~Can't Wait Wednesday: War Storm (Red Queen #4)~

                Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Wishful Endings.  Waiting on Wednesday has been don for some time so I am switching it up for now!  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

War Storm (Red Queen #4) by Victoria Aveyard

Out: 5/15  

From Goodreads:

                Victory comes at a price.

                Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her.  Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all…starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

                But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her.  Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force.  But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

                War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance.  Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms?  Or will the little lightening girl be forever silenced?

                In this epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power…for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

Why I’m Waiting:

                 So I just finished King’s Cage last week and I held off on reading it because I knew there was a cliff hanger ending and I wanted to wait as long as possible.  Now here I am caught up and needing to know what happens next because that ending really ticked me off! 

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

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with my favorite color on the cover!

                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 now being hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.  I’ve missed the last couple weeks but today’s topic is kind of perfect for me!

The top ten today is:  Books with my favorite color (Blue) on the cover!

Sapphire Blue (Precious Stone #2) by Kerstin Gier

A Court of Mist & Fury (ACOTAR #2) by Sarah J. Maas (review)

The Queen’s Rising (The Queen’s Rising #1) by Rebecca Ross

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater (review)

Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (review)

Daughter of the Siren Queen (Daughter of the Pirate King #2) by Tricia Levenseller (review)

A Torch Against the Night (Ember Quartet #2) by Sabaa Tahir 

The Rose & the Dagger (The Wrath & the Dawn #2) by Renee Ahdieh (review)

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor (review)

Threats of Sky & Sea (#1) / Riot of Storm & Smoke (#2) by Jennifer Ellison (Sky & Sea / Storm & Smoke)

               

                So what do you think?  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!

A Court of Frost & Starlight (ACOTAR #3.1)

                Hello happy readers!  So as most of you know A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOTAR #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas came out last week.  I was unable to read that day given I was at work and couldn’t listen and my physical copy was waiting at my front door for me and after opening it I promptly passed out.  But that said the next day my one goal was to read that book in one sitting.  I did just that.  For a Maas book it was short, given that it is technically a novella, possibly the longest novella I’ve read, it was a quick listen.  Now I wanted to share my thoughts on the matter and of course as this is a book that follows after the huge events of the previous three books there will be spoilers for the first three books.

Rating:  5 Stars

                Our Inner Circle is dealing with the aftermath of the war.  Winter Solstice is in a week and even among their duties and rebuilding the Inner Circle must take some time to enjoy the holiday in a way only they can.  This book is brief and not super plot heavy but as it was described as an in between.  It is a way to touch base after the war and see our characters and where they stand and how they are healing.  We also get to experience many different POV’s whereas the original was all from Feyre so we get a feel for some of the other voices we will be seeing.  It was pure love full of some darker moments for sure as post war and loss not everyone is doing well.  Just because you won the war doesn’t mean everything turns into a rainbows and sunshine there is still a lot to deal with.  Seeing how everyone is coping and dealing and living with life post war is nice to know they struggle at times too.  There are also tons of fun light hearted moments as well like the Winter Solstice traditions, dinner time chats that had me in tears, art, decorating, and of course some love! 

                This is basically a book full of little bits here and there that kind of help give you a feel for where our people are and bridge the gap between the original trilogy and the new books.  I really enjoyed the fun I had with it and I can’t wait for the next book next year which in the physical copy we got a sneak peek at and I’m thrilled it looks like it will focus on Nesta and Cassian.  I am beyond excited and so happy I had this little bit of Inner Circle love to hold me over. 

                Until next time…

~Stacking the Shelves #51~

                Welcome to Stacking the Shelves was created by Tynga and the full details can be found on her page.  Basically you showcase the books you bought or received each week.  Little, or not so little, weekly book hauls. 

Physical Books:

A Court of Frost & Starlight (ACOTAR #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas

King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard

The Queen's Rising (The Queen's Rising #1) by Rebecca Ross

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

E-Book (Review):

Moonlight & Midtown (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #1.5) by Christina Bauer

E-Book:

Okami (Flame in the Mist #1.25) by Renee Ahdieh

Audiobooks:

A Court of Frost & Starlight (ACOTAR #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas

                Another good small week.  I have some pre-orders I’m waiting on but I never count them until they arrive.  Share a link below with what goodies you got this week. 

Sky in the Deep

                Hello happy readers!  As you may have seen I already posted once today and now I am here with the promised second belated review.  Again I am very thankful that I was provided a copy in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.  This book is also a new release that came out on 4/24 and an anticipated read for me of this year, Sky in the Deep by debut author Adrienne Young.

