Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

Synopsis: When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered. For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance. In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...

Publication Date: January 2nd, 2018
Imprint: Disney-Hyperion
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Genre: Teens & YA/Sci-Fi
Received From: Netgalley in exchange for honest feedback
My Rating: 4/5

An archaeology adventure on another planet? I am in!

This was a fun, fast paced, puzzle-solving story, full of difficult decisions, secrets kept and revealed, betrayals, new alliances and more!  I enjoyed the characters and the setting, though a few things seemed too convenient, that was probably also on purpose to make you think hmmm... something funny is going on here! I'm interested to see what happens next!

As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti

Synopsis: What if you could ask for anything- and get it? In the sandy Mojave Desert, Madison is a small town on the road between nothing and nowhere. But Eldon wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, because in Madison, everyone gets one wish—and that wish always comes true. Some people wish for money, some people wish for love, but Eldon has seen how wishes have broken the people around him. And with the lives of his family and friends in chaos, he’s left with more questions than answers. Can he make their lives better? How can he be happy if the people around him aren’t? And what hope is there for any of them if happiness isn’t an achievable dream? Doubts build, leading Eldon to a more outlandish and scary thought: maybe you can’t wish for happiness…maybe, just maybe, you have to make it for yourself.

Publication Date: January 2nd, 2018
Imprint: Sourcebooks Fire
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Teens & YA/Sci-Fi
Received From: Netgalley in exchange for honest feedback
My Rating: 4/5

I would like to provide a trigger warning for attempted suicide in the content of this book.

As You Wish is based on such an interesting concept, one that I'm sure we've all considered, being able to wish for our hearts desire and have it come true. But how many of us have truthfully followed the ideas of our wishes all the way through to consider how they might have come out? That maybe it won't turn out exactly how we hoped? That maybe you should be careful what you wish for?  We're safe in our musings because there is no magical way for those wishes to happen so we're not bound by the consequences of just daydreaming.  Not so for the people of Madison.

Just like in life trying to decide what to do with your life,  go to college, start working immediately?  Are you really ready to make that life-changing to decision at 18?  Yet that is when you must make your wish, and live with whatever it brings.  I enjoyed the examination of the different wishes and how they turned out.  Many were selfish and short sighted, but we're human after all, and at 18 most of us are not equipped to be able to craft a wish that covers all the bases, that plans for every outcome that needs to be avoided. 

I was wary going in from the other varied reviews I was seeing, people either seemed to love it or hate it, and I was pleasantly surprised at how thoroughly and thoughtfully this story covered the premise of wishing and all the ways it might come out.  Our main character Eldon is flawed, as we all are, and struggling with what he wants, vs. what his family wants, a true trauma, and with just being a teenager growing up and all the social pressures that come along with that.  He doesn't make the best decisions, many of the characters don't, and the final outcome is not necessarily the best one for all involved, or in the mind of the reader, but it certainly provides a lot of food for thought. 

Overall I thought it was a well told and interesting story that made me think and pulled on my heart strings.  I appreciate the opportunity to review it!

My To Be Read List - November 2017 - YA Sub Box Books

Welcome to my November 2017 edition of My To Be Read List, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. This is a monthly meme where we offer up 3 choices from our TBR pile for our readers to pick from to help us make the super hard decision of "what do I read next?" a little easier and to whittle away at the ever growing TBR Mountain! 

Theme: YA Sub Box Books - I've subscribed to Uppercase and Owlcrate for a few months now and have only manged to read on of the books I've received, so let's change that! I went with three that were not Fantasy/Sci-Fi this time.

The poll will stay open through Friday 11/10, and I'll update this post with the winning book on Saturday 11/11, then post a review on the last Saturday of the month, 11/25.

If you think this sounds fun and would like to join (the more the merrier, because we love voting!) please head on over to Because Reading where Michelle lays out the rules for us!

And the choices are...

