Shon's September Reading Wrap Up & Book Haul

~ September Book Haul ~

Purchased Books:

The Demon King (Seven Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

The Exiled Queen (Seven Realms #2) by Cinda Williams Chima

The Gray Wolf Throne (Seven Realms #3) by Cinda Williams Chima

The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #4) by Cinda Williams Chima

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken 

The Edge of Everything (Untitled #1) by Jeff Giles

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1-5) by Rick Riordan

Skip Beat!, Vol. 39 (Skip Beat! #39) by Yoshiki Nakamura

Audible Audio: 

Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by: Holly Madison

 Free Books:

Wrong (Wrong #1) by Jana Aston

~ September Wrap Up ~

Antisocial by Heidi Cullinan

I don't know what happened. This book started off so good. It was so cute. I was going around telling people how much I love this book.

Then we get halfway into the story and I was like I can't anymore. I don't know what just happened. I'm so over this book. I feel like two different people wrote this book.

Kingpin (Breeding #4) by Alexa Riley 

Sherlock: A Study in Pink (Sherlock #1) by Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss

Skip Beat!, Vol. 39 (Skip Beat! #39) by Yoshiki Nakamura

How was your month?? What books did you add to your collection??

Happy Reading!

"Waiting On" Wednesday / Can't-Wait Wednesday #50: The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3)

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Title: The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3) 
Author: Rick Riordan 
Expected publication: October 3rd 2017 
Genres:Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Mythology

Magnus Chase, a once-homeless teen, is a resident of the Hotel Valhalla and one of Odin's chosen warriors. As the son of Frey, the god of summer, fertility, and health, Magnus isn't naturally inclined to fighting. But he has strong and steadfast friends, including Hearthstone the elf, Blitzen the dwarf, and Samirah the Valkyrie, and together they have achieved brave deeds, such as defeating Fenris Wolf and battling giants for Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. Now Magnus and his crew must sail to the farthest borders of Jotunheim and Niflheim in pursuit of Asgard's greatest threat. Will they succeed in their perilous journey, or is Ragnarok lurking on the horizon?

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?  Let us know in the comment section below.

-Shon

Top Ten Tuesday #82: Ten Books That Feature Characters . . .

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books That Feature Characters ____________: Examples: Ten books that feature black main characters, characters who hold interesting jobs, characters who have a mental illness, characters that are adopted, characters that play sports, etc, etc. Can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Shon's Pick: Annoying Characters 

1. Gale Hawthorne, Mockingjay

2. Peter Hayes, Divergent & Insurgent

3. Clarissa "Clary" Adele Fairchild, also known as Clary Fray, The Mortal Instruments Series

4. Bella Swan, Twilight Series

5. Celaena Sardothien, Throne of Glass 

Tina's Pick: 2017 Books that cover
Mental Illness/Anxiety Disorder

1. Queens of Geek

2. Follow Me Back

3. Our Broken Pieces

4. Eliza and Her Monsters

5. By Your Side

"Waiting On" Wednesday / Can't-Wait Wednesday #49: Wild Beauty

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Title: Wild Beauty 
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore 
Expected publication: October 3rd 2017 
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Love grows such strange things.
For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?  Let us know in the comment section below.

-Shon

Top Ten Tuesday #81: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List.

Shon's Pick

1. Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer 
2. Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1) by Alex R. Kahler
3. Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco
4. Into the Bright Unknown (The Gold Seer Trilogy #3) by Rae Carson


Tina's Pick
There are so many September releases I'm excited to try!

5. The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo (adore her stories!)
6. Invictus by Ryan Graudin (love his writing!)
7. Warcross by Marie Lu (simply have to check it out)
8. The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle (sounds intriguing!)
9. Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (a retelling)
10. Click'd by Tamara Ireland Stone (catchy right?)

"Waiting On" Wednesday / Can't-Wait Wednesday #48: The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Title: The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
Author:  Leigh Bardugo
Expected publication: September 26th
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings



Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves. 


What are you waiting for this Wednesday?  Let us know in the comment section below.

-Shon

Monday Reviews: Follow Me Back and Queens of Geek

Our August Top Ten Tuesday had me wanting to read more fan reading/fan fiction-writing type books. Here are two 2017 contemporary fanfic type books I picked up last week.

The first one is Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger. It is a lighthearted story about an agoraphobia girl, Tessa, who writes and tweets all things Eric Thorn. The pop sensational singer has enough of these obsessed fangirling fantasies and wants nothing more than to hide and write music. When he learns about Tessa's #ericthornobsessed tweets ranking number one on Twitter, he decides to confront her and make her stop writing fanfics about him. The story takes a funny turn and will completely take you by surprise. Rough intro but great hook at the end. Delightful read.

