Thursday, May 5, 2016

Review: Foxheart by Claire Legrand

Eee! I'm so happy about having gotten to read this book, finally. Feels like I have waited so long for it, lol. I simply adore Claire Legrand. And I have loved all of her books so far. She is the very best. So kind and awesome. Plus her writing is just the best. I knew I would love Foxheart. And I'm so happy to say that I did.

This is the story of twelve year old Quicksilver. And gosh, I so loved this girl. She's fierce and brave and awesome. A bit mean at times, but I didn't mind that much. She's so cute. I loved how she named herself at age twelve. I hated how other girls she lived with named her before that age. It broke my heart. Sniffs.

Getting to know Quicksilver was just the very best thing. But reading a bit about her growing up was the meanest. Some of them did not treat her well at all. Sniffs. Because of her almost pig nose. Because of her hair color. Because kids are mean. Hmph. She is alone a lot. But she's so strong and amazing even so. Gah. I adored this girl. And then she also meets her dog, which she names Fox. And I simply adored that. He was pretty sweet and I loved how close they were, and how much she cared for him. Just loved reading about them together. She also met the boy, Sly Boots pretty early in the book too. And oh, I adored this boy. I felt sad for him, and I liked reading about him a lot. Loved their friendship; wish it had been a bit stronger.

I'm not sure how to talk about this book. I shall try my best. It is almost five hundred pages long, and I wish it had been even longer. Sigh. Every page was amazing. Though something near the ending broke my heart so much and I cried a little bit. Oh. But it made so much sense, so I can't be too mad about it, lol. But yeah. It still hurts. But even so, I found the ending to be pretty amazing. I just wish there would be a sequel. I would love it the most. But this is very much a standalone book, and I did love that too.

This is a story about witches. In Quicksilver's time, almost all of them have been hunted and killed. There aren't many witches left in the world. But then. This book is about Quicksilver learning about herself, who she is, and what she wishes to do. An old woman arrives in her town. This woman knows Quicksilver's real name, which she hasn't told anyone. I loved how she had to figure out how she knew her name. And learning about it was pretty awesome. I will spoil it a bit, but it is early in the book.

The old woman is Anastazia, an older version of Quicksilver. She is her, from a different time. Sort of. It is complicated, yet very easy to understand when reading and oh so interesting and different. I loved how Quicksilver ends up travelling back in time, how Fox and Sly Boots and Anastazia travel with her. I loved reading about them together, how they got to know each other more. I grew to love Anastazia a lot, lol, despite her being pretty grumpy most of the time. She was also pretty sweet and kind. Sigh.

There is so much in this book. So much about witches, which is just awesome. I loved how every witch has a monster, sort of like in His Dark Materials, which I loved. It isn't the same, yet similar, and I enjoyed it so much. Those animals were to cute. And I just loved how it all worked. So interesting. Sigh. I liked reading about these witches a lot. I loved reading about these characters so much too. So many to get to know. I adored them all, yesss. I was unsure about Olli, but grew to like him too, lol. Mostly :)

I loved how this book is about relationships. How Quicksilver has always thought that she doesn't need anyone. That she doesn't care for everyone. She has always been alone, ever since her parents left her. But then she spends time with Anastazia, and she ends up caring for her. It made my heart so happy. And then Sly Boots. Sigh. This boy. I loved him lots. Quicksilver treated him very badly in the beginning. It hurt me. And he ended up making bad choices. But I didn't blame him, ack. But still. Hurt my heart.

There are bad people in this book as well. Which I loved reading about, lol, I can't help it. There is The Wolf King. Whom was pretty creepy. Shudders. I loved it. There are the seven old witches, whom was also very terrible to read about. I loved how Quicksilver was trying to help save the world, and how all of that happened. I really enjoyed reading about them all searching for bones of certain animals. It was a bit creepy, and I liked every moment of it, lol. This book was simply all kinds of interesting, at all times.

I'm not sure what else I can say about this book. I'm having issues figuring out how to put my love for it into words. I just loved it so much. I spent all day reading it, and I don't regret it one bit. Just, yeah. I wish to own all the copies of it. So glad that I loved it so much. You must all read this stunning middle grade book. Because I say so. Foxheart was everything I wanted it to be. It was such an exciting book. So much happened at all times. It has the most bravest young girl, whom I loved more than anything.

This cover is the most gorgeous. I cannot wait to own it when it comes out in October, ack. It is going to be huge and stunning. I just wish I owned the print ARC of it. Sniffs. But thrilled that it was added on Edelweiss, as I'm auto-approved, and I couldn't help but read it right away. So glad that I did so. Because this book was just what I needed. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and mean. I loved every moment of it. Sigh. Thank you so, so much to the publisher and Harper for auto-approval on Edelweiss :) Hugs.


Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Shuffle, Repeat Blog Tour: Review

I'm very excited to take part in this blog tour :D Thank you so much to Anna at Random House for asking me to take part, and for sending me that gorgeous print ARC of Shuffle, Repeat. <3 I liked this book a lot, and I'm excited for all of you to read it too. It came out yesterday, on my birthday, which is pretty awesome, lol. This book looks so cute. I simply love that cover. And the inside is pretty amazing as well. You should all read it :D For my tour post today I'm sharing my review of the book. Will you read this? :)



I wasn't sure about this book, when Anna contacted me about this blog tour. But I read about it, and I just looked at that pretty cover. And I wanted to give it a try. And I'm so glad I did. I did not love this book, but I did like it a lot, despite having some issues with it. I found the writing to be pretty good, and I liked most of the characters. The story was mostly drama free, and it was such an easy book to read. I found it to be fun at times too. And cute. But yes, it wasn't perfect, but I still managed to like it.

But gosh. Now to figure out what to say about this book. I'm so unsure what I wish to say about it. But I shall try my best. Shuffle, Repeat is told from the point of view of June, who is just starting her senior year in high school. And oh. This girl. I did not like her for a long time. In the beginning she is all about being better than other people. And she's judging everyone. Plus she wasn't very nice at all. Especially not to her boyfriend. But I grew to like her. I loved her friendship with her friends; they were awesome.

The plot of this book is that June is being forced to be driven to school by Oliver. A boy she has known forever, yet she's not friends with him. Their moms are best friends, though. And oh. I loved their moms, lol. They were so awesome. And I adored their friendships. I liked getting to read a bit about them. Especially June's mom. And how she just got a new boyfriend. I liked him too. But June's dad. Sigh. I didn't really understand her relationship with him, so I didn't get why she was so upset about him.

Then there is Oliver. And swoon. That boy was simply amazing. I loved getting to know him. I loved how he was with June. and with everyone else too. I just thought he was such a sweet boy and I fell in love with him right away. I liked how they drove together each day. I loved how they got to know each other, and talked, and listened to crappy music, lol. I liked how they started to feel more for each other. But I didn't like how June handled it. Sigh. And I did not like that they both had other people in the beginning.

June is together with Itch. And I can't help it. I haaated reading about them together in the beginning. Because June didn't like him. She kissed him, did more, yet I never read about her actually liking him, or wanting to kiss him. It bothered me. I thought I would hate Itch. But I didn't. He was actually a pretty sweet boy, and I did not like how June was treating him. Ugh. It was not fair. And she waited way too long to break up with him. So not okay. Then the break up was so awfully done, and that bothered me.

Oliver is together with Ainsley. And I can't really say that I hated them together. Because I didn't. I liked Ainsley, for the most part. She seemed sweet. I liked how she became friends with June, though it may have been a bit fake. But even so. She seemed nice. Until she broke up with Oliver. Ugh. And then she hooked up with his best friend. Double ugh. I really couldn't stand that friend, aka Theo. He was the very worst. Shudders. And he did not get any better. Sigh. But anyway. I did like Ainsley, for the most part.

I think that one part that bothered me about this book is how little romance there was between Oliver and June. There is a little bit of kissing. But way too little. And then the book ends. That made me a bit sad. Sigh. There were more kissing with their exes. How mean. But even so. I did like this book. I just had a few issues, which made me not love it. Hmph. There is no angst in this one. Which also made me a bit sad, because I love tragic childhoods, etc. But no. A little bit of drama I disliked, but not too much.

There is also a bunch of other characters in this one. Like June's best friend, Shaun. Whom is gay. And all kinds of cute. I loved how they were together. How they never argued about something, how they talked about everything. They had an awesome friendship. And I loved reading about Shaun as well, and his relationship with Kirk. It was pretty cute. I wouldn't mind reading more about those two. But anyway. I did like reading about the characters in this book. I also really do wish that the book had been longer.

I read this gorgeous book on April 23rd. And it was such a quick read. I had planned on reading just a little bit of it at first, but once I started, I could not stop until I had finished all of it. Thank you so much to Anna at Random House for sending me this precious print ARC copy. Means the most to me. I'm glad I read this book. Despite not loving it, I did like it a lot. And I think you all should read it too. It wasn't the best, but it was good. And I simply adored reading about Oliver. Eee. He was truly the sweetest :)



When Harry Met Sally for YA romance readers. This opposites-attract love story is perfect for fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick, Stephanie Perkins, and Jenny Han.
 
June wants high school to end and real life to begin. Oliver is soaking up senior year’s glory days. They could have coasted through high school, knowing about—but not really knowing—each other.

Except that their moms have arranged for Oliver to drive June to school. Every. Single. Day.