Book Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back. There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Book Synopsis: Let luck find you. Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes. At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall. As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined…and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

Book Synopsis: Adam has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He sees and hears people who aren’t there: Rebecca, a beautiful girl who understands him; the Mob Boss, who harasses him; and Jason, the naked guy who’s unfailingly polite. It should be easy to separate the real from the not real, but Adam can't. Still, there’s hope. As Adam starts fresh at a new school, he begins a drug trial that helps him ignore his visions. Suddenly everything seems possible, even love. When he meets Maya, a fiercely intelligent girl, he desperately wants to be the great guy that she thinks he is. But then the miracle drug begins to fail, and Adam will do anything to keep Maya from discovering his secret.

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Coming Soon - Odd & True by Cat Winters - Release Date 9/12/17

Description: Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio. In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase supposedly full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic states, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all.

Publication Date: September 12th, 2017
Imprint: Amulet Books
Publisher: ABRAMS Kids
Age Group: Teen & YA
Received From: Netgalley in exchange for honest feedback
My Rating: 4/5

I was very excited to see a new book by Cat Winters available on Net Galley as I really enjoyed In the Shadow of Blackbirds that I read during the Big Library Read. Cat again takes us on a historical and supernatural journey with the tale of two sisters who just might be a bit more than they realize.  My first thought was that this seemed like a turn of the century Supernatural tale only with sisters instead of brothers, which was ultra appealing! 

Of necessity this review may be a bit spoilery, so if you don't want to know more, just know that I enjoyed this tale, and recommend it if you are interested in mystery, sister relationships, past events shaping personalities, and that wonder of supernatural things that might be real, even though you think maybe not, but then maybe, but you're not sure.

Od and Tru are sisters, that for reasons we aren't sure of yet, live with their aunt on her farm.  It opens with Tru imploring Od to tell her a favorite tale, which Od obliges.  This tale is a special one that Od has crafted with love for her little sister, to give her a life full of magic and mystery, to spare her the hard life truths that she's already experienced, and that are still to come.  As the girls get older, Od continues to hold to these myth's of their family, that their mother was a monster hunter, that each family member has different powers, that they are special, and have a duty.  Even through leaving home for a few years and coming back one night to get Tru to leave the farm with her, she clings to these ideas, to the point where Tru is beginning to believe that her sister has gone crazy.

A last second leap of faith leads Tru to run away with Od for an adventure, though she's still not entirely sure of her sister's sanity.  Tru has seen some signs of her own that give her that push she needs, and away they go on a train to they aren't immediately sure where, following their childhood dream of monster hunting.

The chapters alternate between Tru's current telling of events, and Od's recounting of their lives to that point, so we slowly find out the truths and the disappointments that have made Od into who she is.  She's far from crazy, but she is brave, and loving and determined.

This story is very much a study of personality and being shaped by your past, also by what you are told at a young age, and what you are not.  Od and Tru were at once too sheltered, but also neglected in important ways by the adults in their lives.  Tru, kept in a childlike role from her illness and not allowed to make that move into adulthood, and Od being thrown into adulthood without being prepared and then punished for the mistakes that resulted.  Through it all, their love as sisters remained a mainstay for them.

This is a story with so much heart, with an interesting historical backdrop, and that keeps teasing you along, never quite giving you that final answer, is it real, or not?  Cat Winters has definitely shot up on my list of authors to keep track of, and I look forward to catching up on her previous books as well.

Coming Soon! - The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C. Yee - release date 8/8/17

Description: The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie Lo's every waking thought. But when her sleepy Bay Area town comes under siege from hell-spawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are suddenly and forcefully rearranged. Her only guide to the demonic chaos breaking out around her is Quentin Sun, a beguiling, maddening new transfer student from overseas. Quentin assures Genie she is strong enough to fight these monsters, for she unknowingly harbors an inner power that can level the very gates of Heaven. Genie will have to dig deep within herself to summon the otherworldly strength that Quentin keeps talking about. But as she does, she finds the secret of her true nature is entwined with his, in a way she could never have imagined…

Publication Date: August 8th, 2017

Imprint: Amulet Books

Publisher: ABRAMS Kids

Age Group: Teen & YA

Received From: Netgalley in exchange for honest feedback

My Rating: 4/5 
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo is a modern day twist on characters from Chinese Folklore. While reading I found myself very interested in what elements were actually found in the old tales and what were new from the author, and after some checking, I discovered that the history or backstory if you will, for Genie Lo is actually from 16th century tale, Journey to the West. The modern translation by Arthur Haley is called Monkey, and I'm very interested in reading it now that I've read Genie Lo.

