Book Review: The Beholder by Anna Bright

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Book: The Beholder by Anna Bright

Published June 2019 by HarperTeen|435 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: The Beholder #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

I wasn’t sure about The Beholder at first, but I ended up really liking it!  It’s a pretty cool book, and I’m glad I read it.

Selah has an interesting journey, and the book in general reminded me of a fairy tale combined with an alternate history of the world.  I wish I could more specific but the book really felt like it was an alternate world and yet, it was a lot like ours.  There’s New York, the Potomac, Russia, England, King Arthur, Baba Yaga…I could go on and on about the myths and stories we see in the book.

Everything was done pretty well, and it was fun trying to figure everything out, and how everything was connected to stories I was familiar with.  It makes me wonder if there references to stories I’m not familiar with, and what we’ll see in the next book.  I wonder if we’ll meet the other suitors, or if Selah will try to not go meet them.  And with what was really going on with everyone on her ship, I’m curious to see what will happen.

I’m not sure about the time period the book is supposed to be set in, because there are some very familiar places, but also some pretty unfamiliar ones as well.  I’m having a hard time with that, because it feels so old, but it also feels modern in a way.  Either way, it’s a pretty interesting read.

I feel like it’s definitely set up that she’ll have to pick someone to marry, and I’m honestly not sure who I would choose.  She could go with anyone, and I’m glad that, for once, it’s not obvious who’s she going to go with.  After what happened in England, I’m not sure if she’ll go with him, but it really seems like she’s genuinely into both guys.  We’ll see what happens, of course, and I’m intrigued.  The next book feels so far away, but I’ll definitely wait and see, because I really want to know what happens.

4 stars.  I really liked The Beholder, and liked the combination of places and myths that come to life in this book.

Currently Obsessed With: July 2019

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Hello!  I can’t believe it’s August already, and the year is really flying by!

July was a pretty fun month for me.  Not a lot happened, but it was still a great month.  I went to the San Diego Zoo a few times…I ended up getting a membership when I went on July 4th, and it’s really fun to just walk around.  I’m pretty sore for a couple of days afterwards, because there are a lot of hills, but it’s worth it.

How can you not love baby giraffes?  There are two right now!  I only got a picture of one, but they’re both really adorable.

I just love the giraffes.

I’m bummed I didn’t make it before the pandas left a while back but we have polar bears!

Gerenuks look really cool, and they remind of giraffes.  And it’s amazing how they can stand up to eat.

And I actually managed to see a koala awake, which feels like a small miracle!

Anyway, that’s enough zoo talk!  I mostly just wanted to share some of the pictures, and there may be more to come.

I also hung up some pictures last month, and I can’t believe it’s taken me over a year to start decorating my room.  I’m in love with this starfish photo, this sea urchin photo, this macaron print, a really cool pineapple print, a Dragonfly Inn poster, and a Stars Hollow poster.  It’s just nice to actually have stuff hanging on my walls.  I’m actually surprised that I don’t have anything Harry Potter related hanging up but maybe I will one of these days.

I also had book club, which was fun!  We read The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson, and I really liked it.  I really liked the magic, and how connected they were to crows.  I’m curious to see where things go, and I’m pretty excited about the next book.

Really, that’s all I have for today.  I wish I had more to talk about, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have more to talk for August!  I hope you have a great day!

ARC Book Review: Vow Of Thieves by Mary Pearson

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Book: Vow Of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Expected Publication Is August 6, 2019 by Henry Holt & Co|Expected Number Of Pages: 480 pages

Where I Got It: I received an e-ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review

Series: Dances Of Thieves #2

Genre: YA Fantasy

Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor’s Watch will be a kingdom, and the two of them will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and in their rush to return to Tor’s Watch, just outside the fortress walls, they are violently attacked and torn apart―and each is thrust into their own new hell.

Unsure whether the other is alive or dead, Kazi and Jase must keep their wits among their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies. And all the while, Death watches and waits.

I really liked Vow Of Thieves!  I was really excited to get an ARC of it, and I liked it just as much as I thought I would.

I thought the story was great in this book.  I liked seeing what was going on with Kazi and Jase, and things were not easy for them in this book.  I wanted them to be okay, and there were times, especially at the beginning, where I thought things wouldn’t be okay.  Things turned out just fine, of course, and I’m glad it did.  They really deserve it after everything they’ve been through.

I really liked Kazi in this book and she’s such an amazing character.  She had some tough decisions to make, and I thought she handled things the best way she could.

As for Jase…I did like him a little bit more in this book than I did in the previous book.  He’s really trying to keep his family together and to protect his people.  I wanted him to be okay, but with everything that happens, it wasn’t easy for him.  Still, he was able to make his way back to his home and family, and with Kazi, they were able to do what they needed to do in order to get Tor’s Watch back to what it was before the attack.

I thought things were wrapped up really well.  I was wondering where the story was going to go, and we definitely found out in this book.  I’m sad it’s only a duology, because I really wanted more of this story and this world.  Even though things are wrapped up and this particular story is over, there’s room for a lot more story in this world.  With how the book ended, it makes me wonder what else is on the horizon.

Things may have been resolved in this book, but there’s a lot more that can happen.  I hope it doesn’t, but you never know.  I know I’ll be waiting to see if we’ll be getting more books in this world, and who it might focus on.  It is a great end to the series, and it was definitely a page-turner.

Like the previous book, it took a little bit to get into the book, but once I did, it was hard to stop reading.  This series, and the Remnant Chronicles, are worth reading.

4 stars.  I really liked Vow Of Thieves, and it’s a great end to a great series.

ARC Book Review: House Of Salt And Sorrows by Erin A Craig

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Book: House Of Salt And Sorrows by Erin A Craig

Expected Publication is August 6, 2019 by Delacorte|Expected Number Of Pages: 416

Where I Got It: I received an e-ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next. 

I liked House Of Salt And Sorrows!  Not as much as I thought I would but I still liked it.

It very much reminded me of the tale of the 12 Dancing Princesses.  I don’t know if it’s a re-telling of that story, because I couldn’t find actual confirmation that this is the case.  Either way, I liked that they were cursed, and the reason behind what was happening to Annaleigh’s sisters was interesting.

I don’t know how I feel about Annaleigh.  She seems to be the only one who knows what’s going on, which doesn’t surprise me.  Considering how things go, and what’s really going on, it’s not surprising.  I hope things work out for Annaleigh and her sisters, and it seems like things end in a pretty good place for them.  Hopefully, nothing horrible happens to them, and they can all live happily ever after.

I wish we got more with her sisters, but with so many of them, it’s not a surprise.  You get a pretty good sense of the world they’re living in, and how suffocating it is to be in mourning all the time.  You see what people think of them, and how hard it is for them to move past it and move on with their lives.

The setting is pretty haunting and very gothic.  I mentioned how suffocating it was for them.  You definitely feel all of that throughout the book, and how hard it was for Annaleigh when her father decided days after another funeral that they were no longer going to be in mourning.

I’m not sure what else to say about House Of Salt And Sorrows.  I liked the world and the setting but I wasn’t in love with the characters.

3 stars.  I liked House Of Salt And Sorrows but I didn’t love it.

Book Review: Finale by Stephanie Garber

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Book: Finale by Stephanie Garber

Published May 2019 by Flatiron Books|416 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: Caraval #3

Genre: YA Fantasy

Welcome, welcome to Finale, the third and final book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Caraval series! All games must come to an end…

It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates were freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella saw Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finally, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun—with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything.

I was really nervous going into Finale.  I really liked Caraval, and Legendary was just okay, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I ended up really liking it!

Both Scarlett and Tella narrate the book, and we see what’s going on with both of them.  Scarlett learns a lot about her family, and trying to decide between Nicolas, her former fiance, and Julian.  Tella, on the other hand, is keeping watch on her mother and is dealing with Legend’s impending coronation.

There’s a lot going on, and I wondered how everything was going to get wrapped up.  Between Scarlett’s love life, and the Fates, I wasn’t sure where things were going to go.

We learn a lot about Scarlett’s family, and it was not what I expected.  The Fates get defeated, and how that happened was interesting.  I wasn’t expecting it to happen the way it did, but it did make things interesting.  Everything really was leading to this book, and I liked seeing it all come together.  The history we get was really interesting, and I’m glad we got more of it.  I liked seeing more of the fates and the destruction they cause.

I really liked Scarlett, and she’s always been a great character.  I really felt for her, and all of the family stuff she had to deal with.  Tella was just okay, though I liked seeing her interactions with both Julian and Jacks.  While I’m glad we got her side of things, I also would have been fine if the book had just focused on Scarlett.  Still, Tella’s story needed to be wrapped up, so I was fine with both her and Scarlett narrating.

I was surprised by the ending, and I really want to know what it means for Legend and Tella.  It makes me wonder about the future of Caraval, and if it will come back.

I like the world, and it’s gotten bigger and bigger with each book.  It’s come to life, and it’s so vivid and magical.  I’m curious to see this series as either a movie or a t.v. show, because I’d love to see the world of Caraval on the screen, but at the same time, I’m worried it wouldn’t be as magical as the books.  And I don’t know how all of the letters and notes would translate to the screen.  At any rate, the world is pretty magical.

4 stars.  I really liked Finale, and it’s a great ending to the series.

Book Review: You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn

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Book: You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn

Published April 2019 by Wednesday Books|256 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things.

But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen.

Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk.

Erin Hahn’s thrilling debut, You’d Be Mine, asks: can the right song and the perfect summer on the road make two broken hearts whole?  

I absolutely LOVED You’d Be Mine.  It seemed like it was right up my alley, and I’m glad I read it.

I loved Annie, and her story was amazing.  I can’t imagine stumbling across what she did, and she must have been conflicted.  She loves singing and performing but she also lost her parents to it, and it must have been hard to reconcile that.  Annie is a pretty lovable character, and I rooted for her the whole time.  I just wanted her to be okay and help her through it.

It seems like people definitely had their expectations for her, and she tries so hard to not be like her parents.  There’s one scene where she’s really angry at her parent’s graves, and that really stuck with me.  I don’t blame her for that at all, and I feel like I would be angry at them too, especially her dad.

I actually really liked her and Clay together.  Their romance felt really natural, and she does have some reservations because of her parents, but things seem to work out between them.  I also completely get her reservations.

I really liked Clay as well, though not as much as Annie.  I wish we got a little bit more on Clay’s family and his backstory, because it didn’t seem like enough.  I still felt for him, and he really struggles with who he has to be, and who he wants to be.  Things do seem to be headed in the right direction for him at the end of the book, and hopefully, it’ll stay that way.

I loved that the book was set during the summer, and that it was about country music!  I love country, and even though I was a sobbing mess by the end of the book, I still had a lot of fun reading it.  It’s a great summer read, at least for me.  There’s something heartwarming about the book and it’s a pretty emotional read.  But it was worth it.

5 stars.  I LOVED this book so much, and I’m glad I read it.

Book Review: We Rule The Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett

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Book: We Rule The Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Published April 2019 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers|400 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA

Two girls use forbidden magic to fly and fight–for their country and for themselves–in this riveting debut that’s part Shadow and Bone, part Code Name Verity.

Seventeen-year-old Revna is a factory worker, manufacturing war machines for the Union of the North. When she’s caught using illegal magic, she fears being branded a traitor and imprisoned. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Linné defied her father, a Union general, and disguised herself as a boy to join the army. They’re both offered a reprieve from punishment if they use their magic in a special women’s military flight unit and undertake terrifying, deadly missions under cover of darkness. Revna and Linné can hardly stand to be in the same cockpit, but if they can’t fly together, and if they can’t find a way to fly well, the enemy’s superior firepower will destroy them–if they don’t destroy each other first.

We Rule the Night is a powerful story about sacrifice, complicated friendships, and survival despite impossible odds. 

I’m not sure how I feel about We Rule The Night.  I liked it but it was hard for me to get through, and I could only read the book for a little bit before needing to put it down.

The story itself is pretty interesting.  The backdrop reminded me of World War 2, but with a fantasy/steampunk twist.  The book is described as Shadow And Bone meets Code Name Verity, and Code Name Verity came through pretty strongly.  A lot more than Shadow And Bone, at least for me.  I thought the magic was interesting, and explained well enough you knew how it worked.

According to the author’s note at the end, it is loosely inspired by the Night Witches, who were Russian female aviators who flew during World War 2.  That’s pretty much all I know about them, so I don’t know how much of their story actually made it’s way into the book, but I can see how they’d inspire a book.

I did struggle with the book, mostly because I was really bored reading it.  There were a few points where I considered not even finishing it.  The book focused on training and the girls getting ready for combat, and it took most of the book for there to be any action.  The book ended in a pretty good place, but I wanted a little more of them in battle.  It felt pretty slow, and I just wasn’t interested in seeing page after page of Linne and Revna hating each other but trying to work together.  Even though there’s no romance in the book, I honestly thought, for a while, that they’d end up for falling for each other.  They do learn to work together eventually, which is nice and I’m glad there wasn’t any romance.  I think that would have taken away from the story.

I don’t know that I cared for Linne or Revna, though I did like Revna a little bit more than Linne.  I’m not sure why, but Revna was a character who felt more real and fleshed out that Linne.  Which is weird, because they both narrate the book.  I was definitely rooting for Revna the entire time, and wanted her to succeed.

2 stars.  We Rule The Night ended up being okay.  I was bored reading it, and I wanted a little more action.

Book Review: Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh

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Book: Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh

Published February 2010 by Berkley|352 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: Guild Hunter #2

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find that she has become an angel-and that her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, likes having her under his control. But almost immediately, Raphael must ready Elena for a flight to Beijing, to attend a ball thrown by the archangel Lijuan. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan’s power lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena…

I liked Archangel’s Kiss!  I don’t know if I like this series as much as her Psy-Changeling series but I’m only a couple books in, so maybe I’ll have a better idea once I read more of this series.

This book picks up after Elena wakes up from a coma to find that she’s become an angel.  I liked seeing Elena deal with becoming an angel, and getting ready for a ball thrown by Lijuan.  She has a lot to learn about being an angel, and this book deals with that.  It’ll be interesting to see what else is in store for Elena, and if it’ll affect her Hunter abilities.  We see a little bit of it in this book, and I’m curious to see how all of that will work out in the future.  It could be an interesting combination.

I also thought that everything with Lijuan was interesting.  So far, it seems like the books are focusing on the other archangels.  The first book focused on Uram, and Lijuan is pretty important in this one.  It makes me wonder if each of the archangels are going to have an important part to play in the rest of the series.  The cadre does seem to be dropping like flies, and I wonder how long that can be kept up.

We meet a lot of characters and I honestly can’t remember most of them.  Hopefully, we’ll get to see of them, and I’ll actually be able to remember them.  But I also wish we hadn’t met so many of them in this book.  It felt like too many were introduced.  Hopefully this won’t continue, but maybe she’ll start doing a list of characters, like she did with her Psy-Changeling series.

I do like Elena and Raphael, and I do like them together.  I like that it’s not immediate and that things are moving relatively slow.  At least in terms of romance novel land.  There are definitely going to be a lot of adjustments in their future, that’s for sure.

3 stars.  I liked it, and I can’t wait to see where things are headed next.

Book Review: Honeybees And Frenemies by Kristi Wientge

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Book: Honeybees And Frenemies by Kristi Wientge

Published June 2019 by Simon Schuster Books For Young Readers|256 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary

Twelve-year-old Flor faces a bittersweet summer with a pageant, a frenemy, and a hive full of honey.

It’s the summer before eighth grade and Flor is stuck at home and working at her family’s mattress store, while her best friend goes off to band camp (probably to make new friends). It becomes even worse when she’s asked to compete in the local honey pageant. This means Flor has to spend the summer practicing her talent (recorder) and volunteering (helping a recluse bee-keeper) with Candice, her former friend who’s still bitter about losing the pageant crown to Flor when they were in second grade. And she can’t say no.

Then there’s the possibility that Flor and her family are leaving to move in with her mom’s family in New Jersey. And with how much her mom and dad have been fighting lately, is it possible that her dad may not join them? Flor can’t let that happen. She has a lot of work to do.

Honeybees And Frenemies was a really cute read, and I’m glad I read it.  I ended up really liking it!

This book was really cute, and I really felt for Flor, who is teaming up with a former friend to win the summer pageant.  Something about all of the festivals mentioned made me think of Gilmore Girls, where they have random festivals and town events throughout the years.

It was interesting to see them team up, but I’ll admit to wanting more of why Candice was horrible to Flor.  I mean, I get being bitter about losing the pageant crown…but they were seven, and I kind of think it would have made more sense had they been older.  But this is also middle grade, so I guess it had to happen earlier?

Anyway, I liked seeing them work together.  They both realize they have their reasons for wanting to win, and even though their talent gets them into trouble, it was still pretty cool, and I’m glad it didn’t get them disqualified.  Saving the bees is pretty important to Candice too, and she would be a great bee ambassador.  Plus, winning helps Candice a lot more than it helps Flor, but I think things will work out for Flor.  I know she had a lot going on, but the book ended on a hopeful note.  I really felt like things were going to be just fine for everyone.

I also liked the facts about bees at the beginning of each chapter.  That was a really cute tie-in, and it makes me want to learn more about bees.  I wasn’t paying enough attention to see if the facts actually tied into what happened in each chapter, but either way it was cool.

I did think helping out at her family’s mattress store and her best friend going away to summer camp would be more of a thing than it really was.  Maybe that’s just me, thinking things mentioned in the summary are going to be more important than they really are.  We do get a little bit of it, though we get bits and pieces of the family stuff throughout the book while the best friend stuff is pretty much towards the end of the book.

I also wanted a little more to the ending, and while things are pretty wrapped up, I still wanted to go a little past where the book actually ended.  Still, it’s a pretty good ending point, so I’m not going to complain too much about it.  I think it’s just wistful thinking on my part.

4 stars.  I really liked Honeybees And Frenemies!  It’s a super cute middle grade and worth checking out.

Around The Internet #15

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Hello!  I hope everyone’s doing great.  Here’s some of the things I’ve come across lately that I thought were really cool.

That’s all for today, and have a great Monday!