Thursday, January 30, 2014

Across A Star- Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Title: Across a Star-Swept Sea
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Source: Bought new
Series: Yes
Rating: 5/5









Goodreads Summary:

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.
In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

I had no idea what the story of The Scarlet Pimpernel was before picking up this novel.  I immediately downloaded it once I found out that it inspired this novel. This book is a companion novel to For Darkness Shows the Stars, and a few of the characters from the previous novel do make an appearance in this novel near the end.

The two islands of New Pacifica are finally at relative peace after centuries of war. On the Isle of Galatea an uprising against the aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries have developed a deadly drug that damages the brain of their enemies. The only hope is The Wild Poppy. On the island of Albion is where the Wild Poppy resides.   Persis Black who is is considered a famous frivolous socialite is the perfect cover for the Wild Poppy, it also helps that none suspects that the spy could possibly be a girl. As the tension between the two islands heats up, Persis needs to  take even more risks to save Albion.

The concept and story was excellent. I recommend reading For Darkness Shows the Stars before reading this novel. The characters from the first novel do not make an appearance until you near the end, but without reading the first novel first it does spoil a few things if you plan on reading it later.  I loved how how this novel blended the two stories together so well. I fell in love with Persis Blake from the first page, she played her role so well. The love interest is a whole different story. It took me 3/4 of  the book for me to like Justen Helo. He treated everyone like they were beneath him simply due to his name and was quite a big jerk. I loved Remy, she really had a lot of hidden spunk. She was cast aside often, but she manage to prove the people who did not take her seriously wrong and became a strong, female character. 

I know currently there is no more books planned for this series. I really hope that changes because there is so much potential. The two stories come together and leave a lot more avenues to be explored. I loved this novel and I recommend both the first and second book highly. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Do you count Novellas?

This is a question that I see a lot of Blogger's asking which is do you count novellas towards your reading goals?

I personally do count novellas towards my reading goal. The reason is because I love novellas. I love when they either help hold me over until the next book in a series comes out or it gives me a sneak peek into a series or a novel that I am thinking of reading. I love reading them between books, I use them when I have a ton of library books that I want to get through but I feel guilty about not reading my own books. The solution? Read a novella. I cross off one of my own books while also getting back to my library books. 

 The only downside of novellas is the price. When I see a novella for over $3 I will not buy it. I love them, but I also remind myself that I am not getting much for that price which seems awful and I do feel terrible about it a times, but I also buy all my own books so when I have to spend over $3 on a novella which may only be 20 pages I do not feel like it is money well spent. 

I have included my favorite novellas that I hope more people check out.

  • As They Slip Away- Beth Revis 
  • Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story- Veronica Roth
  • Origins: The Fire- Debra Driza
  • Night of Cake Puppets- Laini Taylor
  • Warm Up- Victoria Schwab
  • Among the Nameless Stars- Diana Peterfreund 

Please let me know if you have any novellas to recommend to me. 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (106)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Bought New (Kindle)
Where Things Come Back- Corey Whaley
The Dollhouse Asylum- Mary Gray

Borrowed from the Library
Rabibi- Craig Thomas 

Friday, January 24, 2014

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cress 
Author: Marissa Meyer
Source: ARC from the publisher
Series: Yes
Rating: 4.5/5









Goodreads Summary:
Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

Cress is the third installment to the Lunar Chronicles series. It was the best book in this series so far. Cinder was such an amazing book and I was convinced after finishing Scarlet that nothing could top it until I read Cress. I love that the characters from the previous novels are back, the story never feels like it stopped

We are introduced to both Cress and princess Winter in this novel. Cress is the main new character, who has been following Cinder through news in her satellite. Cress has been stuck in her satellite since childhood with only her netscreens for company. She has become quite the successful hacker who is told by Queen Levena to use her skills to track Cinder down. The group decides to make a daring rescue that ends up going horribly wrong when the group gets split up. Cinder is still struggling with trying to stop Levena while trying to bring their group together. While Cinder is in Africa, unknown to her Cress is lost in the dessert and is trying to find her way back to civilization while also trying to stay under the raid air. Emperor Kai is in New Beijing trying to stop a war by giving Queen Levena what she wants, while also trying to keep the people in New Beijing happy. His advisers seems to have mixed feelings about the approach he is taking and other nations are not overly supportive of his marriage to Levena.  I never felt lost with all of the different story lines, I loved how everything happened at once without being completely confusing. I also liked that we finally get a brief glimpse of Winter. She is briefly mentioned previously in the story but not a whole lot is known about her. I am intrigued by the glimpses of her we get.