The second one is Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde. Three best friends takes a trip from Australia to America to attend the biggest nerd convention SupaCon. Charlie is a rising youtube star turned actress and is there at the con to promote her new indie zombie film. The other two friends Taylor and Jamie, have a blast cosplaying from their favorite fantasy franchise Queen Firestone. The story has me reminiscing my time at various cons myself and the intensity and buildup of fan culture. Love the movie and nerd references. Warm and fuzzy reading.

"Waiting On" Wednesday / Can't-Wait Wednesday #47: Moxie

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Title: Moxie
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Expected publication: September 19th
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

An unlikely teenager starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texan high school in the new novel from Jennifer Matheiu, author of The Truth About Alice.

MOXIE GIRLS FIGHT BACK!

Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with a school administration at her small-town Texas high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment, and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

Viv's mom was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution.

Moxie is a book about high school life that will make you wanna riot! 


What are you waiting for this Wednesday?  Let us know in the comment section below.

-Shon

Top Ten Tuesday #80: Ten Books We Struggled to Get Through (Or Didn't Get Through at All!)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books I Struggled to Get Into But Ended Up Loving or Ten Books That Were A Chore To Get Through or Ten Books I've Most Recently Put Down (the theme is...books you had a hard time with...tweak it how ever you need)

Tina's Picks

Books I had to DNF

Either it was a cover buy or the blurb that caught my attention, in the end the story could not keep my interest

I enjoyed her 2017 release What to Say Next. I thought Tell Me Three Things will have a similar feel. Unfortunately, the main character is not relatable and her experiences were not believeable, I gave up after a few chapters.

I was excited to get back into the Passengers series. However, the story format was chaotic and the characters appearing in and out of the story confused me. I couldn't follow no matter how often I tried to reread the first chapters.

 It sounded funny. It was a little too close to home - loud, whiny, full of complaints, disappointments, and expectations. Immediate dnf. 

 Shon's Pick

Books I've To Put Down

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff - After reading a hundred or so pages, I was not drawn into the world or the story. I read a review, that said the story pick up after 200 pages but I wasn't willing to invest any more time into the story to see if that was true.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas - I have come to accept the fact that I am not a fan of Sarah J. Maas writing.

The Beginning: Marked and Betrayed (House of Night #1-2) by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast - This was a two in one book. I struggle to finish book one.

Good Boy (WAGs #1) by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy - This was such a disappointment for me. I love Him and Us and I was eager to see how Jamie and Ryan story end but this was so bad I made it to the wedding reception and quit. I could not get invested into these new characters.

Twisted Palace (The Royals #3) by Erin Watt - Another disappointment for me because I enjoy book one and two so much.

Books That Were A Chore To Get Through

 Black Diamond (Stark Springs Academy #1) by Ali Dean
I don't know what happened, the book start off so promising and towards the end it kind of just fizzle out.

Double Black (Stark Springs Academy #2) by Ali Dean 
Basically, book 2 was just a set up for book 3. 

Black Ice (Stark Springs Academy #3) by Ali Dean
It was an end to a series.

Monday Reviews: Secondborn by Amy A. Bartol

Secondborn
Written by Amy A. Bartol (eBook)
Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Page: 321
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review by: Tina

Synopsis

On Transition Day, the second child in every family is taken by the government and forced into servitude. Roselle St. Sismode’s eighteenth birthday arrives with harsh realizations: she’s to become a soldier for the Fate of Swords military arm of the Republic during the bloodiest rebellion in history, and her elite firstborn mother is happy to see her go.


Review

This was such a delightful find. It was listed under Goodreads' new August releases and wow am I impressed with this dystopian take. The first chapters pulled me into a tragic society of secondborns, who are disposable, used, and unwanted. Many of the lower class children are sent away by their families to become soldiers at ages 10-18. Roselle, a high society aristocrat, isn't any different. Raised unloved and under the watchful televised eyes of society, she eats when they tell her, sleeps when they tell her, dresses how they want her, and does everything she is told.

It was so heartbreaking to witness her "secondborn" treatment, yet she grew strong and no one can anticipate how much her soldier training prepared her for the brutal violent world she's entering at the age of 18.

Shon's September TBR & Most Anticipated Releases!!

Here's are the books I'm *hoping* to read this month.

~ September TBR ~

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4) by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan
Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Most Anticipated Releases for September !!!

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding (The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Expected publication: September 5th

Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu

Expected publication: September 12th

Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles Trilogy #1) by Jodi Meadows

Expected publication: September 12th

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco

Expected publication: September 19th

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Expected publication: September 19th

One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns #2) by Kendare Blake

Expected publication: September 19th

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

Expected publication: September  26th

Tell me, what's on your September TBR??
What are you Most excited to read in September??

Happy Reading!!