Stacking the Shelves #68

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

A few months ago I made a bet with a very good friend. I ended up winning the first half of that bet so lucky me got two surprise books off my wishlist (Hurray for hardcovers)~ The bet is still ongoing so hopefully I'll get more books XP

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

I won this one from Kate @ Ex Libris. Thank you!

 

Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt

S&S Canada very kindly sent this finished copy to me for review when they ran out of ARCs. Thank you! It looks really fun, I'm really excited to start it :D

 

Madly by Amy Alward

 

What did you guys add to your shelves this week?

Tabby Talk: Cover Changes

Tabby Talk is a discussion post I thought I'd do occasionally where I'll share my random thoughts on something and include my cat in them ;)

As a book lover who constantly stares at her bookshelves, it brings me joy and makes me giddy to see that my book series match. So what really bugs me is when publishers change the cover designs. This of course, only applies to series. Standalones don't have to match but it's nice to see some authors have similar cover style to each of their standalones. I know I'm not the first one to talk about this but why do publishers change the cover designs mid-series?

 

Let's look at The Worldwalker Trilogy by Josephine Angelini below as an example. Personally I love both of these covers. I have no complaints with how they look on their own. What gets to me is that they're part of a series but they don't look like it. Not taking into account how good the story may be, the cover change alone significantly decreases the likelihood I'll purchase and read these books.

 

 

And you know what's worse? When the design of the paperback of book one changes to match the new cover of book two. I'm a diehard hardcover person. It pains me to say this but if I can't have the books matching in every way, I'm not gonna get them.

 

So what do you think? Am I just too picky? Are you like me? How much do cover changes affect you?

WoW #69: November 9 by Colleen Hoover

 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

November 9

by Colleen Hoover

November 10, 2015

336 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

 

I'm a little hesitant about this one but I've enjoyed both Colleen Hoover books I've read so far so why not. I'd like to see how the story would work out.

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young

Hotel Ruby

by Suzanne Young

November 3, 2015

288 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Stay Tonight. Stay Forever.

When Audrey Casella arrives for an unplanned stay at the grand Hotel Ruby, she’s grateful for the detour. Just months after their mother’s death, Audrey and her brother, Daniel, are on their way to live with their grandmother, dumped on the doorstep of a DNA-matched stranger because their father is drowning in his grief.

Audrey and her family only plan to stay the night, but life in the Ruby can be intoxicating, extending their stay as it provides endless distractions—including handsome guest Elias Lange, who sends Audrey’s pulse racing. However, the hotel proves to be as strange as it is beautiful. Nightly fancy affairs in the ballroom are invitation only, and Audrey seems to be the one guest who doesn't have an invite. Instead, she joins the hotel staff on the rooftop, catching whispers about the hotel’s dark past.

The more Audrey learns about the new people she's met, the more her curiosity grows. She’s torn in different directions—the pull of her past with its overwhelming loss, the promise of a future that holds little joy, and an in-between life in a place that is so much more than it seems…

Welcome to the Ruby.

It's My Birthday!!

So like the title says, it's my birthday today! YAYYYY! Okay, enough of being excited for myself XD I wanted to take this time and just say a big thank you! Thank you for visiting my blog and reading my posts. Extra squishy hugs for the ones that take the time to leave me comments! Wet slopping kisses for the awesome friends I've made :P THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Book blogging has been a life-changing, unforgettable experience and I hope to keep at it for the unforeseeable future :D

 

Anyways, so the big point of this post is: I want to share my happy day with you with a giveaway for you!!!!!!!! Thank you for visiting my little blog. It really means the world to me :))

Giveaway

Rules:
1. International as long as The Book Depository ships to you.
2. This giveaway will run until November 26, 2015.
3. I will check all entries so please be honest or you will be disqualified.
4. The winner must respond to my email within 48 hours or I will have to pick another winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and thank you again!

Hello Little Cousin~

Mellow is a post I'll be doing from time to time (mostly on Sundays) just to show off my cat, Ripple, a little bit ;)

Today I won't be sharing any pictures of Ripple. Instead, I want to introduce you all to his little cousin, Coco!

Coco is actually the reason we decided to get a cat. A few summer's back when my family visited my uncle's family, we met Coco. I walked into the door and saw this furry orange rug which was in fact Coco lol. Up until then, I've not had any prolonged contact with cats so it was fun getting to live with one. He stole our hearts so when we got home, we decided we wanted a cat too. This led us to visiting SPCA shelters and to eventually adopting the bundle of joy that is Ripple~

Coco's got more of a feisty side compared to Ripple but he's still as adorable as hell. We like to call him the little lion ;)

So what do you think of Coco? Ripple's on Instagram :)

Stacking the Shelves #67

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

This was a Twitter giveaway win! I've been wanting these two books for some time so thanks so much Eden!

