Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Waiting on Wednesday #545

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

THE STARS BETWEEN US BY CRISTIN TERRILL

Goodreads Description:

There’s always been a mystery to Vika Hale’s life. Ever since she was a child, she’s had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family, making sure that Vika and her sister received the best education they could. Now, Vika longs for a bigger life than one as a poor barmaid on a struggling planet, but those dreams feel out of reach. Until one day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire magnate who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. Invited to live on a glittering neighboring planet, Vika steps into a world she can hardly believe is real.

The only blight on Vika's lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika's past who works for her benefactors. She doesn't like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will's heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they've been looking for. But Sky isn't who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.

In The Stars Between Us, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all.

Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: August 2nd 2022 by Wednesday Books
Pre-Order: Book Depository
and Amazon #ad

I'm both excited about unsure about this book, haha :D I so enjoyed earlier books by Cristin. And I'm so glad she's publishing something new. But the summary feels a little messy for me, so I'm a little unsure. Yet really hoping that I will love this book. I will be buying it and trying it, haha :) As I think it looks great.
What are you waiting for on this glittering Wednesday?

Saturday, March 26, 2022

In My Mailbox #542

Another week gone by. And I have not been brave enough to read anything new yet. Gah. But hopefully very shortly. Fingers crossed. I'm just exhausted and behind on every single thing and not feeling like doing anything at all. Sigh. Life currently sucks. Health is the worst. And I am just trying to do my best. Which isn't much these days. So, yeah. Hoping it will get better shortly. Got a bunch of pretty mail this week, though. <3 And hopefully getting more awesome things soon, eee :) This week I'm waiting on Gravebooks. <3 Hope you are all doing well and staying safe these days. And getting the best mail :)

GQ. I bought these two only for the Robert Pattinson covers, ha :D Too pretty. Used to buy many before.
Animal Crossing. I bought a second series 5 album, as my first was missing a page. Ack. This was better.
Cinder. EEE! Collector's Edition. <3 10 years already. Gosh. It is gorgeous. It is such a perfect book. <3
Gallant. I'm very excited about this book :D I'm hoping to love it a whole lot, someday soonish, hopefully.
Wayward Son. I own too many copies of these books, oops, despite having only read one. But new pb :)
The Future Collection. Won this lovely from Beth, eee. <3 Thank you love :) It was sadly water damaged.
Animal Crossing. A bunch of new things, eee. Some gorgeous magnets. And lovely stickers. So perfect.
Pokemon Snap. This stunning postcard set I got as my nintendo platinum points rewards. So awesome.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Waiting on Wednesday #544

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

GRAVEBOOKS (Nightbooks #2) BY J. A. WHITE

Goodreads Description:

Return to the world of Nightbooks . . . if you dare. Dead stories--and dead witches--are back to haunt Alex and Yasmin. To find a happy ending, Alex will have to write it, in this sequel to Nightbooks from acclaimed author J. A. White.

Alex thought he was done with witches. But when Natacha, the witch who held him captive for scary stories, appears again one night, Alex realizes he's trapped in a nightmare--literally. She's found a way to enter his dreams with a new, terrifying familiar named Simeon. And they once again want Alex to write. Transported to a story graveyard with best friend Yasmin, Alex will have to complete an original scary story each night.

But what does Natacha plan to do with his finished stories? And what makes a story good enough? While Natacha might have control of the beginnings, only Alex has the power to write the ending.

Readers can delight in a spooky story while also exploring the craft of writing alongside Alex. As he writes his own scary tales, he learns about plot twists, active characters, identifying originality, and accepting feedback, as well as dealing with writer's block--making this an ideal book to read for fun or use in classrooms.

Hardcover, 272 pages
Expected publication: August 16th 2022 by Katherine Tegen Books
Pre-Order: Book Depository
and Amazon #ad

I'm pretty curious about this second book :D Yay for a new book by J. A. White. <3 I didn't really love the first book, ack, but I did like it. And I liked the Netflix movie too. And so I am pretty excited about this sequel :) I think it looks awesome and sounds like it will be great too. Fingers crossed that I will love it :)
What are you waiting for on this grave Wednesday?

Saturday, March 19, 2022

In My Mailbox #541

I don't even know where this past week have gone. Oops. I have not gotten much done at all. Rude. So have not read anything new yet. But soon, hopefully :) Just been taking it easy. Or trying to. Still playing Animal Crossing each day. <3 And Pokemon GO too, always. And trying to still heal from corona, over a month ago. So rude. I'm still coughing. I still have no energy. Now having some breathing issues too. Just hoping it will pass shortly. So tired of feeling so poorly. This sucks. Anyway. Did get some pretty mail this week. <3 No books, though, ack! But that is more than okay, ha. I have too many. Oops. And still waiting on more, of course. Gah. This week I'm waiting on Glass Slippers :) Hope you are all well and safe. <3 Oh! And I watched The Batman this week :D It was awesome. Robert Pattinson is still the very best. <3

Hotel Transylvania. This new Switch game looks pretty adorable. <3 I do love these movies so much :)
Funko Pop. Some new pop figures :D Love my pocket Batman. And the Corpse Bride one is perfection.
Jellycat Plushes. I couldn't help but share about these too, ha. Such adorable new plushes :) Love them.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Waiting on Wednesday #543

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

GLASS SLIPPERS (Sisters Ever After #2) BY LEAH CYPESS

Goodreads Description:

The second book in the Sisters Ever After series of fairy tale retellings from the point of view of the siblings in the background, this is the story of Cinderella's never-before-mentioned third evil step-sister, Tirza.

Meet Cinderella's third "wicked" stepsister, Tirza. For years, Tirza has lived with the shame of what her family did to Cinderella. Against everyone's advice, Cinderella--now Queen Ella--took a chance on young Tirza. She gave Tirza a home in the castle instead of banishing her. The queen told everyone Tirza was good and kind, not cruel like her older sisters.

But now Queen Ella's famous glass slippers are missing, and there's only one suspect. . . .

Tirza may have tried them on . . . but she didn't steal them. Now she must find the true thief before she loses her royal home. But as Tirza gets closer to the truth, she finds herself getting closer to something else: her sisters, who might not be quite as evil as Cinderella claims.

Hardcover, 272 pages
Expected publication: April 5th 2022 by Delacorte Press
Pre-Order: Book Depository
and Amazon #ad

I.. have yet to read the first book in this fairy tale retelling series. Oops. But I own it :D And so I'm very excited about this second middle grade book too. <3 And it looks so pretty. I think I will love them both :)
What are you waiting for on this wicked Wednesday?

Saturday, March 12, 2022

In My Mailbox #540

Another week gone by. And all I'm thinking about lately is how it is sooon time to take up my outdoor spa bath again, eee :D Cannot believe it's almost April. <3 I'm too excited. Just.. hoping this year I will actually be able to bathe more often. Oops. Last year was not very good and I didn't use my spa bath much at all. Gosh. So yeah. I hope this year is better to me. Fingers crossed. I'm still coughing. I'm still exhausted and still have no energy. Having had corona really fucking sucks. I hope I'm getting better. A little each day, I suppose. But can't really feel it, lol. Plus side, I read a book this week, eee. <3 Yay! And I know what I'm reading next. Just.. need to be brave enough to start, ha :) And I got some precious mail this week, eee. Love it all so very much. <3 I'm doing the best that I can. But it is hard. It is hard to be in pain all the time. Sigh. Anyway. I watched All of Us Are Dead this week. It was pretty good, but not that good. Sweet Home was way way better. I did like it, though :) I shared my review of Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales. <3 This week I'm waiting on Princess of Souls :) I hope you are all doing well and staying safe these days.


