Showing posts with label Cori McCarthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cori McCarthy. Show all posts

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Week 26 Review: Transmogrify!

From Goodreads:
Perfect for fans of All Out and Cemetery Boys, this anthology claims a seat at the table of fantasy literature for trans and gender nonconforming stories.

Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you'll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

My Review:
I had a fantastic time reading this anthology! This collection of trans and gender nonconforming stories was such a great concept, and I really enjoyed all of these stories! I hadn't read from most of these authors before, so it was so great to check them out! 

I will say that the lack of trans women authors, and minimal characters, was a bit sad, espcailly with the way the editor of this collection reacted to that criticism wasn't great. But these stories were really great, and deserved to be told, and read. I just wish that there could've just been that extra bit of representation, because people are vast.

I was really looking forward to AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy's story, I've really enjoyed their books together and yeah, it was such a cute story, I loved who the narrator was, and watching these two kids taking care of a dragon egg-a fantasy school project version of either the flour bags or mechanical baby dolls. Loved reading it! 

Saundra Mitchell's story was another I was excited to read, and it was so cute, with a magic school but they got kicked out of it, and finding their place. It was such a cute read, I loved these characters, and watching it unfold!  

Loved reading these stories, they were all so great to read!

Authors: AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy, g. haron davis, Mason Deaver, Jonathan Lenore Kastin, Emery Lee, Saundra Mitchell, Cam Montgomery, Ash Nouveau, Sonora Reyes, Renee Reynolds, Dove Salvatierra, Ayida Shonibar, Francesca Tacchi, Nik Traxler 
Read: June 25th, 2023
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2023 Book! 
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: May 16th 2023
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Monday, March 28, 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #564, March 28th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!
What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #563
Teaser Tuesday #571
WWW Wednesday #571
WOW #567
Will the Time Come #564
Third Sentence Thursday #554
Random Reads #540
First Lines Friday #567
Book Blogger Hop #233

A Game of Tomes Readathon: 

Greek God-a-Thon: 

Magical Readathon: Orilium: 

OK, so I got 49 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty great week, I read some really great books! Can't wait for next week! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read whatever I want!

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Week 12 Review: Now a Major Motion Picture

From Goodreads:
Fandom and first love collide for Iris on the film set for her grandmother's famous high-fantasy trilogy.

Unlike the rest of the world, Iris doesn't care about the famous high-fantasy Elementia books written by M. E. Thorne. So it's just a little annoying that M. E. Thorne is her grandmother—and that Iris has to deal with the trilogy's crazy fans.

When Iris gets dropped in Ireland for the movie adaptation, she sees her opportunity: if she can shut down production, the Elementia craze won't grow any bigger, and she can finally have a normal life. Not even the rascally-cute actor Eamon O'Brien can get in her way.

But the crew's passion is contagious, and as Iris begins to find herself in the very world she has avoided her whole life, she realizes that this movie might just be amazing… 

My Review:
I had a great time reading this book! The idea of a feminist fantasy series to rival with Lord of the Rings-and her grandmother wrote it, and it's now being made into a movie, is such an interesting idea! Of course things are complicated by the fact that her dad has basically conditioned her to look down upon the franchise. And that it's done a number on her family-a fan tried to kidnap her brother. 

At the core of this book is this family and their relationships. Iris loves her brother, but she resents him for making her come to Ireland to watch the movie getting shot. She and her dad have similar views, against this franchise, and for their mother/grandmother who wrote the books. But Iris starts to see things differently, watching the movie being filmed, forming her own opinions.

There were two things that I loved about this book (besides the writing which was easy to devour) One was the setting of Ireland, it was beautiful. And secondly Eamon and the rest of the cast, who show her their care for this project. It was really sweet! 

Loved how everything came together, it was really a joy to read! It really showed the journey that she'd gone on. It dealt with the major problem in a positive way, and I had such a great time reading it! It's funny how things work out sometimes, but this was a good funny! 