While the story wasn't as smooth as I might have liked, it does have a lot to recommend it, chief among those to me was getting me interested in the mythology it is inspired by.  It is not a retelling of Journey to the West, instead it takes some of those characters, gives them modern personalities, and with a new conflict, goes to town!   It is action packed, with interesting fight scenes that are unique in the problems faced to overcome each enemy. It is humorous in that Genie is dealing with an invasion of demons and trying to get into college at the same time, a tall order for any teenager, even one with heretofore unknown super powers.

I enjoyed the story line, and the use of mythology, and most of the characters, except for Genie herself.  I don't dislike her, but I had a hard time bonding with her.  I am okay with all the other characters but her, and I wonder if that's because it's written in first person narrative, with Genie telling us the story as it's happening. She grows as the story unfolds, but it's hard to overcome that initial discord for me.  I didn't feel like the times she swears in the beginning of the story are really merited by the events taking place, and some of the expletives chosen really turned me off.  I'll admit this is potentially more of a pet peeve of my own than a flaw, but it was jarring and didn't add to the story for me.

Overall The Epic Crush of Genie Lo was a fun read and got me interested in learning more about the mythological characters it showcased.  I would recommend it to those who enjoy that mesh of modern and myth, like myself!

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Book Synopsis: Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster. In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try. Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

I raced through Eliza and Her Monsters in three days, only partially because of the format, but more because it really spoke to me. Probably it would have been less if I hadn't had to do those silly adult things like working and sleeping so that I could work.

Our emotions over things we love are so strong in our high school years, those things are so important to us and they consume us, becoming everything, taking up most of our waking thoughts that are absolutely required for existing and getting through school. I totally get that, I remember it vividly, although with a little confusion now that I'm older, and that slight wish that I could be so utterly consumed by something I liked again, if only for awhile, as long as it wasn't so difficult to come back from.  They are wonderful and yet also torturous times, to be honest, and truthfully I would not go back for anything.

For me it was writing fan fiction about the bands that I loved, and just endless fantasizing over them and scenerios in which we either were them, or factored heavily as girlfriends, friends, etc.  For Eliza it was a story of her own making, a web comic that she poured everything she was into it, with no real thought of what came after.  Her art and the online world in which she shared it were comfortable and safe.  She had become the weird girl in the real world, unable to relate to those around her very well, but online she was a creator goddess, the mother of a story that had taken on it's own life and gathered a huge number of fans.  She was mysterious and powerful in her anonymity, and Monstrous Sea was the only thing she wanted to work on, school was something that she had to do just enough to get by until she could go back to it.  Her family were all very active, her life was online.  Misunderstandings abound, with neither side able to really communicate well with the other, however well meaning.

When Eliza is exposed as the creator of Monstrous Sea, everything comes crashing down, and she is paralyzed in a way she's never been.  She suffers deeply from anxiety that was likely present all along but was something she could escape from until that safe base becomes the trigger, and threatens to undo the fragile life she is starting to build outside of her online world.

Zappia creates very complex and likable characters, even if you sometimes want to wring their necks for their choices or tunnel vision, and remember we're looking at all from that perfect knowledge of outside that is completely inaccessible when you're in a situation.  There is also humor, and finding your tribe, and romance, and that terrible guilt of a secret kept too long.  There is family and self discovery, and so many other things.  I also really enjoyed the additions of art from Monstrous Sea and wish there was an actual web comic to go look at now that I feel like the artist behind it is a real person that I'm rooting for!

I loved it, and I highly recommend it!  I'm looking forward to reading more by Francesca Zappia, I think Made You Up sounds very intriguing!

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

From Goodreads: The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help. At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane is about to become the Queen of England.

