Saturday, May 2, 2015

Farewell... for now!

Hi everyone,

First of all thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read this. You guys honestly don't know what it means to me to have so made so many wonderful friends in the blogger world. I will be forever amazed at the amount of people I actually got to know, and the amount of people who read my reviews.
And how could I ever forget the amazing authors and publishers that I've worked with over the last two years! The support and the knowledge you've shared with me have been life changing and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

Thank you to all!!

This makes the next part really hard.. but 
I'm really sad to announce that I'll be leaving the blog for a little while.
Entering into university I honestly had no clue how much time it would take up, and being the nerd that I am, I just had to spend all my time studying. Leaving all my books on the side.
Ever since September I've been struggling to find the time to read, which is a huge shocker for me since I used to read almost every day.
And I know what most of you are thinking, summer is coming up and schools out, well sadly not for me. I'll be taking summer classes in order to finish my degree faster.

So I guess this means a farewell for now.
But don't worry, as soon as I find the time to read again,
I`ll be back

Love you all!
- Aneta 

Monday, March 23, 2015

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines #6
Publication Date: February 10th, 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Action
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: The epic conclusion to Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series is finally here...

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world.
 

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: “I told you before, we’re the center,” she said. “And the center will hold.” 

The Ruby Circle is the perfect finale to the Bloodlines series. As Sydney and Adrian try to solve the mystery to find the missing Jill, they have to put their love to the test and solve the mystery as a couple. 

This book is just as perfect as the rest of the series. I highly recommend reading the Vampire Academy books, and then starting my personal favourite, the Bloodlines series. 

This book ties up all lose ends between the Bloodlines and Vampire Academy Series. We get to finally see how our main characters end up, but not before their final last battle.

Now that Sydney and Adrian are married, I expected their relationship to slow down more and be more boring. Yet Richelle wrote such a fantastic romance between the two characters, that their love is so strong it never takes a boring aspect to it. I loved reading about it as much as I loved it in the first three books. 

Sydney has been one of my favourite characters since we first met her in the Vampire Academy books. She has honestly changed so much over 8 or 9 books that I am amazed. Yet she still remains my favourite character because she always knows what the right thing to do. Even as she grows up, she still stays true to herself and becomes such a beautiful character. 

I don't want to say too much about the plot, because I feel like most of you have read the previous books to this series, and will get very mad at me if I spoil something. But I will say that the action and adventure in this book is still as amazing as the other books. I could not put it down. Even though I wanted to read it very slow because I didn't want this series to end, I ended up finishing the book in two days. It was so good I could not put it down.

If you have not started the series yet, you have to do so now. I am very sad to see one of my favourite series come to an end. If the author decides to write more in this world I will definitely be on it and keep reading. 

Happy Reading,
- Aneta

Monday, March 16, 2015

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Series: His Fair Assassin #3
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers
Genre: YA, Adventure, Romance
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has.

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: “I am beginning to think that love itself is never wrong. It is what love can drive people to do that is the problem.” 

Mortal Heart is the perfect ending to the His Fair Assassin trilogy. It is the perfect finale not only for Annith, but the other characters as well. I am sad to see this series come to an end, but I can't be any happier with how this series ended.

Annith has watched her sisters come and go, but when she is told that she is in line to become a Seeress, she can't take it anymore and decides to leave the compound. As Annith embarks on an adventure out of the compound of Saint Mortain, she must put her knowledge to the test if she wants to survive. 

This whole book took me by surprise. I've heard of some people not liking Annith as much as the other characters in the series, so going in to the book I had pretty low expectations for Annith. Yet when I read the book, some of her actions took me by surprise and I ended up falling in love with Annith just like I did with the other characters. As the story continued I fell in love with her more and more, with her fearless attitude and her perseverance to keep going when nothing is going right really intrigued me and I couldn't put the book down.

