The Friday 56 (94) & Book Beginnings: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

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

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands. Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home. Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself. In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch...

Beginnings: "Everything had gone horribly wrong. None of Safiya fon Hasstrel's hastily laid plans for this holdup were unfolding as the ought."

56: "Once Iseult felt certain that her hair was sufficiently covered, her face sufficiently shaded, and her sleeves sufficiently low enough to hide her pale skin, she reached for Safi's Threads so she could find her Threadsister among the crowds."

Comments: The opening sentence doesn't say much about what happened in the following scene, but the beginning was just alright. That's basically how I felt about Truthwitch. There wasn't anything particularly bad about the story, but it was just an average read for me. What about you? Have you recently read any books that you didn't like as much as you thought you would?

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

Title: The Girl at Midnight
Author: Melissa Grey
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Press; April 28, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Magic lives in our darkest corners...

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known. Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act. Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants…and how to take it. But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire...

Yo, this is one of those books I’ve been hearing about for what seems like forever. At first glance, The Girl at Midnight sounded like a book I was almost guaranteed to enjoy, but it just didn’t work out that way. This story had its great moments, but overall, it was just an average read for me.

There was nothing particularly bad about The Girl at Midnight, but I wasn’t very surprised by the story. That was really the biggest problem I had with this book. There were a lot of things that I personally found predictable about how the story actually did turn out, just based off of incredibly early foreshadowing. In some ways, the story strongly reminded me of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and the magic and characters' backstories seemed similar to things I’ve already read.

There were a lot of perspectives that showed the different sides of the story from POV's outside of Echo’s. One thing I did like about this book was the dialogue. The conversations that happened between the characters were especially great, and some of the internal monologue turned out to be relatively entertaining. So, in that regard, The Girl at Midnight nailed it.

Echo was a mystery, and by the end of the book I still didn’t know very much about her character. There were hints about her circumstances, but the book focused on her interactions with the Avicen that she considered family and the role she played in their war. The synopsis describes her as a pickpocket, brash but fiercely loyal, and that about sums up Echo in a nutshell. I did like Echo’s friend a lot, she was a great character, and I particularly enjoyed the interactions between the two. Their conversations were nice, and they just seemed like good friends. I do have a lot of thoughts about the love interests, but that would be a lot to unpack in this review. I will say that they were just alright, but I didn’t really prefer either of them.

I’m still kind of conflicted about this story. I liked it, and there were some great moments. However, I just don’t know if I want to continue on with this series. Of course, that decision has to be mine, but I need more time to really think about it. I might wait till the third book comes out and then make a decision.

Music Monday (15) Alabama Shakes, Janelle Monáe & Grimes

   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 

Adri: For this Music Monday, I'm going with a song that came out a while ago, and when I first listened to it, I hoped that it would get a music video. The song is Venus Fly by Grimes featuring Janelle Monáe. I was already stoked when Grimes started releasing videos for songs off of her Art Angels album (like World Princess Part ll). However, I was even more stoked when the music video for Venus Fly was released just a few days ago. The song is so interesting and all I can say is that the music video was worth the wait.

Breana: Yes, I'm totally going to comment on this one. I wholeheartedly agree with Adri. Venus Fly is one of my favorite songs and I'm really glad that it got a music video. I mean, it features two of my favorite artists: Grimes and Janelle Monáe. It's creative, colorful, and fun to watch. The way it was filmed created an amazing result. If this was a movie, I'd totally see it.

Breana: I really only have one song to share this week, and that’s Don’t Wanna Fight by Alabama Shakes. Don’t Wanna Fight is an amazing song, I love everything about it. The feel of it is the epitome of blues with a hint of rock to the sound. Brittany Howard’s vocals are powerful and soulful, that’s the only way I can describe her voice. I really had a hard time deciding which version of the song I wanted to share—they’re both equally fantastic. In the end, I decided on the live version, which you can check out below.

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (93) & Book Beginnings: A Dash of Magic by Kathryn Littlewood

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

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

This second helping in Kathryn Littlewood's Bliss series combines hilarious magic and daring adventure to make one delectable reading treat...

Rosemary Bliss will do anything to get back her family's magical Cookery Booke. That's why she challenges Aunt Lily to an international baking competition in Paris: If Rose wins, Lily agrees to return the cookery Booke that she stole. If Rose loses...well, the consequences are too ugly to think about. But Lily isn't playing fair--she's using a magical ingredient to cheat. The only way for Rose to compete is for her to find magical ingredients of her own. Together with her long-lost grandpa, his sarcastic talking cat, and a turncoat French mouse, Rose and her brothers race around Paris to find essential--and elusive--magical ingredients that will help her outbake--and outmagic--her conniving aunt. She has to win or the Bliss Cookery Booke will be lost to her family forever...

Beginnings: "It was nine months after her aunt Lily stole the Bliss Cookery Booke right our from under her nose that Rosemary Bliss discovered something horrible on the shelves of Ralph's Super Mart in Downtown Calamity Falls."

56: "At the end of the long corridor was a man in a black suit and white gloves. He was holding up a poster board with Bliss printed on it in block letters."

Comments: I really did enjoy the beginning of A Dash of magic. At the mention of Calamity Falls I automatically thought of Gravity Falls, just because the names are kind of similar. They don't actually have anything to do with each other. As for the rest of the book, A Dash of Magic was alright. I had some problems with it, but overall, the story was pretty good.

What are you reading this week?

Rivals in the City by Y.S. Lee

Title: Rivals in the City
Author: Y.S. Lee
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Historical; Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Candlewick Press; March 10, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

In a tale steeped in action, romance, and the gaslit intrigue of Victorian London, Mary Quinn’s detective skills are pitted against a cunning and desperate opponent...

Mary Quinn has a lot on her mind. James Easton, her longtime love interest, wants to marry her; but despite her feelings, independent-minded Mary hesitates. Meanwhile, the Agency has asked Mary to take on a dangerous case: convicted fraudster Henry Thorold is dying in prison, and Mary must watch for the return of his estranged wife, an accomplished criminal herself who has a potentially deadly grudge against James. Finally, a Chinese prizefighter has arrived in town, and Mary can’t shake a feeling that he is somehow familiar. With the stakes higher than ever, can Mary balance family secrets, conflicting loyalties, and professional expertise to bring a criminal to justice and find her own happiness?

Rivals in the City is one of those books that I’ve been meaning to read for what seems like forever. I’ve read the rest of the series, and I even had time to reread them last year to kind of refresh my memory about what happened. So, this has been a long time coming. I have finally read Rivals in the City, and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. The same things that made me love the first three books were here too—the agency, Mary, James, and the rest of the cast of characters, just to name a few.

What I liked most about this book is simple: the mystery, how Mary handled her new case, and the developing relationships between the characters. I won’t say too much about the villain of this case, but I felt they were worth mentioning. Their role cast a shadow on the lives of the characters. They were more than just something to talk about. They were ruthless and cunning and had the motivation, plan, and means to make them a convincing—and not to mention dangerous—villain.

This is one of the few historical series that I’ve actually finished reading. I liked how the setting was thoroughly explained, and it never seemed like the characters came from modern times. The way many of the characters behaved fit with what was considered to be the societal norm.

Mary’s come a long way from the orphan at the beginning of the series, she’s learned a lot, and it shows. Mary was, by far, my favorite character. Her life has undergone so many changes, yet she managed to handle it. I also loved her relationship with James. It was a slow-burn kind of romance, and it took three books to get to the point they were at in Rivals in the City.

All in all, Rivals in the City was pretty awesome. I’m glad I finally got around to reading it, and look forward to Y.S. Lee’s next book.

Release Day, Sale Alert & Giveaway: Starfall by Melissa Landers

Today is the release day for Melissa Landers' Starfall, the sequel to Starflight. Keep scrolling to find out more about the book and enter for a chance to win some cool prizes. But before you do, I need to mention that there's a sale happening right now. Haven’t read the first book in the duology? Well, you’re in luck. For a limited time, Starflight is on sale for 99 cents for all e-formats... 

Title: Starfall

Author: Melissa Landers

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 

Publication Date: February 7, 2017

Synopsis from Goodreads...

When Princess Cassia Rose fled her home world of Eturia to escape an arranged marriage, she had no idea her sudden departure would spark a war. Now after two years hiding as a ship hand, she is finally returning to her beloved home, but not in the way she imagined. Shackled by bounty hunters, she is violently dragged back to account for her crimes. Her only solace is that the Banshee crew managed to evade capture, including Kane Arric, her best friend...with occasional benefits. Meanwhile, Kane and the rest of the crew of the Banshee plan a desperate rescue mission. 

But when they arrive on Eturia, Cassia isn't exactly in need of heroics—she's claimed her birthright as Eturia's queen, but has inherited a war-torn planet simmering with rebellion. Cassia must make alliances, and Kane, the bastard son of a merchant, isn't a choice that will earn her any friends. Kane knows he will never find someone to replace Cassia—and is certain she returns his feelings—but how can he throw away his own promising future waiting on a queen? When the outer realm is threatened by the dangerous Zhang mafia, Cassia, Kane and the rest of the Banshee crew uncover a horrifying conspiracy that endangers the entire universe. In the face of unspeakable evil, Cassia must confront her own family's complicated legacy on Eturia and decide once and for all who her real family is...

A note from the author....

Hi, booklovers!

I’m author Melissa Landers, and I’m so excited to launch Starfall, the second and final book in my Starflight duology! This story picks up shortly after the first book ends, but now Cassia and Kane are the main characters, with Doran, Solara, and the rest of the Banshee crew pitching in to help take down an intergalactic mafia. (You know, just an ordinary day in space.) And while saying goodbye to characters is never easy, I think I gave the crew a proper sendoff with plenty of humor, heart, and action. I hope you love Starfall as much as I do!

Praise for Starflight...

“Smart, action-packed and utterly addictive!” –New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman

“Starflight has the cinematic appeal, warp-speed action and unlikely heroes of Star Wars.” –Justine Magazine

“A lively tale of romance, space pirates, conspiracy, and made (as opposed to genetic) families.” –Booklist 

“A great choice for fans of raw sci-fi action, reminiscent of the lawlessness presented in the television series Firefly.” –School Library Journal

STARFLIGHT

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Indie Bound

STARFALL

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Indie Bound

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

Website  Twitter   Goodreads  Instagram    

To celebrate the release for the book, Melissa Landers is offering one lucky winner a Starflight duology swag pack, complete with bookmarks and two signed mini posters! The giveaway is open internationally. Due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Music Monday (14) Banks & LP

   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 

Breana:

Recently, I revisited a few of my favorite songs that I haven’t listened to in a really long time. The first is Beggin for Thread by Banks. I first heard about Banks back in 2014 and haven’t really listened to too much of her music since. However, I recall really being a fan of Beggin for Thread and recently, I’ve gone back to the song several times and remember why I enjoyed listening to it in the first place.

Another favorite song of mine that I wanted to share was Night Like This by LP. Night Like This is another one of the songs that initially introduced me to the musician, which coincidently enough was also back in 2014. Lost on You is another great song by LP. I like the normal version as well as the live session.

Have you recently listened to any songs that are old (possibly previously forgotten) favorites?

The Friday 56 (92) & Book Beginnings: The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

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

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Magic lives in our darkest corners...

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known. Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act. Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants…and how to take it. But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire...

Beginning: "The Ala had gone to the library in search of hope."

56: "Caius stretched, spine popping. When he tilted his head back, he could see the mural painted on the library's ceiling. It depicted the tale of some long-forgotten battle, colors faded as surely as the memory of the heroes who'd fought in it."

Comments: Eh, this one was just okay for me. I was pretty excited for The Girl at Midnight but just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. However, I still think the opening sentence is great. It was a pretty interesting place to start the story. 

What are you reading this week?

Review: Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood

Title: Bliss
Author: Kathryn Littlewood
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: The Inkhouse; February 14, 2012

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Kathryn Littlewood’s culinary caper blends rich emotional flavor with truly magical wit, yielding one heaping portion of hilarious family adventure...

Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke—an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles and Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke under lock and whisk-shaped key while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. “Aunt” Lily rides a motorcycle, wears purple sequins, and whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, non-magical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily—a lot less fun. So Rose and her siblings experiment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke. A few Love Muffins and a few dozen Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for a very long time. I’ve known about it since it came out back in 2012 and always thought the premise of a magical backery sounded like an interesting idea. It wasn’t until recently that I finally read the book and can firmly say that while Bliss had some brilliant moments, it was more of an average read for me. 

There was nothing inherently bad about the story. My main problem, my one complaint, is that there were some scenes that I just didn’t like. Other than that, I read the book in just a couple of hours. For the most part I liked the story, characters, and magic. There were a lot of pretty neat details that led to some really...uh...interesting situations that were produced by magical baking mishaps. What I liked most about this book was how the magic worked as an ingredient for cooking. The prologue of Bliss opens with lightning being folded into batter, which I thought was pretty cool. Another thing that appealed to me was the bakery. I love to bake, and knowing that a lot of cooking gets done in Bliss is what originally drew me to this book.

Rosemary, the main character, felt like she was underappreciated, and I could agree with that. Littlewood took the time to show some of the things Rosemary was tasked with, which I appreciated because it provided a reason for why the character was feeling that way. I also liked Rosemary's siblings—Parsley, Sage, and Thyme. 

Overall, Bliss wasn't half bad. The end of the story was kind of a cliffhanger. Since I already have the second book on my shelf, I will likely read it just to see how the situation is resolved.

Music Monday (13) MØ, The 1975, & Kerli

   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 

Adri:

After Disney’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland came out—Kerli sang Tea Party for the movie—Breana and I continued to follow her. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to feature Kerli on Music Monday!

For my first pick, I choose Feral Hearts. Not only is it the first Kerli song I’ve listened to in a while, but I really loved the music video. Even thought I found the visuals enchanting, after watching the behind the scenes I admired the video even more. I really like the meaning and inspiration behind each area and outfit. In addition, I loved seeing how each look came together.

(p.s. also check out the Sacred Forest Session of Feral Hearts HERE)

One of Kerli's newer songs includes Spirit Animal. I can’t really explain it, but I’m really in love with it. I can only hope that there’ll be a music video for it!

Breana:

My first pick this week is Final Song by MØ. The first time I heard of MØ was when I was watching the Coachella livestream back in 2015, and happened to catch her performance. Before then, I’d never actually heard of her, but her live performance really impressed me. Since then, I’ve followed her music.

One of the reasons why I love Final Song is the catchy beat. It’s a nice song, and the music video is kind of simple but also awesome. I especially like the scenery in the background.

My second pick is The Sound by The 1975. I haven’t listened to a lot of music by The 1975—not yet anyway, but I plan to fix that soon. The Sound is the song that introduced me to their music. I happened to hear the song while listening to one of my favorite google music channels, and instantly loved the sound of it.

Have you ever discovered a group while watching a TV show, movie, or a Coachella livestream?