Countdown to Heartless: Review

HEARTLESS
Marissa Meyer
Young Adult/Retelling
464 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available November 8th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

MY THOUGHTS
Heartless returns us once again to the depths of Ms. Meyer's imagination, granting us access to a world of whimsy and darkness where we're able to view well-known characters through a looking glass all her own.

Catherine wants nothing more than to be covered in sugar and flour all day every day, creating recipes and baking to her heart's content alongside her lady's maid and closest friend, Mary Ann. Given she's the daughter of a marquess however, the path her life takes simply cannot be one of her own choosing, especially when the King of Hearts sets his sights on her. It's so very easy to sympathize with Catherine in the beginning–her dream one that's so simple yet so impossible at the same time– and once we're subjected to the giggly effervescence of the king, we can do nothing but wince along with her every time he opens his mouth and his tittering laugh escapes.

Cath's romance with Jest is full of tension both romantic and forbidden, and though we want to encourage her to follow her heart in this case, a knot of dread deep in our chests pulls tighter every time they're together, wondering when and how it's all going to come crashing down around them given who Cath is destined to become. Though Cath's descent into darkness is at times painful and we find ourselves futiley hoping for an ending we know can never come to pass, it's also a journey that holds us spellbound as Ms. Meyer leads us on a merry dance of wonder and madness. And when the moment comes that we reach the final page and are left with an infamous line ringing in our ears, we simply can't help the Cheshire-like grin that splits our cheeks.

Overall, Heartless is as enormously imaginative as all Ms. Meyer's previous books, and I cannot wait to see what retelling she takes on next.

Rating: 4.5/5

There are only 25 days left until Heartless! Pre-Order your copy:

Amazon • B&N • IndieBound

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

MARISSA MEYER

One of my first spoken words was “story” (right along with “bath” and “cookie”), my favorite toy as an infant was a soft, squishable book, and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first realized such a job existed.

When I was fourteen my best friend introduced me to anime and fanfiction—over the years I would complete over forty Sailor Moon fanfics under the penname Alicia Blade. Those so inclined can still find my first stories at fanfiction.net. Writing fanfic turned out to be awesome fun and brought me in contact with an amazing group of fanfiction readers and writers. As Alicia Blade, I also had a novelette, “The Phantom of Linkshire Manor,” published in the gothic romance anthology Bound in Skin (CatsCurious Press, 2007).

When I was sixteen I worked at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma, Washington, affectionately termed “The Spag.” (Random factoid: This is also the restaurant where my parents met some 25 years before.) I attended Pacific Lutheran University where I sorted mail that came to the dorm, carted tables and chairs around campus, and took writing classes, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Children’s Literature. Knowing I wanted a career in books, I would also go on to receive a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University (which you can learn more about here). After graduation, I worked as an editor in Seattle for a while before becoming a freelance typesetter and proofreader.

Then, day of days, someone thought it would be a good idea to give me a book deal, so I became a full-time writer. CINDER is my first novel, though I have an adorable collection of unfinished ones lying around too.

I now live with my husband and our three cats (Calexandria Josephine, Stormus Enormous, and Blackland Rockwell III), who go in and out, in and out, about eight hundred times a day. My favorite non-bookish things include Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, re-watching episodes of Firefly, and playing all manners of dress-up.

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Early Review: The Cruelty

THE CRUELTY
The Cruelty #1
Scott Bergstrom
Young Adult/Thriller
384 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available February 7th, 2017
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When her diplomat father is kidnapped and the U.S. Government is unable to help, 17 year-old Gwendolyn Bloom sets off across the sordid underbelly of Europe to rescue him. Following the only lead she has—the name of a Palestinian informer living in France—she plunges into a brutal world of arms smuggling and human trafficking. As she journeys from the slums of Paris, to the nightclubs of Berlin, to the heart of the most feared crime family in Prague, Gwendolyn discovers that to survive in this new world she must become every bit as cruel as the men she’s hunting.

MY THOUGHTS
The Cruelty is not the average young adult thriller, one where the protagonist strikes out on their own and is able to access information, bypass security, and thwart criminal masterminds with seeming ease. Though Gwen does strike out on her own in search of her father, her path is hardly an easy one marked by the luck of fiction as pieces fall together to help her along, instead her journey is darker and more brutal, each leg taking a piece of the girl she was before and crushing it under the boot of the girl she is becoming.

Gwen is a young woman who feels very real in the beginning, someone whom we could pass in our everyday lives and strike up an easy conversation with as opposed to a teenage super spy to whom we can hardly relate, something that makes her story feel more personal even as she falls deeper and deeper into a criminal underworld rabbit hole. Because she possess no special skills when we meet her–no exceptional fighting prowess, hacking specialty, etc.–it's easy to project ourselves onto her, rooting for her to take matters into her own hands when her own government and her father's colleagues fail her. She has to become a badass the hard way, learning to fight and hide in plain sight but making innumerable missteps along the way, as someone with only a crash course in spy training and a determined spirit would do.

Gwen's search for her father is intense and detailed, with Mr. Bergstrom showing no interest in keeping us on the surface and instead plunging us under along with Gwen as she fights for the smallest of clues about her father's whereabouts. The Cruelty is gritty and complex and clearly just the beginning for Gwen, and I for one look forward to seeing just what she's capable of in the next installment.

Rating: 4/5

Find Scott:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Waiting on Thursday: The Book Jumper

I'm changing things up a bit this week since my scheduled reviews are part of tours and just happen to be on my normal off-review days. You guys know how much I love the Waiting on Wednesday meme, so I didn't want to miss it!

THE BOOK JUMPER

Mechthild Glaser

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases January 2017 from Feiwel & Friends

From Goodreads:

Amy Lennox doesn't know quite what to expect when she and her mother pick up and leave Germany for Scotland, heading to her mother's childhood home of Lennox House on the island of Stormsay.

Amy's grandmother, Lady Mairead, insists that Amy must read while she resides at Lennox House—but not in the usual way. It turns out that Amy is a book jumper, able to leap into a story and interact with the world inside. As thrilling as Amy's new power is, it also brings danger: someone is stealing from the books she visits, and that person may be after her life. Teaming up with fellow book jumper Will, Amy vows to get to the bottom of the thefts—at whatever cost.

I don't think there's an avid reader out there whose greatest fantasy isn't to be able to literally jump into the world of their favorite books (OH HI BONES AND BARRONS! AND CURRAN!), so there's no way this book wouldn't be on my must-have list. Also, Scotland. Anything set in Scotland or Ireland just makes me happy, so I'm looking forward to living vicariously through Amy as she journeys to Scotland and jumps her way from one piece of fiction to the next.

Goodreads • Amazon

Review: Gifted

GIFTED
H.A. Swain
Young Adult/Sci-Fi
Feiwel & Friends
336 pages
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In Orpheus Chanson's world, geniuses and prodigies are no longer born or honed through hard work. Instead, procedures to induce Acquired Savant Abilities (ASAs) are now purchased by the privileged. And Orpheus's father holds the copyright to the ASA procedure.

Zimri Robinson, a natural musical prodigy, is a "plebe"--a worker at the enormous warehouse that supplies an on-line marketplace that has supplanted all commerce. Her grueling schedule and her grandmother's illness can't keep her from making music--even if it is illegal.

Orpheus and Zimri are not supposed to meet. He is meant for greatness; she is not. But sometimes, rules are meant to be broken. Here is a thriller, love story, and social experiment that readers will find gripping--and terrifying.

MY THOUGHTS

Gifted takes a little while to settle into, a futuristic world where young people have brain surgeries to catapult them to fame and fortune in music, arts or entertainment making it initially (and likely purposely) challenging to relate to Orpheus and his ilk. Zimri, being a lowly plebe and hardworking factory girl is of course easy to root for from the beginning, and watching as Orpheus finds himself walking a mile in her shoes makes their story a satisfying one.

Zimri is a young woman who's lost both parents to a world where one company single-handedly determines who is worthy of wealth and status and who is not, and though she's much easier to connect to than Orpheus, we never get to know either of them very well. Her relationship with her grandmother is the strongest of all those in this tale, the depth of her love and loyalty toward the woman who's always been there for her something that shines brightly from the pages. Zimri's friendship and eventual romance with Orpheus stays firmly on the surface, a few highlights and cute moments scattered throughout as they prepare to facedown Orpheus's father and the CEO of Chanson Industries–the company responsible for the brain surgeries–but we never delve too deeply into the emotional complexities that typically accompany a star-crossed type of romance.

Additionally, the final confrontation between Zimri, Orpheus and his father is shorter and less intense than expected, a few pulse-pounding moments as things fall apart holding our attention before everything is remedied quickly and easily, denying us the gritty details of a revolutionary action. All that being said though, Gifted is still a quick, enjoyable read, a look into a future that hopefully never comes to pass but isn't entirely hard to imagine given our fixation on the entertainment world as a whole.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Heather.:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

FLAWED Blog Tour + Giveaway!

Today I'm thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Flawed, the young adult debut from P.S. I Love You author Cecelia Ahern! I'm a huge fan of dystopian stories, especially ones featuring strong young women, so I'm beyond excited to get my hands on a copy of this one. Also, P.S. I Love You made me sob like a little girl. SOB I TELL YOU!

As part of the tour, I get to share with you a quick little teaser quote to whet your appetite (fear not though, Flawed released yesterday so you can dive in immediately if you want!), but first here's a little more about Flawed:

You will be punished…

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

And now, your teaser!

Find Flawed:

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

CECELIA AHERN

Cecelia Ahern was born on September 30, 1981 in Dublin, Ireland. She is the daughter of the former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. On 14th December 2009 it was announced that Cecelia had given birth to her first child with partner David Keoghan, a girl named Robin. She was secretly married on 11 June 2010 in County Kildare, Ireland. Her older sister, Georgina Ahern is married to Nicky Byrne of Irish pop group Westlife. Cecelia was a member of the Irish pop group Shimma who finished third in the Irish national for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000. She attended Griffith College Dublin and obtained a degree in Journalism and Media Communications.

Cecelia Ahern wrote her first novel, PS. I Love You when she was twenty-one. It was published in 2004, the number 1 bestseller in Ireland for 19 weeks and sold in over forty countries. The book was adapted as a motion picture directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler and released in 2007 in the United States.

Her second book, Where Rainbows End (US title: Love, Rosie or Rosie Dunne) won the German CORINE Award in 2005. She contributed with short stories to charity books and is also the co-creator and producer of the ABC comedy Samantha Who?.

Her other works include If You Could See Me Now (US title: A Silver Lining), A Place Called Here (US title: There's No Place Like Here) Thanks for the Memories (US title: Desire Lines) The Gift The Book of Tomorrow.

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the team over at Feiwel and Friends, one lucky winner will receive a very special prize pack including swag from both sides of the pond as well as both the US and UK editions of FLAWED. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Be sure and check out all the stops on the tour for more chances to win!

April 5- Nite Lite Book Reviews (US)

April 5- Two Chicks on Books (US)

April 5- Green Bean Teen Queen (US)

April 5- Luna's Little Library (UK)

April 5- Writing.ie (Ireland)

April 5- Overflowing Library (UK)

April 6- Icey Books (US)

April 6- Supernatural Snark (US)

April 6- Paper Cuts Blog (US)

April 6- Serendipity Reviews (UK)

April 6- Bleach House Library (Ireland)

April 6- Bart's Bookshelf (UK)

April 7- Forever Young Adult (US)

April 7- Bumbles and Fairytales (US)

April 7- Rainy Day Ramblings (US)

April 7- Swoony Boys Podcast (US)

April 7- A Daydreamer's Thoughts (UK)

April 7- The Bibliomaniac (UK)

April 7- Kirstyes (UK)

April 7- Wrath Queen's Books (UK)

Review: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

THE QUEEN OF BRIGHT AND SHINY THINGS
Ann Aguirre
Contemporary Young Adult
328 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

MY THOUGHTS
Where so many stories depict the struggle of life, the moments spent stumbling around in the darkness with only the promise of a light at the end of the tunnel, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things gives us the beautiful moments following the first few hesitant steps that leave the darkness behind. We get a three-hundred page slice of life with Sage and Shane, the two of them putting one foot in front of the other to create as much distance from their difficult pasts as possible, and there's something extraordinarily satisfying in watching as they do everything they can to embrace the good in their lives while they have it. Their story is sweet and touching, largely free of drama and angst but full of feeling nonetheless, and our time with them is spent smiling and hopeful that their respective tunnels are well behind them.

Sage is an inspirational young woman, writing a few kind words on a brightly colored Post-it note and sticking it on the locker of someone who's having a rough day despite the mockery she gets for doing so. Her dedication to such a seemingly small gesture makes us fall a little more in love with her with every note, and when a moment comes that lets her see just how profound an effect her words have had over the years, we can't help but tear up and look for any opportunity to pay the kindness we've seen from her forward in our reality. She wants so badly to prove she's more than the events of her past, and her sheer determination to rise above and keep the shadows at bay makes us want to pick up a stack of pink Post-it notes and beat them back right beside her.

Sage's romance with Shane is characterized by one cute moment after another, the two of them choosing to share the secrets of their pasts slowly but surely as they make their way toward happiness instead of falling prey to the typical teenage habit of failing to communicate. Some readers may wish for a few more ups and downs between them, a happy couple perhaps not as riveting as one fighting to be together, but there's a certain desirable comfort that radiates from the two of them, blanketing us in their warmth even as their pasts rear their ugly heads one final time. 

Overall, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is a story full of light and hope even dappled with darkness as it is, showing us how impressively far-reaching and life-changing the tiniest of kindnesses can be.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Ann:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday: Firewalker

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

FIREWALKER

The Worldwalker Trilogy #2

Josephine Angelini

Young Adult/Fantasy

Releases September 1st from Feiwel & Friends

From Goodreads:

Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to start a new life with Rowan by her side. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape from New Salem, and must hide her magic for the safety of everyone she cares about, but compared to fighting the Woven, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the alternate Salem, life is looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can’t persuade Lily to return to her world, she will force her to come back by doing away with the ones she loves.

Picking up right where Trial By Fire left off, Firewalker is another sexy, fast-paced, heartbreaking thrill ride from internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini!

I absolutely adored last year's Trial by Fire, so I'm very, very ready to get my grabby little hands on this second installment. I had a few concerns when reading the first book that we'd get an epic love triangle situation between Lily, Rowan, and Tristan (either version of him), but I was pleasantly surprised by the way Lily handled everything. I have high hopes that she'll be as firm in her feelings in this book as she was in the first now that she's back in her world and will likely come face to face with the version of Tristan she'd loved for years before everything changed. SO MUCH TENSION! Rowan is the guy for me though–wait, no, the guy for Lily, not me ;-)–so I'm excited to see how things progress there.

Plus, Lillian is the most terrifying type of villain–the kind who's so convinced they're doing what's right they can't see how far down the road to Hell their path of good intentions has led them–and I look forward to peeling back more of her layers!

Find Josie:

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Review: Trial By Fire

TRIAL BY FIRE
The Worldwalker Trilogy #1
Josephine Angelini
Paranormal Young Adult
384 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available September 2nd
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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.

MY THOUGHTS
Trial by Fire has all the makings of a sprawling fantasy novel, sharing with us a world full of unfathomable creatures and witchcraft, but at its heart is a heroine who keeps us anchored at all times, fully invested in her emotional well being from beginning to end. Ms. Angelini ensures we don’t get weighed down by all the supernatural elements by introducing us to young Lily in our world, letting us bear witness to a heartbreaking moment where her romantic hopes go down in flames, and neither Lily nor we escape without feeling the burn. Only once we’re thoroughly connected to Lily thanks to a shared pain and disappointment does Ms. Angelini shift us to a completely different Salem, one full of monsters and magic where the lives of many are regulated by the tyrannical hands of few.

Lily is a true joy of a heroine, her hope that longtime friendship with best friend Tristan has finally reached the pivotal moment in which it becomes more in the opening chapters something that instantly resonates, causing us to wish for the best for her even when we know thanks to the synopsis that neither our wish nor hers will come true. After having a brutal dose of reality shoved down her throat, Lily could have easily wallowed in her misery and drawn no blame from us, but instead she picks herself up upon finding herself in an alternate Salem and does her best to make sense of it. This determined attitude continues throughout Trial by Fire, Lily fielding whatever is thrown at her with a joke at the ready and a willingness to do whatever it takes to learn, adapt, or fight when the need arises.
 
Many readers–like myself–who have read innumerable young adult novels over the past few years have developed a bit of a nervous tic whenever a young woman finds herself surrounded by several guys her age, dreading the moment where the mere presence of two men in her life ultimately results in the development of romantic feelings for both of them. Luckily for us however, Ms. Angelini doesn’t lead us down that well-worn path, Rowan and Tristan’s positions by Lily’s side staying blessedly free of frustrating romantic entanglements. What we get instead is an intriguingly complex relationship between Lily and Rowan, his former relationship with the other version of Lily, Lillian, an aspect of the story that has us riveted to the pages. The feelings between them are tangled threads of misplaced anger and distrust, and as the story progresses, the addition of hesitant affection and genuine friendship only serves to tangle those threads further until the two of them become a beautiful knot of romantic possibility.

The only small drawback to this first installment is the persistence of one vitally important question: why Lily? We know from the beginning that Lillian is responsible for bringing Lily to her world, and while we eventually get the first small inklings as to why Lillian began her campaign of blood and death, we’re left completely in the dark as to what Lillian needs Lily for in the first place. Granted, this is the first book in the series and the answer to that particular question is likely one that has layers upon layers that will be revealed in time. Overall though, Trial By Fire is action-packed, the death toll rising with every chapter, but where there is pain and suffering there is also warmth and hope in the form of young Lily, and I simply can’t wait to see the type of woman she becomes.

Rating: 4.5/5
 

Find Josephine

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This book was sent to me by the author free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Mortal Danger

MORTAL DANGER
Immortal Game #1
Ann Aguirre
Paranormal Young Adult
372 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available August 6th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Revenge is a dish best served cold.

In Ann Aguirre's Mortal Danger, Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn’t imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She’s not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he’s impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly . . . bad things are happening. It’s a head rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil’s bargains, she isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind.

MY THOUGHTS
Mortal Danger is a story that starts out on a literal edge, Edie ready to leave life behind in the hope that death will be less cruel, only to be stopped by an enigmatic young man who offers her a different type of escape. The first few chapters make us as readers incredibly uneasy, Edie’s thwarted suicide and the fact that her first request from Kian is to be made beautiful causing us to fear what this tale has in store for us in terms of the message carried by her actions. While the synopsis suggests the revenge aspect is a focal point though, where Ms. Aguirre takes us (thankfully) instead is far beneath the hell that is high school and into one much more befitting of the name.

As mentioned previously, Edie has us a touch worried in the beginning chapters, wondering if her story is going to be one where we spend the entire time fearful the next chapter is going to be the one where her need for vengeance will result in an action we simply cannot forgive. What we find in place of a single-minded drive for revenge on those who broke her (the means by which we don’t discover until much later in the story), however, is a fierce intelligence and a beautifully level-head, her dealings with the popular crew surprisingly free of the venom and vitriol initially expected. Edie instead approaches them in a much more reasonable way, her anger and hurt still present and palpable, but she never seeks to actively shame or humiliate them the way they did her.

Perhaps most surprising about Mortal Danger is just how small a role Edie’s revenge plays in the overall plot. Once she makes her deal with Kian, the teenage bullies who forced her to the bridge in the first place suddenly pale in comparison to the immortal ones who now hold all the cards in a game she never wanted to play. Edie is the type of heroine we crack the spine of every book hoping find, her initial insecurities replaced with a confidence, sharp wit, and extraordinary problem solving ability (all traits it’s made clear to us come from within and are not simply side effects of her newfound beauty). She tackles her numerous problems head on, self-reliant to an admirable degree but not so much so that she doesn’t know when to ask for help, and so very careful as to where she steps on the gameboard that has suddenly become her life.

Overall, Mortal Danger is a stunning start to a new series, giving us a heroine who makes mistakes and is riddled with flaws in the most beautiful way, and who despite a rough start, comes to fully appreciate all life has to offer even in its darkest moments. The ending lacks a touch of the excitement and action promised all along as Edie faces off with one of the game’s top players, but that’s a minor quibble in an otherwise gritty and darkly entertaining story. Ms. Aguirre never fails to impress with her characters and her creativity, and Mortal Danger is yet another reminder of how fascinating (and also terrifying) her mind is.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Ann:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Cress

CRESS
The Lunar Chronicles #3
Marissa Meyer
Young Adult/Sci-Fi/Fairytale Retelling
560 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available February 4th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

MY THOUGHTS
Cress is a story we enter into with a great deal of excitement, though as was the case with Scarlet we can’t help but let a little wariness sneak in and mingle with our enthusiasm, wondering if it’s going to be this installment when the addition of yet another new main character proves to be a detriment to the overall story rather than a bonus. While Cress as a stand-alone heroine isn’t quite as strong as either Cinder or Scarlet before her, Ms. Meyer proves yet again what a brilliant storyteller she truly is, seamlessly working Cress into the fabric of her stunningly rich and detailed fantasy world and nestling her in with an already-beloved cast of characters as though she’d been there all along.

Cress, unlike both Cinder and Scarlet, isn’t much of a fighter either mentally or physically, her solitary confinement creating in her an air of extreme innocence and vulnerability that takes a little while to adjust to coming off our experiences with the previous two heroines. While each young woman’s original fairytale had them as damsels in various types of distress, both Scarlet and Cinder defied that label in terms of its common connotation to weakness in their retellings, their independence and fierceness present and accounted for. Cress embraces the damsel in distress label a little more fully, often needing the hilarious and endlessly amusing Captain Thorne to come to her aid. It’s not to say she’s without skills as she’s a truly gifted hacker and plays a significant and vital role in the events of this book, she’s just perhaps quieter and more reserved (understandably given what she’s gone through) than we might have been anticipating.

If this had been Cress’s book alone, one that focused primarily on her and relegated Cinder to a more supporting role, this installment may have come up just a touch short when compared to the first two, but Cress is beautifully bolstered by Ms Meyer’s extraordinary and extensive cast of main and secondary characters. This story is every bit as much Cinder’s as it is Cress’s, and as a result Cress becomes a little something different–a beautiful contrast–to the two young women we’ve already met, rounding out the whole with her differences as opposed to coming off as less-than as she might have on her own. Her relationship with Thorne is a touch weaker as well, but again the strength of Cinder’s relationship with Kai and particularly Scarlet’s with Wolf (despite their limited page time) more than fills in any empty spaces left by the lack of an overly strong emotional connection to the pair of them, and we can only hope that their romance is one that continues to develop in Winter just as the other two romances progressed in this installment.

While there is a myriad of positive aspects and highlights to Cress over which to gush, one of the most arguably striking would have to be the very brief introduction to Winter herself, a young woman who captivates from the moment she appears on page and leaves us profoundly curious after a single interaction with Scarlet. She is a series of riddles, a labyrinthine character full of dark corners and wrong turns who has us practically salivating over the chance to figure her out, but despite the pain of a long wait until she graces us with more of her presence, we are left in awe of Ms. Meyer’s imagination and more in love with her characters than ever before.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Marissa

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Horde Blog Tour: Review

HORDE
Razorland #3
Ann Aguirre
Young Adult/Dystopian
432 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available October 29th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY
The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.

MY THOUGHTS
Horde concludes the Razorland trilogy in a frenzy of claws and teeth, but in between the deep lacerations and the brutal blows delivered to our hearts Ms. Aguirre beautifully infuses the warmth of friendship and first love, filling each emotional slice and tear the Freaks make with just enough light to fight off their darkness. Horde takes us on more of a journey than the previous two books, Deuce and Fade constantly in motion as they seek to build an army capable of meeting the Freaks head on, but instead of being a slow build to a final epic battle, we’re given a more painfully realistic setup wherein minor and major battles (both mental and physical) are fought throughout to keep our breath escaping our lips in short pants. The pacing is beautifully executed, blood and death chilling our blood while love and family heats it again, leaving us exhausted and emotionally depleted by the end, but also so very hopeful.

Deuce has been an extraordinary young woman from the beginning, her mental and physical toughness accompanied by a sweet vulnerability when it comes to dealing with relationships and feelings of any kind. In Horde she’s at the top of her game as a fighter and leader, but the true beauty of her lies in her weaknesses just as much as it does her strengths, and the devoted effort she makes to be both emotionally and physically demonstrative to those she cares for is as much a joy to experience as her battlefield successes. In the darkness of the underground enclave she was a warrior only–her life dedicated to a single purpose–but the woman at the end of Horde is a striking combination qualities, too large and full of life to fit in any one neatly labeled box.

Fade has our hearts in a vise for a good portion of this book, the lingering effects of the abuse he endured in Outpost present and accounted for, and we can’t help but flinch or wince with him whenever someone makes physical contact. He’s been such a force to be reckoned with in these books that it’s a special kind of torture to see him brought so low, but through his obvious pain the fire that’s always burned so brightly in him shines, and we have the pleasure of watching him fight his way free of the fears paralyzing his mind to find Deuce waiting patiently for him on the other side. The two of them together are an extraordinary and unforgettable pair, one destined for the favorites shelf to be read and enjoyed again and again.

Overall, Horde is an emotionally-charged and action-packed finale, showing us with more than just Deuce how one person can inspire change and rewrite what was sure to be a dark and bleak history, both humbling us and sparking in us a renewed desire to bring forth our own change, however small it may seem in the grand scheme of things.

Rating: 4/5

Find Ann:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

Ann is a part of the Fierce Reads Tour (along with the amazing Leigh Bardugo, Gennifer Albin, and Jessica Brody), so be sure and check HERE to see if they're coming to a stop near you!

• • • • • • • • • •

HORDE BOOK TRAILER

• • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the always outstanding team at Macmillan, I have paperback copies of both Enclave and Outpost to give away today, as well as a hardcover copy of Horde. To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• • • • • • • • • • 

Be sure and check out all the remaining stops on the tour for more interviews, reviews, guest posts and chances to win!

Monday 10/14

Rainy Day Ramblings

Tuesday 10/15

Supernatural Snark

Wednesday 10/16

Two Chicks on Books

Thursday 10/17

Almost Grown-Up

Friday 10/18

Alice Marvels

Monday 10/21

The Midnight Garden

Tuesday 10/22

PageTurners

Wednesday 10/23

Curling Up with a Good Book

Thursday 10/24

Birth of a New Witch

Friday 10/25

Adventures of a Book Junkie

Authors Are Rockstars: Ann Aguirre

Today I'm thrilled to be a part of the Authors Are Rockstars Tour which celebrates authors in all their creative and imaginative glory, and gives us readers a chance to gush over the people who continue to make us laugh, cry, love and hurt over and over again.

I'm honored to have Ann Aguirre stopping by the blog to not only endure my enthusiastic fangirling, but also to talk a little bit about the third and final book in her young adult Razorland trilogy, Horde. Ann is one of my go-to authors whenever I need a book I know will impress me with its characterization, as I've yet to meet a hero, heroine or secondary character of hers who hasn't left a memorable impression. She writes individuals who are always rich and nuanced, forcing us to analyze the white space in between the lines just as much as we do the printed words in order to learn something about them. She leaves us little choice but to put in the time and effort to really look at each person in order to see what needs seeing, and in doing so we're rewarded with brilliantly flawed men and women with whom we leave a little piece of ourselves when we close the back cover of one of her books.

Clearly Ann is an author I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone, and if you've yet to try one of her titles I truly hope she's someone you make time for in the near future!

HORDE INTERVIEW

If I was to suddenly find myself in the middle of Salvation knowing nothing of this post-apocalyptic world, what is the first thing Deuce or Fade would tell me in order to keep me alive as long as possible?

Don’t leave the settlement unless you’re properly equipped and trained.

What aspect of our world do you think would fascinate Deuce most? Fade?

They’d be pretty amazed by our technology: video games, computers, music players, buses, trains, and planes. So many things had passed from reality into legend by the time they were born, that I think they’d be astonished and impressed by many of our modern conveniences. But I suspect Deuce would be wary too; she’d think relying on such devices makes you soft.

If you could explore the world of any one piece of fiction, what world would that be and which of your characters would you most like to take with you for companionship?

I think it would be pretty awesome to explore the Pac-Rim world, largely because… enormous sea monsters versus giant robots! There’s no way I would ever get to pilot a jaeger, but I can dream. As for who I’d take with me? Hm. That’s a good question. Jael, from my upcoming SF novel, Perdition, would be a huge asset because he fights like a ninja and he heals like Wolverine. Also, he’s pretty hot. But I would need a full party to make it a real adventuring campaign, so I’d add Vel and Jax as well. There’s no way that gets awkward.

Is there anything about Deuce’s character that has surprised you over the course of the series? Something she’s said or a decision she’s made that you didn’t see coming before you actually sat down and started writing?

Since I don’t outline, pretty much everything through the middle of the book surprises me. I know how books start and how they end, but all the action that carries us from point A to point B is a total mystery to me until I actually write it. So yeah, lots of things she did surprised me.

If you were to write yourself into Outpost and Horde as one of the townspeople in Salvation, what role would you play and what skills would you bring to the table that would help keep the town functioning?

I’m a good cook and I know how to make bread from scratch. So I would probably be the town baker. Otherwise, I have no useful skills, unless you count making up stories.

Given the Razorland series is written from Deuce’s point of view, we don’t spend any time in Fade’s head. In order to help us see Deuce a little bit through his eyes, what three words might he use to describe the Deuce at the beginning of Enclave versus the Deuce at the end of Horde?

Enclave Deuce: fierce, obedient, driven.

Horde Deuce: loyal, devoted, compassionate.

• • • • • • • • • • 

ANN AGUIRRE

Ann Aguirre is a USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes books, emo music, and action movies. She writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • 

HORDE

The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.

Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

I'm hugely excited for Horde (releasing from Feiwel & Friends on October 29th), so in order to share my enthusiasm for this series as a whole and this book in particular, I'm giving away an ARC of Horde to one lucky winner. To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway