I Got New Books!

Okay, so since I never have new books unread long enough to do a book haul, and I never know when I will have more books since money is tight, I figured I would just occasionally post the pictures of any new books I do get that I am ridiculously excited about.  So enjoy, bask in the glory that is the greatness of these two books!

I am too excited!  I am so glad my boyfriend let me get them.  I am thinking I will read Trial by Fire first, as I am kind of still...in shock that I have Heir of Fire finally and I don't want it to end.  Cause once this book is over, I have to wait...forever...for the next.  Lol.  Anyway, be looking forward to reviews on these two books!

REVIEW - Queen of Someday, Stolen Empire #1

Received from publishers via netgalley
for an honest review.

Title: Queen of Someday
Author: Sherry Ficklin
Release Date: October 2014
Pages: 262
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance

Time Took to Read: 4.5 hours

Purchase: Purchase via Amazon!

Synopsis: Found on Goodreads.

ONE GIRL WILL BRING AN EMPIRE TO ITS KNEES...

Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.

Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.

Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.

In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?

4 out of 5 stars

"You are the only man I trust completely, the only man I wish to be with this night."

--Sophie

Ficklin did an amazing job weaving her story.  The characters have such a wide range of personalities, and she has a way of making you love a character and hate them at the same time.  She also toys with her readers emotions like an expert, forcing me to fall for a character and then twisting the plot to make me suddenly wish them dead.

The story starts out fantastically, going from a steamy prologue into a fight scene.  It should be noted that this story contains amazing descriptions, allowing the reader to visualize the story perfectly.

I immediately liked Sophie.  She's pretty darn amazing.  Kicking butt, taking names, and wearing a dress while doing it, what's not to love?  However, this is where we lost a star, and my only problem with the book, which has nothing to do with Ficklin's writing or the story at all, but rather myself and my own personal preference.  At times, mainly in the middle of the book, Sophie became very reliant on the males around her.  -yes there is a slight...(what would you even call it) love triangle?- I am not a fan of damsels in distress.  HOWEVER, this is my preference, and I understand that in the time frame of this book, that is how most girls were required to be.  I can appreciate this, and if I had half a star icon, it would be a 4.5 out of 5 star review.

The males we get introduced to you will either love or hate.  In my case, Peter should die.  I loathe him, and have since the beginning.  Sergei, well..he's too flipping amazing and I want a miniature of him to keep in my pocket at all times.  Then there is Alexander, who, lets be honest, could gift me dirt and I would probably swoon.  There are other males, but these are the three we get most interaction with.

The females, well, like the males, you will love or hate, and then Ficklin will wretch you in two and turn the emotions.  I hated the mother from beginning to end.  I understand that her view was the general view of that time, but I think my hate became locked in when she told Sophie to be quiet like a true German.  Rina...is a doll, that's all there is to it.  Her sister, who I cannot be bothered to look up, is...around the same level of loathing as Peter.  (I rarely admit to openly hating characters.  Usually they fit their role so well I still love them, but I just could not love these two.)  Finally...the empress.  All there is to say about her is WHY FICKLIN, WHY?!

Over all, the story is wonderful.  I loved it and am looking forward to the second book.  I loved the characters and actually want to see more of them all in the next book - please continue to torture me Ficklin, rip my heart out some more, because this book was amazing.

--Jessi

What Got Me Reading?

Well, it seems to me that nothing is going to get done today.  I've been staring at this blog going "will you write yourself already?" and it just was not doing as it was told. So rather than try to think up something clever and witty, I figured I would tell you all a bit of my history and why I read as much as I do.

We all have it. A reason for doing something we love.  For some, it's as simple as the love was fostered as a child and doing it reminds us of simpler days.  For me, reading came as a bit of a salvation.

Originally I am from New York - upstate for those curious.  We moved to North Carolina when I was six, and everything was different here.  The weather was hotter and muggier, the plants all caused me to itch, I was literally allergic to nearly everything.

When I was seven, it was discovered that on top of being allergic to poison ivy and chiggers, I was also allergic to pine needles.  Which, for those who do not know, MIGHT AS WELL BE NORTH CAROLINA'S STATE TREE!  They are flipping everywhere.

Any time I would come into contact with one of the three above, I would have to later on go to the hospital for a shot because I would break out and it wouldn't go away.

So it became easier for me to stay inside.  It's not that I minded shots.  I was never a squeamish child.  But, going to the doctors every time would become costly.  I somewhat understood money and the fact that while not poor, we weren't rich either.

Books became a way for me to enjoy the world.  Any world.  The more magical, the more it fascinated me.  I say they were my salvation because if I had not had them to turn to, I probably would have become some mindless child sitting in front of the television all day.

Well, that's my story.  What about you all?  What began your love for reading?

REVIEW - The Faerie War, Creepy Hollow #3

This book was received by the author in
exchange for an honest review

Title: The Faerie War, Creepy Hollow's #3

Author: Rachel Morgan
Release Date: October 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Time Took to Read: 4.5 Hours

Purchase: Purchase via Amazon!

Synopsis: Found on Goodreads.

Violet Fairdale is in big trouble. Her home is gone, her beloved forest lies in ruins, the guy she gave her heart to has deserted her—and she doesn’t remember any of it. The powerful Lord Draven is taking over, brainwashing guardians into fighting for him. No one is safe from the evil spreading throughout the fae world.

As alliances are forged between the remaining free fae, Vi struggles to reclaim her identity and figure out where she belongs in this new world. When someone from her past shows up, life gets even more complicated. He brings with him a long-forgotten weapon and an ancient prophecy that places Vi at the center of the fight against Draven. With the future of the fae world at stake, can Vi carry out the prophecy’s instructions before it’s too late?

5 out of 5 stars

"I happen to know you’re a fan of glow-bugs. Or, more specifically, glow-bug butts."

--Ryn

This book started off in a torrent of feels for me.  I honestly had to stop at some point and go grab my nearest comfort food and a tissue because I was just so..so..mushy.

I was mad at Vi.  I admit it.  I wanted to slap her silly.  I know, I know, it was hard.  Dealing with everything she had to deal with up until this point, dealing with guilt and the knowledge that she contributed to what happened, well it had to have sucked, but I was so, so, so upset for those that she had known before.  Ryn, Filigree, and even Uri, I felt bad for them.

However, that did not lessen my love for this book, this entire series, in the least.  I stick by what I said for book one - Rachel Morgan has a way of writing that is so relaxed that you flow from one page to the next without really realizing the time that has passed.  I never once had to stop and go "what just happened here?" or "what was she trying to say?".  It was written in such amazing detail, and yet, it also was not too over the top to complicate things.

I am incredibly sad that the series is over.  I am also incredibly happy with the outcome.  I want more from Rachel Morgan.  I want more from this series.  Perhaps following a certain Star named Tilly.  I don't think anyone understands just how much I would adore that.

Now, I am gonna go find some breakfast, and maybe eventually sleep.  I am certain I will have immense withdrawal now that this series is over.

--Jessi

REVIEW - The Faerie Prince, Creepy Hollows #2

This book was provided by the author in
exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Faerie Prince, Creepy Hollow's #2
Author: Rachel Morgan
Release Date: May 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Time Took to Read: 6 Hours

Purchase: Purchase via Amazon!

Synopsis: Found on Goodreads.

Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

5 out of 5 stars

"I want you."

--Ryn

---

"It feels like I’ve been lost in the desert for years, and . . . I’ve finally come home."

--Ryn

Where do I begin, what do I do?  I don't even know if I should instantly plunge into the third book or go to sleep.  I don't even have the focus to be writing coherent thoughts right now.  Rachel Morgan, what did you do to me?  But seriously, I love this series far too much.  Thank you for not only writing it, but allowing me the final two books to review.

Like book one, there was an incredible amount of action in this book.  Constant, non stop.  It's great.  It's also not just fighting action.  Some of the scenes set my stomach a flutter.  I wanted to be the one truly experiencing them.  It was magical!

Morgan has a way of capturing the readers interest and keeping it from page one until the end, and then making you not only need the next book to the series, but want to go barging up to her door and demand she give it to you right now.  If I didn't have the third book, I would do just that.

I don't want to go too much more into details, as I do not want to spoil this series for anyone, but we do see a lot more of Ryn, which is exciting for me, since he is easily my favorite character now.  Sorry Vi, you were booted to second place, I am sure you understand though.

There was also a lot of twists and turns.  Some of them I most certainly was not expecting, but there were also others that I should have seen coming, ya know, if I wasn't so caught up in the awesomeness that is Ryn.

Seriously, if you haven't done so already, read this series!  You can find book one of the series: The Faerie Guardian on Amazon.  It is definitely not something you will regret buying!

Also: Glowing butts. -snorts- best part of any book ever.

--Jessi

REVIEW - The Faerie Guardian, Creepy Hollow #1

Title: The Faerie Guardian, Creepy Hollow #1
Author: Rachel Morgan
Release Date: October 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Time Took to Read: Roughly 5 hours

Purchase: Purchase Via Amazon, Free!

Synopsis: Found on Goodreads.

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamor follows her into the Fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the Fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive.

5 out of 5 stars

General Impression
The Faerie Guardian is amazingly fast paced, written in such a way that I could relax while reading it, and left me loving Violet and Ryn.

Favorite Quote:
"“Do you mean to tell me that I’m the only one you bestow your delightful insults upon? I’m touched.”

--Violet

Let me begin by saying that I love the cover of this book. It is what initially drew me in. I will be honest and say that I looked at the cover, looked at the goodreads genres it contained, and hit the 'Buy now with 1-click' button without reading what I was getting myself into. Such a terrible confession right? But I am glad that I did it!

I have a thing for books that are fast paced, and this book, starts out with a bang. Instantly in a fighting scene! I loved it. Never once was there a dull moment, and I kind of didn't want to stop reading. In fact, I had to go to the restroom about seventy percent of the way through and refused to do so. So that's saying something.

While I am not usually a big fan of reading books on the computer - I don't own a kindle so I use the kindle for PC option - this was one book I would read again despite this little hiccup.

The characters, especially Violet and Ryn, were realistic. They had their quirks, their mood swings, and their wonderful snarky moments. Unfortunately for mister Nate, I am in love with Ryn. He's so much fun, and I have a thing for male characters who are jerks. So, Nate was overshadowed by him.

This is a book that I would definitely recommend reading, and hey, it's currently free on amazon! What have you got to lose? Give it a try! Go, go, go!

--Jessi

Top Five Favorite Covers!

I was trying to come up with something to start the day off with.  Something that I could do right now while I am waking up.  Reading a book would take a few hours, and I don't feel like starting one only to have to stop in an hour to wake up the boyfriend.  Somehow, SOMEHOW!  I always wind up at a good part whenever something dealing with him interrupts and that makes me go RAWR!  Lol.

So I figured that I could begin the day off shoving some of my current favorite covers at your lovely faces.  In the nicest way possible of course! <3 I am sure that there are plenty more covers that I really love, but these are my favorites off the top of my head.  I will probably ramble into general thoughts on the book if I have read it, so it's a double whammy!

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore

You're going to probably notice a trend in these.  I have a thing for blue/purple books.  I do not know why, I just know that every time I see a book with these colors, I stop and look.

In this case, I love how the colors are actually a face in the background.  At first I didn't notice it, it took me awhile.  I am a little slow, lol.  But the cover is very well done, it is the right amount of 'busy' without being over the top.

I loved the book itself too.  Despite being a lot slower than Graceling, it was still a wonderfully written book that I had a great deal of difficulty putting down.  Kristin Cashore has a way with forming her world that makes me fall in love anew every time I read one of her books.

Entwined, by Heather Dixon

Lets start off by saying, whats not to love about this cover?!  It's fricken magical!  I am madly in love with the dress that the girl is wearing, I love the vine frame, the letters have a whimsical feel, which is only amplified by the hedges and castle in the distance.  I would marry this cover if it was at all possible.

I go this book when it came out, however long ago that was, and read it in one sitting.  I remember biting the boyfriends head off any time he would try to talk to me just because I loved it so much.  It had everything in a novel that I wanted: A strong female lead, magic and fantasy, and a lot of twists and turns.

Really, there is no going wrong with this book, from front cover, to back cover, it is a beautiful book.

Incarnate, by Jodi Meadows

Look, another book with blue tones.  The added in red is just a bonus.  This cover was probably my favorite for the longest time.  It just had a different feel to it.  Yes it's another attractive woman posing for a cover, but it had a magical air to it that you'll come to learn I have a weakness for.

I am ashamed to say that Incarnate is the only book of Jodi Meadows that I have finished.  I actually received an arc of Asunder from a giveway through...epicreads I believe, but at the same time, my family was having a lot of issues which involved going in and out of the hospital.  Which left me with absolutely no time to read it, and it has since then, been sitting on my TBR shelf.

One day I will get to it, I swear!  I did love Incarnate though, and really want to finish the series soon.

Legacy of the Clockwork Key, by Kristin Bailey

This cover is on the more 'simple' side, but is no less beautiful.  I love how it ties in the theme of a clocks innards on the cover.  The bird also serves a purpose in the book as well.  The lettering for the title also fits extremely well with the theme.  The only thing that bothered me about this cover was the authors name.  I am not fond of the chosen color and feel like it was just a random color thrown in there.

I read this book when it was free to read for a limited time.  I actually forget which site the author had linked to.  I do remember that I was hooked from the first chapter.  There is a lot of twists and turns and a lot more fantasy than I had originally thought there would be.  It was well written and very creative which is definitely a plus for any book.

The Artisans, by Julie Reece

You're probably wondering why this is up here.  You're probably thinking "This is really plain, why is it your favorite?"  In truth, I have no idea why I like it so much, only that since I saw it a while back, it was all I could think about.  I love the simplicity of it, I love the font, I love the background, I just love it.  It's a huge change from the attractive women featured on a lot of covers.  Maybe that is why it left such a huge impression on me and is forcing its way into my mind screaming for me to get my hands on it.

Since the book doesn't come out until May of next year, I haven't read it yet, but the books synopsis really interests me.  It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and I do love retellings, so I am really looking forward to its release.


Well, those are the top five covers I could think of off the top of my head.  There's definitely a bunch more that I love, but I am terribly disorganized with my Goodreads shelves and do not have it sorted by anything other than TBR and Read so we had to go with my terrible memory lol.

What are some of your favorite covers?  I would love to see!

--Jessi