Aloha everyone! It’s been awhile since I did an update – but Mr. Atlas (the now 3 month old puppy) is taking up a lot of my time. But here’s what I’ve acquired and watched in the past few weeks…
New Books Acquired:
NetGalley ARC’s~
Kindle Unlimited ~
Overdrive Online Library ~
Will I get to reading all of these this month? Probably not. But I’ll do my best to try!
Adulting:
Puppy is 3 months old now and it’s been rough! He is teething and has been so bitey. The cute phase lasted like 2 weeks. At least I’m getting more sleep now and he is crate trained at night but the teething, biting, mouthing…argh…😫.
Between 2 kids and a puppy, I haven’t had time to do any resin work but thank you to those who are still buying whatever is in my shop even though I haven’t had time to update my instagram account or promoting anything at all.
Son is back in hybrid school and it’s been great for him to see classmates, I can’t believe 2nd grade will be over in 3 months. 🥺😱
I hope you all had a good week and are staying safe! 😘 ~ Yolanda
Title: A Twist of the Blade (Shadows and Crowns, #2)
Author: S.M. Gaither
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages:
Publication Date: 1/28/21
Categories: Young Adult, New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Friendship
Mercenary. Survivor. Queen.
Who is Casia Greythorne?
Still reeling from an unimaginable loss and the revelation of an identity she isn’t sure she wants to embrace, Casia has one plan: Try to control something. Something like the strange magic awakening inside of her. Mastering that magic will take her and her friends on a quest through cursed lands, into the dwellings of old gods, and deep into a southern empire filled with deadly foes and unlikely allies.
Meanwhile, the foundations of the Kethran Empire continue to crumble. The king-emperor clings to his crown with increasingly bloodied hands. Monsters and soldiers alike stalk Casia’s every step, determined not to let her return to claim a throne that is rightfully hers. Still, the greatest threat to her possible rule may not lie in the king-emperor, but in a former captain of his army—a man that she came dangerously close to falling in love with.
Elander Revenmar thought he knew who he was. He had a mission, a plan, a god he was content to serve. Then came Casia. A woman as mysterious as she is dangerous. One he should have stayed away from, and whose life he never should have saved.
Because salvation always comes with a cost.
And some debts can only be paid for in blood.
World Building ~ I really enjoy the story about the Gods and their revenge on humans. Cas was in Oblivion at the ending of book one but she doesn’t stay long. She needs to find her friends and stop her brother Varen from world domination. So Cas picks herself up, her broken-hearted, weakened, lost self and puts one foot in front of the other and keeps moving forward. We get to visit a different kingdom in this book which is great because Cas needs help, so she goes and seeks it out.
Characters ~ Cas is resilient, even when she thinks of giving up, she tries again and again and that’s so inspiring. And I love her friends, her support group that sticks by her no matter what. There were many times when the story was emotional because of what was happening to her friends.
Romance ~ or what is left of it…it is “complicated” as Elander likes to say. This is a story of past and present, reincarnation, a second chance, but it gets more complicated for Elander and Cas the more the truths are revealed.
Storytelling ~ this just flowed so easily, I read it in one night. I like how nothing is easy in this story between Cas and Elander with their romance or with Cas and Varen and their family ties. But for sure I love when Cas has her friends around her.
Not gonna lie, I wanted more of Elander and Cas together ~ I love them. But he kept having to disappear, he had his reasons though.
This story had action, good story telling, great world building, an inspiring main character and a complicated romance that just makes me hope so hard that Cas and Elander have a happily ever after. I look forward to reading book three which can’t come soon enough!
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I’m not getting a lot of free time to read and when I do…I sleep! Haha, so hopefully I’ll get my reading mojo back. I have some arcs to finish and review. I’m getting to them, slowly.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!
This week’s Valentine freebie topic is:
Greatest Love of All ~ My Fave Couples
💘 Jude & Cardan from The Folk of the Air series by. Holly Black
💘 Lara & Aren from The Bridge Kingdom series by. Danielle L. Jensen
💘 Stella & Michael from The Kiss Quotient by. Helen Hoang
💘 Feyre & Rhys from ACOTAR series by. Sarah J. Maas
💘 Juliette & Warner from the Shatter Me series by. Tahereh Mafi
💘 Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by. Jane Austen
💘 Lara Jean & Peter K from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series by. Jenny Han
💘 Kazi & Jase from The Dance of Thieves series by. Mary E. Pearson
💘 Mac & Barron from Darkfever series by. Karen Marie Moning
💘 Roselle & Reykin from the Secondborn series by. Amy A. Bartol
Categories: Romance, Jane Austen Retelling, Contemporary, Politics
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
No surprise is a good surprise. At least according to thirty-four-year-old Daisy Richardson. So when it’s revealed in dramatic fashion that her esteemed father had been involved in a public scandal before his untimely death, Daisy’s life becomes complicated—and fast.