This was a humorous and snarky, young adult, paranormal alternate history for Lady Jane Grey. I did enjoy it. It was funny. And the audiobook is read by one of my favorite narrators, Katherine Kellgren, who is the best with doing royal voices. With that said, I felt faintly guilty enjoying it when the true history was so bad for Jane.  I do realize that the whole point of this book was to take a sad bit of history and make it an HEA instead, but I'm afraid it may come off as a bit irreverent and flippant to true events.  However if it gets readers interested in actual history, that's not a bad thing.  And if you go into it knowing to expect an outrageous reworking of history, then maybe it's a little easier to take.  I would advise fans of strict adherence to historical facts to steer clear. 

With that bit of criticism out of the way, My Lady Jane was a lot of fun! Jane is a heroine that any Disney's Belle fan will love, and Edward and Gifford are bumbling and adorable, and there is that bit about the shape changing which causes more than a little trouble.  I also love when there is 4th wall breaking, used here when the authors occasionally address the reader to set the record straight (or even more wrong).  Kellgren does a fantastic job of getting the intonation just right, especially the snarky and sarcastic bits, which make it a pleasure to listen to.

My Lady Jane will definitely go down as one of my favorites of the year. I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next with two more books forthcoming, according to Goodreads. 

My TBR List - July 2017 - Subscription Box Books

Welcome to my July 2017 edition of My To Be Read List, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. This is a monthly meme where we offer up 3 choices from our TBR pile for our readers to pick from to help us make the super hard decision of "what do I read next?" a little easier and to whittle away at the ever growing TBR Mountain! 

Theme: Books I've received in my Subscription Boxes (and which I also put on my COYER Summer Reading List). I've tried out Uppercase, Owlcrate and Fairy Loot, but haven't managed to read any of the books yet!

The poll will stay open through Friday 7/8, and I'll update this post with the winning book on Saturday 7/9, then post a review on the last Saturday of the month, 7/29.

If you think this sounds fun and would like to join (the more the merrier, because we love voting!) please head on over to Because Reading where Michelle lays out the rules for us!

And the choices are...

Book Synopsis: She’s a soldier. Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She’s willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she’s a rebel. He’s a machine. Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that’s begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he’s an abomination. Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they’re not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they’re forced to question everything they’d been taught was true.

Book Synopsis: Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster. In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try. Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

Book Synopsis: The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath. So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace. The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

I wish I could give this 100 stars. So accessible and poignant, best book I've read/listened to in 2017 so far. The Hate U Give covers so many current topics honestly, from the difference between Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter, to how our personalities change depending on where we are and who we're with, and how we may not see that we're allowing racist comments to pass. It's a perfect showcase of the landscape in place and how unfair it is.

The characters feel so real, and Bahni's reading is perfect. Starr has her faults like we all do, and is forced to own up to those at times, but also finds her power and her voice to make a difference. We are able to feel for her and relate to her as a normal teenage girl just trying to get through being a teenager, with the added problems of gang issues, living in a poorer neighborhood and going to a school where she doesn't really feel like she can be herself. I feel like Starr and her experiences are a great discussion start. I don't feel like I've been attacked as a white person, I feel like this is a wonderful explanation, a here's why, now how can we do better?

I apologize because I feel like my words are inadequate for how important and wonderful this book is. Please read it, even if you don't think you need to, you might be surprised.

A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire #1) by Jessica Cluess

From Goodreads: I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I? Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city--and the one she loves?

I freely admit the cover was the draw to this book for me, isn't it beautiful? I had had my eye on this for awhile, so when I saw it available on Blogging for Books last fall I grabbed it! Luckily, it was not just a pretty cover, but also a fun story! It's a little bit Harry Potter, a little bit Oliver Twist, and a little bit Cthulu all rolled into one. There's magic wands (staves), a magician who is taking care of orphaned children who isn't quite what he seems, and ancient monsters that have been let loose on the world, though they seem particularly interested in England for the most part.

I did enjoy Henrietta as a character and some of the young men, I just couldn't get on board with Rook, though he's still in the story, so maybe I'll come around to liking him more later on.  Henrietta is constantly under a lot of pressure because of her abilities, from hiding them, to honing them, to using them differently to appear as if she's doing things a certain way. It all sounds exhausting to me, and all while dealing with the fact that she's a woman, in fact the only woman, practicing to be a sorcerer, and not being taken as seriously by her compatriots as she would like. 

There are secrets and betrayals and enemies becoming friends and friends becoming enemies, and it's overall a fun and exciting story of magic, coming of age, and finding true friends.  The next book in the Kingdom on Fire series is A Poison Dark and Drowning will be out September 19th and I'm looking forward to it!

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Passage, n. i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes. ii. A journey by water; a voyage. iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time. In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now. Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not. Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

It was the cover of this one that caught my eye first, with the city in a bottle and the reflection of a ship under the water, such neat artwork! It was suggested as a possible group read in a Goodreads group that I admin, and while it didn't win that round, I was intrigued enough to still give it a try.  I will definitely keep it in the running for the group read! Adventure, time travel to exotic locations, some romance, an artifact hunt, roller coaster feelings, there is a lot here!

The main draw after the cover caught me was time travel, I'm a sucker for the ability to pack history in with that nifty mechanism, and I enjoyed looking up images of the places they traveled to online.  I won't say where they went, that's part of the fun!  Also, you need a good hunt through time with a puzzle, and a handsome and conflicted pirate (ahem, legal thank you very much), while being chased by who knows how many different factions.  For not knowing anything like this was possible, Etta really took the whole thing very well! 

I enjoyed the characters, except for Sophia, you aren't supposed to like her though, and every time you almost feel sorry for her, yep, she says something that just makes you want to strangle her.  Papa Ironwood is of course super evil, though even he you can feel a smidge of empathy for when you know what he's up to, although it's still all for his own gain.  Nicholas and Etta fit together almost immediately, in fact so well that he is afraid to believe it.  Etta meanwhile is just bulling through the whole adventure like a bat out of hell that will not be stopped! She's got moxy for sure!

On the whole this was a great YA adventure with a lot of my favorite elements included which I would definitely recommend to you if you're looking for some treasure hunting, time skipping fun!

My TBR List - March 2017 Winner: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

 And the winner is...

From Goodreads: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

You all were clearly into werewolves this time!  I'm really looking forward to any and all of Maggie's books, so here we go!  Check out this blog post from Maggie herself talking about what it's like to be on her side of the signing table.

9 votes

4 votes

2 votes

My TBR List - March 2017 - Maggie Stiefvater

Welcome to my March 2017 edition of My To Be Read List, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. This is a monthly meme where we offer up 3 choices from our TBR pile for our readers to pick from to help us make the super hard decision of "what do I read next?" a little easier and to whittle away at the ever growing TBR Mountain! 

Theme: Maggie Stiefvater.  Maggie's The Raven Boys series really caught my attention and now she's an automatic buy for me. Help me decide what to start next!

The poll will stay open through Friday 3/10, and I'll update this post with the winning book on Saturday 3/11, then post a review on the last Saturday of the month, 3/25.

If you think this sounds fun and would like to join (the more the merrier, because we love voting!) please head on over to Because Reading where Michelle lays out the rules for us!

And the choices are...

From Goodreads: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

From Goodreads: It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

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My TBR List - March 2016 - Faery

Welcome to my March 2016 edition of My To Be Read List, hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. This is a monthly meme where we offer up 3 choices from our TBR pile for our readers to pick from to help us make the super hard decision of "what do I read next?" a little easier and to whittle away at the ever growing TBR Mountain! 

Theme: Faery, I thought that was an appropriate March idea! ;) Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me which you chose and why.

The poll will stay open through Friday 3/11 , and I'll update this post with the winning book on Saturday 3/12, then post a review on the 4th Saturday of the month, 3/26. (I may be a little late this month, unless I can get it read early!)

If you think this sounds fun and would like to join (the more the merrier, because we love voting!) please head on over to Because Reading where Michelle lays out the rules for us!

And the choices are...

