Waiting on Wednesday: Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

My pick this week is:

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Expected publication: September 9th 2014 by HarperTeen

Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.
Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.

I actually don't know much about this story. But anything Kiersten White is good enough for me. The synopsis is very eye catching so I'm pretty excited!

Top Ten Tuesday (66)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists

This weeks topic is Top Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From. This is actually a harder topic! Hopefully I'll get to ten but no promises.

1. Cassandra Clare. Not only is this one of the first big YA authors I read, she also has a million books.
2. Rick Riordan. I've read this author all throughout my reading life. I think I will forever read this author.
3. Jennifer L. Armentrout. I swear this author writes like the wind. I don't even own all her books but I still have a ton!
4. Colleen Houck. We all know I have a huge love for the Tigers Curse series. I hope to add more of her books to my collection soon.
5. Maggie Stiefvater. This is another author I've continued to read throughout my reading years.
6. J.K. Rowling. This one is obvious.
7. Stephanie Meyer. This one is also obvious.
8. John Green. I don't own every John Green book but I will forever read his books.
9. Lauren Kate. I have a thing for fallen angels and this was my first experience with them. So this author is near and dear to my heart.
10. James Patterson. Another fabulous middle grade author.
11. Melissa Marr. This author was one of my first farie experiences so she had to be included!

I'm really surprised I got to ten. Go me! Let me know in the comments what you guys would pick!

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Source: Bought
First book in The Burning Sky series
It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…
Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.
Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he's also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to avenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.
But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life


Review
This story has a lot of hype. And it's well deserved. This book is amazing! It blew me away. 

This tells the story of Iolanthe. It all starts with a strike of lightening. Iolanthe is said to be the greatest Mage in all of the land but she's had zero training. Titus is sworn to protect her. But he's also destined to defeat the Bane. They must work together to acknowledge their destinies.

Iola and Titus were very impressive characters. Iola was very strong and determined. Titus was like a big mystery box waiting to be unravelled. I loved him with all my heart. They both had strong unique personalities. I loved the way they interacted with not only each other but the people around them as well. They had an amazing relationship. I loved that they didn't always get along. I loved that they didn't rush things. I wasn't expecting them to have feelings for each other but I was glad when they did. It was just enough cute to satisfy. 

This story has the most magical storyline. It was very Harry Potter. It had insane amounts of action. The world building was amazing. It was a little darker which I liked. I loved all the suspense. There was a good amount of tension between characters. This story was seriously perfect. I was so impressed with it. I loved it with all my heart!

Author Love #27: Lauren Oliver

 Author Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many authors and books out there that we love so much and want the world to know about. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick one of your favorite authors. Write what you like about them and/or their books. You can also include an author bio and synopsis of their book if you want.

Author bio from website:

BORN: 1982 in New York, New York

RAISED: Primarily Westchester, New York, with brief forays to Paris and a short stay in Queens

EDUCATED: Graduated from the University of Chicago in 2004 and from NYU’s MFA program in 2008 WORKED: As an editorial assistant and then assistant editor at Razorbill, a division of Penguin Books; currently, co-owns the literary development company Paper Lantern Lit.

My love for Lauren Oliver started many years ago when I first read Delirium and fell in love with it. It grew when I read Before I Fall and the rest of the Delirium trilogy. It grows every time I meet her. She's always so funny and nice and takes a lot of time to talk to you and write cute personal things in your books. This woman writes books at what seems like super speed and I hate that I've not read all the books she's published, but I'm sure when I do my love will grow even more. If you've never read anything by her I don't know where you've been, but you're missing out. There's plenty to choose from and I suggest you do it soon.


That's the author I'm loving on this week. Any other lovely things to add? Let me know in the comments.

Waiting on Wednesday: A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

My pick this week is:





A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Expected release date: February 24th, 2015

from Tor Books

From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with A Darker Shade of Magic.Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands.There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London...but no one speaks of that now.Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see—a dangerous hobby, and one that has set him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces him to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—and that is proving trickier than they hoped.



I will read anything V. E./Victoria Schwab writes. I loved her YA books and though I haven't been able to get my hands on Vicious, I've heard nothing but amazing things. This woman has one of the best imaginations of any author I've ever read and can't wait to see more of it. This book just sounds amazing. February come faster!

That's my pick this week. What's yours? Anything you think I should be waiting on? Let me know in the comments! 

Top Ten Tuesday (65)

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists

This weeks topic is Top Ten Characters I Would Want With Me on a Deserted Island. Once I eliminated all of the characters in Lord of the Flies (what even was that book, though) this wasn't that hard. Even though my list is 80% boys, I only picked ones who had skills that could come in handy. Promise. 

• Percy Jackson-He's the son of Poseidon. Those powers of his would be very useful. He could summon animals to give us a ride off, or maybe a boat, or he could just call his dad. I'm sure the list goes on.
• Aiden St. Delphi-Another demigod on the island. He can control fire so that would take care of a lot of things. Plus he's hot. So there's that.
• Peeta Mellark and Finnick Odair-I know Katniss is the obvious choice here, but these two faired pretty well the last time they were on an island. And they're prettier to look at.
• Four-Despite not having any experience on an island and living in a landlocked city, I still think he would be very useful. He knows how to get stuff done and is good with weapons. He could probably help with hunting. Or he could just keep me company.
• Perry-I'm actually reading Under the Never Sky right now and knew this guy had to be on the list. He's Katniss good with a bow and has a supernaturally good sense of smell and sight. Maybe him and Four could trade off shifts hunting and hanging out with me. 
• Noah Shaw-This pretty boy is pretty loaded. He could probably just call for his private jet or yacht to come get us. While we waited he could talk to me in that lovely British voice of his. But just in case there wasn't good cell reception...
• Bennet Sawyer-This dude can time travel to anywhere in the world. But since I'm not sure how many he can take...
• Hermione Granger-Duh. I would never want to be on a deserted island without a wizard. She would be good at keeping us all sane. At least until she can apparate us out of there. But since some people don't handle that particular brand of travel very well...
• Clary Fray-She wouldn't exactly balance out the male to female ratio, but she would help. And she can use her rune superpowers to make a nice portal that's big enough to get us all of that island. Hopefully, to somewhere that her boyfriend is. Sorry not sorry.

That's my top ten this week! With a list like that I don't know how eager I would be to get off the island. I would want to learn all their skills first, of course. No island could conquer us. I kinda like this plan. Good thought went into it.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to comment who you would pick or with links!

 

 

 



This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 
Source: Bought
Stand Alone
Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.
Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Review
I wasn't so sure how I was going to feel about this book. The beginning didn't make me fall in love. But once the story got going, I was in love. This was a fantabulous story. 

This tells the story of Elise. All she ever wanted was to be cool. After her final attempt she gives up. She stumbles upon this warehouse party. As she explores this warehouse she mets some amazing people that change everything for her. 

Elise was an amazing character but she took some getting used too. She had an interesting attitude. I loved seeing her grow and come into herself. By the end of the book she was a whole new person. It was nice seeing her stand up for herself without becoming a mean person. Vicky was by far my favorite secondary character. She was so sweet and fun. I enjoyed Char as well but I wished he could have stayed the good guy. 

The best part of this story was the constant growth. The story was always growing and changing. I loved the setting and all the music. I liked that we got to see DJ Elise and everyday Elise as well. It took me a bit to get into the story but once I did, I couldn't stop reading. This is definitely a one sitting read! 

Waiting on Wednesday: Captive by Aimee Carter

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

My pick this week is:

Captive by Aimee Carter

Expected publication: November 25th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever. 

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape. 

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

Pawn was my first experience with this author. I loved it to pieces. I feel like I read it so long ago. I cannot wait to see where this author takes this story. November couldn't come any faster! 

Pawn by Aimee Carter Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Netgalley
First book in the Blackhood Rebellion series
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 
For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 
If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 
There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Review
Can I say wow? That's honestly the only book I can think of to describe this beauty. This book is on another level and it was absolutely amazing. 

This is the story of Kitty. She can become a VII but there's a catch and its a big one. The choice is easy. As she's masked into the new Laila Hart she has two options. Join the rebellion or stop it. 

Kitty took some getting used too. I loved that she was super strong but it came across badly at times. I ended up loving her. I loved her sass. I loved that she always stood up for herself. I loved how caring she was. Knox, you have my whole heart in your hands. He was absolute perfection in ever way possible. I liked Benjy as well but not as much as Knox. I sense a love triangle coming and it kinda makes me wanna cry. 

Let me just say this storyline wins the prize. OMG it was amazing. It was dark. There was mystery and suspense. There was lots and lots of action. The world building was great. It's so nice to see such s unique dystopian. There really wasn't a single thing I didn't like. I cannot wait to continue this series.  

June Monthly Wrap Up

Sorry this post is super late! Also sorry if you guys cant hear us! Let us know in the comments what you guys are planning on reading this month :)

Jasmine's wrap up. Excuse the messy hair.

Marissa's wrap up. 

Series Love #27: The Revenant trilogy

Series Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many amazing book series out there. We love to share the love and help spread the word. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick a series. It doesn’t matter if it only has one book or a million, as long as you include the authors name and the covers of the books.

My pick this week is:

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of zombies. They're gross and they creep me out and I just don't understand the craze. The covers were what first drew me to these books (because oh my gosh the pretties) and I'm glad they did because it's now one of the only kind of zombies I actually like. That is probably due to the fact that most of the time they are hot french guys. Sorry not sorry.Vincent is my babe. But this series has so much more. The romance is so adorable, the characters are great, and the ending was one of the best ends to a series I've ever read. Don't be like me and let the zombies throw you off. You'll regret missing out on this series. Oh and did I mention that they're set in Paris? Because yes.

That's the series I'm loving on this week! If you've read it, I would love to gush about it and if not you should fix that very soon. 

First and Seconds Giveaway!

Hey guys! I know this is such a random giveaway. I've been planning it for awhile now. So we're gonna have three winners. I have three prize packs featuring two books each. Each book is by the same author in each prize pack. The authors are Gretchen McNeil, Miranda Kenneally, and Leila Howland. Only Miranda Kenneally's are signed and they are finished copies :). I've read all of these books so I can vouch for their awesomeness! This is US ONLY. Please no cheating!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: Burning Kingdoms by Lauren DeStefano

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

My pick this week is:



Burning Kingdoms by Lauren DeStefano
Expected release date: March 10th, 2015
from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers


After escaping through the bottom of Internment, Morgan and her fellow fugitives aboard the great mechanical bird land on the ground to finally learn what has lived beneath their floating island home all these eons.The ground is a strange place where water falls from the sky as snow, and customers watch moving pictures and visit speakeasies. A place where families can have as many children as they want, their dead are buried in vast gardens of bodies, and Internment is the feature of an amusement park. It is also a land at war.

Everyone who fled Internment had their own reasons to escape their corrupt haven. But caught under the watchful eye of another king that wants to dominate his world, they wonder if coming to the ground will drag Internment down with them.

Guys, I seriously loved, loved, loved Perfect Ruin. It was so original and amazing. As always I'm a little nervous because it's a second book, but I trust Lauren DeStefano to deliver. I'm just not excited about that wait. And I liked the original cover so much. 


That's what I'm waiting on this week. Tell me what you're waiting on in the comments!

Author Love #26: Julie Murphy

 Author Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many authors and books out there that we love so much and want the world to know about. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick one of your favorite authors. Write what you like about them and/or their books. You can also include an author bio and synopsis of their book if you want.





Author Bio:
I love pocket  change, but I like to keep it in a jar, and not in my pocket. When I  was little, I was on a bowling league. Moxie is my favorite word. If I  won the lottery, the first thing I would buy would be a photo booth. I  like outerspace. I believe in karma. I'm terrified of cicadas. I love  school. I don't pick up my house phone. I like getting  mail. I'm the funniest person you know. 2+2=5. I live in Texas with my  husband who loves me, my dog who adores me, and my cat who tolerates me.  Baseball aficionado. Professional potty mouth obsessed with movie  trailers. And movies, too. And books. DUH. Let's be friends. 

I am represented by Molly Jaffa of Folio Literary Management. She's the cat's meeeeeoooooow.

Come visit me over at The Fourteenery and OneFour KidLit where I contribute with fellow 2014 debuts.
Here's a link to my more serious and less nonsensical bio.


So most people know how much both me and Marissa love Julie. She is fantabulous in every way possible. She happens upon to live in Texas so we've known her for quite some time. She was one of those "OMG she has a book coming out with Haprer authors" alongside the lovely Lindsay Cummings. If you haven't read Side Effects then you should really get onto that! Then you can come let me know what you thought. Then we can all wait for Dumplin' together and it will be fabulous :). Anyways Julie we love you!