The book was action packed and each chapter gave a different view of what was happening at the same time from different perspectives. There are so many things I absolutely loved about this book. I cannot wait until Winter comes out. I need to know what is going to happen next, the ending left so many questions.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (105)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I lucked out this week and found two Jasper Fforde books at the charity shop and a ton of free books on Kindle which I do not count towards my buy less books because they are free. I bend the rules sometimes.

Borrowed from the library
Juvie- Steve Watkins
Ketchup Clouds-Annabel Pitcher

Bought Used
The Eyre Affair- Jasper Fforde
The Big Over Easy- Jasper Fforde

For Review
The Tyrant's Daughter- J.C. Carleson

Bought New (kindle)
Jessica Darling's It List- Megan McCafferty
Darkest Powers Bonus Pack #2 (Darkest Powers trilogy 3.5, 3.6) - Kelley Armstrong
The Opportunist- Tarryn Fisher
Silence- Natasha Preston (free on kindle)
Broken Silence- Natasha Preston (free on kindle)
Born- Tara Brown (Free on kindle)
Snow White Blood Red (The Grimm Diaries Prequels #1)- Cameron Jace (free on kindle)
Ashes to Ashes and Cinders to Cinders (The Grimm Diaries Prequels #2)- Cameron Jace (free on kindle)
Beauty Never Dies (The Grimm Diaries Prequels #3)- Cameron Jace (free on kindle)
Ladle Rat Rotten Hut (The Grimm Diaries Prequels #4)- Cameron Jace (free on kindle)
Mary Mary Quite Contrary (The Grimm Diaries Prequels #5)- Cameron Jace (free on kindle)
Blood Apples (The Grimm Diaries Prequels #6)- Cameron Jace (free on kindle)


What did you get?

Friday, January 17, 2014

The Pilot's Wife- Anita Shreve

Title: The Pilot's Wife
Author: Anita Shreve
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5








Goodreads Summary:
Gripping new fiction by the author of "The Weight of Water". Kathryn Lyons' life turns to chaos when her pilot husband is killed in a plane crash. As she struggles with her grief, Kathryn faces shocking revelations about the secrets a man can keep and the actions a woman is willing to take.

This is not a novel I would have necessarily picked for myself, but it was this month's book club book. The story starts with Kathryn waking up to a knock on the door and finding out that her husband has been killed. She is forced to face the fact that she did not know her husband as well as she thought.

Kathryn is a tough character to like. She is very closed off and hard to get to know. She is devoted to her daughter, Mattie and does everything she can to help her deal with the death of her father. The story brings flashbacks of Kathryn's life with Jack which reveals small details that start to leave doubts about how you feel about Jack. Kathryn seemed to know there was something not right with Jack, but she pretended he was a great husband. Jack left a trail of destruction after his death. Julie, Kathryn's grandmother took care of Mattie and Kathryn so well. She is the rock they both need and I really liked her a lot.

I thought the ending was interesting. As soon as the investigation started after the plane crash, I knew that something was not right with Jack. I was surprised how deep the lies and deception went and how accommodating characters were to the lies. This book was a super quick read, this was the first book I have read from Shreve and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to more books from her in the future.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Bout of Books Read a thon Wrap Up (Day 7)

I did not do a whole lot of reading this week. I started the week strong and finished No Place Like Oz then I started The Cuckoo's Calling and I have been slowly getting through it. This week has been so busy and I have really not had a chance to sit down and read. I am also still recovering from being sick which has left me pretty drained. I am going to try to get a little reading done tonight hopefully. I loved participating and I am looking forward to the next read a thon.

The List
No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige (Started but need to finish it)
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith (started, but not finished)
Tears of Tess- Pepper Winters

Books Started: 2
Books Read: 1

Stacking the Shelves (104)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I am sticking to my buy less books so this week the only book I got was technically from last week from the library but I completely forgot to haul it.

Borrowed from the library
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith

Gifted (Christmas Gift Card)
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece- Annabel Pitcher 



What did you get?

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Bout of Books (Day 5 & 6)

Friday was a crazy busy day so I unfortunately did not have time to post. I went to work, from there I went out for dinner and home where I went to bed. Today was also pretty hectic. I was out of the house doing errands all day so I have not gotten any reading done. I hope I can finish reading The Cuckoo's Calling by the end of the read a thon. It was has been a long and busy week and I have not read as much as I would like but I have had a ton of fun doing the challenges. 

The List
No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige (Started but need to finish it)
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith
Tears of Tess- Pepper Winters

Books Started: 2
Books Read: 1

Friday, January 10, 2014

No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige

Tile: No Place like Oz
Author: Danielle Paige
Source: Bought new (kindle)
Series: Yes
Rating: 4/5/5









Dorothy has missed Oz since she left. She told Glinda that she wanted to go back to Kansas to live with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry but she soon realizes that Kansas just does not appeal to her as it once did. Dorothy plans to get back to Oz  as soon as she can/

This book picks off where the Wizard of Oz leaves off. Dorothy is back to her ordinary farm life in Kansas until her birthday when she is given the opportunity to go back to Oz with her family. Dorothy is changed from the girl who first left off. She has become self centered and hungry for power. She wants to take everything she can from Oz. I like how this book is setting up how Dorothy becomes so evil. I am looking forward to Dorothy Must Die even more now because I want to see how the protagonist is going to take her down.

The characters from the original story are in this story along with some new characters. The scarecrow, the lion and the tin man are still friends with Dorothy but Glinda the good witch actually might not be as good as she is portrayed.

The story was a little slow in the beginning but it certainty picks in the middle and the end. I found the characters hard to connect to, reading the original book I liked Dorothy but this time I did not like her at all. I have to admit she does make a good villain.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Bout of Books Read a thon (Day 4)

I went back to work today but I am still not feeling so good so I did not get a ton of reading done again today unfortunately. I also had some wedding errands after work so I am going to try to read a little more of The Cuckoo's Calling before I fall asleep. I am really starting to get into the story so I hope it will help keep my attention.

The List
No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige (Started but need to finish it)
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith
Tears of Tess- Pepper Winters

Books Started: 2
Books Read: 1

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Beautiful Disaster- Jamie McGuire

Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Source: Bought new
Series: Yes
Rating: 2/5








Abby Abernathy decides to re-create herself when she starts college. She does not drink or swear and believes she has given herself enough distance from her past. She tries to keep this image up until she meets Travis Maddox who has a reputation for being a player. Abby tries her best to avoid Travis while he does his best to get her attention. She makes a bet with him and the stakes are high. If he loses, no sex for a month and if he wins then she has to live with him for a month.

I had so many issues with this book. I knew going into it that this was to be expected but the amount of things that make me roll my eyes was astounding. Abby was hard to like but I did at times find myself admiring her ability to stand up for herself. I liked her on her own but once she was around Travis, the smart, independent girl disappeared. She blew her friends off to spend all of her time with Travis and constantly ditched them if he told her to. I also had a lot of issues with Travis. He was super controlling. Their relationship was unhealthy, he was constantly telling Abby what she could and could not do and when she did not listen to him he would have a temper tantrum. Abby's roommate Kara points out his behaviour to Abby and she completely ignores it.  I do not know if my opinion of him would change if I read the companion novel from his point of view but as of right now I do not think highly of him. The saving grace of this novel was America and Shipley. They were adorable and even when they fought or one of them did something stupid, they made up and I loved them. I could read an entire book about just those two.

The plot had a lot of gaps in it where it felt like was missing pages or a thought or sentence was stopped midway and never continued. The romance between Travis and Abby felt too fast and she let him in too easily for have so many trust issues. This was a quick read, I completed it in two days but I have so many issues with it. I will read the companion to see if my opinion improves but overall I was really disappointed.

Bout of Books Read A Thon 9.0 (Day 3)

I was off sick today again today so I did a lot of sleeping again. I am still currently reading The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith. I have read over 100 pages and I am starting to get into it a little more.

The List
No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige (Started but need to finish it)
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith
Tears of Tess- Pepper Winters

Books Started: 2
Books Read: 1

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Bout of Books Read A Thon 9.0 (Day 2)

I was off sick today but slept most of the day so I have only read about 30 pages. I hope I can some more reading done before I fall asleep. I am currently reading The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith.

The List
No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige (Started but need to finish it)
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith
Tears of Tess- Pepper Winters

Books Started: 1
Books Read: 1

The Painted Girls- Cathy Marie Buchanan

Title: The Painted Girls
Author:  Cathy Marie Buchanan
Source: Bought used
Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5








The book is set in Paris in 1878. The Van Goethem are dealing with the sudden death of their father and trying to get their lives in order. The girls find out that they are behind on the rent and are close to being evicted. The money their mother earns is disappearing as she spends her earnings on absinthe.  The oldest girl, Antoinette finds work as a stage extra for the stage adaptation of  L’Assommoir while Marie, the middle girl finds work at the Paris Opera where she will be trained to enter the famous ballet.

Antoinette is struggling to hold the family together. She cares for Marie and Charlotte and attempts to keep their home. As she works as an extra she meets a dangerous boy named Emile Abadie. Antoinette is not a likable character for the majority of this novel. She can be very selfish and she get herself into dangerous situations. The story of Emile Abadie is a true story which added a lot of intrigue to this story. The story of Marie Van Goethem is also a true story. The author used the known facts she could find about her and used it in her story. She decide to mix the story of Marie and Emile. The story of Marie is also very fascinating. She starts off as this very shy, quiet girl but as the story progresses she becomes more bold and takes more risks. I enjoyed the historical aspects that were included in this story, the story was very detailed and well researched.

The plot has a lot of twist and turns but the pace of this entire novel is quite slow. It took me longer than I thought it would to read this, there was lots of information and names to process. I also did some research after reading this to find out more information about the characters. The story is told though the eyes of Marie and Antoinette, alternating each chapter to provide the reader with a look at Marie's life as she starts her training with the ballet while Antoinette is working and falling in love with Emile. The ending of this novel did not suite the rest of it. It felt like throughout the novel they struggled and worked as hard as they could to scrape a life out for themselves but the ending brought everything together a little to nicely. Overall this was a very good historical novel and I quite enjoyed starting my year off reading it. 

Monday, January 6, 2014

Bout of Books Read A Thon 9.0 (Day 1)

I posted my list a little while ago and clearly promptly forgot what I had on their because I started to read books off of it so I removed the books I read off it.

The List
No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige (Started but need to finish it)
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith
Tears of Tess- Pepper Winters

Books Started: 1
Books Read: 1

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Stacking the Shelves (103)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I have bought one book so far this month and I have completed one book. I started a second book so I hope to finish it soon so that I can keep up with my goal of buying less books than I read. I will also be keeping track of how much I spend on books each month and include it in my wrap up.

Bought New (Kindle)
Things I Can't Forget- Miranda Kenneally 
Surrender to Fate- Jacelyn Rye (free on kindle)
Not a Drop to Drink- Mandy McGinnis 



What did you get this week?

Thursday, January 2, 2014

December Wrap Up

December was a slow reading month for me. I felt like the entire month flew by. There was so much to do and not enough time to do it all. I took Something Real off my because my link expired before I could read it.  I started The Painted Girls but did not finish it December so I moved it to my January TBR.

The List
The Luxe- Anna Godbersen
The Painted Girls- Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Dust of 100 Dogs - A.S. King
Winger- Andrew Smith
Hidden Girl- Shyima Hall
Year of Mistake Discoveries- Eileen Cook
More Than This- Patrick Ness
The Bone Season- Samantha Shannon

Books I own: 9
Borrowed: 3
E-Books: 3
Total: 12

A Little Wanting Song- Cath Crowley
More Than This- Patrick Ness
The Dust of 100 Dogs - A.S. King
Year of Mistake Discoveries- Eileen Cook
The Bone Season- Samantha Shannon
Hidden Girl- Shyima Hall
Finding It- Cora Carmack
The Luxe- Anna Godbersen
September Girls- Bennett Madison
Fracture Me- Tahereh Mafi
Winger- Andrew Smith
How To Love- Katie Cotugno

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

January TBR

Happy New Year's!

I am hoping to start the year off with some good books. I am trying to follow my book New Year's Resolutions.

The Painted Girls- Cathy Marie Buchanan (I started it in December but have not finished it)
Cress- Marissa Meyer
Beautiful Disaster- Jamie McGuire
No Place Like Oz- Danielle Paige
Across A Star-Swept Sea- Diana Peterfreund 
Tears of Tess- Pepper Winters
The Color Purple- Alice Walker (re-read)
The Pilot's Wife- Anita Shreve
The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith

The other goals I am setting for myself this month is

1) Buy less books than I read
2) Donate five books I do no think I will re-read/  Books I no longer have an interest in reading