From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . . Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

From Goodreads: Swept away into a court of magic and beauty, she discovers she is Tania, the lost princess of Faerie: the youngest daughter of Oberon and Titania. Since Tania's mysterious disappearance on the eve of her wedding five hundred years before, Faerie has been sunk in darkness and gloom. The courtly Lord Gabriel Drake, who Tania was once to marry, has found her and brought her back. With Tania's return, Faerie comes alive again as a land of winged children, glittering balls, and fantastic delights. But Tania can't forget Anita's world, or the boy she loved there. Torn between two loves and between two worlds, Tania slowly comes to discover why she disappeared so long ago. She possesses a singular magical ability and she must use it to stop a sinister plan that threatens the entire world of Faerie.

From Goodreads: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

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Armchair BEA - Choose Your Giveaway!

It's giveaway day! 

I have chosen 4 Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Alternate History books that I really enjoyed, each the first in their series, and I will let you decide which one you want to win!  I will offer these either as a US Kindle or Nook copy, or a physical copy from Book Depository available to anywhere Book Depository will ship, winners choice.  Read on to see what each is about.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.” It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde In the good old days, magic was indispensable—it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading: drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets are used for pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam, an employment agency for magicians—but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer. If the visions are true, everything will change for Kazam—and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as . . . Big Magic.

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder Keep Your Head Down. Don't Get Noticed. Or Else. I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution...

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure….One that will change both their lives forever.

Enter here!

This giveaway will be open from Thursday 5/29/14 - 6/3/14.  Please use the rafflecopter form below. Note: The cover of the book may vary depending on the format chosen.



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Thanks again for stopping by!

 I can't wait to share a book with you!

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater From Goodreads: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.” It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater From Goodreads: Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

The Raven Boys was my first Maggie Stiefvater book and I'm looking forward to the rest! I have enjoyed the Raven Cycle so much so far, I was drawn in immediately, it was such an interesting idea that spoke to my love of ancient history and the mysteries that abound there. It seemed like such an odd combination to have a private school boy have an obsession with finding the burial place of an ancient Celtic king in Virginia, which isn't actually as out there as it at first sounds if you do a little digging.  History is full of very interesting things we were never told in school. ;)

The range of personalities is wide, from Gansey's easy elegance and competence to Ronan's abrasive destructiveness, Adam's struggles with his pride and anger at his inferior beginnings and Blue's disregard of their social status.  They are all far points on a compass that balance each other beautifully and make for a rounded story.  Even Ronan's pet Chainsaw has her own distinct attitude that made her seem very real, and very much a part of the story.

I actually have to say I liked The Raven Boys a little better than The Dream Thieves which focuses more on Ronan and his fight to master his dreams.  I love Ronan's character, and the dream aspect is very appealing as a plot device but the story line seemed a little more far fetched than in the first book, though still interesting and enjoyable.  I'm completely on board for the rest of the series, and the rest of Maggie Stiefvater's books!

See Maggie Stiefvater's Website for more information on her work.

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs From Goodreads: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs From Goodreads: The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London the peculiar capital of the world. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reacting experience.

I really wasn't sure what to expect going in to these, the photos used in the covers have that old time eerie feel combined with an extra wrongness that's intriguing and unsettling. I was prepared to find them just too weird, but while they are odd, and really "peculiar" is the perfect word for it, they are also endearing.

The characters are all very alive, with their own distinct personalities aside from their peculiar talents.  The world is our own, current and historical, but also fantastical, often dark and despairing during their travels.  I really felt invested in their struggles, and a bit haunted by some of the scenes presented and their outcomes.

I actually listened to the audiobook so I didn't have the additional photos to look at, but I do intend to go find a real copy so I can check them out.  The covers definitely drew me in, my mind not agreeing with what my eyes were seeing, even though it's there plain as day.

There is a movie scheduled for July 2015, directed by Tim Burton, so I'm definitely on board for that, interested to see how they handle the effects.  I don't see any news on a third book listed yet, but I'm hopeful since the story thus far indicates there should be more. 

Ransom Riggs' website is definitely worth a look as there is information on his other work there, he is deeply interested in photography and old photos and there is a free download there about 13 photographs that changed the world.

When you're ready for something a little different, give these a try.  You might not want to like them at first because parts are just so odd and out of our normal comfort zone of what is, but you'll come around.  I did. ;)