WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.
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?
What are you reading right now or just finished?
😘 ~ Yolanda
I just realized, midway into November that I didn’t post an October wrap up because I was that crazily stressed out about our elections! 😲
So let’s see what I read in October:
Warriors of Wing and Flame by. Sara B. Larson – 4/5
The Code for Love and Heartbreak by. Jillian Cantor – 3/5
Daughters of Jubilation by. Kara Lee Corthron – 3.5/5
The Song of the Marked by. S.M. Gaither – 4/5
Kingdom of Sea and Stone by. Mara Rutherford – 3/5
A Golden Fury by. Samantha Coroe – 3.5/5
The Shadows Between Us by. Tricia Levenseller – 3/5
The Midnight Lie by. Marie Rutkoski – 3.5/5
Kingdom of the Wicked by. Kerri Maniscalco – 4/5
The Ravens by. Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige – 3.5/5
The Whisper Man by. Alex North 3.5/5
A Curse of Ash & Embers by. Jo Spurrier – 3/5
Heart Bones by. Colleen Hoover – 4/5
Skyhunter by. Marie Lu – 3.5/5
Shifter Wars by. Kelly St. Clare – 3.5/5
Send Me Their Souls by. Sara Wolf – 3.5/5
The Inheritance Games by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes – 5/5
That was October! Pretty sure November will be WAYYYYY less haha, it’s been a wild month.
😘 ~ Yolanda
My Review: 3/5 Stars
Title: Warmaidens (Gravemaidens, #2)
Author: Kelly Coon
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 12/15/20
Publisher: Random House Children’s
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Warmaidens is the dark, action-packed conclusion to the heartwrenching Gravemaidens fantasy duology. Kammani and the maidens are now going to war against the ruler who tried to entomb them.
In the refuge city-state of Manzazu, Kammani has built a thriving healing practice and a life she’s proud of with her siblings, the maidens, and her love, Dagan.
But when an assassin murders a healer he believes is Kammani and attempts to kill Arwia, the displaced queen of Alu, they realize they’re not safe in their safe little haven anymore. Uruku, the usurper to Alu’s throne, has found out they escaped the tomb and must kill them to protect his newly acquired power.
Burning for retribution, the ruler of Manzazu wants to unleash her fiercest weapons on Alu–her warmaidens. But when Kammani’s best friend, Iltani, is captured, Kammani must use her intuition and her heart to restore Arwia to the throne before the life she’s built–and a future with Dagan–burn up in the flames of war.
Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Attention: read in five days
World Building: scenery is written wonderfully as in Gravemaidens
Writing Style: easy to read
Crazy in Love: Kammani and Dagan are already in love, Kammani just doesn’t want to be a “wife”
Creativity: Kammani’s life is in danger and they have to get Uruku off the throne
Triggers: violence, grief, misogyny
My Takeaway: You don’t have to give up your dreams when you fall in love with someone.
Though it’s not my favorite book in the duology, I think Warmaidens is a solid conclusion to this series. My favorite character Iltani really came through in personality, and she made the book fun to read. Kammani’s internal questions about how to be in love and not lose her independence really resonated with me and I’m glad to see her make her own choices. If you like stories about family, sisterhood, women power and romance, then you would enjoy this series.
💗 ~ Yolanda
Thank you to the Monogamist Reader for nominating me for The Liebster Award! I haven’t done one of these in awhile so I appreciate the nomination. 😘
Rules:
Questions from the Monogamist Reader:
So many fall into this category so I’ll have to stick to 2020 books – I’ll say Legendborn.
2. What is a book that everybody loves but you hate it so much you wish to burn it?
I don’t think I’d burn it haha, because I don’t ever hate a book that much but I never got into the Grisha trilogy.What job would you be doing if you have followed your childhood dreams?
3. What job would you be doing if you have followed your childhood dreams?
An author haha, or artist. I think just these past few months I’ve finally told myself I AM an artist, or a creator (I’m 42 years old, it took me that long) – I’ve been creating things for my own shop on Etsy for the past almost 8 years (with a 2 year break). I wasn’t allowed as a kid to think of art or writing as a career, I’m filipino so my parents said I had 3 options: nurse, doctor or lawyer. 😅 Went for “nurse” until I hit college, then it became sociology major, took art as electives senior year and my art teachers said I should do a minor in art or think about becoming an illustrator or graphic designer! Having that validation from actual art teachers was like…wow (light bulb moment)…I bounced around jobs I enjoyed (massage therapist, then library floor manager, then Etsy business owner). I’ve finally embraced that I’m an “artist”. 🤷🏻♀️
4. Name your favourite villain – it could be from movies/books/comics…
Cersi from Game of Thrones show series – she was badass, like I hated her so much but she was complicated and I wanted to see what her next move would be. She did love her kids though!
5. If you could change the ending of a story (again book or movie, or whatever), how would you change it and which one?
Speaking of the GoT tv series, did Daenerys really have to go out that way?! 🙁I’d let her live and let her be Queen of Meereen or something. I was always Team Starks lol but, I loved Dany too.
6. In which order must your books be placed in your bookshelves?
I have no order right now. Series stay together but other than that…maybe by color? I do like when it’s color coordinated.
7. You are offered to go on a mission to Mars. You can bring three fictional characters with you and three personal objects. What would you bring with you and who would be in your space squad?
8. You are in possession of a time machine but you can visit only one specific geographical place in the past and one in the future. Where would you go?
I think the Philippines in precolonial days – just want to know what my family’s life was like back then, how they lived, what they ate, how they dressed, etc….
