Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Can't Wait Wednesday

 
Can't Wait Wednesday is a meme hosted by Wishful Endings. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday which was hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post, we spotlight upcoming releases that we are super jazzed about.


Title: ExtraOrdinary
Series: ExtraOrdinary #0
Author: V.E. Schwab, Enid BalΓ‘m (Artist)
Publisher: Titan
Release Date: May 5, 2021
Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Science Fiction
~~~~~

A brand-new series that expands deeper into the world of V. E. Schwab’s critically acclaimed novels Vicious and Vengeful.

Set in the years between Vicious and Vengeful, ExtraOrdinary follows a teenage girl named Charlotte Tills who survives a bus crash and becomes EO – ExtraOrdinary – gaining the ability to see people’s deaths in reflective surfaces.

This issue 0 leads into an all-new 4-part comic series!




Thoughts

It's no mystery that I love comics and graphic novels. While there will always be a special place in my heart for the typical superhero comics, I find myself craving more comics that are completely different. I really love comics in the fantasy and science fiction genres. I also love graphic adaptations of stories from some of my favorite books series, like this one. I really enjoyed her Shades of Magic comics that took place in her Shades of Magic universe. I think that when an author adds stories in comic or graphic novel form in an already established literary universe it adds so much more depth to the world. And I always love additional stories set in my favorite bookish worlds. 

~~~~~

Title: Alpha Girl
Series: Wolf Girl #3
Author: Leia Stone
Publisher: Leia Stone
Release Date: April 30, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
~~~~~

Leaving him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I have to put our people first. Werewolf City is at war and I’ll do whatever it takes to turn the tides in the wolves' favor, even if it means stepping up in my new role.

The Paladins are a secretive people that I know nothing about. What I thought would be a quick trip into their lands turns into a fight for my life. The future Sawyer and I have dreamed of together threatens to crumble.

I’m torn. Do I chose love and a sure future with the man of my dreams, or do I follow my heart and save a dying people I know nothing about, no matter the cost?

Either way I have to make it back to him; I can’t imagine a life in which we don’t exist together.




Thoughts

I love this series so much! These books are seriously like crack. After finishing one you crave the next one like your life depends on it. 

~~~~~

Title: Realm Breaker
Series: Realm Breaker #1
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Orion Publishing
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
~~~~~
A strange darkness grows in Allward.

Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

She soon discovers the truth: She is the last of an ancient lineage—and the last hope to save the world from destruction. But she won’t be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions:

A squire, forced to choose between home and honor.
An immortal, avenging a broken promise.
An assassin, exiled and bloodthirsty.
An ancient sorceress, whose riddles hide an eerie foresight.
A forger with a secret past.
A bounty hunter with a score to settle.

Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.




Thoughts

I am just as excited as everyone else to read the next project from Victoria Aveyard. Her Red Queen series was so hyped and so popular that I am quite curious as to how this book will measure up to her other series. I personally had some mixed feelings about the Red Queen series, but I enjoyed the series overall. I am excited to see where she takes things in this new series. 

~~~~~

Title: Consumed by Deception
Series: 
Deception Trilogy #3
Author: Rina Kent
Publisher: Blackthorn Books, LLC
Release Date: May 6, 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Dark Romance

~~~~~

My husband. My monster.

The truth isn’t always what it seems.
Lia doesn’t realize that, but she will. Soon.
I chose this life. This road. This twisted arrangement.
For her, I made a deal with the devil.
For her, I toyed with fate and death.
There’s no going back.
I stole her and like any thief, I won’t return her.
Lia is my addiction. My obsession. My love.
Mine.





Thoughts

I will read anything that this author writes! I have loved every single book of hers that I have read. Her brand of dark fantasy is definitely my jam. This is the final book in a trilogy and I am so ready for the ending! 
What is a book that you are patiently (or not so much) waiting on? What have you added to your TBR recently? Feel free to leave the link to your Waiting on Wednesday post!

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Animals From Books

   


Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a different question for book bloggers to ponder over. 

This week's topic is: 


~~~~~

💚 Sprig from The Collector series and the Lightness saga by Stacey Marie Brown

Sprig is one of the most interesting characters that I have come across. He is a little hard to define and I don't want to impart spoilers, but he is essentially a sprite (fae) in the body of a small monkey. Sprig is probably one of my all-time favorite secondary characters ever. He provides the absolute best comic relief and he will have you laughing out loud quite literally. 

