Book Review | The Wrath and the Dawn | Renee Ahdieh

Jul 20

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review | The Wrath and the Dawn | Renee AhdiehThe Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1
Published by Putnam Juvenile on May 12, 2015
Genres: Fantasy YA, Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 388
Format: eARC
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
five-stars

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , ,

Waiting on Wednesday | Sorcerer to the Crown

Jun 3

Waiting on Wednesday

Sorcerer to the Crown: Sorcerer Royal #1 • Zen Cho

Book cover Sorcerer to the Crown Zen Cho

In this sparkling debut, magic and mayhem clash with the British elite…
The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman—a freed slave who doesn’t even have a familiar—as their Sorcerer Royal, and allowing England’s once profuse stores of magic to slowly bleed dry. At least they haven’t stooped so low as to allow women to practice what is obviously a man’s profession…

At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers and eminently proficient magician, ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up. But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large…

Soooo, exsqueeze me? I love the sound of SORCERER TO THE CROWN. It’s got historical fiction elements, fantasy elements, fairy elements, and a dragon on the cover. (Not sure how that last fits, but DRAGON, so I’ll go with it.)

I always love reading books about worlds on the verge of collapse. Something’s gone wrong, and no one understands how or why. I like the mystery of it, the slowly unraveling suspense. Zen Cho’s debut has so many things that I love to read about. The only thing that is less than awesome? I have to keep waiting until September to read it.

SORCERER TO THE CROWN comes out on September 1, 2015 from Ace Books

Sorcerer to the Crown Zen Cho

Filed Under: Waiting on Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Book Review | The Sin Eater’s Daughter | Melinda Salisbury

Apr 24

I received this book for free from a fellow blogger (thanks for sharing!) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review | The Sin Eater’s Daughter | Melinda SalisburyThe Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
Series: The Sin Eater's Daughter #1
Published by Scholastic on February 24, 2015
Genres: Fantasy YA
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: a fellow blogger (thanks for sharing!)
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
four-half-stars

I am the perfect weapon.
I kill with a single touch.

Twylla is blessed. The Gods have chosen her to marry a prince, and rule the kingdom. But the favour of the Gods has it’s price. A deadly poison infuses her skin. Those who anger the queen must die under Twylla’s fatal touch.

Only Lief, an outspoken new guard, can see past Twylla’s chilling role to the girls she truly is.

Yet in a court as dangerous and the queen’s, some truths should not be told…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , ,

Book Review | The Conspiracy of Us | Maggie Hall

Mar 11

I received this book for free from eARC from the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review | The Conspiracy of Us | Maggie HallThe Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
Series: The Conspiracy of Us #1
Published by Putnam Juvenile on January 13, 2015
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary YA, Thriller, Travel
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: eARC from the Publisher via NetGalley
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
four-stars

A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance–perfect for fans of Ally Carter

Avery West’s newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family–but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she’s falling in love with.

[Read more…]

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Save Me Blog Tour | Post + Giveaway

Jan 14

Save Me Blog Tour

I’m so excited to be participating in the blog tour for SAVE ME, a debut from Swoon Reads’ author Jenny Elliot! A paranormal debut with witches and WHALES?! How awesome is this?? (Awesome.) There are so many interesting things going on in SAVE ME, but for me, I was most intrigued by the whales. Who doesn’t love whales? They’re big and gorgeous and sometimes dangerous and are basically some of the closest things left on this planet to DINOSAURS. I MEAN. So in this vein, I wanted to share some cool things with you all about the whales in SAVE ME because they’re really important to the main character, Cara, as well as a very intriguing side story.

Book cover Save Me Jenny Elliott

Debut-novelist Jenny Elliott’s thrilling romance, chosen by readers, writers, and publishers for the first list in the new Swoon Reads imprint, pours on the tension and danger in an addictive combination that will keep you turning pages!

Something strange is going on in the tiny coastal town of Liberty, Oregon. Cara has never seen a whale swim close enough for her to touch it—let alone knock her into the freezing water. Fortunately, cute newcomer David is there to save her, and the rescue leads to a bond deeper than Cara ever imagined.

But then she learns something about David that changes everything, and Cara is devastated. She turns to her best friend for support, but Rachel has changed. She’s suddenly into witchcraft, and is becoming dangerously obsessed with her new boyfriend….

Cara has lost her best friend, discovered that her soul mate is off limits, and has attracted the attention of a stalker. But she’s not completely alone. Her mysterious, gorgeous new friend Garren is there to support her. But is Garren possibly too perfect?

Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble  [Read more…]

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Top Ten Tuesday | 2015 Debuts

Jan 6

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten 2015 Debuts

I’m ALWAYS excited about debuts, guys, but is it just me, or does this year’s crop seem EXTRA full of potential? I feel like I’m more stoked about the books on this list than I remember being for many debuts in the past. This list is chock full of some of my most anticipated books OF THE YEAR in general! How exciting! Also, this list is VERY heavy on the fantasies because, well, I’m the most excited for them! #sorrynotsorry

 

2015 debut

An Ember in the Ashes | Sabaa Tahir • April 28, 2015 (Razorbill)

2015 debut

The Girl at Midnight: The Girl at Midnight #1 | Melissa Grey • April 28, 2015 (Delacorte)

2015 debut

Lock & Mori: Lock & Mori #1 | Heather Petty • September 15, 2015 (Simon & Schuster)

2015 debut

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly | Stephanie Oakes • June 9, 2015 (Dial/Penguin)

2015 debut

The Novice: Summoner #1 | Taran Matharu • May 5, 2015 (Feiwel and Friends)

2015 debut

Under a Painted Sky | Stacey Lee • March 17, 2015 (Putnam Juvenile)

2015 debut

The Sin Eater’s Daughter: The Sin Eater’s Daughter #1 | Melinda Salisbury • February 24, 2015 (Scholastic)

2015 debut

The Storyspinner: The Keepers Chronicles #1 | Becky Wallace • March 3, 2015 (Margaret K. McElderry)

2015 debut

Tangled Webs: Tangled Webs #1 | Lee Bross • June 23, 2015 (Disney Hyperion)

2015 debut

The Witch Hunter | Virginia Boecker • June 2, 2015 (Little, Brown BFYR)

2015 debut

The Wrath and the Dawn: The Wrath and the Dawn #1 | Renee Ahdieh • May 12, 2015 (Putnam Juvenile)

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