Weekly Recap: 7/2 - 7/8

TRACY'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Happy Sunday, everyone!! I hope you all had a fantastic week and a great holiday to anyone who was celebrating. My week was fairly uneventful. I signed my pupper up for obedience school, which he'll be starting in about a week (thankfully)! I can't wait to send him off to the trainers to learn how to not be a complete psycho. I spent a lot of this week looking for paint colors for my bedroom and bathroom! My husband probably isn't thrilled, but I'm excited to get the walls spruced up a bit from their neutral gray!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

   

THIS WEEK I READ

 

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MC'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG
Happy weekend! I hope everyone in the US had a wonderful Independence Day and everyone in Canada had a wonderful Canada Day and everyone else just had a wonderful day! 😝 I had an awesome four day weekend and it was absolutely fantastic. Other than that, I haven't been up to too much. I am still in physical therapy because of hip problems. I had something done on my legs this week called dry needling, and it was awful. I had needles stuck into all the knots in my legs and they still hurt so much. I don't think I want to try that again. I've been working on beta reading and proofreading a new book for a friend of mine, so I haven't don't much other reading this week. I'm off to a fair this weekend and seeing some fireworks, so that should be awesome! And I'm not looking forward to a boring old work week this week.  Have a great weekend!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

Nothing new this week!

THIS WEEK I READ

Nothing read this week!

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Monday ARC review of Now I Rise
On Wednesday I featured The Hazel Wood for Can't-Wait Wednesday
Thursday ARC review of Strange the Dreamer
On Friday I did the Mid-Year Freak-Out Tag

UPCOMING REVIEWS

 

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We're linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!

Mid-Year Freak-Out Tag!

Recently I saw a post over at Bookavid about why you should really be doing more tags on your blog! Her post (and the fact that I love book tags) inspired me to find more tags to take part in. I found this tag on Spines and Covers, but it was originally created by Booktubers Chami and Ely. Was I tagged? Err, nope! But I'm playing along anyway! Now, on to the questions.

BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2017

Well, this year is easier than last since, well, I just haven't read as much as I normally do. :/ Although there have been some good reads, Now I Rise is the best so far, hands down! I wouldn't be surprised if it makes my top five of 2017 in my year-end survey! Now I Rise was an incredible sequel that didn't suffer at all from second book syndrome and I can't wait to get my hands on book three!

BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2017

Oh, um, this is awkward. Can I pick the same thing for two questions in a row? If I'm trying not to be lazy and pick Now I Rise for every category, I'd have to go with Waking Gods, the sequel to Sleeping Giants! It's a super unique sci-fi that I highly recommend even if you think you don't enjoy science fiction. 

NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT WANT TO

Oh man, this one is hard. I'm so behind! I think I have to go with Flame in the Mist, though. I've heard so many fantastic things, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet! Luckily, I just got a copy in the mail and should be making time soon! 

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

There are so many!! I think my absolute most anticipated (and don't hate me for this!) would have to be Origin by Dan Brown. Yes, there are a TON of YA releases I'm dying to get my hands on, but you have to understand. There hasn't been a new Dan Brown book in FOUR YEARS! And they have been tortorous. You better believe I preordered Origin as soon as I could! 

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Oh look, another reason for you to hate me! My biggest disappointment of this year was A Court of Wings and Ruin, no contest. It was my most-anticipated sequel in the 2016 End of Year Survey! ACOTAR and ACOMAF are the two books I have read more than any other books, ever. But ACOWAR was a massive let-down. You can check out my review if you're interested in exactly why! 

BIGGEST SURPRISE

The Beast is an Animal was a pretty surprising book for me. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked it up, but it definitely wasn't what I got! In a good way, though. I ended up really enjoying it! I think a lot of people are going to continue to be surprised by this one, considering it is repeatedly displayed with Beauty and the Beast retellings... 

FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR

That would definitely have to be Roshani Chokshi! I wasn't sure I would like The Star-Touched Queen when I finally picked it up, but it completely blew me away! The writing was gorgeous and perfect and for some reason I haven't picked up A Crown of Wishes yet, but I definitely will as soon as I can!

FAVORITE NEW CRUSH

Well, here I go using the same thing for two answers, but I'm doing it anyway. I'm going back to The Star-Touched Queen because my favorite new crust of the year is obviously Amar! How could anyone read that book and NOT love him? 

FAVORITE NEW CHARACTERS

While I don't have any real crushes in this world, I love all the characters in the Falling Kingdoms series! There aren't any that I found to be extremely dumb, which is always a bonus. My favorite is probably Magnus so far, though! 

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY 

Um... I don't cry while reading books. Sorry, guys. I'm heartless. :/ 

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue gave me ALL THE FEELS! I was smiley through so much of that book! I haven't reviewed it yet, but you need to read it!

MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT SO FAR THIS YEAR

This year I finally got my hands on a copy of The Gathering Dark, the original UK edition of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo! I tried trading for it forever and finally decided to just buy a used copy I came across. It is just as gorgeous as I thought it would be!

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR?

Too many to list! A few I'm hoping to get to that I haven't already mentioned are That Inevitable Victorian Thing, The Hummingbird Heart, Warcross, and The Glass Spare!

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Thanks for sticking with me till the end! If you're still here, I tag you to do the Mid-Year Freak-Out Tag!

ARC Review: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Title: Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1)
Author: Laini Taylor
Publication Date: May 28, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 532
Add to Goodreads

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

Lazlo Strange is many things. An orphan. A librarian. An adventurer. A learner. A dreamer. He has lived a quiet life as a librarian, keeping his head down and spending all of his free time learning of the lost city of Weep. Huge mysteries surround Weep, which used to go by a different name, until it was erased from the memories of everyone in the world. Lazlo has an obsessive thirst for knowledge about Weep, earning him the name Strange the Dreamer by those who think his quest is fruitless. On a day that changes his life forever, Lazlo is chosen to go on a journey to Weep, and what he finds is so much bigger than what anyone could have ever imagined.

Oh. My. Goodness. What a book this was. I adore Laini Taylor's writing, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this book before I even picked it up. But it really surprised me and I already want to read it again and get lost in the story.

Strange the Dreamer is a fantastic book, but it is a book that might only be enjoyed and appreciated by a small piece of the YA community. Firstly, the language and writing in the book is quite adult, making it a bit off-putting at first if you are expecting to find something more typical of a young adult novel. The writing is absolutely gorgeous, but the pacing is very slow and it takes quite a while (read: almost the entire book) before much action happens. If you manage to tackle that hurdle, you can be rewarded with an amazing reading experience. But Strange the Dreamer is not for the faint of heart.

What I love about Laini Taylor's writing is her ability to paint such a vibrant and intricate picture of her characters and her world. I feel like I really grew to know Lazlo and Sarai inside and out. By the end of the book, I knew them well enough to know exactly how they would react to the situations presented to them. I could see the world as they saw it, experience the sights and smells and feelings they discovered in Weep. It felt as though the world was being painted into life right before my eyes.

It took absolutely forever to get to the real action in this book, but once it happened, I was blown away. I didn't mind waiting for the action, because I was enjoying getting lost in the writing, but I can see how it could be frustrating to have to wait so long. I was totally blown away by the big reveal at the end when all the puzzle pieces started coming together. I just wish we had been able to spend a bit more time with the characters at the end because it felt very abrupt. Right when all the excitement came to a head, the book ended and I was left craving book two.

All in all, Strange the Dreamer is definitely not for everyone. I can see certain readers finding a lot of things to criticize in this book. But for those that are comfortable dedicating some time to getting lost in the language, you are in for quite an adventure. I adore everything I have read by Laini Taylor and I truly can't wait for the rest of this series.

Can't Wait Wednesday #4: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

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

The Hazel Wood

by Melissa Albert Publication Date: January 30, 2018

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong. 

The Hazel Wood has been on my radar for awhile now, but now that there's a cover I am getting excited!! I'm hoping to have a copy in hand soon because I am DYING to read this one!

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Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Wishful Endings.
This meme is based on Waiting-on Wednesday, which went inactive last year.

ARC Review: Now I Rise by Kiersten White

Title: Now I Rise (The Conqueror's Saga  #2) 
Author: Kiersten White
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 496
Add to Goodreads
Review for book 1

//I received this book from ALA in exchange for an honest review//

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost. 

Last year I had the opportunity to review And I Darken early. And I loved it.  It became one of my absolute favorite reads of 2016! And then the next year was slow, slow torture as I waited for book two. But then, luckily, I got to read it early as well! In February. And the next year will again be torturous.

Now I Rise picks up very shortly after And I Darken ends, with Lada on the way back to Wallachia, where she intends to claim the throne, wreaking amazing havoc and attempting to pick up allies on the way. Lada was an incredibly strong character who I almost instantly fell in love with in the first book in this series, and I was not disappointed in her here! She makes no apologies on her way to accomplish her goals or for her means to that end. Is she brutal? Absolutely! And I loved every single sentence I read about her story. I loved watching the relationships between Lada and Bogdan, Mehmed, and Hunyadi evolve. Honestly, I could go on and on about my love for Lada, but now I have to rave about another character.

Radu. Oh, Radu's story was every bit as incredible as Lada's! At first, I wasn't too sure about the dual points of view once Lada and Radu went their separate ways, then I found myself completely loving each. My only complaint is that I wish I'd gotten a full book from each of them - a chapter here and there wasn't enough! Radu's story takes an unexpected turn in this book, with him heading to Constantinople on behalf of Mehmed and his ultimate goal of taking the city for his own. New characters and old are present as are new and old romances, all of which were incredible! Radu really came into his own in Now I Rise, accepting himself as he attempted to take control of his circumstances. I have always been able to sympathize with Radu, but this time he broke my heart a time or two.

I've mentioned that there were quite a few secondary characters important to the story, both new and old. My opinion of Mehmed definitely changed a lot during this book, although I was already on the fence with him in And I Darken. He really did keep me on an emotional roller coaster. I ended up feeling a lot of feelings I did not expect for Hunyadi! And Radu's companions in Constantinople... I'd need pages to tell you of my love for them. I have such high hopes for that storyline in the next book!

As you may have gathered, I absolutely adored this story. Each main character went in a totally different direction, but I adored how their stories played out and intertwined. Everything tied back to the first book and nothing was randomly thrown in as filler, which seems to happen in second books. Speaking of, this book never seemed to suffer from second book syndrome. There was strategic planning and awesome battles on both ends and I was always on the edge of my seat. I loved the intricacies of the battle between the Christians and Muslims and am certainly more interested now to learn more about that history. I can definitely see myself reading this series over and over!

This book spanned many vastly different locations, and all of the settings were incredibly well written. Even now I can clearly picture Wallachia, Constantinople, and everything in between. Kiersten White really has a way of writing that makes me feel like I'm actually in the action and can see everything as it happens!

I really cannot say enough good things about Now I Rise! I've already said I wasn't sure I'd love it as much as And I Darken with Radu and Lada on different paths, but it exceeded all of my expectations and left me with a serious book hangover. I am crossing all of my fingers and toes for an ARC of the next book and hoping I survive that long! If you love historical fiction and badass characters, this is definitely a series you don't want to miss!

Weekly(ish) recap: 6/11 - 7/1

TRACY'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Hi again, everyone! In case you didn't notice, MC and I have been taking a break from Cornerfolds. Why did I leave for a few weeks? Well, mostly because I was feeling extremely overwhelmed with life in general. A lot of new things have been happening with buying a new house, moving into it, and raising a new puppy from 7 weeks old, among other things.

Just after I announced my hiatus, my mom went into the hospital after having surgery the week prior, so I spent the next week on the edge of my seat worrying about that. Good news - she's home and doing great now! My brother also came to visit for a week from June 19th through the 26th and we spent 5 of those days at Disney World, which was super fun, but exhausting! What I'm saying is, I chose to take a break at the right time!

While I was gone I fell behind on reading and reviewing, so Goodreads is yelling at me now. Maybe I'll catch up to my yearly goal, but maybe I won't. At this point I'm definitely reading for fun instead of to meet a set number of books read. I did discover some great new movies while I was gone though! Some of my favorites have been The Guest and The Cure For Wellness.

Finally, we got a makeover! I wanted a fresh start and had to choose between moving to Wordpress or getting a new blog makeover. I'm loving our whimsical new design! Maybe even enough not to change it for awhile! ;)

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

(Thank you to Jodi Meadows, & NOVL!)

  

THIS WEEK I READ

I didn't read a single thing, audiobook or physical copy. 

Instead, I spent my hiatus focusing on family, my puppy, and catching up on bad TV.

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MC'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG
Hello everyone! Long time, no talk! When we decided to take a break, I was in the middle of a sickness that lasted three weeks and just wouldn't let me be. Then about three days after I finally felt better, I ended up at the doctor due to horrible pain in my hips that had been building for a while. So I have been in physical therapy and very sore and grumpy since then. This break couldn't have come at a better time for me. Unfortunately, I have majorly fallen behind on my reading, but I am slowly getting back into the groove. I have so many books staring at me from my shelves demanding to be read, but I just haven't had the time lately. I am currently in the middle of a nice long weekend, so hopefully I can do some catching up in the next few days. Despite all the craziness that has been going on in my life, it's good to be back! Can't wait to catch up with all of you!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

 

THIS WEEK I READ

 

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

We went on hiatus!

UPCOMING REVIEWS

 

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We're linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!