November 2021 – Page 2 – Jill's Book Blog

TBR Thursday – November 25

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The 12th installment in the New York Times best-selling series asks: What if Rapunzel’s mother drank a potion from the wrong flower?
Desperate to save the life of their queen and her unborn child, the good people of Corona search for the all-healing Sundrop flower to cure her—but mistakenly acquire the shimmering Moondrop flower instead. Nonetheless it heals the queen, and she delivers a healthy baby girl with hair as silver and gray as the moon. With it comes dangerous magical powers: the power to hurt, not heal. For her safety and the safety of the kingdom, Rapunzel is locked in a tower and put under the care of powerful goodwife, Mother Gothel.
For eighteen years Rapunzel stays locked away, knowing she must protect others from her magical hair. But when she leaves the only home she’s ever known, wanting only to see the floating lights that appear on her birthday, she gets caught up in an adventure across the kingdom with two thieves—a young woman named Gina, and Flynn Rider, a rogue on the run. Before she can reach her happy ending, Rapunzel learns that there may be more to her story, and her magical tresses, than she ever knew.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Review: Geis II: A Game Without Rules

Title: Geis II: A Game Without Rules
Author: Alexis Deacon
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Publisher: Nobrow Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: December 12, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The second volume of Geis picks up right where the first graphic novel concluded: with the contenders divided against their will and thrown deeper into the mysterious game. Can the alliances of power be relied upon when so many rewards lay upon the line?
Deacons’ stunning illustrations carry forward the compelling and critically acclaimed narrative as the trilogy reaches its midpoint.

Review:

The competition continues in this second book in the Geis series. Everyone in the kingdom is competing to become the leader. However, only a couple of people know that they will fight to the death. Anyone who doesn’t win the competition will be killed. In this story, everyone is divided into two teams, either black or white. Alliances are broken as the stakes keep getting higher.

This is a fast paced and action packed story. There was more tension in this story because the stakes of the competition were raised. The fact that only some of the characters know that the competitors are destined to be killed also increased the tension.

I love how each character has a distinct appearance and style. Sometimes when a graphic novel has an extensive cast, it can be difficult to differentiate between the characters. It’s easy to tell these characters apart in this graphic novel.

Geis II is a great graphic novel! I hope the story will continue because it ended on a cliffhanger.

Thank you Nobrow for providing a copy of this book.

Other books in the series:

Geis: A Matter of Life and Death

Have you read Geis II:A Game Without Rules? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – November 24

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord. The expected publication date is January 4, 2022.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.
There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?

What books are you waiting on this week?

Happy Pub Day – November 23

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

Lifetime Passes by Terry Blas, Claudia Aguirre

Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy

The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

Extraordinary by V.E. Schwab

What books are you most excited for this week?

Top Ten Tuesday – Characters I’d Love An Update On

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Characters I’d Love An Update On. Here’s my list:

1. Alina (Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo)

2. Beatrice (Her Majesty by Katharine McGee)

3. Alice (Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young)

4. Liora (Luminous by Mara Rutherford)

5. Nina (Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid)

6. Nella (The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner)

7. Yadriel (Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas)

8. Mackenzie (The Unbound by V.E. Schwab)

9. Cassidy (Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab)

10. Quan (Dear Justyce by Nic Stone)

(All book covers from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Review: Among the Beasts and Briars

Title: Among the Beasts and Briars
Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 20, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.
Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone.
As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive.

Review:

The kingdom of Aloriya is a land of peace and free of disease since the King made a deal with the Lady who ruled the woods three hundred years ago. As the kingdom flourished, the woods became cursed, and no one is allowed to go into them. When Cerys was a child, the Prince, his steward, and her mother all disappeared into the woods. Cerys was the only one to survive that encounter. When the new Queen, and Cerys’s best friend, is about to be crowned, the curse from the woods is unleashed in the kingdom. Cerys must escape with her pet Fox and a powerful bear. They head into the woods to try to find the kingdom that is rumored to be hidden within. Cerys must uncover all of the secrets of the past to save her world.

I loved the world of this novel. This kingdom had an extensive history going back hundreds of years. However, it’s always important to look at who is writing the history. Usually the ones writing it make themselves look like the winners in the events.

There were some heartbreaking moments throughout this story but the ending was worth it. I loved the way it ended. There was a possibility for a sequel at the end. This was such a fun world and I loved the characters so it would be great to see a sequel!

Among the Beasts and Briars is a great YA fantasy!

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – November 22

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – November 21

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

Verity ★★★★★
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) ★★★★★
This Winter (Solitaire #0.5) ★★★★★
Frankie and Bug ★★★★★
Lifetime Passes ★★★★

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Among the Beasts and Briars

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.
Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone.
As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive.

What book are you in bed with today?