LIFEL1K3 AUS ARC. Eee! Thank you so much Anisha for trading with me :D I love it so very much. <3
The Ogress and the Orphans. US and UK editions :D As both are gorgeous. I think I will love this book.
Chocobo GP. Whoops. I bought this game as it looks cute. Now I'm just hoping that it will be fun to play :)
Pop Figure. Got my exclusive Mufasa pop :D And he looks so very awesome. Eee. Big and gorgeous.
Extasia Swag. Oh. My gosh. My swag from helping reveal the cover. <3 And the most lovely note from Claire. Sobs. It truly means the most to me, eee. <3 Thank you precious. I miss talking to Claire so much.
Taylor Swift. Finally got these precious small items :D Love the guitar picks. And cutest buttons. Love :)
Mario Magnets. These were a platinum points reward from Nintendo, and I love them very much. Yess.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Waiting on Wednesday #542

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

PRINCESS OF SOULS BY ALEXANDRA CHRISTO

Goodreads Description:

From the author of To Kill a Kingdom comes Princess of Souls, a Rapunzel-inspired YA fantasy romance about a teen witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king and the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied.

For sixteen years, Selestra has been trapped in her tower on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as the King's Witch, who foretells deaths in the Festival of Predictions. Outrunning your fate earns a wish and the chance to steal the King’s immortality. But die and your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.

A soldier in the King's army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra.

Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.

Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: October 11th 2022 by Feiwel Friends
Pre-Order: Book Depository
and Amazon #ad

Eee! I am so very excited about this book :D I very much loved To Kill a Kingdom. And this new book by Alexandra sounds so good. Siiigh. I think I'm going to love this one a whole lot. Cannot wait to read it. <3
What are you waiting for on this fateful Wednesday?

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Review: Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani

At last, I have read this book of stunning dark fairy tale retellings. Of course I would read this, as I adore Soman and all his books. Reading his new versions of old tales was every kind of amazing. I'm giving this book four stars, though, as I did love these stories, but did not completely love them. But they were truly incredible.

What I loved most about these twelve stories was that they were all diverse. They were all fantastic. Some had hopeful and good endings, some had dark and evil endings, haha. They were all different from the original fairy tales we know. But, confession. I have never read any of them. Only seen the Disney movies, ha.

I'm having trouble figuring out to write down my thoughts about this book. I will not be writing too much about it, as it was a pretty short and easy read. And there were twelve different stories. At first I thought it would be longer versions of the stories that are in The School for Good and Evil books, as all these fairy tales have a story in those books as well. But no. These twelve tales were all new. Except for the last one, which I am certain is canon from the first series. Which I very much loved. I liked the writing a lot. It was different, which is one of the reasons this is a four star and not five, as I had a little trouble with it. But I grew to love the writing and I never had trouble enjoying the stories. All were awesome. I loved that the stories were new and different. I so loved how they were all dark. I loved that many of them were gay.

This book tells the story of twelve fairy tales. Red Riding Hood. Snow White. Sleeping Beauty. Rapunzel. Jack and the Beanstalk. Hansel and Gretel. Beauty and the Beast. Bluebeard. Cinderella. Peter Pan. The Little Mermaid. Rumpelstiltskin. I will not be writing about all of them, but will share a little. They were all four stars for me. I loved how different they were from the tales that I know. Different in a good way. I wish they all had a good ending, though. Some were all kinds of sad. Rude. But all of them were so incredible.

If I need to choose a favorite story, I think it would be Hansel and Gretel. Because that one had the actual best ending, I think, ha. Despite that very evil beginning. Shudders. But the ending was good. The story I wanted most to have a good ending was Beauty and the Beast. Which had the worst ending ever. Sobs. The rudest. The Little Mermaid had the shortest ending, but might have had the most easy ending there was. Peter Pan had the saddest ending, to be honest. But also the most beautiful romance, which I loved.

There was so much to love about these stories. And I think you should all most definitely read all of them. They were very much like The School for Good and Evil books, yet different too. It seemed like the same world. And yet they are not the same tales we get to read a little of in the books. Except for the Peter Pan one. Which was so good but so sad too. Okay, all the stories were sad, haha. But a little hopeful too. As most of them did have happy endings. I loved the characters in all of these stories. They were all special.

Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales were just as beautiful and beastly as I thought it would be. Despite me not loving it to pieces, I still loved it a whole lot, and these stories were so precious to me. I think you will all love these tales. They are diverse and gay and so lovely. Okay, so dark and evil at times, but still amazing. Rumpelstiltskin may be the one I will remember most, as the girl had some real bad luck yet ending was pretty good. I can't wait to read even more books by Soman. His stories are always the best.

Saturday, March 5, 2022

In My Mailbox #539

Not even sure where this past week have gone. Time is moving so fast. The world is a mess these days, which is both scary and crazy to read about. I'm still not healed from the goddamn corona I got now over two weeks ago. Damn it. I hate this. Hoping to get more well shortly. Hmph. I had to cancel the surgery I was supposed to have yesterday. Was not possible with my cough. I'm okay with that, though. As I was too nervous about this tonsils surgery anyway. Ack. This week I actually did read a book, ha :D On the final day of February, lol, so I could say I read one book in January and one in February, haha. I'm very behind on reading. Sobs. But I am planning on starting a new book very shortly. Fingers crossed for me. I got a whole bunch of mail this week. Gosh. Some gorgeous books. <3 A whole bunch of Animal Crossing cards, ahh :D SO much love. <3 I'm behind on taking instagram photos, though. I'm hoping to feel up for it soon. Sigh. My cat was really sick yesterday. She was puking all day. She is thankfully better today. <3 Two new blog posts. I shared my review of Dog Star :) This week I'm waiting on The Luminaries :) Hope you are all doing okay and staying safe. I'm hoping to heal more soon. And hoping the world will heal too.

The Subtle Knife Graphic Novel. I love these books the most. Of course needed this new edition, eee :D
Extasia. FINALLY :D My hardcovers are here, eeee. <3 Most precious book. Gosh. I loved this so much.
FunkoVerse Jaws. Ohh. These games look pretty great. Bought my first one, because of that shark, ha :)
Map of Flames. So far behind on reading books by Lisa, but I'm still buying them all, eee :D Looks great.
Elden Ring. I have no idea what this game is really about, haha, but it looked pretty cool. Hope I love it.
Funko Pop. One new pop figure this week; a superhero Stitch, eee :D He looks all kinds of adorable. <3
Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards. Oops. More Welcome Amiibo cards bought from France. Ahh! But still missing one card. Goddamn it. Some series 1 and 4 too. <3 I couldn't help but buy more of them all, ha :)
Animal Crossing Amiibo Album + Cards. AHH! Thank you so, so much Megan for helping me get all of this :D EEEE! You are truly the very best. <3 All the hugs. I got all the cards from Nintendo UK, lol. Still missing some to complete my collections. Rude. But got so many new cards too, eee. I love collecting these so much. <3 A bit obsessed, ha :) The album is gorgeous, despite missing one plastic page. Oops.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Waiting on Wednesday #541

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

THE LUMINARIES BY SUSAN DENNARD

Goodreads Description:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series comes a haunting and high-octane contemporary fantasy, about the magic it takes to face your fears in a nightmare-filled forest, and the mettle required to face the secrets hiding in the dark corners of your own family.

Hemlock Falls isn't like other towns. You won't find it on a map, your phone won't work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you. Only the Luminaries, a society of ancient guardians, stand between humanity and the nightmares of the forest that rise each night.

Winnie Wednesday, an exile from the Luminaries, is determined to restore her family's good name by taking the deadly hunter trials on her sixteenth birthday. But when she turns to her ex best friend Jay Friday for help, they discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for.

Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark.

"You'll want to get lost in the world of The Luminaries again and again.”
—Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: November 8th 2022 by Tor Teen
Pre-Order: Book Depository
and Amazon #ad

I have waited a long time for this book now :) Ever since Susan shared that awesome twitter thread about it. <3 Which was so good. This book is different from that, but still the same in a way, and I'm very excited about it. As it sounds amazing :D And looks stunning too. I think I will love this one a whole lot. Can't wait.
What are you waiting for on this deadly Wednesday?