Month: March 2016

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the arc of Holding Court by K.C. Held! I had so much fun reading this book and I hope that the author is planning on writing more.

The beginning reminded me a bit of the 1980’s movie, Sixteen Candles with Molly Ringwald because of the quirky main character and the awkward teenage feelings and actions, but with a modern day feel. Add a mystery to the story and it becomes very interesting and suspenseful. I was delighted when the characters quoted The Princess Bride. This books is nostalgic and fun! I also learned about European castle architectural terms. All in all, Holding Court is a wonderful book and I would read it again!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Illusive series by Emily Lloyd-Jones, which consists of two books- Illusive and Deceptive.

Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones is a story with a bit of dystopia, mystery and sci-fi wrapped into one! Fun characters and snappy dialogue make Illusive an entertaining read. Powers received from a vaccination changed a small percentage of the population. These changed people are choosing to help the government or help themselves by becoming criminals. I like how the author reveals Ciere’s past; a little at a time. The suspense builds up continually and the unpredictability kept me on my toes. I am looking forward to Deceptive, the second book in this series!

Deceptive by Emily Lloyd-Jones dives into action immediately. Ciere and Alan are working with the mobsters, Daniel is working with the UAI and Devon has an internship. They all eventually end up working together, in one way or another, to stop the kidnapping of immunes. The characters have grown since Illusive and they continue to mature throughout Deceptive. By the end of the book, they have all found where they belong. This series is enjoyable and I really liked the characters!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the arc of Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter! The beginning narrates Della’s turn into a vampire, how her cousin Chan helped her and the reaction of her family. The second story is about how Della met Steve and the beginning of their relationship. The third story introduces Chase’s family before the fatal airplane accident and how Chase turned into a vampire. The fourth story is about Miranda, her mother and Tabitha and the witch competition Miranda and Tabitha are taking place in. The fifth and last story is about Fredericka, a were who was raised with Lucas’ pack. The Fredericka story ended the book perfectly with heart warming romance. These stories are fun insights into the Shadow Falls characters and can be read after Eternal and before Unspoken without spoilers!

What a great start to a new series! This sneak peek of an interesting world and dynamic characters feels like a more mature Princess Academy (Shannon Hale) and is similar to The Selection by Kiera Cass because of the competition and etiquette training. The sneak peek ends at an intense part and I definitely want to finish the book! Adelaide will soon be forced into an unwanted marriage. To avoid this, she takes the place of her house servant in attending The Glittering Court; a place that trains young women to be sold to the highest bidder. These young women are taught etiquette and dancing and given an education to prepare them for marriage to a man who is well off. Along the way, Adelaide learns some mysterious things about Cedric, the young man who set up the contract with her house servant.

The sneak peek was quite a chunk of the book, enough that I grew to care about the characters and now I am anticipating the release so I can read the rest!

Cogling by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek is a fantasy in a steampunk world with a fairy tale touch! A hag steals a boy and replaces him with a machine, all unbeknownst to his family. As the children (Edna and Harrison) walk to the park, they pass vendors, beggars and storytellers. The story they hear explains the existence of the hags and other creatures. While listening to this story and watching her brother’s actions and pallor, Edna realizes Harrison is not himself and soon learns he was stolen by a hag and taken to a work factory. While trying to find her brother, she meets the mysterious Ike. Ike vows to help Edna rescue Harrison and many adventures ensue! Ike conceals secrets and so does Edna, but their relationship becomes more intimate and they began to truly trust each other. Cogling is a fun adventure with a bit of romance!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the sneak peek of Summerlost by Ally Condie! This book has a middle school feel and the story has many aspects: tragedy, mystery, inspiration and a bit of the supernatural! I would like to finish the story and find out what happens to Cedar and her family. Many people enjoy Ally Condie’s books and she is a writer with variety! She has now added a young adult/middle school book to her list of published works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Watson-Guptill for the arc of Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick! I love this book with it’s easy directions and understandable illustrative examples of calligraphy. The focus is kept on the italic alphabet, which makes it more doable and the instructions are short and to the point! Recommended for everyone who wants to embellish their writing!

Thanks to NetGalley and Watson-Guptill for the arc of Wonderland: A Coloring Book Inspired by Alice’s Adventures by Amily Shen! The drawings are beautiful and open to creativity and the illustrations follow the story page by page. This coloring book is for anyone who loves to add color to stories and enjoys adding their own flair. Very fun!

I absolutely love The Witch Hunter Series by Virginia Boecker!  The writing is reminiscent of Sarah J. Maas and anyone who enjoyed The Throne of Glass should enjoy The Witch Hunter Series also.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker! Fun, suspenseful and delightful, The Witch Hunter tells the story of Elizabeth; an orphan trained by Blackwell to become a Witch Hunter for the king at a time when witchcraft (all magic) is illegal. I laughed out loud when Elizabeth drank too much green ale because of the fantastic wit of the author. As the story goes on, Elizabeth is imprisoned for using herbs . She is saved by Nicholas Perevil because, according to Veda the Seer, Elizabeth is supposed to help Nicholas find someone who has placed a curse on him.

Page 193, “I don’t know what to think anymore. About any of it. Magic killed my parents; Blackwell tried to kill magic. Blackwell is magic; Blackwell tried to kill me. John saved me with magic; now I’m trying to kill magic to save Nicholas. It goes against everything I’ve ever known, a betrayal of everything I’ve ever been taught.”

This quote clearly shows Elizabeth’s confusion and struggles. The dislike shared between Elizabeth and Fifer is comical at times and I also enjoy the relationship built between Elizabeth and John because of the mutual respect.

Highly recommended for all fantasy readers! Very enjoyable! The ending leads into a sequel, The King Slayer, which will be released this summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the arc of The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker! This is a wonderful book and anyone who has read Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass will probably want to read this series also.

The King Slayer begins right where The Witch Hunter left off. Elizabeth awaits trial for all of her past actions. This trial will decide her fate. Elizabeth is being trained by Schuyler and Fifer, two fun characters! The stigma is changing John in such a way that his friends don’t recognize his actions and reasoning. Blackwell has become a monster and a battle has begun and the story continues with trying to resolve these problems. The characters are dynamic and the world building is complete and I highly recommend this entire series to fantasy readers!