Waiting on Wednesday: The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

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

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

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About this author

C.J. Redwine loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and any movie starring Johnny Depp. She is the author of the Defiance trilogy, a post-apocalyptic fantasy from Balzer + Bray. C.J. lives in Nashville with her husband and children. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she’ll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. To learn more about C.J., visit her website at www.cjredwine.com

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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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Film Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed by Josh Boone, based on the novel of the same name by John Green. The film stars Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Nat Wolff, with Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, and Willem Dafoe playing supporting roles. Woodley plays Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old cancer patient who is forced by her parents to attend a support group, where she subsequently meets and falls in love with Augustus Waters, played by Elgort.

Development of The Fault in Our Stars began in January 2012 when Fox 2000, a division of 20th Century Fox, optioned the rights to adapt the novel into a feature film. Principal photography began on August 26, 2013, in Pittsburgh, United States, with a few additional days in Amsterdam, Netherlands, before concluding on October 16, 2013.

The Fault in Our Stars was released on June 6, 2014, in the United States. The film received a positive reception from critics, with praise going to Woodley’s performance as well as the script. The film was also a blockbuster, becoming number one at the box office during its opening weekend and grossed over US$306 million worldwide against its budget of $12 million. It was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on September 16, 2014.

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My rating: The biggest infinity.

My love for this story is so huge that I decided to write a review for this great movie, although I do not usually write reviews for films.

But this movie has helped me greatly. I am so glad that I saw it at this time.

<— Hazel and Gus is being awesome

I put off watching this movie for a long time. It seemed to me that it will not cause the same emotions as the book.

Great Regret Minute at TSOfYABks

I love this movie as well as a book. I love the acting. I love the scenes.
I LOVE  EVERYTHING.

   

My favorite scene is when Isaac showered his ex-girlfriend’s car with eggs.
Gus laughed and it was really the moment when I realized that he was satisfied with his life. And it is most important to me.

In fact, I don’t think that this film is about love only.
It’s about life. Your life and how you live it, and I’m so grateful to such films because they make me think (sorry, I don’t share my thoughts, it’s too personal).

 

I understand that it is difficult to call this creasy confusion of my thoughts review, but if you haven’t watched this movie, go and see, okay?

The Road Thus Far: ARCs!

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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