Review: Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell

Almost Midnight
by Rainbow Rowell

November 2, 2017

144 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Midnights is the story of Noel and Mags, who meet at the same New Year's Eve party every year and fall a little more in love each time . . .

Kindred Spirits is about Elena, who decides to queue to see the new Star Wars movie and meets Gabe, a fellow fan.

Midnights was previously published as part of the My True Love Gave to Me anthology, edited by Stephanie Perkins and Kindred Spirits was previously published as a World Book Day title.

Holiday Greetings!

Hello everyone! A quick note that I'll be taking a break from the blog this week and returning in the New Years. As always thank you for visiting my blog! Your visits and comments mean so much to me <3

Have a Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year!

 

Event Recap: Cassandra Clare on Tour for Queen of Air and Darkness

 

 

When Cassandra Clare announced her Queen of Air and Darkness tour I was ecstatic to see Vancouver on her list of stops. It was the only Canadian stop too! The last time (also the first time) I met her was three years ago when she was here with Holly Black to promote The Copper Gauntlet (the second book in their Magisterium series). I was so excited I'd get the chance to see her again!!

 

 

Since the rule for the signing stated we need to buy a copy of the book at the signing store on the day of the event my cousin and I went bright and early to get our books. I thought I'd been pretty on time but it turned out the store opened an hour early for holiday hours. *facepalm* I still managed to get a good number and a good spot during the Q&A session. Phew.

 

I was trying to just enjoy the event so I didn't take notes on the things being said but here are a few that I remember:

• The weirdest romantic ship Cassie's ever heard of is Isabelle and Church
• Church was actually a shape-shifter (I think that was the term she used) so it's actually not THAT weird
• Cassie likes to write real locations but Thule is a favourite
• Sword Catcher, a totally Shadowhunter-unrelated book she's working on, will be set in a completely made up world
• When she's stuck on something (has writer's block) she bakes brownies (as incentives) and asks her writer friends over
• She has a parabatai she's known for many years who's never lived more than 30mins away

 

  

Nicki Pau Preto whose debut novel, Crown of Feathers (releasing February 12, 2019) was the moderator and I was really excited to meet her too! She's a Canadian author! Her talk with Cassie was energetic and funny~ When I went up to talk to her after the event she was very nice. I even got a signed bookmark ;)

 

 

I was internally fangirling so hard when I got to Cassie's signing table. I told her I'd been waiting for her for three years and thanked her for coming back to Vancouver~ Then I asked her to come back and she said maybe the next time she's back she'll have the Canadian Institutes figured out!

 

She was so kind and such an expressive person (as evident in the photos above)~ Because of time constraint I only got to speak to her very briefly while she signed my books but so worth the wait <3 Fingers crossed she'll come back next year!!!!!

Stacking the Shelves #220

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

A big thank you to PRH Canada for sending me this intriguing book ;)

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Review: Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Schwab

Vicious
(Villains #1)
by V.E. Schwab

September 24, 2013

368 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates--brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find--aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge--but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

WoW #232: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #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!

Chain of Gold
(The Last Hours #1)
by Cassandra Clare

November 19, 2019
544 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
From #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Cassandra Clare comes the first novel in a brand-new trilogy that stars the Shadowhunters of Edwardian London. Chain of Gold is a Shadowhunters novel.

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.
 

Cassie Clare and say no more! This cover is absolutely breathtaking!!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Amber & Dusk (Amber & Dusk #1) by Lyra Selene

Amber & Dusk
(Amber & Dusk #1)
by Lyra Selene

November 27, 2018

368 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Sylvie has always known she deserves more. Out in the permanent twilight of the Dusklands, her guardians called her power to create illusions a curse. But Sylvie knows it gives her a place in Coeur d'Or, the palais of the Amber Empress and her highborn legacies.

So Sylvie sets off toward the Amber City, a glittering jewel under a sun that never sets, to take what is hers.

But her hope for a better life is quickly dimmed. The empress invites her in only as part of a wicked wager among her powerful courtiers. Sylvie must assume a new name, Mirage, and begin to navigate secretive social circles and deadly games of intrigue in order to claim her spot. Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is as it appears and no one, including her cruel yet captivating sponsor, Sunder, will answer her questions. As Mirage strives to assume what should be her rightful place, she'll have to consider whether it is worth the price she must pay.

Stacking the Shelves #219

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

I ordered these for my birthday back in October and forgot to haul them oops. This author and series came highly recommended from my bookstagram friends so I'm excited to have them in my hands! :D

 

I got adorable bookmail from HCCFrenzy, thank you! Kasie West always writes the swooniest stories <3

 

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Review: Snow in Love by Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, Kasie West

 

Snow in Love

by Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone,
Aimee Friedman, Kasie West

October 30, 2018
256 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
What's better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today's bestselling authors.

From KASIE WEST, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed.

From AIMEE FRIEDMAN, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.

From MELISSA DE LA CRUZ, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.

From NIC STONE, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.

So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love...

WoW #231: The Queen's Resistance (The Queen's Rising #2) by Rebecca Ross

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

The Queen's Resistance

(The Queen's Rising #2)

by Rebecca Ross

March 5, 2019
432 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

At long last, Brienna is a mistress of knowledge and is beginning to settle into her role as the daughter of Davin MacQuinn, a disgraced lord who returned to Maevana to reclaim his house. Though she’d just survived a revolution, one that will finally return a queen to the throne, she faces yet another challenge: proving herself trustworthy to the MacQuinns. But as Queen Isolde Kavanagh’s closest confidant, she’ll have to balance serving her father’s house as well as her country. And then there’s Cartier, a wholly separate but desirable factor in her new life.

Aodhan Morgane, formerly known as Cartier Évariste, is adjusting to the stark contrast between his pre-rebellion life in Valenia as a master of knowledge and his current one as the lord of a fallen house. During the castle’s restoration, he discovers a young boy named Tomas, whose past and parentage are a complete mystery. So when Cartier’s former pupil Brienna is as taken with Tomas as he is, he lets his mind wander — what if he doesn’t have to raise him or his house alone?

As the Lannon trial swiftly approaches, Brienna and Cartier must put their love aside and stay focused on the most vital task at hand — forging alliances, executing justice and ensuring that no man, woman or child halts the queen’s coronation. But resistance is rumbling in the old regime’s supporters, who are desperate to find a weakness in the rebels’ forces. And what makes one more vulnerable than deep-seated love?

In this follow-up to The Queen’s Rising, Rebecca Ross weaves political intrigue, complicated relationships and love to create a story that readers won’t be able to put down.

I knew when I finished The Queen's Rising there could be more to Brienna and Cartier's story. I'm really excited to see it come true!!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: The Trouble with Mistletoe (Heartbreaker Bay #2) by Jill Shalvis

The Trouble with Mistletoe

(Heartbreaker Bay #2)

by Jill Shalvis

September 27, 2016

361 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

If she has her way ...

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her ...

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him ...

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice ...

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work ...

Stacking the Shelves #218

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

Scholastic Canada very kindly sent me this copy of the screenplay to the second Fantastic Beasts movie, thank you so much!! Ripple and I are ready to relive the magical movie moments ;)

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Review: My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren

 

My Favorite Half-Night Stand
by Christina Lauren

December 4, 2018
400 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

By the New York Times bestselling author who “hilariously depicts modern dating” (Us Weekly), My Favorite Half-Night Stand is a laugh-out-loud romp through online dating and its many, many fails.

Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she’s a female-serial-killer expert who’s quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single.

So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Mille and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.

But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”—Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship...but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear—intimacy—or risk losing her best friend, forever.

Perfect for fans of Roxanne and She’s the Man, Christina Lauren’s latest romantic comedy is full of mistaken identities, hijinks, and a classic love story with a modern twist. Funny and fresh, you’ll want to swipe right on My Favorite Half-Night Stand.

WoW #230: Reconnected by Catherine Tinker

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

Reconnected
by Catherine Tinker

May 7, 2019
320 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Anne Ellison and Freddie Whitlock were best friends all through middle school, even though they never met in person. But when Anne did something unforgivable to Freddie, their friendship quickly fell apart.

Four years later, Freddie comes to Anne’s town for the summer before she starts college. He’s training to be an Olympic gymnast. Anne knows that Freddie is the boy from her past—but Freddie has no idea. As Anne and Freddie start to spend more time together, Anne can’t help but fall for Freddie.

Can Anne find a way her way into Freddie’s heart—while keeping her identity secret? Or will the lies she’s telling tear their relationship apart?

Sounds cute, I'm in!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

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

 *This review contains slight spoilers.
 

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

March 8, 2016

720 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
In a kingdom by the sea…

In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.

A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love.

Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.

Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents—and can she bear to know the truth?

The darkly magical world of Shadowhunters has captured the imaginations of millions of readers across the globe. Join the adventure in Lady Midnight, the long-awaited first volume of a new trilogy from Cassandra Clare.

Stacking the Shelves #217

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

Scholastic Canada sent me a box of goodies, thank you so much! Sorry you can't see the top book but it's a Harry Potter scratch book. I can't wait to read (scratch) them all!!

