Jun 4 2013

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2013)

This week’s feature, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is supposed to feature travel in some way. Because travel is just not that exciting to me unless it’s in the form of some grand adventure, so I have tweaked to the category a bit:

Top Ten Epic Adventures!

: Magician Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

: Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

: Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

: Sword – Dancer/Sword – Singer by Jennifer Roberson

: Redwall by Brian Jacques

: Pendragon: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale

: The Thief’s Gamble by Juliet E.McKenna

: Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

: The Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglass

All of these contain epic adventures in one form or another, whether it be by the high seas or through dangerous ogre-infested mountains. They are guaranteed to make you feel like you are on the journey with them without ever leaving your armchair.

I have reviews for some of them, if you’d like to read them you can click on the covers below:

Magician: Apprentice (5/5 stars!)

Magician Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

Sword Dancer/Sword Singer (4/5 stars)

Sword – Dancer/Sword – Singer by Jennifer Roberson

Pawn of Prophecy (4.5/5 stars)

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

Redwall (5/5 stars)

Redwall by Brian Jacques

These are all fantastic books and ones that I recommend constantly because who doesn’t love a good adventure? If you have a top ten list, I’d love to see it – leave a comment so I can come check it out! :-)

Jun 3 2013

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Out This Month – Noteworthy Releases June 2013!

These are, in my opinion, the best of the best book releases in June. There aren’t very many teen books this month, which is a contrasts to the last few months where it seems like I was struggling to include a good fantasy. My favorite release is Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead, but as I’ve already read it, I am most excited to pick up The Human by Keary Taylor. Are any of them on your list?

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Jun 2 2013

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Coming Soon: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Never Fade

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series: The Darkest Minds #2

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: October 15, 2013

The Overview: Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

Nik’s Notes:

After reading The Darkest Minds, I felt highly entertained yet still a little dissatisfied. I go into great detail in my review so I won’t delve into it here, but suffice to say it was a bit of a downer. Aside from that, I quite enjoyed the writing style, the characters, and the love story. Those things were powerful enough that even though I finish the book in a bad mood, I still want to see where she takes it next. If you liked Divergent, Partials, and The 5th Wave, this might be a great author for you to try next…

Here’s my review of book #1:

May 31 2013

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May 2013 – Review Recap!

This is the second month in a row that I’ve posted this feature, and I have to say it’s probably one of my favorites. Not only does it give you guys a chance to catch the reviews you missed, but it also allows me to reflect on all the stellar books I’ve been reading lately. I am now three months then to my commitment to only read the books at the top of my “must – read” list, leaving all of those “obligation” series for when there’s truly nothing exciting on my radar. I used to force myself through books that I wasn’t enjoying, but no more! Because of this, I haven’t enjoyed reading this much since I was a kid. Long story short, I’m not picking a favorite this month – there were too many good ones!

As a side note, I’ve also created a review archive with links to all the books I’ve reviewed since I started the blog (separated by genre, of course) which I will be updating periodically.

May’s Reviews:

(clicking on the covers will direct you to the full reviews)

Frost Burned: 5/5 stars!

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Fablehaven: 5/5 stars!

The Indigo Spell: 5/5 stars!

Walking Disaster: 4.5/5 stars

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection: 5/5 stars!

The Spirits War: 4.5/5 stars!

Chill Factor: 2.5/5 stars

A Shadow in Summer: 5/5 stars!

The Darkest Minds: 3.5/5 stars

Dancing with the Devil by Keri Arthur

Dancing with the Devil: 2/5 stars

This also happened to be the month that all my blogging dreams came true: one of my reviews was shared by my all-time favorite author, Richelle Mead. My first instinct was to play it off as if this sort of thing happens to me all the time; but who am I kidding? It is seriously the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me and made all of the blood sweat and tears I pour into this blog worth every moment!

There you have it – my adventures in May! There were couple of books that didn’t quite work for me for various reasons, but on the whole, this was a stellar month of reading! I cannot remember the last time I read so many five-star books in a month. What books were at the top of your list?

May 28 2013

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Ann Aguirre is Writing a New YA!

Title: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

Author: Ann Aguirre

Series: N/A

Genre: Teen Fiction

Release Date: 2015

(Pictured above is my temp cover for Ann Aguirre’s new book)

Ann Aguirre is one of my favorite authors and ever since I picked up her novel, Grimspace, I have resolved to read anything this woman publishes… Including a new book out in 2015 called The Queen of Bright & Shiny Things. It is a YA love story that sounds like it’s going to be both beautiful and heart-wrenching. Here’s a little blurb from her website:

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

It looks incredibly well conceived, and I absolutely love the way she writes about relationships. I know a lot of you out there loved her Razorland series, so now we all have something extra to look forward to! If you would like to participate in the mock-up cover design contest, here is the link to her Facebook page with all the details: https://www.facebook.com/ann.aguirre?fref=ts

Other amazing series by this author:

: Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

: Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

: Bronze Gods by Ann Aguirre

: Perdition by Ann Aguirre

May 28 2013

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Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Book Blogs I Follow! (5/28/2013)

This is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They normally provide categories for us, but this week is a freebee week. Because this feature has allowed me to get to know many of you in the book-blogging community, I thought I would dedicate this week’s TTT to some of my favorite bloggers!

Top Ten Book Blogs I Follow!

While I frequent many book blogs that aren’t listed here, these are the ones that are currently featuring the type of books I’m interested in, have the best layouts and overall visual elements, and/or do a great job keeping me entertained throughout the week – enjoy!

#1: There Were Books Involved…