Monday, August 22, 2016

Review: The Lovely Reckless



The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia 
I’ve become an expert at avoiding things that could hurt me—which means I will figure out how to stay away from Marco Leone.

Seventeen-year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: Nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to a public high school in the Downs, where fistfights don’t faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football.

Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him—and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?

The Lovely Reckless was an addicting and exciting read. Kami Garcia has delivered a real page turner! On the ARC so many authors blurbed and praised this book, and I can definitely see why. I expect it will be a major fall release, and I will happily recommend The Lovely Reckless to other book bloggers! 

Frankie, who has just witnessed the murder of her boyfriend, is having a tough time adjusting after the tragedy. She can't even remember his murderer. On the day of his funeral, she's caught drunk driving. From then forth she's sent to live with her dad, who's a cop, on the rough side of town. It's very different than her previous community in the Heights. Frankie's life does a 180. 

That's when the real excitement starts. Frankie gets mixed up with street racing, criminals, and new tough best friends (I loved Cruz. She was awesome.) Garcia also points out how a lot of these "rough" kids have tough backgrounds... and that their situations are hard, and sometimes impossible, to get out of. 

My only complaint: the insta-love. I really liked both characters separately. However, as a couple, Frankie and Marco exchanged the "I love you"s too fast in my opinion. We were told as readers how much they loved each other, but I couldn't quite see it yet. The classic case of show not tell! I do think they are a perfect fit though: they just needed more time to get to know each other. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. Yes, the drama was fun and addicting; but Garcia also put in a lot of depth and made some good points. Additionally the "rougher" setting (the Downs) was fun and different. I am so glad I picked The Lovely Reckless up. Readers, mark your calendars for October 4th. You'll thank me later. (Fan of Katie McGarry or Jennifer L Armentrout will especially love this!) 




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Top Ten Tuesday: Books that have been on my TBR forever

 

Here are some books that have been on my to-read list since BEFORE I started blogging in 2013.
You can yell at me in the comments. 


 


Please go enter :D Click here

What books have you neglected for years? Which of these books do I NEED to read right away?

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Thursday, August 18, 2016

Feature and Follow Friday: Opening Scenes



Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read
Featured Blog: Flavia the Bibliophile 

POST PROMPT: 
What is your favorite opening scene?

I don't have an all-time favorite opening scene in a book BUT right now I'm reading Six of Crows and the beginning is pretty awesome. Here is the first sentence:

"Joost had two problems: the moon and his mustache." 


So far Six of Crows has been very good!

Also, I remember Throne of Glass having a very epic opening scene, when she's taken from Endovier to become a potential King's Champion.

Also, of course Harry Potter has a great opening scene because it's a classic.

What do you think of Opening Scenes? What are your favorites?

Also LOOK! A 2016 Releases Giveaway 
Please go enter :D Click here


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Review: The Reader



The Reader by Traci Chee

A stunning debut set in a world where reading is unheard-of, perfect for fans of Inkheart and Shadow and Bone
Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin, who teaches her to hunt, track, and steal. But when Nin is kidnapped, leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin’s been taken, or if she’s even alive. The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance and her father’s murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed—and punish the people responsible.

With overlapping stories of swashbuckling pirates and merciless assassins, The Reader is a brilliantly told adventure from an extraordinary new talent.


Traci Chee's debut is a promising start to what I am sure will a fantastic new series. The Reader is many things: an ode to books, a wink at magic, and a tale of family, friends, and enemies. All of this is set in a original, lucious new world.

Is The Reader fast paced? No, not for me. But, and here's the important part, it didn't need to be. The Reader took it's time setting up the world and characters. Chee spent great time making sure her language was beautiful and rich. It was never fast-paced, but it was never boring- it was interesting, intriguing, and new. The action parts were still exciting- and trust me there was plenty of action. 

The book is a triumph in itself, with extra add-ins such as thumb prints, burn marks, a beautiful map, and even a sort-of "book within a book". Chapters of the book Sefia reads are included, letting us experience the power of the book with her, and also discover important characters. 

