Title // Author: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor (web | twitter)
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2
Genre: Fantasy YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Release date: November 6, 2012
Challenge: 2013 TBR Challenge
Source: Own itSummary: Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?
Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Book Review: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Title // Author: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (web | twitter)
Genre: Paranormal YA, Ghosts, Mystery
Amazon | Goodreads
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: January 8, 2013
Source: ARC from the Publisher via NetGalley (Thanks, Razorbill!)Summary: The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.
For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.
With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.
Paper Valentine is a hauntingly poetic tale of love and death by the New York Times bestselling author of The Replacement and The Space Between.
Top Ten Tuesday (70)
Top Ten Book Boyfriends
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday’s on their site!
Book boyfriends!!! YAY! Friends, there are so many guys from books that I crush on. SO. MANY. I know there maybe should be something weird about crushing on fake people, but I for real can’t help it. Guys in books are better than the ones in real life because they can’t reject me or make me feel like crapola. Because they’re fake! It’s the best thing! Here are 10 of my favorites, in no particular order. I love this Top Ten Tuesday.
From GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols
Y’all, two words for you: Cop. Uniform. I CANNOT. John After is so steamy and kind of dark and deep and broody and stubborn. He was my first encounter with an Echols boy and he’s still my favorite.
From GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers
Duval is one of those guys who’s kind of sneaky hot. Maybe he isn’t the mostly delicious thing to look at, but DANG if you don’t fall completely in love with him because he respects you and treats you like an equal and values you. I’d LOVE to date him.
From GRACELING by Kristin Cashore
Ah, Po. Po has got that charm, right? I feel like Po is the kind of boyfriend who becomes instant bffs with your mom because he just has charisma and confidence and is a good flirt. But he’s loyal and devoted and supportive of YOU.
From IF I STAY/WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman
I most certainly cannot present this list to you all without including at least one solid brooder. It was nearly a tie between Adam and Conrad Fischer from Jenny Han’s Summer series. I get kind of exhausted by excessive brooders in real life, so I like to indulge in the fake ones, and Adam is a great one. Also, MUSICIAN.
From The Elementals series by Brigid Kemmerer
Friends, is there not something a little bit hot about a guy who takes care of his family? Am I one of those LAME girls who is attracted to…responsibility? OMG THAT’S SO BORING. But seriously, Michael Merrick is like my dark horse hottie. He’s got skeletons, but he’s also got DEPENDENTS. Possibly the only brooder I could stand on a more permanent basis in real life.
From DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers
That’s right friends. I couldn’t decide between one Robin LaFevers man (I cannot call Duval and Beast “boys” or even “guys”. They are MEN. *fans self*.) I included them both. There’s something about a man who’s nickname is Beast, amirite? He’s strong and beefy, but sweet and funny, too.
From THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson
Ah, the tortured artist. The passionate, effervescent, emotional free spirit. I have loved Joe Fontaine basically since the moment I met him, and I can’t imagine ever letting him go. I’ll throw down for Joe and his batting eyelashes.
From ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins
I know that sometimes Etienne was a noob, staying with his girlfriend who didn’t even compare to Anna. But he’s another one with the charm and the confidence. I have no defenses against such a weapon, except possibly my own awkwardness.
From AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson
Truth: one of my biggest crushes of my whole high school-Amy life looked exactly the way Morgan Matson describes Roger: Tall, light hair, brown eyes, some freckles, totally sweet and wonderful and friendly. I ADORE Roger. Forever. He’s a home-bringer.
From The Kingkiller Chronicle series by Patrick Rothfuss
Gotta get a ginger up in here! Kvothe is a force of hotness in that way that is hard to describe. He’s just magnetic and attractive and has a swagger. Like, I can’t believe that MORE girls at the University aren’t flipping their shizz over him. He’s smart and a rebel and…he’s basically a high fantasy cowboy. I am a puddle.
Tripping Over April
Tripping Over April
I always have a hard time putting together these posts, guys, because I want to tell you about ALL the books coming out each month because they all sound so great. Alas. But these books here–my most anticipated books coming out this April–are just a good sampling of the super stories that are on tap for us this month. You know what else gets me STOKED for April? LOOK AT ALL THE MIDDLE GRADE. *dies* (Also, re: the pictures–I’ve been spending too much time on Pic Monkey. Forgive me.)
Amazon || Goodreads
My love for this series is hopefully well known by now because it’s INTENSE. IN. TENSE. I’ve read this one already and will be reviewing it as soon as I can gather my thoughts and polish them into something more than “OMFGLOVEFOREVERAHHHAMAZINGBESTEVER.” (April 2 from Houghton Mifflin Children’s)
Woo hoo!! I’m really excited to see what happens next to this crazy group of Prince Charmings and their ladies, who are all pretty badass themselves. At least the ones we know well, anyway. (April 30 from Walden Pond Press)
This book just sounds so charming and adventurous and fun. I have a soft spot for origin stories, and Rumplestiltskin is a character who intrigues me. He’s one of the darker fairy tale creatures, even when he’s sanitized and on a Xanax or two, so I’m really curious about how Liesl Shurtliff has constructed his youth. (April 9 from Alfred Knopf)
I keep talking about this book, friends, because I’m really looking forward to it. I love a good middle grade fantasy, and this one sounds like it fits the bill. Look at that all that ghostly mist on the cover! (April 9 from Delacorte)
I’m a big fan of Jennifer E. Smith’s books, so I’m really excited about this one. It sounds cute and full of feels, plus there’s a beach town in Maine. LOVE THOSE. (April 2 from Poppy)
Secondary Character Love
Or, When the AAA Team Should Be Called Up to The Show
“Yeah, I was in The Show. I was in The Show for 21 days once – the 21 greatest days of my life. You know, you never handle your luggage in The Show, somebody else carries your bags. It was great. You hit white balls for batting practice, the ballparks are like cathedrals, the hotels all have room service, and the women all have brains and legs that go all the way up.”–Crash Davis, Bull Durham
(Sorry for the baseball metaphor, friends, but IT’S OPENING DAY ON MONDAY. #excitement.)
We all know how books are supposed to work: There’s a main character or two, they have a drama/thing/event/apocalypse/curse to fend off despite obstacles and possibly a love triangle. Whatever is going on with them directly is the main action. It’s what the book is supposed to be about. But there’s usually some other characters thrown into the mix, too: best friends, mentors, siblings, villains, frenemies. And SOMETIMES, even when I’m invested in the main character action, it’s these characters that stand out the most to me, that I wind up loving the most, who stick with me the most when I’m done reading.
This is a thing that happens quite often when I’m reading, but I feel like it’s been happening a lot lately, where I wind up finishing the book and saying to myself, “Well that was good. But HOT DAMN I want to read a WHOLE BOOK about (enter secondary character name here). They were THE BOMB.” A good, well-developed, charismatic minor character can make an ordinary but good book better. For me, anyway. Here are a few of my recent–and one forever–favorites who I would love to have their chance to shine. Basically, they are the Crash Davis’s of my reading life who deserve their 21 days in The Show.
Who: Roux is Maggie’s new best friend from school. She’s acerbic and sarcastic and hilarious.
Why: Umm, because Roux is the character who completely captured me while reading ALSO KNOWN AS. She’s got zest and personality and humor, even though she’s got a past that kind of sucks and parents who kind of suck more. I need more Roux in my life.
Who: Lady Beatriss and Trevanion, the Captain of the Guard, are the mother figure and the actual father of Finnikin of the Rock. They were beloved by their people and each other before the five days of the unspeakable, and were betrothed. Their romance is totally fraught and full of romance.
Why: These two provide so much of the emotional core of these books, for me. Melina Marchetta made their relationship so bittersweet and passionate and strong. Even when they are trying to ignore their feelings, you know that they are eventually going to fail. They love each other too much. I would read a book about these two and their relationship in a HEARTBEAT.
Who: Jeffrey!! Jeffrey Tifton is basically the Laurie to the Penderwick sisters’ Marches (there’s a little LITTLE WOMEN reference for ya). He’s the most outstanding boy there ever was.
Why: Calling Jeffrey a secondary character is technically true because the main characters in these books are without a doubt the Penderwick sisters, but Jeffrey plays a big role in their lives, even though he doesn’t really appear at all in book 2. If he doesn’t wind up married to one of them, I’ll be PISSED. I love Jeffrey, and I’d love to read more about him.
Who: Princess Ariana–known as Ari to her best friend, cousin, and attempted assassin, Kyra–is the heir to the kingdom, and according to Kyra’s visions, the source of the downfall of their world. Hence the assassination attempt.
Why: THIS girl has got some spunk. She isn’t girly at all, she’s kind of brash and confident and tomboyish. I loved her banter with Fred and her camaraderie with Kyra. Ariana is another character whose personality really jumps out at you, and is just one of the reasons that I’m so incredibly sad that Bridget Zinn won’t be able to write any more about her. She was so important to my enjoyment of POISON.
Who: Reece Malcolm is the main character, Devan’s, mother, whom she has not ever seen or lived with until her father dies and she has no choice. Brad is her younger boyfriend.
Why: I found myself connecting a lot more to Reece and Brad in THE REECE MALCOLM LIST than I did with Devan (my review is coming soon). Reece is a famous writer, and she’s emotionally distant and sometimes prickly and was really young when she had Devan. Brad is significantly younger than her and British and is without a doubt, no contest my favorite character from this book. He’s flat-out AWESOME with Devan, and with Reece. I would read a book about the grown-ups from this book in a flash. A FLASH. Their relationship is full of great drama and the kind of love that maybe seems like a surprise at first.
So, those are some of my favorite secondary characters. How about you guys? What secondary character would YOU call up to The Show?
Waiting on Wednesday (26): All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. I love it because it is basically a squee-fest where book lovers can choose one book that they are DYING to get their hands on. Check it out!
All Our Pretty Songs
by Sarah McCarry
The first book in an exciting YA trilogy, this is the story of two best friends on the verge of a terrifying divide when they begin to encounter a cast of strange and mythical characters.
Set against the lush, magical backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, two inseparable best friends who have grown up like sisters—the charismatic, mercurial, and beautiful Aurora and the devoted, soulful, watchful narrator—find their bond challenged for the first time ever when a mysterious and gifted musician named Jack comes between them. Suddenly, each girl must decide what matters most: friendship, or love. What both girls don’t know is that the stakes are even higher than either of them could have imagined. They’re not the only ones who have noticed Jack’s gift; his music has awakened an ancient evil—and a world both above and below which may not be mythical at all. The real and the mystical; the romantic and the heartbreaking all begin to swirl together, carrying the two on journey that is both enthralling and terrifying.
And it’s up to the narrator to protect the people she loves—if she can.
GUYS. THIS BOOK sounds so freaking intriguing and wonderful, right? I’m completely taken with this talk of mystical goings on, mythical creatures, a talented musician, ancient evils, romance, heartbreak, AND MORE. Also, it’s a debut. AND AND! What is the deal with the narrator being nameless in this summary? Methinks this is a THING, no? One more little thing that endears this book to me: ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS takes place in the Pacific Northwest, home to bands like Nirvana. The title of this book is a lyric from my favorite Nirvana song, In Bloom. Quite frankly, it’s the only Nirvana song I like (always had a softer spot for Pearl Jam), but the title reminds me of when I was a youngster and Nirvana was new and cool, not classic rock like it is now. It makes Sarah McCarry‘s book strike another chord with me.
ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS by Sarah McCarry comes out on July 30, 2013 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Top Ten Tuesday (69)
Top Ten Books I Recommend All the Time
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday’s on their site!
Book Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver
Title: Requiem
Author: Lauren Oliver (web | twitter)
Series: Delirium #3
Genre: Dystopian YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s
Release date: March 5, 2013
Source: BorrowedSummary: They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past. But we are still here.And there are more of us every day.
Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.
Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings. Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it. But we have chosen a different road. And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose. We are even free to choose the wrong thing.
Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.
Stacking the Shelves (19)
Week of March 23, 2013
It’s been two weeks since my last Stacking the Shelves post! My weekends have been cray lately, friends, and there’s no sign of a let-up in sight until, like, June. But never fear! (If you were even afraid in the first place.) I’ll never be too far from this place! Especially when I have weeks like the last few: I bought some things, I got some things. It’s been pretty legit around here.
NETGALLEY
The Eternity Cure: Blood of Eden #2 by Julie Kagawa (April 30, 2013 from Harlequin Teen). Confession: This is one of those times when I requested the second book in a series I haven’t started yet mostly to motivate myself to GET STARTED ALREADY. I’ve loved Julie’s books so far, and I’ve heard great things about THE IMMORTAL RULES, and I’m hearing great things from the people who’ve read the sequel already. SOON.
Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein (March 5, 2013 from Entangled Teen). This is a companion/follow up to PRETTY AMY, which I haven’t read. Cassie sounds like…a handful. She gets sent to this rehab camp after getting arrested and meets a guy there.
The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna (July 11, 2013 from Philomel). This cover is furry-licious. Also, science-fictiony/magical realism-ish. The main character has a shaman panda, a physicist dad who goes missing, and she starts seeing weird things (shaman pandas included). This book sounds so delightfully weird that I’m having a hard time describing it.
BOUGHT
Clockwork Princess: Infernal Devices #3 by Cassandra Clare. I’ve just finished the first two books in this series. I AM DYING HERE. (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. So, this is the paperback, as you can see. It’s basically gorgeous. I just realized that I bought two copies of this book in the past two weeks: this one, with it’s beautiful cover art and fancy shmancy Printz Honor Medal; and the audiobook (you’ll see it in a sec) (Amazon | Goodreads)
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I loved this book to the ends of the earth, so I had to buy a copy. (Amazon | Goodreads)
House of Secrets: House of Secrets #1 by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini (April 23, 2013 from Balzer + Bray). MG fantasy blurbed by JK Rowling? PSH. Glad I’m doing a blog tour for this one. (Amazon | Goodreads)
Unravel Me: Shatter Me #2 by Tahereh Mafi. SIGH. Guys, I usually refuse on principle to buy full-price kindle books. $10 for a pdf? I can’t. But I just bought SHATTER ME real cheap for my kindle, so that triggered one of my bookish OCD practices of needing to buy series in the same format. So I did it. It better be worth it. (Although from the sounds of things, chapter 62 will pay for this books a few times over.) (Amazon | Goodreads)
Poison by Bridget Zinn. Friends, this book is pretty freaking great. I have a e-galley, but when I saw that it was $7 for my kindle, I had to snap it up. I so wish that there could be more about Kyra. (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham. Asheley @ Into the Hall of Books and Hannah @ So Obsessed With told me that I HAD to buy this audio book. So I listened, because we all know how much I love THE SCORPIO RACES (I have plans to buy the UK edition from Fishpond, too). I can’t WAIT to listen to this one. (Audible | Goodreads)
Game of Thrones Season 2, Moleskines, and Julep!! HUZZAH!
