Hi everyone!!
I’m sorry that I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been swamped with work, since I’m getting ready to go on vacation. I’m not sure if I will have Internet access up there, but if I do I’ll definitely be posting! I hope you guys are all doing well!!
Along with my Kindle & my Nook, this should be enough books, right?!
Thanks for being understanding, and as always, thanks for reading!!
-T
Author: Lauren Kate
Series: Fallen
Genre: Fantasy/YA
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 464
Luce has been ordered to attend Sword & Cross boarding school after an incident with the first boy that she kissed. When she arrives, the reform school is worse than she expected it to be. It is full of psychopaths and major screw-ups. When she first sees Daniel Grigori he feels familiar, like she has seen him before. Daniel, however, makes it abundantly clear that he wants nothing to do with her. She is drawn to him, even as the handsome and charming Cam is trying to build a relationship with her. She is determined to find out what Daniel is hiding, and she recruits her new friend, Penn, to help her figure him out. She must know the truth, no matter the cost.
I read this book for the first time a few years ago, and enjoyed it. I got sidetracked, and never went back to the series, so I decided to give it another try. I actually enjoyed it a bit more this time than I did the first time that I read it. The characters are pretty well fleshed out, and the world building is pretty decent. The concept of the storyline is good. It’s not my favorite YA fantasy, but it was an enjoyable read, overall. I’m looking forward to finishing the series, and seeing where the story goes.
Sending out my thoughts to the people of Orlando & the LGBT community. This is an extremely sad time caused by an incredibly senseless act of hate and violence. My thoughts are with you all. We can only fight hate with love…
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/YA
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 385
This story begins a little bit after the events in The Blood of Olympus (PJO/HOO series), and Zeus is pissed! He blames the events that occurred in HOO and the Oracles not working on Apollo. As punishment, Zeus sends Apollo to Earth…as a sixteen-year-old mortal boy (with a whack name and acne, much to Apollo’s chagrin). This has happened to Apollo when he angered his father before, so he has a good idea of what is to happen. He will be claimed by a demi-god, and bound to serve them and endure the unknown trials before him, until his father is satisfied that he has repented for his wrongdoing. Unfortunately for him, he is claimed by a demi-god that we haven’t met yet…Meg. As he has many enemies (of all types…monsters, Gods, etc.) he knows he must go to Camp Halfbood where he will be safe and can get some help. That’s where things get really interesting. There is no oracle to give a quest that desperately needs to be give, and campers are disappearing. They must figure out what is going on, before they are all killed.
I cannot tell you how happy I was to see some of the same characters from PJO/HOO in this book! It was like seeing old friends after a long time. The new characters, and characters that we didn’t see very much in the preceding series’, are greatly developed in this first book. Although this is the start to a new series, and can certainly be read alone, I strongly recommend read PJO/HOO first, so that you get the backstory and understand the references being made in this book (also, I just recommend that you read them because they are a lot of fun!) There is a small reference to The Sword of Summer, when Percy says that Annabeth is in Boston for a family emergency, so we know that this is taking place at the same time as that book. Overall, this is another fun read from Uncle Rick! I always enjoy his writing style and humor, and I hope that you do, as well!
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Series: An Ember in the Ashes
Genre: Fantasy/Dystopian
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 464
In a world built in the image of ancient Rome, no one challenges the Martial Empire. The penalty for such is death, most likely after a period of torture. The Scholars have been forced in to poverty and/or slavery after the Empire overtook them. Martial parents look forward to the day when their children have the chance to be accepted in to Blackcliff, the school which trains them to become Masks, the enforcers and assassins.
Laia is a Scholar girl, living with her grandparents after her parents (who were Scholar Resistance leaders) were caught and killed by the Masks. They live a peaceful existence, even though they are in poverty, by caring for the ill and making jam. That is until the Masks show up at their house to arrest her brother for treason. They kill her grandparents, arrest her brother, and burn their house down. With her whole family gone, Laia turns to the Resistance to help her rescue her brother before he is killed. Their price: she must go undercover as a slave to the Martial Empire to get information for them. Once inside, she meets Elias- the most skilled soldier in Blackcliff. Although highly trained and skilled, all Elias wants is to be free. He has no desire to be a Mask for the Empire. After a series of harrowing events, Laia and Elias find that they must depend on each other if they are to survive.