I liked Sefia a lot, but my only complaint is that I lacked that true connection. However, my heart did ache for her as I learned her parent's fates, and as she had to watch Nin be taken away. She is hurting and a life on the run has her living very alone until she finds Archer. I loved Archer- He had a very tragic backstory as well. In fact, the whole slew of character were delightful in different ways- there were charismatic characters, violent characters, morally grey characters- and all were multi-dimentional. 

Pirates, magic, readers, a beautiful budding romance, vengeful darkness and more make The Reader a glowing success that I expect will be a big hit once September rolls around. I am anxious for the second book! 




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Monday, August 15, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Awesome Books Set in Space


I LOVE space books, probably because I grew up with a love of STAR WARS!
Here's a list of space-ish books! (Not all are totally exclusively set in space)


Ender's Game
A classic favorite. Super smart scary kids in space battle aliens.

These Broken Stars
Enjoyable, light space romance. Beautiful cover!

Gravity
Fun little alien book. 

Starflight 
Fun space shenanigans. And a cute romance.

The Lunar Chronicles
One of my all time favorite series!

Illuminae
Awesome story. Super cool media and layout.

 

Alienated 
Alien romance turned out so much better than it sounds! <3

The Martian
Let's play Survivor on Mars with one person.

Fortune's Pawn
Epic!!! Kick butt heroine. 

Please go enter :D Click here

Have you read any of these books? Any on your TBR? Do you enjoy space books? 

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Saturday, August 13, 2016

Giveaway: Emily's Favorite 2016 Releases (So Far)

Below I have listed my favorite 2016 reads!!! I tried to include a variety of genres
The winner can pick their book of choice from the list. 


My Lady Jane
Starflight (my review)
A Court of Mist and Fury 


The Long Game (my review)
On The Edge of Gone (my review)
Flamecaster


The Lovely Reckless (my review)
The Reader (my review)
The Diabolic 

UPDATE: adding three more favorites!



A Torch Against The Night
It Ends With Us
Something In Between

(BTW this was inspired by my other yearly favorites giveaways! I love doing these.)
GOOD LUCK! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules 
You must be 13 or older 
No Cheating!
US & International
(As long as the book deposistory ships to your country)

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Review: On The Edge of Gone

A diverse, exciting, and smart read!

On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis 
January 29, 2035.

That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter near their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time.

Then a last-minute encounter leads them to something better than a temporary shelter: a generation ship that’s scheduled to leave Earth behind and colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But each passenger must have a practical skill to contribute. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister?

When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?

On The Edge of Gone is exciting, different, and introspective. It is unlike any sci-fi book I have read and that is a high compliment. While, in my opinion, this book was not quite as amazing as Otherbound, an all-time favorite, I still loved the story and heartily recommend picking it up. This was on of my most anticipated 2016 releases and it didn't disappoint!

Similarly to Otherbound, On The Edge of Gone features amazing diversity that is written about with tact and care. Our amazing main character, Denise, is autistic and biracial. There are also many characters of different backgrounds and sexual orientations. I LOVED seeing so much representation and publisher/authors/readers should take note. 

The book entirely takes place on Earth and focuses on Denise's quest to obtain a coveted spot on a generation ship after worldwide disaster (AKA the comet). Her life almost surely depends on it. The story itself is ingenious and presents with the readers with unsettling moral ambiguities. Is it right that, in the event of a terrible disaster, only a few of the most "valuable" people are saved. How can that be determined? 

While the content checks all the right boxes, I also found the actual story and writing to be emotional and enthralling. The tense family bond and struggles between Denise and her mother were heartbreaking. The "ship" (relationship NOT space ship) was cute but didn't overtake the plot. There were also cats. And an evil chapter that broke me. 

So far, Duyvis's books have been very different with a lot of variety, and I SO appreciate it! I highly recommend checking out On The Edge of Gone. The ending to this book was perfect: hopeful, real, and strong. 
This review is very late... but since I'm trying to start blogging again I knew this was review was on the TOP of my to-do list. A lesson to bloggers: better late than never (BUT still shame on me for my untimeliness!) 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*




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