While You Were Gone by Amy K. Nichols

Reawakened by Colleen Houck

 

Last month I participated in the YASeriesInsiders Facebook Party. It was a lot of fun and I ended up winning this beauty from the Scavenger Hunt :D Ripple is sad because I told him we can't read this one until we've read the first book in the series. He perked up a bit when I told him I'd be getting Lark Rising very soon ;)

Silver Eve by Sandra Waugh

What did you guys add to your shelves this week?

Review: Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks #6) by Miranda Kenneally

Jesse's Girl
(Hundred Oaks #6)

by Miranda Kenneally

July 7, 2015

304 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?

Announcement for This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp!

 

 

Hi everyone, today I wanted to share some exciting news about Marieke Nijkamp's This Is Where It Ends!

This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

January 5, 2015

292 pages
 

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

WoW #68: Fire Falling (Air Awakens #2) by Elise Kova

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

Fire Falling
(Air Awakens #2)

by Elise Kova

November 19, 2015

 pages

Goodreads  Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

Soldier… Sorcerer… Savior… Who is Vhalla Yarl?

Vhalla Yarl marches to war as property of the Solaris Empire. The Emperor counts on her to bring victory, the Senate counts on her death, and the only thing Vhalla can count on is the fight of her life. As she grapples with the ghosts of her past, new challenges in the present threaten to shatter the remnants of her fragile sanity. Will she maintain her humanity? Or will she truly become the Empire’s monster?

Fire Falling is the second book in the Air Awakens Series.

I'm loving the covers to this series! And yes Yes YES to the story :D Plus, Elise is super nice and awesome!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Return Once More (The Historians #1) by Trisha Leigh

Return Once More

(The Historians #1)

by Trisha Leigh

October 20, 2015

289 pages
 

Goodreads  Amazon

Goodreads Summary:
If you could learn the identity of your one true love—even though you will never meet— would you?

Years have passed since refugees from a ruined earth took to space, eventually settling a new system of planets. Science has not only made the leaps necessary to allow time travel, but the process engineered a strange side effect—predicting your one true love.

If you could save your one true love from an untimely death, would you be able to resist?

Sixteen-year-old Kaia Vespasian is an apprentice to the Historians—a group charged with using time travel to document the triumphs and failures of the past—and she can’t resist a peek at her long-dead soul mate in Ancient Egypt. Before she knows it, she’s broken every rule in the book, and the consequences of getting caught could destroy more than just her new romance.

Or would you have the strength to watch him die?

But when Kaia notices a fellow classmate snooping around in a time where he doesn’t belong, she suspects he has a secret of his own—and the conspiracy she uncovers could threaten the entire universe. If her experience has taught her anything, to changing history means facing the consequences. The Historians trained her to observe and record the past, but Kaia never guessed she might have to protect it— in a race across time to save her only chance at a future.

S.F.D. Mission: Open Letter to Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker of These Vicious Masks!

 

Hello everyone! Today I'm excited to go on our second S.F.D. mission! If you missed my post yesterday introducing Sassy's Fangirl Debuts, click here to learn all about it! This mission is to write an open letter to a debut author. So today, I am thrilled to share my letter to Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker! But first, here's some information on their awesome book, These Vicious Mask~

These Vicious Masks
by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

February 9, 2016

352 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Jane Austen meets X-­Men in this gripping and adventure-­filled paranormal romance set in Victorian London.

England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true—and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared.

Now read on for my slightly-crazed (I couldn't help it) fan letter to these two amazing authors!

Agent Eileen, reporting for duty for Sassy's Fangirl Debuts!

 

 

Hi everyone! Today I'm here to share with you an awesome feature that I'll be participating in! It was created by Talina (Agent T) @ Sassy & Dangerous and here's all you need to know about it!


Sassy’s Fangirl Debuts (S.F.D. for short) is a fun, unique way in helping readers to keep track of all the debut authors and their new books that are coming out, and it is also a way for authors to promote their books and get readers interested. The feature, which Agent T has decided to make it into a debut author street team, will include author interrogations, (interviews), confidential file exposures (guest posts) and the radioactive surprises (giveaways) which will all be posted on her blog, Sassy & Dangerous.

 

After careful planning and years of training, Sassy’s Fangirl Debuts was born! Now over the past few weeks, Talina has put together a team of highly trained professional debut supporters and I'm so thrilled to be a part of it! This is my credential ;)
 

 

Although there was a slight delay due to a giant, angry green problem, (TOP SECRET clearance needed for more details!) everything is now back on course. With the help of a few other agents, our plans are finally being launched.

 

Agent T's highly skilled team of agents will be going on special missions that will include fun, awesome posts to feature these lovely debut authors and their books. Tomorrow will be the agents' first mission so don't forget to come back!

 

Also don't forget to check out the rest of the agents' blogs below!

Talina @ Sassy & Dangerous

Stefani @ Caught Read H&nded

Emily @ Emily Reads Everything

Heather @ The Hermit Librarian

Karina @ A Reader Under the Sea

Deanna @ Booksablog

Claudia @ PenMarkings

Kaitlin @ Next Page Please!

Jasmine @ Jasmine Pearl Reads

Angel @ Avid Reader
Bex @ Aurelia{lit}{geek}{chic}

Melissa @ The Reader & the Chef

Kaitlin @ Reading is My Treasure

Aila @ One Way or An Author

Jess @ Princessica of Books

Jamie @ Books and Ladders

Lauren  @ Live, Love, Read

Lizzie @ Big Books & Grande Latte
Erin @ The Hardcover Lover
Aimee @ Deadly Darling



Stacking the Shelves #66

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

I really enjoyed Walk on Earth a Stranger so I got myself a finished copy~ Six of Crows is an Instagram win from J @ The Reading Nook Reviews! Thank you! Both are such pretty books :D

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

 

This one was sent to me by S&S Canada for review. Thank you! Ripple's showing off his royal sitting pose ;)

 

Anne & Henry by Dawn Ius

 

I won this one from the sweet Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books from her Meet the Newbies event! Thank you to Rachel and thank you Stephanie Oakes for sending it to me :)

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

 

Thank you HCCFrenzy for this ARC :D

 

The Lies About Truth by Courtney C. Stevens

 

What did you guys add to your shelves this week?

Review: My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards

My Secret to Tell

by Natalie D. Richards

October 6, 2015

320 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

There was blood on his hands. Where was the guilt in his eyes?

Emmie's had a crush on her best friend's brother forever. Deacon is the town bad boy who's always in trouble, but she sees his soft side when he volunteers with her at the local animal shelter. She doesn't think he's dangerous…until he shows up in her bedroom with blood on his hands.

Deacon's father has been violently assaulted and Deacon is suspect number one. Emmie's smart enough to know how this looks, but she also knows Deacon's biggest secret—he's paralyzed by the sight of blood. She's sure he didn't do this. Or did he? Because even Deacon's own sister thinks he's guilty…

WoW #67: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

Lady Midnight
(The Dark Artifices #1)

by Cassandra Clare

March 8, 2016

786 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

 

YES x infinity!!!!!!!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Blog Friends Forever Tour: Blogging Buddies with Giveaways!

This blog hop is hosted by Fiction Fare and Swoony Boys Podcast to show some love to bloggers and the online book community!

Anyone who knows me or follows me on social media like Twitter and/or Instagram knows that I'm madly in love with my cat! He just bring my family so much joy we just can't stop talking about him (and taking pictures of him) XD So for my Blog Friends Forever Tour post, I thought, why not get to know other bloggers/authors' furry friends? I like to call them our Blogging Buddies ;) To start off, here is a little bit about my cat, Ripple!

Stacking the Shelves #65

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

I really wanted to finish this series so I bought this last book. It's so pretty :D

 

End of Days by Susan Ee

 

Ripple and I are so excited we won this book! Thank you to Natalie @ Literary Rambles and Julia for sending it signed and personalized to me!

 

The Leveller by Julia Durango

 

I requested this one from S&S Canada awhile back and I was super excited to hear back from them! Thank you so much!

 

Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young

 

These beauties are a Twitter win from @WolfLiterary. Thank you so much!!!

 

Antigoddess and Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake

 

What did you guys add to your shelves this week?

Review: A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

A Madness So Discreet

by Mindy McGinnis

October 6, 2015

384 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.

WoW #66: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

Illuminae
(The Illuminae Files #1)

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

October 20, 2015

608 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

 

People have been raving about this one! I really want to try it :D

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Fierce Reads Blog Tour: Q&A & Reviews - Firewalker, Tonight the Streets Are Ours, Six of Crows and First & Then

Hi everyone and welcome to my stop on the Fierce Reads Blog Tour! Big thanks to Raincoast Books and Fierce Reads for organizing this and for the chance to ask the authors one question. I also had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Tonight the Streets Are Ours and First & Then so please stick around for those after the Q&A!

Q: Which character in your current book would you say you can most identify with? Why?

2015 "Real" Book Challenge September Wrap-Up

2015 "Real" Book Challenge hosted by Swoony Boys Podcast and Fic Fare.

For the month of September, I read these 'real' books.

 

 

I've had a really busy month at work so I haven't been able to read as much but I absolutely loved all three books above, especially Truthwitch!! I will definitely be re-reading that! Hehee~

October will be an even busier month but hopefully I'll still find the time and energy to read! *fingers crossed*

How many 'real' books did you read in the month of September?