Feature & Follow Friday #37: Fire!

Happy Friday, fellow book lovers! Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of Feature & Follow is to meet new bloggers, make friends, and gain readers.

This Week's Question: 

Your house is burning down and you have
time to select three books you own to 
take with you. What three books?

This is definitely a hard one (well, one of them is easy). I think I would probably have to make some really hard decisions between books with sentimental value and those that have been signed. Okay...

1. My Circus Adventure - a personalized book my Mema gave me when I was five (picture below). 
2. Ensnared - because it's my favorite of the trilogy and is signed by A.G. Howard.
3. Inferno, Illustrated Edition - it's signed by Dan Brown and is way too expensive to buy again!

Audiobook Mini Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Title: Torment (Fallen #2)
Author: Lauren Kate
Publication Date: September 28, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 452
Add to Goodreads
Review for Part 1

How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for?

In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean – and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future . . . and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened . . . what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

Torment was really more of the same for me. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing. It opens with Luce at her new school in California where she's supposed to be hiding from the bad guys. Unfortunately, that means it's very, very similar to the first book since she goes through getting used to a new school and making new friends all over again. Also similarly, Luce makes a lot of the same mistakes. She constantly ignores warnings from Daniel to stay on school property and ends up putting everyone in danger - again.

Throughout this book, Luce is angsty and distrusting over Daniel's lack of physical presence by her side. Her immaturity is glaring throughout the book as she constantly goes off on Daniel over every little inconvenience to her. I'm just not her biggest fan. I mean, she's not a total bitch, she's just a teenager, I guess. Daniel remains one of my favorite characters. He tries so hard to keep Luce safe! Again, Adrianne was a super fun character!

Lauren Kate does a lot right with this book, she just doesn't do enough to keep me interested. I liked it... But despite the blurb's claims, the Fallen series isn't nearly addictive enough to make me read (or even listen to) the third book.

Notes on the Audiobook

Nothing much to add here either! I really enjoyed the narration provided by Justine Eyre and would certainly listen to something else performed by her.

Waiting on Wednesday #38: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is:

Ink and Bone
by Rachel Caine Publication Date: July 7, 2015

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.… 

Holy crap this sounds awesome!! The Library of Alexandria is still around? Okay, I guess it's all supposed to go downhill somehow, but still. This one is going to be a must read!

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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Top Ten Tuesday #34: Book Heroines

Today's Topic: 

 Top Ten Nine Favorite 
Heroines From Books

Yay!! What a fun topic! There are so many great book heroines to choose from. I'm going to try really hard not to be too predictable, but I can't help but to throw in some fan favorites!

    

Tris Prior from Divergent

Egwene Al'vere from The Wheel of Time

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter

     

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games

Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter

Alyssa Gardner from Splintered

    

Lilac Laroux from These Broken Stars

Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings

Mara Dyer from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish -  a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers. Each week they post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. Click here to get involved!

Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Apollo Academy by Kimberly P. Chase

Title: The Apollo Academy
Author: Kimberly P. Chase
Publication Date: February 22, 2015
Publisher: Escape, Harlequin Australia 
Pages: 236
Add to Goodreads

Take off with this dynamic, thrill-seeking, sexy New Adult Science Fiction series debut. Welcome to the exclusive Apollo Academy, where Aurora is about to discover that achieving her dream is only the first step towards her future.

As the heiress to Titon Technologies, eighteen-year-old Aurora Titon can have whatever she wants—clothes, expensive gadgets, anything money can buy. But all she really wants is to escape her pampered, paparazzi-infested life for the stars. Becoming the first female pilot to train as an astronaut for the exclusive Apollo Academy is exactly the chance for which she has been waiting.
Flying is everything she ever dreamed, her best friend also got into the Academy, and the paparazzi is banned from campus. Everything would be perfect, but for her unreciprocated crush on a fellow student, the sexy astronaut bent on making her life hell, and the fact that someone keeps trying to kill her.

The most important education doesn’t happen in the classroom…

Purchase

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Excerpt

Whoop, whoop. ‘Thrust warning, loss of main engine one.’ Whoop, whoop.

The shrill warning bell caused the hair on the back of Aurora’s neck to stand on end. She thrust the throttles on the remaining two engines full forward. She knew Sky stood behind her simulation panel, probably smiling as she struggled to recover from the engine failure he’d just caused with the flick of a switch.

