Review: The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: March 10th 2015
Format: ebook

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

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My rating: 5 mirror stars.

“The pain of what happened – it won’t last eternity.” A lie. I knew very well how pain could last, and fester, and shape a person in unnameable ways.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to your attention one of my favorite reads of 2015.
Why? Well, let’s look.
Interesting plot and rich and colorful description of the area and fights – ✓
Well-written world – ✓
A delightful, courageous, responsible and clever MC with flaws – ✓
Nice love interest – ✓
I devoured this book in one gulp. Magic, politics, conspiracies, espionage, vigilante (!!!) … Anyone find in this book something exciting.
Though some things were far too obvious, I don’t think that the author is trying to make a secret of it that much.
This, in fact, the whole trick: you do know about what the heroine does not know, and therefore you have to helplessly watch her actions and bite your elbows. Omomnom.
Bravo, Miss Meadows.
I’m pretty sure that many people who read this book found that ending really gross.
Oh, yes, it is cruel.
A hell of cruel. Like The Mark of Athena by Riordan, in my memory cruelest cliffhanger of all.
So be prepared in advance *evil laughs mixed with hysterical cries*
Yet go. And read this book.

Waiting on Wednesday: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

‘Waiting on Wednesday’ is a weekly meme that was created at Breaking The Spine. Thank you for this.

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

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About this author

I write books about teens who must do brave things. I’m originally from California, but I moved to Ohio to marry my husband, who is the smartest man I know. We live in Columbus with my teenaged stepsons, who are awesome. My books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices.

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Review: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (ARC)

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: April 7th 2015
Format: eARC

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

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I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: All the Oreos.

I am more than confident that I can’t express all my love for this book in this review. This book is not just one of my favorite in 2015.
It’s one of my favorites ever.

So I decided not to write this review as usual and make a list with the reasons why I have so much love for this incredible book.

REASON 1.

Oreos.

Don’t tell me you don’t like these stunningly delicious cookies. I love it as much as Simon do, so I couldn’t resist.

REASON 2 IS

Simon.

He has the most amazing and unique voice in the history of YA literature. I don’t know anyone who read this book and hasn’t fallen in love with this guy.

REASON 3 IS

Blue.

I can’t speak about his personality because of spoilers. But people, you need this character. YA need this character. Trust me.

REASON 4 IS

Simon’s parents and friends.

To overcome all the difficulties, no one helped Simon more than his family and his friends. I am absolutely in love with Leah, Simon’s sister and Simon’s mother. They are beautiful and strong women, and I found them very interesting to read.

REASON 5 IS

Bieber.

Yeah, you got it right. He is a wonderful… dog.

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This is not an exhaustive list, but I know that I’ll have lots of other opportunities to praise this book.
Just… Go ahead and read it, guys. It’s adorable and cute and awesome.

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Here is my fan-art for this book:

Waiting on Wednesday: This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

‘Waiting on Wednesday’ is a weekly meme that was created at Breaking The Spine. Thank you for this.

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

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About this author

Mackenzi Lee is reader, writer, bookseller, unapologetic fangirl, fast talker, and perpetually-anxious badass. She holds an MFA from Simmons College in writing for children and young adults, and her short fiction has appeared in Inaccurate Realities, The Friend, and The Newport Review. Her young adult historical fantasy novel, THIS MONSTROUS THING, which won the PEN-New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award, as well as an Emerging Artist Grant from the St. Botolph Club Foundation, will be published fall of 2015 by Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

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Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (ARC)

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 1st 2015
Format: eARC

This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black–black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

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I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 5 golden stars.

I read this book exactly after watching The Fault in Our Stars. So I can say with confidence that this book reminded me of it… or not.
They are similar because the main characters are nerdy teenagers. They are teenagers who have experienced a lot, and I really like their personalities, despite the fact that literature is full of such characters.

Madeleine is an eighteen girl with STID. Her favorite pastime is reading books. Her favorite book is The Little Prince, and I’m ready to adore her only for that. She leads a book blog, but mostly she ripped apart of boredom. But here’s one guy with a family moves into the house next door, and everything changes.

To be honest, I knew the denouement of the book from the beginning, for the simple reason that it is the easiest and most acceptable option, but that did not stop me from enjoying it.

This book is so beautiful. Literally. Those words are exquisite.
And I am pretty sure you will be charmed by its design as I do.
These wonderful pictures I will remember for a long time and by the way, this is one of the most amazing ideas for the book to illustrate it.

I highly recommend this book to all fans of diversity in the literature, because this book is definitely worth your attention.

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Here is my fan-art for this book:

My Spring TBR List

To be honest, this post is an attempt to organize all the books I want to read soon.
I can say with confidence that this list will change later.
But so far everything is the same as in this post.

                                 

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Hope you enjoyed it!

Waiting on Wednesday: Winter by Marissa Meyer

 ‘Waiting on Wednesday’ is a weekly meme that was created at Breaking The Spine. Thank you for this.

Here is the stunning conclusion to the national bestselling Lunar Chronicles, inspired by Snow White.

When Princess Winter was thirteen, the rumor around the Lunar court was that her glamour would soon be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. In a fit of jealousy, Levana disfigured Winter. Four years later, Winter has sworn off the use of her glamour altogether. Despite her scars, Winter’s natural beauty, her grace, and her gentleness are winning admiration from the Lunar people that no amount of mind-control could achieve.

Winter despises her stepmother, but has never dreamed of standing up to her. That is, until she realizes that she may be the only one with the power to confront the queen.

Can Cinder, Prince Kai, Scarlet, Wolf, Cress, Thorne, Princess Winter, and the palace guard Jacin find their happily ever afters? Fans will LOVE this amazing conclusion to the series.

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About this author

I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my fiancé and our two cats. In addition to my slight obsession with books and writing, I’m big on road-tripping, wine-tasting, and hunting for antiques. I’m represented by Jill Grinberg.

CINDER, my debut novel, is a futuristic re-envisioning of Cinderella in which Cinder is a cyborg mechanic. Release date: 3 Jan 2012.

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Review: Denton Little’s Deathdate by Lance Rubin (ARC)

Fans of John Green and Matthew Quick: Get ready to die laughing.

Denton Little’s Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day they will die. For 17-year-old Denton Little, that’s tomorrow, the day of his senior prom.

Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle (as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend’s hostile sister. Though he’s not totally sure. See: first hangover.) His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton’s long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters…. Suddenly Denton’s life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.

Debut author Lance Rubin takes us on a fast, furious, and outrageously funny ride through the last hours of a teenager’s life as he searches for love, meaning, answers, and (just maybe) a way to live on.

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My rating: 4 stars.

I like this book so much. There are interesting and unusual characters and plot.

I will explain. Imagine a world in which everything is exactly the same as in our world, except for one thing. People know the exact day of their death. It is called Deathdate.
The protagonist know that he must die in Prom day (it sucks, doesn’t it?).
But he did not want to die.
And he makes a very lousy things (like the one that he cheated on his girlfriend).
I love this book because it is really written for teenagers, because it is funny and because Denton doesn’t make things in his I-die-soon-so-I-must-do-it list. Because he does not have such a list. He just makes things that makes a guy when he thinks he resigned to his impending death, but then realizes that he is not.
I think that many people should read this book.
Especially because it has a beautiful friendship, good family relationships and excellent jokes about squirrels. And strange skin diseases.

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Waiting on Wednesday: Soundless by Richelle Mead

‘Waiting on Wednesday’ is a weekly meme that was created at Breaking The Spine. Thank you for this.

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever…

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About this author

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time: Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy.

A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses. She’s a self-professed coffee addict and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous.

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Review: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge (ARC)

When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

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I recieved a free copy from the publishers via Edelweiss.

My rating: 4.5 stars.

“Her dreams were a tangled mess of blood and shuddering trees.”

I don’t know what to say about this amazing book. It is dark and full of shadows. There is no completely positive characters. The good too closely mixed with evil.

Rachelle is bloodbound. They are the people who have been marked by the forestborns, who are servants of the Devourer.

Rachelle has superhuman abilities, which are intended to kill. And she hates herself for it and wants to atone it with the murder of the huge evil of this world – the Devourer.

So she is looking for a sword that can kill him, and for this case she attracts Armand – a man with hands cut off and replaced with the silver prosthesis.
By the way, he is a false saint.

Now you see what Rosamund did here?
I am absolutely fascinated by her story, and I’d love to say much more (because Ahhhh, you have no idea how many secrets this story keeps), but unfortunately I can’t.
Yet.

I can say that I absolutely adore the characters. I really like the main villain, though his manic action is very scare me (trust me, it’s terrible).
But now my mouth is closed.
But I yell to you:
Do not
stray from 
the path
in
the Great Forest.

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Here is my fan-art for this book: