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Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 Wrap Up!

                I was thinking of making my own wrap up or tag type thing for 2015/2016 end to start but I saw this popping up all over my page and think it summed everything up!  It's a bit long but I'll keep my answers as short and simple as possible. The original post was created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner and full details can be found here.  This will be the last post of 2015!  I plan to take tomorrow off as well.  If I'm honest, and I always am with you all, I have plans this evening with some friends and I work tomorrow morning so I'm not sure how my brain will be functioning tomorrow.  With that said let's get rolling!
Number of Books You Read: 104 (includes novellas)
Number of Re-Reads: 3
Genre You Read the Most From: No idea I read what I want when I want!

Best Book Read in 2015?
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell & Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn't?
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Most Surprising (good or bad way) book you read?
Winter by Marissa Meyer (technically I'm not finished yet but hope to be tonight and it's in a GOOD way thus far!

Book you "Pushed" the most people to read?
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Best series you started in 2015?  Best Sequel?  Best Series Ender?
Started: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas or An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Sequel: 
Ender: End of Days by Susan Ee or Isla and the Happily Every After by Stephanie Perkins

Favorite new author you discovered?
Elise Kova with Air Awakens 

Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Couldn't find one really since I'm pretty open.

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Winter by Marissa Meyer (and I'm not even finished yet!)

Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Favorite cover of a book read?
The Previous Stones trilogy by Kerstin Gier


Most memorable character?
Captain Thorn & Iko in The Lunar Chronicles (whole crew really)
Kaz in Six of Crows (whole group really)
Celaena in Throne of Glass books (keeping names the same)

Most beautifully written book?
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Most thought-provoking/life-caning book?

Book you can't believe you waited until 2015 to read?
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
 though I admit it was beautiful to have a selection ready to devour without waiting!

Favorite pasage/quote
I did a Top Ten on this here

Shortest & Longest books read?
Shortest: Mama Cried by Talia Haven (short story)
Longest: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Book that shocked you the most
Air Awakens by Elise Kova I had some serious moments where I didn't see things coming!

OTP of the year!  (I will go down with this ship)
Kaz and Inej
Feyre and Tamlin
Celaena & Chaol 

Favorite non-romantic relationship?
Iko and everyone in the Lunar Chronicles!

Favorite book read of an author I already knew?
Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Best book read based solely on a recommendation from someone else/peer pressure?

Newest fictional crush?
Captain Thorn from The Lunar Chronicles
Prince Aldrik from Air Awakens
Kaz from Six of Crows
Park from Eleanor & Park
Nicolas from Passenger

Best 2015 debut?
Crown of Smoke by Snowa Fox

Best world building/most vivid setting?
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Book that put a smile on my face/fun to read?
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Book that made me cry/nearly cry?
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 

Hidden gem of the year?
Alpha Unleashed by Aileen Erin

Book that crushed my soul?
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (if you don't know why then I can't say)

Most unique book?
Miss Peregrin's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs for the way it blended in the photos into the story, I haven't seen anything like that before myself.

Book that upset me the most?
Firewalker by Josephine Angelini




New favorite book blog?
 I've discovered several but a few are Next Page Please, The Eater of Books, Downright Dystopian, and my good friend started her blog Bogdana The Booknerd

Favorite review I wrote?
I don't think I can pick one off hand.  I'd have to spend a while going through them.  I think all the books I LOVED are fantastic as I try to show my love and excitement through each one!

Best discussion/non-review post I wrote?
I had the pleasure of doing several author interviews and new release promos which thrilled me.  Some of my favorites were getting to work with the Ink Monster team because I have loved their books since the start!

Best event I participated in?  (signings, festivals, virtual events, ect.)

I went to several signings which I adored all of them!  I also went to UtopYA which was a fantastic event and so much fun.  I missed out on YALLfest this year but I still think I had a fantastic time!

Best moment of bookish/blogging life?
At UtopYA I was talking to an author I like but didn't know would be there and she commented about her series and this one review that explained it perfectly and I was like huh sounds like mine...she was talking about MY review!  Also before this even an author I had interviewed the previous year messaged me to tell me she was attending and saw I would be there and looked forward to meeting me in person!  How awesome!  I'm a small still rather unknown blog but to be recognized was total fangirl!
I can't currently find the other picture but here is one!
Most challenging thing about blogging/reading this year?
Time.  I need to work on getting ahead and not typing things the day of. Also trying to post at a specific time is hard given that my job rotates hours nights to days so what is here for one month might be flipped for another.  Also YouTube, Netflix, and Pintrest.  It is so hard to read or write when I get caught up in one of those things and see my 10 min break was 2 hours.


Most popular post of the year (by views or comments)?
My ACOTAR review  (here)

My interview with Sarah Negovetich (here)


Post you wished got more love?
All of them lol!  I get more views than comments and I want to figure out how to get people to take a few moments to comment and interact so I can have a discussion!


Best bookish discovery? (sites, stores, etc)
I don't think I discovered much new this year honestly :(

Did you complete any challenges or goals?
The only challenge I was part of was my 100 book Goodreads challenge which I completed!



One book you didn't get to in 2015 but will be a priority in 2016?
There are so many!  I had planned to finish Queen of Shadows & Winter and I had wanted to finish off the Defiance and Darkest Minds trilogies but time got in the way.

Book most anticipated in 2016 (non-debut)?
I'm cheating I did a Top Ten with this last week! (here)

2016 debut most anticipating?
Another Top Ten (here) hey I've already put work into figuring this out!

Series ending/sequel I'm dying to get in 2016?
Pretty much all the sequel books listed two Q's ago lol.  A Court of Mist and Fury, Stars Above, The Raven King, Six of Crows 2, A Torch Against the Night, Throne of Glass 5, etc.

One thing I hope to accomplish or do in my reading/blogging life?
                Meeting my challenge goals and just keeping to my schedule.  It's doable if I just learn/stay on schedule and not get side tracked as much as I do with Netflix or YouTube marathons!

A 2016 release I've already read/recommend to everyone?
                Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (review
I have some other ARCs but I haven't gotten them finished just yet but look for them soon!

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

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

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine
Out:  2/23

From Goodreads:
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 giving 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. 


Why I’m Waiting:

                I am finding I just adore fairy tale retellings and I fell in love with the Defiance trilogy so it stands to reason I'd want to check out her other work.  Also the cover is rather stunning, dark and devious no doubt.  I had the chance to meet C.J. Redwine back in June and she was so much fun to talk to and we chatted for a good bit about her books as much as I could anyways as I hadn't finished the series and she had some amazing things to say in one of the panels she was on about world building.  

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases (for the first half) of 2016

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The top today is:  Most Anticipated Releases for the first half of 2016

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken I’ve already read this one as an ARC and loved it and can't wait to get my hardcover in my hands.  Review
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Asleep by Krystal Wade

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Summer Days & Summer Nights:  Twelve Love Stories by Everyone Edited by Stephanie Perkins

                Happy Teaser Tuesday!  Today is the 4th installment of ten weeks of teasers to get you ready for the release of ASLEEP by Krystal Wade.  This spine-chilling YA psychological thriller is the debut novel from Blaze Publishing, set to be released February 16, 2016, and answers the question of what happens when Sleeping Beauty meets Freddy Krueger.  If you missed the first teaser, don’t worry!  You can still find it and other great content on the Blaze Publishing blog.  Pre-orders are available now from Amazon.  Mark your calendars, and be sure to add the book to your Goodreads list!





Monday, December 28, 2015

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

                Welcome back everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break!  I am surprised to say I got no books this year for Christmas, thus far anyways.  I did need some car parts which I needed so I am okay with that plus I got some gift cards though which are basically books in waiting.  I also placed another Bookoutlet order.  2016 is fast approaching, I can’t believe 2015 is almost over.  But today as the only review for this week I wanted to share my thoughts on the start of a series I will be finishing up start of the New Year if things go right and the first book is Defiance by C.J. Redwine.
               
Rating: 5 Stars

                Defiance takes place in a world full of city-states where women are trained to sew and dance and are unable to go anywhere without a male protector.  Outside the walls there is the Wasteland and a monster that can’t be killed.  Rachel isn’t like other girls, her father raised her to track and hunt and she doesn’t want a protector, she’d rather have a sparring partner.  However, when her father doesn’t come home from his courier mission and is declared dead she is assigned a new protector, until she is of age to be claimed by a husband of course, none other than her father’s apprentice and boy she confessed to love some time ago, Logan.  Rachel knows in her bones her father is alive and she will do anything to find him even if she has to do it herself.  Together this pair with a history journey through the Wasteland and are faced with the monster, trained assassins, and pretty much everyone wanting them dead.  Oh and there is the whole pesky hurt feelings still lingering between them, what could go wrong?
                 I really enjoyed this book.  It caught me by surprise as I didn’t know much about it when I started just that it had been out for a while and I liked the simple yet striking covers. Baalboden was not my kind of place.  The role of a female was not something I enjoyed and found myself scoffing at every person who talked about it being the proper way marking them on my list of ‘okay if they die’ through the series.  Come on I know I can’t be the only one who thinks about characters as I read them and sort through in my mind, especially if it’s a book where death is a likely event for some, and wonder if I would be okay with them dying or will it be hard to cope.  Some people swap back and forth all the time based on their actions but still.  At any rate the Commander of their city-state is so far past okay with and please die category.  Not just for being the ruler and enforcer of such a system that treat women as little more than pets to cook, clean, and breed, but other more substantia reasons.  Can you tell I wouldn’t do well in this type of society and probably why I don’t read many historical novels?

                Maybe this is why I love Rachel and her father.  He didn’t agree with that notion of the world and he taught his daughter better than that.  She is strong and fierce rather than meek and shy.  I love how head strong she is, in a world where women don’t have the option she was sheltered in a way and allowed to have her own opinions and given voice to share them and develop a quick wit, which may or may not be a good thing in some instances.  Then we have Logan who was taken in by this same caring man and given a job and purpose and a new kind of family.  He sees Rachel for who she really is, not who she must pretend to be in society.  Where Rachel is headstrong and ready to rush into danger with determination and passion he is just as stubborn but more meticulous in wanting to have a plan.  They are balances to one another, yin and yang. 

                The story is a journey to overcome and fight the oppression and who doesn’t love that kind of story.  Plus there is plenty of action as monsters, assassins and such keep everyone on their toes.  The batter is both internal and external.  Both characters we see through are faced with battles on both fronts.  The world they live in in flushed out in a way I felt like I understood their life and their motivations.  I really enjoyed the book as a whole and was excited to continue on.  I didn’t marathon through one after the other, but not for lack of desire, just that I was reading with a friend and that was worth waiting a bit to continue on.  We plan to finish the last book in the trilogy at the start of the year.  Defiance has everything a good fantasy should have in my opinion, a well thought out world, interesting characters, and an intriguing story arch that builds.  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. 


                Until next time…

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

~Waiting on Wednesday~ Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 2 by Danielle Paige

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

Out:  2/16

From Goodreads:
A collection of three prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series!

Follow Dorothy’s iconic companions from the beloved classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as each of their gifts becomes key to the downfall of Oz.  After Dorothy Gale wished her way home and long before Amy Gumm found herself in Oz, Dorothy’s friends left the Road of Yellow Brick to go their separate ways.  But in a place like Oz, where magic and temptation lurk, the gifts from the Wizard begin to take on a life of their own.  The Tin Woodman becomes twisted with longing.  The Scarecrow develops a taste for plotting.  And doubt consumes the Cowardly Lion.

Kiss the land where troubles melt like lemon drops good-bye.  Here there’s danger around every corner, and magical shoes won’t be able to save you.

Why I’m Waiting:

                I enjoyed the first two books and the first novella bind up and look forward to continuing the series and that includes the novellas and seeing how the characters I knew from TV turned into the creatures of nightmares when Amy comes to town.  

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me & #Teaser Tuesday

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Stay turned at the bottom for #teasertuesday 

The top today is: Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Bringing Me (I’m going with already out not ones I wish he could use a Christmas miracle on)


The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy- I plan on reading The 5th Wave (finally I know) start of the year so I’m ready for the movie and would love to have the sequel to marathon through.

Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken- I’m planning to finish Never Fade by the end of 2015 and then finish the last book shortly into the year and knock out the series but I need the novellas to make it official plus I need them to make my collection complete.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon- I have heard tons of love for this book and have been meaning to pick it so if Santa wants to help I’d love it.

Harry Potter Coloring Books any and all- Duh it’s Harry Potter and coloring books

 

Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins- I have Rebel Bell and while I haven’t read it yet, yes this is a theme, I want to as the third book comes out again to marathon and this would put me one step closer.
 

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch– See above.  Want to catch up!
 

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera- Have heard great things about this book but have not yet picked it up for myself.
 

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White– Have had it on my wish list for some time and would really like to read it and as a stand-alone I’m intrigued plus the cover is great!

Last but not least and these might be cheating but I don’t care…

The Angelbound (Origins & Offspring) series by Christina Bauer- I love them!  I have them all on my kindle but I want them on my shelf!

The Alpha Girl series by Aileen Erin- Same as above!  I would love to have the beauties on my shelf and be able to feel their pages as I re-read!



