Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!
What books are you most excited for this week?
Title: A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 23, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★
It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift–back into Black London.
Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games–an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries–a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.
It’s been four months since Kell and Lila defeated the stone from Black London. They have both moved on. Lila is fulfilling her dream of sailing. Kell is pining after her, without knowing where she’s disappeared. They’re both brought back to London again for a tournament called the Essen Tasch, or the Element Games. However, the shadow that they thought was gone forever begins to come back.
This was a thrilling story from beginning to end. The two main characters, Kell and Lila, were actually apart for most of the story, but they were thinking about each other. Their paths almost crossed a few times, which made the tension between them build. I don’t usually like stories that keep the characters separated like that, but it worked in this story.
There were a couple of short scenes of a particular character in another London. The scenes were just snapshots of what that character was doing. Though there wasn’t that much action in those scenes, the way that the scenes kept appearing built the tension until that part of the storyline could join the main plot. This was a clever way to weave multiple plots together until they could all join at the end.
This story ended on a great cliffhanger, so I’ll have to read the next one soon! I loved this sequel.
Have you read A Gathering of Shadows? What did you think of it?
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!
This weekend I finished A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab.
I’m currently reading Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon.
Next I will be reading The 100 (The 100 #1) by Kass Morgan.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:
I did 8 weekly blogging memes:
How was your week? What did you guys read?
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 Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon.
The Hating Game meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.
Today, she hates him.
It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.
Tonight, she puts up with him.
When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.
As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.
Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.
What book are you in bed with today?
This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.
This week’s prompt is Characters I’d Spend New Years With. These are characters that I think would throw extravagant or fun parties. Here’s my list:
(All book covers from Goodreads)
Did you make a Six for Sunday list?
Title: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (The Folk of the Air #3.5)
Author: Holly Black
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased from Owlcrate
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: November 24, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★
An illustrated addition to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy, that started with The Cruel Prince, from award-winning author Holly Black.
An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. #1 New York Times bestselling author, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.
This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.
Cardan was a child with a heart of stone. He heard that story many times when he was a child from a troll woman named Aslog. He began to believe the story was true, until he learned to master it.
This story gives a glimpse into the world of The Folk of the Air before the series began and after it finished. There were a couple of chapters from when Cardan was a child, which showed how he was treated by his family. The story also took place in the present, when he visits the human world with Jude. I liked how this story expanded The Folk of the Air series by showing events before and after the series.
The folklore of fae also played an important role in this story. Faeries cannot tell lies, which can be complicated for sneaky fae like Cardan. However, they can tell stories if there is some truth to them. This is a clever way that some fae get away with telling stories that have some truth but are actually lies.
This is a beautiful book, with gorgeous illustrations! It’s a must have for fans of The Folk of the Air!
Have you read How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted Devouring Books. This week’s prompt is 2021 Releases. Here’s my list of 2021 Releases I’m Excited About:
(All book covers from Goodreads)
If you’d like to do this list too, consider yourself tagged!
Did you make a Top 5 Saturday list?
Title: Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2)
Author: Sarah Morgenthaler
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Rating: ★★★★
How the moose (almost) stole Christmas.
Lana Montgomery is everything the quirky small town of Moose Springs, Alaska can’t stand: a rich socialite with dreams of changing things for the better. But Lana’s determined to prove that she belongs…even if it means trading her stilettos for snow boots and tracking one of the town’s hairiest Christmas mysteries: the Santa Moose, an antlered Grinch hell-bent on destroying every bit of holiday cheer (and tinsel) it can sink its teeth into.
And really…how hard could it be?
The last few years have been tough on Rick Harding, and it’s not getting any easier now that his dream girl’s back in town. When Lana accidentally tranquilizes him instead of the Santa Moose, it’s clear she needs help, fast…and this could be his chance to finally catch her eye. It’s an all-out Christmas war, but if they can nab that darn moose before it destroys the town, Rick and Lana might finally find a place where they both belong…together.
Lana Montgomery is the wealthy heiress who has purchased most of Moose Springs for her family’s property company. The residents don’t like her because she’s planning on developing the town and making it more of a tourist attraction. Rick Harding is one of the business owners and residents of the town. He helps Lana search for the mysterious Santa Moose who keeps destroying the town’s Christmas decorations. However, she ends up shooting Rick with a tranquilizer dart meant for the moose. From that moment on, Lana and Rick find what they’ve been looking for: romance.
I really liked the character development in this story. I haven’t read the first book so I wasn’t familiar with the characters, but I figured them out quickly. Lana was a fun character. She was used to living a fancy life with her family but she got used to life in the small town in Alaska quickly. She was eager to please the residents by catching the destructive moose. One part that I really liked described how Lana makes sure she always stands out in a room. If everyone is ordering wine, you should order champagne. If everyone has two inch heels, you should wear two and a half inch heels. This was a subtle way to demonstrate her upper class personality.
There were some funny and quirky animals in this story as well. The Santa Moose was running around town, destroying all of their festive decorations but no one could catch it. There was a scene where Rick and Lana ended up at a bed and breakfast that was full of taxidermy squirrels. That was definitely a funny scene, but it would be terrifying to live through!
This was a cute holiday story.
Have you read Mistletoe and Mr. Right? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Here are my first lines:
“Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
And the book is… A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens. It was first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation resulting from a supernatural visit by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain, a period when there was strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions together with the introduction of new customs, such as Christmas trees and greeting cards. Dickens’ sources for the tale appear to be many and varied, but are, principally, the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.
Have you read A Christmas Carol? What did you think of it?
Jill's Book Blog 