Balthazaar is Annith's love interest in this story. I can honestly tell you that out of all the couples in the previous books, Annith and Balthazaar are by far my favourite. Their love is something 'different' than what you have seen in the other books, but it is just so much better than the rest. I feel like this was one of the main reasons that made me love the book so much. I don't want to spoil the book and tell you more about the romance in this book, but I will tell you that it takes you by surprise. Don't worry its a good surprise, that will make you love Annith even more.

The world-building, and the action packed plot have not changed much since the first book. Ever since the first book Robin's world-building has been extremely creative and fun to read about. I loved how she included fictional characters in past historical events and made them fit in so well. Her descriptions are absolutely perfect and make the images pop out of the pages while you read them. 
The plot is filled with tons of action that keeps you on your toes and guess what's going to happen next. There isn't a boring point in the book because there's always something happening. 

Overall, I found this book to be just as good as the others in the series, except that the romance is far better. I highly recommend this series to every I talk to. If you love action, assassins and romance this is the book for you. I do recommend you read the first two books in the series before picking this one up though.

Happy Reading,
-Aneta

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic 
Series: The Asylum Saga #1
Publication Date: April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Bookish Girl Press
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: She meant to help a ghost...not unleash a curse.

Amelia Dupree hasn’t seen the Woman in White since the night her brother died.

The ghost seems to have disappeared from the woods surrounding Asylum, Pennsylvania—that is, until Charlie Blue moves into the creepy old MacAllister House next door. Amelia can’t help liking him, even though she spent her childhood thinking his grandmother was a witch. And she definitely can’t ignore the connection between his arrival and the Woman in White’s return.

Then Amelia learns that the Woman in White is a prisoner, trapped between the worlds of the living and the dead. Devastated by the idea that her brother could be suffering a similar fate, Amelia decides to do whatever it takes to help the Woman in White find peace--and Charlie agrees to help her.

But when Amelia’s classmates start to drown in the Susquehanna River, one right after another, rumors swirl as people begin to connect the timing of Charlie’s arrival with the unexplained deaths. As Charlie and Amelia uncover the dark history of Asylum, they realize they may have unleashed an unspeakable evil. One they have to stop before everything they love is destroyed.
 

Monday, March 9, 2015

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Series: The Madman's Daughter #1
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Mystery 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: “Dead flesh and sharpened scalpels didn't bother me. I was my father's daughter, after all. My nightmares were made of darker things.” 

The Madman's Daughter is dark, twisted, and captivating. It is the perfect book for any mystery and science fans. The characters are all intriguing, there was constant action and mystery and the world that Megan Shepherd created is so mesmerizing you can't help but fall in love with it. In my opinion, this book was perfect.

Juliet works as a maid at a University in London, trying to stay out of poverty ever since there was a giant scandal with her fathers research, causing her father to leave London and abandon Juliet. When she finds Montgomery, her father's assistant, she decides to flee London and travel to a remote island where her father is said to be continuing his research. The island is filled with her fathers strange creations, with Montgomery and castaway Edward by her side, not even Juliet can be safe from the murdered trapped on the same island.

I am so impressed with how this book turned out. I wasn't expecting it to be as captivating as it was. I feel like most of that was due to the incredible and unreal characters. 
Juliet is honestly one of my favourite characters right now. She reminds me a lot of Tessa from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, they both share that passion of knowledge and deeper understanding, even though it wasn't proper for woman to do so in that time. I love how Juliet has a thirst for knowledge and loves to solve mysteries, this made her so much more relatable and made me love her even more.
I wasn't too impressed with the love triangle in this story. It was good in the fact that I couldn't decide between which boy I liked better, but that was mostly because I didn't really like either of them that much. While I thought Montgomery was really handsome and smart, I didn't think he was really into Juliet. He seemed really distant and more interested in other things than Juliet.
I loved Edwards devotion to Juliet, but he seemed really needy and sometimes kind of annoying. 
I found myself cheering for one of them at one point, and then near the end I started cheering for the other one. Then by the last chapter I was like "To hell with you both, single forever!"
Don't get me wrong, the love triangle is still very interesting and I feel like it would make the book more enjoyable if you liked one of the boys, but I just couldn't get into it.
The other islanders was what captivated me the most. They were the characters I was most looking forward to reading about. I loved how they were all so unique and different, and how they all had their own personalities and everything. What really allured me to them was the science behind it. As a scientist myself the whole process and the possibility of such creatures was really mesmerizing to me and I found myself wanting to read more of how her father created them.

This book is filled with a lot of mystery, and it works perfectly well with this book. Since this book is very dark and somewhat scary, the mystery aspect of this story worked perfectly. Usually when I guess who the bad guy is in the story, I'm usually right, but this time I was completely wrong. The author did an amazing job making you guess and then completely surprising you in the end.

Overall, I found this book to be absolutely perfect. I can't wait to continue on with this series. I highly recommend this book to all fantasy, mystery and science fans. It will captivate you, and you will fall in love with the series.

Happy Reading,
-Aneta

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: Kissing Ted Callahan (and other guys) by Amy Spalding

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Kissing Ted Callahan (and other guys) by Amy Spalding
Publication Date: April 14th, 2015
Publisher: Poppy 
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist meets Easy A in this hilariously realistic story of sneaking out, making out, and playing in a band.

After catching their bandmates in a compromising position, sixteen-year-old Los Angelenos Riley and Reid become painfully aware of the romance missing from their own lives. And so a pact is formed: they'll both try to make something happen with their respective crushes and document the experiences in a shared notebook.

While Reid struggles with the moral dilemma of adopting a dog to win over someone's heart, Riley tries to make progress with Ted Callahan, who she's been obsessed with forever-His floppy hair! His undeniable intelligence! But suddenly cute guys are popping up everywhere. How did she never notice them before?! With their love lives going from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye, Riley and Reid realize the results of their pact may be more than they bargained for.
 

Monday, March 2, 2015

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Publisher: Farrar
Genre: YA, Contemporary 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them. 

My Rating: 3/5 stars

My Review: Second Star is about a young girl named Wendy Darling who goes in search for her lost brothers. What she finds is a bunch of teen surfers who live in an abandoned house. As Wendy runs away from home, she does her best to find out what happened to her brothers, and if they're still alive.

I had a really hard time rating this book. In my personal opinion, I didn't like it much. It reminded me of Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and even though its a classic, I hated that book. This type of book is the type of contemporary that I don't enjoy. Yet I feel like this book would be a hit or miss with people and you either love it or hate it.

This book a retelling of Peter Pain in the present. Honestly I love the story of Peter Pan, but I couldn't really make the connection to this book. I know that Pete is portrayed as Peter Pan in this story, but other than that I couldn't catch many connection between the two stories. I mostly chose to ignore this aspect of the book.

I found this book to be really confusing at most times. There was a lot of unanswered questions and the ending still makes me confused when I think about it. It sort of has a similar ending to the book as Catcher in the Rye where you find out the character's problem and that they're doing better but we don't get any details as to the how, and why that happened to change their mind, or what happens next. 

The thing that made me like this book was the romance. While everything else felt very unrealistic or silly, I found that the romance was fairly realistic and reasonable. I'm not talking bout running away with a boy or living with a complete stranger. What I liked was the part where Wendy was heartbroken after Pete broke her heart, but instead of being dramatic or stupid, she ends up having a rebound and falling in love all over again. This doesn't happen in many books and I was really happy to see it occur in this novel.

While I found the characters mostly boring and annoying. The way the author described surfing was really wonderful, or at least it was to a person who's never surfed before. Her words made me wish that I was by the water surfing along the characters. Her world-building is absolutely fantastic and you feel like you could step right into each scene.

