Stacking the Shelves (#80)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, in which bloggers share the books and swag they've received in the past week!

So, what did I get in the week of Sunday, June 29th to Saturday, July 5th?

(all links to Goodreads are provided!)

In the mail:

Frozen by Erin Bowman swag

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee swag

A huge thanks to both ladies, for sending me swag!

From NetGalley:

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

SO EXCITED TO READ THIS ONE!! Thank you, Skyscape!

From Amazon (from my Kindle):

Outcast by C.J. Redwine

I pre-ordered this one! I'm not usually one for novellas, but I do enjoyed Redwine's books :D

So, this week was busy. My first week at work! I love my job. But if you follow me on Twitter, then you probably saw what happened on Thursday night. Scary. And then Friday, Independence Day here in the States! BBQs and fireworks galore!

And today, July 5th! It's actually my 19th birthday. Last year, I actually did a whole post about my birthday, and made it into a mini celebration and giveaway. I was going to do something similar this year, but after Thursday night, I really didn't have the heart to do it. But in all seriousness, thank you all so much for being here, for following me, for reading my posts, for putting up with my quick tongue and brutal honesty. All of you have my respect, and my gratitude. Thank you <3

Review: A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

Book Two of the Something Strange and Deadly series

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: July 23, 2013

Rating: 3 stars

Source: ARC won from a giveaway

Summary (from Goodreads):

With her brother dead and her mother insane, Eleanor Fitt is alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor hears the vicious barking of hounds and sees haunting yellow eyes, she fears that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are after her.

To escape, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. But Oliver harbors a dangerous secret involving necromancy and black magic that entices Eleanor beyond words. If she can resist him, she'll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over, and there's a whole new evil lurking. And she is forced to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for.

In Paris, there's a price for this darkness strange and lovely, and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.

What I Liked:

I actually really liked the first book - it was so funny and original and I LOVED the setting of the book - you don't encounter that type of historical fiction very often. 1800s Philadelphia is definitely a unique setting. So anyway, the first book took me by surprise - I liked it a lot! This book, on the other hand, didn't live up to the first book (in my opinion). There were good things and there were bad things, but overall, I'm still very much looking forward to reading the third book (coming your way in about two weeks)!

Eleanor is on her way to Paris, to find the Spirit-Hunters. She leaves Philadelphia when she realizes that Marcus is after her. She takes a boat to Paris, in search of the Spirit-Hunters, but the journey to Paris holds so much more for her. Not only does her brother's demon guardian in the form of a man find her, but she is forced to bind to him, in order to protect herself from the Hounds. Eleanor becomes dependent on magic, and Joseph and Jie and Daniel realize this, when Eleanor finally reaches Paris. It's quite the mess, because Eleanor is a powerful necromancer and spell-worker, especially thanks to Oliver (the demon's) magic. The Spirit-Hunters are totally against this, and things start to crumble for Eleanor.

This entire book shows the aftermath of everything for Eleanor in book one - the loss of Eleanor's Daniel's rejection, Eleanor's brother's death, her reputation, and so on. This book is full of pain and heartache and desire - Eleanor wants to prove herself, wants to be independent, wants to forget and move on. But nothing comes easier for her. Her journey to Paris is one obstacle after another - she has to handle a lot of information and changes in a very short time.

Honestly? I wasn't Eleanor's biggest fan in this book, though I liked her a lot in this book. I loved Joseph, Jie, and Daniel - it was so good to see the Spirit-Hunters in action, though I feel like Dennard really let that aspect of the book go a bit, the group just didn't seem the same. Almost detached, or not there. Maybe it was just Paris in general.

I did, however, really like Oliver. He is so funny! He has horrible timing though, but I really his personality and humor. For a demon, he's alright! And don't worry, he doesn't complete a love triangle or anything. Eleanor loves Daniel, Daniel loves Eleanor, but Daniel is apparently still sticking to the rejection, and Eleanor is pretending she never said anything. Lovely.

So yeah. The romance sucked. I had almost HOPED Oliver would be the newly introduced love interest, to make a love triangle. I KNOW, ME WANTING A LOVE TRIANGLE. That is a how desperate I am for Daniel and Eleanor to wake the f*** up and realize a good thing in front of them. 

I'm just going to move on to the next section, since it seems like I've reached the negatives. I know this review will seem negative, but three stars is fairly representative of how I felt. I definitely will read book three to find out how it all ends. My review will be up in two weeks. Hopefully, this book was experienced the dreaded sequel slump, but the third book will pull the series up. 

What I Did Not Like:

Eleanor. The Spirit-Hunters. The romance. The overall feeling of this book. This book was lackluster, compared to the stunning book one. I didn't FEEL the wonderful historical fiction setting enveloping me in every scene. I didn't love most of the character - Eleanor was pathetic, Joseph and Jie were either detached or angry, Daniel was basically never around, and Oliver, well, I actually liked Oliver.

Eleanor. Is. Pathetic. Mope mope mope, woe is me, I have extraordinary powers, but my friends the Spirit-Hunters don't like it when I used them, they call me evil and not trustworthy and OMG EVERYONE FEEL SORRY FOR ME. I didn't feel very much pity towards Eleanor in this book. If anything, her constant gloom-and-doom attitude repelled me.

The Spirit-Hunters were such a HUGE part of book one. In this book, Eleanor cannot wait to meet the Spirit-Hunters, to gain their help against Marcus. But even though the Spirit-Hunters theoretically seem like a huge part of this book, they're barely there! When Eleanor finally reaches Paris, I feel like we never get much of the Spirit-Hunters, especially Daniel.

Daniel. He is painted as the bad guy, after his rejection in book one, but I honestly think Eleanor was ridiculous in this book. She doesn't want to act rejected by Daniel, and yet, she can't stand to be around him, and she's jealous of his groupies. Mixed signals much, Eleanor? It's not cute. I'm not amused.

I HATE what Dennard has done with the romance in this book. Every time Daniel and Eleanor get a moment together (which is like, never. Twice, maybe), someone interrupts them (OLIVER!), or Eleanor acts stupid, or SOMETHING. I am not pleased with the romance at all. For that matter, I am not pleased with Daniel and Eleanor's relationship in general.

This book was missing something. The first book was magical, compelling, intriguing. But this book seemed dull in comparison, dull, boring, flat, unnecessary. NOTHING concrete happens in this book. We start and finish in the same situation - must kill/defeat Marcus, Daniel/Eleanor is not a thing, Eleanor is powerful. This isn't what a sequel should do! A sequel should further the overall plot of the series, should set up the series in a larger picture, should build up the third book. This book was a bit of a flop, in my opinion.

Would I Recommend It:

Hmm. If you haven't read the first book, don't start the series. Wait until the third book comes out to binge-read the series, or don't start the series at all. But if you've read the first book, it's definitely worth continuing the series! 

Rating:

3 stars. While I think this was a pretty poor sequel, it was an okay book. I'm looking forward to reading the third book - hopefully, it redeems the series! Although, I've heard mixed things already. Ahhh.

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Welcome to the Opposition blog tour! Are you as excited to read this book as I am?! Check out this post and enter to win Opposition!

Don't miss Opposition, the fifth and final book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s bestselling Lux series. Also included only in the print edition is Shadows, the prequel novella never before seen in print! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.

Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book Five of the Lux series

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: August 5, 2014

Official Summary:

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came. She can’t believe Daemon stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Check out the other books in the series!

   

(Click on each image for the Goodreads information)

About the Author:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

The Giveaway:

To win a signed copy of Opposition, answer the following question in the comments:

What do you like most about the Lux series?

USA/Canada only, ends 07/31. Good luck!

Swoon Thursday (#75): The Fire Wish by Amber Lough

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from The Fire Wish by Amber Lough!

My hear beat a little faster. "It's still me," I said.

He smiled. It was like the sun rising after an endless night. "Then it doesn't matter what you are." He pulled me closer, and I was melting in his eyes. They were like jasper, green and brown, and they drew me in. He closed them, then placed his lips on mine. He was warm and tasted like cinnamon. 

His kiss was like transporting to another world, and it was just as frightening and exciting as my first trip to the palace had been. Every vein in my body flushed, knowing that he didn't care I was a jinni. I didn't have to pretend I was a human, or a princess, anymore. He pulled away and a lopsided smile spread across his face.

- ARC, pages 282-283

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Read my review HERE.

I LOVED this book! Jinni for the win!

Waiting on Wednesday (#79): Ignite by Sara B. Larson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Ignite by Sara B. Larson

Book Two of the Defy series

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication: January 6, 2015

Summary (from Goodreads):

Murder, abductions, and forbidden romance abound in this thrilling sequel to Sara B. Larson's acclaimed YA debut, DEFY.

Alexa remains by the newly crowned King Damian’s side as his guard, ever committed to helping him rebuild Antion and reclaim the hope of Antion's people, despite continuing to harbor a secret love for him. However, when another threat to Damian and his kingdom emerges, and blame is cast on their newly forged allies from Blevon, Alexa knows things are not what they seem. With the fate of her nation hanging in the balance once again, will Alexa be able to protect her king and uncover the true enemy -- before it's too late?

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

I really enjoyed the first book, Defy! Read my review, if you're interested. I cannot wait to read this (gorgeous and very purple) sequel!

Blog Tour Favorite Quotes and Giveaway: Unravel by Imogen Howson

Welcome to the blog tour for Unravel by Imogen Howson! I'm so pleased to share this post with you and be a part of this tour - I LOVED this series! Check out my reviews, my favorite quotes from Unravel, and the awesome giveaway!

Read my review of Linked (book one)!

Read my review of Unravel (book two)!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Unravel:

"Cadan bent his head to hears, that little smile still warming his eyes. When he kissed her, she lost her own breath. And it didn't matter what would have happened in an alternate universe, or even in a universe with a slightly different order to events."

"Elissa wasn't looking at a weirdly alien-familiar face. She was looking at her sister, he twin, someone whom she might not understand, but someone whom she might not understand, but whom she knew, whom she loved."

"'Why are you acting like it's a problem that you love me? For goodness' sake, I love you, don't I?'

It was the look on his face that brought her short. 'Now what? What is it?'

'You never said that before,' he said."

"The explosion came, thunderous, world shaking, but from behind the flyer. The grenade had bounced off it, struck the ground before it exploded.

Every last bit of strength went from Elissa's knees. She started to crumple, and Ady caught her. He pulled her away from the doorway and lowered her to the floor.

Then Cadan was there, swinging himself up into the flyer. He reached up, hit the door button, and the door clamped shut, sealing them all in."

Check out the book!

Unravel by Imogen Howson

Book Two of the Linked series

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: July 8, 2014

Official Summary:

Untold dangers await telepathic twins in this sequel to the futuristic, romantic thriller called classic sci-fi, space-travel adventure at its best. After Elissa and Lin exposed the government's secret experiments in Linked, which Booklistcalled a roller-coaster ride into space that just about everyone should enjoy, their home planet Sekoia is thrown into chaos. Determined to do their part to help the planet they've hurt, they return to Sekoia only to discover that things are far worse that they imagined. Resources are suddenly scarce, people are scared, and there's a rising current of anger against the Spares. When Lissa and Lin find themselves among another group of Spares and twins, they feel like they've found their kindred spirits at last. But a threat none of them could have expected is lying in wait for Sekoia's Spares.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Check out book one!

Linked by Imogen Howson

Book One of the Linked series

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Publication Date: June 11, 2013

Summary (from Goodreads): 

Elissa used to have it all: looks, popularity, and a bright future. But for the last three years, she’s been struggling with terrifying visions, phantom pains, and mysterious bruises that appear out of nowhere. 

Finally, she’s promised a cure: minor surgery to burn out the overactive area of her brain. But on the eve of the procedure, she discovers the shocking truth behind her hallucinations: she’s been seeing the world through another girl’s eyes. 

Elissa follows her visions, and finds a battered, broken girl on the run. A girl—Lin—who looks exactly like Elissa, down to the matching bruises. The twin sister she never knew existed. 

Now, Elissa and Lin are on the run from a government who will stop at nothing to reclaim Lin and protect the dangerous secrets she could expose—secrets that would shake the very foundation of their world. 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About the Author:

As a child, I loved reading so much that I not only read in bed, at the table and in the bath, but in the shower and – not so successfully – on my bicycle.

I enjoyed books in a slightly unorthodox way, too – many of my childhood books have ragged edges where I tore paper from the margins in order to eat it.

I wrote my first book at eight. It was entitled The Dragon in the Teapot and would probably have been a huge hit if I hadn’t lost the only copy on a family day out.

Some years later, armed with several different types of backups, I’m busy writing romantic science fiction and fantasy for young adults and adults.

I live with my partner, our two teenage daughters, and three cats, near Sherwood Forest in England. I’m a Christian, a feminist, and a lover of cheese, chocolate, stationery shops and eighties pop music. I still read in most places, but I no longer eat paper.

I’m a member of The Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the group blogs The Lucky 13s and Author Allsorts, and the online writers’ community Romance Divas. I’m represented by Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Literary Agency.

You can keep in touch with me on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/imogenhowsonauthor – or Twitter –http://twitter.com/imogenhowson.

Or please feel free to contact me by email.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

The Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Danger in Tempting an Earl by Sophie Barnes

The Danger in Tempting an Earl by Sophie Barnes

Book Three of the At The Kinsborough Ball series

Publisher: Avon Books

Publication Date: July 29, 2014

Rating: 2 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***

Summary (from Goodreads):

Lucien Marvaine never thought he was good enough for Katherine. As the younger son of an earl, he didn't have a title or prospects. Then fate steps in and gives him a second chance, and this new Earl of Roxbury is determined to make the beautiful Kate his own . . . one touch . . . one kiss at a time.

Katherine never thought of herself as a temptress, certainly not with Lucien. Why, she's known him almost all her life! Yet as she waltzes in Lucien's arms at the Kingsborough Ball, she can't help but be drawn to him. Has he always been this hard and masculine? And where did those dimples come from? Kate is not looking for a husband . . . but how can she not surrender to Lucien's charms when love is at stake?

What I Liked:

Well. This one was not to my liking, very much. This series started brilliantly, in my opinion. The Trouble with Being a Duke was SO GOOD, a gorgeous Cinderella retelling, and I gave it four stars. The second book was The Scandal in Kissing an Heir, and that one was an okay novel, a Rapunzel retelling, garnering three stars from me. I'm not sure which tale this book is retelling, but it got two stars from me. So it would seem that the series is declining in quality, I'm afraid.

For what it's worth, I liked Lucien a lot. Lucian and Kate were friends when they were younger - they grew up together, along with Crossby, who ended up wooing Kate and marrying her, NOT Lucien. This story is not typical, because instead of Kate being in love with Lucien from the beginning, it's Lucien who has always been in love with Kate, and Kate never had a clue.

I must say, I rather hate this type of romance. See more below. So that kind of ruined the romance for me. And that's a really big part of the HISTORICAL ROMANCE novel. Also, the secondary plot was stupid. 

Also, I hate widower-type books as well. When the woman's husband died, leaving her with children, or even without children, just the title. I don't know why this bothers me so much. The same goes with a widower male. Not a fan of that story, though you don't see it too often in historical romance novels. I think the only widower historical romance novel I've liked is Elizabeth Hoyt's Thief of Shadows. I loveeee Hoyt's books.

But as I mentioned before, I really, really liked Lucien. He is the reason why this book gets two stars, as a opposed to one star. I loved how much he loved Kate, how hard he worked to get her to notice him and his feelings, all of the selfish things that didn't seem selfish at all, in the name of love. 

Now. Let's get to what I didn't like.

What I Did Not Like:

The romance. The secondary plot. Kate. Ugh ugh ugh. There were too many little AND big things that really weren't all that great. I really enjoyed the first book of this series. This series had a lot of promise, especially with the unique way that the author set up this series, but this book, and the previous one, to be honest, weren't that good.

I really did not like the romance. Lucien is in love with Kate. They were childhood friends. I'm not sure why I don't like it when the male is in love with the female from childhood. Personally, I'm not sure I like it when the female is in love with the male from childhood. A few years, maybe, but childhood? Ehhh, not necessarily the story I like to read. At any rate, I dislike this romance setup. Lucien is so smitten, his love for Kate never wavering, even when she married his rival (their childhood peer). 

For that matter, I seriously do not like Kate. She married Crossby, who never loved her, but married her to spite Lucien. What?! Are you serious?! Did Kate herself ever love Crossby? Because it didn't seem like it. Kate had her pick of many men, including Lucien, but she chose horrible Crosby, who ended up treating her pretty terribly. I would have chosen Lucien any day.

So when you hate the romance in a ROMANCE novel, that's kind of the whole book right there. This book really had no chance, as soon as I realized how the romance was set up. Also? It was a bunch of crap, in my opinion. So much back-and-forth, indecision, stupid wavering from Kate. Lucien flirts with her, proclaims his feelings for her, drops everything for her, and that's still not good enough?! Spoiled b****. She acts so entitled and snobby, especially since she has her precious daughter (with her late husband, of course). He proposes marriage to her over and over, and she refuses. But of course, when she finally deems that she is ready, and he doesn't ask her, suddenly he doesn't love her, right?! Are you f***ing kidding me?! The man asked you to marry him HOW MANY TIMES?! Of course he's not asking at the moment, how many times can a man have his pride wounded like that!? Ugh.

Moving on to the secondary plot. Oh my gosh. It revolves around Kate, and it's so stupid. It really pops out of nowhere, and I rather dislike it a lot. It just proves to me that Lucien is an honorable, decent, love-struck gentleman, and Kate deserves to be run over by a wagon. NOT that the conflict is necessarily directly her fault, but gosh she is so dumb. There is one thing that she did that is SO DUMB - I can't say the specifics but ugh, who is that stupid?! WHO?!

I've probably said enough, right? Steer clear of this one, unfortunately. The first book in the series was amazing! Magical! Captivating! This one... not so much.

Would I Recommend It:

No, not at all, unfortunately. I'm so happy that I stuck through this series (so far), but I think I've reached my limit with the series. We'll see when the premise of the next book is released (if there is another book in the works). I would TOTALLY recommend the first book, The Trouble with Being a Duke, but not the second book or this one.

Rating:

2 stars. Lucien gets those two stars - I really like him. I had hoped for more from this book, given my immense love for the first book, but this book was even worse than the second book (not that the second book was horrible, but it wasn't great). Try the first book in this series, or Sophie Jordan's A Good Debutante's Guide To Ruin!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!