Suddenly these two opposites are fighting about music, life . . . pretty much everything. But love is unpredictable. When promises—and hearts—get broken, Oliver and June must figure out what really matters. And then fight for it.



Buy Shuffle, Repeat: Amazon - B&N - The Book Depository - Indiebound




JEN KLEIN lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a menagerie of little boys and animals, all of whom are unruly and ill-behaved. Besides YA novels, Jen is also an Emmy-nominated writer for TV series such as Grey's Anatomy. Visit her online at jenkleinbooks.com and follow her on Twitter at @jenkleintweets.


Where to find Jen Klein:



Waiting on Wednesday #238

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

TELL THE TRUTH, SHAME THE DEVIL BY MELINA MARCHETTA

Goodreads Description:

Bashir “Bish” Ortley is a London desk cop. Almost over it. Still not deaing with the death of his son years ago, as well as the break up of his marriage.

Across the channel, a summer bus tour, carrying a group of English teenagers is subject to a deadly bomb attack, killing four of the passengers and injuring a handful of others. Bish’s daughter is one of those on board.

The suspect is 17 year old Violette LeBrac whose grandfather was responsible for a bombing that claimed the lives of dozens of people fourteen years ago; and whose mother, Noor, has been serving a life sentence for the part she was supposed to have played in the attack.

As Bish is dragged into the search for the missing Violette, he finds himself reluctantly working with Noor LeBrac and her younger brother, Jimmy Sarraf.

And the more he delves into the lives of the family he helped put away, the more Bish realizes that they may have got it wrong all those years ago, and that truth wears many colours. Especially when it comes to the teenagers on board the recent bus bombing. Including his daughter.

Tell the truth. Shame the devil. Bish can’t get Violette LeBrac’s words out of his head. But what he may get is some sort of peace with his own past as the worlds of those involved in two bombings, years apart, collide into the journey of his life.


Hardcover, 320 pages
Expected publication: October 11th 2016 by Mulholland Books
Pre-Order here and here

I really don't read many adult books. But this is Melina Marchetta. Whom I have loved so many books by already. And so I cannot not read this book :D But even so, though, I do think it sounds pretty exciting. And a bit mean. And I think I will end up loving it lots. Keeping all my fingers crossed for this book :D
What are you waiting for on this searching Wednesday?

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Review: Summer Days and Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins

Ugh. I'm a bit disappointed. This is my second anthology book read. I didn't love my first one just a month ago. And I did not love this one either. Which I'm super depressed about. This one looks so cute. Yes, I know, not my genre. But I adore a few of the authors. So I thought I might end up loving this. But I was wrong.

Okay, fine. I did like a few of the stories. But not a single one of these twelve stories were a five star for me. And that is just so disappointing. I'm going to rate all of them, and write a little bit about them all. But. Yeah. I was really disappointed with this book. Getting the hardcover, though, since, you know, favorite authors.

But yeah. I did not love this one. But I'm still giving it three stars. I think that was my average rating of them all. Though there were two one stars. Which is just so sad. Ugh. I wasn't expecting to dislike this one so much. I mean, I thought I would love it when I asked for it on Netgalley. But then I got it, and then I put it off for so long, getting more sure I wouldn't love it like I wanted to. But I didn't think that the stories would be that bad. Sigh. I can't help it. I did not like this book much at all. Would I recommend it? Well, not really. But sure. Some will love it. I was not one of those. But I did adore a few of the stories, and sharing more about them below. I just really wish this book had been better. I wanted to love it. I wanted to fall in love with this genre, lol.

The first story was Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo. I'm giving this story 4 out of 5. I loved Gracie and Eli. They only spend summers together. There is a reason for why. I loved that reason. But gosh, I wish this story had been much longer. Hmph. I wanted more of it. Beginning was a bit weird, but liked it. The second story was The End of Love by Nina Lacour. I'm giving this story 2 out of 5. About a girl named Flora, in love with another girl. She's taking summer class. Family drama. It was so boring.

The third story was Last Stand at the Cinegor by Libba Bray. I'm giving this story 1 out of 5. I did not like this one at all. Kevin was awful. Romance was weird. About old movies, so boring. I felt nothing. The most weird and stupid ending. The fourth story was Sick Pleasures by Francesca Lia Block. I'm giving this story 1 out of 5. It was so bad. Gosh. I can't stand how bad it was. Bad writing. Bad romance crap. There is dancing. There is drugs and drinking at times. And sex with wrong people. It was so awful.

The fifth story was In Ninety Minutes, Turn North by Stephanie Perkins. I'm giving this story 3 out of 5. I haven't read the Winter story, but I liked this one. Marigold and North were cute. The mountain was amazing to read about. Wish there hadn't been relationship drama, but I liked the characters a lot. The sixth story was Souvenirs by Tim Federle. I'm giving this story 2 out of 5. Reading about Matty and Kieth was so so very boring. It was a break-up story. Bad ending. A lot of crying. So boring. And very awkward.

The seventh story was Inertia by Veronica Roth. I'm giving this story 4 out of 5. This story was pretty sweet. And sad. I liked the ending a lot. But yeah. I wouldn't have minded a full story of this one. Claire and Matt were adorable. I loved the part about visiting old memories together. The eight story was Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron. I'm giving this story 3 out of 5. I liked reading about Lena and Arlo. But, well, insta-love. The other couples were much cuter. A bit bad writing, though. But it was cute.

The ninth story was Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert. I'm giving this story 2 out of 5. This story was just so very boring. Nothing really happen. Girl is sad about cousin leaving. She acts meanly. Too quick romance. Ugh. I just didn't really like this one at all. The tenth story was Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare. I'm giving this story 3 out of 5. I liked Lulu and Lucas a lot. They were cute. There is a dark carnival, one demon, a bad uncle. It was an interesting story. I wanted more of this. Of them.

The eleventh story was A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith. I'm giving this story 3 out of 5. I adored Annie and Griffin. Not the best writing, but I adored the story. About autism. A bit of cute romance. And cute kids too. The twelfth story was The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman. I'm giving this story 2 out of 5. Oh, this story was boring. About a boy stuck in time, living the same day over and over. He finds a girl that does the same. He falls in love. A bit drama. Boring.

Sadly, most of these stories were just not for me at all. I felt like the writing for most of them were so bad. I didn't enjoy the stories or the characters. Many of the stories didn't even seem to fit into this book at all. Ugh. How disappointing. Still. It is a gorgeous looking book, lol. And I'm glad I read it even so. Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin for approving my request to read this book early via Netgalley. You guys are the best. I wish I could have loved it more, though. Hmph. How mean.


Sunday, May 1, 2016

Invision Blog Tour: Spotlight

I have not read these books yet, but when the publisher contacted me to take part in the blog tour, I couldn't help but say yes :D Because these books seems pretty amazing, and I don't mind sharing about them with you all. Hoping to get to read them all one day :) They do sound so good. For my post today, I'm spotlighting the series. There are seven books, and Invision is coming out on May 3rd, which is my birthday. Which is pretty awesome :) Have any of you read these books yet? What do you think of them? Click the picture below to hunt for an awesome giveaway. Thank you Angie for letting me take part. <3

www.griffinteen.com

Excerpt from Invision:

Hanging his head, he pushed his chair back to face her. “What do you want me to say, Kode? You saw what I did. It’s hopeless. I’m going to end this world. Whether it’s tomorrow or a thousand years from now. I’m going to lose it all. Break bad and tear humanity apart. . . . Don’t matter what we do. Whatever we try. We just delay the inevitable outcome. So I’m going to sit here with my eats. And just . . .” he let his voice trail off as the full horror of his future played through his mind for the five millionth time.
He was the end of everything.
Everyone.
All he loved.   
The entire world would one day fall to Nick’s army of demons.
Yeah, there was something to put on his college applications. That ought to have schools lining up to accept him. Who wouldn’t want that as their alumnus? We have graduated senators, presidents, movers-and-shakers, and the Malachai demon who ate the world whole…
It was the one reality Nick wanted to deny and couldn’t. Everything eventually came back to that one inescapable fact he wanted to runaway from and couldn’t.
I’m only sixteen. Too young to deal with this crap.
He was supposed to be worried about his grades. About keeping his girl happy. Staying out of trouble. His mom finding his friend’s porn magazines stashed in his room. Getting to work on time. Making curfew.
Not hellgates and demons coming for the throats of his family and friends.
Definitely not about the fact that his birthright was to bring on the destruction of all humanity.



One boy . . .
Many demons.

Think there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders? Nick Gautier was born to bring about the end of the world . . . it’s not easy being the heir of a demon overlord.

But Nick is determined to thwart his destiny and get into a good college. To be more than his genetics and prophecy foretell. No one is ever going to tell this stubborn Cajun who and what he really is. Or how to live his life.

Not even the Fates of the Universe. But now that he and his team of ancient gods and demons have claimed the Eye of Ananke and he sees the missteps of the future, he has to battle the demons within that are far deadlier and more treacherous than any he’s battled before. All the while his arch nemesis is back and determined to reclaim his place as the harbinger for Armageddon. Even if it means killing Nick and barbecuing everyone he loves to do so.





New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular in the #1 spot. This extraordinary bestseller continues to top every genre in which she writes. With more than 40 million copies of her books in print in more than one hundred countries, her current series include The Dark-Hunters, The League, and Chronicles of Nick. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures.

Where to find Sherrilyn Kenyon:




See all the book trailers here :)