Overall, while I loved the world-building and some aspects of the romance, this book really wasn't for me, and I did not like it much. I would only recommend this book to people who love books like Catcher in the Rye, or at least that type of contemporary, and even then I would warn them that this book is most likely a hit or miss.

Happy Reading,
-Aneta

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Series: The Great Library #1
Publication Date: July 7, 2015
Publisher: NAL
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…

Monday, February 23, 2015

The Last Changeling by Chelsea Pitcher

Series: Faerie Revolutions #1
Publication Date: November 8, 2014
Genre: Ya, Fantasy, Romance
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: A Kingdom at War . . .

Elora, the young princess of the Dark Faeries, plans to overthrow her tyrannical mother, the Dark Queen, and bring equality to faeriekind. All she has to do is convince her mother’s loathed enemy, the Bright Queen, to join her cause. But the Bright Queen demands an offering first: a human boy who is a “young leader of men.” 

A Dark Princess In Disguise . . .

To steal a mortal, Elora must become a mortal—at least, by all appearances. And infiltrating a high school is surprisingly easy. When Elora meets Taylor, the seventeen-year-old who’s plotting to overthrow a ruthless bully, she thinks she’s found her offering . . . until she starts to fall in love.

My Rating: 2/5 stars

My Review: The Last Changeling follows Elora as she begins on her quest to put an end to her mothers rule. In order to get the Bright Queen on her side, she must switch bodies with a human and pretend to be her, in order to take a boy back for the Bright Queen as requested. What Elora wasn't expecting was to make friends, and even fall in love.

This book has me torn form the beginning. While the book does have a lot of potential, it doesn't do much to impress you. While the idea of the world and the characters is good, it leaves you with a 'meh' feeling.

Elora is a character that I do admire. She's the Dark Faery Princess, which sounds like it would be super cool right? Well the book is set in the human world, so we don't really get to know about her as a faery other than the story she tells us. 
I tried my hardest to relate to her in some way, but I just couldn't. She was a 'good' character, but there was nothing amazing or impressive about her. Even though she was the main character, she seemed as plain as a background character that only gets mentioned once in a book.

I liked Taylor a little bit more than Elora. If it wasn't for Taylors point of view in the story I would have most likely stopped reading. After his brother's death, Taylor blames himself and has been secluded from family and friends until Elora arrives. 
Again, just like Elora there was nothing special about Taylor. In fact, I would actually say that he's even more annoying than Elora since he constantly wines and cries out for Elora not to leave him. Yet in his point of view there were some pretty funny moments that made me laugh which made his side of the story so much more enjoyable.

The plot of the story was alright. It seemed fairly predictable and there wasn't much action until the very end of the book. Either way it felt a little dry in most parts of the book.

The world-bulding wasn't great either. There wasn't too much descriptions and either way the characters didn't really go to many places other than the school and Taylor's house. As for Elora's land, we didn't get much description, just the basics of her story.

Overall, I would not recommend this book. I found it fairly boring and plain. There was so much potential with the idea of Elora's power but it wasn't fully used. While this book did have a really cute ending, I would not waste that much time getting to it.

Happy Reading,
-Aneta

Friday, February 20, 2015

Cover Reveal: Consent by Nancy Ohlin

Publications Date: November 10, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA, Contemporary 
Amazon ~ Goodreads

Synopsis: Bea has a secret.

Actually, she has more than one. There’s her dreams for the future that she can’t tell anyone—not her father and not even her best friend, Plum.

And now there’s Dane Rossi. Dane is hot, he shares Bea’s love of piano, and he believes in her.

He’s also Bea’s teacher.

When their passion for music crosses into passion for each other, Bea finds herself falling completely for Dane. She’s never felt so wanted, so understood, so known to her core. But the risk of discovery carries unexpected surprises that could shake Bea entirely. Bea must piece together what is and isn’t true about Dane, herself, and the most intense relationship she’s ever experienced, in this absorbing novel from Nancy Ohlin.
 

About the Author

I am the author of BEAUTY, a YA retelling of the Snow White tale, and ALWAYS, FOREVER, a YA retelling of Daphne du Maurier's REBECCA. ALWAYS, FOREVER was originally published in hardcover as THORN ABBEY.

I've also contributed to several celebrity novels, including a New York Times-bestselling YA trilogy.

I'm currently hard at work on my next YA novel, which will be as mind-bending as ALWAYS, FOREVER (I hope!).

My favorite cures for writers' block are long walks, long showers, popcorn, chocolate, and really expensive coffee. I talk to myself a lot while I write (you know, to make sure the dialogue zings).


Thursday, February 19, 2015

Water So Deep by Nichole Giles

Series: Unknown... but I hope so! 
Publication Date: February 2nd, 2015
Publisher: Jelly Bean Publishing 
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Emma Harris is drowning on dry land.

No one knows what’s happening to her, and she’d like to keep her evolution from human to mermaid a secret, but the truth is getting harder and harder to hide. From her adoptive family, from her friends, and especially from the irresistible James Phelps.

Her time in the ocean is spent dodging a possessive merman, while her time on land is split between caring for her special-needs brother and squeezing in every last possible moment of human life. She soon realizes falling for James is unavoidable when he constantly comes to Emma’s rescue and somehow manages to see through her carefully constructed icy facade to the vulnerability she lives with every day. Everything about James makes Emma yearn for a life on land she just can't have.

When Emma’s brother disappears on her watch, James is the only person she trusts to help her save him. But even if they can save her brother, nothing can prevent her return to the sea. Whether she likes it or not, Emma is changing—unable to breathe without yielding to the tide—and it's only a matter of time before she's forced to surrender forever.
 

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: “Love. We’re bound by love. I love him.” 

Water So Deep is a captivating tale about a young girl slowly turning into a mermaid and falling in love.
Emma is a mermaid, but was sent away to live on land as a baby. As she's aging, she finds the need to go into the water more often. 

This book starts off strong, as Emma is abused by her current boyfriend Tom on her prom night. Being broken by Tom, Emma has a hard time dealing with new people, until James Phelps comes to town and sweeps her off her feet. As Emma struggles to stay on land, her problems only grow deeper as she takes care of her special-needs brother, and does everything she can not to break James' heart. 

I honestly fell in love with the book right from chapter one. This book gives you action and plot right from the first chapter, keeping you interested and wanting more. 

The characters in this book caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to like Emma as much as I did, but I can definitely say that she was an incredible character and I couldn't get enough of her. Going through and event like that in her life, I feel like I would have acted the same exact way. She was hurt, and she learned from her pain and became extremely cautious around guys which is exactly what any real person would do in a situation like that. Overall, her character was intelligent and realistic and I loved reading from her point of view.

We also get to read the book from James' point of view. While I really liked him in the beginning, there was an incident about 22% through the book that caused me to dislike him a little. 
Don't get me wrong, I still really admire him for his love for Emma and how hardworking and kind he is, but lets just say he's not my type. 

Personally, I am not a huge fan of books where there are main characters with special-needs. While I'm not trying to discriminate against special-needs people here, I just personally found many books to focus in extreme detail about them and their problems in life, which I understand, but I'm usually not a big fan of reading about.
But I can honestly say that this book does not do that at all. As soon as I found out about Emma's brother I was like "Oh no, here we go again." Yet to my surprise, the author never talked about his problems or his past extensively. The author treated him just like any other character, the same way she treated Emma and James. I highly applaud Nichole for this because this is the first book where a chapter being special-needs is considered normal. 