I had a great time reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Cori McCarthy!

Author: Cori McCarthy 
Read: March 22nd, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really great and I've enjoyed her books, and it's a SAC 2022 Book!
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: April 3rd 2018
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

WWW Wednesday #571, March 23rd

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme! And thanks now to Taking on a World of Words for reviving it! 

I'm currently reading Summer on the Island, and I'm really enjoying it!
I read Now a Major Motion Picture, and it was a really great read!
I'm going to be reading Go the Distance, and I can't wait, I just love this series! 

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Greek God-a-Thon Update 15

So I've read my next book for Greek God-a-Thon, and it was Now a Major Motion Picture which is for the prompt Apollo, and I'll be reading Summer on the Island next! 

My Reading Journey:

An Impossible Imposter by Deanna Raybourn
Prompt Fulfilled: Artemis
Started On: March 1st
Finished On: March 1st, 8:46 PM
Pages Read: 336

The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan
Prompt Fulfilled: Dionysus
Started On: March 2nd
Finished On: March 2nd, 8:11 PM
Pages Read: 384

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
Prompt Fulfilled: Hades
Started On: March 3rd
Finished On: March 3rd, 10:40 PM
Pages Read: 560

Stone Heart by Katee Robert
Prompt Fulfilled: Hermes
Started On: March 4th
Finished On: March 4th, 9:23 PM
Pages Read: 99

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Prompt Fulfilled: Poseidon
Started On: March 5th
Finished On: March 5th, 9:52 PM
Pages Read: 480

Dark Skye by Kresley Cole
Prompt Fulfilled: Aphrodite
Started On: March 7th
Finished On: March 7th, 8:55 PM
Pages Read: 531

Gods & Monsters by Shelby Muhurin
Prompt Fulfilled: Zeus
Started On: March 8th
Finished On: March 8th, 9:40 PM
Pages Read: 624

Working Stiff by Rachel Caine
Prompt Fulfilled: Hera
Started On: March 13th
Finished On: March 13th, 9:56 PM
Pages Read: 306

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Prompt Fulfilled: Apollo
Started On: March 15th
Finished On: March 15th, 9:50 PM
Pages Read: 628

Shadow Fire by Christine Feehan
Prompt Fulfilled: Athena 
Started On: March 18th
Finished On: March 18th, 9:00 AM
Pages Read: 432

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller 
Prompt Fulfilled: Demeter
Started On: March 19th
Finished On: March 19h, 11:19 PM
Pages Read: 432

Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre
Prompt Fulfilled: Hestia
Started On: March 20th
Finished On: March 20th, 9:04 PM
Pages Read: 368

When a Princess Proposes by Kerrelyn Sparks
Prompt Fulfilled: Hephaestus
Started On: March 21st
Currently On: Page 0 of 336

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Prompt Fulfilled: Ares
Started On: March 22nd
Finished On: March 22nd, 2:45 PM
Pages Read: 378

Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy
Prompt Fulfilled: Apollo
Started On: March 22nd
Finished On: March 22nd, 10:33 PM
Pages Read: 402

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak
Prompt Fulfilled: Hestia
Started On: March 23rd
Currently On: Page 0 of 400

Prompts Left: None Left!
Books Read: 15
Pages Read: 6296 

Greek God-a-Thon Update 14

So I've read my next book for Greek God-a-Thon, and it was The Song of Achilles which is for the prompt Ares, and I'll be reading Now a Major Motion Picture next! 

My Reading Journey:

An Impossible Imposter by Deanna Raybourn
Prompt Fulfilled: Artemis
Started On: March 1st
Finished On: March 1st, 8:46 PM
Pages Read: 336

The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan
Prompt Fulfilled: Dionysus
Started On: March 2nd
Finished On: March 2nd, 8:11 PM
Pages Read: 384

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
Prompt Fulfilled: Hades
Started On: March 3rd
Finished On: March 3rd, 10:40 PM
Pages Read: 560

Stone Heart by Katee Robert
Prompt Fulfilled: Hermes
Started On: March 4th
Finished On: March 4th, 9:23 PM
Pages Read: 99

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Prompt Fulfilled: Poseidon
Started On: March 5th
Finished On: March 5th, 9:52 PM
Pages Read: 480

Dark Skye by Kresley Cole
Prompt Fulfilled: Aphrodite
Started On: March 7th
Finished On: March 7th, 8:55 PM
Pages Read: 531

Gods & Monsters by Shelby Muhurin
Prompt Fulfilled: Zeus
Started On: March 8th
Finished On: March 8th, 9:40 PM
Pages Read: 624

Working Stiff by Rachel Caine
Prompt Fulfilled: Hera
Started On: March 13th
Finished On: March 13th, 9:56 PM
Pages Read: 306

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Prompt Fulfilled: Apollo
Started On: March 15th
Finished On: March 15th, 9:50 PM
Pages Read: 628

Shadow Fire by Christine Feehan
Prompt Fulfilled: Athena 
Started On: March 18th
Finished On: March 18th, 9:00 AM
Pages Read: 432

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller 
Prompt Fulfilled: Demeter
Started On: March 19th
Finished On: March 19h, 11:19 PM
Pages Read: 432

Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre
Prompt Fulfilled: Hestia
Started On: March 20th
Finished On: March 20th, 9:04 PM
Pages Read: 368

When a Princess Proposes by Kerrelyn Sparks
Prompt Fulfilled: Hephaestus
Started On: March 21st
Currently On: Page 0 of 336

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Prompt Fulfilled: Ares
Started On: March 22nd
Finished On: March 22nd, 2:45 PM
Pages Read: 378

Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy
Prompt Fulfilled: Apollo
Started On: March 22nd
Currently On: Page 0 of 402

Prompts Left: None Left!
Books Read: 14
Pages Read: 5894 

Monday, March 7, 2022

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #561, March 7th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!
What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #560
Teaser Tuesday #568
WWW Wednesday #568
WOW #564
Will the Time Come #561
Third Sentence Thursday #551
Random Reads #537
First Lines Friday #564
Book Blogger Hop #230
21 Books to Read in 2021 Update 22
The Reward Challenge Update #546
Wheel of TBR #93
How Well I Stuck to It #398
Wrote that Review Update #396

Week 9 Reviews:
Breaking Sky

NetGalley November: 

A Game of Tomes Readathon: 

Greek God-a-Thon: 

Random:

OK, so I got 45 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty good reading week, I read some really great books and I'm excited for what's to come next week! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read whatever I want to read!

Saturday, March 5, 2022

Week 9 Review: Breaking Sky

From Goodreads:
Fly to the last drop of fuel. Fight to the last drop of blood.
Showoff. Reckless. Maverick. Chase Harcourt, call sign "Nyx," isn't one to play it safe. In the year 2048, America is locked in a cold war and the country's best hope is the elite teen fighter pilots of the United Star Academy. Chase is one of only two daredevil pilots chosen to fly an experimental "Streaker" jet. But few know the pain and loneliness of her past. All anyone cares about is that Chase aces the upcoming Streaker trials, proving the prototype jet can knock the enemy out of the sky.

But as the world tilts toward war, Chase cracks open a military secret. There's a third Streaker, whose young hotshot pilot, Tristan, can match her on the ground and in the clouds. And Chase doesn't play well with others. But to save her country, she may just have to put her life in the hands of the competition.

Cori McCarthy's taut, romantic, action adventure will shoot your pulse straight into overdrive with her brilliantly imagined and frighteningly possible future. BREAKING SKY has also been optioned for film by Sony Pictures.

My Review:
I absolutely loved reading this book! That opening just hooked me-and I had to know how we got to that point, because it immediately jumps back in time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story of how things developed to get where it did! Such a great read!

It does say that it was optioned for film, and this book did come out in 2015, but it looks like nothing has become of it, as far as I can tell, which is a little sad, because it would be a pretty blockbuster movie, all that action and flying! Too bad!

This book was so fast paced, and I loved it! With the fact that there's a third Streaker and the pilot is just as good as her, well, I had to know more! The writing worked really well, with things like the descriptions of the flying being so vibrant! 

Reading about Chase, I have mixed feelings. Most are positive, but she is reckless and a rule breaker. She has her past, and I enjoyed watching her journey to open up more to people. Plus her relationship with Tristan was really great to read! 

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Cori McCarthy! 

Author: Cori McCarthy
Read: February 26th, 2022
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved her other book, and it's a 2022 Dystopia Book and a SAC 2022 Book!
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: March 10th 2015
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Star

Monday, April 13, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #462, April 13th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #461
Teaser Tuesday #469
WWW Wednesday #469
WOW #465
Will the Time Come #462
Third Sentence Thursday #452
Random Reads #438
First Lines Friday #465
Book Blogger Hop #131
The Reward Challenge Update #447
How Well I Stuck to It #299
Wrote that Review Update #296

Week 15 Reviews:
Immortal Angel
Once & Future
Sword in the Stars
A Stoke of Malice
Chaos Reigning
Ghost Money
The Shadow Cats
The Shattered Mountain
The King's Guard
The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Random:
We Have the Cover of Scholomance #1!!!!
24 Hour Reading Challenge 1st April Sign Up
24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 1

OK, so I got 21 posts in 7 days, it was a pretty good week, I read some really great reads, and I have a really great week coming up! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read The Age of Witches, The Burning, Every Step She Takes, Nowhere on Earth, and The Storm Crow.

Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches, returns with another riveting tale of family, witchcraft, and love that spans generations, set in Gilded Age New York and London.

Harriet Bishop, descended from a long line of witches, uses magic to help women in need -- not only ordinary women, but also those with powers of their own. She must intervene when a distant cousin wields dangerous magic to change the lives of two unsuspecting young people... one of whom might just be a witch herself.

Frances Allington has used her wiles and witchcraft to claw her way out of poverty and into a spectacular marriage with one of New York's wealthiest new tycoons. She is determined to secure the Allingtons' position amongst the city's elite Four Hundred families by any means necessary -- including a scheme to make a glorious aristocratic match for her headstrong and reluctant step-daughter, Annis, using the same strange power with which she ensnared Annis's father.

To save Annis from this dark magic, Harriet reveals to her Frances' misuse of their shared birthright and kindles in Annis her own nascent powers. Together, Harriet and Annis must resist her stepmother's agenda, lest she -- and the dashing young lord she suspects she could come to love -- lose their freedom, and possibly their lives.
A rumor is like fire. You might think you've extinguished it, but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back to life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames.

New school. Check.
New town. Check.
New last name. Check.
Social media profiles? Deleted.

Anna and her mother have moved hundreds of miles to put the past behind them. Anna hopes to make a fresh start and escape the harassment she's been subjected to. But then rumors and whispers start, and Anna tries to ignore what is happening by immersing herself in a history project about Maggie, a local woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

In her newfound friendships with Alisha, Cat, and Robin, as well as her connection with Maggie, Anna finds a voice to face her tormentors.
"We are the granddaughters of the witches you could not burn. And we're not putting up with it anymore."

From Laura Bates, internationally renowned feminist and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, comes a debut novel that is a harrowing look at misogyny through the centuries. It's a powerful call to action, reminding all readers of the implications of sexism and the role we can each play in ending it.
A gripping new thriller by the author of the instant bestseller Wherever She Goes.

Sometimes there's no use running from your past. . . .

Genevieve has secrets that no one knows. In Rome she can be whoever she wants to be. Her neighbours aren't nosy; her Italian is passable; the shopkeepers and restaurant owners now see her as a local, and they let her be. It's exactly what she wants.

One morning, after getting groceries, she returns to her 500-year-old Trastevere apartment. She climbs to the very top of the staircase, the stairs narrowing the higher she goes. When she gets to her door, she puts down her bags and pushes the key into the lock . . .

. . . and the door swings open.

It's unlocked. Sometimes she doesn't lock it because break-ins aren't common in Rome. But Genevieve knows she locked the door behind her this morning. She has no doubt.

She should leave, call the police. What if someone is in her apartment, waiting for her? But she doesn't.

The apartment is empty, and exactly as she left it, perfectly tidy and not a thing out of place . . . except for the small box on her kitchen table. A box that definitely wasn't there this morning. A box postmarked from the US. A box that is addressed to "Lucy Callahan."

A name that she hasn't used in ten years.

Edge-of-your-seat riveting, K.L. Armstrong's new book will keep you turning the pages until the very end.
From the Printz Award-winning author of Satellite comes a compelling new novel about a girl who must brave the elements to help a lost child with an otherworldly secret.

Sixteen-year-old Emily is on the run. Between her parents and the trouble she's recently gotten into at school, she has more than enough reason to get away. But when she finds a little boy named Aidan wandering in the woods, she knows she needs to help him find his way home. But getting home is no easy matter, especially when Emily finds out that Aidan isn't even from Earth. When their plane crashes into the side of a snowy mountain, it's up to Emily to ensure Aidan and their pilot, Bob, make it off the mountain alive. Pursued by government forces who want to capture Aidan, the unlikely team of three trek across the freezing landscape, learning more about each other, and about life, than they ever thought possible.
In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life...until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.

That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother's death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.

But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Week 15 Reviews: Once & Future, Sword in the Stars


I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I've always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I'm done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure. 

From Goodreads:
In this epic sequel to Once & Future, to save the future, Ari and her Rainbow knights pull off a heist... thousands of years in the past.

Ari Helix may have won her battle against the tyrannical Mercer corporation, but the larger war has just begun. Ari and her cursed wizard Merlin must travel back in time to the unenlightened Middle Ages and steal the King Arthur's Grail---the very definition of impossible.

It's imperative that the time travelers not skew the timeline and alter the course of history. Coming face-to-face with the original Arthurian legend could produce a ripple effect that changes everything. Somehow Merlin forgot that the past can be even more dangerous than the future...

My Review:
Wow, I really enjoyed reading these books! They're such great stories, I love the fact that they're gender bent King Arthur retelling. Well, the first book is more of an extension, while the second one is more of a retelling, since they're back in the original. Yeah.

I love that this is set way in the future, that Ari is a girl, and that Merlin is a teenager. It's a great mix of elements that were just so enjoyable to read. And that this world is pretty diverse in terms of gender identity and sexual fluidity, as well as skin tones, since Ari is from the planet  Ketchan, were people of Arab descent settled, and how Ketchan is their identity, not Arab. Also, English is now called Mercer, because of course the evil company that they're after changed culture stuff.

We got Ari's perspective and we got Merlin's. Ari has the more important story in the first book, she does her Arthur quest, and does pretty well, with all the big reveals and such. But it's not quite enough, and Sword in the Stars is more Merlin's book. We learn so much about him, and he does come into his own in this book, which was pretty great to read!

Both characters learn and grow over the course of these books. Because there's a whole year gap in the first book, with an unseen, but know it happened training montage. Plus the whole, Gwen and Lancelot bit. As for Merlin, he has to confront aging backwards, and then in the second, being gay in a pretty restricted and backwards time. But I enjoyed both of their journeys, the growth that they both went through, as well as all the story reveals and how everything wrapped up story wise!

Loved reading these stories, they were so enjoyable to read and it was great to have widespread representation!

