Top Ten Tuesday: 2017 Debut Authors

                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 ten today is:  2017 Debuts I’m excited for

Frostblood (Frostblood Saga #1) by Elly Blake

Wintersong by S.Jae-Jones

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

Shimmer and Burn by Mary Taranta

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

Poison’s Kiss (Poison’s Kiss #1) by Breeana Shields

A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl

Wicked Like a Wildfire (Hibiscus Daughter #1) by Lana Popovic

Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber

                 These are some of the ones I’m looking at to help me with my 2017 Debut Author Challenge but I still need some more so feel free to share your picks!  Tell me what you think of my list in the comments below.  Also please link back to your Top Ten as well so I can check out your list and see what I missed!

2017 Reading Challenge Announcement

   Hello Happy Readers and Goodbye 2016! 

                Today is the last day of 2016 and I am so ready for 2017.  This has been a crazy year for sure filled with both good and bad.  Yesterday I posted my challenge update to see how I did on my goals of 2016 which you can see here.  I think overall I did pretty well.  I achieved all but one of my challenges and that one was pretty close too.  I also had lots of fun participating in these so I wanted to continue with that fun and sign up for some 2017 challenges.  So now I’m talking about them!

2017 Goodreads

Goal: 125

                Basic reading challenge, all books read count.

2017 Debut Author Challenge

Goal: 12

                This is one I did last year (and completed) to read 12 or more debut books from 2017.  It’s great because it brings new authors to your attention!  Now for this one they don’t count until they have been reviewed.  #2017DebAuthC 

2017 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Goal: As many as possible!

                Another one I did last year and enjoyed and again is pretty straight forward.  Books on your TBR that have been published before 2017.  Basically cleaning off your shelf of unread books!  Monthly wrap up’s will be posted with #RockMyTBR   

2017 Series Enders Reading Challenge

Goal: 15

                The last challenge from 2016 I did and this one is the one I failed at reaching my goal of 15 coming in at only 12.  So this time I’m ready to give it another go and reach it!  The goal is to finish series simple as that.  Only the last book in the series counts (hence series ender) so you can read the final book in a series you started a while ago or read the whole series.  Monthly wrap-up posts will be posted on the 25^th of every month. 

2017 New Releases Challenges

Goal: 31-60

                Books have to be released and reviews in 2017!  Minimum page length is 100 pages so super short 20 page novellas don’t count.  Really I like this one because last year I read a bunch of new releases but they didn’t count towards any of my challenges which made my competitive side sad but I really wanted to read them so this year I’m covering them!  I’m aiming for a New Release Pro of 31-60 books, yikes!

2017 Audiobook Challenge

Goal: 5-10

                So I’ve recently started to get into audiobooks more and more.  They were good for trips in the car and such but that was about the only time I listened.  Now I’ve started to listen to them on my phone more frequently and thought this sounded like fun!  I’m aiming for Weekend Warrior of 5-10.

                            Those are all the challenges I have decided to try in 2017.  There were so many wonderful ones to choose from but I didn't want to be overwhelmed.  That said I will be posting monthly updates to my progress on the 25th of the month.  I have high expectations for reading in 2017 and I hope yo all do as well!  Help me stay on track and motivated.  Share your own challenge links below so I can do the same!  All of this information and links will be posted on a tab at the top of the page where I'll update my progress monthly!    

2016 Reading Wrap-Up!

                Hello Happy Readers!  2017 is almost over so that means it's time to look back at my year of reading.  I want to discuss my reading challenges and how I did in them as well as some of my other goals I had mentioned.  I had a bit of a slow last half of the year with apartment issues and then the craziness of buying a house and all it entails and then holiday madness but that said I still had a great reading year.  The first half of the year I was flying through books!  I've already had some great reads so I call it a win/win.

Challenges:

Goodreads: My goal was 100 books and I have read (at time of posting) 103 books!  I made my goal, mostly in the first part of the year.

2016 Debut Author Challenge:  Goal was to read 12 debut books of 2016 and review them. So I ended up completing this one with 14 books!  I didn't get the last 4 on my blog yet but I did review them on Goodreads!  Still cheers to that one! 

Rock My TBR Challenge: This one I didn't have a specific number of books in mind just that I wanted to read lots of books I already owned prior to 2016 from my shelf.  That said I completed 35 books (and hoping to finish 2 more before the end of 2016) so I call this one a win as well!

My last challenge I participated in was the Series Ender Challenge:  Basically to finish off series either if you only had 1 book left or you read the whole series through just the final book counts.  I had a goal of 15 but sadly I didn't meet this one.  I was a bit ambitious as most of mine I read from start to finish and I only managed to finish 12.  Still proud of this just shot a bit too high for my year.  Still 12 is awesome that's 12 series I have finished up!