He'd been overseeing everyone’s progress and of course decided now to come over, waiting until she was at an extremely critical altitude before creating this failure for her to handle.

Whoop, whoop. ‘Stall imminent.’ Whoop, whoop.

Aurora knew she was approaching the aircraft’s stall speed, but the loss of a single engine made it extremely difficult to control the overly large shuttle. Her yoke shook, another warning that a stall was close.

Aurora had to resist the urge to pull the nose of the aircraft up.

"Aurora, you’re going to stall if you don’t increase your airspeed," he whispered right next to her ear. She jumped, accidentally pressing her foot down on the rudder pedal. She still felt his breath on her cheek. Sky’s constant hissing in her ear was more distracting than being yelled at.

“Shit!" She didn’t even have a chance to alter the course of events because she was at too low of an altitude to recover from the spin she'd just entered.

‘Terrain, terrain.’ Whoop, whoop. ‘Pull up, pull up.’

She wasn’t going to make it. It was like her last simulation flight all over again.

The screen cracked and blacked out when the shuttle hit the ground, killing everyone on board. This was followed by flashing red lights and a loud siren that alerted her and everyone else around her of the failure.

She slammed her finger down on the automatic warning system. The red warning lights swarmed around her, making her cringe in on herself. She already knew she had messed up; she didn’t need the incessant light show. If Sky hadn’t scared her half to death, she wouldn’t have stomped down on the rudder so hard at such a low speed. Okay, so maybe scared wasn’t the right word, but his breath on her face definitely distracted her.

"Damn it, Sky!" she said taking her frustration out on the one who was really responsible for her crash.

Now sitting down beside her, his large frame towered over her. He whispered in her ear, "Tell me why you crashed."

He was still too close. "Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you scared me half to death by hissing at me." She touched her ear. "Who does that? It made me stomp down on the rudder."

Sky grinned, showing off his dimples. "Are you saying you were distracted by my very presence?"

He had the audacity to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively.

Heat ran to Aurora’s face, but instead of backing down like she normally would, she decided to wipe that grin off of his face. She'd had it with everyone treating her differently. It might not have been the best idea, but she flirtatiously leaned toward Sky anyway. His eyes widened in surprise.

Now that he was distracted, she discreetly pulled a piece of gum from her bag on the seat next to her.

"Here, maybe next time your breath won’t cause so much trouble."

His mouth opened in shock, and Aurora took the opportunity to place the gum into his mouth. The instant she did it, she felt horrible. What was wrong with her? That was the most immature thing she’d ever done.

Sky calmly shut his mouth and popped a bubble, but the grin on his face was definitely gone.

Oh stars, he was going to make her regret that . . .

Author Bio

Kimberly P. Chase holds a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which basically means she's kind of a geek and loves flying airplanes. Naturally, her books tend to include aviation, hot flight instructors, aviator glasses, and—let's not forget—kissing! When Kimberly's not writing or reading, she's hanging out with her husband, five-year-old son, and two dogs in Charleston, SC.

Author Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Book Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publication Date: December 10, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 374
Add to Goodreads
Reviews for book 2 & book 3

Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive -- alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.

The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

A few days ago I was sitting on my couch and realizing that everything I'd read recently was really kind of... dark. When did I stop reading good old fashion love stories? Oh yeah, that's right. I don't really care much for those. But I did want to read something a little happier than normal. I looked through a few options and ended up settling on These Broken Stars. I mean, the cover is so gorgeous, how could I not be drawn to it?) So I ran out to Barnes & Noble (under the pretense of gift shopping) and promptly purchased a copy for myself!

I'm honestly not one for sci-fi, which might come as a shock since I love dystopian novels! When this first started on board a huge spaceliner, I wasn't really positive how I'd feel about it. But then the action started and I had a really, REALLY hard time putting it down! I've seen mixed opinions on the world building in These Broken Stars, but I have to say that I was totally enchanted by what the authors have done with this future universe. The Icarus itself (seriously, who thought that name was a good idea?) was really amazing. Each separate part of the ship was described perfectly! And the planet they land on is equally well-done - maybe even better. The terrain seemed believable, if a little odd. The sign of a well written book, in my opinion, is whether or not I can fully picture it in my head, and I could picture myself on this planet as the characters made their journey.