An Ember in the Ashes is a wonderful and engaging high fantasy that will leave the reader hungry to know what happens next. The world building is top notch, and the character development continues to grow throughout the story. Each of the characters, even the secondary ones, are like slowly peeling an onion. Each layer becomes stronger as you find out more about them. As the first in the series (thankfully there are more to come!), this novel will leave the reader hungry to find out what happens next!
Blood Ties (Book 1 of the Blood War Chronicles) is on sale for $0.99 right now, leading up to the release of Blood Curse!! It’s the perfect time to check it out, and get caught up before the second book releases!! If you like cross-genre steampunk, you will love this!!
Blood Curse (Blood War Chronicles, Book 2) by my best new author/book of the year 2015, Quincy J. Allen, is available for pre-order NOW!! If you guys remember, I posted a review of the first book in this series, Blood Ties, a while ago & I loved it! I’ll be posting a review of Blood Curse soon, but I’ll tell you now that it was just as great as the first! Below is the link for the pre-order!! Go!! Buy!!
-T
Author: L.S. Hilton
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Pages: 320
Judith, by day, is an assistant at one of London’s top art houses. Judith, by night, is a hostess at a champagne bar…or so it starts out. When Judith’s top champagne bar client offers to take her and her friend to France for a weekend getaway, they both jump at the chance (circumstances have put Judith in need of some money in reserve). That’s where things begin to go sideways in her life. The events in France turn Judith in to a lethal combination of the high class woman that she has taught to be and the rage filled girl that she was. This version of Judith will do whatever she has to do, with whomever she has to do it with, to get what she wants.
I will admit, at the beginning of Maestra I wasn’t sure if I was really going to be in to it. It started off a little bit slow for me. Once all of the events began to unfold, and “anti-heroine Judith” started to emerge, I was sucked in to this story and rooting for the anti-hero. The story is told from Judith’s perspective, so we get a bit of an unreliable narrator in her. It turned in to a really wonderful psychological thriller, which I am a fan of. I will definitely add a warning tag on to this one, though: If you are squeamish about multiple descriptive erotic scenes in your novels, you may not enjoy this one! There are several places where this borders on erotica. While this may not be in my top five novels of the year, it will definitely be close to the top!
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/YA
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 512
Since his mother’s untimely death, two years ago, Magnus Chase has been a homeless kid surviving on the streets of Boston. When his sixteenth birthday comes around, Magnus is tracked down by the uncle that his mother warned was dangerous to him. When his uncle finally catches up with him, he tells Magnus a secret that he can scarcely believe: he is the son of a Norse god. He finds it hard to believe, until he is attacked by a fire giant while trying to call the Sword of Summer and ends up in Valhalla. Now it is time for Magnus to do his part (with a little help from his friends) to prevent Ragnarok, but to do so he must face his greatest fear.
Confession: I adore Rick Riordan! (I am actually re-reading the entire Percy Jackson series this year) His stories are always well written and entertaining. His world building is always spot on and easy to imagine, and the characters are always well developed. This first novel in the Magnus Chase series is no exception! I didn’t get in to it and begin is quickly as I did the PJO-HOO series, but after a few chapters I sped through the rest of it. I fell in love with these characters and their stories, and I loved that Annabeth made a couple of appearances (note the last name, you PJ fans!). I’m hoping that this will allow for a little cross-over now and then! All in all- if you are a Riordan fan, you will love this series, too!
Hi all!!
I just wanted to give you guys an update on what’s coming up. I just finished Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase & The Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer today, and have just begun Maestra by L.S. Hilton. The review for The Sword of Summer will be posted for you tomorrow! I have a long weekend (so thankful for holiday’s!), so I’m hoping to get a couple of books finished up this weekend. I hope that you guys will enjoy your Memorial Day weekend (if you’re in the U.S.) as well!! As always, thanks for reading!
-T
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