  Goals:

      Debut books I had hoped/planned to read this year: (original list)

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman (review)

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker (review)

Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

After the Woods by Kim Savage

Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan (review)

My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul (review)

The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter

                Here I got 4/10 which isn't great but this was made when I didn't know all the amazing debut books coming out so while I read some real hits I didn't get to each of these.  Some I did buy and do plan to read in 2017 which include Burning Glass, The Love That Split the World, and Assassin's Heart.

Books/Series I  had planned to read/finish: (original list)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (and follow up series) by RIck Riordan- Didn't touch them.  I wanted to badly to but then I had so many other books they kept being pushed back thinking I would finish quickly but never did.

The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey- I did read the first two books before the final book came out but since then I have not finished out the last book as intended. (The 5th Wave & The Infinite Sea)

Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin- Never started.  Shame.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone series by Laini Taylor- I finished this one!  Whoohoo!!! (Daughter of Smoke & Bone / Days of Blood & Starlight)

Snow Like Ashes series by Sara Raasch- Finished this one too!  Cheers I'm doing okay here.  (Snow Like Ashes / Ice Life Fire)

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black- Nope

Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout- I just started the first book via audiobook and hope to finish today or tomorrow but won't have the series completed this year. 

Summer trilogy by Jenny Hann- Never touched them.  I meant to do it in the summer when it would fit the season but somehow they got skipped.

The Selection series by Kiera Cass- Yes!  Another win for me.  I read all of these even the novellas. (Selection / Elite / One / Heir / Crown)

Adorkable by Sara Manning- Nope.  I forgot I had this on my list until I went back to look and dang it there it was. 

                So here I did kind of 50/50 I'd say.  Some of these will even make it to my 2017 lists while others will not.  So that is my 2016 wrap-up.  I can only hope to do even better next year!  

Wayfarer (Passenger #2) Sneak Peek

                Hello Happy Readers!  So excited for 2017!  We are almost there but first I have one more snip-it for you.  I’ll also be sharing my 2016 wrap-up and 2017 goals/challenges in the next couple of days so stay tuned.  But first Wayfarer (Passengers #2).

                So you may remember but last year I was stoked to get an ARC of Passenger (review)by Alexandra Bracken from NetGalley.  I loved the book and my biggest complaint was that I had to wait even longer for more.  That said when I saw the cover for Wayfarer, one of my most anticipated books of 2017, on NetGalley I clicked request faster than lightening.  I got it right away but then I noticed that it was only a sneak peek, the first seven chapters of the book.  Now I was skeptical about this as I have mixed feelings on chapter samplers normally but I figured I needed at least one answer to hold me over and the book comes out in the first month of 2017 so I went ahead and devoured it.

                This sampler was not nearly enough to completely satisfy but if did the job of getting me amped up and ready for book two.  It took me back to the world of Passenger and reminded me of everything that had happened.  It made sure that when my pre-order of Wayfarer arrives it is read right away and now I can also get a jump start! 

                Nicholas is working with Sophia are working together.  Etta is alone but finds unexpected company in someone I'd been so excited to learn more about, Julian and even got the first glimpse of a new character Li Min who had me unsure from the start.  So much was encompassed in those seven chapters I can't wait to get my hands on the whole thing.  Basically next week can't come soon enough!  Until then here is the summary to help tide us over.

                All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history.  After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed.  When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected—Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master's heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta's past could put them both at risk.

                Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail.  They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia.  But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realizes that one of his companions may have ulterior motives. 

                As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognizable…and might just run out on both of them.

~Waiting on Wednesday~ Midnight Jewel (The Glittering Court #2)

               So I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas last weekend.  I was swamped with baking for the holidays with my family, friends, co-workers, and my own party (had the whole family over to see the new place while everyone was off and in town) and yeah it was insane.  I kid you not I used over 10 lbs of butter, 20 lbs of flour and so on it was intense but so worth it everyone loved them.  Not done baking yet, have a birthday party and New Years baking to work on.  I am working on my 2016 wrap-up and my goals/challenges for 2017 so look for that Friday and Saturday but until then the last WoW of 2016!

                 “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:

Midnight Jewel (The Glittering Court #2) by Richelle Mead

Out: 4/25

From Goodreads:

                In Midnight Jewel, Richelle Mead goes beyond the glitz and glamour of the Glittering Court, delving into the dark, political underbelly of Cape Triumph through the eyes of one girl who dares to fight for her freedom.

                A refugee of war, Mira was cast out of her home country and thrust into another, where the conditions were inhospitable at best.  In a life-altering twist of fate, she is given the chance to escape once more, and she takes it, joining the Glittering Court.

                Both a school and business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World.  There, Mira finds herself subjected to persecution, not only from her fellow Glittering Court jewels, but from her suitors, as well—men she would potentially be expected to give her life to.

