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Blood, Ink & Fire by Ashley Mansour

Imagine a world without books…
In the future, books are a distant memory. The written word has been replaced by an ever-present stream of images known as Verity. In the controlling dominion of the United Vales of Fell, reading is obsolete and forbidden, and readers themselves do not—cannot—exist.
But where others see images in the stream, teenager Noelle Hartley sees words. She’s obsessed with what they mean, where they came from, and why they found her.

Noelle’s been keeping her dangerous fixation with words a secret, but on the night before her seventeenth birthday, a rare interruption in the stream leads her to a mysterious volume linked to an underworld of rebel book lovers known as the Nine of the Rising. With the help of the Risers and the beguiling boy Ledger, Noelle discovers that the words within her are precious clues to the books of the earlier time—and as a child of their bookless age, she might be the world’s last hope of bringing them back.

Blood, Ink & Fire is a gripping, evocative tale that asks, who would we be without books? – Goodreads

For one, a world a without books is my worst goddamn nightmare. Why would it be important to eradicate books and forbid reading? So your citizens don’t ask questions and don’t use their imaginations, that’s why. If they don’t question things and can’t imagine things, they’re much easier to keep in line and rule.

For starters, the worldbuilding was great. There was a lot of thought, detail and planning that went into it—it was obvious. So obvious, though, that it turned into a constant stream of infodumping. I found myself reading and rereading just to make sure I understood, which became frustrating and overwhelming.

I really love the concept of this story—I most of all loved all of the bookish quotes in the beginning. It was also interesting to see someone discover books for the first time, which reminded me why I love books so much. Books are power, books are imagination, books create different worlds and encourage readers to think and ask questions and criticize.

The pacing of the story was confusing to me—the book itself is long (464 pages) yet some of the most interesting, intense scenes are incredibly rushed. The boring scenes take forever.

The character building was alright. I kind of felt that I got to know Noelle, but her character felt very inconsistent and I never really connected with her. Sometimes she was badass and smart and sometimes she was dumb about really stupid things. I think that the characters definitely could have been developed more.

And don’t even get me started on the love triangle.

This debut wasn’t bad—but I do think it failed to deliver. The premise of the story is fantastic and had a lot of potential, but I thought it fell a little flat. I rated it a 3/5.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young

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. – Goodreads

I LOVE Suzanne Young‘s Program series but hadn’t read any of her other books, so I was really anxious to dig into this… and I HATED it. It was extremely disappointing and overall just… underwhelming. There was a solid foundation for a really good story – but it got muddled and there was way too much going on that the reader has to keep straight.

The basis for this book is actually very interesting – a hotel that you can never leave and all the mystery surrounding it. That has so much potential! I think where it got bogged down, was the back story… what lead up to them being there. It felt like she was trying too hard to make it make sense and it really just… didn’t. At least not for me. The characters were also allover the place… it’s hard to explain but it made the story take more effort to get into than I’d like.

Overall, I gave Hotel Ruby 1/5 stars on Goodreads. I had such high hopes for it and I think that was it’s downfall. I will say that my favorite part of the entire thing was the ending – when Audrey finds out the truth. That was definitely a good twist!

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever. – Goodreads

I read Alexandra Bracken’s Darkest Minds and enjoyed it well enough — but this has definitely become my favorite Bracken read. I’ll admit — the initial buzz around it had me nervous because I was worried that it raised my expectations, but in lived up to the buzz.

The POV alternates between Etta and Nicholas (third person). It gives us a well-rounded view of the emotions and what’s going on. It also got me completely attached to both characters.

Etta is from our era. She’s a violinist, and has no idea she’s a traveler until a series of events unfold to hurtle her back through time. Nicholas is an eighteenth-century sailor, who is also a traveler. Fate (and a common cause) brings them together.

The worldbuilding was great, and bits of it were fed instead of being completely dumped. I loved how the entire book was filled with different times and places. It also made me think about how the timeline would work, and what would happen if a wrinkle were to occur. Bracken did a great job at explaining how passages work and how time traveling works.

The characters were fantastic. Etta was sweet, tough and likeable—definitely a strong female lead who cares about the world and what the astrolabe means to it. Nicholas was a complete gentleman and so sweet, despite how people treat him based on the color of his skin. I felt for him immediately and hated the Ironwoods more and more as he shared his story.

The romance was also great. It wasn’t exactly instalove, but it did bloom quickly. If you’re not a fan of romance, this book probably isn’t for you. The romance was just as prevalent as the primary plot.

My only gripe with the book is Bracken’s writing. Her writing is beautiful, but I do feel that her writing is very fluffy—the book is 500-ish pages, but I feel that it could have been pared down to 350-ish. There were many long, flowery paragraphs that didn’t add much to the story but prose. Because of this, it felt very slow in parts of the story.

The ending was also terrible — only because it’s a major cliffhanger and you have no choice but to impatiently wait until the second book is released.

In all, I rated this book a 4/5 and highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker

It’s an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp—the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn’t return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.

Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp’s done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance—and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her. – Goodreads

First off, I LOVE when I read stories that I haven’t read some version of a million times before (and this is far more rare than you’d think) and that’s exactly what happened with Beware the Wild. It is such a unique story, told with absolutely amazing detail, and to top it all off there’s a slight creepiness to the entire thing. Needless to say, I loved it!

While overall, I loved the story and the details that Parker included, there were a few things that irked me. First off, the story behind Phin & Sterling & why he’d gotten so angry, etc. took forever to fully come out. That was frustrating, when the entire story revolves around Phin getting so angry that he takes off. The other thing that sort of drove me mad, was that Sterling couldn’t just be happy for her brother… she had to make his decision about her, and quit eating and was basically a ridiculously melodramatic teenager who wanted the world to revolve around her. That’s EXTREMELY annoying. Suck it up, be happy for him, and do your best without him. It’s not like her mom & step-dad weren’t good people or wouldn’t support her. Goodness gracious.

Other than those points, the story was wonderful. Lenora May was very much the character you wished you could hate but for some reason can’t and Heath was adorable. Sterling was relatable for the most part, especially her desperation in trying to get her brother back.

This magic-filled world of swamps in Louisiana is definitely one I want to return to, and I just saw on Goodreads that Parker is coming out with a second book in February! I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

I rated Beware the Wild 4/5 stars on Goodreads, and definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something a little different. The writing is by far the best part of the book!

Thursday Things 11/26

Today, since it’s Thanksgiving and all, instead of doing a link roundup of all the things that have caught my eye lately, I’m going to tell you about a few things that I’m super thankful for right now, in no particular order.

Lauren. I cannot tell you enough how thankful I am to have her in my life, as my best friend, a work colleague, my partner in blogging, and my workout buddy. It’s incredible how much my life has changed since she came into and I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have someone that really, truly gets you. Also, we have so much fun together & push eachother to constantly be better. I love our friendship so much!
Hubs. We have been through A LOT together & let’s just say that I wasn’t the nicest person when we first started dating. He has helped me grow up so much & become a much, much better person. I’m so thankful to have him in my life and couldn’t imagine growing old and grumpy with anyone else. ❤
Family. We are a crazy bunch, but we love eachother no matter what and we have so much fun together! Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without all of them (and neither would Cards Against Humanity and my brothers & husband trying to get my mom to say the most horrible things they can lol).
Friends. Obvs Lauren is already on this list, but I have a few other friends that I couldn’t live without. There are some I go to for their wisdom and advice, some I go to because I know I can count on them to lighten things up and just be goofy with, and others that I go to because I know they’ll always be there. I couldn’t imagine my life without any of them to be perfectly honest.

And with that, I shall resume my eating of all the Thanksgiving things and playing Cards Against Humanity with the entire family! Hope everyone has a great day!

Gambit by C.L. Denault

In Earth’s battle-ridden future, humans have evolved. Those with extraordinary skills rise to power and fame. Those without live in poverty.

Sixteen-year-old Willow Kent believed she was normal. But when a genetically-advanced military officer shows up in her village and questions her identity, long-buried secrets begin to emerge. With remarkable skills and a shocking genetic code the Core and its enemies will do anything to obtain, Willow suddenly finds the freedom she craves slipping through her fingers. Greed, corruption, and genetic tampering threaten every aspect of her existence as she’s thrust, unwilling, into the sophisticated culture of the elite Core city. To ensure peace, she must leave the past behind, marry a man she’s never met, and submit to the authority of a relentless officer with a hidden agenda of his own.

