Waiting on Wednesday: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you pick a book that is coming out soon that you want to read.

This lovely book has recently been brought to my attention by a BookTuber in THIS video. She's quite good at explaining why you should be interested in this book, but I'll try to summarize as best I can. 

Firstly, I'm all over any new fantasy series, so even without all of the extra hooplah surrounding it, it still sounds amazing. 

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive... 

The author, Erika Johansen was offered a seven figure sum and a three book deal by HarperCollins for this series. Did I mention she's a debut author? Not to mention Warner Brothers has already bought the movie rights for it. If that wasn't hype enough for you, David Heyman is said to be producing the film (think Harry Potter films) and *drumroll* Emma Watson is set to star (AND executive produce. Seriously, is there nothing this girl can't do?)

Some big names are getting on board with this, and the book hasn't even been released. You'll have to wait until July for that. Just like me.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the hype. People are speculating that this is just another Rowling pseudonym, as that's the only way to explain such a large publishing deal.

I've also seen some problems people have been having with how the book is being marketed. The Female version of George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones. I'm not quite sure what they're getting at with this one, seeing as how my femininity had nothing to do with my enjoyment of Game of Thrones, but that's another issue for another day.

All in all, I'm pumped to get my hands on this, I just hope it's half as good as the hype.

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

**WARNING: This is the second book in a series. Review may contain spoilers from book 1.**

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: August 27th 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 420
Genre: YA Fantasy

I finally got around to picking this up and I was definitely not disappointed. Celaena Sardothien continues to be one of my favorite characters in YA Fantasy and this book reiterated that fact 10 fold. Seriously. If you're looking for a kick-butt female protagonist, look no further. Celaena is your girl. Not only is she strong, independent, and powerful, but she's also relatable.

Yes.

Celaena Sardothien. Deadly assassin is relatable.

She is selfish. She is vain. She is very big-headed. She likes cake! She is flawed and it's in those flaws that her character really comes together. Too often you see characters that can do no wrong. You see a lot of selflessness, especially in female protagonists, but you rarely see young women portraying the stubborn, narcissistic,  snarky rolls and I really love that Celaena is not afraid to do that. To be herself.

*rant rant rant*

Moving on.

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

---

You end Throne of Glass realizing that Celaena is more important than she herself even realizes, but you're still not quite sure what that entails. In fact, the only person who really seems to be in the know about anything is Nehemia, whose interesting story line could probably be a series in it's self if we're being completely honest here. 

So Celaena is doing the kings bidding, and being pretty reckless while she's at it, until she's sentenced to kill one of her old childhood friends, and that's where the story really takes off. There are so many twists and turns you practically get whiplash.

Did I even mention the political intrigue? Holy guacamole, there's political intrigue galore. (Which was nice, because that's something I really enjoy.)

There are new characters introduced, my favorite probably being Mort, a sarcastic... well I won't ruin the surprise, but he definitely adds some comic relief, along with offering (and I use that world very loosely) help now and again.

You also can't forget the budding love triangle which nudges the story along in all of the right ways. This is not primarily a love triangle. There is SO MUCH going on in the story, the romance takes a back seat, however it's prominent enough to where if that's something you really look for in stories, you'll still get your fill.

All I really have to say about that is: #TeamChaol.

All in all, Sarah J. Maas is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and this series is one of the best YA Fantasy series I've read in a while. If you enjoy AWESOME female protagonists, unique fantasy settings, well done love triangles, or just YA in general, you should pick up this series. Seriously. It's fantastic.

Overall rating:

Find this book on: Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book Review: The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons

Title: The Bronze Horseman
Author: Paulina Simons
Published: September 2009 by William Morrow (first published    July 17th 2000) 
Pages: 810
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

I am generally not a romance reader. I find them unrealistic and usually over the top. To me, romance novels try to hard, and it's usually not particularly my thing.

I decided to pick up The Bronze Horseman anyway. It is a fairly hyped book in the BookTube community and like many books I own, I just wanted to see what the hype was all about. It has a crazy high rating on Goodreads and after reading so many heartbreaking fantasy novels, I thought I would give myself a break and read this. A nice love story.

No.

Although I went into this without any expectations, I don't think anything could have prepared me for what I was about to read.

The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana--and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects--a secret as devastating as the war itself--as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

---

I also don't have much experience reading historical fiction, and this story makes me want to read more. The story starts off on the very first day of war in Leningrad, where 16 year old Tatiana Metanova can't fathom anything other than her safe and uneventful lifestyle. To her, the declaration of war means excitement and possible evacuation. It's something to look forward to, plus, the start of the war is the day she meets Alexander Belov. They quickly become swept up in each other and the siege that is over taking the city. 

I loved how the main characters' relationship developed. They didn't start out mushy and romanic. They started out with an instant attraction that slowly built into something more. It was believable and magical and it felt real. 

Beyond that, there were relationships thoroughly developed between Tatiana and her family. You get to see exactly where she falls into place and the roll she plays in her family. She has a unique relationship with each character that is well developed which I found very refreshing compared to other romances where the only development happens between love interests. 

Times are hard and you get to follow a young teenage girl face the most fatal siege in a devastating war and you get to watch her conquer and fail. You see heartbreak and you see love and that barely scratches the surface to what you should expect from this book. 

As I said earlier, I'm not a big romance reader, but if more of them were like this, maybe I would be. 

Overall, this book was a solid:

Although I really enjoyed this book, and the setting and the characters, there were a few issues I had with the main character's relationship that prevented me from giving it the full five foxes. Don't let that sway you away from this read though, I still highly recommend this if you're like romance, WWII historical fiction, or being super attached to your characters. 

Bout of Books 10!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books is such a fun read-a-thon! I've participated sporadically in the past year every time one of these came up, but I've never been too active when it comes to participation. I've always just read what I could and let that be that. I want to try and be a more active participant this year. Maybe using the Twitter hashtag or participating in some of the challenges. The sense of community for this is great and super friendly. Everyone that loves books comes together to read and discuss and it's always such a fun time.

I'll be doing a goals post when it gets a little closer to the start date, so that shall be exciting. Until then, if you're interested in participating you should check out the Official Bout of Books blog or go ahead and sign up!

I can't wait to start reading with everyone! 

Fox Faces!

I've noticed that a lot of book bloggers take the star system and make it their own. I've seen cups of tea, mustaches, ice creams... all of which seem more creative than stars (although stars are great too!). I wanted something that encompassed me and was unique to my blog and my style thus the fox face was born.

So what do they mean?

Everyone has their own ideas about what makes a book 5 stars, or 4 or 3 etc. I am no exception so here I am to give you a quick guide about what each fox face means to me.

The book is fantastic! It has all the elements I look for in a story, which includes awesome character development, great storyline, and oomph. (Or it made me cry. I love when books make me feel things.) Five fox faces make for a super enjoyable read. Definitely recommended.

This book was really enjoyable. The only thing missing is the extra oomph. Still highly recommended!

This was a solid book. There were a few minor issues such as the plot dragging in places or the characters weren't as developed as my tastes would like. Still a good read that you should check out if the mood strikes.

This book is only OKAY. Nothing spectacular, but not unreadable. Two fox faces are reserved for books with very little character development, a plot that only slightly holds attention, and/or doesn't seem to MOVE. Not particularly recommended.

The Lone Fox is reserved for books that just didn't do it for me. You know those books that you have to question yourself every page or so as to why you're STILL reading (and not in the good way)? That is this book in a nutshell. I guess it's better than not finishing it at all, but only barely. Would not recommend.

I didn't even bother finishing it.

There are also half fox faces or quarters or eights. Really it's whatever I feel like the book deserves and sometimes the full face just doesn't cover it.

I hope that I gave you some idea to how I rate books. This is subject to change, but I think it's a pretty good rough estimate.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Published: September 27, 2011 by Little Brown Books for Young    Readers
Pages: 418
Genre: YA Fantasy


This has been on my TBR list for quite some time, but I never actively sought it out.

This was a mistake.

This story was weird and fantastical and interesting. There were times when I couldn't put this book down and when I did, I found myself wondering back to Prague, wondering what would come next in the lives of the characters.

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

---

This is a story that is hard to describe without giving away too much plot. Everything about it is so intricately woven and beautifully put together. It's almost frustrating at times having to wait to find out all the information compiled here, but it's done so in a way that keeps you hungry for the next chapter. Next thing you know it will be 2am and you will be sitting there stunned at the wealth of information laid out in front of you. 

It's different, which was what drew me to this in the first place. I picked up this book, not REALLY knowing what I was getting myself into. The synopsis is put together in such a way where you don't fully understand the gravity of the story until you're already sucked in and I'm glad. 

You get introduced to a new race of people (species?) not normally seen in literature and that is the chimera. Imagine oddly spiced together bits of different animals/sometimes humans to form a whole being. These people are Karou's family. The only insight we get into her childhood to try and piece together who she really is. Also you have Brimstone, who you find out very early on is in charge of the whole... well, you don't really know what. He's important none the less, who for some reason needs Karou to run errands all over the world collecting teeth. What for? You'll have to read to find out. 

We get introduced to her as a student attending an art university in Prague. She has blue hair, a crazy sketchbook, and a knack for alluding the truth by simply telling it. 

Soon, Brimstone is needing her to run a lot more errands than usual and while meeting with a client in Morocco, she locks eyes a being whose beauty is nothing short of angelic. He also tries to kill her.

Soon, their stories become intertwined and through him, the mysterious events of Karou's past start coming to light. It's frustrating and beautiful and like no YA Fantasy I've ever read before. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is truly unique, becoming a world all it's own. 

Overall, this book was excellent. It had it's slow moments, but still remained captivating. I did feel a bit separated from the characters at times, and while that was a little off-putting at times, I appreciated it for adding to the overall air of mystery. 

After all is said and done, I give this book 3.7ish stars. I highly recommend if you want something a little different and something intoxicating. I can't wait to see where this series goes. 

Find this book on: Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Amazon