The Friday 56 (83) The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire. But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself...

"Marigolds and roses adorned the entrance to the Raja's welcoming hall, and bright petals carpeted the path."--The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Comments: I read The Star-Touched Queen earlier in the week, and have to say that it was one of the best stories I've read in 2016. Page 56 had so many spoilers for the story that I found it hard to pick out a quote that didn't go into detail. I ended up with the one above because it was just a description of a place, and doesn't give anything away.

What are you reading this week?

Review: Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

Title: Nightmares!
Author/Illustrator: Jason Segel & Kristen Miller; Karl Kwasny
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Hardback
More Details: Middle Grade; Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Books For Young Readers; September 9, 2014
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Sleeping has never been so scary. And now waking up is even worse!

Charlie Laird has several problems.
1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.
2. He had to move into her purple mansion, which is NOT a place you want to find yourself after dark.
3. He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap.

What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world—that’s a line that should never be crossed. And when your worst nightmares start to come true . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. For good...

It seems like forever since I first saw Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller. I think what really got my attention was the book trailer for it—which was fantastic, and now that I’ve actually read the book I can see how fitting it truly was. And since it was October, I decided to go ahead and give Nightmares! a try.

Nightmares! was a fantastic book, and from start to finish I was drawn in by the story. I already had high expectations and wasn’t disappointed in any way. I got what I was looking for—a slightly spooky Halloween story with nightmares—and then some.

Charlie Laird is having a problem, and that idea alone made for an interesting story. Part of the reason I liked the book so much was the message—everyone has something they fear. It was incorporated nicely into the story, and felt like a natural part of the plot. It was definitely one of my favorite aspects of the book. I liked Charlie as a character. He was grouchy, but that was understandable when his nightmares and subsequent lack of sleep were factored in. The secondary characters were fantastic. To me, it seemed like they were developed. Their roles were essential to the story and their personalities were different, which made them seem like individuals.

I could really sit here all day and talk about all the things I liked about Nightmares!, like, how fantastic the story was, or how much I liked the writing and world building. Instead, I’m going to end the review here. But, before I go, I just want to say that I’m glad that Nightmares! was just the beginning of a series. I’m really looking forward to checking out the next two books when they become available at my local library.

Release Day Blitz: Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

 

Today is the release day for Ryan Graudin's Blood for Blood, sequel to Wolf by Wolf. If you haven't heard about this series yet, check out the details below and stick around for a giveaway down at the bottom of the post.

About The Book...

Title: BLOOD FOR BLOOD

Author: Ryan Graudin

Pub. Date: November 1, 2016

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

The action-packed, thrilling sequel to Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf...

There would be blood.

Blood for blood.

Blood to pay.

An entire world of it.

For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost. But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?

This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.... 

About Ryan...

Ryan Graudin grew up in Charleston and graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Creative Writing in 2009. She is the author of All That Glows and The Walled City. She resides near Charleston with her husband and wolf-dog. You can find her online at www.ryangraudin.com.

Website | Twitter |Tumblr | Goodreads | Pinterest

Now for the giveaway. 5 winners will receive a finished copy of Wolf by Wolf. This giveaway is US Only and ends on November 15th at Midnight EST.

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Music Monday (3) Halloween Edition

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me, that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

First of all, happy Halloween everyone! October flew by so fast, and it seems like just yesterday that I started Inktober. By the time this post goes up, I'll probably be working on my last Inktober drawing. I have to say that I had more fun with it than I expected, and I look forward to participating next year. And since tomorrow is the start of November (and while I'm not joining myself), I want to say good luck to anyone participating in NaNoWriMo. I'm rooting for you!

With that out of the way, I'm going to jump back to the topic of this post. Today, I'm doing a Halloween edition of Music Monday. When I sat down to write this post, I sort of realized that I have and know about a lot of Christmas music, but my Halloween collection was severely lacking. Anyway, here is my list...

1. Emperor's New Clothes by Panic! At the Disco--I think we all remember last year when Panic! At the Disco released that spooky good music video for the Emperor's New Clothes. So, of course, that was going to make it on my list. Listen to Emperor's New Clothes HERE
2. I Put a Spell on You by Jay Hawkins--I remember this song from Hocus Pocus. Plus Bette Midler's performance in the movie was phenomenal. Nina Simone also did a version of I Put a Spell on You, which is just fantastic. Thus, this song as one of my favorites.
3. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.--I like the original Ghostbusters movies, and I also like the theme song by Ray Parker Jr. Listen to Ghostbusters HERE
4. Wicked Moon by Angel Haze--Wicked Moon is a song that definitely fits with October. Its kind of spooky, and the beat is pretty awesome. Listen to Wicked Moon HERE
5. This is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas--When a song has Halloween in its lyrics, you know that it has to make this list. I also like the version of the song performed by Panic! At the Disco.

What are you listening to this Halloween?

Creatures of the Night Book Tag

Today, I'm going to do the Creatures of the Night Book Tag. I couldn't really find another one that specifically related to Halloween, other than the Fall Time Cozy Time Book Tag. This tag seemed fun and festive. This tag was created by Kat O'Keefe from Katytastic. You can check out the original video HERE. And don't forget to check out her channel HERE. Lets get started...

Vampire:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

I might not have liked the second book, The Eternity Cure, as much as I liked The Immortal Rules, but the opening to this series was fantastic. I liked Kagawa's take on vampires just as much as her version of the fey.

Werewolf: 

Need by Carrie Jones

I really liked Need. Yeah, some parts were a little cheesy, and at times the main character had questionable decision making skills, but I still liked the book. Need has a very interesting mixture of supernatural elements, from fairies to people who could change their shapes. And since, it does have a werewolf, Need totally fits the bill for this one.

Ghost: 

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

While Hourglass had mostly science fiction themes that took up the bulk of the story, there were still ghost like entities that played a role in the book. And since they were ghostly, Hourglass seems like an appropriate answer for this one.

Witch/Warlock/Spellcaster: 

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Wintersmith was one of those books that actually made me laugh out loud. There were some instances that were so ridiculous and spontaneous that I couldn't help but laugh. However, its not for the humor that Wintersmith is my answer for this one, but rather the main character, Tiffany Aching, who is a witch.

Fairy/Fae: 

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black 

I could have picked a number of books/series for this one (like Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, Need by Carrie Jones, The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton, Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, even The Spiderwick Chronicles or Artemis Fowl). Oh, the choices (I've read a lot of fantastic books that have the fey in prominent roles). However, I went with The Darkest Part of the Forest. Holly Black is one of my favorite authors, and I really enjoy her take on the fey. I wasn't sure if I would like The Darkest Part of the Forest, but I ended up really enjoying the book.

Demon: 

Cambion Chronicles by Jaime Reed

While the main themes of this series doesn't necessarily involve demons, there are some present in the story. I won't say too much on that, because it would be one massive spoiler for book 2 and 3.

Angel:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

My answer for this one is Daughter of Smoke and Bone because, honestly, I haven't read that many books that feature some kind of angel. Regardless, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of my favorite books.

Alien:

Gravity by Melissa West

It has been so long since I read Gravity, but I remember really enjoyed the book. I read the second book of the series, but have yet to get around to the last book (I need to, eventually). But, to say the least, Gravity has aliens, and I liked West's take on the subject.

Superpowered human:

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Wolf by Wolf was one of my favorite 2015 reads, and what qualifies it for this part of the tag is the main character, Yael, and her ability to change her features.

And that's it! As usual, I'm not going to tag anyone specifically, but if this seems like something you want to participate in, then go for it, I tag you. Happy reading!