Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 1 August 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

1. My 27th birthday is coming up this Sunday. I've been feeling a range of emotions - excitement, depression, sadness, guilt. I feel like I should be making a better deal out of my birthday than I am but I've been on such a low lately I don't want to. 

2. I've taken a much needed break from fantasy novels, which is not unusual this time of year, and have picked up Making Up by Helena Hunting. I've been wanting to read her books for a while and this one has been calling my name since I picked it up a couple weeks ago and wow... I AM LOVING IT! It's so funny and sexy! I'll definitely check out her backlist.    

3. It's the beginning of a new month which means new headings on my bullet journal! I'm going to check out Pinterest later to see how I want to do it this month. 

4. I didn't stick to my July spending ban. I feel terrible. Okay, I feel slightly guilty. In my defense most of the books I received this month were ARCs or books I'd preordered/got in a book box. My splurges were on clothes and wireless headphones. Clothes are a necessity, right?

5. I'm not making a iron-clad TBR schedule for next month. I don't have any blog tours to stick to deadlines for so I'm going to wing it and read what appeals to me when it appeals to me. 

I Can't Wait For... Into the Crooked Place

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I loved this author's debut novel and the first book in this new duology sounds amazing!

Into the Crooked Place

By Alexandra Christo
YA Fantasy
eBook, Hardcover, 384 Pages
October 8, 2019 by Fewer & Friends 


Blurb

Into the Crooked Place begins a gritty two-book YA fantasy series from Alexandra Christo, the author of To Kill a Kingdom.
The streets of Creije are for the deadly and the dreamers, and four crooks in particular know just how much magic they need up their sleeve to survive.

Tavia, a busker ready to pack up her dark-magic wares and turn her back on Creije for good. She’ll do anything to put her crimes behind her.

Wesley, the closest thing Creije has to a gangster. After growing up on streets hungry enough to swallow the weak whole, he won’t stop until he has brought the entire realm to kneel before him.

Karam, a warrior who spends her days watching over the city’s worst criminals and her nights in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself.

And Saxony, a resistance fighter hiding from the very people who destroyed her family, and willing to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Everything in their lives is going to plan, until Tavia makes a crucial mistake: she delivers a vial of dark magic—a weapon she didn’t know she had—to someone she cares about, sparking the greatest conflict in decades. Now these four magical outsiders must come together to save their home and the world, before it’s too late. But with enemies at all sides, they can trust nobody. Least of all each other.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

What do you think? Will you be checking this one out? 

BLINK SUMMER READING TOUR - No Place Like Here Review

No Place Like Here by Christina June
Publisher: BLINK
Release date: May 21, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Retelling

Blurb

Ashlyn Zanotti has big plans for the summer. She’s just spent a year at boarding school and can’t wait to get home. But when Ashlyn’s father is arrested for tax evasion and her mother enters a rehab facility for “exhaustion,” a.k.a. depression, her life is turned upside down.

The cherry on top? Ashlyn’s father sends her to work with a cousin she doesn’t even know at a rustic team-building retreat center in the middle of nowhere. A self-proclaimed “indoor girl,” not even Ash’s habit of leaving breadcrumb quotes—inspirational sayings she scribbles everywhere—can help her cope.

With a dangerously careless camp manager doling out grunt work, an overbearing father trying to control her even from prison, and more than a little boy drama to struggle with, the summer is full of challenges. And Ashlyn must make the toughest decision of her life: keep quiet and follow her dad’s marching orders, or find the courage to finally stand up to her father to have any hope of finding her way back home.

Get Your Copy Today:

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Indie Bound

My Review:

Summer's nearly over but you can hang onto it a bit longer with this cute, fast-paced summer read that will give you all the feels.

While I found the pace of the storyline of Ashlyn's father's tax troubles a little unrealistic, I liked how strong Ashlyn was as a character. I love books in which the main characters are sent away to camp for the summer and this book was perfect, making you feel like you were right alongside Ashlyn. 

The part of this book I liked the most was Ashlyn's complicated, complex relationships with her family - not only with her parents but with her aunt, uncle, and cousin that she's getting to know for the first time. I don't have any cousins my age but reading this book made me wish I did. 

Overall this is a great sort of coming of age read about standing up for yourself, families, and a summer that changes everything. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟

3 of 5 Stars!

About the Author:

Christina June writes young adult contemporary fiction when she’s not writing college recommendation letters during her day job as a school counselor. She loves the little moments in life that help someone discover who they’re meant to become – whether it’s her students or her characters. Christina is a voracious reader, loves to travel, and hopes to one day be bicoastal – the east coast of the US and the east coast of Scotland. She lives just outside Washington DC with her husband and daughter.

She is the author of IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE, EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE, and the forthcoming NO PLACE LIKE HERE.

Connect with Christina June Online:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

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Friday Night Frights: There's Someone Inside Your House

Hey Bookdragons! Welcome to the 4th installment of the Friday Night Frights meme!

How It Works:
On your blog feature a horror novel you loved (it doesn't have to be a new release) and recommend a horror movie you love then come back here and post your link in the comments! That's it, as simple as that! 

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Love hurts...

Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind.

Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets.

What I loved about There's Someone Inside Your House:

I love, love, loved this book! It was gripping and fast-paced, gory yet not too scary. The killings were well plotted (if not a little unbelievable in a couple cases) and when they were woven in with the hints of Makani's mysterious past it really made you wonder what exactly Makani had done for her parents to ship her off to Nebraska. Could she be the killer, I wondered. 

In true horror-suspense fashion I kept guessing at who the killer might be up until the reveal. I was a bit worried, because we find out the identity of the killer with about 100 pages left in the book, about how the author would wrap the book up. Surely the killer wouldn't be able to go on killing once people knew who he was, right? Boy was I wrong! 

This book had me biting my nails until the very end.

Movie Rec: Alone in the Dark

My grandmother watched this movie first. It was 3 am and she wakes me up to tell me about this terrifying movie she's watching on Turner Classic Movies. I caught maybe 5 minutes before I went back to bed, promising my grandmother I'd add it to the Netflix queue so we could watch it together. 

"Dr. Bain (Donald Pleasence) precariously presides over an eerie asylum that houses its fair share of eccentrics and very dangerous figures, including the murderous Frank Hawkes (Jack Palance) and the holier-than-thou Byron "Preacher"Sutcliff (Martin Landau). Not even the arrival of kindly Dr. Dan Potter (Dwight Schultz) on the scene can keep everyone in check. And when the lights go out mysteriously all over town, mayhem starts to rule."

I went in not knowing what to expect from this movie. Was it as scary as my grandmother said? Would it frighten me, the unfrightenable? 

Alone in the Dark is classic 80s horror in all the best ways. It's got an asylum run by a doctor who should probably be a patient, not one - not two - but FOUR crazy killers, an unsuspecting doctor who comes to work at the asylum leaving his family at home after a blackout.. and that's just a taste. 

If you like Friday the 13th, Halloween, or the original Nightmare on Elm Street and it's classic slasher horror format you need to check out Alone in the Dark ASAP!

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts - 25 July 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

1. I'm excited for tomorrow to get here because we're going to the Tall Ships Festival in Green Bay. I missed it the last time it was in town so it's been a while and I'm hoping to get some good pictures. 

2. Since I've been working on my novel more lately my reading has slowed down but I recently read and loved Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski. She's describing it as The Shining meets the romance of Titanic which I think is an awesome descriptor. You should definitely check it out when it releases on August 6th!    

3. My 27th birthday is coming up on August 4th and I'm planning a makeover to bring me into my next year. I'm thinking of a sexy undercut and dyeing my hair a purplish-red. It's so unlike anything I've done with my hair before and I'm excited. 

Photo Credit: Glowsly / Pinterest

4. I didn't realize how many really awesome sounding books are coming out in August. It's a good thing it's my birthday month because I don't think I'd be able to keep to my spending ban. 

5. I was looking forward to the new season of Veronica Mars on Hulu but I've heard so many people talking about the horrible twist at the end of the season that now I don't think I can bear to watch it. It's a shame. I hate when people bring shows back then ruin them for all the diehard fans. 

I Can't Wait For... CROWN OF OBLIVION

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I swear I've talked about this book before, but never the less I'm really excited for this November release! Did I mention it comes out on my boyfriend's birthday? Preordering it will be a gift for both of us because I'll get a book and he'll get peace and quiet while I read. Haha! 

Crown of Oblivion

By Julie Eshbaugh
YA Fantasy
eBook, Hardcover, 384 Pages
November 12, 2019 by HarperTeen 


Blurb

Astrid is the surrogate for Princess Renya, which means she bears the physical punishment if Renya steps out of line. Astrid has no choice—she and her family are Outsiders, the lower class of people without magic and without citizenship.

But there is a way out of this life—competing in the deadly Race of Oblivion. To enter the race, an Outsider is administered the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memory clear of their past as they enter a new world with nothing to help them but a slip of paper bearing their name and the first clue. It’s not as simple as solving a puzzle, however—for a majority of the contestants, the race ends in death. But winning would mean not only freedom for Astrid, but citizenship and health care for her entire family. With a dying father to think of, Astrid is desperate to prevail.

From the beginning, the race is filled with twists and turns. One of them is Darius, a fellow racer Astrid meets but isn’t sure she can trust. Though they team up in the race, as Astrid’s memories begin to resurface, she remembers just who he was to her—a scorned foe who may want revenge. Astrid also starts to notice she has powers no Outsider should—which could help her win the race, but also make her a target if anyone finds out. With stakes that couldn’t be higher, Astrid must decide what is more important: risking her life to remember the mysteries of the past, or playing a cutthroat game in order to win her—and her family’s—freedom.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

What do you think? Will you be checking this one out? 

BLINK SUMMER READING TOUR - A Touch of Gold Review

A Touch Of Gold

by Annie Sullivan

YA Mythology, Retelling
August 14, 2019 by BLINK

Blurb:

            King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched intogold. But after his gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora still bears the consequences of her father’s wish: her skin shines golden, rumors follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbors secret powers that are getting harder to hide.

            Kora spends her days locked in the palace, concealed behind gloves and veils, trying to ignore the stares and gossip of courtiers. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realizes there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down. As she sails off on her quest, Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not thieves, not pirates, and not even curses. She quickly discovers that gold—and the power it brings—is more dangerous than she’d ever believed.

               Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora’s journey cost?

My Review:

COVER: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This cover definitely lives up to it's title! It's gold and sparkly and even prettier in real life than the pictures give justice. It's perfect for the contents of the book and I love the title font!
Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟 “Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora's journey cost?" - This line of the blurb promises the reader an adventure... with a cost. As far as taglines go, it does tease the reader and make them want to know more, but is it enough?

Characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 We have a not uncommon group of characters types in this book: the Main Character (Kora) who is cursed thanks to her father's greed and is seen as a monster by her people, a father who was driven mad with his greed and his guilt over what he did to his only daughter, a villain hiding in plain sight who uses smoke and mirrors to convince the MC that someone else is the true villain, several cute guys - one open, adventurous, and flirty; another broody and closed off but secretly caring, and a side character, in this case Kora's cousin, who throws a wrench in the story from time to time. I enjoyed the various characters, especially Kora who went from the cloistered princess to a girl ready to seize the adventure she's always dreamed of to save her father. 

Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Overall, I do like the world the author has created for her Midas retelling. 

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I wasn't sure what to expect from this book other than the obvious, that this was a reimagining of the King Midas myth. The story pulled me in right away and I thought Midas's origins was a nice spin on the story as well as the backstory for Kora and the path to Midas's obsession and madness over his gold. As far as the plotting it was equal parts unique and familiar to other fairytale retellings I've read before with some of my favorite story elements: adventure, pirates, hate-to-love romance, and curses. If you're looking for a new retelling to add to your shelf A Touch of Gold is definitely worth checking out!

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟

4 of 5 Stars!

Grab your own copy of A Touch of Gold:

Goodreads –https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36575823-a-touch-of-gold#

Amazon –https://amzn.to/2KS9xYY

Barnes & Noble –https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-touch-of-gold-annie-sullivan/1127456128#/

Book Depository –https://www.bookdepository.com/Touch-of-Gold-Annie-Sullivan/9780310766353

IndieBound –https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=A+Touch+of+Gold

About the Author:

Annie Sullivan is a Young Adult author from Indianapolis, Indiana. Her work has been featured in Curly Red Stories and Punchnels. She loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, and traveling and exploring new cultures. When she’s not off on her own adventures, she’s teaching classes at the Indiana Writers Center and working as the Copy Specialist at John Wiley and Sons, Inc. publishing company, having also worked there in Editorial and Publicity roles. You can follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram (@annsulliva).

Links:

Twitter -https://twitter.com/annsulliva

Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/annsulliva/?hl=en

TOUR-WIDE GIVEAWAY

Prize:

5 BLINK Summer Reading Tour Book Bundles (A Touch of Gold, Meet the Sky, No Place Like Here, Pretty In Punxsutawney, and Swing by Kwame Alexander)

(USA)

Starts:7/22/19

Ends:8/9/19

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 Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86375/?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Settings I Want to See More Of

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: Settings I Want to See More Of

This week's TTT is all about settings. Specifically book settings we don't see often enough or we want to see more of. Without further ado, here are some I want to see... 

1. Asylums

2. Oz

3. Wales or Scotland

4. The Midwest (but not a major city like Chicago)

5.Egypt (either modern or ancient)

6. Australia

7. Russia

8. Bavaria 

9. Hotels (especially haunted ones)

 What settings, either places on the map or types of locations, would you like to see more of in books?
Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your TTT!

Happy Reading Bookdragons!

Cover Reveal: CRAVE by Tracy Wolff

Hey Bookdragons! Happy Monday! Today I'm helping Entangled Teen and author Tracy Wolff reveal the cover of her 2020 release - described as one of Entangled Teens biggest, most anticipated releases of 2020 - CRAVE!

Crave is a romantic and thrilling tale of forbidden love, about the undying battle between feeling nothing and feeling so much, it could destroy everyone you love.

Add to Goodreads

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 21 July 2019

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Hey Bookdragons! I took a bit of a blog break last week to work on my novel and start planning my next writing project so I didn't get a ton of reading done but...

What I Read Last Week:

I started this one the week before and I finally got it finished early last week. I enjoyed the idea of it and for some reason all I kept thinking of was Nancy Holder's novel "The Rules" as I read this one. The only thing I did notice is Ms. Jackson uses a lot of the same plot devices in her books. 

Remember Me was on deck next in my ARC pile for a blog tour I'm part of the beginning of August. I'd been dying to get into this book because it was so up my alley and it did not disappoint. I loved it so hard!

Can you believe I am just now finished listening to the audiobook of Finale? I mean I loved the book and thought it was a great ending but I'm always so tired at bedtime and don't feel like turning on an audiobook so I've been letting them sit a little too long. 

What I Am Reading Now:

The Afterlife of Holly Chase is another one I've been letting slide a little too long in my audiobook queue. I started it at the beginning of the month (ironically I was not thinking of Christmas in July when I picked it) but again, I've been tired. I do like the story though and hope to finish this week!

Next up on my ARC pile is House of Salt and Sorrows which releases August 6th and this book grabbed me right away. I didn't realize when I first got the ARC that it was a 12 Dancing Princesses retelling but this is an eerie, atmospheric take on the fairytale and I can't get enough!  

Up Next:
Next up for me is...

Man, August 6th is a big release day. I hadn't realized. Once I finish HoSaS I better dive into this one and see what I think. 

I'm not sure what audiobook I'll pick next. I've been trying to listen to some I have in physical format as well so I can get through my TBR quicker but I'm open to suggestions!

What are you reading this week?

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts - 11 July 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Be Happy Bookdragons! Tomorrow is Friday!

1. I'm so thankful it's finally Thursday and tomorrow is Friday. It's been one thing after another this week, the most devastating of which being one of my cats, Houdini knocking books out of the bookcase in the middle of the night then shredding multiple pages in my (signed) copy of Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman...

2. I'm halfway through my July TBR but I'm so tired lately I don't have the ambition to read more than a few pages in my current read. I'm hoping to get an energy boost soon.   

3. I've been on a spending ban since the beginning of the month and so far it's going well. I'm hoping to stick to my budget for the rest of the summer and start getting more books from the library instead of buying new ones all the time. 

4. I woke up this morning and there was a bird sitting on my windowsill (right next to my bed) chirping. It was so annoying. And my cats were terrified. 

5. It's been three months and I'm still on the apartment hunt. I'm hoping something pans out soon because I'm really starting to get discouraged. 

I Can't Wait For... Scavenge the Stars!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I first saw this book mentioned on social media after BookCon this year... which I didn't get to attend.. :( ... and added it to my TBR for next year!

Scavenge the Stars

Scavenge the Stars Book One
By Tara Sim
YA Fantasy, Retelling
eBook, Hardcover, 336 Pages
January 7, 2019 by Disney Hyperion 


Blurb

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

What do you think? Will you be checking this one out?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 8 July 2019

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Hey Bookdragons! I've sort of abandoned my TBR schedule for July for the time being after not liking any of my ARC books...

What I Read Last Week:

I decided to read this one right away after getting it because it was a short read and the writing was easy to get through. As terrible as it sounds, I like the movie way better than the book.

As I mentioned last week, I was provided with a copy of this book for a blog tour later this month and I really enjoyed reading it! 

What I Am Reading Now:

After unsuccessfully trying to get into my three ARCs for July (Heartwood Box, Sophia: Princess Among Beasts, and The Storm Crow) I reverted back to one of my favorite authors, Lisa Jackson and her newest release, Paranoid. I'm only about 50 pages in but its definitely grabbed me. 

Up Next:
Next up for me is...

This is the other book I was provided with a finished copy of for the Blink Summer Blog Tour this month (more info in sidebar) and I'll probably get into it later this week followed by Wildcard by Marie Lu!

What are you reading this week?