The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Posted on by lynndellwatson

7bcf2e13f8-7c64-46a9-9741-f1ec87a78faa7dimg400

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review The Cruel Prince by Holly Black! The opening of the book immediately grabbed my full attention with action, intrigue and violence! Jude and Taryn, human twins, are raised with their Faerie older sister, Vivi, in the Faerie kingdom. Jude and Taryn attend school with faerie teenagers and, while Taryn seems to stay off their radar, Jude is constantly being teased by Cardan, Valerian, Locke and Nicasia. Valerian takes the teasing to violent extremes. For this reason, Jude works daily to become stronger (by taking small amounts of poison daily to become immune) and to become a warrior. Little does she know how much her self training and practice will help her kingdom until the future of her kingdom lies within her hands. Fantasy laced with action and intrigue make The Cruel Prince a must read, 5 stars! I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel.

Underneath It All by Amber J. Keyser

Posted on by lynndellwatson

51m-qcnhqvl-_sx258_bo1204203200_

Thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review Underneath It All by Amber J. Keyser. The target audience is ages 13-18, grades 9-12. The introduction, Beyond Frippery and Lace, shares a quick history of women’s undergarments and a picture of Madonna in her infamous cone bra. A touching personal story from Jae West about self-acceptance is also shared bolstering self-esteem. Underwear isn’t just a covering, it also speaks of “gender, sexuality, politics and body image. An organization helping girls and women in poor countries makes and donates free reusable sanitary kits. The website is DaysForGirls.org and anyone can get involved, just check their website for information. Thinx, a new product is also explained. I’d never heard of this, but it’s innovative and impressive. Thinx is period-proof underwear! What a concept. The book continues on through the history of undergarments and highlights new and innovative underwear companies like Naja and Yellowberry. Underneath It All is interesting, informative and eye-opening and I learned a great deal more than I thought I would! 5 stars for this humorous, historical and educational look at the history of undergarments!

RoseBlood by A.G. Howard

Posted on by lynndellwatson

28818314

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the opportunity to read and review RoseBlood by A.G. Howard! Roseblood. Rune is being taken to an elite school in France and wonders what the motives of her relatives are by helping her have access to this expensive school and paying for everything she needs from tuition to uniforms, when they haven’t been kind or close in the past. Her father passed away years ago and his relations are the ones helping Rune with acceptance to the school. Her mother has traveled from Harmony, Texas with Rune to take her to the school. For some reason, Rune needed to leave her hometown because of some kind of trouble she caused. Her father shared a musical talent with Rune and without him, this talent is taking a toll on her health and life. As I read, I became more engrossed in this interesting twist on “The Phantom of the Opera”. Chapter four intrigued me with it’s foreshadowing and I couldn’t stop reading after that! Magic is somehow involved with this story along with a bit of the supernatural. Each chapter begins with a literary quote that applies to the chapter content and, as always, I appreciate and enjoyed the author’s note at the end of the book which explains A. G. Howard’s research into the truth behind the Phantom. A supernatural fantasy retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, told with imagination and complex, multidimensional characters, 5 stars!

Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia

Posted on by lynndellwatson

33158532

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia! Peyton and her mom have lived alone since her father was killed during a military mission. Peyton’s boyfriend, Reed, has been acting differently and seems to have a quick temper and mood swings often when he used to never be that way. Reed’s sister Tess is also Peyton’s best friend and when Peyton tries to discuss the changes in Reed with Tess, she becomes defensive. When Peyton finds out Reed’s secret and confronts him, Reed loses his temper and pushes Peyton. She falls down cement stairs and hurts her leg. Now she’s mourning the possibility of losing her soccer scholarship and her ruined relationships with Reed and Tess. She moves to Tennessee and stays with her uncle and his two teenage twin boys so she can recuperate, attend physical therapy and hopefully repair her leg. She gains new friends and works hard to recover the strength in her leg while learning to deal with Reed and the difficulties he’s caused. I don’t want to give anything away from the rest of the story but I devoured Broken Beautiful Hearts and I highly recommend it for any reader that enjoys young adult realistic fiction, 5 stars!