                Those are my Top Ten books I hope Santa brings me, what about you?  I’m sure I’ll want to add or change mine a million times looking at everyone’s lists but that is the nature of book love!  Hope Santa reads my list and feels I’ve been nice enough this year ;)


                Happy Teaser Tuesday!  Today is the 3rd installment of ten weeks of teasers to get you ready for the release of ASLEEP by Krystal Wade.  This spine-chilling YA psychological thriller is the debut novel from Blaze Publishing, set to be released February 16, 2016, and answers the question of what happens when Sleeping Beauty meets Freddy Krueger.  If you missed the first teaser, don't worry!  You can still find it and other great content on the Blaze Publishing blog.  Pre-orders are available now from Amazon.  Mark your calendars, and be sure to add the book to your Goodreads list!

Monday, December 21, 2015

Time travel treasure hunt! Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

And can we just appreciate this cover!
                I can hardly believe Christmas is in four days!  I hope everyone is enjoying their time and staying safe.  I will be posting my normally scheduled Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday post this week but for the holiday I will not be posting Thursday or Friday as I’m sure you understand.  I just wanted to make it official and also wish you all a wonderful, safe, and Merry Christmas!  In the mean time I had to get my thoughts out on Passenger by Alexandra Bracken after finishing it Saturday night.  This book was provided to me as an ARC by NetGalley  and Disney-Hyperion/Disney Book Group for an honest review.  Thank you so much!  I was jumping up and down to get my hands on this beauty.  Passenger comes out January 5th.

Rating: 5 Stars

                Can I just say how thankful and happy I am to have received an ARC of this book?  Well I am!  My only pitfall of the ARC of a series anyways is that you then have an even longer time to wait for more!  That is where I am craving the next book and more of this whole world as possible.  I had one expectation of where the story was going to go, and what I thought would happen but then….nope it went a different route.  I was hooked in from the start.  From the description of time travel and a treasure hunt I was on board.  Etta is thrust into a world she never knew existed and Nicholas is pulled back into the Ironwoods orbit, one where they demand servitude.  They must work together and travel through time to find the prize, crossing times and continents, to figure out the clues and riddles left behind. 

                Etta is thrown into this world without any knowledge and is forced to learn quickly the way of the traveler.  Still she is only given half-truths on some things while being insulted and ordered around.  I love how strong willed she is despite her limited information and understanding.  She stands up for what she believes is right and reacts like an enlightened person of her era.  She has that fire and passion in her that I enjoy.  Full of schemes and running options for her next move and not waiting for others to guide her along blindly.  Still she is a sweet soul.  Nicholas has been through a lot in his life, the life he lives never an easy one.  He has had his trials but he is content in his current life on the ship, his own little paradise where he is judged by what matters: his ability and character not the color of his skin.  He has distanced himself from his past but is pulled back in by the lure of a payday and clearing his slate of a past wrong.  Hard to pass up.

                We see the story from both perspectives which I really enjoyed.  They both have their own secrets, fears, and reactions to different stimuli.  Traveling, while new for Etta is full of wonder and horror.  I love how she put it, to read about things in history books and know they were wrong is one thing but to see them in action is something all-together different.  Her adapting to and trying to blend into the past she clearly doesn’t fit into with her modern sensibilities; and him, while partially trained, seeing more modern technologies and feats that seem so far past his natural time it’s unsettling.  Their connection is slow and builds.  They become friends with a cause, partners on the journey.  They interact in a way that flows naturally.  They are alike and equally opposite which made for a good read. 

                The world itself was fully developed.  I was never confused with the worlds, well not after it was explained naturally.  The rules are in place.  The passages open to a specific year not day, the day is that of which you left still moving forward which makes keeping track of time moving through time much easier to process.  At least it was for me.  Time zones still suck but they do with any travel.  Most important with time travel everything flowed naturally without confusing me with technical babble.  Each time and place we are taken to have unique elements to set it apart.  I’m not a huge fan of history and normally stray from historical fiction but this had the authenticity but it also focused on the story as a whole and the hunt for the prize. 

                Passenger also deals with real issues that would arise in historical periods.  Being a woman or being a black man were not always pleasant things.  The reactions and views of people, the laws and overall feel dealt with that head on and didn’t shy away from it.  There is never one easy solution to the story; one little thing and it’d all be perfect and work itself out.  This story is beyond complex and weaved beautifully.  Now aside from the whole family lineage stuff, everything was easy to follow.  Which let’s be honest I don’t even follow my own family past the immediate, then it’s ‘we’re related somehow’ and I go with it I don’t have time for 2nd or 3rd this on this side by blah blah blah.  I was enticed through the whole book wanting to know more. 

