Tuesday, May 31, 2016

May 2016 Wrap-Up

Number 1...
Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Days Spent Reading: 3
Rating: Infinity
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/05/lets-talk-court-of-mist-and-fury.html

Number 2...
Title: Every Pane of Glass
Author: H.B. Stumbo
Publication Date: June 1, 2016
Days Spent Reading: 3 days
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/05/lets-talk-every-pane-of-glass.html

Number 3...
Title: Illuminae (reread)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: October 20, 2015
Days Spent Reading: 8 days
Rating: Infinity
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/01/lets-talk-illuminae.html


Number 4...
Title: The Son of Neptune
Author: Rick Riordan
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Days Spent Reading: 3 days
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/05/lets-talk-son-of-neptune.html

Number 5...
Title: The Assassin's Blade (reread)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Days Spent Reading: 5 days
Rating: Infinity
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/06/lets-talk-assassins-blade.html

My favorite was DEFINITELY A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I was hoping I would have read more books this month, but between finals and BookCon and the reading slump I got from ACOMAF I ended up not reading as much as I wanted. Hopefully next month will be a lot better.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren


Monday, May 23, 2016

Let's Talk: The Son of Neptune

Title: The Son of Neptune
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: "Heroes of Olympus" #2
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy Mythology Adventure
Page Length: 513 pages
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Date Started: May 19, 2016
Date Finished: May 20, 2016
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

*Semi-spoiler free review*

It's been a while since I read this book. A long while. I believe I read it four or five years ago, so needless to say I didn't really remember much. I pretty much only remembered that Hazel was daughter of Pluto and that Juno was actually Hera messing around with Percy. And of course I knew who Percy was.

That being said, this was pretty much a new experience for me. I haven't even finished this series, and it's been so long since I read this novel that I've forgotten who the characters are. But as soon as I started, it all seemed very familiar to me.

The writing was great, as always. There was just enough humor underlying everything to make it not such a serious and somber event. It was one of the reasons I love Rick Riordan's writing. 

I really like Frank and Hazel, though nothing beats the original dream team of Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and all them. I am excited to re-read book 3 so I can finally see what happens in the last two books.

Definitely recommend, but I wish there had been more of the Camp Half-Blood characters in this novel. I understand it's to build the world, but I kind of wished there was more with them.

~

xoxo
Thanks for reading
Lauren

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Empire of Storms Cover

IT'S HERE! THE COVER IS HERE! AND IT'S FANTABULOUS!

It's so beautiful! 

In other news, I am about to post information for a Throne of Glass series Read-A-Long I'm hosting. EoS is 5 months away (including this month), so I'll be reading one ToG book a month. Hopefully a lot of you can read-a-long too!

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Let's Talk: A Court of Mist and Fury

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: "ACOTAR" #2
Genre: YA High-Fantasy/Romance
Page Length: 624 pages
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Date Started: May 1, 2016
Date Finished: May 3, 2016
Rating: Infinity

*Semi-spoiler free review-might contain mild spoilers for the first book*

Amazing. That's all I really need to say.

When I finished this book, I curled up into a ball and cried for 5 minutes. The ending was so heart-wrenching (but good!) and the feels were pouring over me. I was not prepared for that.

So, the world of Prythian got so much larger in ACOMAF than the first one. We got to visit so many places in this one, and I just fell even more in love with this series. We met more characters, and I think I like some of the newer ones more than some that we met in the first novel. I am absolutely blown away by how I could love a character in the first book and think my opinion was never going to change, then absolutely hate them in this one. *cough* you know who I'm talking about *cough*

As we all know from the first novel, Feyre had a bargain with Rhysand where she had to spend a week at the Night Court every month, and I loved her visits there. I'm trying not to give too much away, but I absolutely love the Night Court. We get to see what it is actually like versus what everyone think it's like, which was bloody fantastic.

The new characters made me swoon. I find myself lying in bed thinking about these characters and how I want to be a part of it all because of the camaraderie and loyalty these characters have with each other.

I was very surprised by the events in this book. Looking back, what I expected to happen did not happen at all. I am very interested in seeing what will happen in the next book. Hopefully, the world continues to grow larger in book 3, and I know for sure that the feels will definitely reach a new plateau.

All I can say is PREPARE YOURSELF! Get a box of chocolate and a fluffy blanket and a stuffed animal and lots of tissues for when you finish this novel. It was fantastic, and my feels were never prepared for what happened next.

I cannot, but have to, wait for the 3rd novel. My guess on the title? A Court of Pain and Feels. This is my top recommendation of the year, so far, and I highly suggest you read this series immediately.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Every Pane of Glass Cover Reveal!

It's cover reveal time! This is one of my most anticipated releases of summer and I'm very excited for it to finally be revealed to the world! 


Title: Every Pane of Glass
Author: H.B. Stumbo
Release Date: June 1, 2016
Add on Goodreads – http://bit.ly/1UtcsWt


Synopsis:

Several miles south of Devil’s Lake, Michigan, lies a town whose charm is trumped by its name. Devil Town may be beautiful and unique, but it offers no remorse for locals who have left the city limits. Val Stevens is a local born and raised, and after an eight year hiatus, she’s come back to town to stir up some old flames. Cracked like glass from life’s quirky twists of fate, Val keeps to herself and wards off the local “Devilers”, like a bad disease. But even someone as fiery as Val, can’t deny the appeal of a friendship with an intriguing stranger, or the ghosts of her past.

With the help of Anderson Pane, Devil Town’s newest resident, Val unearths pieces of herself she has lost along the way, while chipping away at the edges of those who caused her to shatter. She quickly learns that in order to face her future, she needs to forget everything she thought she knew about her past. A task which proves to be equal parts shocking and healing.

Can Val walk among the shards of who she was in order to find out she is? In a place where secrets run deeper than the depth of Devil’s Lake itself, the answer bubbles to the surface, in a twisted turn of events, history, love, and even death.


Excerpt:

There’s this saying in Devil Town…

I’m sure most small towns have a tagline, or a saying that the residents chime and the outsiders don’t understand. It’s probably just part of small town living. Keeps things just secretive enough, yet still allows a little room for explanation.

For us Devilers though, we live by a few short words. “Once a Deviler, always a Deviler.” Basically it’s as clear as glass. You don’t get away from places like Devil Town. It stiffens your drink and tucks you in at night. It’s in your blood. It clots you. It keeps you. It beckons you back. It’s a powerful place and boasts a powerful hold on your heart. Even if you get away from it, you’re never really away, and you’ll always come back. People always end up back in places they don’t want to be. Always.

I’m a Deviler, and I’ve been beckoned.

I swirled the plastic drinking glass in my hands as I tried to come to terms with going back. Devil Town. What a cheery name. Let’s get something straight off the bat. I didn’t choose the name of the place I grew up in. It chose me. If I would have had something to do with it, I would have chosen something much different than Devil Town. But Michigan was a vast state full of questionable decisions. One of those decisions is why would they name a series of lakes that spread across the countryside, Devil’s Lake? And why on Earth would they choose to name one of the towns that borders those lakes, Devil Town? And who are they?

I didn’t have time to worry about history, because the pilot informed the entire congregation on flight 7801 from LaGuardia to Detroit, that we would begin making our descent into the city soon. It was time to finish our drinks. The tiny stewardess with the trash bag implied that. I don’t recommend ever chugging a gin and tonic, but drastic times call for drastic measures. That being said, I also don’t recommend wasting a gin and tonic either. I winced at the burning sensation left in my gut by the tonic water and noticed the long-haired woman sitting next to me wince, as well. Maybe it was the gin that left the burning sensation, or maybe it was the impending truth that I was returning to the one place I swore I’d never come back to.

Possibly a little bit of both.


Author Info:

Hayley, (HB Stumbo) resides on a dairy farm in Ohio, with her husband and fur children. She's easily excitable and slightly loud, but she's a Leo so that's just how it is. She loves words, good stories, and often gets sucked into books with ease. When she isn't writing stories, she enjoys cooking, seeing the world, drinking Vodka and Tonics, and live indie-folk music. She wants you to know that Tom Petty is the greatest American musician of all time, and she was likely born in the wrong era. Hayley is the author of two other novels, and has a half dozen more ideas in her head. She can found online atwww.hbstumbowrites.com, and is also active on Instagram, Facebook, and sometimes Twitter. She loves meeting new people and connecting with strangers, so feel free to look her up!

Facebook – http://bit.ly/1SJ67BI
Goodreads – http://bit.ly/1NiFaYO


~

I'm super excited to have been able to reveal this cover for you all. Hayley Stumbo is a fantastic writer and I know this book will be fabulous as well.
Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

Sunday, May 1, 2016

April 2016 Wrap-Up

I read a crap ton of books this month! Most of them I really really enjoyed, so I'm excited to revisit them in this wrap up. I reread a couple books as well as wrapped up 3.5 series! At the end, I'll tell you which books were in my top 4, considering I read 16.

Number 1...
Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Illustrated Edition)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Illustrator: Jim Kay
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Days Spent Reading: 2 days
Rating: Infinity
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-harry-potter-and-sorcerers.html

Number 2...
Title: Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Publication Date: February 3, 2013
Days Spent Reading: 18 days
Rating: 3/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-etiquette-and-espionage.html

Number 3...
Title: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publication Date: June 5, 2010
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: 4/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-short-second-life-of-bree.html

Number 4...
Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: Infinity
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-heir-of-fire.html

Number 5...
Title: Jurassic World: Junior Novelization
Adapter: David Lewman
Publication Date: June 16, 2015
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-jurassic-world.html

Number 6...
Title: Taken at Dusk
Author: C.C. Hunter
Publication Date: April 10, 2012
Days Spent Reading: 4 days
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/let-talk-taken-at-dusk.html

Number 7...
Title: Whispers at Moonrise
Author: C.C. Hunter
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/let-talk-whispers-at-moonrise.html

Number 8...
Title: Every Last Breath
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/let-talk-every-last-breath.html

Number 9...
Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Days Spent Reading: 2 days
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-court-of-thorns-and-roses.html

Number 10...
Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-cinder.html

Number 11...
Title: Chosen at Nightfall
Author: C.C. Hunter
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: Infinity
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-chosen-at-nightfall.html

Number 12...
Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Days Spent Reading: 2 days
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-scarlet.html

Number 13...
Title: Cress
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Days Spent Reading: 2 days
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/lets-talk-cress.html

Number 14...
Title: The Dark Days Club
Author: Alison Goodman
Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Days Spent Reading: 5 days
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/let-talk-dark-days-club.html

Number 15...
Title: First Kiss
Author: C.L. Stone
Publication Date: April 25, 2016
Days Spent Reading: 1 day
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/04/let-talk-first-kiss.html

Number 16...
Title: Winter
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: November 20, 2015
Days Spent Reading: 4 days
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book Talk: http://laurensboookshelf.blogspot.com/2016/05/lets-talk-winter.html

The series I finished were "The Dark Elements" trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout, "Shadow Falls" by C.C. Hunter, and "The Lunar Chronicles" by Marissa Meyer. That 1/2 series I finished was a companion novella to the "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer. I am very happy with the fact that I finished series this month.

I think my favorite NEW book I read this month was "The Lunar Chronicles". It was a tough choice, considering I read so many AMAZING novels in April, but I can't stop thinking about that series. 

Stay tuned for more!

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren


Let's Talk: Winter

Title: Winter
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: "The Lunar Chronicles" #4
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Fairytale Retelling
Page Length: 824 pages
Publication Date: November 10, 2015
Date Started: April 27, 2016
Date Finished: April 30, 2016
Rating: 5/5 stars

*Semi-spoiler free review*

This book was so long and it was so good! I got about 400 pages in and the thought process in my mind was, "So much has already happened...what the heck is going to happen in the second half of the book?" I'm so happy with this book.

So much happened that it would take me hours to describe it all. But let's start with my beautiful babies, aka the characters.

WINTER: We met Winter in this book, seeing as it's titled "Winter". I was a little unsure about Winter from the blurb we got in Cress, but I was still interested in her character. It turns out that I LOVED HER. She was so fun, and seeing her and her hallucinations from her perspective made me realize she's not as crazy as I thought she would be. Her character arc wasn't much, but it was there. I really loved her. She genuinely cared for her people and didn't want to manipulate others with her Lunar gift. In the end, I was very happy with what happened concerning her character

JACIN: Oh wow, Jacin pissed me off a little in the beginning, but I loved him. He had this big "Me Jacin. No feelings. Protect Winter" thing going on. It annoyed me in the first parts of this book, but then stuff happened and my ship worked out. He was also fantastic regarding the other characters, who he's with more than he's with Winter. One of my favorite scenes with him was when (SPOILER) Cinder jumped off the ledge from the throne room into the lake. Jacin and Thorne have to save her and pull her out, then he brings her back to life essentially (END SPOILER). That was bloody fantastic.

CINDER: My baby Cinder! She went through literal hell in this book. She was in near-death situations consistently. She would escape one and almost immediately get thrown into another. I honestly thought that she was going to die a few times. Everything that I wanted (and didn't know I wanted) to happen, happened. I loved seeing her character arc from the first book to this one. She's so different and perfect and I just want to wrap her in a big bear hug for being such an amazing character.

CRESS: Cress progressed so far in this novel. She went from being shy and timid to sacrificing herself a few times to save her friends. She even got stabbed! Go Cress! She is honestly so innocent when she starts out, but a little spitfire when it came down to it. I loved her character arc, and it made me a little teary-eyed in the end with what happened with her.

THORNE: The whole story, Thorne is trying to "change" into a good guy, or at least be a better person. It was so great. So much happened to him and I really really just want a whole book for Thorne. I'm so glad we met him in the beginning of the second book, and not in the third like I originally thought. SPOILER FOR PREVIOUS NOVELS: I am extremely happy that Marissa Meyer did not make a love triangle with Cinder/Kai/Thorne. I'm glad that she made Cinder and Throne a friendship, because I friendSHIP it so hard! END SPOILER

SCARLET: My feelings about Scarlet have consistently grown better and better throughout the novels. I enjoyed her quite a bit in this novel. She has definitely grown into an even braver woman, and it has been a fun ride to see her emotions go up and down as well as all the crap that happens to her in these novels. I am happy with how her ending happened.

KAITO: I love Kai. Throughout the whole novel, he's had to be--for the most part--away from the rest of the crew, but he is still helping them. He's stuck with the unfortunate job of distracting Levana while the others do their thing. I loved his sass at certain parts, because he's not a character that immediately comes to mind when I think of sassy characters. He has a very subtle sass that comes into play when he and Levana butt heads. It was great!

WOLF: Wolf kind of gets the short straw every time. Some major sh*t happened to him in this book, but in the end, I'm happy with how his ending was played out. He's had a pretty bad life, and I believe that him and Scarlet are a great pairing because they can help each other heal from their pasts as well as balance out their strong personalities (I'm looking at you Scarlet).

I loved the ending, it was fabulous. The climax and all the different things going on in that span of time were so well done. I was sucked in early on but those 800 pages flew by so fast. It's one of the longest books on my shelf, if not the longest, and I read it so fast.

I need Stars Above right now! Not in a month, NOW! I am hoping to get it and then get it signed at BookCon, but I'm not entirely sure if that'll end up happening due to how popular Marissa Meyer is.

I loved this series. I'm very happy there are companion novellas so that I can keep reading it, seeing as I blew through this series in about 2 weeks. I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend the Lunar Chronicles.

I'm gonna miss these characters. I love them all to death.

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren