The Friday 56 (85) Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

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...

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed...

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands. But relax. They've totally got this. They hope...

"Donnelly, H: I'm not even sure what I'm trying to ask.

Guest591: Um, Okay.

Donnelly, H: Just...

Donnelly, H: If nothing was ever going to happen with us--and I know in what passes for reality for you that's obviously not true, but just pretend--if nothing was ever going to happen, would you want to be my friend?"-- Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Comments: I have waited so long for this book to come out. I was really excited for it, and while the story wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was still a good book,

What are you reading this week?

Review: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Source/Format: Borrowed for the Library; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Martin's Griffin; April 26, 2016

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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...

I’m late to the ban-wagon for this one…

You know, The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi has all the elements I like about fantasy, so I really don’t know why it took me so long to get to this one. Now that I have read it, I can firmly say that The Star-Touched Queen is one of my favorite books of 2016. From the characters to the plot, I adored everything about this story.

The world was just awesome. The customs and traditions of the society in The Star-Touched Queen were woven with the fantasy elements in the story, and the effect was really cool. I loved all the little details that Chokshi put into the world building. It was complex and layered, and added depth to the story.

The plot itself was also good. I do like that Chokshi took some time to introduce the key players and the society that Mayavati (Maya) lived in, as well as establishing the relationship between the MC and the secondary characters. The style of writing in The Star-Touched Queen is very descriptive. I could picture the various scenes as they were happening. In the end, I liked the descriptiveness because it was easy to picture the setting as the characters moved from place to place, and the various scenes as they were happening.

I really liked Maya as a character, and that’s a good thing since The Star-Touched Queen is primarily told from her perspective. I enjoyed her story, and liked how Chokshi portrayed her character and the circumstances she was subjected to. Amar wasn’t a bad character. He was mysterious and he kept secrets from Maya, but the two did have some chemistry.

The Star-Touched Queen was a story rich with detail, a cast of awesome characters, and a story that had me hooked from page one. And now, I just have to wait until the second book comes out.

Music Monday (5) Janelle Monáe, Breach, & Lianne La Havas

  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 

Before I get to what I’m listening to this week, I want to take the time to welcome Adri to Music Monday. Adri has blogged a couple of times on Our Thoughts Precisely, and today, she’s going to share some of the music she’s been listening to down below.

Recently, I’ve been listening to more of Janelle Monáe's music. Her style of music and vocals are just amazing. I like all of her albums—The Electric Lady, The ArchAndroid, and even Metropolis: The Chase Suite. Some of my favorite Janelle Monáe songs are Primetime featuring Miguel, Q.U.E.E.N., Electric Lady, Dance Apocalyptic, Sincerely Jane, Tightrope, and Come Alive (War of the Roses), just to name a few.

Primetime is one of my favorite songs, because it had the one collaboration that I didn't know I needed in my life. And if Janelle Monáe and Miguel ever made a full album together, I would definitely buy it.

Electric Lady is on the same album as Primetime. Not only is the beat catchy, but the lyrics are too. 

Hi, Adri here, I'm back, long time no see. Coincidentally, I found both of the songs by thumbnail browsing. For Unstoppable by Lianne La Havas, her hair in the thumbnail captured my attention (#NaturalHairMoment #HairGoals), and I couldn't help but to check it out. I instantly loved the song. 

When I fist saw the thumbnail for Everything You Never Had (We Had It All) by Breach featuring Andreya Triana, my immediate reaction was: "Wait what?". I just had to drop what I was doing and listen to it. Some parts of the song reminded me of my two other favorite songs: Finally by CeCe Peniston and It Takes Two by Rob Base and D.J. E-Z Rock. I just like it and have had it on repeat. P.S. I love the music video. (Fun fact: Did you know that the Woo! Yeah! loop originated from Think (About It) by Lyn Collins?) 

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (84) The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

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...

Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic is the sequel to the hilariously scary New York Times bestselling novel Nightmares! by multitalented actor Jason Segel and bestselling author Kirsten Miller. You thought the nightmares were over? You better keep the lights on!

Charlie Laird has a dream life.

1) He has a weirdo stepmom who runs an herbarium.
2) He lives in a purple mansion with a portal to the Netherworld.
3) Since they escaped from the Netherworld, he and his best friends have been sleeping like babies.

But Charlie can’t shake the feeling that something strange is afoot. Charlotte’s herbarium used to be one of the busiest stores in Cypress Creek. Now her loyal following is heading to Orville Falls for their herbal potions.
Weirder, though, Orville Falls is suddenly filled with . . . zombies? At least, they sure look like the walking dead. Rumor has it that no one’s sleeping in Orville Falls. And Charlie knows what that means. Things are getting freaky again...

"Paige took off down the sidewalk as if she didn't have a concern in the world. Charlie swallowed again and rushed to catch up with her. Orville Falls may have been the kind of town you'd see on a Christmas Card, but it was the middle of summer and there was no one around."--The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

Comments: As it so happens, I was in luck. My local library had the next two books in the Nightmares series, and I was able to put a hold on them before anyone else did.

What are you reading this week?

Review: The Bridge From Me To You by Lisa Schroeder

Title: The Bridge from Me to You
Author: Lisa Schroeder 
Source/Format: Won (Giveaway), Bound ARC
More Details: Young Adult; Contemporary; Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: Point; July 29, 2014

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Lauren has a secret. Colby has a problem. But when they find each other, everything falls into place... 

Lauren is the new girl in town with a dark secret. Colby is the football hero with a dream of something more. In alternating chapters, they come together, fall apart, and build something stronger than either of them thought possible--something to truly believe in...

The synopsis doesn’t tell much about the book, but I decided to give it a try anyway. And folks, let me tell you, I’m glad I did. The Bridge From Me To You is the first book I’ve read by Lisa Schroeder, and it was a very cute contemporary novel. The story focused on a high school football player and a girl just trying to find her place in the world. This concept had the possibility of turning into a been-there-done-that kind of thing. However, it was anything but typical, and I liked this book more than I thought I would. At first, I wasn’t too sure about how I would react to the writing, but actually, I really liked it. The development of the characters respective situations, backstories, and relationships didn’t suffer because of the alternating POVs and writing. The combination of prose and poetry was interesting to read, and worked well. I think Schroeder did a good job at the emotional aspect of the book, and I liked the chemistry between Lauren and Colby. The friendships were great too—they seemed realistic, and the connection between the characters was there. Another thing I liked was how this book didn’t gloss over the issues, but instead showed the potential worries and emotional damage that could come from them.

At the end of the day, The Bridge From Me To You was a very good book. I really enjoyed it, and I would consider picking up another novel by Schroeder.

Review: The Snow Queen by Hans Christain Andersen, Illustrated by Sanna Annukka

Title: The Snow Queen
Author/Illustrator: Hans Christain Andersen; Sanna Annukka
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Hardcover
More Details: Classic; Fairy Tale
Publisher/Publication Date: Hutchinson; October 22, 2015 (Originally published in 1844)

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Hans Christian Andersen's magical tale of friendship and adventure is retold through the beautiful and intricate illustrations of Finnish-English illustrator Sanna Annukka. Cloth-bound in deep blue, with silver foil embellishments, The Snow Queen is a unique work of art.

Sanna Annukka is familiar to many from her collaborations with Marimekko and her artwork for Keane's album, Under the Iron Sea. For her second book project, she illustrates Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale, The Snow Queen...

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen is one classic I’ve been meaning to read. Since I had a chance to read the edition illustrated by Sanna Annukka, I figured that now was the time. I’ve heard about the numerous retellings and stories loosely based on the Snow Quuen, but I wanted to see if the original tale was good. Actually,  I really enjoyed The Snow Queen. It was a short  and charming tale about friendship and the Snow Queen. It was also somewhat of an adventure too. The illustrations were gorgeous (in this edition), and the story itself was nice. I enjoyed the friendship between Kay and Gerda—especially Gerda’s loyalty. I could understand her motivation for undertaking the task of helping her friend. Now, the Snow Queen, she was an alright character, but she wasn't really that present in the story. The majority of the book was spent almost entirely on Gerda’s perspective and the characters that were directly part of her end of the story.

Really, I can’t say anymore. The book was so short that I found it hard to find something to say without delving too far into the story. So, I will leave it here today, and end this review by saying I’m glad that I can finally mark The Snow Queen off the list of classics I haven’t read. It was a very nice story.

This coy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books (Publisher) for this review, thank you!

About the author...

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, in 1805. The son of a cobbler and washerwoman, he didn't start school until he was seventeen. He became famous for his fairy tales, including classics such as The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid. The Snow Queen was published in 1844. When he died aged 70, the king and crown prince of Denmark attended his funeral...

About the illustrator...

Sanna Annukka spent her childhood summers in Finnland, and its landscape and folklore remain a source of inspiration. A print maker and illustrator based in Brighton, England, she is also a designer for Finnish textile brand Marimekko and has been featured in Vogue and many interior design magazines. She had also illustrated Hans Christian Andersen's The Fur Tree...

Music Monday (4) 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 

This week, I'm listening to Grimes. I really enjoy Grimes' style of music. Her Art Angels album is one of my favorites since it has songs like REALiTi (both versions), Pin, and Venus Fly featuring Janelle Monáe.

Listen to REALiTi HERE
Listen to Medieval Warfare HERE

What are you listening to this week?

Belated Quarterly Recap: July-October

Yikes...

To be honest, I completely forgot that I was supposed to do a quarterly recap at the beginning of October. It wasn't until the twenty sixth that I was looking through the September and early October stuff, only to discover that I never actually drafted this post. Whoops. And it was so late in the month, that I decided to lump October with July, September, and August. 

So, without further ado, I'm going to jump right in and start with reviews...

July Reviews:

• Wintersmith
• Love Charms and Other Catastrophes
• The Torn Wing
• Riverkeep

August Reviews:

• Thieving Weasels
• Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
• The Traitor in the Tunnel
• Mortal Gods

September Reviews:

• The Reader
• Visual reference Guide: Architecture
• Fangirl
• A Corner of White

October Reviews:

• The Witches
• Cloudwish
• Burning Emerald
• Grand Forks
• Hourglass

(Weekly meme labels can be found on the features page)

Other July Posts:

• Favorite Genre Characteristics Part 1
• Favorite Genre Characteristics Part 2
• Cover Reveal: Hear the Wolves by Victoria Scott
• Quarterly Recap April-June
• Happy Fourth of July

Other August Posts:

• How My Blogging Has Changed Since Way Back In 2013
• Hobbies are Subjective
• Netflix and Books Tag
• Favorite Fictional Friendships
• Pre-release Blitz: The Flame Never Dies
• Release Day Blitz: United by Melissa Landers
• EP Summer Carnival

Other September Posts:

• Seasonal Books
• Whats on My TBR+Obscure Books & Movies

Other October Posts:

• Weekend Tidbits #8 It's October
• Music Monday Halsey
• Music Monday Ryn Weaver & Tove Lo
• Music Monday Halloween Edition
• Where Do you Buy Books?
• Creatures of the Night Book Tag

It's been a busy couple of months that's only bound to get busier since the holiday season is underway. But, I've read a lot of good books across the past four months. Some were new and others were older releases that I've been meaning to get to. One thing I want to do is read more contemporary novels since I don't regularly read from that genre, and continue getting to more of the backlist books I want to read. 

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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