Blog Tour: The Hawkweed Legacy by Irena Brignull

Title: The Hawkweed Legacy

Author: Irena Brignull

Series: The Hawkweed Prophecy #2

Publisher: Weinstein Books

Publication Date: August 15, 2017

Source: Publisher/Irish Banana Blog Tours

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Today the book I have to talk to you about is The Hawkweed Legacy by Irena Brignull.  It is the second book in the The Hawkweed Prophecy series.

This review will contain some spoilers for book one.  If you have not read book one, you may not want to proceed with reading my review.  Consider yourself warned.

This book has a myriad of characters but the one that sticks out the most is Poppy.  We learned in the previous book that Poppy grew up as a chaff (a normal human) when she is not one.  She is, in fact, a witch.  Now, in this book Poppy has left the clan and is trying to figure out her life.

The other characters from book 1 also reappear in book 2, along with some new faces.  We have Ember, who having grown up as a witch, is now in the chaff world.  She is trying to navigate it the best that she can.  And there is definitely more Leo.  Love sick Leo.

I have to say that the love triangle thing, like with the first book, still got on my nerves a little bit.  Maybe it is because I read the first book so close to the 2nd (I don't usually read series books so close together) that I am actually still stuck on my issues with that from the first one and it is just a carry over effect.  But there were too many bits of it that irked me.

However, aside from the triangle, I enjoyed the story.  Once again Irena Brignull writes wonderfully descriptive passages that just pull you into the story.  While reading, I just could not help but imagine the world and feel as though I was there along side them.

Beautiful, descriptive, and an enthralling read.  I definitely recommend it.

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Follow the Rest of the Tour!

8/21: Two Chicks on Books - Q&A

8/22: Wandering Bark Books - Guest Post

8/23: In Wonderland - Review

8/24: A Binding Attraction - Top 10

8/25: Miranda's Book Blog - Guest Post

8/26: Reading Is Better With Cupcakes - Review

8/27: The Irish Banana Review - Fast 5

8/28: books are love - Q&A

8/29: A Backwards Story - Review

8/30: Rants and Raves of a Bibliophile - Top 10

8/31: Live To Read - Review

9/1: Just Commonly - Review

9/2: Quartzfeather - Review

9/3: Lori's Little House of Reviews - Review

9/4: Never Too Many To Read - Bookish Collage

Review: The Hawkweed Prophecy by Irena Brignull

Title: The Hawkweed Prophecy

Author: Irena Brignull

Series: The Hawkweed Series #1

Publisher: Weinstein Books

Publication Date: September 6, 2016

Source: Publisher/Irish Banana Blog Tours

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Imagine if you grew up in a place where you didn't feel like you fit in.  It didn't matter how hard you tried, it just never worked.  You were always the odd duck.  The weird one.  The one who just wasn't..."right."

That is how it is for both of your main female characters, Poppy and Ember.

Poppy has grown up in the "normal" world.  No magic exists.  However, she can make things happen.  It doesn't matter if she means it to or not.  She may just lose her temper.  And the cats.  The cats follow her every where.  Unfortunately for Poppy this has strained her relationship with her parents. Her mother is even in an institution because of her daughters....oddness.

And Ember.  She is a sweet innocent girl who has grown up in a caravan of women.  And in her world magic is very much real.  The women can make things happen.  However, Ember can't.  No matter how hard she tries, she cannot cast a spell or make things happen.  Making the poor girl an outcast.

One day the girls meet and they become friends and the story unwinds from there.

There is a boy in this story.  His name is Leo.  And if you like instant love and triangles, you will like the relationship stuff that goes on.  It is very much insta-love.  See the boy, fall for the boy, and oh my goodness no one could possibly be better than this boy!

It is really kind of annoying.  And in my opinion, the down fall of this book.

When the book wasn't dealing with the insta-love triangle thing it had a pretty good story arc.  And the way it was written was great!  I kept finding myself pulled in.  Things were described so vividly.  I found myself impressed more than once with how Irena Brignull wrote various scenes.

I also have to say that I didn't really like Poppy very much.  She started kind of growing on me towards the end, but I think that was because she finally started to show some sort of growth.  Other wise I found her one dimensional and very full of her self (and very stuck on that insta-love).  I definitely liked Ember more.

All in all, a good book.  It was slow at times and then at other times it's pace picked up.  I must warn you though that there is animal cruelty.  If you would like to know more about that specifically, you can feel free to contact me!

My Rating

3 Stars

This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Review: Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Title: Holding Up the Universe

Author: Jennifer Niven

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Source: Blogging for Books

Holding Up the Universe....this book was interesting, and despite it being a fictional book, I did learn a little bit of random information from it which is always cool..

So what is it about?  It is about Libby - America's former fattest teen and Jack - the boy who is face blind and can't recognize anyone by their face.

Libby is now no longer stuck in her house.  Once upon a time she was such a size that they had to cut her out of her house and lift her using a crane to get her out and to a hospital.  She is still a larger girl, but she is pretty secure in her body and loves to dance.  In this story she is finally returning to school as a high school junior and leaving the home school world and the hiding away behind her.

Enter Jack.  Jack is a boy with a rare disorder that causes him not to be able to recognize people by their faces.  Every time a persons face leaves his visual field, he forgets it.  Of course, being Mr. Popular, he hasn't told a single person about it and tries to hide that something isn't right with him.  This gets him in quite a bit of trouble and interesting situations.  He's Mr. Cool though so he keeps brushing it off and acting like it was nothing.

One day, not long into the new school year Jack does something very jerky to Libby and their paths get crossed.  And the story goes from there.

So what did I think over all?  I thought it was good.  While I was reading it, I was enjoying it.  However, the problem was when I took breaks in reading.  This book wasn't necessarily calling me to come pick it back up to finish.  Part of that could be this epic slump that I have been in regarding reading, but I think there is another part to it...

See, while I found this book fun and an enjoyable read over all, I was having a hard time connecting to the characters.  There was something about them that was missing for me.  I especially wanted to be able to connect to Libby.  I may not be a teenager any more, but I am no small little cupcake myself.  So I wanted to read a story with a larger MC and feel the connection.

NOW!  I did eventually start to feel it towards the second half of the book.  There was actually a paragraph in there that was describing EXACTLY how I have been feeling lately about "why should it matter to other people what size I am?"  and that paragraph was a changer for me.

I wanted the characters to feel a little more real, but they were okay.

And then the ending!  By then I was hooked and I really was feeling the emotions that were put towards the end and I enjoyed that.  That was when I felt the need to really keep going if I had taken a break.  So, there is that!

All in all, I liked it.  It does have a really good message that I definitely think needs to be shared and I do recommend this book!  Be warned though - there is language and some mild violence in this book (mostly just punches to the face).

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on a copy provided to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Release Day Blitz: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Title: The Glittering Court

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: The Glittering Court #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: March 28, 2017 (Paperback Edition)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Ahhh!  The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead is already releasing in paperback!  Time really does fly doesn't it?  I still haven't read it myself, but it is very much on my list.  I really like Richelle Mead's work.  I just haven't gotten a hold of a copy of it yet...  **cry**

Anyways.  I just wanted to let you all know that it now out in paperback.  And that there is a giveaway going on for this beauty from the publisher.  You can find the rafflecopter for it here on this post.

And if you don't know what The Glittering Court is about, here is the synopsis for you!

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

And as promised here is the giveaway link!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter for a chance to win one (1) of ten (10) copies of The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead (ARV: $10.99 each).

 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on March 28, 2017 and 12:00 AM on April 5, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about April 7, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Review: The Union by S. Usher Evans

Title: The Union

Series: The Madion War Trilogy #3

Author: S. Usher Evans

Publisher: Sun's Golden Ray Publishing

Publication Date: February 14, 2017

Source: Author

The Madion War Trilogy has come to an end.  The third book, The Union, is out in the world...and I have read it.

It is a little hard to discuss a third book in a series without giving any sort of spoiler for the books that proceed it, so consider yourselves warned.

In The Union, we are still dealing with the world as we knew it from the last two books.  Two major countries are at war and our love birds are from opposing sides.  In this book they are currently working together to try to bring down the King of one country and to reunite the warring factions.

And just like before...it isn't working out very well.

And the love birds are finding themselves stuck in the middle of it.  Either they can't find any time to be with each other or someone is trying to exploit their relationship.

But before I get to the relationship and my feelings towards that with this book, I should probably discuss Theo.  See, Theo had been my favorite character for the majority of the series.  I thought she was strong willed and knew how to get what she wanted.  Then the Theo in The Union happened.  And she is not the Theo we knew.  She is weak.  She is whiny.  And she is kind of annoying.

I understand that some of this is because she has some what lost who she is due to things that have happened in the story line, but some of it was because of a boy.  Her insecurity in her relationship was really just...ugh.  We had a strong willed female crumbling at the idea that her relationship is doomed from them never getting to see one another.  It wasn't always because of that, but when it was...I really didn't feel like it felt like the Theo I had known.

Then our Princeling.  He did show some growth, and in a more positive way.  He wasn't as arrogant (he was still a little arrogant) as he had originally been and he had started to grow a pair of balls.  So that was nice.

Too bad Princeling and Theo together in The Union more or less just annoyed me (mostly Theo).   But really, there were points when they were together where I just had enough of them wanting each other.  There is more in this thought, but I can't really get into it without giving some major spoilers away.

Other things happened in the story.  One of the characters really made me think of another character from the Hunger Games and that connection I made, made it very difficult for me to imagine the character as who she should be and not who she isn't.  I wonder if I am the only one who kind of saw this?  Can you guess who I am talking about and who I thought they were?

All in all though, I enjoyed the series.  I mean, I devoured the first two books, and really liked them.  There was just something about this final book.  It just didn't reach that same level as the other books did (especially the The Island).

My Rating

3 Stars

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the author.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

The Chasm by S. Usher Evans

Title: The Chasm

Author: S. Usher Evans

Series: The Madion War Trilogy #2

Publisher: Sun's Golden Ray Publishing

Publication Date: July 12, 2016

Source: Author

For those who don't know this about me, I normally do not read books in a series back to back.  I like to spread them out, sometimes almost indefinitely, because I don't want the world to end.  I like to take my time with the world in question and savor it.  That way, when I do return it is more like I am visiting old friends and not like I am rushing through the story.

There are exceptions to this rule of course and I don't make them often, but I did make it for this The Madion War Trilogy.  I went directly from book 1 in the series - The Island (find my review HERE) to the second - The Chasm.

That being said, this is a review for a second book in a series...so there may be some spoilers for book one.  If you haven't read book one, I suggest you stop reading this review and either go check out my review for that one or go and buy it and read it for yourself.  Then come back to this review (or just go get a copy!).

Consider yourself warned.

The Chasm starts almost where The Island ends give or a take a month or two.  Galian is working at the hospital in Kylae and doing everything he can to avoid his father while Theo is making appearances and being a public figure in Rave.  Each is trying to make the changes that they promised the other in their countries so that they can be together once again, but neither one of them is making any head way.

For the first half of the book, I felt like I was mostly reading about how Galian and/or Theo was missing the other one and pining away.  It just felt like the book was stuck on how much our two main characters were missing each other.  And, honestly, I found it to get a bit old and a little boring.  It definitely took me longer to get through the first half of the book than it took me to get through the second.

However, when I got to the second half, and all that "I'm so sad" stuff seemed to taper off, the story got quite a bit more interesting and a lot more started to happen.  It definitely picked up the pace and got very interesting!  There were some twists and turns in the story, and events that I did not expect at all!

So of course now I need book 3, The Union, and it isn't out yet.  I guess that is what I get for devouring what is available of the series now...

The Chasm had a bit of a 2nd book in a series feel to it, and that is okay! It is a 2nd book after all!  I am glad that I stuck with it and I cannot wait to see how things finally turn out in The Union!

My Rating

4 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on a copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Island by S. Usher Evans

Title: The Island

Author: S. Usher Evans

Series: The Madion War Trilogy #1

Publisher: Sun's Golden Ray Publishing

Publication Date: April 26, 2016

Source: Author

Woah!  I started this book one day and then the next day it was finished.  I didn't want to put it down.  It made me sad when I had to take a break from it to eat or sleep or talk to someone.

It was horrible!  I wanted/needed to continue.  I was so involved with the characters/story and the need to know what was going to happen.

It also didn't hurt that the story just flowed and was easy to read.  It was quite fantastic!

The Island is about two individuals, orphan Theo from Rave and Prince Galian from Kylae.  Two opposing worlds at war with each other.  One day both Galian and Theo are up in the air shooting at one another...and then the next thing they know they are stranded on an island in the middle of no where.

Oh geez.  If that doesn't tell you that there is some built in angst between the characters, I don't know what else would.  But you can definitely feel it!

Something The Island does when telling us the story is that it rotates between the two characters points of views.  I won't lie, I was worried in the beginning that I wasn't going to be able to tell the difference between Galian and Theo personality wise.  I thought that they were going to end up sounding the same in my head as I read through the story.  Thankfully, my fear was taken care of rather early on.  Once I got used to the way the story was written, I was easily able to tell the difference between the two characters.  It is something that could have gone very wrong, but thankfully it went very right.

Over all, I enjoyed the world building.  However, I do wish it was painted a little bit more for me.  I am kind of unclear as to what kind of technology the world had.  If it was more futuristic or if it was a bit in the past (when compared to our world and our time).

All in all, I loved this book.  I wanted a little bit more from it, but not too much.  I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

My Rating

4.5 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on a copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Title: Illuminae

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Series: The Illuminae Files #1

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Source: First in Line

Illuminae is a book I put off reading for a long time.  I had access to it before it was even released, yet I couldn't bring myself to read it.

Was there a reason why?

It could have been because everyone was in love with it and I was afraid that the hype about it was going to ruin it for me..or it could have been because I tend to put off books I really want to read.  If I read them, then they are over....and what if I hate them?

Or it could have been a bit of both.  Or it could have been because I just never picked it up.

Eventually I did though.  I actually read it as a part of #ARCApril.  And now, here is June, and I am finally writing something up about it.

Procrastination?  Maybe.  Waiting for the right words to describe this book to come to me?  Maybe that too.

But if I keep waiting for those perfect words to come to me, then I will never ever write anything up about this book.  Those words are never going to come.  This book...there really are no words for this book.

Illuminae is actually set in space in the far out future.  A small, illegal mining company is attacked by another mining company.  Their home is destroyed.  Thankfully there was a fleet nearby to help save some of those who lived in the colony or else there would have been no survivors.

Of course, even though the ships got away, the attackers continued on in pursuit.  They didn't want to have any one left behind.

There were only 3 ships with survivors...and things started to happen...and no one was talking.

I really cannot go into much more of a description of the story than that.  I do not want to accidentally give away anything.  There are so many aspects to Illuminae, it is mind blowing to say the least.

Illuminae has a little bit of everything to it.  There is romance.  There is war.  There is espionage.  There is There is There is.  It is so hard to explain.  It will definitely keep you on your toes the whole way through though.  You will never find yourself bored or wanting to put it down.

And then there is the formatting of this book, which only adds to the brilliance that is Illuminae.  Illuminae is far from being formatted like a normal book.  It is meant to be a collection of files on an incident.  There are conversation logs, emails, files, and more to it.  In my opinion, this book should not be read as an ebook.  I think reading it digitally will take away from some of the magic that the formatting lends to the story as a whole.  So do yourself a favor and order it or head down to the store and get it.  You might not be able to start it as quickly as if you were to download it onto whatever device you have, but it will be well worth it in the end.

So was there anything that I didn't like in Illuminae?  Yes.  That it ended.  And that the second book Gemina isn't released yet....  But other than that?  No.  I loved it.  I wish I could read it again for the very first time and experience all brand new over again.

My Rating

5 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan

Title: All Chained Up

Author: Sophie Jordan

Series: Devil's Rock #1

Publisher: Avon Books

Publication Date: March 29, 2016

Source: Irish Banana Blog Tours

First off, let me say that, if you are a fan of Ben and Jerry's ice cream....specifically of the flavor Cherry Garcia...you will never ever be able to look at it in the same way again.

Mmmm ice cream...

Do you like bad boys?  Yes?  Good!  Then you will like All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan because it is all about bad boys!

All Chained Up is about Knox Callaghan.  Knox one of a few guys that we meet that are in prison for doing not very nice things.  In his case, Knox is in prison for killing a guy.  His little brother is also there (and I cannot wait for more of his story!) and Knox is willing to do anything to keep his brother safe while he is there.  To keep them both safe and alive until it is time for parole - or at least until baby brother is out and on the other side where it is safer.

Well that was the plan anyways...then nurse Briar showed up.  And for one reason or another, Knox can't figure out why he is so pulled to her...

And Briar can't figure out why she is so drawn to him either....

I enjoyed this book quite a bit.  It definitely had its steamy moments - quite a few of them actually.  And I do think that they were well done.

One thing that I really appreciated that Sophie Jordan did was that she didn't make Briar this drop dead gorgeous female.  Instead she made her a relatively normal looking and intelligent one.  This is something that needs to happen more often in literature and I like Sophie Jordan for doing this with her leading female character in All Chained Up.

Something I did want more of though was more from Knox and Briar in regards to their relationship and how they interacted with each other.  So much of it felt like it was just physical.  But I wanted to be more in their minds and hearts too.  I just felt like all I was really getting most of the time was the surface/physical, and I wanted to go deeper emotionally!

That all being said though, the story line was good.  A little bit predictable, but still very enjoyable.  Also, while this story is technically a stand alone, it does open it up for stories for other bad boys!

More bad boys!  That is something Sophie Jordan definitely does well.  She writes drool inducing hot and steamy bad boys that you just can't get enough of!

My Rating

4 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher via Irish Banana Blog Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Blog Tour: Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

Title: Summer of Sloane

Author: Erin L. Schneider

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: May 3, 2016

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis (GR):

Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

Review:

Oh geez. This book is going to give you some feelings. That is for sure. It will make you happy, sad, angry....it will cause you to suffer from all of the emotions! So just be ready.

The Summer of Sloane actually reads really quickly. You fill find yourself totally pulled in, time will pass, and eventually you will close the back cover finished....blink...and find yourself wondering how so much time passed without you even realizing it was passing.

Yeah. It is that good. It is a definite beach read too. Take it and lay out in the sun this summer. Get yourself a tan. You will practically feel like you are already doing that anyways while you reading it. It is set in Hawaii and it is done very well. I personally could have used a bit more beach, but it was still good :)

What I really like though is that Erin L. Schneider made us feel things for the characters, even the secondary characters that we don't see much of. You hate them, you love them, you want to punch and break their noses in three places. I actually have very strong feelings towards Mick and I still feel them even though I finished the book a few weeks ago. I don't think Mick can ever be redeemed for me. Not even if Erin L. Schneider writes Mick her own story (I will TOTALLY read this by the way if it ever happens).

And to top it all off, The Summer of Sloane still has a beautiful message for all of us readers. But like always, I am not going to be sharing with you what that lesson is. It won't mean as much if I don't let you go discover it yourself.

My Rating

4.5 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

About the Author:

Erin L. Schneider is native to the Pacific Northwest, attended college in Honolulu - and although Hawaiian - should never be allowed on a surfboard. With more than twenty years in corporate merchandising, she’s now a full-time writer living in Seattle with her husband, Neal; their baby boy, Kellan; a rowdy German shepherd named Ronin; and two crazy cats, Ono and Poke. She’s a member of both the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and SCBWI, and is also co-founder of the YA Buccaneers.

SUMMER OF SLOANE is her debut novel, out May 3, 2016 from Disney-Hyperion. Visit Erin online at Erin L Schneider or on Twitter: @ErinLSchneider1.

Erin is represented by literary agent Lisa Grubka of Fletcher & Company.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Poison Study

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Series: Poison Study #1

Publisher: Mira

Publication Date: October 1, 2005 

Source: Purchased

Oh Poison Study....

I don't know how I shall ever find the words needed to express my thoughts completely for this book.

First, I guess I should let you know that this is actually my second time reading Poison Study.  I read it many years ago at the recommendation of a friend.  He was absolutely fascinated with it, so I had to check it out for myself.

Over the years, I found myself not really remembering everything that happened in Poison Study.  However, I knew I liked it (okay loved it) and had been recommending it to people far and wide as a book that they should read.

This book, this series, has made me a forever fan of Maria V. Snyder.

Anyways, I felt I should reread it (and soon hopefully I will get to the rest of the series) before reading the new books that have come in the series very recently.  When I had heard that Maria V. Snyder was returning to this world I knew I needed to reread the books that already existed.  Unfortunately, I am very slow about fitting rereads into my my reading schedule since there are so many unread books still out there.

So, I decided to make this book my very first book to read for the year 2016.  And it was, and then I proceeded to sit on my butt and not write the review for a good 5 months.  The only real reason for this was laziness.  That and I kept reading and writing reviews for other books.  But here it is, finally.

Poison Study.

We start out with Yelena.  An extremely dirty, skinny rat of a girl being taken to her execution.  But first she has to stop and meet with Valek (swoon!) the chief of security.  Valek then offers her a way to avoid death, he offers her the position of being the Commanders personal food tester.

Yelena is given the option to trade death by execution, a death that she knows when and how it will happen, with a death that could happen at anytime by any possible number of poisons.

She chooses to be the food tester.

Of course, she plans to figure out how to get herself out of this situation.  Unfortunately for her, a whole lot of things keep happening to and around her.

The plot of Poison Study is wonderful.  It is definitely something that I suggest you read.  It has a lot to it.  Magic, deception, love, friendship, etc etc.  It really is quite fantastic.

However, what I haven't quite been able to get over is that I don't think I loved it as much as I did through my first initial read.  Why?  You know....I have no idea.  I had actually forgotten so much of what happened in this story.  And I really found it enjoyable.  And I still read through it just as fast as I did the first time around if not faster.

What I think maybe it could have been after so much thought is that I love this series.  Not any one book in it.  That I love the story as a whole.

My appreciation for this book didn't drop very much, but it was noticeable for me.  However, my love for this world is still very strong and I will still recommend it to everyone and anyone that I come across.

And I mean....Valek (sooooo hot!)

My Rating

4 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.  They were not influenced by any outside parties.

Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Title: The Lover's Dictionary - A Novel

Author: David Levithan

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Picador

Publication Date: January 17, 2012

Source: Gift (#OTSPSecretSister)

The Lover's Dictionary is definitely one of the more differently formatted books I have ever read.  It is written as if it is a dictionary.  This makes each page a different word, a different definition, an different piece of the story.

The Lover's Dictionary details a relationship.  The ups and downs.  The ins and outs.  Not necessarily in order.

It is actually quite brilliant if you ask me.

Something I really liked about this is that the relationship could be between two anyones.  A male and a female.  A female and a female.  A male and a male.  It doesn't really matter.  David Levithan writes it in a way that you just never really know.

This is actually something I realized part way into the book.  I realized that I just placed genders on the two individuals involved in the love story.  I based them off of a passage that I misread.  Then, when I went back to that particular passage, I realized that they did not say what I thought.  This was actually a quite eye opening moment for me.

Oh. And the ending of this story?  IT TOTALLY PISSED ME OFF....but it was totally brilliant at the same time.

This one is also a super quick read.  You will easily have it done in a matter of hours.

My Rating

5 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Firstlife by Gena Showalter

Title: Firstlife

Author: Gena Showalter

Series: Everlife #1

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication Date: February 23, 2016

Source: Irish Banana Blog Tours

Can you imagine knowing that you will have a second life?  That after your first life is over, you will still continue to live?

That is how life is in Firstlife for Ten and all the rest.  They know that once their initial life is over, that they will get to continue on in another life.  Then, eventually, they will get to experience the final rest.

However, it is not that easy.  Each person is supposed to choose a side during their firstlife that they will be a part of in their second.  Myriad or Troika.  Dark or light.  And if they don't choose by the time they reach the end up their first life they end up in a different place.  A place that no one really knows anything about...

In Firstlife, our main character is Ten.  Her parents are trying to get her to sign to Myriad.  There are multiple reasons as to why, and Ten isn't even quite sure what all of them are.  However, Ten doesn't know if she wants to sign with Myriad.  She also doesn't know if she wants to sign with Troika.  All she knows is that she wants to make the right choice and that she doesn't want an outside influence to help her make her decision.

As a way to help persuade her to sign Myriad, Ten's parents send her off to an institution whose whole point is to help them choose...  It isn't a very nice place.  Not at all.  It is a "by what ever means necessary" kind of place.

Then to top it off, it seems that both sides really really really want her and she has no idea why.  They want her enough to kill her so the other side can't have her if that is what it takes.

Oh and there are boys.  Hot boys.  Yay!

Firstlife really got to me while I was reading it.  It really made me think about life and what happens after it.  So while it was a fantasy type story, it was still really hard hitting.  So hard hitting that I still find myself thinking about the whole thing MONTHS after I initially read it.

I mean, it affected me so much that it took me months to finally bring myself to write my review for it.  I keep thinking and feeling on what I read.  I am still not over this book and it has been 4 months since I finished reading it, and I am only now telling you my thoughts and feelings about it.  That should say a lot about how this book got to me.

I also had to read something much lighter after this book.  I was about to read another hard hitting book that was going to punch me in the emotional gut, but I couldn't.  It was going to get to me too much mentally.  I just couldn't do it.

I liked that it got to me though.  It can make it harder to get through when it keeps making you think about life and your own existence and what not, but I think that is important.  While sometimes I like a good fluffy read, other times I really love an emotional gut punch.

And Firstlife will do just that to you.  It will punch you so hard in the emotional gut that you will still be recovering from it months after you finish reading it.

This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher via Irish Banana Blog Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My Rating

4 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Blog Tour: All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan - A Pocket Letter and Giveaway!

Title: All Chained Up

Author: Sophie Jordan

Series: Devil's Rock #1

Publisher: Avon Books

Publication Date: March 29, 2016

Source: Irish Banana Blog Tours

Hey everyone!

I am super excited to bring you another pocket letter created by me themed off of the amazing (and very steamy) book All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan!  A brand new series featuring super hot and very very bad boys (can you say YUM?!) this is definitely one you don't want to miss out on!

Here is my pocket letter in all it's glory.  Nine pockets crafted with just this book in mind.  Ok...8 pockets.  To be fair, pocket #9 is crafted with my blog in mind :) 

So with out further ado, let us take a closer look at the individual pockets.  They are going to be talked about in no particular order, but that doesn't really matter.  Each one covers it's own aspect of the book or my thoughts :)

This card right here is for our main male character Knox.  A super hot bad boy!  Be prepared to wipe up the drool that comes out of your mouth when you read about Knox.  He isn't just kind of hot, he is the kind of hot where you find yourself wondering if he could burst into flames at any given moment kind of hot!

This pocket represents the ice cream scene.  What ice cream scene you ask?  You will know it when you get there.  All I will say about it is this -  you will not be able to look at a carton of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream the same ever again.

This pocket represents our main female character Briar.  A nurse who finds herself working in a prison and helping the reluctant patient Knox.

I don't really have too much to say about this one.  This pocket is the all important washi tape sampler pocket.  I usually theme them off of the cover when I make pocket letters for books, but I didn't really have any reds, so I chose one that said "love" because I really enjoyed the book.  Then I picked two that were, I felt, kind of close to representing the cover.  And, finally, cupcakes...because reading is better with them!

This little pocket is quite simply the title! 

If you can't tell already, this pocket represents some of my most basic thoughts of the book.  I will be writing a review up at a later date, but for now  we will just say that I liked it.  A lot!

And finally, we have this pocket.  This one is for the author of All Chained Up, Sophie Jordan.  She seems like she is a classy lady so I chose a classier sticker to use to write out her name.  I look forward to reading more of this series and other books written by her!

Giveaways!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Entries for the pocket letter:  US only.  13+.  Reading is Better With Cupcakes is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Visit the rest of the stops on the blog tour!

Week 1:

3/21: Krista's Dust Jacket - Review

3/22: Live to Read - Character Casting

3/23: Take Me Away to a Great Read - Review

3/24: Fiction Fare - Q&A

3/25: My Secret Romance Book Reviews - Review

Week 2:

3/28: The Irish Banana Review - Review

3/29: Resch Reads & Reviews - Playlist

3/30: Behind Closed Covers - Review

3/31: The Book Cellar - Top 10 Reasons Sophie Jordan Rocks

4/1: Stuck In Books - Review

Week 3:

4/4: Read-Love-Blog - Review

4/5: Reading Is Better With Cupcakes - Pocket Letter

4/6: Reads All the Books - Review

4/7: Eater of Books - Swoon Thursday

4/8: The Cover Contessa - Review