Rating:  5 Stars

                Raised as a Aska warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her clansmen each fighting season against the Riki clan.  Her life is simple and brutal.  Until the day she sees something impossible, her brother she watched die years ago fighting with the Riki.  She chases after him desperate to understand what is happening and finds herself trapped in the mountains with the Riki as a prisoner.  She comes to learn many truths she never wanted to know, that the Riki are not so different from her own people and the truth of what happened to her brother those years past.  Still he Riki and Aska are enemies as old as time.  Until one night when another ruthless class raids all of the villages Riki and Aska alike showing a common enemy may force an unlikely alliance.  Beliefs and loyalties are tested and formed as war blooms.

                I knew instantly from the summary and the cover I wanted to read this.  A new debut that sounded epic and it was a standalone so that was even more impressive as most books I was starting/reading seemed to be part of a series.  Plus it seemed like a pretty awesome story.  I wasn’t wrong.  I really enjoyed this debut.  Eelyn is a fierce warrior and won’t let anything slow her down.  We learn how the Aska live, believe, and fight.  Then as things progress we get to see the same things from the Riki side.  More we see the Riki side through the eyes of an Aska, one who is very upset about being there.  Still as she gets to know the people, one familiar in particular she is able to see them as people rather than simply enemies. 

                The story has some pretty well flushed out characters.  I of course loved Eelyn.  I enjoyed getting to know both Riki and Aska, though it does seem we get to know more of Riki.  This didn’t hit me until just now because I still felt while we spent less time with the Aska they were equally understood because our MC is Aska.  Each character from Myra, Iri, Runa, Inge, Fiske, and Halvard were all different and had their own qualities both good and bad.  I had some strong words for each at one time or another to be sure.  Both have their own prejudices and issues to be sure as any groups with contrasting opinions normally do.  More so in this regard as they have spent years past going to war with one another and that leads to a lot of bloodshed. 

                There is a lot of action and fighting in this one for sure but one of my favorite parts was the struggle for the characters.  Warring with their beliefs and history.  Trying to overcome so many years of prejudice and the like.  Reconciling everything you were raised with to what you see in front of you.  What is more important?  What can be forgiven?  I love all of that.  This book had a lot of deeper meaning and struggles inside of it.  It had its share of pain and loss but also hope and love.  It was a full and satisfying standalone.  I look forward to checking out the author’s next book.   

                Until next time…

Dimension Drift (Dimension Drift Worlds #1)

                Hey happy readers!  Sorry for going MIA on you.  The downside to dispatch and weird hours is swap over.  This week I have went from the last of night shift to day shift and the transition has been a bit of an adjustment.  I've been doing good on the sleep side of things but day shift means more people/interruptions and less reading time.  Just means I have to get back on track with my reading / typing outside of work which like the shift just takes a bit of adjusting.  That said this is the first of two delayed reviews from last week for you today.  Both I was lucky enough to score via NetGalley and came out on 4/24 so you can grab them now!  This first is a prequel in a new series, Dimension Drift (Dimension Drift Worlds #1) by Christina Bauer. 

               

Rating:  4 Stars

                So Dimensional Drift is a prequel to a new series by an auto-buy author of mine Christina Bauer.  I was excited to dive into this new world and see how things start off.  A very dystopian reality that has very strict laws and school is mostly a way to teach you how awesome the government is and have you working for free.  The sick or unproductive are removed and science is forbidden unless it is under strict control.  Basically being your own person is not an options.  Still we get to know Meimi and her world and how she survives day to day until everything goes out the window and a science crime leads to a stranger from another dimension and all sorts of trouble for her. 

                This is a seriously fast read but it got me curious about the world, which sounds horrible and no place I'd want to be in, and in Meimi.  The science behind it all with the different worlds and dimensions have such promise.  There is a bit of romance forming and I'm curious to know more about our gentleman.  There are so many questions from the Scythe, her sister, this world drifts, and more.  I look forward to learning more about them and diving into this new series full of science, action and adventure, and more. 

                More soon…

~Stacking the Shelves #50~

                Welcome to Stacking the Shelves was created by Tynga and the full details can be found on her page.  Basically you showcase the books you bought or received each week.  Little, or not so little, weekly book hauls. 

E-Book (Review):

Mirage (Mirage #1) by Somaiya Daud

Juniper Skies (The Juniper Series #3) by Lora Richardson 

Audiobooks:

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

                Another good small week.  Ash Princess was a pre-order that I forgot about coming out this week so cheers!  I also can't wait for a specific pre-order to come out next week....I think it will be on several lists ;)  Share a link below with what goodies you got this week.