                Overall I want more.  I need the sequel now.  I’m currently trying to figure out how many books are intended for the series and how long I’ll have to wait to find out what happens next.  It left a mark on me and I will eagerly count the days.  I look forward to learning even more about characters we only get a brief glimpse into with Passenger, paths crossed shortly and all.  I hope some return in the sequel because I would love to know more about Sophie, Hall, Chase, Julian, Alice, and Rose.  After everything that happened I just want more.  I’d also like to learn more about the Thorns as well.  So much going through my head after finishing this book.  Let’s discuss it below.  I would love to hear your thoughts about this book, characters, the concept, time travel in general in the comments. 


                Until next time…Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 18, 2015

A tale of revenge in Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

                Hello everyone!  So yesterday was a bit of a bust for keeping on tract.  My mother came by before my eye appointment to get technical assistance for her Kindle and then me being completely spacey forgot what they do at most eye appointments…dilate your eyes.  I have some issues with this in it just makes me nap because everything is too bright for several hours after.  Thus I couldn’t stand to look at my screen to post; and just left my wonderful flash drive with my reviews at home today.  Holiday brain is what I’m calling it.  I hope you all are finished or at least in the home stretch and getting ready to just sit back and enjoy the rest.  I have everything finished but my loads of baking I’ll be doing Monday/Tuesday.  But I love to bake as much as I love to read so should be fun.  Back to bookish matters though I have for you today my thoughts and feels on Daughter of DeepSilence by Carrie Ryan.

Rating:  5 Stars

                This is a story of revenge.  Plan and simple.  Our main character lost everything when the Persephone was attacked.  Everyone was killed and the ship sank.  Only three survivors to tell the tale and two of them are lying.  Only Frances knows the real truth and she will stop at nothing until the murders of her family and everyone else on that ship are made to pay.  Even if she has to take down the first, the only, boy she’s every loved to do it. 

                I really enjoyed this book.  I enjoyed Frances and her story.  She has turned herself into someone else for four years.  She let her old self die on that ship and became Libby.  This was so heartbreaking to be because not only did she go through so much to that point but she then lost everything else that was hers including her ability to really mourn for her family or to remember old times with others.  I just wanted her to find out her truth.  I wanted to know what and why it all happened as much as she did.  It was a page turner for me for sure.  I was always disappointed to reach the daily goal (week read-along) and put it down. This is probably why I finished it a few days early. 

                Aside from Frances and her journey I also found myself really feeling for Shepherd.  He was royally screwed in it all.  Everyone is really going through something.  The depth of the characters emotions really came off the page for me and I was constantly torn between my feelings for several of the characters.  Even Grey, who we know has been lying this whole time, seems to be really messed up over it which gives you the feels.  Still Frances most of all in the whole mess for so many reasons I can’t fully explain without ruining things.  I seriously found myself downing my glass of water while reading this book because hearing of that thirst made me thirsty.

                Basically this book is one big take of page turning vengeful fun.  I really enjoyed the ABC show Revenge, some seasons more than others, and this took me back to the best parts about it.  Also his name was Grey haha.  The plot kept me going trying to figure it all out and how I wanted it to end because as a reader I was invested and I had my own thoughts and visions for the end game and it changed each and every time something new came into play.  I was caught up in it all and loving every minute. 

                I really enjoy a good story of revenge and really got behind this one.  I would recommend it to pretty much anyone.  It plays with more than revenge but with pain, identity, love, loss and the search for the truth.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the book or the plot.  What do you think of revenge as a whole?  Share your thoughts below and let’s converse on it. 

                Until next time…




Wednesday, December 16, 2015

~Waiting on Wednesday~ Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Out:  3/8

From Goodreads:
Los Angeles.  It's been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents.  After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn.  A series of murders in the city catch her attention—they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents.  Could the murderer be the same person?  And her attention isn't the only one caught:  someone has been murdering Downworlders as well.  The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute:  if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they'll return Mark Blackthorn to his home.  The catch:  they have only two weeks to find the killers.  Otherwise it's open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them.  At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she's absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love.  Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

Why I’m Waiting:

                I have just adored all things Shadowhunter thus far and getting to meet Emma in City of Heavenly Fire just made me want to know more about her all the more.  I am so excited to continue in the world!