Review: Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman

2/5 Stars
368 Pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: September 1st, 2015
ISBN: 9780764213137

 Strong and adventurous Gwendolyn Barnes longs to be a knight like her chivalrous brothers. However, that is not an option for her, not even in the Arthurian-inspired Eden where she dwells. Her parents view her only as a marriage pawn, and her domineering father is determined to see her wed to a brutish man who will break her spirit.

When handsome, good-hearted Allen of Ellsworth arrives in Edendale searching for his place in the world, Gwendolyn spies in him the sort of fellow she could imagine marrying. Yet fate seems determined to keep them apart. Tournaments, intrigue, and battles--along with twists and turns aplenty--await these two as they struggle to find love, identity, and their true destinies.

I'll admit that I expected a lot better after the first book. Even though that one was just okay it was still at least entertaining. I can't say the same about this one unfortunately. I definitely had some problems with it.

First of all the insti-love. Drives me crazy every single time. I understand that this takes place in the middle ages, but give me a break. After talking two, maybe three times they are completely in love. No. Not for me.

This book was pretty cheesy. Some of Allen's thoughts actually made me laugh they were so romantic and yet too unrealistic. Also, the battle scenes were really unrealistic and it never really described who was injured in them and it never even introduced half the people fighting in them. It was just to unrealistic for me.

The best part of the book was the writing and the historical details. I love reading about this time period so that part was interesting for me. The plot moved smoothly and that and the fact that I enjoyed the first book were the reasons I kept with this book.

Overall I'm not sure if I would recommend this. Definitely not for YA even though that's sort of the age group its aimed for. I guess if you want a read that will get you thinking this would be it.

Review: Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

DNF
284 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: July 7th, 2009

Alyson Noël's bestselling Immortals series has been hailed as "addictive," "beautiful," "haunting," and "mesmerizing." In Blue Moon, Ever has a chance to bring her family back from the dead - but only if she's willing to sacrifice the guy she loves more than life itself.

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever's powers are increasing, Damen's begin to fade after he is stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, where she uncovers not only the secrets of Damen's past - the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden - but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them - or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day....

Its no secret that I really hated the first book- absolutely no 3D characters, a corny romance, a love interest that seemed to not be able to make up his mind... So I was very cautious when I started this book. Four years ago when I first attempted to conquer this series I really had problems with the first three books (the only ones I could force myself to read) and that definitely has not changed all these years later. Ever was a whiny as ever (no pun intended) and Damon was just as much as a corny jerk as I felt he was years ago. I DNFed this at about 200 pages and I honestly have no regrets. I will most likely not be coming back to the series either, even though I do own all six of the books. Lifes too short to waste on books you don't enjoy and for that reason a lot of my reviews from now on are probably going to be DNFs since I've given up on forcing myself to finish books I don't really care about. There are way to many good books in the world to be wasting my time on the ones I may think are not so good.

Review: The Memory Weaver by Jane Kirkpatrick

DNF-ed
Pages: 336
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: September 1st, 2015
ISBN: 9780800722326

Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now the young mother of two children, Eliza faces a different kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants them to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her departed mother's grave--and returning to the land of her captivity. Eliza longs to know how her mother, an early missionary to the Nez Perce Indians, dealt with the challenges of life with a sometimes difficult husband and with her daughter's captivity.

When Eliza is finally given her mother's diary, she is stunned to find that her own memories are not necessarily the whole story of what happened. Can she lay the dark past to rest and move on? Or will her childhood memories always hold her hostage?

Based on true events, The Memory Weaver is New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick's latest literary journey into the past, where threads of western landscapes, family, and faith weave a tapestry of hope inside every pioneering woman's heart. Readers will find themselves swept up in this emotional story of the memories that entangle us and the healing that awaits us when we bravely unravel the threads of the past.

I really thought I was going to love this book. One of my absolute favorite genres is historical fiction so when I saw this I was super excited- of course I had to request it! When I started reading it though, I really struggled. It really captured my attention but there was just something about it that didn't sit right with me. I don't know if its simply because I don't read many adult books or if its something else but I just couldn't really get into it. For this reason I could not finish it. I may come back to it later but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

***I received a review copy in exchange for my honest review.***   

Blog Tour: Max the Brave by Ed Vere

Max is a fearless kitten. Max is a brave kitten. Max is a kitten who chases mice. There’s only one problem—Max doesn’t know what a mouse looks like! With a little bit of bad advice, Max finds himself facing a much bigger challenge. Maybe Max doesn’t have to be Max the Brave all the time…

Join this adventurous black cat as he very politely asks a variety of animals for help in finding a mouse. Young readers will delight in Max’s mistakes, while adults will love the subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor of this new children’s classic.

Ed Vere is an author, artist and illustrator with a long track record of success in the picture book category. Max the Brave was named one of The Sunday Times’s 100 Modern Children’s Classics. His book Bedtime for Monsters was shortlisted for the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize and Mr Big was chosen by Booktrust as the official Booktime book for 2009 (and was distributed to 750,000 British schoolchildren making it the largest single print run of a picture book). Vere was the World Book Day illustrator for 2009.

 

This was a super cute book for me. I usually don't read children's books but this one caught my attention with the cover and just the fact that its about cats- I've always loved cats. I loved reading about Max trying to find a mouse and how he didn't know what a mouse was. I feel that this will definitely appeal to young kids and maybe even kids first learning to read by themselves. Overall I would recommend it to anyone with kids under 9.

 

***A review copy was provided to me in exchange for my honest review and also so I could be a part of the blog tour. A huge thank you goes out!!!***

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Blog Tour: The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore

4/5 Stars
Pages: 320
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release Date: September 15th, 2015
ISBN: 9781250058652

For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

Beautifully written, and richly imaginative, The Weight of Feathers is an utterly captivating young adult novel by a talented new voice.

When I first started reading this book there was something that just didn't click with me. I wasn't really sure what genre it was classified in, I originally thought it was realistic fiction but I now realize it is more of a fantasy. It just seemed to move slow for me and I couldn't really connect with either of the main characters. Over time that changed though, and I really started to like the book.

The family relationships were a bit strained which was a really different but nice change. I've found that in YA families are either really close or nonexistent so this sort of in-between was unique. Neither of the main characters felt like they fit in with their families and that made them closer. It was nice to see another romance based on a friendship and even though it seemed impossible at times I loved how they stuck with each other the whole time.

Half way through the book it got way more entertaining for me. It felt like the author got into her groove and that was honestly the best part of the book. Everything just seemed to flow and I loved how at the end everything seemed to have a reason for happening and there were absolutely no loose ends.

The romance wasn't very over the top but it was there and it was nice. I loved how they looked past their family rivalries over time and just did what they wanted. I really enjoyed seeing them make their own decisions and not have to listen to anyone else.

The revelation at the end really surprised me and I liked that. I honestly never saw it coming. Overall I would recommend this book for someone who doesn't mind a slow beginning but a fast-paced book overall. I will definitely be checking out more by this author in the future!

***I received a review copy in exchange for my honest review. This I have given above.***

A huge thank you goes out to St. Martin's Press for including me on this book tour!!!

Waiting On Wednesday: Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

Release Date: November 10th, 2015

 It’s the book FALLEN fans have been waiting for: Cam’s story, the brooding, bad-boy dark angel readers love.

High school can be hell.
Cam knows what it’s like to be haunted. He’s spent more time in Hell than any angel ever should. And his freshest Hell is high school, where Lilith, the girl he can’t stop loving, is serving out a punishment for his crimes.
Cam made a bet with Lucifer: he has fifteen days to convince the only girl who really matters to him to love him again. If he succeeds, Lilith will be allowed back into the world, and they can live their lives together. But if he fails…there’s a special place in Hell just for him.
Tick-tock.
Spread your wings and cry as bad boy dark angel Cam finally reveals his anguished heart in the epic new FALLEN novel, UNFORGIVEN.

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the Fallen series I'm still going to read this, just because I can't leave a series unfinished. The cover is okay, Cam looks a little bit weird in it...

What book are you waiting for this week?

Cover Reveal: Darkest Dawn

I am super excited to share the amazing cover for DARKEST DAWN, the first book in a new series by Author Katlyn Duncan. DARKEST DAWN releases next week on September 17th and is available to pre-order now!

In addition to the reveal of this gorgeous cover, the reveal includes an eBook giveaway for one of the author’s previously released titles. Be sure to head down to the Rafflecopter for a chance to win after you’ve checked out the cover!

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The Cover Revealed!

Title: DARKEST DAWN
Author: Katlyn Duncan
Release date: September 17, 2015
Publisher: Carina
Format: eBook

Description:

One desperate journey for the truth

Returning to Willows Lake eleven years after her mother’s tragic death, Sloane Baker knows she will finally get the answers she needs! She always suspected that there was something more sinister at the heart of the accident that claimed her mother’s life, but a cryptic note could be the key to her past…

Two lives changed forever

The small town has always seemed safe to Brianna Taylor – until a mysterious new girl arrives who looks exactly like Bri! Now everything Bri knew has been thrown into question and Sloane’s arrival has changed the world of Willows Lake forever.

Strange things are happening in Willows Lake. But when they turn deadly, Bri and Sloane must find a way to save each other or risk losing everything they hold dear…

Pre-order it:

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | BARNES & NOBLE |  iTUNES LATAM

Add to GOODREADS

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About Katlyn Duncan

 

Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them.

Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world.

Find her:

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | TUMBLR | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | GOOGLE+ | GOODREADS

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The Giveaway

There is a blast-wide giveaway for...

• ONE (1) eBook copy of any one of the author’s backlist titles in Mobi or PDF format.

**Giveaway ends on September 17th at 8:00 AM Eastern. There will be ONE winner**

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...

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Review: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

4/5 stars
Pages: 352
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 22nd, 2015
ISBN: 9780316380867

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

A moving middle grade book that will stay with me for a long time, A Thing About Jellyfish captured my attention from the first page. I was definitely hooked! I absolutely loved all the facts in this book, it was like reading non-fiction only not boring! I had almost no problems with it.

The story was very moving. I feel that what Suzy did was called for, even though I can understand why she regretted it in the future. Over the book I felt myself hating Franny more and more over the things she did and I felt so sorry for Suzy. I loved how strong she was through it all and true to herself. She went through the stress of middle school, striving to be popular, get a boyfriend, get good grades and she still didn't cave to all the drama and I loved that we had a character like that.

This would be a perfect book for a pre-middle schooler to read and I just wish that I could have read it then too. It shows that you should always be yourself no matter what and you should be content doing that. I would strongly recommend it.

***I received a review copy in exchange for my honest review. This did not influence my rating or review in any way.***

Review: Evermore by Alyson Noel

1/5 Stars
Pages: 306
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: February 3rd 2009
ISBN: 9780312532758

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact to suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school — but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.
Damen is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head - wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is - or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

YA paranormal books are always hit or misses with me. This unfortunately was one of many misses. It had the usual "different" main character, the guy who acts like a jerk towards her one minute and the next acts like she's the only one for him, and of course insti-love. I definitely did not enjoy it.

There was so much telling instead of showing. We were TOLD that Ever felt guilty and missed her family, but there was never any crying, she never even seemed to show that she missed her parents. I honestly think that she missed her dog more than them. At least her sister was sort of a ghost (I don't know exactly what she was, it was never explained) and she saw her every day but she just seemed to take that for granted and never even seemed to wonder why she wasn't with her parents. She was a pretty dumb character, even though she apparently could ace tests with her "special powers".

Damon was the "perfect" guy, the made up prince in a fairytale. He was rich, Ever said that he was cute (again, telling not showing) and of course he showed interest in Ever. He's mysterious but nice to Ever, even though she is kind of an outcast. Overall, he was to good to be true and I hated that. All the girls seem to like him but of course he picks our main character, Ever, for no real reason whatsoever. It was cheesy and I hate how this happens all the time in YA. I want a REAL relationship that evolves over time. I don't mind if the book has any paranormal elements, that would actually be a bonus. I have yet to find that book.

The writing is actually pretty good but even that couldn't redeem the book for me. I really didn't like it.

I would definitely not recommend this book. I first read it a couple of years ago, before I even had Goodreads, and even then I thought it was pretty bad. I decided to try to reread the whole series but after the train wreck that is the second book I know I won't be able to make it through.

Book Tour: Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt

3.5/5 Stars
Pages: 352
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: September 1st, 2015
ISBN: 9781250070456

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story in which a wealthy Southern boy falls in love with an undocumented Mexican girl and together they face perils in their hostile Georgia town. Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

I really liked this book. I expected it to be a cute romance and it kind of was, except for the fact that Alma is an undocumented immigrant. This basically means that she can't live in the U.S and if anyone finds out that she is not legal she will be sent back to Mexico where there are no jobs. Evan, the love interest, is a star soccer player who's uncle is a governor. He doesn't know that Alma isn't a citizen of the U.S and she's afraid of what his reaction might be if he does find out. They sort of had a star-crossed romance the whole book and, like I said before, they were super cute together and they genuinely liked each other. The romance was the main aspect but it was in a good way and I loved how real it felt.

The plot was very organized and I liked that about it. Nothing was jumbled around and everything that happened made sense at the end. It seemed like there was constantly a new revelation and I loved how everything that happened was tied up neatly.

Alma was so close to her family and I found that to be a really nice change of pace. Usually in YA family members are glossed over and not 3D at all but in this book you could tell that Alma loved them all very much and I could see how much they cared for her too. She made smart decisions and I liked that.

I liked the multiple POV. It helped me while reading to hear what both of the main characters were thinking and what problems they were having at home. I really learned more about Evan this way and I could clearly separate the different voices.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a romance with real feeling. Go out and get it right now!

***A huge thank you goes out to St. Martin's Press for including me on this blog tour and for the opportunity to read and review this book. This did not impact my review or rating in any way.***

Review: Breakaway by Kat Spears

2.5/5 Stars
Pages: 304
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: September 15th, 2015
ISBN: 9781250065513

From Kat Spears, author of Sway, comes a new novel that asks the question: when a group of four best friends begin to drift apart, what will it take to bring them back together?
When Jason Marshall's younger sister dies, he knows he can count on his three best friends and soccer teammates — Mario, Jordie, and Chick — to be there for him. With a grief-crippled mother and a father who's not in the picture, he needs them more than ever. But when Mario starts hanging out with a rough group of friends and Jordie finally lands the girl of his dreams, Jason is left to fend for himself while maintaining a strained relationship with troubled and quiet Chick. Then Jason meets Raine, a girl he thinks is out of his league but who sees him for everything he wants to be, and he finds himself pulled between building a healthy and stable relationship with a girl he might be falling in love with, grieving for his sister, and trying to hold onto the friendships he has always relied on.
A witty and emotionally moving tale of friendship, first love, and loss, Breakaway is Kat Spears at her finest.

Even though I gave this book a slightly low rating, I still really enjoyed it. It has some fluff but it also deals with tough concepts which makes the fluff less fluffy. It was a moving novel and overall I really liked it.

The book moved smoothly. I loved how it dealt with coming of age topics like death and losing friendships. Nothing was sugarcoated and even though that was a part I enjoyed, on some level I didn't really like it. When I went into this book I didn't really think it would be so deep, what with the male narrator and all. I assumed it was more of a "guy book" with sports and a relationship with no real feelings, just attraction. I was kind of looking forward to that, it would be a nice change from all the mushy books I've been reading lately and since it wasn't I was a bit disappointed. What I found in this book was much better though and I'm glad it wasn't how I expected it to be.

The romance was pretty well written and I absolutely loved Jason and Raine together. I liked how she wasn't the spoiled rich girl like she seemed on the outside and how at first her and Jason were just friends. They actually got to know each other and even though they hated each other at first they found a way to get around that. They were perfect together.

This book was so sad in some ways. I felt so bad for Jason since his sister died and his mom seemed to wish it had been him instead. It also kind of depressed me how his friend group kind of breaks up and all that's left is him and Chick. Mario gets hooked on drugs and Jordie gets a new girlfriend and doesn't seem to have time for anyone else anymore. The author did a good job getting me to feel for Jason and I really liked that.

I'm not really sure why I didn't give this a higher rating, there was just something about it that didn't really appeal to me. I don't know if its because I don't really go to a school like Jason's where everyone seems to be divided into rich or poor, or if its simply because its narrated by a guy. I just seemed to be distanced from what was happening and that's the reason for my rating. Overall I would strongly recommend this book though.

***I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I have given this above.***

Review: Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett

2/5 Stars
Pages: 352
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 22nd, 2015
ISBN: 9780399166488

Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror.
“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”
These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.
Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.
As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt. 

I really expected to love this book. I loved the idea- a possible cult, creepy cornstalks, maybe a cute boy... But the actual book really did not live up to my expectations. I wanted some good old-fashioned horror with maybe a modern twist, but that was not what I got.

The characters were alright. Rhys, Ash's brother, really got on my nerves. I didn't like how he was portrayed, like all the girls liked him but he never paid attention to any of them. That was sort of the vibe I got, so I found it definitely strange that when he got to Quivira suddenly he found someone that he liked/loved. Call it fate or whatever you want, but this seemed to unrealistic to me especially since he only knew her for a couple weeks. That mixed with Ash and Lane's messed-up relationship really ruined the romance aspect of the book for me.

Ash and Dane HAD to have insti-love. Right when she saw him she was basically in love. He acted like a jerk towards her, he even seemed to be with another girl but Ash just ignored all that and just couldn't stay away from him. She was kind of an annoying main character to me.

The whole Katia communicating with Ash part really confused me. I never really understood it and the ending confused me even more especially with Dane. I probably wouldn't recommend this book which is pretty disappointing since I really thought I was going to love it. I'm still hoping to find a good YA horror this year so if you have any recommendations please let me know!

***I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.***

Waiting on Wednesday #5: The Murder of An Angel by James Patterson

Release Date: October 26th, 2015

In the dramatic conclusion of the bestselling Confessions series, Tandy Angel's next murder case could be her own!

Tandy Angel is losing her mind—or so she thinks. Even as she's forced to fight for the family company, she's imagining new dangers in every shadow. And as her detective prowess is called into question and her paranoia builds, she has to face the very real possibility that the stalker she's convinced will take her life could be all in her head—or the very real danger that finally brings her down.

Even though I didn't enjoy the other books all that much, I really need to know what happens next in this book! Stay tuned for my reviews for all four books!