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Review: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman

November 15, 2016

672 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. But the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. He knows he was friends with Clary, and that he convinced the total goddess Isabelle Lightwood to go out with him…but he doesn’t know how. And when Clary and Isabelle look at him, expecting him to be a man he doesn’t remember…Simon can’t take it.

So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. His new self. Whomever this new Simon might be.

But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. And that differences—like being a former vampire—are greatly looked down upon. At least Simon is trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D.

Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. These ten short stories give an epilogue to the Mortal Instruments series and provide glimpses of what’s in store in the Dark Artifices.

WoW #229: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

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

The Bride Test

by Helen Hoang

May 7, 2019
320 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
From the author of the deeply charming The Kiss Quotient comes a romantic novel about a love that crosses international borders.

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny but not big, important emotions—not grief. And not love. Rather than believing he processes emotions differently as a result of being autistic, he concludes he’s defective and avoids romantic relationships to protect people from his emotional deficiency, driving his mother to take matters into her own hands and get him a mail order bride.

As a mixed-race girl born into the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity to be an American mail order brides arises, she leaps at it. Her groom is unwilling, but if she can change his mind, she’ll finally have a family that wants her. If she can’t, at least she will have known what it’s like to belong for one glorious summer.

Seducing Khai, however, is one horrible disaster after another. It’s not until Esme gives up that they start to make headway. Over the course of three weddings and a funeral, they fall for each other. But Khai insists it isn’t love, and Esme doesn’t believe in herself enough to see past his words to the truth. They both must learn to accept and value their differences because the fourth wedding of the summer could join them or break them apart forever.
 

As a big romance reader, this book sounds so great!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Blog Tour - Review & Giveaway: Do You Feel It Too? by Nicola Rendell

Hey guys, I'm coming at you today with another blog tour, this one for Do You Feel It Too? by Nicola Rendell! Many thanks to Thomas Allen & Son for organizing everything. Read on for my thoughts on the book and enter for a chance to win a copy of Do You Feel It Too?!

 

Do You Feel It Too?
by Nicola Rendell

November 20, 2018

332 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

A hot summer night is perfect for feeling your way in the dark…

For urban-legend hunter and television host Gabe Powers, it’s business—investigate the most notorious haunted places in Savannah. Then he meets his new sound engineer, a dewy Georgia peach who may just turn this gig into (im)pure pleasure. All it takes is one night for them to conjure floor-rattling, wall-banging moans…but they’re not from the ghosts.

Blame the rippling abs, the cocky swagger, the granite jawline, the whole muscle-bulging package, but Gabe is bringing out good-girl Lily Jameson’s dirty side. Damn her code-of-conduct contract—this isn’t just a molten-hot fling.

There’s just one kink in the relationship they’ve been avoiding: soon they’ll be going their separate ways. Lily’s home is in Savannah, and Gabe is a globe-trotter at heart. For them to be together, they’ll both have to upend their so-very-different worlds and face their fears in the process. And suddenly things don’t feel so Georgia peachy keen at all.

Stacking the Shelves #216

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

We got sexy mail from Thomas Allen & Son, thank you <3 I'm a part of the blog tour that starts next week so please check it out then!

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Review: Sightwitch (The Witchlands #2.5) by Susan Dennard

Sightwitch
(The Witchlands #2.5)
by Susan Dennard

February 13, 2018

240 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
From New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard, Sightwitch is an illustrated novella set in the Witchlands and told through Ryber’s journal entries and sketches.

Before Safi and Iseult battled a Bloodwitch...

Before Merik returned from the dead…

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.

Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.

On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch is a companion novella that also serves as a set up to Bloodwitch, as well as an expansion of the Witchlands world.
 

WoW #228: Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

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

 

Serious Moonlight
by Jenn Bennett

April 16, 2019
432 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.
 

All of Jenn Bennett's books I've read so far have been amazing so naturally I can't wait for more from her~

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Event Recap: Raincoast Books presents TeensRead Winter&Spring 2019 Preview

 

Last month I attended the Teens Read event hosted by Raincoast Books and had so much fun listening to all the highly anticipated 2019 releases they presented! I didn't really take any pictures except for the ones I shared on my Instagram account. Here are a few (apologies for the not so good quality).

 

Cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks was the special guest and it was really amazing listening to her story. Her books look really fun. I'm particularly really looking forward to PUMPKINHEADS, her collaboration with Rainbow Rowell!

 

 

I'm very excited for these titles (click on the covers for more info):

   

   

   

 

Here is a list of all the titles the ladies presented (click on the image to enlarge):

 

Which one of these tiles are you most excited for??

I shared the goodie bag I received in this Stacking the Shelves post.
 

Once again a huge thank you to the Raincoast ladies for the invite and presentation <3