💚 Zwi from the Steel & Stone series by Annette Marie
(Also seen in the Spell Weaver series.)

I love this character so much that I named one of my cats after her. Zwi is a dragonet, which is a small cat-sized dragon familiar. Dragonets can bond with draconians, a humanoid dragon-like race, and draconians can share their magic with their bonded dragonet. When they are bonded they have a telepathic link and the draconian's magic can allow the dragonet to grow in size to roughly the size of a horse. Zwi is bonded to Ashtaroth, or Ash, who is one of the main characters in this series.

💚 Hoshi from The Guild Codex: Spellbound series by Annette Marie

Hoshi is a sylph that becomes the familiar of Tori, the main character in the series. Hoshi can't speak but she and Tori have a special bond. Hoshi is also very loyal. 

💚 Shiro from the Red Winter trilogy by Annette Marie

Shiro is a mischievous little white fox yokai that befriends Emi, the main character in the series. I literally can't say any more than that because anything more would be spoilery. 

💚 Romero from the Dead Things series by Martina McAtee

My non-spoilery note on Romero: He is a dog that was raised from the dead by a necromancer. Being raised from the dead doesn't bring back your decomposed parts though, so he was appropriately named Romero in honor of George A. Romero, director of the Night of the Living Dead movies. 

💚 Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy by Marvel Comics

I think that most everyone knows who Rocket Raccoon is now because of the most recent Marvel movies. I've always loved how snarky Rocket is and he is also pretty much a genius. What's not to love?

💚 Buttercup from The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Buttercup is the cat that belongs to Prim, Katnis's little sister. 

💚 Morozova's Stag from the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Morozova's Stag is an ancient, magical, and powerful creature that is featured in children's stories and believed to be a legend. The stag is in fact real and plays a big part in the events of the series.

💚 Old Lace from Runaways by Marvel Comics

Okay, who wouldn't love a pet dinosaur? Old Lace is a deinonychus, which was a dinosaur that was closely related to the velociraptor. 

💚 Fleetfoot from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Fleetfoot is a dog that was given to the main character in the series.


What are some of your favorite animals from books? Feel free to leave the link to your Top Ten Tuesday post!

Blog Tour: The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"Armentrout surprises me at every page turn with higher stakes, hotter heat, shocking revelations, and a knows-no-bounds love that hits me deep, and I am here for it." --Laurelin Paige, New York Times bestselling author

The Crown of Gilded Bones, the all new gripping and intense third installment in the epic fantasy Blood and Ash series from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is out now, and we have an inside look!

She's been the victim and the survivor…

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…

Bow before your Queen today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pGJq9l
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/CrownofGildedBone
Apple Books: https://apple.co/35KztA5
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3pFzRHW
Nook: https://bit.ly/35JKgu9
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2ISWebS
Hardback: https://bit.ly/3nG8L1z
Paperback: https://amzn.to/35J310H

Excerpt

A sudden growl of warning came from the largest wolven I’d ever seen. Kieran and Vonetta’s father stood to my right. Jasper had officiated the marriage between Casteel and me in Spessa’s End. He’d been there when Nyktos showed his approval by briefly turning day to night. But now, the steel-hued wolven’s lips peeled back, baring teeth that could tear through flesh and break bone. He was loyal to Casteel, and yet instinct told me that it wasn’t just the guards he warned.  

  Another snarl came from my left. In the shadows of the blood tree that had sprouted from where my blood had fallen and then grew to a massive height within seconds, a fawn-colored wolven crept into my line of sight, head dipped low, and wintery blue eyes iridescent. Kieran. He stared down Casteel. I didn’t understand why either of them would behave this way toward the Prince, but especially Kieran. He had been bonded to Casteel from birth, meant to obey and protect him at all costs. But he was more than a bonded wolven to Casteel. They were brothers, if not by blood then by friendship, and I knew they loved each other.  

  Right now, nothing about the way Kieran’s ears were pinned back was loving.  

  Unease skipped its way through me as Kieran sank down, the sleek muscles of his legs tensing as he prepared to attack…Casteel.  

  My stomach plummeted. This wasn’t right. None of this was right. “No,” I rasped, my voice hoarse and barely recognizable, even to my ears.  

  Kieran didn’t appear to hear me or care. If he had been acting normally, I would’ve just assumed he was attempting to ignore me, but this was different. He was different. His eyes were brighter than I ever remembered seeing, and they weren’t right because they…they weren’t just blue now. His pupils glowed silvery-white, an aura that seeped out in wispy tendrils across the blue. My head jerked to Jasper. His eyes had changed, too. I’d seen that strange light before. It had been what my skin had done when I healed Beckett’s broken legs—the same silvery glow that had radiated from me minutes earlier.  

  Icy bursts of surprise raced through Casteel as he eyed the wolven, and then I felt…relief radiate from him. 

  “You all knew.” Casteel’s voice filled with awe, something no one standing behind him felt. Even the easy grin was absent from the auburn-haired Atlantian. Emil looked at us with wide eyes, broadcasting a healthy dose of fear, as did Naill, who had always appeared utterly unfazed by everything—even when he’d been outnumbered in battle. 

Add The Crown of Gilded Bones to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/34D4N31


About Jennifer L. Armentrout

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5
Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R
Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63
Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m
Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

Connect with Blue Box Press
Facebook: https://bit.ly/37fl0uT
Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zQAni
Website: https://theblueboxpress.com/
Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights and Blue Box Press releases, join their mailing list today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Top Five Saturday

Top Five Saturday is a meme that was created by Mandy at Devouring Books. Each week we post our top five books that fit that week's theme.  

This week's theme is: 







~~~~~
What are some of the longest books that you have read? What are some of the longest books on your TBR? Have you read any of the books listed above or do you have any of them on your TBR? Feel free to leave the link to your Top Five Saturday post!

Friday, April 16, 2021

First Lines Friday

 

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers previously hosted by Wandering Words and now archived at Emma IRL. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author, or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open it to the first page.
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
  • Finally… reveal the book!

 

"A BROKEN MIND AND A FRACTURED SOUL. WAS THERE REDEMPTION OR RELIEF FROM THE ENDLESS DARKNESS? OR WOULD I CONTINUE TO DWELL ON THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE?"

~~~~~

Can you guess what book this is from?










Reborn
(Shadow Beast Shifters #3)
by Jaymin Eve


I finally have the life I always dreamed of. So why does it taste like ash on my tongue?

Growing up in Torma, the strongest of the shifter packs, I wanted nothing more than to find my true mate and live my best life. Of course, that dream existed before my father betrayed the pack and turned me into their punching bag.

I’d all but given up, until a quirk of true mate genetics gifted me a true mate like no other.

It seems my childhood dreams were finally a reality. Funny how quickly dreams turn into nightmares.

I’m being lied to and missing weeks and months of time. Someone messed with me and no matter how often I’m told to forget it and move on as Torin’s mate, there’s no way I can. Whoever did this to me should have known I’d pick at it until it bled. It’s my nature after all.

As I search out random growls, flutters in my chest, and a suspicion that there’s so much more going on than I could even imagine, I sense that I’m racing against an unknown clock.

I need to get to the bottom of this mystery.

And when I figure out who stole my memories, they’re going to wish they never messed with Mera Callahan.

Game on.



Did the first lines intrigue you? Have you read Reborn or any of the other books in the Shadow Beast Shifters series? Do you have any of them on your TBR? Let me know what you think!

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Can't Wait Wednesday

 
Can't Wait Wednesday is a meme hosted by Wishful Endings. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday which was hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post, we spotlight upcoming releases that we are super jazzed about.


Title: The ​Crown of Gilded Bones
Series: Blood and Ash #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Release Date: April 20, 2021
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
~~~~~

She's been the victim and the survivor…

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…




Thoughts

Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors! I admit that I still have not started this series but I am looking forward to this release nonetheless. I had intended to read the entire series in one go as soon as all of the books had been released. This is one of those authors that stick with you. Her writing is phenomenal and her characters are so well-developed. I knew that I would crave the next book like nobody's business if I started the series so I have been holding off. Thank the stars that the time is almost here to binge this series!

~~~~~

Title: The Freshman
Series: College Years #1
Author: Monica Murphy
Publisher: EM Publishing
Release Date: April 22, 2021
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports Romance
~~~~~

I started flirting with a guy while waiting for my car to be serviced. Now granted, he wasn’t just any guy. Tall. Dark. Hot. Mysterious. Can you blame me for wanting to talk to him? He’s in town visiting his parents. So am I. He goes to the same college as I do. Such a coincidence. Almost as if our meeting is destined...

But I shouldn't believe in that sort of thing. I am single as a Pringle and always ready to mingle. Until I keep running into Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious everywhere I go. Tony Sorrento. Turns out he’s on the football team. I mean, I’m not one to chase after a sexy jock but, okay. I’m down. And did I mention he’s only a freshman?

Our fathers are business rivals, and they forbid us from dating. We need to keep this on the low. Can we remain friendly? Sure. Maybe turn our friendship into friends with benefits? Most definitely. Here’s the thing though. I didn’t plan on catching feelings for him so quickly. Seems like he’s falling pretty hard for me too.

Defying our fathers’ wishes is only asking for trouble, but is being with Tony worth the risk?




Thoughts

I adore everything that Monica Murphy writes. She writes some of my favorite New Adult romances. I am really excited about this new series!

~~~~~

Title: Southern Sun, Northern Star
Series: Glass Alliance #3
Author: Joanna Hathaway
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: April 20, 2021
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fantasy
~~~~~
Battles, revolution, and romance collide in Joanna Hathaway's stunning, World Wars-inspired Southern Sun, Northern Star

Reeling from the tragedy that beset her family, Princess Aurelia has joined the resistance in Havenspur, spying on the Northern leaders who were once her allies and determined to stop her uncle's machinations for war. Meanwhile, her beloved pilot Athan leads his squadron into battle as the Safire wage a losing war abroad and combat growing unrest back home.

When Athan is sent on leave to Havenspur following the death of a comrade, the pair reunite and rekindle their romance until Aurelia uncovers one of Athan's secrets, a secret that could save countless lives. But exposing it to the right people will cost her Athan's trust, and this time, their shared memories of love might not be enough to stop the fateful path of destruction that threatens all they've fought to defend.

As history unfolds around them, every move they make drives them one step closer to either recreating their parents' shadowed past or redeeming the alliance that could bring peace.

The breathtaking finale to a legendary series. Part war drama, part romance, Southern Sun, Northern Star is the epic conclusion to the Glass Alliance series.




Thoughts

I've read the first book in this series and I really enjoyed it. The author has built a very unique world with interesting characters and a compelling plot. I have the second book but I haven't read it yet. Now that the final book is releasing it will be the perfect time for a binge read. 

~~~~~

Title: Possessed
Series: Hades Castle Trilogy #3
Author: C.N. Crawford
Publisher: C.N. Crawford
Release Date: April 21, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Mythology
~~~~~

I'm struggling with my dark side--the demon within me--and only Samael can help me. He has decided we're dangerous for each other, but I know we need to join forces. If we can't defeat the Free Men together, I will lose myself to the demon within me, and a darkness will spread across Albia.








Thoughts

I've been sitting on this series and I think that it is finally time to open it up and dive in. The final book in this series is almost here! I am such a sucker for books about angels and demons. 
What is a book that you are patiently (or not so much) waiting on? What have you added to your TBR recently? Feel free to leave the link to your Waiting on Wednesday post!

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Sound Like They Could Be Crayola Crayon Colors

 


Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a different question for book bloggers to ponder over. 

This week's topic is: 

~~~~~


*Books link to Goodreads.*

All books in this list are also May and June 2021 releases.


Do you think that any of these sound like Crayola crayon colors? What is a book title that you think fits this prompt? Feel free to leave the link to your Top Ten Tuesday post!
 

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