Waiting on Wednesday (44)

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

This week, I am super excited for Greta and the Glass Kingdom by Chloe Jacobs! I actually signed up for the blog tour for it yesterday! I read Greta and the Goblin King earlier this year and really liked it. I majorly ship Greta and Isaac and can't wait to see what happens next!

Synopsis:

The sequel to the Hansel & Gretel retelling Greta and the Goblin King ups the stakes of danger and romance. As conflict surges across Mylena, the tough Greta struggles to save those she loves.

Against all odds, Greta and the Goblin King miraculously survived the battle against the evil Agramon. Greta should be happy to be alive and ready to claim her place in Mylena by Isaac's side. Yet nothing is the way she thought it would be. The battle against Agramon left a dark magick inside Greta that will eventually kill her. Isaac hasn't been the same since he almost went Lost. And there are whispers of a rebellion brewing throughout Mylena...

Determined to save Mylena from a bitter civil war, they travel to the mysterious Glass Kingdom to form an uneasy alliance with the deadly Faerie race. But when an unexpected disaster tears Greta and Isaac apart, she must make the journey on her own. Along the way, she discovers a conspiracy stretching back to events she never thought she would have to revisit, betrayal from allies whose loyalty she never questioned, and an enemy vying to control all of Mylena.

Follow Greta into unexpected romance, explosive secrets, and shocking betrayals that will leave her and all of Mylena forever changed in the stunning second installment of The Mylena Chronicles.

Release: February 9, 2015

Top Ten Goals/Resolutions for 2015 (Books, Blogging, or Otherwise)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

1. As I said last year, review more of the books I read! I read a lot, but most of the books never even show up on the blog. Why? Cause I'm lazy.

2. Read more of the ARCs I get. I have a ton of ARCs from various resources, and I really want to read more of them.

3. Make a system, table or otherwise, for organizing books that I've read and reviewed, read and need to review, and need to read. This is fairly self-explanatory, but I'll find that I forgot that I read but didn't review books.

4. Make room for new books/giveaway old ones. I am a book hoarder by all means. To be fair, they're either books I love or books I want to read, but still. There's 650 of them on my shelves. I am completely and absolutely out of space, and so I need to figure out a new way to make space. That's not stacking them on the floor.

5. Blog more in generally, especially fun posts. Most of the stuff on the blog is memes and reviews, but I notice when I do a special or original post, it gets a lot more interactions, which is part of my goal with blogging (besides plain ole expressing my love of books).

6. Check out other blogs more. Besides a few blogs that I check out on a semi-regular basis, I don't interact with many bloggers outside of Twitter. That said, I follow a billion blogs by email, so I really just need to actually click the links.

7. Finish various series' that I've been meaning to finish but haven't. For example, The Wolves of Mercy Falls. I have all the books, but haven't read them all yet. Also, the Watersong series, The Hollows series (which my family calls the tomato books), and the Defiance trilogy to name a few.

8. Do more quotes and images. You might have noticed if you follow on Twitter that I will make quote art from time to time. It's actually super fun to do and I really want to do more of it!

9. Read 200 books. So, in the next day, I need to finish the book I'm reading to hit 200. My goal is to hit 200 again next year, which I hopefully will be able to do.

10. Write more. Along with everything else, I'm attempting to write various novels. Of the two main ones, I wrote one during last year's NaNoWriMo that now needs editing and the other I've been working on for four years and the first draft still isn't finished. Well, technically, I'm on the second draft, as I got 20k in to the first one and realized it was going in the absolute wrong direction and had to rewrite it.

So, those are my resolutions! What are yours?

Waiting on Wednesday (43)

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

Sorry I couldn't get this up earlier, but Blogspot only just came back up!

This week, I'm featuring Paper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes! I loved her debut, Olivia Twisted, and really hope that this lives up to it! Vivi is a fantastic story teller, and the cover alone makes me want to devour the book!

For some reason, this title always brings recycling to mind, but it's actually about paying for stuff...

Synopsis:

Welcome to SmartMart, where crime pays minimum wage...

Busted. Alexis Dubois just got caught shoplifting a cheap tube of lipstick at the local SmartMart. She doesn’t know what’s worse—disappointing her overbearing beauty-pageant-obsessed mother for the zillionth time…or her punishment. Because Lex is forced to spend her summer working at the store, where the only things stranger than the staff are the customers.

Now Lex is stuck in the bizarro world of big-box retail. Coupon cutters, jerk customers, and learning exactly what a “Code B” really is (ew). And for added awkwardness, her new supervisor is the totally cute—and adorably geeky—Noah Grayson. Trying to balance her out-of-control mother, her pitching position on the softball team, and her secret crush on the school geek makes for one crazy summer. But ultimately, could the worst job in the world be the best thing that ever happened to her?

Release: February 3, 2015

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under the Tree

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

Hmmm, I'm gonna have to consult the Xmas list for this...

1. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson - I discovered this book a few years ago and haven't been able to get it out of my head since. 

2. Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout - It's the only YA book by Jennifer L. Armentrout that I don't own. 

3. Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes - I read an eARC of this last year and LOVED it!

4. Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg - The first Elizabeth Eulberg book I read and I need to own it so I can reread it a million times!

5. Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg - The second Elizabeth Eulberg book I read and I thought I wouldn't be interested, but it was SUPER good and I need to reread!

6. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - I fell in love with this story last year and, now knowing how it ends, I want to reread it to see the simple beauty of Death.

7. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting - I LOVED this book and it's definitely the best in the series, which says something!

8. Hourglass by Myra McEntire - I love this book as well, and obviously have a lot of rereading to do. 

9. Briar Rose by Jana Oliver - I've read her other books and enjoyed them, and so I was sad that I couldn't get it from my library, so I really hope to get it!

10. The Selection Stories by Kiera Cass - I've only read part of the story collection, but I want to read the rest! I also am excited for the rest of her books coming out!

And that's only a fourth of my list!

Waiting on Wednesday (42)

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

This week, I am super excited for Fairest by Marissa Meyer! While I'm sad that Winter has been pushed back until November, I am excited to learn about Queen Levana's past. So far, this series has been fantastic, and I hope it doesn't slow down! The cover of Fairest is very different from the first three books, but it's still gorgeous!

Synopsis:

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.


Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

Release: January 27, 2015

Cover Reveal: Greta and the Glass Kingdom by Chloe Jacobs

You have no idea how excited I am to see these covers! I loved Greta and the Goblin King, and let me tell you, the redesign of book one, and the cover of book two are epically gorgeous!

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

Title: Greta and the Goblin King

Author: Chloe Jacobs

Series: Mylena Chronicles

Release: December 11, 2012

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Synopsis:

While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse.

To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back...

You Can Find it At:

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo Books

Title: Greta and the Glass Kingdom

Author: Chloe Jacobs 

Series: Mylena Chronicles
Release: February 2015

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Synopsis:

The sequel to the Hansel & Gretel retelling Greta and the Goblin King ups the stakes of danger and romance. As conflict surges across Mylena, the tough Greta struggles to save those she loves.

Against all odds, Greta and the Goblin King miraculously survived the battle against the evil Agramon. Greta should be happy to be alive and ready to claim her place in Mylena by Isaac's side. Yet nothing is the way she thought it would be. The battle against Agramon left a dark magick inside Greta that will eventually kill her. Isaac hasn't been the same since he almost went Lost. And there are whispers of a rebellion brewing throughout Mylena...

Determined to save Mylena from a bitter civil war, they travel to the mysterious Glass Kingdom to form an uneasy alliance with the deadly Faerie race. But when an unexpected disaster tears Greta and Isaac apart, she must make the journey on her own. Along the way, she discovers a conspiracy stretching back to events she never thought she would have to revisit, betrayal from allies whose loyalty she never questioned, and an enemy vying to control all of Mylena.

Follow Greta into unexpected romance, explosive secrets, and shocking betrayals that will leave her and all of Mylena forever changed in the stunning second installment of The Mylena Chronicles.

You Can Find it At:

Goodreads

Author Bio:

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

You Can Find Her At:

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Cover Reveal Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Top Ten Books I Read in 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

*bangs head against wall* Oh dear, this is gonna be hard! I don't know if I can do this.

1. White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout and All That Glows by Ryan Graudin - Okay, I had to make this a tie! I just had to!

2. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas - The best Throne of Glass book yet!

3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare - One of the best series finales I've read!

4. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi - It's been so long since I read this, I almost forgot that I read it this year, but Ignite Me was the best in the series!

5. The One by Kiera Cass - I got to meet the author and the book was amazing, what a way to finish a series! It couldn't have been more perfect!

6. Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins - This book is made of awesome! I was so excited to get an ARC of this book last February, and it did not disappoint!

7. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski - This book blew me away, I tried to avoid it, cause I thought I wouldn't like it, but I loved it!

8. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - I died of happiness reading this book! This is one of my top recommendations going into 2015!

9. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - While the first two books were good, this one was awesome!

10. Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd and Cress by Marissa Meyer - I had to put a couple more books on here and ran out of numbers, so here are the last two! I loved these books, and am super excited to find out what happens next in the series!

+One million more!

What books did you love this year?

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release: May 5, 2015
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Pages: 416 (ARC)
Review: 4.5 Stars

Synopsis:

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

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

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


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

You Can Find it At:
The Regulator
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble

I had the extreme luck of getting an ARC of A Court of Thorns and Roses from The Regulator Bookshop last week.

First Impressions:

I started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses immediately and devoured it in twenty-four hours! I really loved the story and can't wait to read more. The first chapter is a little slow, but as soon as you dive in, it rocks! The cover is also extremely gorgeous, and I really want to stroke it infinitely. This book is also definitely more adult than Sarah's other books, so be prepared! Reading the book was almost like reading three books instead of just one. Which, in this case, was not a bad thing!

Characters:

I had a tad higher hopes for the main character, as the description was a little misleading. Feyre was a huntress, but she wasn't extremely talented at it. She does it more out of survival than prowess. Don't get me wrong, Feyre is awesome, but the description is misleading. Feyre's family life kinda makes me want to scream, but then again, I think it makes her want to scream too. Tamlin is definitely interesting. He seems a bit too crazy at first, but he grows on you.

Writing:

The writing in this book was not as good as in Throne of Glass, I'm sad to say. It was good, but just not that good. The writing felt a little more forced, especially the romance. I love the author's use of description though. I feel like I have complete images of a scene without being bogged down with information. The writing was a bit rougher, but the book was also an ARC, so I don't know how it'll be changed in the final product.

World-Building

The world building was insane! Sarah has an entire world laid out within this one novel. I almost hope that it takes place relatively in the same world as the Throne of Glass books, if only to get a crossover novella. The world building is a little crazy, but so worth it! I wish I had a picture of the map to show you guys.

So, this book was AWESOME! It was my first dip into the more New Adultish world, and I really enjoyed it!

Author Bio:

I’m a 25 year-old YA fantasy author living in the desert in Southern California. My debut novel, Throne of Glass, was published by Bloomsbury Children’s in August, 2012. (Book Two – Crown of Midnight - will release sometime in Fall 2013.)

I was born/raised in Manhattan, but traded freezing winters and sweltering summers for No Winter Ever Weather when I followed my then-boyfriend (now husband!) out to California in 2008. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College with a degree in Creative Writing, and a minor in Religious Studies. I’m represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency.

You Can Find Her At:Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads