City of Fandoms: January 2016

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Waiting in Wednesday [21]

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

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Stars Above

(The Lunar Chronicles)

by: Marissa Meyer

The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.

Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….

The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.

The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.

After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.

The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess

The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.

Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century...

RELEASE DATE: Febrary 2nd, 2016

You really had me at "Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles", but you really had me begging for it when you said there was a wedding! Oh, shit. Why isn't February for like tomorrow?

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

[R] The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by: Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn #2)
by: Mark Twain

★★★☆☆

Of all the contenders for the title of The Great American Novel, none has a better claim than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Intended at first as a simple story of a boy's adventures in the Mississippi Valley - a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - the book grew and matured under Twain's hand into a work of immeasurable richness and complexity. More than a century after its publication, the critical debate over the symbolic significance of Huck's and Jim's voyage is still fresh, and it remains a major work that can be enjoyed at many levels: as an incomparable adventure story and as a classic of American humor.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they will post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers over at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join! This week Top Ten is...

Top Ten Most Read Authors
*directly from goodreads*

Lauren Oliver 10
09 Rick Riordan
Julie Kagawa 08
07 CD Reiss
Quinn Loftis 06
05 Jennifer L. Armentrout
Jasinda Wilder 04
03 Cassandra Clare
Deborah Bladon 02
01 Kristen Ashley (DA QUEEN)

I have read from 10 books to 47 books of these authors. And I know the numbers will grow even more, but also know that some of these authors will fall behind and others will rise, because that is how life is. What is your Top Ten Freebie?

Sunday, January 24, 2016

[Series Review] Under the Never Sky, by: Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky

Through the Ever Night

Into the Still Blue

by: Veronica Rossi

Overall: ★★★★½

First, I read these books back in April, so I'm very sorry if I confuse things from the three books. I'm sorry if I spoiled something, but to be safe, don't read this if you haven't read the books. What I can do tell you, without spoilers, is that I enjoyed them and even though they were a little bit dragging on, it was a good read.

Now, Under the Never Sky series is certainly a dystopian series. In where the planet you see now suffer some kind of I don't know ~~don't remember~~ and it wasn't good enough for humans. In this future, people can do whatever they want. I mean, Aria travels to wherever she wants with the thingy in her eye. After a messed up situation, she gets exciled to the outside. She thought she was going to die! But she is rescued by... Perry.

And the love begins right there. The people from the outside live like people would live in the dinosaurs times. But they have kind of powers thanks to the mutations. Some have a very good hearing, like Perry and others have a really cute voice, like Aria. Yes, Aria's father is from the Outside and her mother is from the Inside. How cliché is that? Anyway, the whole point to Aria is to go back inside, but once inside she discovers her people may die because were they live is not safe anymore. Perry's people aren't safe anymore were they live, either. So both kind of people are in search of the Still Blue. Where, apparently, everything is perfect.

Talking about characters. Aria and Perry weren't my favorites. They were too stubborn! And I hate so much that they didn't say their feelings as fast as I would like to. But I loved their work together, when they were a team, they were invinsible. I hated every time they would get separated. I loved Roar, and Liv for that matter. And other characters that made the story a little bit more bearing.

I can't lie. I story has its feelings too. People I didn't want to die, did. And others I wanted to kill, didn't die. I was super pissed at some plot twists. Is there too much to ask for something really happy? I think that the end of this trilogy was super bittersweet. I wanted a REALLY happy epilogue. But oh well. If wishes were fishes....

Friday, January 22, 2016

#COYER Challenge January Progess!

I challenged myself to read at least 25 books between December to March and I think I might make it, which makes me happy. I don't know if that will change now that classes have started. But I will try to read as much as I can without leaving out my school work. Below, you will find a list of books I have read these past weeks and the reviews I made for them. All these books were read on my iPad via iBooks or the Kindle app. Now, the list:

Other awesome features of the challenge can be found on the hoster blog here and other reviews from people participating in this challenge as well. I'm really happy to have found this challenge. It goes really well with what I needed. Are you doing this challenge? How are you so far?

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Swoon Thursday #YABound [4]

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.
Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the steamy button and share it on your blog. We want to know!

Endure

(Defy #3)

by: Sara B. Larson

At last, Alexa and King Damian are engaged to be married. But their lives are far from safe. The kingdom of Antion is under siege, and Rylan is a prisoner of the enemy. Even worse, Alexa remains at the mercy of the evil Dansiian Rafe, who controls her mind and can force Alexa to kill or harm Damian at any moment. Despite this, Alexa is determined to rescue Rylan, which soon leads her far from Damian and deep into enemy territory.

When she arrives, what awaits her is deadlier than anything she could have ever imagined: an army of black sorcerers, and a horrifying plot to destroy the world as Alexa knows it. Will she be able to gather the strength to free herself, protect the love of her life, and save the land? Will there ever be true peace?

my fave scene of the whole book is swoon worthy!

"I should have had more faith, but after Rylan explained what he'd been through and overheard, it just didn't seem possible..." He trailed off with a shake of his head. "I've never felt pain like that in my entire life --- not even when my mother died, because I could have saved you. Instead, I ignored my instincts, and I let you leave and go to your death. When Rylan told me what had happened when you tried to escape, I didn't want to go on; I didn't want to fight. But I love my people, too, and I know my duty. So I planned; I led them here, all the while hardly able to force myself to eat anything or get up each morning." He reached up to cup my face, his fierce expression softening. "But then, I heard you shout my name, I thought I was dreaming. I thought perphaps I had finally died. But I'm not dead, and somehow my prayers were answered --- because you're here. And if I want to tell you I love you every minute of every day for the rest of our lives, no one is going to stop me. Least of all you."

Isn't Damian lovely? What is your swoon worthy scene?

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday [20]

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

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Shadow Queen

(Ravenspire #1)

by: CJ Redwine

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

RELEASE DATE: February 16th. 2016

I'm waiting for this because the blurb as me intrigued and I really like retellings, so why not this book? Plus, all the hype as me really wanting to have an ARC.

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday [23]

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they will post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers over at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join! This week Top Ten is...

Top Ten Books
I've Recently Added to My TBR Pile

THOSE are the last books I bought. In that order. I know, more than 10, but those were my Christmas presents from me to me. I think if you click on the picture, it will expand and you'll see them better.
What is your Top Ten?

Monday, January 18, 2016

[R] Liars, Inc., by: Paula Stokes

Liars, Inc.
by: Paula Stokes

★★★★☆

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money. So with the help of his friend Preston and his girlfriend, Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something, and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn't think twice about it. But then Preston never comes home. And the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead to Preston's body.

Terrifying clues that point to Max as the killer….

Uppercase Box

If you don't know what is or how it works or anything or everything at all about this book. You should check their site. They have pictures of past boxes, a FAQ, prices and all. Go check it! This is really worth it.

So, I discovered this book back in December, because someone recommend it to me. I bought it and arrived today! I'm SO excited to show you guys. THIS IS LIKE A SECOND CHRISTMAS!

I LOVE the socks! They say 'sup, nerd? *squeee*

The letter basically says what the package came with and a little handwritten note saying that its an excellent pick because is fantasy and bla bla bla. I like it.

TRUTHWITCH IS HERE, BABE!

The book came signed AND they send me a little coloring book too!

and at last, a poster of a map!

I AM SO HAPPY. I got no regrets buying this box.

You should buy it too, you know?

[R] Pushing the Limits + Crossing the Line, by: Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits

by: Katie McGarry

★★★★½

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.