Wednesday 23 December 2015

Review: Always Kiss Me Goodnight by Megan Gaudino

Title: Always Kiss Me Goodnight
Author: Megan Gaudino
My rating: ❤❤❤
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publication date: August 26th 2015
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Synopsis: Sophia Destino is supposed to die.

All seventeen-year-old Sophia wants is to coast through her junior year. But with her parents obsessed with her Olympic-swimming-hopeful brother, a psychic best friend with a penchant for reading tarot cards, and prophetic dreams that predict her death—that won’t be easy. As her nightmares begin to come true, Sophia finds herself dodging death and longing for the time when getting over her ex-boyfriend was her biggest problem. Until she meets Leo Knight. The mysterious stranger seems determined to keep her alive—and steal her heart. But Leo has a secret that is about to change everything and Sophia is about to learn that sometimes…your number is up. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Saturday 19 December 2015

Blog Tour: The Secrets We Kept by Lily Velez

Title: The Secrets We Kept
Author: Lily Velez
My rating: 4 hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: November 8th 2015
Publisher: Blue Typewriter Press
Synopsis: One year. That's how long it's been since childhood sweethearts Sully Graham and Cadence Gilbertson broke up, since one adoption and one out-of-state move turned their worlds upside down.

Suddenly, Cadence is back in New York City, but something's different about her. The light in her eyes, the music in her laughter, the warmth in her smile—all of those things have entirely vanished. In their place stand the makings of a girl Sully can't even begin to recognize, much less understand.

Still, despite the collective history of heartbreak between them, he’s convinced he can win her trust again, and he’s committed to proving the invincibility of their love no matter what it takes.

But Cadence is quietly harboring secrets of her own. Dark secrets. Ugly secrets. Secrets that could break a person. And though broken herself and unbearably lonely, she's determined to protect Sully from her terrible, biting truths. Even if it means locking him out of her life forever.

The only problem is it seems her heart hasn’t quite received the memo. One glimpse of him is all it takes for her to trip into familiar (and, she’ll admit, addictive) feelings that threaten to all but consume her. Now her biggest fear is that her secrets will begin to slowly unravel one by one...long before Sully’s resolve ever does.

The Secrets We Kept is a moving story about first love, friendship, and forgiveness, and the enduring bonds that forever connect us and give us our strength. (synopsis from
Goodreads)

Sunday 13 December 2015

Review: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
Publication date: June 5th 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Synopsis: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

Book Links:
My thoughts: It’s been a while since I got this caught up in a book. This close to Christmas break, I’ve had a lot to do in school, so I haven’t had the time or patience to sit down and relax to read. Maybe it’s because of that that I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a while, or maybe it’s simply because I haven’t found a book this good in a while, but either way, I was so happy and a little surprised when I noticed I really didn’t want to put this away. I wanted to stay up all night to finish it, and I almost did. 

   I’ve had this on my to-read a long time, but I didn’t read it, but then my best friend read it, and she totally loved it, and she couldn’t stop talking about it, and since we have a very similar taste in books, I decided to read it. And I totally loved it. 
   So let’s start with the characters, one of the most important things in a book, at least for me. I loved Alina. Sure, when she was basically ready to give up, I was close to getting annoyed with her, but I still understood her actions. I could really relate to her, to her want – and need – to fit in, to belong somewhere. That need explained a lot of her actions. I also loved that even though everything that could go wrong went wrong, she didn’t give up. She continued to fight for what she believed in, even though she wasn’t even entirely sure what she was fighting for. There was a few moments that I truly thought she would break, and give up, and a weaker person would, but she didn’t.
   So how about the Darkling and Mal? I have to say, I’m team Darkling. I’m not really sure about Mal, he still has a lot of convincing to do before I can accept him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad character, but … well, I just don’t like him. Simple as that. But the Darkling, on the other hand … I’m not really sure what to say about him. Let’s just say that I have very confused feelings about him and Alina. I’m not sure what I feel. Let’s leave it at that.
   Let’s talk about the plot. I liked the plot, it was very original and interesting, and although it wasn’t very fast-paced at times, it still kept my interest alive and even though there were some quiet moments, I had to know what would happen. And Alina’s training to become a Grisha kept it interesting and made it seem more fast-paced than it was.
   One of the things I loved the most about this book was the world Bardugo has built. I love a book with good world-building, especially in a Fantasy novel, and this was one of the better ones I’ve read. The world she created, and the country Alina lived in, Ravka, it felt so real and believable, and I found myself so caught up in her world that I needed a moment to get back to the real world again. This is what I call good world-building. Many times, in books like this, the world-building is faulty, which makes the book unreal and unbelievable, but that’s not the case here.
   I can’t wait to read the sequel, I need to know what happens with Alina. Interesting and relatable, Shadow and Bone will take you on an emotional roller coaster and will keep you on your toes through the whole book.

Friday 11 December 2015

Tour and Review: The Queen B* and the Homecoming King (The Queen B* #3) by Crista McHugh

 
I am so excited to share the blog tour for The Queen B* and the Homecoming King, the third book in Crista McHugh's The Queen B* series. I have an excerpt and a giveaway to share with you all, so stay tuned!
Title: The Queen B* and the Homecoming King
Author: Crista McHugh
My rating: 4.1 hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: December 1st 2015
Synopsis: The Queen B*, Alexis Wyndham, has only three rules when it comes to dating that star quarterback, Brett Pederson:
1. No obligations to spend every waking moment with each other.
2. No public displays of affection while at Eastline High.
3. And absolutely, under no circumstances, will she ever go to the Homecoming dance.
But as her life is completely upended time and time again, she begins to wonder if some rules are meant to be broken.

Book Links:
Goodreads ** Amazon ** B&N

Saturday 5 December 2015

Review: Alice Takes Back Wonderland by David D. Hammons

*I was provided with an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating or my review in the slightest. All thoughts expressed in this review is unbiased and my own.*
 
Title: Alice Takes Back Wonderland
Author: David D. Hammons
My rating: 4.5 hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publication date: September 28th 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Synopsis: After ten years of being told she can't tell the difference between real life and a fairy tale, Alice finally stops believing in Wonderland. So when the White Rabbit shows up at her house, Alice thinks she's going crazy.

Only when the White Rabbit kicks her down the rabbit hole does Alice realize that the magical land she visited as a child is real.

But all is not well in Wonderland.

The Ace of Spades has taken over Wonderland and is systematically dismantling all that makes it wonderful. Plain is replacing wondrous, logical is replacing magical, and reason is destroying madness. Alice decides she must help the Mad Hatter and all those fighting to keep Wonderland wonderful.

But how can she face such danger when she is just a girl?

Alice must journey across the stars to unite an army. She discovers that fairy tales are real in the magical world beyond the rabbit hole. But they are not the fairy tales she knows.

Fairy tales have dangers and adventures of their own, and Alice must overcome the trials of these old stories if she wants to unite the lands against Ace.

With the help of Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Snow White and heroes old and new, Alice may have the strength to take back Wonderland. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Friday 4 December 2015

Keen Cover Friday: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Hosted by Keep Booked
Today I have a really beautiful cover to share with you all. It's the cover of These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.

I picked this cover because I love that green dress, and I really like the colors. Also, I think the stars in the background, and that they are floating around in outer space, is really cool, and looks very pretty, too. Might be because I love space, but that cover totally draws me in.

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Teaser Tuesday: Always Kiss Me Goodnight by Megan Gaudino

Hosted by A Daily Rythm
 
First, I wanted to apoligize for not posting anything last week, I had a really stressful week at school, and then we visited family, so I had no time to blog, but I really missed it. Anyway, this week, I'm back, with a Teaser Tuesday and a review later this week. Maybe I'll post something more to make up for my absence.
 
Alright, so this week, I started Reading Always Kiss Me Goodnight by Megan Gaudino. I got an ARC from Netgalley. I haven't gotten very far yet, but so far, it's interesting.
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Disclaimer

I receive some books from authors, publishers and third party sites (such as Netgalley). This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed on this blog are unbiased and my own. I do not get compensated in any way or form.