9. If you can have a super power, which one would you have?
Communicate with animals. Would love to know what they are thinking.
10. If your biggest fear/or anxiety was your super power, what would it be?
Not my biggest fear but I have a fear of centipedes, if I see one around the house or god forbid the one time it was in our house – I screamed for my husband and ran upstairs. 😂 They are squiggling, scary looking and sting. So if that was my superpower? Yikes, I guess I’d be scary looking with a lot of legs and sting LOL.
11. If you are forced to watch only one movie for the rest of your life – what movie will you pick?
Pride and Prejudice the one with Keira Knightly. I’ve watched it…a lot.
I tag: (NO OBLIGATION to do this to anyone I tag! It’s just for fun, no pressure. 😘)
If you do the question – please tag me, I’d love to read your answers!
😘 ~ Yolanda
It’s Friday the 13th, of course! I finally had a chance to read this week as I could finally destress from election week! So let’s see what I did:
New Books Acquired:
Amazon (Kindle Unlimited):
Overdrive Online Library:
Netflix:
Dash & Lily (series): if you want to get into the Christmas spirit and love young adult romances, watch Dash & Lily! I binged it in one night because it was so cute. I loved how it’s set in New York City. That’s on my bucket list ~ to see NYC during the holidays. The show starts off in a bookstore – it had me right there!
Holidate (movie): this one was okay! I thought the idea of having a holidate (a date you bring to holiday functions) super cute. The movie was more funny than romantic. I don’t know if the chemistry was there between the two leads (at least for me).
Adulting:
That’s all I got! What have you been up to?
🌈 Good vibes to you all! ~Yolanda
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Title: Parachutes
Author: Kelly Yang
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 496
Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Sexual Assault, Racism, Classism
They’re called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the US while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she’d be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California. Suddenly she finds herself living in a stranger’s house, with no one to tell her what to do for the first time in her life. She soon embraces her newfound freedom, especially when the hottest and most eligible parachute, Jay, asks her out.
Dani De La Cruz, Claire’s new host sister, couldn’t be less thrilled that her mom rented out a room to Claire. An academic and debate-team star, Dani is determined to earn her way into Yale, even if it means competing with privileged kids who are buying their way to the top. When her debate coach starts working with her privately, Dani’s game plan veers unexpectedly off course.
Desperately trying to avoid each other under the same roof, Dani and Claire find themselves on a collision course, intertwining in deeper and more complicated ways, as they grapple with life-altering experiences. Award-winning author Kelly Yang weaves together an unforgettable modern immigrant story about love, trauma, family, corruption, and the power of speaking out.
This book was eye-opening to me because of the parachute kids in American schools. I have no experience with that, so it was good to learn. There are a lot of important issues covered in this book, especially when it comes to racism, classism and sexual assault. Though both Claire and Dani experience some traumatizing moments in this book, I liked that the ending was hopeful as they found their voices and told their truths. Overall, an important story to read about two different girls, who are strong in their own ways.
🪂~Yolanda
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.
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 reading next?
That’s what I got! What are you reading right now?
💙 ~ Yolanda
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 freebie topic is:
What do you think? I think these would make some pretty good songs!
🌟 ~ Yolanda
What a week everyone! I am mentally exhausted my body so tight from anxiety. It was election day on Tuesday, I barely slept that night refreshing my twitter account to see election numbers. Then my birthday was on Wednesday which I spent tired and glued to the television to see if we had a winner. We didn’t. I spent Thursday having had more sleep at least and watching more results come in and wow….at one point I didn’t know it was Friday, hence why I had no Aloha Friday post! 🤦🏻♀️ This election was traumatizing!
I did not read ANYTHING this week – I was doing math in my head all week and dreaming numbers because of the election. I have never watched so much news and done so much math in my life!
Then I woke up today, Saturday morning with the election finally called. And today my family was coming over to have a belated birthday lunch for me so it was the PERFECT time to call the election!! I cheered and danced, we had cookies, cake, I had my favorite coffee drink and here I am just waiting to watch Biden and Harris speak. 💙 It is historic, I feel relief, I feel like I need a massage…and yes – we shall see what happens this week. But at least I won’t be glued to the tv for 72 hours. 😩 Please no more tv and news after this. My brain is fried. Haha…
Hopefully I can get back to reading, but I seriously feel like I need another week to decompress. But whew…how was your week? lol…
Love to you all, stay safe!
💕 ~ Yolanda
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: These Violent Delights
Author: Chloe Gong
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 464
Publication Date: 11/17/20
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Categories: Romeo and Juliet Retelling, Romance, Gangs, Shanghai, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Family
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
Let’s break it down:
My Attention: I was along for the wild ride!
World Building: retelling of Romeo & Juliet, Shanghai, 1926 – turf wars between two gangs and a communist faction coming into play
Writing Style: fast paced
Bringing the Heat: 🔥
Crazy in Love: star-crossed lovers, it’s Romeo & Juliet – it was always going to be complicated
Creativity: I loved everything about how this is a Romeo & Juliet retelling, but with gangs in Shanghai.
Mood: Excited for sequel
Triggers: violence, gore, bugs, death
My Takeaway: “These violent delights have violent ends” – Shakespeare
This is how I like my Romeo & Juliet – dark and violent! This had action, mystery, a race against the clock to stop a virus killing people (quite violently) in the city of Shanghai. It has politics, gangster drama and so much heart break. It touches on identity, family bonds and betrayal. This is an amazing retelling of a classic and I cannot wait to read the sequel.
🖤❤️ ~ Yolanda
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 