Authors: Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Series: Once & Future #1, 2
Read: April 5th, 6th, 2020
Source: Bought, NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Books! And Sword in the Stars is a End of Series 2020 Book!
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Published: March 26th 2019, April 7th 2020

Once & Future:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








Sword in the Stars:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

WWW Wednesday #469, April 8th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme!

I'm currently reading A Stroke of Malice, and I'm really enjoying this mystery! 
 I read Sword in the Stars, and it was an epic read, I enjoyed this conclusion to the duology!
I'm going to be reading Chaos Reigning, and I can't wait to devour it, it sounds fantastic!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday #456, February 5th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

A Bad Day For Sunshine by Darynda Jones
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones is back with the brand-new snarky, sassy, wickedly fun Sunshine Vicram series!

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.

Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, its strong cups of coffee—and a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff—an election her adorably meddlesome parents entered her in—and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of it's reminding Sunny why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that trouble at her daughter’s new school and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and Sunshine has her hands full.

Enter sexy almost-old-flame Levi Ravinder and a hunky US Marshall, both elevens on a scale of one to blazing inferno, and the normally savvy sheriff is quickly in over her head. Now it’s up to Sunshine to juggle a few good hunky men, a not-so-nice kidnapping miscreant, and Doug the ever-pesky flasher. And they said coming home would be drama-free.

A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
Lady Kiera Darby and her husband Sebastian Gage are looking forward to relaxing with new friends at an exciting yearly soiree, but they soon learn that murder never takes a holiday in the latest riveting installment in this national bestselling series.

Scotland 1832. After enjoying a delightful holiday with her family, Lady Kiera Darby is looking forward to finishing her new friend, the Duchess of Bowmont's portrait, as well as attending the duchess's annual Twelfth Night party. Though she normally avoids such fashionable events, Kiera trusts the attention will not be focused on her, but rather her notorious hostess and her family. But upon their arrival at the opulent Scottish estate, Kiera and her husband and fellow investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, swiftly deduce that all is not merry in the duke's household. The family appears to be under a great strain, and someone seems determined to cause mayhem among the guests with a series of forged notes.

However, matters swiftly turn from irksome to downright deadly when the merrymakers stumble upon a decomposing body in the castle's crypt. This corpse is certainly no laughing matter, especially when it is identified as the duchess's son-in-law, the Earl of Helmsdale, who had purportedly traveled to Paris more than a month earlier. It is evident the man met with foul play, and Kiera and Gage step in to investigate, at the duchess's insistence. Kiera and Gage must swiftly reexamine the facts, for a ruthless murderer walks among them and may well be a member of the duchess's own family. Kiera soon discovers just how deep the killer is willing to dig to keep their secrets from ever seeing the light of day.

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
The first novel written for an adult audience by the mega-selling author of the Divergent franchise: five twenty-something heroes famous for saving the world when they were teenagers must face even greater demons—and reconsider what it means to be a hero . . . by destiny or by choice.

A decade ago near Chicago, five teenagers defeated the otherworldly enemy known as the Dark One, whose reign of terror brought widespread destruction and death. The seemingly un-extraordinary teens—Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie, and Esther—had been brought together by a clandestine government agency because one of them was fated to be the “Chosen One,” prophesized to save the world. With the goal achieved, humankind celebrated the victors and began to mourn their lost loved ones.

Ten years later, though the champions remain celebrities, the world has moved forward and a whole, younger generation doesn’t seem to recall the days of endless fear. But Sloane remembers. It’s impossible for her to forget when the paparazzi haunt her every step just as the Dark One still haunts her dreams. Unlike everyone else, she hasn’t moved on; she’s adrift—no direction, no goals, no purpose. On the eve of the Ten Year Celebration of Peace, a new trauma hits the Chosen: the death of one of their own. And when they gather for the funeral at the enshrined site of their triumph, they discover to their horror that the Dark One’s reign never really ended. 

The Empire of Dreams by Rae Carson
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
New York Times-bestselling author Rae Carson makes a triumphant return to the world of her award-winning Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy in this extraordinary stand-alone novel. With action, adventure, and a heroine set on destroying the patriarchal limits meant to keep her in her place, The Empire of Dreams once again proves that Rae Carson is a master of epic fantasy.

Even though Red Sparkle Stone is a foundling orphan with an odd name and a veiled past, she's about to be adopted into the royal family—by Empress Elisa herself. Sixteen-year-old Red can hardly believe her luck. Then, in a stunning political masterstroke, the empress's greatest rival blocks the adoption, and Red is left with no family and no future.

Grieving and lost, but determined to find her place, Red hatches a daring plan: she will prove herself as a recruit for the world's most elite fighting force, the legendary Royal Guard—something no woman has done before. But it's no coincidence that someone wanted her to fail as a princess, someone whose shadowy agenda puts everything she loves at risk. As danger closes in, it will be up to Red and her new friends—and maybe some new enemies—to save the empire. If they can survive recruitment year. 

Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
Darkness never works alone...

Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.
One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
Some families we’re born into

Some we find for ourselves

When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for 23andMe, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.

The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side. 

Titan's Day by Dan Stout
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
The second book in the acclaimed Carter Archives noir fantasy series returns to the gritty town of Titanshade, where danger lurks around every corner.

The city of Titanshade pulses with nervous energy. The discovery of new riches beneath its snowfields has given residents hope for prosperity, but it also means the arrival of federal troops, along with assurances that they are only there to "stabilize the situation".

Newcomers flood the streets, dreaming of finding their fortunes, while in the backrooms and beer halls of the city, a populist resistance gains support, its leaders' true motives hidden behind nativist slogans. And in an alley, a gruesome discovery: the mutilated body of a young woman, a recent immigrant so little-regarded that not even her lovers bothered to learn her name. But in death, she's found a champion.

Detective Carter single-mindedly pursues the killer as he navigates political pressures and resists becoming a pawn in the struggles tipping the city toward anarchy. But when more innocent lives are lost and time runs short, he's forced to decide if justice is worth sparking all-out war in the streets during the biggest celebration of the year: Titan's Day.

Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .

Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin’s future seems bright―and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.

But when “Bex” takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she’s shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?

When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She’s forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.

But Marin isn’t about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies in the most unexpected people, like “slutty” Gray Kendall, who she’d always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro. As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.

Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
In this epic sequel to Once & Future, to save the future, Ari and her Rainbow knights pull off a heist... thousands of years in the past.

Ari Helix may have won her battle against the tyrannical Mercer corporation, but the larger war has just begun. Ari and her cursed wizard Merlin must travel back in time to the unenlightened Middle Ages and steal the King Arthur's Grail---the very definition of impossible.

It's imperative that the time travelers not skew the timeline and alter the course of history. Coming face-to-face with the original Arthurian legend could produce a ripple effect that changes everything. Somehow Merlin forgot that the past can be even more dangerous than the future...

We Didn't Ask for This by Adi Alsaid
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
Central International School’s annual lock-in is legendary. Bonds are made. Contests are fought. Stories are forged that will be passed down from student to student for years to come.

This year’s lock-in begins normally enough. Then a group of students led by Marisa Cuevas stage an ecoprotest and chain themselves to the doors, vowing to keep everyone trapped inside until their list of demands is met.

Some students rally to their cause…but others are aggrieved to watch their own plans fall apart.

Amira has trained all year to compete in the school decathlon on her own terms. Peejay intended to honor his brother by throwing the greatest party CIS has ever seen. Kenji was looking forward to making a splash at his improv showcase. Omar wanted to spend a little time with the boy he’s been crushing on. Celeste, adrift in a new country, was hoping to connect with someone—anyone. And Marisa, once so certain of her goals, must now decide how far she’ll go to attain them.

