Waiting on Wednesday (42)

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

My pick this week is:

Title: Trial by Fire

Series: The WorldWalker #1

Author: Josephine Angelini

Pages: 384

Expected Publication Date: September 2nd 2014

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

I really liked Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed series but what sold me was that she is writting an entirely new world instead of a spin off like many authors nowadays.

Top Ten Tuesday (36)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.  Each week a new top ten list is posted, and to participate all you have to do is fill in YOUR top ten for the list.

This week is Top Ten Books that People Have Been Telling You That You Must Read

1)      Lord of the Rings

It seems that people have the need to recommend this book after finding out that I like Harry Potter.

2)      One Hundred Years of Solitude

A Latin-American classic and a favorite of my mom’s that she keeps insisting that I need to read.

3)      The Fault in our Stars

It’s the book that everyone’s is recommending everyone even if you’ve already told them that you have already read it.

4)      Any book that is getting turned into a movie

I really like it when people tell me about these books, that gives me time to read them before the movie comes out.

Monday Book Recommendations (7)

Monday is the day I choose what new books I’m going to start reading but I have so many books in my To Read Pile that sometimes it’s hard to choose so I have decided that on Monday mornings I’ll recommend my some of favorite books.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

by Jules Verne

Waiting on Wednesday (41)

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

My pick this week is:

Title Maid of Deception
Series: Maids of Hnor #2
Author: Jennifer McGowan
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Books for YOung Readers
Expected Publication: August 26th 2014
Beatrice Knowles is a Maid of Honor, one of Queen Elizabeth I’s secret protectors. Known for her uncanny ability to manipulate men’s hearts, Beatrice has proven herself to be a valuable asset in the Queen’s court—or so she thinks. It has been three weeks since the Maids thwarted a plot to overthrow the Queen, and Beatrice is preparing to wed her betrothed, Lord Cavanaugh. However, her plans come to a crashing halt as rumors of a brewing Scottish rebellion spread among the court.

Beatrice’s new assignment is to infiltrate the visiting Scottish delegation using her subtle arts in persuasion. The mission seems simple enough, until the Queen pairs Beatrice with the worst of the lot—Alasdair MacLeod. Beatrice cannot help but think that the Queen is purposefully setting her up for failure. But Alasdair could be the key to unlocking the truth about the rebellion….and her own heart. Caught in a web of ever-more-twisting lies, Beatrice must rise up among the Maids of Honor and prove what she’s known all along: In a court filled with deception and danger, love may be the deadliest weapon of all.

 

   

     

   

 

 

 

When I first heard about this series it worried me that it might be a a copy of His Fair Assassin but it's totally different and it quickly turned into one of my favorites.

Top Ten Tuesday (35)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.  Each week a new top ten list is posted, and to participate all you have to do is fill in YOUR top ten for the list.

This week is Top Ten Books that I'm not Sure If I Want To Read

1) Landline by Rainbow Rowell.

Hype is definitely responsible for this one, I blame Hype for giving me super high expectations about other Rainbow Rowell books and they've been ok but not as great as I was expecting.

2) Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I think that after expanding her original series into six books and then writting a sort of prequel and other books, last I checked about 11, about the Shadowhunter world we don't need another series of at least three books. I don't hate the books I just think that Clare has already written too much about it and I would really enjoy seeing something different from her.

3) Four A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth

I liked Four, he has never been my favorite but I did enjoy reading about him in Divergent and Insurgent but then came Allegiant and The Transfer and he was ruined for me. I just don't like how Roth writes him, in Allegiant there were times that I couldn't tell the difference between his voice and Tri's.

4) Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I've heard wonderful things about this book and  everyone seems to love it, the only thing that makes me hesitate is the summary, it tells me that who I assume is the love interest has a serious girlfriend. The thing is in most YA books that I've read if the main character has a girlfriend she is automatically classified as a bitch and slut for getting in the way of true love and I don't anyone likes a person who is clearly interested in our significant other.

I have many more but these are the ones I've spent the most times thinkig about wether I shpuld give them a chance or just ignore them. 

Monday Book Recommendations (6)

Monday is the day I choose what new books I’m going to start reading but I have so many books in my To Read Pile that sometimes it’s hard to decide so I have decided that on Monday mornings I’ll recommend my some of favorite books.

Inkworld Series by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart (Inkworld #1)

Inkspell (Inkworld #2)

Inkdeath (Inkworld #3)

This is a quick rec since my laptop decided to die and I have to use my dad's computer.

I discovered this series thanks to my parents, they wanted to give me a book as a present but didn't know what to get me so they decided to listen to the bookstore employee and voila! I fell in love with this world. I won't give out many detail but I can tell you that the Main character can do something many readers probably wish they could do.

Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick Review

Title: Tsarina
Author: J. Nelle Patrick
Pages:352
Pblished:February 27th 2014
Publisher: Razorbill

Natalya knows a secret.
A magical Faberge egg glows within the walls of Russia's Winter Palace.
It holds a power rooted in the land and stolen from the mystics.
A power that promises a life of love for her and Alexei Romanov.
Power, that, in the right hands, can save her way of life.
But it's not in the right hands.

Before reviewing this book I would like to tell people that although the book is Historical Fiction the author took some creative liberties with people and events that were involved in the Russian Revolution, so if historical accuracy is important to you please feel free to go read something else.

I wanted to love this book, I really did it started amazing but after the Romanovs left the stage it went downhill; on paper it had many elements that I loved, the first chapter blew me away and I think is responsible for my low rating. The truth is the first chapter totally mislead me because after reading it I expected to see how the Russian Revolution affected the Romanovs but I only got to see them for one chapter and after that they never seen again.

The Pros:

-That wonderful scenes that showed the Romanov Family. I know Alexei was 13 when he died in real life but he is portrayed older in this book I got the vibe he was about 18-20, but I really liked this age change it was like seeing a “what if” and would have loved to see more of this.

-The fact that it takes place in Russia was another thing I liked. About 99.9999% of Young Adult books take place in the US hence my love to have a new place to read about.

-The writing: The prose is absolutely lovely; I really did feel like I was in Russia.

Cons:

-Natalia: I felt she was written very inconsistently. She has lived all her life close to the Romanovs, grew up with two of the Grand Duchesses and is in love with the Crown Prince but knows very little about his family. *Spoiler Ahead*  But the thing that made me want to slap her was the fact that she promised to tell no one about the magic egg and a few chapters later she was telling the freaky fortune teller lady, seriously Natalya?? You tell a sketchy looking woman the best kept secret of your country?

-The Romance: Natalya had two loves Alexei and Leo. I disliked both relationships with Alexei I felt that Natalya was more in love with the idea of “marrying Russia” and being the Tsarina, I didn’t feel that she loved the person Alexei was but that she loved what he represented. As for her relationship with Leo it felt more like Stockholm syndrome than love, it was also unnecessary you don’t need to fall in love to change your beliefs, I would have preferred if Leo had stayed only as a traveling companion rather than a love interest.

-The “Magic” Egg: at first I liked the idea of the egg; it was a very original concept but then its magic was twisted in a way that its powers worked perfectly for what Natalya needed.

Final Rating: 1.5/5