WoW #263: Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

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

Queen of the Conquered
by Kacen Callender

November 12, 2019
480 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
An ambitious young woman with the power to control minds seeks vengeance against the royals who murdered her family, in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world embattled by colonial oppression.

Sigourney Rose is the only surviving daughter of a noble lineage on the islands of Hans Lollik. When she was a child, her family was murdered by the islands’ colonizers, who have massacred and enslaved generations of her people—and now, Sigourney is ready to exact her revenge.

When the childless king of the islands declares that he will choose his successor from amongst eligible noble families, Sigourney uses her ability to read and control minds to manipulate her way onto the royal island and into the ranks of the ruling colonizers. But when she arrives, prepared to fight for control of all the islands, Sigourney finds herself the target of a dangerous, unknown magic.

Someone is killing off the ruling families to clear a path to the throne. As the bodies pile up and all eyes regard her with suspicion, Sigourney must find allies among her prey and the murderer among her peers... lest she become the next victim.

Queen of the Conquered reckons with the many layers of power and privilege in a lush fantasy world—perfect for readers of V. E. Schwab, Kiersten White, and Marlon James.
 

I haven't heard a lot of buzz about this one but it sounds good! And it looks like it's a standalone fantasy novel which is always a plus for me ;)

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Failed Future (Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles #3) by Elise Kova

 

Failed Future

(Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles #3)

by Elise Kova

July 21, 2019

 

Goodreads     Amazon

 

Goodreads Summary:

When worlds collide, and things are rarely what they seem, there may be no one Vi can trust.

Having forsaken her crown for a chance to save her family, and the world, Vi Solaris washes up on the shores of Meru. She's wounded and barely alive. But Vi's fight for survival is only just beginning.

As a princess in a foreign land, everyone is after her.

The pirate queen Adela wants to sell her to the evil elfin'ra. The Twilight King wants to use her to settle an old score. And, perhaps most dangerous, is the scheming Lord of the Faithful who sees her as an opportunity to further consolidate his power.

The only path for Vi is forward. But she doesn't yet know if she's running toward salvation... or a brutal end to everything she loves.

Vi's journey continues with even more betrayal, romance, magic, and a twist you never saw coming that leaves readers begging for the next book.

 

Stacking the Shelves #247

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

I realize I never shared the ARCs and bookish goodies I received from the Raincoast Books Fall 2019 Preview event I attended last month so here they are XD

 

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

WoW #262: Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters

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

Would Like to Meet
by Rachel Winters

December 3, 2019
336 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
In this charming, feel-good debut novel, a cynical assistant at a screenwriting agency must reenact the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedy movies in order to help her #1 client get his scriptwriting mojo back--but can a real-life meet-cute be in store for someone who doesn't believe in happily ever after?

After seven years as an assistant, 29-year-old Evie Summers is ready to finally get the promotion she deserves. But now the TV and film agency she's been running behind the scenes is in trouble, and Evie will lose her job unless she can convince the agency's biggest and most arrogant client, Ezra Chester, to finish writing the script for a Hollywood romantic comedy.

The catch? Ezra is suffering from writer's block--and he'll only put pen to paper if singleton Evie can prove to him that you can fall in love like they do in the movies. With the future of the agency in jeopardy, Evie embarks on a mission to meet a man the way Sally met Harry or Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts.

But in the course of testing out the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedies IRL, not only will Evie encounter one humiliating situation after another, but she'll have to confront the romantic past that soured her on love. In a novel as hilarious as it is heartwarming, debut author Rachel Winters proves that sometimes real life is better than the movies--and that the best kind of meet-cutes happen when you least expect them.
 

I don't remember where I first saw this book but yess romcom!!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

 

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.

Stacking the Shelves #246

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

I was totally spoiled by Raincoast Books with these beauties, thank you a million!!!!!!

What did you add to your shelves this week?

WoW #261: The Queen's Assassin (Queen's Secret #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

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 Assassin
(Queen's Secret #1)
by Melissa de la Cruz

February 4, 2020
384 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he's the Guild's most dangerous member and the Queen's one and only assassin. He's also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow--to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians.

Shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts--to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the Guild. Though magic has been forbidden since the Aphrasian uprising, Shadow has been learning to control her powers in secret, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt.

When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a new sinister threat to Renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they'll uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they'll stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom in this stunning first novel in the Queen's Secret series.
 

I need this book in my life already!!!!!!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Maybe This Time by Kasie West

 

Maybe This Time
by Kasie West

July 9, 2019
368 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

One year. Nine events. Nine chances to . . . fall in love?

Weddings. Funerals. Barbecues. New Year's Eve parties. Name the occasion, and Sophie Evans will be there. Well, she has to be there. Sophie works for the local florist, so she can be found at every big event in her small hometown, arranging bouquets and managing family dramas.

Enter Andrew Hart. The son of the fancy new chef in town, Andrew is suddenly required to attend all the same events as Sophie. Entitled, arrogant, preppy Andrew. Sophie just wants to get her job done and finish up her sketches so she can apply to design school. But every time she turns around, there is Andrew, getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Until one day she wonders if maybe complicated isn't so bad after all . . .

Told over the course of one year and following Sophie from event to event, this delightful novel from master of romantic comedy Kasie West shows how love can blossom in unexpected places.

 

Stacking the Shelves #245

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

S&S Canada surprised me with this romance title! I'm a huge Lauren Layne fan so thank you very much~

 

 

I got myself some pretty books from TBD and Book Outlet <3

 

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

WoW #260: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

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

House of Earth and Blood
(Crescent City #1)
by Sarah J. Maas

January 28, 2020
648 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. By day, she works for an antiquities dealer, selling barely legal magical artifacts, and by night, she parties with her friends, savouring every pleasure Lunathion—otherwise known as Crescent City— has to offer. But it all comes crumbling down when a ruthless murder shakes the very foundations of the city—and Bryce’s world.

Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city’s most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.

Hunt Athalar, personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there’s far more to Bryce than meets the eye—and that he’s going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.

As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir...
 

It's SJM of course I'm waiting for it!!!!!! Also, I find it interesting that the series title is bigger than the title of the book??

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) by Elizabeth Lim

 

Spin the Dawn

(The Blood of Stars #1)

by Elizabeth Lim

July 9, 2019
400 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.

Stacking the Shelves #244

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 Scholastic Canada for these two advance copies!! Victoria Schwab is my favourite so I can't wait to continue Cassidy Blake's story :D

 

 

Thank you to HBG Canada for sending me a copy of The Friend Zone!

 

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

WoW #259: The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

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

The Stars We Steal
by Alexa Donne

February 4, 2020
400 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Engagement season is in the air. Eighteen-year-old Princess Leonie “Leo” Kolburg, heir to a faded European spaceship, only has one thing on her mind: which lucky bachelor can save her family from financial ruin?

But when Leo’s childhood friend and first love Elliot returns as the captain of a successful whiskey ship, everything changes. Elliot was the one that got away, the boy Leo’s family deemed to be unsuitable for marriage. Now, he’s the biggest catch of the season and he seems determined to make Leo’s life miserable. But old habits die hard, and as Leo navigates the glittering balls of the Valg Season, she finds herself failing for her first love in a game of love, lies, and past regrets.
 

I loved this author's debut novel and am most excited for more from her!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury #2) by Tracy Banghart

*Review contains slight spoilers from previous book.

Queen of Ruin

(Grace and Fury #2)

by Tracy Banghart

July 2, 2019
336 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
A fierce sequel full of sisterhood, heart pounding action, betrayal, and intrigue in the royal court in a series that "breathes new life into the feminist story of oppression and resistance" (Publisher's Weekly).

Banished by Asa at the end of Grace and Fury, Nomi and Malachi find themselves powerless and headed towards their all-but-certain deaths. Now that Asa sits on the throne, he will stop at nothing to make sure Malachi never sets foot in the palace again. Their only hope is to find Nomi's sister, Serina, on the prison island of Mount Ruin. But when Nomi and Malachi arrive, it is not the island of conquered, broken women that they expected. It is an island in the grip of revolution, and Serina--polite, submissive Serina--is its leader.

Betrayal, grief, and violence have changed both sisters, and the women of Mount Ruin have their sights set on revenge beyond the confines of their island prison. They plan to sweep across the entire kingdom, issuing in a new age of freedom for all. But first they'll have to get rid of Asa, and only Nomi knows how.

Separated once again, this time by choice, Nomi and Serina must forge their own paths as they aim to tear down the world they know, and build something better in its place.

The stakes are higher and the battles bolder in Tracy Banghart's unputdownable sequel to Grace and Fury.