The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard: Harry Potter by Eric Bradley

Posted on by lynndellwatson

34430016

Thanks to NetGalley and F+W Media for the opportunity to read and review The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard: Harry Potter by Eric Bradley. Tips on where to find all things Potter and tidbits on some of the interesting examples of valuable Potter collectibles are spotlighted in this unofficial collector’s guide. Wonderful quotes are scattered throughout the book. Such as, “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
-J. K. Rowling. Interesting compilation of artifacts and their worth to the collectors of our favorite wizarding world. 5 stars!

Manga Classics by UDON Entertainment

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Thanks to NetGalley and UDON Entertainment for the opportunity to read and review Manga Classics! Manga Classics include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which is true to the original classic with added cliffhangers to keep manga readers interested and eye-catching illustrations. After the story ends, the details of adaptation from classic literature to manga lets us see into the transformation. Each story in this collection follows these same guidelines! Impressive artwork and transformation!
Manga Classics also include The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (the only color is the scarlet letter A, which makes striking illustrations!), Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven. The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red death and The Fall of the House of Usher; Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and many more!
5 stars for books that make classics accessible and understandable to every reader!

Assassin of Truths by Brenda Drake

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Assassin of Truths by Brenda Drake! Gia is continuing on her mission and even though she’s lost people that she cares about, she still has more to accomplish. The story is refreshed in our minds as Gia encounters characters old and new. Her trials are all-consuming and seem never ending as she travels across the globe through beautifully described libraries to complete her mission. The vivid descriptions of the different worlds, characters and libraries bring the story to life and Gia’s loyalty and integrity know no bounds. A wonderful ending to the Library Jumpers adventure fantasy series, 5 stars!

By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell

Posted on by lynndellwatson

jaime-questellBy A Charm and a Curse _ 500EntTeen-01256-webbanner-ad1-STATIC(851x315)BlogTour-ByACharmAndACurseMaterials

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell! Emmaline and her siblings are spending a year with their father in a small, uneventful town while their mom works in Guatemala, since she received a grant. Emma attends the carnival with her friend Juliet before it leaves town and takes the last bit of entertainment with it. Benjamin works for the traveling carnival but he wants to leave it to finally stay in one place and start a life there. Emma meets and takes a Ferris wheel ride with Sidney; a young man that runs the fortune teller box attraction. Emma unknowingly submits herself to the curse and charm that runs the carnival. Her friends and family believe that she’s run away and she is nothing but trapped until she can trick someone else into taking the curse. Emma and Benjamin form a bond and they’re determined to figure out a way to break the curse once and for all. A supernatural fantasy written for young adults, 4 stars!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Posted on by lynndellwatson

23197837

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the ARC and Bookish First for the hardcover copy of The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton! I absolutely loved every moment of this book! The Belles is a confection of a book with the beautifully descriptive writing of the author, Dhonielle Clayton. Based on Orleans mythology, a creation of the author, The Belles involves the world formed after the God of the Sky fell in love with the Goddess of Beauty. Together they had children. Sky became jealous of the time that Beauty spent with their children, so he cursed them with sadness and dreariness. Beauty sent the Belles to bring beauty back into the world. This tale is told with decadence and is a joy to read. Camellia becomes the Favorite and hears and sees strange things that no one will explain. Everyone wants her to ignore her pondering and just do her job as the favorite Belle; bring beauty to Orleans. The mysteries keep growing and Camellia struggles to understand Princess Sophia, what happened to her Belle sister Amber and why everyone is exceedingly secretive. Sophia’s madness becomes clear and Camellia is bound and determined to help the Queen keep Sophia from becoming the next queen of Orleans. Intriguing and suspenseful, The Belles is delightful and dangerous with characters that are good, evil and in between, 5 stars!

Coloring with Thread by Tula Pink

Posted on by lynndellwatson

51zeiwbg2ql-_sx258_bo1204203200_

Thanks to NetGalley and F+W Media for the opportunity to read and review Coloring With Thread by Tula Pink, which makes embroidery look like painting with thread! Beautiful finished projects are photographed and shown as examples for the included detailed instructions. A stitching guide clearly illustrates and describes various stitches and explains the purpose of each. Helpful and artistically inspiring craft book, 5 stars!