read
The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins
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
2016 February Bookhaul
Total Price = $13.62
Barnes and Noble – $7.50
1.) Doctor Who The Encyclopedia by Gary Russel; paperback
Thrift Store – $6.12
1.) The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan; hardcover
2.) Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling; paperback
3.) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; paperback
4.) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson; paperback
1.) Emotions by Arnulfo Cantarero; paperback: A special thanks to the author, Arnulfo Cantarero, for sending this my way! Please check him out on Goodreads!
2.) Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage by Miguel Lopez de Leon; paperback (via Goodreads giveaway)
3.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling; paperback (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
4.) Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs; paperback: (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
5.) Orchards by ; paperback: (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
6.) Delirium by Lauren Oliver; paperback: (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
7.) Unwind by ; paperback (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
8.) Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Mists of the Three Lakes by Miguel Lopez de Leon; paperback: (A special thanks to the author, Miguel Lopez de Leon, for sending this my way! Please check him out on Goodreads!)
9.) Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Knights of the Leaf by Miguel Lopez de Leon; paperback: (A special thanks to the author, Miguel Lopez de Leon, for sending this my way! Please check him out on Goodreads!)
10.) Atlantia by Ally Condie; hardcover: (special thanks to @author_jenniferparr Instagram giveaway)
1.) America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie; paperback
Not a bad month guys, not a bad month…
The Painted Lady by Amanda Moncrefe
Book Description:
Sometimes the risks may not be worth the sacrifice…
Asha St. Claire is a young single mother who was willing to sacrifice whatever it took to secure financial freedom for her and her little boy. She believed those sacrifices finally paid off when she won a full academic scholarship to Natchez State University, a remote Mississippi college hundreds of miles away from her Chicago home-town. What she wasn’t aware of, however, was that in order to accept the scholarship, she would be forced to leave her son behind. Determined on becoming economically secure, Asha sacrifices her immediate wants, accepts the scholarship, and permits temporary custodial rights of her son to her mother in order to pursue her degree.
Delphi Allen is a man who knows what he wants-and what he wants is Asha. In his single-minded pursuit, he chooses to ignore past events in his life that could negatively impact both their futures. Can he convince Asha that her current choices won’t make her happy without revealing secrets he’s tried to forget?
Or will his decision and her sacrifice ultimately cost them both?
My Rating: 0/5
**I would like to start off by saying that I received The Painted Lady by Amanda Moncrefe for free via Goodreads giveaway 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.**
The cover is so pretty and intriguing – but this is NOT the book I thought it was going to be. I read up to page 35 and I can’t do it anymore. I just didn’t like the content (and wouldn’t have entered the giveaway for this book if I had known). IT’S VERY DIRTAYYYY! I’m no prude, but I prefer my porn on screen and less “I’m gonna poke your ass all day in class..” type of thing….
Okay, since this is my blog, I’m going full force. I was a little nicer on GR and the like, because I know I wasn’t the right audience for this and I’m not a complete dick. It’s not fair for someone to judge something that they don’t like in the first place. It’s like me saying a song is terrible because I can’t stand the genre of music. Doesn’t make it a terrible song because I don’t like the style, get mah drift? Again, I did not know this going in to the book. BUT – this is my blog. If the author or whoever cares to read a good review on this book and made it this far – wellll – that’s their fault.
One thing that threw me off – this is an urbanish book. Red flag numero uno. The other thing was how disgusting the males treat the females. This dude is really gonna poke some girl in the ass while she’s in class because he likes “making her squirm” and then I get a wonderful description of how wet her pants were getting – again I only read 35 pages and this isn’t the first descriptive content you get to read OH and these people barely know each other. If someone even accidentally touches my ass like that, you guarantee if I’m in class, my pencil’s going straight through their hand. Glad this author writes about self respecting women.
Don’t get me wrong, I can read sex scenes, I’m down with the putang! But there’s a right way of writing it and then there’s a pathetic way. Needless to say, this writer did the latter.
So yeah, unless you want to read a rude, hard nippling, ass poking, disrepectful piggish book – YOU’VE FOUND IT!
Summary: Men are disrespectful pigs and women are eager tramps.
Also, I’m sad this book has a small setting in Chicago. Being I’m from the Chicagoland area, I know we’re better than this…
This book is so stupid, I can’t even turn it into a craft. What a waste of a pretty cover.
Happy Reading! xo
Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Rites of Passage by Miguel Lopez de Leon
Book Description:
The GALADRIA trilogy is about Peter Huddleston, a lonely boy who discovers that he is the heir to the throne of the amazing golden realm of GALADRIA! Armed with his trusty boomerang, an assortment of magical trinkets, and his friendly white tiger, Rune, Peter charges into dangerous and magical adventures in this action packed series! Filled with watermelon sized ladybugs, ancient oracles, enchanted weapons, water dwelling monsters, a 3000 room manor, and a troop of lovable, kooky characters, the GALADRIA series is an exciting collection you’ll cherish!
My Rating: 4/5
**I would like to start off by saying that I received Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Rites of Passage by Miguel Lopez de Leon for free via Goodreads giveaway 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 is so cute and fun! I entered this giveaway several times and was excited to find out I had finally won!
It’s a super quick read, only 159 pages long and I would definitely classify it as a middle grade read. It’s a pretty basic concept story but with it’s own fun twists! Each character has their own huge, identifying personality, different from the others which makes it a memorable, quite silly at times, read. But don’t let that fool you – there’s also some eeriness lurking along with a great battle 😀
For us older people, this is a great breaking book (in between reads) to just relax and enjoy the ride! For the younger, this would be more than a ride but an experience. I would definitely recommend this for people who want an easy read with whimsical characters full of adventures around every corner with a touch of magic!
I really hope to one day get my hands on the 2nd book so I can continue following Peter and see what he does with Galadria :]
Happy Reading! xo
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Book Description:
She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.
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
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Book Description:
“Nothing is a coincidence. Everything has a purpose. You were meant to come to this castle, just as you were meant to be an assassin.”
When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the King’s Champion and be released from prison.
Her name is Celaena Sardothien.
The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her.
And a princess from a foreign land will become the one thing Celaena never thought she’d have again: a friend.
But something evil dwells in the castle – and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying, horribly, one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival – and a desperate quest to root out the source of the eveil before it destroys her world.
My Rating: 5/5
Brave, brave, brave Celaena!! She’s so strong, I’m so proud of her!
In case you haven’t noticed, Celaena is my fictional bff.
ALSO – THESE COVERS I WILL NEVER GET OVER!! No matter how many times I see them, I just want to rub my face all over them, they’re so pwetty!!
I find this book a little difficult to talk about because it’s basically the build up to what happens at the end. We meet people, we watch Celaena retrain and go through these tests (which I actually thought would be a little more difficult than they were but whateves) and we watch her go back and forth through these beautiful men (TEAM CHAOL FTW).
I stand behind what I said through The Assassin’s Blade, if you can, READ IT BEFORE THRONE OF GLASS!!
I already know that this is going to be a favorite series of mine. Personally, I enjoyed The Assassin’s Blade a little better, but that in no way makes this book any less than a 5/5…. if that makes any sense… heh.. heh…
Short, sweet and to the point. READ THIS BEWK!
Happy Reading! xo
Dear Mr. You by Mary Louise Parker
Book Description:
An extraordinary literary work, Dear Mr. You renders the singular arc of a woman’s life through letters Mary-Louise Parker composes to the men, real and hypothetical, who have informed the person she is today. Beginning with the grandfather she never knew, the letters range from a missive to the beloved priest from her childhood to remembrances of former lovers to an homage to a firefighter she encountered to a heartfelt communication with the uncle of the infant daughter she adopted. Readers will be amazed by the depth and style of these letters, which reveal the complexity and power to be found in relationships both loving and fraught.
My Rating: 3.5/5
Hmmm… this book was not quite what I was expecting. I kind of went in to it thinking it would be a little more comical than it actually was. None the less, it was still a good book. Just took a minute to readjust my mood towards it. Now reading the synopsis on GR might not lead you to think this book may be funny, but on the book itself with words like “gut-wrenching” and “hilarious book” you can probably see where I got confused. Also being I like her as an actress, I got the humor thing from that as well.
But this book wasn’t a complete fail in the funny department. For example:
Pg. 102 – “I wanted to kick you in the shins and make you banana bread”
andddddd
Pg. 223 – “Oysters are trannies”
That one had me dying! And that’s the tune I thought this whole book was going to play.
Other than that slight disappointment, it was a very well written book. Very emotional and private and a great glimpse into an wonderful actress’ personal life.
One last thing: I would love to thank her or whoever’s decision this was – as beautiful as you are Mary Louise Parker, thank you from the bottom of my heart for not slapping your celebritorious mug across the cover.
Happy reading! xo
2015 December Wrap Up
Total Books = 4
Average Rating = 4
Yet another uuuuberrrrr slow month for reading. Between the holidays and work and other lifey things there just wasn’t as much time as I normally have to devote to this wonderful world *le sigh* (yes, I repeated last month – what about it?) Also, I forgot I never posted a review for Dear Mr. You so be on the look out for that!
With that being said, here’s my sad, little finished reads for the month of December:
1.) Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz – 3.5/5
2.) Dear Mr. You by Mary Louise Parker – 4/5
3.) This Raging Light by Estelle Laure – 5/5
4.) The Tales of Beedle the Bard – 3/5
Hope you guys have a safe and wonderful New Year! Here’s to a year full of books!
Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas my fellow booklovers!
Between work and the holiday madness, I hope to be back into the normal grind soon! It’s been almost impossible to read lately :'[ WAHHHH!
Anywho, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and get many, many bewks 8]
Happy Reading and Merry Christmas xo
This Raging Light by Estelle Laure
Book Description:
Can the best thing happen at the worst time?
Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.
My Rating: 5/5
**I would like to start off by saying that I received This Raging Light by Estelle Laure for free via HMH Books 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/work materials do not impact my reviews.**
I received this ARC from work and boy am I glad I decided to snag this one! This Raging Light is emotional, raw and so inspiring! I could not put it down! If I weren’t getting slammed at work, I would have finished it the first day I picked it up. Still, it only took me a few days and what a great few days it was.
When I first picked up this book, I really was expecting a dark, depressing ride through a story of 2 girls abandoned by their parents. After I finished the first chapter, I was put in my place and found that this book was going to have it’s fun moments as well. Even with the unfortunate circumstances that these girls have dabbled in to so far, I’ve still managed to giggle and relate. At this point, I was only going in to the book with little curiosity. After the first chapter ended, I needed to find my way to the end of the story.
I think Estelle Laure does a fantastic job with mapping out the relationships between Lucille and Eden – Lucille and Digby – Lucille and Wren… she made them real. A real best friend shuts down for unknown reasons at inconvenient times. A real crush who’s involved in another relationship will give out mixed signals, will be confusing as all hell, will not be what you need them to be WHEN you need them to be. A real sister-to-sister fighting for survival will do all that they can for each other but will also come with peeves and hardships. I don’t want to read about the super awesome bff who’s always happy and is always there for you even when there’s a gun to her head or the crush that drops everything the very second the girl hes crushed on finally shows interest. Save that for the fairy tales.
I will be watching this author for more books in the future (so please write more :] )
If you want a real book full of struggles, break downs, conflicting emotions, good day one minute – bad day the next, if you want a book that focuses on REAL relationships whether is be with family or friends or love interests, get your hands on this book when it comes out on December 22, 2015!
Happy Reading! xo
TheNerdyBookmark 