Saturday, September 2, 2017

Judging a Book by Its Cover (17)

I do Judging a Book by Its Cover randomly, when I collect several book covers that I think are worthy of being judged as awesome! You can see all my Judging a Book by Its Cover posts here.

I know some of these covers may have been released a while ago, but I hope you see something new that catches your eye!

Links will take you to Goodreads.


The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert | January 30, 2018
Everless by Sara Holland | January 2nd, 2018


What do you think of these covers? Which early 2018 releases are you anxiously anticipating? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Review: The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Title: The Diabolic
Author: S.J. Kincaid
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: November 1st, 2016
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Pages: 416
Series: The Diabolic #1
1. The Diabolic
2. The Empress (expected pub October 31, 2017)
3. Untitled
Synopsis:
Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator's daughter, Sidonia. There's no one Nemesis wouldn't kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy's most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she's been told she doesn't have - humanity. And, amidst all the danger, action and intrigue, her humanity might be the only thing that can save her, Sidonia and the entire Empire...

I really enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down! It was awesome following Nemesis’s story and watching her learn and grow as she tried to fill Sidonia’s shoes under the watchful eye of the Emperor.

Nemesis wasn’t created to feel and have opinions. But when she’s living at the Chrysanthemum with the Royal family, she realizes that she can’t pretend to be a human without some side effects, such as blooming feelings and strong opinions. When tragedy strikes, Nemesis has to team up with some unlikely characters to fulfill her purpose and survive in the Emperor’s world.

All the characters have been well thought-out and are unique in their own ways. Nemesis is a really strong lead female; she’s the picture of physical strength and soon begins to learn about morality and what makes a good person. I think my favourite character was Tyrus, the Emperor’s nephew. He’s next in line for the throne and spends most the book playing a dangerous political game. But what I liked best about him was the way he never judged Nemesis because she was a Diabolic, which is basically the equivalent to an animal in the eyes of the humans.

Apparently this book was originally published as a stand-alone, but now it has 2 sequels upcoming. As much as I’m excited to read more about Nemesis’s story, it was really well done as a stand-alone and I also would’ve been happy to have it end after one book. Now, all I can hope is that the sequels live up to my high expectations!

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

I'm Back!

Hello book blogging world!

As you may have noticed, my blog has a brand spanking new theme and layout and no more broken links and outdated content! Woo! I have decided to try and jump back into the book blogging world. And with that comes the new look!

A little about where I'm at in life right now:

After living and working in Melbourne, Australia for 4 and a half years, I decided to move back to Ottawa, Canada to be closer to my family and try to get some teaching work in my hometown. Since my move in January 2017, I've done some tutoring and started working as a supply teacher in some local schools. Now, I'm ready for the new school year to start so I can begin networking and looking for a more permanent teaching role here in Ottawa.

Since I'm supply teaching, and it's summer (granted it's almost over), I have more time on my hands and think my book blogging hobby could use some dusting off. You'll have to bear with me though, I haven't written much of anything in years so I could be a bit rusty to start out with. But I'm excited to get back into it!

Crossing my fingers for a miraculous comeback!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Public Service Announcement

I don't often talk about my personal life on my book blog, but with the way I've neglected this blog, I feel an explanation is needed. Even though I'm 95% sure no one really followed/follows my blog avidly. But anyway...

My life has changed a lot in the last year and a half or so, to which I attribute my lack of blogging.

In August 2012, I moved from Canada to Australia to gain some experience teaching and to travel and see more of the world. I started doing substitute teaching right away and worked most days until the end of November when I was offered a full time position, starting in January 2013. (Reminder that the school year here goes from February to December.)

It was my first time having my own class. My first contract teaching job. And it was in a special needs school, something in which I didn't have much experience. Needless to say, the job enveloped my life. It was my first year teaching and I had a lot of learning and work to do to really set myself up as a teacher with my own class. I didn't have any time for blogging anymore. Heck, I hardly had any time for reading. I read half the amount of books I'd usually read in a year. It became a reality that book blogging was in the past for me.

Fast-forward a year. I'm not in my second year of teaching at the same school. I have some experience teaching. I know (more-or-less) what I'm doing and what's expected of me. I don't need to stress as much about doing my job right, because I know I can do it right.

That being said, I'm making a bigger effort to take time to read for pleasure. I don't know if this will lead me back to book blogging, but I hope so. I love reading. I love the book community. I had such an awesome time when I was book blogging and part of that community. The fact alone that I'm taking the time to write this tells me I'm already on the track back. Even if it will be less frequent than it once was.

I hope I can find my way back.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Judging a Book by Its Cover (16)

I do Judging a Book by Its Cover randomly, when I collect several book covers that I think are worthy of being judged as awesome! You can see all my Judging a Book by Its Cover posts here.

Have I got a haul here for you today! Enjoy!

Links will direct you to the corresponding Goodreads pages.









Control by Lydia Kang | December 26, 2013
Teardrop by Lauren Kate | October 22, 2013

Be sure to click on the covers to see them bigger!

What do you think of these covers? Which ones are you anticipating the most? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Judging a Book by Its Cover (15)

I do Judging a Book by Its Cover randomly, when I collect several book covers that I think are worthy of being judged as awesome! You can see all my Judging a Book by Its Cover posts here.

Links will direct you to the corresponding Goodreads pages.

ACID by Emma Pass | April 25, 2013
Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell | February 4, 2014

Coda by Emma Trevayne | May 7, 2013
Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory | October 15, 2013


Proxy by Alex London | June 18, 2013
After Eden by Helen Douglas | July 4, 2013


Be sure to click on the covers to see them bigger!

What do you think of these covers? Which ones are you anticipating the most? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (68)





"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!





This week I'm waiting on a few sequels! So remember, beware of spoilers!


Shadows in the Silence
(Angelfire #3)

by Courtney Allison Moulton
Publication date: January 29, 2013

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
Your strength in heart and hand will fall...
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.

And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.

Why I want it: I can't wait to see how this action-packed series ends. I love Courtney's writing, she writes the best fight scenes I've seen.


Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)
by Tahereh Mafi
Publication date: February 5, 2013

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Why I want it: I absolutely fell in love with Tahereh's writing when I read Shatter Me. I can't wait to read more of it, and see Juliette get even stronger than she already has.


Sever (Chemical Garden #3)
by Lauren DeStefano
Publication date: February 12, 2013

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
Time is running out for Rhine in this conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden Trilogy.

With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

Why I want it: After the way Fever ended, I can't get my hands on this book soon enough. It breaks my heart that Rhine and Gabriel are still separated, and that bombshell with Rowan at the end was crazy! I need this book!

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Review: To Wed the Fae Prince by V. Vervain

Title: To Wed the Fae Prince
Author: V. Vervain
Publisher: self-published
Publication date: August 4, 2012
Genre: Adult, paranormal
Pages: 87 (ebook)
Source: From author for review

Synopsis:
Etta Cooper has been promised to marry the Prince of the Faeries since before she was born. A move from her mundane life and family take her into the enchanted Faeryland where she is promised to the handsome Bronn, eldest prince of the Fae King, but when Bronn decides he doesn't want her she is betrothed to his elegant, introspective, and... sullen younger brother Farron. Farron is a human hater. Trapped in this lush, beautiful world of faery Etta longs to escape until she begins to spend time with Farron, and their conversations slowly chip away at the frosty, superior mask he wears. Perhaps, just perhaps Farron is exactly the challenge she's been looking for...

I was definitely not expecting what was in this book. Readers have listed it as YA on Goodreads, but it is not a YA book. The age of the main character alone does not dictate how you should categorize a book, people. The content dictates that much more than anything.

Obviously the plot of the story intrigued me enough to accept the book for review. And I still think it’s a great story. But I was caught off-guard when I thought I was reading a YA paranormal romance and then things got pretty sexually explicit. Once the sexual aspect of the story became the focus, the plot fell apart a bit. I think less emphasis should have been put on erotica and more on the plot.

In Faeryland, time moves different for Etta, and I thought that was a really neat concept. Many stories talk about how eating Fae foods and dancing with them can confuse human minds, and Vervain put that idea into her story quite well. The writing was good, smooth, and quick. I read it in one sitting. There were few spelling and grammar errors, and it’s great to see that from indie/self-published novels.

Although I was a bit upset over the unexpected sexual encounters in the book, I still really enjoyed it. It was a quick read, but I also would have liked for it to be longer. That way more of the interesting plot-lines could have been explored. If you’re going to pick this one up, just be aware of explicit sex scenes. But I would recommend it if you like Fae stories.

Thanks to the author for the ebook review copy!