                By day, she goes through the motions, learning the etiquette and customs that will help to earn her anonymity, even making a couple true friends in the process, the forthright ladies’ maid Adelaide and the ambitious laundress Tamsin.  But by night, Mira hatches a different plan entirely—one that, if exposed, could get her hanged in the highest court of Adoria.

                Midnight Jewel is the extraordinary story of a girl with few options who courageously forges a new path, finding love, passion, lifelong friendships, and maybe even a way to freedom.

               

Why I’m Waiting:

                 Richelle Mead.  Auto-buy author.  Enough said.  But if you need more, I really enjoyed The Glittering Court (review) and seeing everything from Adelaide but there was a lot happening with Mira and Tamsin that we still don’t know and to see what Mira was up to in that same span of time should be rather interesting she was always sneakings off and I’ll finally get to figure out to where.

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out.

~Waiting on Wednesday~ Now I Rise (And I Darken #2)

                “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:

Now I Rise (And I Darken #2) by Kiersten White

Out: 6/27

From Goodreads:

                Lada Dracul has no allies.  No throne.  All she has is what she’s always had:  herself.  After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path.  Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land.  But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants.  And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart.  There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her.  She left him before he could leave her.

                What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill.  But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission.  Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines.  Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help.  Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing.  If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

                As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide:  what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies?  Empires will topple, thrones will be won…and souls will be lost.

               

Why I’m Waiting:

                 Normally I’m not big on historical fiction but And I Darken (review) really pulled me in and the whole concept of a female Vlad the Impaler seemed interesting.  Not being a fan of history I don’t know how close it follows real historic moments and to that end I have no idea where it will go but I’m ready to find out what happens to Lada and Radu.

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out.

Acca (Angelbound Origins #3)

                Hello happy readers!  So normally on Tuesday I’d be posting a Top Ten Tuesday but today I wanted to share my review on release day of a new book in a series I completely adore.  The book in question is Acca (Angelbound Origins #3) by Christina Bauer.  I love this series!  To see all my love check out the past reviews for Angelbound, Scala, and Armageddon and the Angelbound Offspring books Maxon and Portia.  I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review and I’m trilled to share it with you on release day.  Acca contains spoilers for Angelbound and Scala but not for the other books in the series so you don’t have much to catch up on!

Rating: 5 Stars

                So Acca takes us back to the beginning. After book two, Scala, we jump forward several years but we know where Myla and Lincoln are concerned they had plenty of adventures and stories from that time.  We go back and see more from that time, when Myla and Lincoln work towards dismantling the House of Acca and sending their evil leader to prison…or they will end up in jail themselves and that would put a real damper on their impending wedding.  To stop him they must present their proof to the courts but it is never that simple, not when the man you’re trying to take down is as slimy as an eel and has most everyone under their control.  Myla and Lincoln go undercover on Earth to get what they need but time is of the essence.

                As much as I loved seeing Maxon and Portia I still have to say Myla and Lincoln are still my favorites!  Having them front and center again was right on point.  Myla was her usual self, tough as nails and hot tempered and ready to kick some ass, or ogle a nice one.  She is part wrath and lust demon after all.  She is trying to find a balance though and put on the appearance of being stately being that she’s about to become Queen and all but that never stops her from being true to herself.  Lincoln is just as bad ass and fierce but he is also much calmer that Myla and together they balance one another out so beautifully.  They both know how to calm, or goad, the other up and the understanding between them just makes your heart melt.   They are by far the best thing ever and I could read a hundred books about them easy.

I mean look at them!

                The story is also packed full of goodies.  First the plot to take down the evil and corrupt house.  Aldred is a real piece of work.  As I was reading I just wanted to reach through my kindle and strangle him at ever mention of his name.  He is just so devious and conniving it makes your skin crawl, more when you see the influence he has.  So rooting for our couple to find what they need to finally end him is natural.  Still as evil as he is there is something fascinating about him, in a you’re interesting but I still want you dead kind of way.  Because then you have to think about everyone who supports him and their reasons and if you can really trust them as well, very complex.

                Through in an undercover mission to gather evidence and you have a winning combo.  Seriously the idea of making Myla go undercover back in school, a school on Earth no less, and even with the urgency of everything I was laughing.  Okay no matter how serious things got and how on edge I was worrying about certain characters Myla and her outbursts or antics could make me laugh for a moment.  Oh and her tail I can’t leave him our or he’d get mad. 

 

                This book was amazing as were the others and I’m so excited to see that Thrax is coming out soon-ish and we will get to continue learning more of the adventures of Myla and Lincoln!  I’ve already pre-ordered my copy because auto-buy series/author here.  Highly recommend!

                Until next time…