Every year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, it might just change the world. 

Little Universes by Heather Demetrios
Expected Publication: April 7th, 2020
From Goodreads:
One wave: that’s all it takes for the rest of Mae and Hannah Winters’ lives to change.

When a tsunami strikes the island their parents are vacationing on in Malaysia, it soon becomes clear that their parents are never coming home. Forced to move to Boston from their sunny California home for the rest of their senior year, each girl struggles with secrets their parents’ death has brought to light and with their uncertainty about the future. Instead of getting closer, it feels like the wave has torn them apart.

Little Universes explores the powerful bond of sisters, the kinds of love that never die, and the journey we all must make through the baffling cruelty and unexpected beauty of human life in an incomprehensible universe.

Oh, wow, some really fantastic books coming out! I'm so excited for all these books, for these authors, there's so many amazing sequels coming out, and some new books, and I can't wait to read them! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Week 34 Review: Betty Bites Back

From Goodreads:
FEMINIST FICTION TO FRIGHTEN THE PATRIARCHY! 

Behind every successful man is a strong woman... but in these stories, she might be about to plant a knife in his spine. The characters in this anthology are fed up - tired of being held back, held down, held accountable - by the misogyny of the system. They're ready to resist by biting back in their own individual ways, be it through magic, murder, technology, teeth, pitfalls and even... potlucks. Join sixteen writers as they explore feminism in fantasy, science-fiction, fractured fairy-tales, historical settings, and the all-too-familiar chauvinist contemporary world. 

Introduction by the Editors 

The news in the past few years has been full of women - nasty women, angry women, persistent women, women in pink knitted hats. There's been pushback, but there’s also been overwhelming support. With this anthology we wanted to add our own encouragement. This collection of sixteen tales comes from writers who picked up their pens to add their words to the resistance. 

You're helping, too. By buying this book - and reading it - you're allowing our words to find a space inside your head, to plant a seed, and to offer a different perspective. We hope you enjoy these tales, but more importantly, we hope they make you think about the position of women in the world, how our everyday lives are different from a man's - and in many ways, even different from each other's experiences. 

We all have our own tale. A cat-call. An unwanted touch. A joke at the water cooler... and those are just the micro-aggressions. Other stories make the news. But we're making our own headlines now, with marches, demonstrations and - in our own small way - this book. 

Thank you for joining us as we bite back. 

- Mindy McGinnis, Demitria Lunetta, and Kate Karyus Quinn 

My Review:
Yeah, wow, this book was a really awesome read! The whole concept behind this collection is fighting back against the patriarchy, which is pretty awesome. The patriarchy sometimes makes me boil at the unfairness. So taking it on in stories, I just had to read it!

I enjoyed all of these stories. There was one where the ending, I didn't like so much, it was pretty well written, but the story itself...it was good but I didn't like the direction that it went. Because oh, there are going to be consequences for this and it's not fair!

The first story is about 3 pages long. And there's 2 I believe that are more poetry. So there's a few variations so I never knew what to expect, how many more pages were left for each story. It had me racing and devouring this book!

I don't have a clear stand out favourite. This collection was pretty great, but it was about even, there weren't any over the top wow's for me. And that's OK, because like I said, these stories were all at a pretty high level, all together. That's kinda better too, rather than have a stand out, and a bunch of just OK stories. Yep.

Loved this collection, it was an amazing read!

Authors: Liz Coley, Shannon Green, Elaine Griffin, Lindsey Klingele, Kamerhe Lane, Jenna Lehne, Demitria Lunetta, Emilee Martell, Tracie Martin, Cori McCarthy, Kyrie McCauley, Mindy McGinnis, Kate Karyus Quinn, Melody Simpson, Amanda Sun
Read: August 17th, 2019
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved the collection idea and it's a SAC 2019 Book!
Published: September 16th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars