The Basics:
The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
Margaret K McElderry Books
YA, Science Fiction
Book One in the Prisoners of War series
Published September 22, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
I got the feeling this book could be the next 'big thing' and I wanted in on the ground floor. So, good job hype!
The Basics:
Finding Perfect by Kendra C Highley
Entangled Crush
YA
Published September 14, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
The blurb hits so many of my sweet spots for contemporary romance...
The Basics:
Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs
Entangled Crush
YA
Book 1 in the Creative HeArts series
Published September 14, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
I was looking for some good YA to read.
The Basics:
The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Book 1 in the Witch Hunter series
YA, Fantasy
Published June 2, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
It seemed to be everywhere, so I though I'd hop on the hype train early for once.
The Basics:
The Infinite by Lori M. Lee
Skyscape
Book Two in the Gates of Thread and Stone series
YA, Fantasy
Published March 10, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
I really enjoyed the first one, and I love the cover.
The Basics:
Breaking Sky by Cori McCarthy
Sourcebooks Fire
YA
Published March 3, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
The echoes of Ender's Game drew me in.
The Basics:
Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
Skyscape
YA Fantasy/Dystopia
Book One in the Gates of Thread and Stone series
Published August 5, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
The covers for this series blew me away (The Infinite is due to release on March 10th and I'll be reviewing it next week, if all goes according to plan.)
The Basics:
Inked by Eric Smith
Bloomsbury Spark
Kids/YA Fantasy
Published January 20, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
Magic tattoos + YA Fantasy? Yes, please.
The Basics:
Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
Delacorte Press
Book One in the Seeker series
YA Fantasy/Science Fiction
Published February 10, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
That gorgeous cover promises all kinds of fantasy-goodness.
The Basics:
Cinder by Marissa Mayer
Feiwel & Friends
Book One in The Lunar Chronicles
Science Fiction, YA, Romance
Published January 1, 2012
Source: Purchased ebook
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Cinderella Week:
One of the first books I considered when I decided I was going to do a Cinderella themed week of reviews. This has been sitting on my TBR shelf for far too long.
The Basics:
The Ruby Airship by Sharon Gosling
Switch Press
Book Two in the Diamond Thief series
YA, Steampunk
Published February 1, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
The first book in the series, The Diamond Thief, was a pleasant though not perfect surprise and I wanted to give this YA steampunk series a second shot.
Today I'm hosting a stop on The Wicked Awakening of Anne Merchant blog tour. Written by Joanna Wiebe and published by BenBella books, The Wicked Awakening is the second book in the paranormal V trilogy. I reviewed the first book in the series, The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant in March of last year and I quite enjoyed it so I'm excited to share this book with you all today!
Even more so, I am thrilled to reveal my first guest post with you guys! Joanna Wiebe has very kindly written a lovely post about the significance of setting - trust me, you do not want to miss this one!
For additional stops on The Wicked Awakening tour, check out the tour page, brought to you by Kismet Book touring!
It's been ages since I've hosted a YA book tour - so let's change that today! I'm happy to be hosting a stop on Jen Estes' Fifteen tour. This science fiction - YA - urban fantasy story will be released on January 15, 2015 by Curiosity Quills Press.
The Basics:
Ticker by Lisa Mantchev
Skyscape
YA, Steampunk
Published December 1, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
I loved that cover and 'steampunk YA' had me on board.
The Basics:
Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Book Three in the Finishing School series.
Steampunk, YA
Published November 4, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon Kobo Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
Gail Carriger. Love love love.
We're taking a look at the intriguing Catch Me When I Fall by Vicki Leigh and published by Curiosity Quills Press. Released on October 23rd, this YA-paranormal romance merges the creepy and the sweet.
I'm thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour - check out Curiosity Quills for all the other stops.
Let's take a closer look at the book!
The Basics:
Unmarked by Kami Garcia
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Book Two in the Legion series
YA, Urban Fantasy
Published September 30, 2013
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
I enjoyed the first book, and wanted to see if the second would build on that promising start.
Blurb:
He is here . . . and he could be anyone.
Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us-a demon she accidentally set free.Now Kennedy and the other Legion members-Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared-have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?
My thoughts:
It had been long enough since I read Unbreakable that I didn't really remember much about it until I'd sunk into Unmarked. That said, after the first chapter, I never felt lost. Unmarked did a remarkable job of catching me up very quickly without giving me large, boring infodumps.
As a story, Unbreakable succeeded at entertaining me. This book deals with the fallout of Kennedy's decisions in book one, and it is fairly significant. We also delve more into the mythology of this version of the universe, learning more about the Legion and the Illuminati, as well as Kennedy's family, and I appreciated that as it added depth where it could easily have been lacking.
That cinematic quality that I detected in Unbreakable is still very much present in Unmarked. It has enough big set pieces and very strong imagery that I can easily envision it as a show on the CW or as a blockbuster movie. There's plenty of action served up with blasts of rock salt and plenty of holy water. There's visual effects to be found in the hauntings from spirits and demon, and I suspect that it would all do very well on the screen.
It's in the smaller moments that Unbreakable doesn't fare quite so well. Kennedy is very angsty and involved in her own drama, which, to be fair is a) pretty significant drama to be dealing with, and b) true of many teenagers. Still, I wanted her to suck it up and 'move onto the next thing' (as I often suggest to my four year-old when she's getting worked up over something).
I still am not in love with the love story. Jared's insistence that he *needs* Kennedy didn't impress me as much as it should have - perhaps I'm just holding them at a distance instead of letting their moments melt me? I did appreciate how the love triangle from book one was dealt with - shockingly maturely, really, compared to all the nonsense that could have happened instead.
I found a lot of the minor characters in this book to be pretty fickle. Again, I have to acknowledge that they're all dealing with some pretty major stuff, including the death of loved ones (not a spoiler, this is how these kids came together to be the Legion in the first book). But I really wanted to run around shaking them. Perhaps it was easy to forget how young they really were after seeing them in action? I think that it would also have helped to really emphasize Andras (the demon Kennedy released) as the demon of discord a few more times - I'm sure that some of the fickleness can be attributed to his influence. Right? Benefit of the doubt?
Bottom line:
Not as creepy as Unbreakable, but still quite entertaining in its own right, Unmarked is a solid sequel. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first book, or hopes that it's going somewhere - it definitely is. Anyone who enjoys the bestsellers in the YA paranormal genre is going to like this one, I think!
4 stars
For fans of YA paranormal, love triangles, hot boys
The Basics:
Frozen: Heart of Dread, Book One by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston
Orchard Books
Book One in the Heart of Dread series
Science Fiction, YA
Published Originally September 17, 2013
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
I was intrigued by the dystopian feel of the blurb, and I liked the cover.
The Basics:
The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling
Switch Press
Book One in the Diamond Thief series
YA Steampunk
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
I'm a sucker for steampunk.
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