Grisha Trilogy Discussion & Giveaway

It is no secret around these parts that I am always and forever obsessed with the original Grisha Trilogy! (I refuse to call it the Shadow and Bone Trilogy - it is not.) I first read Shadow and Bone in early 2016, quite a few years late, but obviously fell in love with it. I was instantly drawn to the characters, especially Alina and the Darkling. Though there were ups and downs with the series, I remain in love with it and even did a recent re-read. I still need to dig back into Siege and Storm!

The biggest debate I see over and over with this series even seven years after its release is Team Darkling vs. Team Mal. I have a LOT of feelings about this, which I've already outlined in previous reviews (mostly this one), but they break down to this:

• Mal is the worst.
• Darkling is problematic but I love him.

And now, NOW, Grisha fans, we are being blessed with a Netflix show! I've seen a few fancast ideas and honestly I have no idea who I want in the character roles! I am the worst at fancasts. I'd love to know who you'd like to see though! 

Which team are you on in the great debate?

Who would you love to see cast?

Let me know in the comments!

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GIVEAWAY

To celebrate one of my favorite series for no reason other than I love it, I'm giving away a paperback copy of The Grisha Trilogy for the month of August! 

Must be 18 or have a parent's permission to enter. No giveaway accounts. Ends 8/31/19.

Winner will be contacted via the email within 3 days after the giveaway ends.

If winner does not respond within 3 days, a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday #250: Redesigns I've loved and hated

Today's Topic: 

Five Cover Redesigns I Love
and Five That I Hate

Happy Tuesday! This topic is so much fun! I can't wait to see which redesigns show up on everyone else's blogs that I didn't realize existed. Today I'm sharing five that I love and five that I hate. Neither category has anything to do with my feelings on the books! Some of these I haven't read. Some in the "love" category are books I hated and vice versa. It's all about the covers today!

REDESIGNS I LOVE

House of Furies by Madeleine Roux (yay spooky lady!)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (yay handsome wizards!)

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab (yay spooky tree!)

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (yay badass lady!)

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (yay that first cover is gone!)

REDESIGNS I HATE

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker (just why??)

Warcross by Marie Lu (why the monochrome?)

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski (why the pants?)

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano (why the bird?)

The Merciless by Danielle Vega (why the cutesy skull?)

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Book Review: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: The Darkest Star (Origin #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: October 30, 2018
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 367
Add to Goodreads

When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

My first foray into the world of Jennifer L. Armentrout did not go well. I honestly hated The first book in the Lux series and never thought I'd read another one by her. Then I was lucky enough to receive a copy of The Darkest Star at ALA, followed by several people telling me how amazing it was! Eventually I gave in and was happy to be proven wrong.

Evie is the MC of this story and immediately finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time when it begins. Luc is a Luxen (or is he?) and the most gorgeous guy Evie has ever seen. She realizes there's more than meets the eye about him and the club they met in and very quickly finds herself thrown into the world of the Luxen by Luc's side.

The first thing I noticed about Evie and Luc as opposed to Damon's story was significantly less angst. I'm not sure if that has to do with the years in which both were written, but this was much more my speed. Evie does have her fair share of angst, don't get me wrong, but it's manageable. Their romance was sweet and I found myself rooting for them despite some of Luc's less flattering moments. If hate to love romance is your trope, you'll probably enjoy this story.

I get the feeling there's definitely a lot more I would have picked up on in this book had I read all the other books in this universe, but I don't feel like I missed out on too much. Armentrout does a pretty good job of making sure the reader is up to speed, although I was really interested to find about about the war that apparently happened between the other book I read and this one!

This book isn't just romance and angst though! There were twists and turns that I definitely didn't see coming and that always makes books more enjoyable. I had an idea that something was going on, but I never pinned it down until the reveal. I also really liked the way the author touched on current issues within the world of the Luxen.

I am very pleased to say I did enjoy this book! I don't read many paranormal romance books, so The Darkest Star was a real change of pace. I'll never go back and read the ones before it, that's for sure, but I will be continuing Evie's story. If you loved this author's previous books, you'll probably love this one! If, like me, you're coming into this not knowing the history, you can definitely enjoy it anyway. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Weekly Recap: 7/28 - 8/3

HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Hi everyone! This week has been a busy one and I am definitely enjoying the weekend! I got quite a bit of reading done and even met with a real book club where we discussed To Kill a Kingdom. There were also pancakes. The big development of the week in the book merch world is that Holly Black has partnered with a company to make licensed merch. Leigh Bardugo also did this recently, but went to bat for small merch creators to continue creating and selling as well. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Holly Black and it looks like there's going to be a sharp downturn in available merchandise for The Cruel Prince. It will be interesting to see what happens when it comes time for Queen of Nothing boxes later this year. What are your thoughts on licensed versus unlicensed bookish merch?

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

THIS WEEK I READ

   

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The topic was sequels I need to read for Top Ten Tuesday
Wednesday audiobook review of Into the Drowning Deep
On Thursday I shared my ARC August TBR
On Saturday I discussed required reading


UPCOMING REVIEWS

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I'm linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!

How did (or do) you feel about required reading?

Required reading was the bane of my existence in high school.

My elementary and middle school years were a bit of a mess since I went to five different schools (and was homeschooled for two years) prior to ninth grade. That being said, I don't recall being required to read any specific book before high school. I remember getting library time in elementary school and having to choose books to read, so I guess it was required in a sense. Then in middle school I was required to choose books to do reports on. The only books I specifically remember choosing to read were The Call of the Wild and A Wrinkle in Time. I remember enjoying them quite a bit!

It wasn't until my last four years in public education that I was required to read specific books and be tested on them. Here are the ones I recall reading:

While I actually did end up enjoying a couple of these, I was largely bored to tears. For whatever reason, the public education system in my county chose the most boring books of all time for a bunch of teenagers to read.

I looked up a couple of recent required reading lists from random schools and saw things on them like Harry Potter, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Uglies, and Eleanor and Park. Honestly, I wonder how much sooner I would have become an avid reader if I had been required to read contemporary, fun books instead of A Separate Peace. I understand the reason certain books were chosen, but I do wonder why the education system doesn't value instilling a love of reading in students, which I can't believe reading Romeo and Juliet does for most students.

I'm curious to know how other people's required reading differed from mine, especially people who are in high school now or recently graduated!

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Did you hate your required reading in school? 

Did books you had to read affect your love for books?

Let me know in the comments!

ARC August TBR

Hi, everyone! In the last several days I've seen SO many posts for ARC August and, since I made a trip to ALA this year, I thought maybe it was time I finally participate. I need to meet some goals for a few other reading challenges, so this seems like a great way to kill two birds with one stone! I'd like to finish at least five ARCs in August, but I'm awful at sticking to actual TBR lists, so I'm giving myself a selection to choose from instead. Here are the ones I know I'd like to try to get to.

The Tenth Girl | There Will Come a Darkness | The Burning Shadow

A Treason of Thorns | Sisters of Shadow and Light | The Never-Tilting World

Into the Crooked Place | Rules for Vanishing | The Fountains of Silence

Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All

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Are you participating in ARC August?
Which books should I try to get to first?
Let me know in the comments!