Nichole Giles' writing impressed me so much. No does she create a fantastic world filled with amazing detail, but she also creates a killer plot with action from beginning to end. I can honestly say that everything about her writing is brilliant.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to all fans of Romance and Fantasy. I loved everything about this book (except for little things about James), and I can't wait to read the rest of the series if the author decides to continue writing Emma's story.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

Cover Reveal: Numbers Game by Rebecca Rode

Publication Date: March 2015
Genre:YA, Dystopia 
Goodreads

Synopsis: Treena can’t wait for Rating Day. Her high score will mean a life of luxury, showing the world that she’s a valuable member of society, not a pathetic waste of space. It won’t hurt her chances with her top-Rated boyfriend, either. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone.

To get her life—and boyfriend—back, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone seems to want her dead. And then there’s the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. They must band together if they are to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within Treena’s heart.
 

About the Author

By day, I'm a busy mom of four who struggles with housecleaning and cooking. By night...well, I'm still a busy mom of four. But scattered into those rare quiet moments is my life's passion--writing. My first book, HOW TO HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU'RE FALLING TO PIECES, was released in March 2013. It's a nonfiction quick-fix book for moms whose lives feel as crazy and out of control as mine does--and from what readers are saying, it's fun and entertaining to read. I also write for Deseret News and KSL.com on occasion, and some of my articles have also appeared in Schooled Magazine. For a sneak peek at the first two chapters of my book, HOW TO HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU'RE FALLING TO PIECES, check it out on Amazon.com. Bye now!


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
The Cage by Megan Shepherd
Series: The Cage #1
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Dystopia 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughtertrilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Series: Malediction Trilogy #1
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Genre: YA, Fantasy Romance
Amazon ~ Gooreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: For those who have loved Seraphina and Graceling comes another truly fabulous fantasy...

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.
 

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: Stolen Songbird has left me completely speechless. With a relatable main character, a swoon-worthy male lead, hilarious supporting characters, and a world so magical and well described it makes you want to live there. This book can hands down be one of the best books published in 2014.

After being kidnapped and taken to the lost city of Trollus, where Trolls have been trapped for five centuries, Cécile is forced to marry the King's son against her will, hoping that the marriage will grant the Trolls the power to escape the mountain. When that fails, Cécile is left trapped in a world she can't escape from, with a troll husband she never wanted.

Cécile is one of the most relatable characters I have ever encountered. She's not beautiful, she's just considered your average looking girl with nothing too special about her appearance. She's not a genius, she has her moments where she uses her brain to come up with something smart, but she almost makes mistakes like the rest of us make. There are moments when Cécile breaks down and cries from her pain or being homesick, and if I was in her place I would have done the exact same thing. Most of the time while I was reading the book, I felt like it was me going through the story because action she did, was the exact same thing I would have done. This made her such a wonderful character to read about and fall in love with.

The supporting characters in this story are all so wonderful! Each one of them has their own story that is so much different from on another (except for the twins, obviously). The stories that the characters present Cécile make you fall in love with them so easily. Tristan is just a babe, and you immediately fall in love with him, theres no denying it. Marc is that one guy who's always sad and lonely, but when you finally hear his story it almost makes you drop to your knees and cry your heart out. And the twins are so energetic and hilarious that you can't help but fall in love with both of them.

The plot is filled with tons of action to keep you on your toes and twists and turn that keep you guessing. There are obviously some predictable moments in the story, but there was also lots of times where I was blindsided by some of the events that occurred. It had the perfect balance of surprise and "aha I knew it!" which made the book so much more enjoyable to read.

The world building in this story was on point! You'd think there wouldn't be too many places to explore under a mountain, but there was. We got to explore so many places, like the labyrinth outside the city, the royal palace, the mines and tons of other places the characters ventured off to! Each one of the was perfectly described in a way that made you imagine the whole scene as it took place.

Overall, I could not be more impressed with this book. The only regret I have is not reading this book sooner! To me it was perfect in every way possible and I strongly recommend it to any Fantasy and Paranormal fans out there. You might thing Trolls are weird, and unheard of in YA books, but trust me when I say take the chance, because you will fall in love with beauty of Stolen Songbird. 

Happy Reading,
-Aneta
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