Oh, the characters... I wasn't sure about Lilac from the beginning. While I sympathized with her situation, I still felt that she was being a little ridiculous in the way she handled herself. Maybe even a little bratty. But as the book progressed I came to really like her and her spunk! Tarver, well there's a no-brainer. He was a fantastic character! I always feel like I'm able to identify with characters who have been to war and back and that was no different here. I was able to see where he was coming from in many of his actions and even his fears. And the romance between Lilac and Tarver seemed natural! It's about time that I got another YA book without the instalove that everyone seems to enjoy so much. The struggle between them and ultimate acceptance of their situation and each other made me love them even more.

The story itself was creative and original and I loved it. I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but the main premise behind the planet itself is absolutely nothing like your average dystopian. And then there was that thing that happens that everyone but me seems to already be aware of... My heart stopped. I thought I was going to lose it right there. But I pushed on and breathed a sigh of relief and, as you can see from the rating, I loved the way These Broken Stars was wrapped up in the end.

My only complaint about this book is that it isn't a series. When I saw book two before even starting this one, I just assumed it was going to be a trilogy. Well, apparently it is, but they're completely separate stories. So, while I loved this one, I was really hoping to read more about Lilac and Tarver! But I suppose I'll be alright and I will definitely be picking up book two soon!

Weekly Recap: 2/15 - 2/21

My Super Exciting Life 

Snow days!!! 

This week saw two days out of school, one class cut short, and a lot of late assignments due to feeling like crap. In case you aren't from the south, let me tell you: snow in the forecast = days out of school. It was so nice to have all that time off to do a lot of nothing! I started watching the new(ish) Beauty in the Beast series with my free time. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but I'm going to give it a fair chance.

At the end of the week I made a last minute decision to visit my brother at his apartment an hour away from mine. Although he's been to my place several times, this is my first time staying with him. There has been much food, Big Bang Theory, and many books purchased (keep scrolling)!

New Book Finds

This week I made some online purchases, but they haven't shown up yet. To make up for the lack of inflowing books, I went shopping when I visited my brother! We went to several used bookstores. I came away with three classics: The Divine Comedy, The Odyssey, and The Nature of Things. I also got two YA books, The 5th Wave and Wither, and two Robert Jordan books. I can't wait to have the entire series!! 

In Case You Missed It

Monday book review of Cress

I talked about book-related problems for Top Ten Tuesday

I featured End of Days for Waiting on Wednesday
On Thursday I participated in a book blitz for Sword by Amy Bai
I discussed fantasy vs realistic books for Feature & Follow Friday

On Saturday I shared my favorite "grown up" books

This Week I Read

  

  

Upcoming Review

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I'm linking up to Stacking the Shelves and Sunday Post

Let's talk "grown up" books

As you probably know if you're a regular reader of my blog, I'm a huge fan of most things YA. I love the simplicity of young adult fiction!

I love that the romance, while sometimes a little overly dramatic, is usually accompanied by a super awesome story unlike a lot of adult fiction that focuses primarily on sex with some semblance of a plot to hold it all together. I love to experience the urgency of young love through the pages of a book. Most importantly, I love that YA characters' problems aren't so real as a character in an adult book who might be dealing with a divorce and child support (this is primarily why I steer clear of contemporary fiction).

All that being said, there are some adult books that I've read over the years that I've absolutely loved for some reason or another. Today I'd like to share some of my favorite "grown up" books that span genres from contemporary to fantasy.

Okay, so I'll admit without hesitation that I absolutely ADORE Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. I haven't read a single one that I haven't enjoyed. That being said, Acheron has been my absolute favorite and the only one (I think) I've given a 5 star rating. There is so much depth to this book - the first half being the backstory of Acheron's life, a character who has been a huge part of the series (and a total badass) from book one. At a whopping 816 pages, it has plenty of room for detail! I felt so emotionally connected to the characters and found a deep respect for Acheron that made me appreciate his character so much more!

Dan Brown is an author I discovered while I was deployed to Afghanistan. I started with The DaVinci Code and quickly blew through every one of his books I could get my hands on. While it's completely different from the Robert Langdon series, Deception Point has probably been my favorite of any of his books! It's super suspenseful in that Dan Brown way but it's totally not historical artifacts and Jesus' family tree. 

The Wheel of Time was one of the first series I started reading in high school when I started getting serious about this bookworm thing. I read books one through three in eleventh grade (if I'm remembering that correctly - it was a long time ago) before ultimately giving up because my brain couldn't handle anymore. Fast forward about seven years and I decided to give the series another try, but on audiobook this time. I am totally obsessed! I've never read any other epic fantasy series because I have this idea in my head that they're cheesy, but this one is just amazing! While a 14 book series can certainly be tedious, it also allows a ton of room for character development and I can't help but love a few of them.  

Flowers in the Attic is legitimately one of the creepiest books I've ever read. In so many ways. I first came across this story in film format. I can't remember how old I was when I watched the movie, but I immediately discovered that it was based on a book. I didn't get around to reading it for several years, but when I did I quickly read books one through four in succession. This series is the uncomfortable kind of creepy, but you can't help but think V.C. Andrews was a freaking genius. And her books have certainly withstood the test of time. I guess this one is technically young adult fiction, but I never found them in the YA section at the library and I never thought of them that way... 

I won an ARC of this one way before I started blogging (and way before I realized that not reviewing an ARC would seriously hurt your chances of winning more...) and was totally blown away. This is definitely the total opposite of a weak plot with tons of romance. This book is a a roller coaster from page one with a back burner romance that is still totally necessary to the story. I find books about people with mental illness to be pretty hit or miss, but this thriller about a woman with OCD is AMAZING. OCD is terrifying. I definitely need to do a reread of this one soon so I can review it. 

I've talked about this one here on the blog before and I'm just going to tell you again how wonderful it is. I hadn't read The Iliad when I picked up The Song of Achilles and all I knew about it was what I'd seen on Troy (Brad Pitt edition). I didn't quite realize it was going to feature the love story of Achilles and Patroclus - it was my intro to LGBT fiction - but it was done in such a moving way that I was almost in tears by the end. Like Into the Darkest Corner, this is a romance moved along by a plot instead of the other way around, though some might disagree. I think I might do a reread of this one this year too now that I think about it... 

This is a very rare example of a "real" book that I've read. I usually avoid all things sad like the plague, but I had personal reasons for reading Still Alice. I came across this book maybe a year after my Mema had passed away with Alzheimer's. In an effort to better understand what she had been through I read this book. While it was an extremely emotional experience, it was an absolutely amazing book and did help me to understand my Mema's struggle. I recently saw that this is being made into a film and I definitely plan on seeing that too! 

Last but not least, Under the Dome. I've really enjoyed several books by Stephen King, actually. No romance here! But he writes such creepy books. I knew I had to read this one as soon as I saw the cover! And it really did live up to my expectations (the show as kind of a letdown). This one didn't drag like some of his other books - Doctor Sleep, for example - despite it's 1000+ pages. This book is written in such a way that I felt the tension as if I was actually there. Sometimes Stephen King's books don't quite get there for me, but when he gets it write, he really gets it right! 

There you have it - a few of my favorite adult books. I feel like a lot of people in my blogging circle are in the same place as me, being lovers of young adult fiction. I wonder if others feel the same way I do about YA storylines vs. those in many adult books - perhaps specifically adult romance. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Of course I have to ask: what are your favorite adult reads?!

Feature & Follow Friday #36: Fantasy vs. Reality

Happy Friday, fellow book lovers! Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of Feature & Follow is to meet new bloggers, make friends, and gain readers.

This Week's Question: 

Do you like fantasy or realistic books?

Most definitely fantasy (if everything other than realistic books can be called that...) over realistic! I'm going to be honest with all of you. I have enough drama in my life. I don't need other people's fake problems. And when I do deal with book drama, it better be wrapped up in a bunch of dystopia/vampires/zombies/sci-fi. Life is real enough for me! I need to escape into books!

Book Blitz & Two Giveaways: Sword by Amy Bai

Title: Sword
Author: Amy Bai
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Candlemark and Gleam
Pages: 438
Add to Goodreads

Sword shall guide the hands of men . . .

For over a thousand years the kingdom of Lardan has been at peace: isolated from the world, safe from the wars of its neighbors, slowly forgetting the wild and deadly magic of its origins. Now the deepest truths of the past and the darkest predictions for the future survive only in the verses of nursery rhymes.

For over a thousand years, some of Lardan's fractious provinces have been biding their time.

Kyali Corwynall is the daughter of the Lord General, a child of one of the royal Houses, and the court's only sword-wielding girl. She has known for all of her sixteen years what the future holds for her--politics and duty, the management of a House, and protecting her best friend, the princess and presumed heir to the throne. But one day an old nursery rhyme begins to come true, an ancient magic wakes, and the future changes for everyone. In the space of a single night her entire life unravels into violence and chaos. Now Kyali must find a way to master the magic her people have left behind, or watch her world--and her closest friends--fall to a war older than the kingdom itself. 

Purchase

Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Excerpt

An arm reached out of the dark and wrapped around her neck.

She saw it coming from the corner of her eye, but only had time to twitch uselessly sideways. Another arm immediately followed the first one, muffling her startled cry and stealing her breath.

Too shocked to be afraid, she bit down. The hand over her face jerked away. Her elbow drove backwards and her heel went up into a knee. The awful crack of bone that followed drew a pained groan from behind her, and brought her panic in a thundering flood. Her attacker staggered, pulling her with him. The dropped candle sputtered on the floor beside them, throwing huge shadows everywhere. Spurred on by the thought that she might have to finish this struggle in the dark, she shouted. It was a much softer sound than she'd intended, but the floorboards above them creaked ominously, the arms around her fell away, and he screamed, as though she had burned him.

Leaving this mystery for later consideration, Kyali flung herself at the steps and scrambled up, leaving the back panel of her skirts in his fist. Her sword clattered on the floor as she snatched at it. He came hard on her heels and, as she turned, drove himself obligingly onto it for her. Stunned, she froze again.

Her blood sang in her ears. By the look on his face—a fair face, some much colder part of her noted, with the Western short-beard—he was at least as surprised as she was. He drew a bubbling breath. A dagger dropped from his hand and hit the floor between them.

They stared at one another.

He made an odd face then, and coughed a gout of blood all over her. She blinked through the drops. She knew she had to move—not dead till they stop bleeding, Father would say—but she couldn't. For all her years of study, all the secrecy and swordplay, she had never killed a man. She supposed, watching his face in a perversely distant way, that she still hadn't quite managed it. But he fell forward onto her then, going limp, and after the instinctive terror of having him land on her subsided the sight of his glassy gaze, of her old practice sword sticking out of his ribs, made it clear that she had done it now.

She watched his face closely while his blood dripped down her cheek. He didn't move. He seemed not to be bleeding anymore, though with all the blood on him already how could one tell? She didn’t intend to get closer to check. She couldn't hear anyone else in the house. Through the haze of shock, she was grateful the soldiers weren't here to witness this bizarrely personal moment.

"Well," Kyali said, beginning to be pleased at how well she was taking this—and then threw up on him.

Damn. 

Author Bio

Amy Bai has been, by order of neither chronology nor preference, a barista, a numbers-cruncher, a paper-pusher, and a farmhand. She likes thunderstorms, the enthusiasm of dogs, tall boots and long jackets, cinnamon basil, margaritas, and being surprised by the weirdness of her fellow humans. She lives in New England with her guitar-playing Russian husband and two very goofy sheepdogs.

Author Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Waiting on Wednesday #37: End of Days by Susan Ee

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is:

End of Days
by Susan Ee Publication Date: May 12, 2015

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other? 

Okay, so I just copied and pasted the description without looking at it because I haven't actually finished the book that comes before it. But I loved Angelfall so much and I'm loving World After so far too! Book three has to be amazing!

Question for all of you...

If you could ask your favorite author one question, what would it be? 

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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Top Ten Tuesday #33: Book Related Problems

Today's Topic: 

 Ten Five Book Related 
Problems I Have

I never knew I had any problems that were book-related. Not until I started blogging. I was so happy with my reading situation before I knew that people had book blogs. But I did start a blog. And now I have issues.

1. I can't stop buying books. 
2. I've discovered the joy of hard copies, which has made this endeavor much more expensive.
3. YA has ruined most other literature for me. 
4. My favorite series is over and I don't know what to do with myself. 
5. My friends think I'm a huge nerd. 

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish -  a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers. Each week they post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. Click here to get involved!

Book Review: Cress by Marissa Myer

Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 550
Add to Goodreads
Reviews for book 1, book 2, book 3.5, & book 4

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

So here's the truth: I didn't even know what this book was about. I mean, I knew that it would continue the stories of Cinder and Scarlet, but I didn't even bother to read the cover because I knew I had to read it. I honestly didn't even notice the hair on the front... Yeah, so I had no idea it was a retelling of Rapunzel. I have nothing to say for myself. My lack of situational awareness did make for a great surprise though when I realized which retelling I was getting into!

The story here is a very complex one. It isn't just the story of Cress just like Scarlet was not just the story of Scarlet. Cress picks up right where Scarlet left off - with Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf on the run from Levana and her minions. Very quickly we meet Cress, a Lunar shell who is being held in a tower satellite and working for Thaumaturge Sybil. After a series of heart-stopping events during an attempted rescue by Cinder and the gang, Cress ends up alone in the middle of nowhere with Thorne, who she has had a schoolgirl crush on forever (honestly she's kind of a creepy stalker).

Shortly after Cress' somewhat successful rescue attempt, the story deviates into several storylines, which is probably the biggest reason why I didn't give this book a full five stars. While I understand the reason Marissa Meyer chose to separate the book into separate storylines, I found myself either kind of forgetting about other characters or getting annoyed that a different character had disappeared. The pacing seemed to drag at times... Honestly it took me almost two weeks to get through this book. It just seemed to take forever! That's not to say I didn't really enjoy it though!

As always, the world of The Lunar Chronicles is absolutely breathtaking! This time was even better though - I got to visit a satellite and FINALLY got to see some of Luna! <---- THAT is one of the main reasons I am absolutely planning to read Winter! I can't wait to get back on Luna! I can't help but picture the crescent moon on Treasure Planet!

I loved getting to know Cress. I loved how naive she was, especially in her early scenes with Thorne. She was timid, but not annoyingly so (think Anastasia Steele... *shudder*), and although she was very out of place out of her satellite, she held her own surprisingly well.

Thorne... Oh my god, Thorne. He was probably my favorite out of all the men in this series so far! I loved everything about him and most especially his attitude. He reminded me so much of Captain Jack Harkness (and the fact that he's also a captain was not lost on me). The romance here, as in the first two books, was convincing and totally non-instalovey!


The other characters were obviously amazing too - if I didn't love them I wouldn't have picked up book number three! I was so glad to get some more Cinder/Kai time in this book! I can't wait to see where there story goes in book number four! But probably one of my absolute favorite characters in Cress was Iko! I love her, I love her! I hope there's a story all about Iko at some point because I'd definitely read that.

Okay, so I don't want to ramble, which is what often happens when I post a good review. Suffice it to say I really, really liked Cress! There were some pacing issues that caused me to drag this book out over a longer-than-normal period of time, but it was still action packed and I enjoyed it enough that I've already purchased Fairest and definitely plan to preorder Winter! I'm guessing I'll have to set aside a month for that one...

Weekly Recap: 2/8 - 2/14

My Super Exciting Life 

This.week.was.madness. I haven't shared much on the blog about my personal life, so allow me to give you a sneak peak.

My husband is a Merchant Marine and works away from home for long stretches of time. This time he's been gone since December 10th, moseying along the west coast between Oregon, California, and Hawaii. For the last several weeks we've been trying to figure out a time for me to visit, but nothing has quite worked out. FINALLY we though I would go visit him in Portland from Wednesday through Sunday, but at the very last minute the ship turned for San Fransisco, so that's where I went. 

Wednesday morning at 3:30am I was sitting at the airport and from 5am EST until 11am PST I was on an airplane. I finally got to meet up with my husband around 1:30pm! After sleeping for half the afternoon because I thought I was dying of jet lag, we went out onto the streets of San Fransisco to locate food. While we were at dinner, however, we got some bad news. His ship was leaving the next afternoon and I couldn't go with them. After having my ticket changed from Sunday morning to Thursday afternoon, we explored some more of the city before calling it a night. We had breakfast in bed the next day before I got back in a cab and returned to the airport. So after all that we got less than 24 hours together. I can't complain too much because I usually don't get to visit him at work at all.

The rest of the week has been spent catching up on homework and my blog, relaxing with SVU, and eating lots of chocolate because I feel like I deserve it. And really that describes my Valentine's Day too! Next week it's back to the grind with a makeup exam on Monday...

New Book Finds

The craziness of this week put kind of a damper on my book finds for the first few days. BUT then I got an email from Book Outlet for the President's Day sale! As you can imagine, I definitely went ahead and ordered a few new books, two of which I've never even heard of (Tempest and Velveteen). I'd be really interested to know if anyone has read any of these books! 

In Case You Missed It

Monday book tour review of The Madman's Daughter

I shared things I hate in romance novels Top Ten Tuesday

I featured Daughter of Deep Silence for Waiting on Wednesday

On Saturday I shared a list of anti-Valentine's Day reads

This Week I Read

  

I finally read Angelfall after a ton of people recommended it and, yes, I loved it! 

Review coming soon!

Upcoming Review

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I'm linking up to Stacking the Shelves and Sunday Post