Her life has become a dangerous game. How much will she sacrifice in order to win? – Goodreads

This one was a confusing one for me — the first half of it really intrigued me and kept me turning pages, often late into the night (not good for someone who has to wake up at 0400 the next morning).

The second half had me snoozing, turning pages just to finish it so I could start another book.

Let me begin with the worldbuilding. The story is set in future Earth—Europe. Willow lives in the Outlying Lands, in the technologically-starved and impoverished villages. The Core is where the rich, upper class people live—they have all of the technology, from smart cars to bandaids to tablets. These two locations rarely interact with each other and are night and day different. The scenes were descriptive and portrayed these differences well—it vaguely mentions that The Core is in London and that there are different Cores around the world. I would guess (based on Willow’s dialect) that the Outlying Lands are stationed in Ireland.

The characters. Och. The characters. I really enjoyed Willow for the first half of the book—until she started deteriorating into a tantrum-throwing two-year-old.

“Tantrum? What do I look like, a toddler?”

Yes, you do, something that Reece (her head of security) continues to point out as he accuses her of throwing tantrums and referring to her as a “child” and “brat”.

Willow started out as a strong, independent, dagger-wielding woman—as soon as she got to the Core, she transformed into a whiny, selfish brat who only focused on how horrible her life was since being torn away from her family.

Also, side rant: I got really sick of reading about her inner tiger. It reminded me of the inner goddess in Fifty Shades of Grey. Stop. You do not have an actual tiger in your belly raising her head and shit. Every time the tiger “chuffed” or raised her head or what the hell ever, I got a little more angry.

And Reece. Don’t get me started. I don’t want to divulge any spoilers, but his complete lack of control really pissed me off.

The first half of the book was romantic tension—but as soon as the tension was broken and wishes were fulfilled, I lost interest. This story had so much opportunity to be a kickass story of a girl who discovers she has two prodigal skills and has to survive in the Core—nope.

This series has a lot of potential and I’m halfway interested in what happens. Because I liked the first half, I rated it a 2.5/5 on Goodreads.

Top Ten Tuesday: 11/24

Tuesday

Top Ten Books I’m Thankful For

Jessie’s Girls: Muscle Building Edition by Jessie Hilgenberg | This is an e-book, but it still counts. I discovered Jessie Hilgenberg on Instagram and saw the amazing progress her “followers” were experiencing on her programs. I bit the bullet and bought it, and I haven’t looked back. It has completely changed the way I look at training and nutrition. The road to emotional healing and loving myself is going to take a while, but this is a great start.
Harry Potter by JK Rowling | Duh. I remember picking up The Sorcerer’s Stone at the Library, waaaay back in the day. I read it and made my parents read it. Then we read The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire. It took a while, as I was about 12, but I remember waiting at Barnes & Noble for the midnight release of The Order of the Phoenix. It completely transformed me into an avid reader and really brought my family together.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden | I read this in high school, and it was my first historical fiction piece I’d ever read. Though fictional, I felt that it really opened my eyes to the cultural differences that women face around the world and ultimately made me much more open to picking up historical fiction in the future.
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin | I read this my sophomore year of college, and it was truly (and embarrassingly) the first “adult” fiction I’d ever picked up. Prior to it, I’d been too scared to venture outside of the YA section at the library. Why? Because I felt I wasn’t “smart enough” to read adult fiction. Dumb, right? I’m over it now!
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer | This was my first venture in to the world of non-fiction, which I had always assumed would be boring as hell. Newsflash: it wasn’t. It did make me realize that my romanticized notions of being an outdoorsy girl were ludicrous, though.

6. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton | My first science fiction novel. It’s the only book I’ve read more than twice. Dare I say it’s my favorite?

7. Meg Cabot — the whole lot of them | I can’t choose just one Meg Cabot book to add to this list—really, it was all of them growing up that made me feel like I understood life in school (I was homeschooled). I definitely lived vicariously through her characters.

8. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler | This was an assigned reading in my Eastern Civilizations class, but it really opened my eyes to a new culture that fascinated me. Ever since reading it, China has been on my list of places I would love to travel to (it also made me desperately want to join the Peace Corps).

9. AP Style Guide | Never would have made it through school without it.

10. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini | Another eye opener, another piece of art. There’s a definite theme in this post—books are portals to other worlds, sometimes fictitious, sometimes real life. These books have given me the gift learning about and understanding another culture different than my own until I can travel there myself.

The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she’s magically transported into the world of Cinderella–as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she’ll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world? – Goodreads

I. Loved. This. Book.

I’m a total sucker for fairy tale retellings. I could read 17 different retellings of the same story and never get sick of it. Cinderella is one of those stories—Ella Enchanted, Just Ella, Cinder, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister—I’ve read my share. Out of all of them, though, this one falls second—right behind Ella Enchanted.

The worldbuilding was excellent. Kat was sucked into a different world, and you could tell. I bought into the social events, the gargantuan castle, the gardens, and the dark ages (plus some fairies and stuff) setting.

I also really enjoyed Kat as an MC. She was strong and had one mission in mind: get home to her family. I loved that even though she found romance, this mission never left her mind. She maybe considered staying behind once or twice, but ultimately her family always won out. In the beginning, she was shy and meek. By the end, she was strong and outspoken. The shift was natural and worked well.

The relationships were also fantastic. Kat had a great friendship with Poppy. But let’s be real—the only relationship I cared about was Kat and Edward’s. In the beginning, she wasn’t even interested in him. After all—she needed him and Ella to get together so she could go home. But their friendship and developed and ah. I don’t want to ruin it.

Overall, I adored this book—but I absolutely hated the ending, which I won’t ruin. In fact, I’d have been much happier if I would have skipped the last chapter. I rated it 4/5 on Goodreads—highly recommend!

Thursday Things 11/19

If you’re in the market for some new ink & you’d like some literary inspiration, definitely take a look over here – there are a lot of really cute options. I say take an idea to your artist & let them run with it!

Um. Have you seen this yet? I’m not sure how I feel about it… I loved the first movie but the second wasn’t as good and now… 😦

I love that so many people want Veronica Roth as their survival buddy – but my favorite was Bardugo & Aveyard choosing eachother because of their jewelry.

I LOVE this idea that Uppercase came up with – be sure to give your thanks! You can even link your social media in your thank you, which I love.

The Rock is one of my most favorite people to be perfectly honest (follow him on Instagram if you don’t already), and this made me love him even more. Depression is real and affects EVERYONE.

Air Awakens by Elise Kova

A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond…

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined. – Goodreads

Well, I really had high hopes for this one—primarily based on all of the awesome reviews I read. A library apprentice? A dashing prince? Magic? Super cheap on Amazon? Sign me up.

Ehhhh.

I think I would have liked it a lot more if it weren’t for the MC, Vhalla. So—let me talk about the things I did like first before being a Debbie Downer.

The worldbuilding was fantastic. I could see the scenery, picture the characters, smell everything, envision the magic. The elemental magic presented reminded me a little bit of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I liked it. Vhalla is the first sorcerer of her kind in over a hundred years—she can manipulate wind. Other #peasants just deal with normal stuff, like water and fire.

Despite Vhalla’s character, I enjoyed the romance in this book. Talk about a developing friendship and slooooow burn romance.

The writing was also good. I would definitely pick up another novel from Kova.

Anyway, points for the worldbuilding, writing, and romance. Oh, and the cover art.

Vhalla was so annoying. So, so annoying. Yeah, she loves books. That’s cool. I love books, too. It wasn’t enough to connect me to her, though.

Vhalla is immature, selfish and couldn’t make a decision to save her life. I also found her inconsistent—she would sometimes be rational, smart and caring. She was constantly mumbling or whispering or crying or staring at the ground—this never improved (I can handle it when the heroine gets stronger—but not when they stay the same).

Overall, Vhalla made the entire experience significantly less enjoyable for me. I rated this a 3/5. If you liked Throne of Glass, fantasy, magic, and slow romance—definitely give this one a shot!