For one, the Richardsons must now sell the family home in Georgetown they can no longer afford, and Daisy’s mother is holding on with an iron grip. Her younger sister, Wallis, is ready to move on to bigger and better things but falls fast and hard for the most inconvenient person possible. And then there’s Atlas, Daisy’s best friend. She’s always wished they could be more, but now he’s writing an exposé on the one subject she’s been desperate to avoid: her father.
Daisy’s plan is to maintain a low profile as she works to keep her family intact amid social exile, public shaming, and quickly dwindling savings. But the spotlight always seems to find the Richardsons, and when another twist in the scandal comes to light, Daisy must confront the consequences of her continued silence and summon the courage to stand up and accept the power of her own voice.
I love how it is a Sense and Sensibility retelling, but modernized. It is set in Washington D.C. in the world of politics and I found it so fun to read.
The family bond is wonderful especially after the scandal that Daisy’s dad left behind. They are strong together as they try to move on past all the hate thrown at them in the community. The sister relationship between Daisy and Wallis is lovely.
Daisy was my favorite because she is smart, strong, level-headed and yet cares so much for her friends and family as well. Her character voice is strong and distinct. She’s in love with her best friend Atlas, but he is in a relationship. Daisy is also chief of staff for a senator in D.C. and is on the verge of losing her edge and job, so she’s dealing with a lot on her plate. But she owns up to her dad’s mistakes and tries to right a wrong somehow and I love that she knows what is right and does it.
The romance retelling was spot on with Daisy in love with Atlas who she couldn’t have because he has someone and Wallis who meets someone dashing who breaks her heart. It’s a happy ending for both.
It slowed down for me in the middle only because it was predictable to me but not in a bad way. I’ve just watched the Sense and Sensibility a lot haha ~ so I pretty much knew what would happen. But really, I do love the political atmosphere.
I enjoyed this modern retelling of Sense & Sensibility! It had scandal, drama, humor, romance, and best of all a bond between sisters and a mother that was on display in face of everything thrown at them.
At least that’s what my mom always told me. Becoming a vampire hunter was never in my cards, but it is now that she needs my help. A decade ago vampires seized control of the bars, casinos, and the dark underbelly of society. Now they deal in addiction and bargain with blood, and humans over twenty-five can’t fight back against their compulsion. It’s made my mother vulnerable––the only family I have left.
To save her, I’m forced to make a deal with the devil––one who lives above a casino, wears a crown, and wants to drink my blood. Adrianos Teresi may be dangerous and alluring but I’ve got a stake hidden up my sleeve. I’ll go all in and play his game, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
What I don’t expect? The heart that needs guarding is my own.
Vampires and gambling definitely go together. In Blood Casino, the stakes are high ~ Evangeline is trying to save her mother from a gambling addiction, and who runs the casinos? Vampires. A vampire prince in this case, named Adrian. He is centuries old, deadly but looks 25, uh huh ~ you know that vampire genes don’t age haha. The hate is mutual between but they keep running into each other.
Love the setting of New Orleans. I went there once as a teen and I still remember the French Quarter vividly, it’s definitely a place you can’t forget. But the whole seedy, dark vibe makes New Orleans the perfect place for supernaturals to thrive.
Adrian is not a nice guy ~ he’s a vampire who’s been a live a long, long time. He kills in front of Eva, threatens her with violence, is violent, and scheming. Exactly what my image of vampires were like before Twilight lol…no hate on Twilight, I love Twilight, but before that…the vampires I knew burned in the sun, they did not sparkle.
I like action. Eva’s friends are vampire hunters but all is not what it seems with their leader Leslie Tate. We don’t learn much about Tate but I think more will come in the sequel. I like the vampire hunter action and the twist in the end as well.
The enemies relationship between Adrian and Eva is not quite to the “lovers” yet…and will it ever get there? We shall see, Eva’s got options, is all I’m saying.
Love triangle in the making? We shall see, but Eva has crushed on her best friend’s brother for awhile and now they are training as hunters, they get to spend more time together. The only thing that happens in this book is kissing. And very few kissing scenes at that, so there is a lot of room to grow with the romance angle.
Eva is 18 years old. I love how she tries so hard to survive and take care of her mom..but she is just 18, making mistakes, acts like a teenager especially around a very old vampire ~ she really is lucky she hasn’t been killed by chapter one! I hope we see more growth in her.
This story was a pure escape for me and a fresh take on vampires in urban fantasy. I enjoyed it so much I read it in one night and I’m here scouring this author’s backlist so I can binge read this week. I’ll be waiting impatiently for the sequel.
I am slacking and haven’t had time to finish a book or any book reviews. 😅 So let’s do a Top 5 Saturday!
This prompt is hosted by Mandy at Devouring Books so check out her blog for more fabulous bookish content.
Rules!
Share your top 5 books of the current topic– these can be books that you want to read, have read and loved, have read and hated, you can do it any way you want.
Tag the original post (This one!)
Tag 5 people
The topic today is:
Royalty in the Title (King, Queen, Princess, Prince, etc.)
In this sequel to A River of Royal Blood, Eva and Isa must find a way to work together if they want to save their queendom in the thrilling conclusion to this royal fantasy duology.
Now on the run, Eva is desperate for answers about her transformation and her true heritage. Along with Aketo, a small contingent of guards, and the sister she could not kill, Eva flees Ternain in hopes of finding friends and allies to the north–not to mention Baccha–to help her decide what to do next. Princess Isa is a difficult, unremorseful captive, and Eva knows better than to trust her sister, but she wants to. Despite their history, Eva is convinced that to survive the growing unrest in the queendom, she and her sister must make peace. Since the Entwining ceremony, Eva’s and Isa’s lives have been bonded, and each can only die by the other’s hand. This perhaps provides an opening for a truce and a more hopeful future for both the sisters and the queendom, if only Isa would see reason and give up the battle for the throne.
With the two princesses on the run, the Queendom of Myre is on the brink of a revolution. And without Baccha to guide and train her magick, Eva must find a way not only to survive her own metamorphosis, but to unite all the people of Myre, including her sister, by finally taking the Ivory Throne.
***
An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.
Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone . Revealing a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan, tis tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.
This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.
***
A queen now in exile as a traitor, Lara has watched Ithicana be conquered by her own father, helpless to do anything to stop the destruction. But when she learns her husband, Aren, has been captured in battle, Lara knows there is only one reason her father is keeping him alive: as bait for his traitorous daughter.
And it is bait she fully intends to take.
Risking her life to the Tempest Seas, Lara returns to Ithicana with a plan not only to free its king, but for liberating the Bridge Kingdom from her father’s clutches using his own weapons: the sisters whose lives she spared. But not only is the palace inescapable, there are more players in the game than Lara ever realized, enemies and allies switching sides in the fight for crowns, kingdoms, and bridges. But her greatest adversary of all might be the very man she’s trying to free – the husband she betrayed.
With everything she loves in jeopardy, Lara must decide who – and what – she is fighting for: her kingdom, her husband, or herself.
***
Kihrin is a bastard orphan who grew up on storybook tales of long-lost princes and grand quests. When he is claimed against his will as the long-lost son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds that being a long-lost prince isn’t what the storybooks promised.
Far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family’s power plays and ambitions. He also discovers that the storybooks have lied about a lot of other things too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love, and how the hero always wins.
Then again, maybe he’s not the hero, for Kihrin is not destined to save the empire.
He’s destined to destroy it.
***
There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.
Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.
More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.
Have you read any of these? I’ve read The Traitor Queen and The Daughter of the Pirate King. I loved both of them!
Welcome to the book blog tour for Girlhood: Teens Around the World in Their Own Voices by. Masuma Ahuja!
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Title: GIRLHOOD: Teens Around the World in Their Own Voices
Author: Masuma Ahuja
Format: ebook (NetGalley)
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2/9/21
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Categories: Non Fiction, Girls
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
What does a teenage girl dream about in Nigeria or New York? How does she spend her days in Mongolia, the Midwest, and the Middle East?
All around the world, girls are going to school, working, dreaming up big futures—they are soccer players and surfers, ballerinas and chess champions. Yet we know so little about their daily lives. We often hear about challenges and catastrophes in the news, and about exceptional girls who make headlines. But even though the health, education, and success of girls so often determines the future of a community, we don’t know more about what life is like for the ordinary girls, the ones living outside the headlines.
From the Americas to Europe to Africa to Asia to the South Pacific, the thirty teens from twenty-seven countries in Girlhood share their own stories of growing up through diary entries and photographs, and the girls’ stories are put in context with reporting and research that helps us understand the circumstances and communities they live in. This full-color, exuberantly designed volume is a portrait of ordinary girlhood around the world, and of the world, as seen through girls’ eyes.
It is wonderfully multi-cultural! So many different girls from around the world are featured in this book. I love the full color pages of the girls, it’s wonderful to see their smiles.
I love the diary entry format and scrapbook style of the book. This is the kind of book I would have loved to read when I was a teenager. It’s inspiring and makes me want to travel to experience the different cultures out there.
Showcasing different girls around the world and their own thoughts makes one feel not alone. Though the girls come from different places and live unique lives, there is something relatable about each girl whether it’s how they feel about school, friends, their family and the future.
This is a wonderful collection of stories and thoughts from girls all over the world. It is inspiring and relatable and perfect for young girls to add to their book collection!
How are we already in February? January felt like an extension of 2020, not gonna lie. I don’t think I read many books. I’ve been trying to house break a puppy! It’s been chaotic! Here is what I read:
Every Single Lie by. Rachel Vincent ~ 3.5/5 Stars (ARC read before January) ~ Published Jan. 12, 2021
Shadow City by. Francesca Flores ~ 3.5/5 Stars (ARC read before January) ~ Published Jan. 26, 2021
New Year’s Kiss by. Lee Matthews ~ 3/5 Stars
The Four Winds by. Kristin Hannah ~ 4.5/5 Stars (ARC read before January) Published Feb. 2, 2021
One of the Good Ones by. Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite ~ 3.5/5 Stars (ARC read before January) Published Jan. 5, 2021
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by. Erika L. Sanchez ~ 3.5/5 Stars
Instant Karma by. Marissa Meyer ~ 3.5/5 Stars
Of Wicked Blood by. Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz ~ 4/5 Stars (ARC read before January) Published Feb. 2, 2021
Love Spells and Other Disasters by. Angie Barrett ~ 4/5 Stars
I Wanna Be Where You Are by. Kristina Forest ~ 3/5 Stars
The Princess Trials by. Cordelia K. Castel ~ 3/5 Stars
Greythorne by. Crystal Smith ~ 5/5 Stars
The Princess Games by. Cordelia K. Castel ~ 2.5/5 Stars
This Golden Flame by. Emily Victoria ~ 4/5 Stars (ARC read before January) Published Feb. 2, 2021
Fables & Other Lies by. Claire Contreras ~ 3.5/5 Stars
How to Build a Heart by. Maria Padian ~ 3.5/5 Stars
***
I’ve been lumping all my my books together ~ books I read months before but planned to published near publication date. But I want a true count of books I read in a specific month so I really have to do a better job at separating the info.
Books Actually Read in January 2021: 10 + 3 ARCs for future posts = 13
Book Reviews Posted: 16
Blog Tours: 3
I was feeling off my reading game in January but let’s see if I can make it up in February. I hope you all have a wonderful reading month!
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!
This week’s topic is:
Books Written Before I Was Born
To Kill a Mockingbird by. Harper Lee published in 1960 – this was required school reading for me
Lord of the Flies by. William Golding published in 1954 – another school requirement
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by. C.S. Lewis published in 1950 – funny story, in high school (and I went to a high school that people called ghetto 🙄 because of the gang fights but it really wasn’t so bad as the news made our school out to be)…anyway it was predominantly filipino and samoan kids and my senior year we had a white teacher from Colorado. She said we’d basically get nowhere speaking our pidgin English (Hawaii slang) and she decided to take 20 minutes at the end of class to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to us! Most of the kids in class slept through it or wrote notes to one another (I wrote notes), but I did listen to the story as well since I love books. Anyway ~ that’s my memory about that book.
Jane Eyre by. Charlotte Bronte published in 1847 – love this book
Pride and Prejudice by. Jane Austen published in 1813 – I watched the show series first before reading the book
Romeo and Juliet by. William Shakespeare published in 1595 – required school reading
Little Women by. Louisa May Alcott published in 1868 – I don’t remember reading it, but I definitely remember watching the movie a lot
Dracula by. Bram Stoker published in 1897 – never read it, but watched the Dracula movie with Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder back in the day because…Keanu🤷🏻♀️
Interview with the Vampire by. Anne Rice published in 1976 – I watched the movie but never read this book. I did read her Lives of the Mayfair Witches series and I loved The Mummy!
The Shining by. Stephen King published in1977 – I saw the movie and read the book. I was in a Stephen King phase back in high school which was in the 90’s. Then I read a book of his that freaked me out and gave me nightmares so I stopped reading his books. 😅
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 