Because summer is coming and Kiesha left me for Hawaii (don’t worry, folks, it’s only temporary) this week will feature summer/beach themed posts.
1. A hat
2. A tote bag to haul your books (or e-reader and snacks)
3. If the first hat didn’t do it for you, then get an umbrella hat.
For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she’s never had … until she’s betrayed.
Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family’s cruelty and the court’s contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.
But powerful men have powerful enemies–and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman’s, giving Alyrra the first choice she’s ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she’s never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometime the hardest choice means learning to trust herself. – Goodreads
This story left me so divided, so confused with how I felt about it. On one hand, it was everything I tend to get annoyed with in fantasy novels: evil sorceresses, a princess at odds, obnoxious princes, a slow to move story, mean family.
Yet, these are the things that made the book so enjoyable. I didn’t feel the pushing need to read, read, read. It was like taking a slow walk in the park rather than sprinting to the finish line. I read it when I had a few moments. My heart never sped up, my anxiety never set in. It was a peaceful read, one where I had the opportunity to really appreciate the writing, description, and characters.
My favorite part of the story is the worldbuilding. I could picture everything perfectly, primarily due to the descriptively vivid imagery. I could picture the stable, the castle, the people, the Horse, the Wind, the plains…everything. The only thing I couldn’t picture was Alyrra, or rather, Alyrra in Valka’s body. The only thing I knew was that she had red hair.
Speaking of Alyrra, the character development was great. Slow, but great. Slow made it realistic. She’s a good person. That’s really all I can say—she’s honest, she’s not terribly courageous (though I would beg to differ), and she’s truly takes care of those around her. She’s basically the perfect princess.
I do wish I could have gotten to know Prince Kestrin better. There were some great twists at the end that revealed more of his character, but ultimately he seemed like a pompous a-hole for the entire story.
The story is based on Grimm’s The Goose Girl. I read The Goose Girl a very long time ago and had vague flashbacks of the storyline while reading this. Thus, I cannot speak to the accuracy of its retelling.
Great story! I highly recommend to those who enjoy fantasy and fairytale retellings. 4/5 on Goodreads.
She meant to help a ghost…not unleash a curse.
Amelia Dupree hasn’t seen the Woman in White since the night her brother died.
The ghost seems to have disappeared from the woods surrounding Asylum, Pennsylvania—that is, until Charlie Blue moves into the creepy old MacAllister House next door. Amelia can’t help liking him, even though she spent her childhood thinking his grandmother was a witch. And she definitely can’t ignore the connection between his arrival and the Woman in White’s return.
Then Amelia learns that the Woman in White is a prisoner, trapped between the worlds of the living and the dead. Devastated by the idea that her brother could be suffering a similar fate, Amelia decides to do whatever it takes to help the Woman in White find peace–and Charlie agrees to help her.
But when Amelia’s classmates start to drown in the Susquehanna River, one right after another, rumors swirl as people begin to connect the timing of Charlie’s arrival with the unexplained deaths. As Charlie and Amelia uncover the dark history of Asylum, they realize they may have unleashed an unspeakable evil. One they have to stop before everything they love is destroyed. – Goodreads
This book was dark—the title isn’t lying. There is a bit of brightness, but damn, it’s far and few between.
To start, the town is set in a place called Asylum (it’s a real place!). That just sounds creepy in general and makes me think of haunted, abandoned asylums (though I imagine a not-abandoned asylum is just as eerie). It’s a small town where everyone knows each other. Throw in a ghost woman and a potential witch-next-door and you’ve got a great story on your hands.
The story is fast paced and moves quickly as Amelia’s peers drown. There’s some mystery, horror, and history here, so I won’t ruin anything. I will say that it was a bit predictable, though.
There is a strong element of romance here. I was really nervous that a love triangle would develop, but thankfully, it did not.
Overall, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this book, but I wasn’t disappointed, either. It was a short, enjoyable read. I rated it a 3/5 on Goodreads.
I received a copy of A Magic Dark & Bright thanks to Bookish Girl Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Because summer is coming and Kiesha left me for Hawaii (don’t worry, folks, it’s only temporary) this week will feature summer/beach themed posts.
1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling | Seriously, I will make her read this some day. Am I the only one a little obsessed with Mindy? Whatever. This read is fresh and funny and perfect for giggling out loud on the beach.
2. Paper Towns by John Green | I read this one summer in high school and loved it. Green is the most quotable author of all time and really resonated with me.
3. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton | Maybe not your typical beach read, but it DOES take place on an island! Not to mention, the movie was shot in Hawaii. Sounds pretty perfect to me!
4. The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks | If you don’t read a Nicholas Sparks romance on the beach, did vacation ever really happen? This one is about a volunteer firefighter who falls in love with a single mother.
5. Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews | Alright, I haven’t actually read this one but it popped up during my beach read research (because my memory is kaput and I had to search through my entire ‘read’ list for inspiration, okay? This was on a different list). It’s about some middle-aged friends who rent a summer house and stuff—looks good to me!
This post was harder than hell to write, primarily because all of MY top beach picks are things Kiesha has already read. Kiesha does not like to reread books.
What are your favorite beach reads?
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. – Goodreads
Before you groan and go, “Ohhhh, not another glowing review of this ridiculously hyped book!” I would like to say one thing: stop. Stop and listen. I am not a fan of hype, in fact, it’s a total turn-off for me, kind of like smoking cigarettes or handlebar mustaches or shaved chests.
I read a sample back in March and raved about it. In fact, I decided that samples are the meanest things that an author can do—really, Tahir? You’re going to write a badass opening and leave me with the worst cliffhanger ever? Thanks a lot. Smart, though, because I ended up forking over the $10 to buy it on my Kindle without hesitation.
For one, I love the writing. It’s descriptive, it’s graphic, it’s so, so dark. In fact, the entire world is dark—they’re not kidding in the description when they say it’s a “brutal world”.
The worldbuilding is amazing. When you read this, you’re there. You can picture the rooms, the castle, the darkness of the city. I felt like I was holding my breath during this entire book because I felt like I was THERE. The storyline is intense, too, and never slow.
The Commandant is a total B, and Laia is her slave. Now, normally when you think of a commander or a queen or whatever and they’re Bs, it’s because they say mean things or slap their maids. No, the Commandant GOUGED OUT the eyeball of a five-year-old girl and CARVED her initial into Laia’s chest, just because she didn’t do something to the Commandant’s standard. She isn’t kidding around. She’s killed slaves for less.
The romance was confusing—I really didn’t know who liked who and what was going to happen. I finished the book and still don’t. I was (and still am) worried about the possibility of a love triangle…or love square? But really, survival was more important than boyfriends, so that was nice.
Laia is a refreshing character. She’s not a long lost princess, she’s not some badass strong ladyboss—in fact, she’s very honest that she’s weak and not courageous. She’s a slave. This left much room for character development over the course of the story.
I also liked Elias, who hates his mother, hates his upbringing, hates the person he has become. He is very much at war with who he is and who he wants to be.
The point of view alternates between Laia and Elias, which I actually liked. It gave a unique view at both sides of the coin—the oppressed Scholars and the brutal Martials.
For a YA novel, it was dark. There are many mentions of rape and brutal torture and killing, so I would recommend this for those 15 and up—definitely not young kid material.
The ending was left on a big cliffhanger, so I can only assume there is going to be a second book. If there’s not, I will be very, very sad.
I rated An Ember In The Ashes a 5/5 and added it to my favorites list. Fantastic read that did NOT last long enough!
1. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding | as much as Lauren loves this book, I just don’t foresee myself ever reading. There are too many new books that keep popping up that I’m much more interested in. Maybe when I’m 80 it will finally happen!
2. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta | this has been on my TBR list foreverrrrrrrr but every time I pick it up… I’m just not interested in it. It sucks because it gets such great reviews.
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass | this is another I’ve had on TBR for a really long time… but ever since I read Lauren’s review, I don’t think I’ll like it. Also, I can’t focus on anything but her smelling her armpit now. Haha!
4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer | I’ve tried to read this book so. many. times. but I can never get past the first chapter. I’ve lost hope but maybe the mood will strike someday to just push further.
5. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke | I just… can’t. I’ve read probably the first quarter of it, but it doesn’t hold my attention like it should.
6. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr | I WANT to want to read this, merely to support this Boisean author. I don’t know of any other authors out of Idaho who have been it big, and part of me is like, what if I run in to him at WinCo and I’m the one Boise douche who didn’t read his book? Unfortunately, I just don’t think I ever will.
7. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart | Ehh. This one is all abuzz in the YA world, but I’m not feeling it.
8. Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee | I’ve tried so many times to get into this and just can’t.
9. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn | Unfortunately, I am just not a Flynn fan and don’t understand the hype. Plus, I already know the ending to this one because someone spoiled it for me.
10. Fifty Shades Freed by EL James | I read book one. I struggled through book two. I just couldn’t with book three.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke & the Bookish. Check out more Top Ten features on their site.
In a blockbuster debut thriller brimming with majestic wildlife, village politics, and international intrigue, a chilling quadruple homicide raises the stakes in the battle to save Africa’s elephants.Still grieving over the tragic death of her fiancé, American wildlife biologist Catherine Sohon leaves South Africa and drives to a remote outpost in northeast Namibia, where she plans to face off against the shadowy forces of corruption and relentless human greed in the fight against elephant poaching. Undercover as a census pilot tracking the local elephant population, she’ll really be collecting evidence on the ruthless ivory traffickers.
But before she even reaches her destination, Catherine stumbles onto a scene of horrifying carnage: three people shot dead in their car, and a fourth nearby—with his brain removed. The slaughter appears to be the handiwork of a Zambian smuggler known as “the witchdoctor,” a figure reviled by activists and poachers alike. Forced to play nice with local officials, Catherine finds herself drawn to the prickly but charismatic Jon Baggs, head of the Ministry of Conservation, whose blustery exterior belies his deep investment in the poaching wars.
Torn between her developing feelings and her unofficial investigation, she takes to the air, only to be grounded by a vicious turf war between competing factions of a black-market operation that reaches far beyond the borders of Africa. With the mortality rate—both human and animal—skyrocketing, Catherine races to intercept a valuable shipment. Now she’s flying blind, and a cunning killer is on the move. – Goodreads
You know, I never thought I’d want to take off to Africa and save the elephants. I’m more of a save the people in my own city kind of gal. This book kind of made me want to do save elephants instead. And be a pilot.
I really enjoyed the story and plot. There was action, pain, suspense, and little bitty bit of love. Her fiance died the year prior, so there was lots of flashbacks to that—having your fiance speared by a tusked animal in front of you will leave you pretty traumatized.
One issue I had was predictability. I was pretty sure I knew who the head honcho bad dude was for a while, and I was right. I don’t like to put a book down with that sense of smug “I knew it”.
Catherine is an interesting main character, which I appreciated. Not only is she a pilot, she’s kind of a general badass. That being said, taking a Beetle car into the desert? Even I know that’s a shit idea.
The main issue that the plot centers on is poaching for ivory, a very real and serious issue that is taking place right now. It’s a bloody war for both elephants and humans, one that is driving our elephant population to extinction. Though the novel was fictional, it was great that it shed light on this important topic.
Overall, I rated Ivory Ghosts a 3.5/5. I definitely recommend to those who are interested in animal conservation themed novels.
Huge thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read Ivory Ghosts and participate in the blog tour! Check out the other tour spots here. You can buy Ivory Ghosts on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
To accommodate today’s lifestyles, a garden needs to fit easily into a very small plot, take as little time as possible to maintain, require a minimum amount of water, and still produce prolifically. That’s exactly what a postage stamp garden does. Postage stamp gardens are as little as 4 by 4 feet, and, after the initial soil preparation, they require very little extra work to produce a tremendous amount of vegetables–for instance, a 5-by-5-foot bed will produce a minimum of 200 pounds of vegetables.
When first published 40 years ago, the postage stamp techniques, including closely planted beds rather than rows, vines and trailing plants grown vertically to free up space, and intercropping, were groundbreaking. Now, in an ever busier world, the postage stamp intensive gardening method continues to be invaluable for gardeners who wish to weed, water, and work a whole lot less yet produce so much more. – Goodreads
Guys, I’ve decided that this book is the Holy Grail of container gardening. Seriously. It has everything from when to plant what, zones, soil composition, nutrients, watering, germination and an entire section on specific vegetables that details the how and what, which is my favorite part that I’ll touch on later in the review.
The book is laid out in an easy to read reference way. It starts with an introduction, then goes in order of what you need to know. I’m about to buy a new house and I know I want a garden. As a complete gardening, black-thumbed newb, I tried to research beginner stuff on the internet with little luck. Even the ever faithful Pinterest didn’t help with zoning, soil, and when to plant. As a beginner, I appreciated the ease and simplicity of the information in this book.
I LOVED the reference guide in the back. Take, for example, cucumbers. The book rates them excellent for postage stamp gardens, and is highly recommended for the small garden. It talks about how they are when planted (they like heat and should be planted four inches apart). It gives recommendations for plant placement and variety. It lists multiple varieties and details their grow time, size, appearance ,and what they’re good for (eating raw, etc). It also discusses their typical problems, such as bitterness. Finally, it details harvesting, storage, and growing tips. It does ALL of this for tons of different plants, which is pretty darn cool.
Lastly, the book has a troubleshooting guide of sorts in the back if your plants are dying or sick and includes ways to fix them.
Overall, this book is amazing and I can’t wait for my garden to flourish this summer and fall! HIGHLY recommend to those who are looking to start a container garden or several raised beds. I rated it 5/5.
HUGE thank you to Blogging for Books for the opportunity to read and review (and reference this summer!) this book.
1. Snape from Harry Potter – Believe it or not, I actually loved Snape by the end. We were all conditioned to hate him (unless you were a Slytherin). Those of us who did hate him felt extremely guilty by the end.
2. Raffe from Penryn & The End of Days – Seriously, I never thought I’d be into the bad boy angel thing…until this.
3. Pensatucky from Orange Is The New Black – Okay, so maybe the show version of Pensatucky is funnier and crazier…but the book version is pretty nuts, too!
4. Captain Randall from Outlander – I can’t even express how much I hate this guy. This villain makes this book. Not only is he the thin link between Claire and her modern day life…he’s a creepy rapist who really enjoys making others feel pain. Ick, ick, ick.
5. George RR Martin from Game of Thrones – Okay, so maybe Martin isn’t technically a character. But the villains he creates are total spawns of satan. Geoffrey? Cersei? Need I say more than Lannister? And honestly, Martin kills EVERYONE you ever care about in this series, so, hey…maybe he is a villain.
6. The Study Series by Maria V. Snyder – DUH. Valek is the BEST bad guy and definitely my favorite. He’s not necessarily a bad guy to Yelena after the first book, but he is to everyone else for sure.
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling – Professor Umbridge is such a good bad guy (girl). I am 100% being her for Halloween (I know this so far in advance because my best friend throws a Halloween party every year and this year’s theme is Superheroes & Super villains.) She was way worse than Voldemort!
8. The Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard – I know I’m not a huge fan of these books, but A is such a creepy, creepy villain. Following the Liars, spying on them, knowing their every move and keeping them on their toes constantly? Definitely a good bad guy.
9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – President Snow is TERRIFYING!!
10. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch – the villain in this book (I’m being vague so as not to give away the twistiness) and the details of him/her are so good and totally not the normal story line that you get in fantasy books. I cannot rave enough about the book itself, but the way Raasch wrote every character, including this one, is just astonishing.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the Broke & the Bookish. Check out more Top Ten features on their site.
Vitala Salonius, champion of the warlike game of Caturanga, is as deadly as she is beautiful. She’s a trained assassin for the resistance, and her true play is for ultimate power. Using her charm and wit, she plans to seduce her way into the emperor’s bed and deal him one final, fatal blow, sparking a battle of succession that could change the face of the empire.
As the ruler of a country on the brink of war and the son of a deposed emperor, Lucien must constantly be wary of an attempt on his life. But he’s drawn to the stunning Caturanga player visiting the palace. Vitala may be able to distract him from his woes for a while—and fulfill other needs, as well.
Lucien’s quick mind and considerable skills awaken unexpected desires in Vitala, weakening her resolve to finish her mission. An assassin cannot fall for her prey, but Vitala’s gut is telling her to protect this sexy, sensitive man. Now she must decide where her heart and loyalties lie and navigate the dangerous war of politics before her gambit causes her to lose both Lucien and her heart for good. – Goodreads
It’s taken me a few days to write this, primarily because I’ve been busy adulting and buying a house. It makes me very excited to say that, should we get this house, there will be a room that will have no television and will be used for reading. How exciting is that?! Not a reading nook, but a sunroom…I’ll take it.
The other reason that has been holding me back from writing this review is a small part in the book. A small part that really bugged me, but kind of-sort of redeemed itself. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoyed the book. But I almost put it down because of a rape scene.
I am not a fan of rape scenes. I feel that they’re overdone in fantasy and do little to propel the story forward. I can think of ONE book where the rape scene actually contributed to the story and main character, where she used the incident to bounce back and do good for others.
This was not such a scene.
She tried to ignore it. Mild discomfort, she told herself. It’s mild discomfort, nothing more.
She chalked it up to practice for seducing the emperor. Um, no. Rape is not practice. Rape is a violation of your body and self. It is not effing mild discomfort.
For a while, it’s as if the scene never happened. She kills him mid-orgasm (no joke—it’s the only time to kill a battle wizard) and runs away. It takes half of the book to bring it up again and then she’s pained by it. But even then, the pain is a cover up for a different issue. I was very disappointed in how it was handled.
Vitala is the worst assassin in the world. She has had one job for eight years: kill the emperor. He’s a battle wizard, so it has to be mid-orgasm, when his mind is most occupied so he won’t see an attack coming. Seriously. Anyway, she keeps getting distracted and decides she just wants to bone him all the time, and doesn’t kill him.
The emperor is an amputee, which was different and neat. He was by far the most complex character, which isn’t saying much.
It reeked of instalove, a characteristic that I can’t stand.
Despite this, I really enjoyed the way the sentences and words flowed. I enjoyed Raby’s writing style—it’s what kept me in the story.
Overall, I’d rate it a 3/5 on Goodreads. I enjoyed the read for the most part, but it’s not a favorite.
lifebetweenreads.com 