Thursday, May 18, 2017

Let's Talk: When to Fear the Living

Title: When to Fear the Living
Author: B.L. Brunnemer
Series: "Veil Diaries" #3
Genre: YA Paranormal RH
Page Length: N/A
Publication Date: May 17, 2017
Date Started: May 17, 2017
Date Finished: May 17, 2017
Rating: 5/5 stars
Book 1 Review
Book 2 Review

*Be advised that there are trigger warnings in this book. Please read responsibly*

Non-Spoiler Review:

I loved this installment. Was it my favorite in the series? No, it tied with all of them because I can't pick a favorite. Things got real in this book. Not only did relationships with each of the guys start to grow but we also saw a lot of backstory (more on that in the spoiler discussion). Definitely heed the trigger warning that B.L. put in the description. There are some pretty graphic scenes so be careful if you think that you may be triggered. 

This book amped things up. I had some small problems with it but everything else made up for it. I felt like we got to see Lexie grow a little bit more as she dealt with everything in this book. Despite certain things that happened to her in this book, I have no doubt the guys will be there to help her and care for her in the following books. 

I'm so excited for the next installment. Things are starting to happen and I have a feeling that a lot of them are going to come to pass in the next book! But for now, I loved this book. I stayed up from the moment it went live until 3 am to read it. I cried, I laughed, I fell even more in love with these characters. I 100% recommend this book to any paranormal or RH fan out there!

Spoiler Discussion:

So...we finally got Zeke's backstory. He told Lexie about his mom being murdered and his dad committing suicide. It's heartbreaking to say the least. However, there was a moment Zeke was talking with Rory that made a hint that maybe his dad was still alive? I hope this isn't foreshadowing something bad happening in the next few books.

We also got a lot of Zeke in this book, which I loved. Zeke and Asher are my favorites of the guys, probably because we've seen the most of them and Miles, who is my next favorite. We got a lot of Zeke and Lexie bantering as well as flat out fighting, which lead to revelations on both sides. We got a lot of protective and also nice Zeke (come on...dancing in the snow after changing her tire: I loved it!). Also, the whole time Zeke was sick was just amazing for me. I loved how Lexie could calm him down when he was sick and usually doesn't let people near him. That whole sick!Zeke part was simply amazing. 

Also: Zeke was the first to kiss her!!! Well...kiss her on the lips. Forehead kisses don't count in the romantic sense when it comes to Lexie and her guys. At the end of book 2 I was seriously doubting, but still praying, that Zeke would be the first to kiss her. And he did! They didn't get to talk about it yet, though, and I really hope we get to see them talking in the next book. 

Just a quick shoutout to two side characters: Riley and Maria. Despite Zeke and Riley breaking up, Riley still came to support Lexie and made a point to let her know that just because she and Zeke were done, it didn't mean she broke up with Lexie's friendship either. I loved it. Also, the twin's mom, Maria, is freaking amazing. She's caring, fun, and a great cook. She was there for Lexie during the rape kit and she was there to teach Lexie how to salsa (not gonna lie, I thought she was going to give Lexie lessons on how to make salsa dip and not how to dance...). I am excited to see more of Maria.

Maria also let us in on a little bit of Ethan and Issac's backstory as well as a little bit of the twin telling us about their sister. I know it would be best for Sophie to move on, but I really want Lexie to know her a little bit more so that she can have that bond like the guys do. Also, Ethan and Issac's dad is in prison because he assaulted Maria, who's simply a badass. I think that this will play a part in the future with Ethan and Issac and Lexie simply because it's not something that's easy to deal with even after many years and Lexie could help them. 

Lexie made it through the Veil! She fixed it for the most part and just needs to help souls cross in order to rebuild and reinforce it completely! I was worried that she was going to overdo it and end up locked in the fetal position again but she knew her limits and I'm proud of her. She finally crossed those two bitches Mr and Mrs McClain. About time. Plus, at the end of the book it talked about how the souls understood she could only do a few at a time and even form a ghost bodyguard squad to keep too many ghosts from trying to get to her. I loved that.

However, we drifted away from the dead aspect a lot more in this book, which is where the title comes into play. Lexie's stalker was really fucking creepy. I personally would not have started texting him and leading him on towards the path of friendship. The whole book whenever there was a hint her stalker was there, I was on edge. The footprints outside her back door? That had me making sure my doors were locked. The flowers? Why would he know where she lived. Then things escalated. He tried to kidnap her but failed and things escalated. Pictures, an engagement ring, a dead dove in her locker, setting Zeke's jeep on fire. Everything just blew up. Then he succeeded in kidnapping her and the only thing that saved her was Miles's tracking device in her book. 

Lexie is definitely going to struggle with what happened to her in the next few books, more so than with anything else she's gone through. Already she has triggers and is struggling. I know that she will be okay, especially with her guys there to help her through her trauma.

All in all, I loved it. I waited so long for this book and ended up blowing through it the moment it released (early, might I add). But I have no regrets. I love this world and these characters and their friendships. I am so excited for book 4 and also for the new adult series B.L. is writing that had a sneak peek in the back of this book. It looks pretty good so far.

All I can say is...when does book 4 come out? 

~

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

~

Get free worldwide shipping from Book Depository here:

~

Get 10% off your first A Court of Candles order when you use this link:
http://i.refs.cc/R36K4LVi

~

Saturday, May 6, 2017

April 2017 Book Haul!

Huh, at the beginning of the month I envisioned myself getting a lot more books than I ended up with. So far this year I've had at least 10 physical books and an abundance of eBooks. But...I only got 8 regular books (I only paid for 5 of them though), 3 eBooks (le gasp!), 2 audiobooks, and NO merch! Probably because there are so many releases in May and I'm saving my money. Plus, my computer broke and I had to get it fixed which took pretty much all of one of my paychecks...Any who, I'm excited for all of these books. Let's just dive in.



~~~

So...I'm gonna talk about these together even though I actually got them at separate times. Starting off my bookhaul we have The Mime Order and The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon.
These are books 2 and 3 in The Bone Season series and I'm in love. I got book 2 off of BookOutlet for really cheap (hollah!), and my grandma bought me the collector's edition of The Song Rising. It's so freaking gorgeous! Sadly, I have not had the chance to continue on with book 2 as this month was stressful as freak and I have 5 books I need to review by June. Hopefully I can continue on in May because I'm DYING to know what happens to my babies next!

~

Then I got The Whispers of the Fallen by J.D. Netto
I did order this from his website and it came signed (yay!). It also is one of the original editions, which I love even though I also love the new editions. I don't know when I'm going to get to this but I'm excited for when I do!

~

Then there were a couple preorders I had for new releases this month. First, I got Alex & Eliza by Melissa De La Cruz.
I LOVE Hamilton, and when I found out that Melissa was writing this story and publishing it, I was so freaking excited. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to get around to reading it, but I'm just excited to have it in my hands nonetheless.

~

The second preorder I picked up was Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer.
I've had my eye on this one since October or November and I'm excited to finally have this sleeping beauty retelling in my hands. I love retellings and this one intrigued me to no end. Again, I'm not sure when I'm going to get around to reading this but I'm excited for when that time comes!

~

Then I bought Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.
This is a gorgeous book and while I know nothing about it, the hype and praise around this book is making me excited. I am interested but I don't know when I'm going to dive into this novel. Still, the UK cover is absolutely stunning and this cover was one of the reasons I decided to buy it!

~

Lastly, my school library was giving away books that they weren't going to put on shelves and I picked up 7. I gave one to my sister and the others aren't super exciting so I'm only going to talk about two of them that really interest me.

The first is Shadowchild by C.E. Thornton.
I read the synopsis for this book and it sounded real interesting, so I added it to my pile of books I was bringing home. Plus, later when I was just flipping through the books, I saw that this one was signed! Wow. A free, never-been-read, signed book. I'm pretty excited!

~

The second book I'm going to talk about from my free pile is The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.
I own the first two books in the LOTR trilogy and I haven't read them yet. I adore the movies but I haven't had a chance to read the books. They kind of terrify me if we're being honest. This book doesn't match the rest of my series but I'm ok with it because it was free and I'm probably not going to read it for a while.

~~~

Now onto the eBooks I bought this month. I did get a few free eBooks, but I only bought 3. Woohoo! Go Lauren! Look at you saving your money!

~

First, I got White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I own this series in physical copies, but when I saw that this book was a kindle daily deal I pounced on it! I love this series and just being able to have these books in eBook format means that I can bring this amazingness to college with me when I do head to college! 

~

Then I grabbed On The Merits of Unnaturalness by Samantha Shannon
I loved The Bone Season when I read it this month and I decided that of course I needed this companion/information booklet! I think that this will definitely help with learning the different orders of clairvoyance and types of voyants. I think it's just something that every TBS fan needs.

~

Then, lastly, I grabbed Defying Pack Law by Eve Langlais
I'd had my eye on this one for a while. Unfortunately, I got about a third of the way through and ended up DNF'ing it. I plan on trying again sometime soon but I had a lot higher hopes for this book rather than what was going on. 

~~~

I also picked up 2 audiobooks this month. Even though I had no audible credits, Amazon allows us to buy certain kindle eBooks and their audio companions together for a cheaper price. Thus, since I already owned each of these eBooks, I got the audiobooks for pretty cheap ($3 each).

~

First, I bought Charcoal Tears by Jane Washington, narrated by Laurel Schroeder.
I haven't listened to this yet, but I'm excited. I love this series and I didn't even know an audiobook was in the works until it had been released. When I do need an audiobook for a long car ride, I'm definitely going to listen to this one.

~

Secondly, I bought Finding My Pack by Lane Whitt, narrated by Aletha George and Cooper North
Again, this is another series that I absolutely love. The third book was supposed to come out at the end of April but it ended up getting pushed back even later. Still, I'm excited to have this. The narrator is pretty awesome and I'm excited to listen to the emotions and different voices of the characters.

~~~
Well, there you have it. My book haul for April. I'm pretty excited about the books I picked up but I am even more excited about May, which is the month of releases. And I'm done with school after the first week of May, so I'm pretty excited.

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Lauren

~~~

Get 10% off your first order on A Court of Candles when you use this link


Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link:

~~~