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The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

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Book Description:

“Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”

She could only stare back, frozen.

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

 

My Rating: 4.5/5

**I would like to start off by saying that I received The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins for free via Epic Reads in exchange for a review.  Although I am super grateful and excited for any opportunity at receiving a book for free, I am also very strict with being honest.  That being said, giveaways do not impact my reviews.**

THIS BOOK!  I LOVE the old century fantasy kingdom theme going on here!  These are my type of books!

Now, I am reviewing this as a person who has NOT read The Singing Bone by The Grimm Brothers for which this story is based off of, so I have nothing to compare (although I think I’d like to read it now eventually…)

I only have one bad thing to say about this book.  I really disliked the “flirting” scenes between Princess Aerity and Paxton.  It was not only painfully awkward, but besides his good looks, I have no idea what Aerity sees in him.  Every other part of this book was written well but it seems when it comes to romance, this is not this author’s calling.  I had high hopes that Paxton was going to be a new fictional boyfriend for me but between his horrible flirting and his cold demeanor, I was left with nothing to desire.

Other than that, there’s action, there’s adventure and there’s lots to be questioned!

Beside the actual story, I love that this author lives on the eastern shore of VA – cause that’s exactly where I live!  Maybe she even stops by my book store… if not she should, I’ll buy her a coffee for writing such a good book ^_^

If you’re into basic fairy tale/old century type stories, you need to grab this one!  I am SO stoked that I unexpectedly won this book and very happy with my decision to drop everything and read it.  I can NOT wait for book 2!

Happy Reading! xo

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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Book Description:

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth…a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

My Rating: 4/5

I don’t know what happened with Heir of Fire or how it has the highest rating out of all of the books so far.  This book is definitely slower than the others – starts slow, continues slow, ends … well it actually ends really good *snicker snicker*.  There were maybe 2-3 scenes that could be classified as “exciting” but nothing at all like the novellas or the first 2 books.  I thought the book started to pick up around pg. 160, but it did not.  It faltered.  Even if it did pick up and soar, that’s still an unusual start for a Sarah J. Maas book!

Besides it being a suuuuper slow read, the story takes a different turn, different environment completely which took me a while to adjust to.  If the witches were from the get go, I might’ve enjoyed it more or if they were in their own story altogether, I just do not like them in this series.  It felt awkward.  I’m still confused by it!

I don’t have much to say about Heir of Fire because….well….there wasn’t much going on.  I still enjoyed reading it though.  It wasn’t TERRIBLE, it just wasn’t the same.

Conclusion: Sluggishly Slow But Good.

Happy Reading! xo

Day of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak

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Book Description:

In the mist-shrouded haze of the past, the world of Azeroth teemed with wondrous creatures of every kind. Mysterious Elves and hardy Dwarves walked among tribes of man in relative peace and harmony – until the arrival of the demonic army known as Burning Legion shattered the world’s tranquility forever.

My Rating: 5/5

I swear this is not just because I’m a Warcraft nut, but because the way this story just ascends! How can you not love Rhonin?! This is the first book I’ve decided to start reading under the Warcraft lore. I’ve played the game for about 8+ years now (I’m getting so olddd, wahhh) and it’s so awesome reading these characters to life that I’ve already come to know. Even if you’re not a player of any of the Warcraft games or don’t even know what it is, I’d still recommend it if you’re in to fantasy/adventure!! If you’re wanting to get in to the Warcraft lore, there’s so many forums out there that argue which book you should actually start out with. I’ve racked my brain and the one I chose to follow along with (because it made the most sense to me) was this one –>

WarCraft Novel Guide

Now you by no means have to follow this, but this is what I’m going by so I thought I’d share!

I already grabbed the “second” book.. I tread lightly with these words…. and I can’t wait to see where this one takes me next (while also comparing Richard Knaak’s writing with Christie Golden’s)!

Happy Reading! ^_^

Identity Crisis!

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Formally:  Kay_Reads

So as you can clearly tell, I’m having a sort of “identity crisis..”  When I originally started this blog, I was so eager to write my book reviews that I just picked the most uncreative name I could think of.  I was never a fan of “Kay_Reads,” it didn’t speak to me, it didn’t stand out… it was just something to use for the time being.  I read everywhere that changing your identity was a bad idea, blah blah blah.  But the only thing I had to change with every platform I was using were the user names!  I didn’t lose any of my wonderful followers, I didn’t have to ask anyone to ‘like’ this one, follow this new page, and the best part of all, I didn’t have to spend several hours customizing and reposting everything 😀

So I apologize for any confusion, but the new name is here and it is here to stay!

So with that, I re-welcome you to the not-so-new:

TheNerdyBookmark

Thank you for your understanding & Happy Reading!

Divergent Series Wrap Up

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Series Description:

Divergent: One choice can transform you. This debut is a gripping dystopian tale of electrifying choices, powerful consequences, unexpected romance, and a deeply flawed “perfect society.”

Insurgent: One choice can destroy you. This story continues the dystopian thrill ride. As war surges in the factions all around her, Tris attempts to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Allegiant: The explosive conclusion to the Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers.

Four: A Divergent Collection: A companion volume to the Divergent series, told from the perspective of Tobias. The four pieces included—”The Transfer,” “The Initiate,” “The Son,” and “The Traitor”—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers a fascinating glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the Divergent trilogy.

My Rating: 5/5

Some might argue that Four: A Divergent Collection should not be included in the series. Do you need to read it? Absolutely not. But if you’re a fan of Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant than I must urge you to grab this companion novel. To me, it IS apart of the series – it gives you insight on some scenes throughout the trilogy that will may you go, “ahhh – that’s why he did that!”

This series is a series that will stay on my bookshelf probably forever. If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner series, there’s no doubt in my mind that you won’t enjoy what Veronica Roth has to offer. And it’s set in Chicago gaiz, greatest city everrr 😛 (Yes, I’m biased). You will be taken on an emotional roller coaster, you will experience heart pounding action, you get romance, you get breathtaking scenery. Everything you could want in a YA/Dystopian novel, you get that and more. I personally hope we get to read more of Veronica Roth in the future :] Thank you for taking me on an incredible adventure, Mrs. Roth!

Here are my links to each separate review:

Thanks for reading! :]

2015 October Wrap Up

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Total Books = 7
Average Rating = 4

Overall, a great month for reading! 😀

1.) City of Words by Steven J. Carroll – 3.5/5
2.) Allegiant by Veronica Roth – 5/5
3.) Four by Veronica Roth – 4/5
4.) The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin – 4/5
5.) Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – 5/5
6.) Breed by Chase Novak – 3/5
7.) Far Far Away by Tom McNeal – 3.5/5

How many books did you get through this colorful month?

2015 October Bookhaul

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Welcome to my October 2015 Bookhaul! Wooo! I think I have to put on the brakes after this one though cause in the last 2 months I’ve acquired 52 books that I gotta get through… eash. Plus with Thanksgiving around the corner (which my husband and I host for our military family) and then Christmasssss, oye!

On to the books! I’ll have a list below of each book pictured, where I got them, paperback or hardcover, special editions and how much my total purchase at each place was! If you have any more questions – or comments – about this months haul, please feel free to leave/ask them below 😀 Happy reading!

Total Books: 24
Total Amount Spent: $72

Barnes & Noble – $14
1.) The Host by Stephenie Meyer; paperback
2.) Fiend by Peter Stenson; hardcover
3.) Beautiful Chaos, Bk. 3 (Caster Chronicles/Beautiful Creatures Series) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl; paperback

The Book Exchange$22
1.) The Sea of Monsters, Bk. 2 (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan; paperback
2.) Reckless, Bk. 1 (Mirrorworld) by Cornelia Funke; hardcover
3.) Redwall, Bk. 1 (Redwall) by Brian Jacques; paperback
4.) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling; hardcover
5.) Deep Blue Bk. 1 (Waterfire Saga) by Jennifer Donnelly; hardcover
6.) Asylum, Bk. 1 (Asylum) by Madeleine Roux; paperback

Half Price Book Store$7
1.) The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates; paperback
2.) Stoneheart, Bk. 1 (Stoneheart Trilogy) by Charlie Fletcher; paperback
3.) The Awakening, Bk. 2 (Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong; hardcover
4.) The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Bk. 3.5 (Twilight) by Stephenie Meyer; hardcover

BookOutlet$30
1.) Dreamspinner, Bk. 7 (Nine Kingdoms) by Lynn Kurland; paperback
2.) House of Secrets, Bk. 1 (House of Secrets) by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini; hardcover
3.) Battle of the Beasts, Bk. 2 (House of Secrets) by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini; hardcover
4.) Eve & Adam, Bk. 1 (Eve & Adam) by Michael Grant & Katherine Applegate; paperback
5.) The Calling, Bk. 1 (Endgame) by James Frey & Nils Johnson-Shelton; hardcover
6.) Storybound, Bk. 1 (Storybound) by Marissa Burt; paperback
7.) Dream A Little Dream, Bk. 1 (The Silver Trilogy) by Kerstin Gier; hardcover
8.) Crank, Bk. 1 (Crank) by Ellen Hopkins, paperback
9.) Glass, Bk. 2 (Crank) by Ellen Hopkins, paperback
10.) Quintessence by David Walton; paperback

Giveaway Books FREE
1.) Haze, Bk. 2 (The Rephaim) by Paula Weston; paperback

ARCsFREE (I get these from work)
6 Romance Novels – these won’t be included in the total. I get these from work but I do not keep them, instead, I pass them on to my momma to read because she loves romance novels – and I do not… *shudder*

Four by Veronica Roth

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Book Description:

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.
Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

My Rating: 4/5

Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this book! It was the perfect remedy for my hangover ending the Divergent series! If you’re like me and REALLLLY enjoyed the series, then definitely get your hands on this book. After finishing Allegiant, I really learned to enjoy reading as Tobias so this was a great way to indulge in his life that much more.

I, personally, enjoy when the author releases more books that tie into the series – IF – it’s done well, and I feel this did just that. Although some people like when series end *ehhhhh*, I really enjoy getting one more book to celebrate it; I enjoy getting one more piece of cake before it’s gone – especially when it’s really good cake like chocolate, and this was my chocolate cake :]

A fun fact when I bought this book: I ordered it off of Amazon because it offered the best price. I also ordered it with a few other things. Anyway, upon receiving the book (which everything was in perfect condition), I noticed the jacket of the book was tucked away a couple pages in. Naturally, I open to that page because I want the jacket to be lying where it’s suppose to be lying and to my surprise, I find my book’s signed by the marvelous Veronica Roth herself 😀 WOOHOO! Of course it said this on the outside of the book as well, but I did not pay attention to that by any means. So unknowingly, I guess I ordered a signed copy! I is so heppy >:]

Now to the book itself: There wasn’t really much I didn’t enjoy. I think you get this book knowing what you’re getting in to so I feel you already have that idea knowing if you’re going to enjoy it or not. I was super stoked to grab it and naturally, I came out of this book super stoked that I nabbed it.

When we read with Tobias on BEFORE he meets Tris, we are introduced to him going through his simulations. I LOVE what they did here because we did not get this in the series. Here it shows Tobias going through his Marcus simulation. In the original series, it’s just regular ol’ Marcus being cruel as usual. But when Tobias first starts using the sims, we learn that Marcus didn’t always look like Marcus. Tobias was so fearful of him that he saw him as the monster that he is. He was Marcus but not Marcus having dark pits for the eyes and the mouth with razor tip fingers. Now that is something to be terrified of! But further in, as Tobias confronts his Marcus sim over and over again, Marcus tends to become more human like as Tobias realizes that Marcus ISN’T a monster, but just his father. His cruel father. So overtime, Marcus loses these holes for eyes, for his mouth.. and eventually becomes. . . Marcus.

Fast forward now the when Tobias has met Tris. There’s a scene in particular that they recall from Divergent where Tris is breaking down somewhat over the fear simulations and Tobias kind of snaps at Tris instead of comforting her. Now to the reader, I felt just as shocked as Tris felt with his reaction – not knowing what Tobias was really intending. And in Four, they clear this up. The reason he responds to Tris in the ways that he does is because Tobias knows more than what we’re led to believe in the series. He knew they were being watched – ACTUALLY being watched! He knew there were cameras, he knows where they are and that they can see and hear anyone whenever they choose to tune in. Because of this, he can’t talk about certain things and because of this, he has to be stern with Tris at times, to protect him. . . to protect her . . . to WARN her. Even if she doesn’t know it or particularly like it.

I really enjoyed these 2 scenes in particular. They brought a sense of “ah-ha!” and were cleverly done. They fit in to the past stories very well which I am so grateful for!

All in all, if you LOVED the Divergent series as much as I did but have NOT grabbed this book, then my question to is: WHY?! What are you waiting for? Go get it now! RIGHT MEOW!

Insurgent (Movie Edition) **WARNING: Kind Of Spoiler-y**

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Directed by Robert Schwentke

My Rating: 4/5

I’d like to start by saying apart from the book, I enjoyed this movie wholeheartedly and if I did not read books, it would easily get a 5/5! But because I DID read the book and because, well, this is a book blog with book-to-film comparison reviews, I can not give it a 5/5 sadly :[

I feel like with this movie, they changed way too much. The further you get into the movie, the more it strays from the book itself.

Peter Eric Amity Betrayal

We see this in the very beginning of the movie when Tris, Tobias and Peter make it to Amity. One of the scenes added to the movie that was NOT in the book was Peter betraying Tris and Tobias and the Amity compound. When Eric and the rest of the Dauntless traitors show up for an unexpected raid, Peter, Tris and Tobias are caught upstairs with nowhere to go. Once they decide their only option is to climb out of a window to escape, Peter claims he’ll be the lookout for them until he shouts at Eric that they’re all upstairs and he needs to come get them quick (as if he wasn’t a runner himself…??). Can anyone say c-o-w-a-r-d. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy this scene. I really did, that cheeky bastard. I love to hate Peter. BUT it wasn’t in the book!

Kate Winslet and Shailene Woodley in a scene from the motion picture "The Divergent Series: Insurgent." CREDIT: Andrew Cooper, Lionsgate [Via MerlinFTP Drop]

They also tweaked the scenes where Tris is getting tested to open to box. In the book, the machine Tris is hooked up to is no where near as intricate or spider like as they painted it in the movie. Again, nothing I disliked, just NOT IN THE BOOK.

Tris and Tobias Amity

Oh and can we talk about Tris and Tobias? Their relationship in this book in particular was confusing. They had only recently met, fell “in love” and were now arguing with each other. Wuuuut?? Das a lil cray and completely unrealistic. But they did not decide to go this route for the movie. Instead, Tris and Tobias seem to be their same happy go lucky selves in a shitty “Imma keel yew” world. Now this is one thing I’m glad they didn’t portray into the movie BECAUSE IT WAS AWKWARD TO READ! They should not have been in that state throughout the book, IMO.

Now I know there was a lot of nonsense written throughout Insurgent that they wouldn’t/couldn’t have the time for, therefore, screenwriters have to condense and make the story make sense, which means, adding new scenes or tweaking for the sake of visual stimulation so I am not going to be too harsh with this one because I was not angry with this movie. At all. It was still a fantastic watch and I would recommend it to both readers and non readers a like! GO SEE THIS MOVIE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY!

2015 September Bookhaul

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First Ever Bookhaul of September 2015!

SO MANY BEWKS, SO LITTLE TIME! And to think I was holding back because I had to purchase plane tickets to visit home next month. I’d hate for you guys to see what I can do when I’m not holding back heh… heh…. YEAH SO… I’ll have a list below of each book pictured, where I got them, paperback or hardcover, special editions and how much my total purchase at each place was! If you have any more questions – or comments – about this month’s haul, please feel free to leave/ask them below 😀

Total Books: 29 (30 if you count both books in the 2-in-1)
Total Amount Spent: $128

BookOutlet = $42 (includes shipping)
1. ) A World Without Princes, Bk.2 (School for Good and Evil) by Soman Chainani; hardcover
2.) Beautiful Redemption, Bk.4 (Caster Chronicles/Beautiful Creatures Series) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl; paperback
3.) Everneath, Bk.1 (Everneath Series) by Brodi Ashton; paperback
4.) Everbound, Bk. 2 (Everneath Series) by Brodi Ashton; paperback
5.) Far Far Away By Tom McNeal; paperback
6.) Frostfire, Bk. 1 (Kanin Chronicles) by Amanda Hocking; paperback
7.) Hemlock, Bk. 1 (Hemlock Series) by Kathleen Peacock; paperback
8.) The Bone Season, Bk. 1 (The Bone Season) by Samantha Shannon; hardcover
9.) The Brilliant Light of Amber Sunrise by Matthew Crow; hardcover
10.) The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin; hardcover
11.) The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin; hardcover

Amazon = $20 (free shipping @ $35 – also bought a DBZ Pop Vinyl for my main squeeze)
1.) Allegiant, Bk. 3 (Divergent Trilogy) by Veronica Roth; hardcover
2.) Four (Companion Novel to the Divergent Trilogy) by Veronica Roth; signed hardcover

The Book Exchange (my local 1/2 price bookstore) = $28 (including tax)
1.) The Maze Runner, Bk. 1 (Maze Runner Series) by James Dashner; paperback
2.) The Scorch Trials, Bk. 2 (Maze Runner Series) by James Dashner; paperback
3.) City of Bones, Bk. 1 (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare; paperback
4.) Divergent, Bk. 1 (Divergent Trilogy) by Veronica Roth; paperback
5.) Insurgent, Bk. 2 (Divergent Trilogy) by Veronica Roth; hardcover
6.) Lord of the Clans, Bk. 2 (WarCraft) by Christie Golden; paperback
7.) Beautiful Darkness, Bk. 2 (Caster Chronicles/Beautiful Creatures Series) by Kami Garcia & Margart Stohl
8.) The Lightning Thief, Bk. 1 (Percy Jackson & The Olympians) by Rick Riordan, paperback

Barnes & Noble = $38 (including tax)
1.) Beautiful Creatures, Bk. 1 (Caster Chronicles/Beautiful Creatures Series) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl; paperback
2.) Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea? by Chelsea Handler; paperback
3.) The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick; paperback
4.) Undead (2-in-1/Night of the Living Dead & Return of the Living Dead) by John Russo; paperback
5.) Breed by Chase Novak; paperback
6.) The Isle of the Lost (A Descendants Novel) by Melissa De La Cruz; hardcover

Giveaway Books = (free)
1.) Waking the Dead by L. Sydney Fisher; signed paperback
2.) City of Words by Steven J. Carroll;signed paperback