmas. Okay, I'm sick which is the worst, but good food and good family time. I should say that I'm feeling better this week, but I'm not, as I'm tired all the time. And I've been sleeping and napping a lot, which isn't even helping. Hmph. I didn't get any books as presents, but that's okay. <3 As I did get some of my pre-orders this week, and some other amazing things. <3 So I am happy with everything. Despite being sick. What did you get this week? Also. I might have spent a lot of time yesterday updating my About Me page, this time with less details. I also updated my Favorites page too. <3 And changed my header a little. So sad to see Shadow and Bone gone from it :( but loved Winterspell so much. It must be there, hih. What do you think of my new header? (I might be in love with it.) Okay, not the biggest change, but still :) The font is more clear now, anyway.

This Shattered World. I loved this book so much. And this hardcover is all kinds of gorgeous. I love it.
Her Dark Curiosity. I'm not sure I should have bought this. But I wanted to own all the editions.. ack.
Into the Still Blue. Sigh. I adore this US paperback. <3 As this book is perfection. Paperback is stunning.
Seraphina. Ack. This new US paperback is all kinds of gorgeous. <3 And this book is so damn good.
Breaking the Rules. I regret buying this. Regret it so much. Have heard it's only drama. So sad about it.
Nausicaa. Sigh. Favorite Ghibli movie. <3 It is the best. This edition of it looks stunning. I love it a lot.
Christmas Card. Thank you so so much Mel. <3 You are the best. This card is gorgeous. So much love :D
The Blacklist. Yay! I adore this show. <3 And I need to re-watch, didn't pay attention in the beginning ;p
Justin Bieber. Okay, only got this cause it was cheap. And I'm curious. I might like some songs. Maybe?
Red Queen. Meep! Gorgeous ARC that I got from Megan at HarperCollins International. <3 Thank you so much. I'm a part of the blog tour in February :) Excited about reading this one. Hoping I will love it.

The Cure for Dreaming poster. The gooorgeous poster that I won from Cat. <3 Thank you so so much. I got the bookmarks last week :) And this is so stunning. And it is signed. The cat loves it too, lol :D

Christmas Presents. All the gorgeous things I got for Christmas this year. <3 Book pillow thingy, that should make it easier for me to read. I really hope it works. Seems awesome, either way :) Bunny speaker for my phone. So cute. Owl for my table. <3 Love it. And plushies! Adore them both so much, hih. I can never have enough of cute plush animals :) Pink bathrobe. <3 I use these things almost every day, when I sit in my chair, as I get cold often. It's so soft. CDON giftcard. <3 Grocery store gift card from mom, lol, about $145. I love.. bubble bath :D So many. These smell delicious and are awesome. Bath bombs. These are the best. Redken. <3 Not sure it smelled that good. Hmph. Two small The Hobbit figures. Which are pretty cute. Two EOS for my lips; love these. The Body Shop! Love these items the most. The new holiday smell, Glazed Apple, is so perfect. So much love. Anyway. This is what I got :)

The Cage. Got this downloaded from HarperTeen via Edelweiss, hih. <3 I love more than anything that I am auto-approved. Sigh. So much love. Anyway. I'm really excited about The Cage. It looks and sounds awesome. But damn. I might have peeked at the ending. And I'm not sure yet how I feel about it. Sigh. But I will read this book. One day next year :) Are you going to read it?

More Instagram photos here. <3

Cover Reveal: Island of Graves by Lisa McMann

These covers by Lisa McMann are all kinds of stunning. So much love! I adored the first three books in this series, but have yet to read number four, book number five is coming out in February, and this is book number six, which is coming in September. <3 Book seven in Spring 2016. Not long waiting left :) There will be a total of seven books. Meep! So many! Yet so much love, because these middle grade books are all kinds of stunning. There is magic. There are awesome characters. Creepy things. Amazing creatures. I think you should all read The Unwanteds books. Because they are amazing. <3 And damn. These covers. Sigh. They are the most awesome. What do you think of all these stunning covers? :)

The Unwanteds. Island of Silence. Island of Fire. Island of Legends. Island of Shipwrecks. 

Island of Graves. Book Seven. Lisa McMann. The Book Depository. Official Reveal Post. 

Cover Reveal for Island of Shipwrecks. Cover Reveal for Island of Legends. Review of The Unwanteds. Review of Island of Silence. Review of Island of Fire. Review of Crash. Review of Bang. Review of Gasp.

Best Books of 2014

I have read a whole bunch of amazing books this year. And a whole lot of awful books. But those I will not share about. I shared my top 24 books last year, though this year will be a bit different. Will be sharing 15, as I didn't feel like all the five star books I have read this year was all that amazing. I mean, I loved most of them to pieces. But.. I didn't love them like crazy. Which is bothering me at the moment. Hmph. Last year I also shared about all the books I read that year. I will not do so now, because I haven't made a list like I did then. And I really don't feel like starting one right now. But yeah. I read 121 books, many were re-reads, and I read one book twice this year, so I actually read 122. You can see them all on my goodreads, if you want. <3 I'm not sure why I don't feel like I loved that many books this year. I blame it on how bad I'm feeling this month, lol. But I did enjoy so many books. <3 And I'm adding fifteen of them below. With links to my reviews. Also, I don't think my favorite books read this year are in order. Just loved them all so much. <3 Have you read any of them? :D Also. I have an important question. Should I do another post like this, with the worst books I read this year? I really want to, but I worry it might be a bit mean.. any thoughts on it? I do want to, but still a little bit unsure if I should :)

Ohh. I do have some other stats to share about all the books I read this year. I have read a few more books than last year, which makes me happy. I have read tons of review copies, a total of 60. <3 I'm hoping to read tons of amazing books next year as well :) I feel like I didn't read that many books this year. But at the same time, over one hundred books a year is a lot of different stories to have in my head. And I'm pleased with reading this number. As I had some bad months where I couldn't read much at all, but then other months where I read tons. <3 It just depends on how I'm feeling. Hoping next year will be lots better, so that I will be able to read a lot of new and awesome books. Crossing my fingers. <3

1. Blue Lily, Lily Blue. This third book was perfection. Nothing more to say than this: GANSEY.
2. Winterspell. This book was all kinds of gorgeous. The story is awesome. The romance is the best.
3. Endsinger. Damn this book. So heartbreaking. But so exciting and epic. I just loved it so very much.

4. The House of Hades. I loved this one so much. Need to be brave enough to read the final book too.
5. This Shattered World. I couldn't believe how much I adored this book. It is stunning. One of the best.
6. City of Heavenly Fire. The end of an amazing series. I cannot wait for all the upcoming books as well.

7. Ruin and Rising. It was everything I was hoping it would be. So pleased with how this series ended.
8. The Falconer. Damn this book. The ending is evil. But the rest is so stunning and amazing. Loved it.
9. The Map to Everywhere. Sigh. Perfect middle grade book. So sad yet so hopeful too. It was amazing.

10. Mortal Gods. This sequel was so evil. Yet the plot is exciting and I adore the characters so much.
11. The Perilous Sea. This was better than book one. The romance is even more perfect. Lots of love.
12. Trial by Fire. I was pretty heartbroken over this book. Yet it is so exciting and stunning. I loved it.

13. The Walls Around Us. This book was so different. So heartbreaking yet hopeful too. I really loved it.
14. The Body Electric. Oh, this was stunning. The romance is heartbreaking and perfect. So good.
15. The Cure for Dreaming. Book is different and all kinds of amazing. The romance is pretty sweet.

MERRY CHRISTMAS. <3

Waiting on Wednesday #167

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

A BOOK OF SPIRITS AND THIEVES BY MORGAN RHODES

Goodreads Description:

New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes takes readers into exhilarating new high-fantasy territory with A BOOK OF SPIRITS AND THIEVES. Written in alternating perspectives that shift between modern-day Toronto and the ancient kingdoms of Mytica, Rhodes masterfully weaves the dark, magical world of her Falling Kingdoms series into an epic contemporary saga that will leave you breathless. 

Modern-day Toronto: A heavy leather-bound book written in an unrecognizable language is delivered to the Speckled Muse, the antique bookshop owned by Crystal and Becca Hatcher’s mother. When Becca opens it, she’s sent into a coma, leaving Crys behind to uncover a series of terrifying secrets.

Ancient Mytica: A merciless goddess hunts for the elusive treasure that will make her ruler not only of Mytica, but of all the unseen worlds that lay beyond it.

Modern-day Toronto: Rich and aimless Farrell Grayson finally has the chance to prove himself when the mysterious leader of a powerful secret society invites him into his fold.

Ancient Mytica: Maddox Corso has always been different, but never remarkable. Everything changes the day he meets a pretty, unfamiliar girl from a faraway land, only to realize that he’s the only one who can see her.

Fate has brought these young people together, but ancient magic threatens to rip them apart. 

Hardcover

Expected publication: June 23rd 2015 by Razorbill

Pre-Order here.

I adore this author. Morgan is pretty much amazing :) And I think this book sounds all kinds of exciting. I adore fantasy books. And this sounds so different. And exciting. And also a whole lot of confusing. So many characters. Yet I'm pretty sure I will love it to pieces. I hope so. And hoping for some epic romance too, hih. <3 I just think it sounds amazing. And I cannot wait to read this book as soon as possible :)
What are you waiting for on this historical Wednesday? 

Until Midnight by Melissa Landers Launch Day Post + Giveaway

Today Until Midnight by Melissa Landers is out. <3 And I am so so excited to read it! It is a short story set between Alienated and Invaded. <3 I read both books this year and I loved them so so much. They are pretty amazing. Invaded isn't out until February, but you should all pre-order it :) Because, yeah. It is awesome. I'm just so excited about Until Midnight. It looks and sounds adorable. It is only an ebook, but hoping it might one day be printed. Thank you to Melissa for including me in this Launch Day posting. <3 There is also an awesome International giveaway at the end that you should enter :D Have any of you read Alienated yet? And if so, what did you think of it? :D You really should read it. <3 As it is awesome.

My review of Alienated. My review of Invaded. Until Midnight on Goodreads.

 

UNTIL MIDNIGHT is here…and it’s FREE!

Happy Holidays, everyone! I’m Melissa Landers, author of the Alienated series, and I have a present for you—a brand new e-short from Disney Hyperion!

UNTIL MIDNIGHT takes place onboard an intergalactic transport, soon after ALIENATED ends and before the sequel INVADED begins. The story details Aelyx and Cara’s last day together before he returns to Earth to mend the alliance and she continues to his home planet. It’s sweet and romantic, and as a bonus, it includes a four-chapter preview of the sequel, which releases February 3^rd.

Oh, and did I mention the best part? IT’S FREE!

You can download UNTIL MIDNIGHT from the following e-tailers:

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1walSLX

Nook: http://bit.ly/1zshdpx

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1sT4CnM

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1AIb45a

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1v06kVd

*If you live outside the USA, no worries. I’ve uploaded the story to Scribd for you. (The only downside is it doesn’t include the bonus preview chapters, due to technical reasons from the publisher.) Link: http://www.scribd.com/AuthorMelissaLanders

To celebrate this new release, I’m offering TWO lucky winners an autographed swag pack complete with a personalized bookplate, mini-poster, bookmarks, and stickers—open internationally! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below.

Best of luck, and happy reading!

Don't miss the *free* romantic holiday story that connects ALIENATED and INVADED!

Cara and Aelyx only have one day to spend together before he returns to earth and she travels to Aelyx's home planet, L'eihr. Homesick and worried about the upcoming year apart, Cara is desperate to make these final hours count. Worst of all, Cara is missing Christmas, stuck on board an alien spaceship. When Aelyx learns that Cara is forgoing her favorite holiday, he tries to recreate Christmas in space by researching traditional earth customs…but a few things get lost in translation.

Coming December 23rd, this FREE short story will include multi-chapter excerpts of both ALIENATED and the sequel, INVADED.

 

BIO: Melissa Landers writes romantic science fiction for teens and the young at heart. To learn more, or just to say hello, visit her at www.melissa-landers.com

Where to find Melissa Landers:
Twitter. Website. Facebook. Goodreads. Instagram.

Where to buy the books:
Amazon. B&N. The Book Depository. IndieBound.

a Rafflecopter giveaway