Sundays in Bed With… When You Ask Me Where I’m Going

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 When You Ask Me Where I’m Going by Jasmin Kaur.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of Rupi Kaur and Elizabeth Acevedo, Jasmin Kaur’s stunning debut novel is a collection of poetry, illustrations, and prose.

scream

so that one day

a hundred years from now

another sister will not have to

dry her tears wondering

where in history

she lost her voice

The six sections of the book explore what it means to be a young woman living in a world that doesn’t always hear her and tell the story of Kiran as she flees a history of trauma and raises her daughter, Sahaara, while living undocumented in North America.

Delving into current cultural conversations including sexual assault, mental health, feminism, and immigration, this narrative of resilience, healing, empowerment, and love will galvanize readers to fight for what is right in their world. 

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Books With Fire in the Title

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 Books With Fire in the Title. Here’s my list:

1. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins

2. The Fire Keeper (The Storm Runner #2) by J.C. Cervantes

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4) by J.K. Rowling

4. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

5. The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium #2) by Stieg Larsson

6. Fire and Blood (A Targaryen History #1) by George R.R. Martin

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Books With Fire in the Title?

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Review: Shadow Frost (Shadow Frost #1)

Title: Shadow Frost (Shadow Frost #1)
Author: Coco Ma
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

IN THE KINGDOM OF AXARIA, a darkness rises.

Some call it a monster, laying waste to the villagers and their homes. 
Some say it is an invulnerable demon summoned from the deepest abysses of the Immortal Realm. 
Many soldiers from the royal guard are sent out to hunt it down.

Not one has ever returned. 

When Asterin Faelenhart, Princess of Axaria and heir to the throne, discovers that she may hold the key to defeating the mysterious demon terrorizing her kingdom, she vows not to rest until the beast is slain. With the help of her friends and the powers she wields — though has yet to fully understand — Asterin sets out to complete a single task. The task that countless, trained soldiers have failed. 

To kill it. 

But as they hunt for the demon, they unearth a plot to assassinate the Princess herself instead. Asterin and her companions begin to wonder how much of their lives have been lies, especially when they realize that the center of the web of deceit might very well be themselves. With no one else to turn to, they are forced to decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect the only world they have ever known. 

That is, of course… if the demon doesn’t get to them first.

From young author Coco Ma comes a dazzling new tale of adventure, power, and betrayal, weaving together a stunning world of magic with a killer cast in an explosive, unforgettable debut.

Review:

I loved this book!

This story was incredibly fast paced, with major plot points in every chapter. There were unpredictable twists that kept me reading. The writing was clear and concise, yet had beautiful descriptions of this elemental world.

The narrative switched between many perspectives. This gave a full view of the story from every angle. Most of the story was told from the perspectives of the main characters, but there were a few chapters which gave a look at what the villains were doing. This was really well done, without giving away the ending.

This is a great debut novel from 19 year-old Coco Ma! I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

What to read next:

Crown of Coral and Pearl (Crown of Coral and Pearl #1) by Mara Rutherford

Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) by Laura Sebastian

Have you read Shadow Frost? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – November 23

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I was approved for four books on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

A Conspiracy of Bones (Temperance Brennan #19) by Kathy Reichs

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for this book!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Harley Quinn, Vol. 2: Harley Destroys the Universe

Title: Harley Quinn, Vol. 2: Harley Destroys the Universe
Author: Sam Humphries, Sami Basri, Lucas Werneck
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Harley Quinn has a tough road ahead: travel through time and space to fix all the continuity errors she’s created in her many misadventures. Luckily, she’ll have help, because riding shotgun is none other than special guest star Jonni DC, Continuity Cop! Good thing, too, because if Harley fails, it means her own mom will be lost forever. Hey, that sounds more painful than funny! Learn more in these tales from HARLEY QUINN #50-54.

Review:

These Harley Quinn comics keep getting better and better. This one had me laughing out loud.

I love it when Harley reads her own comics in the story. She finds one that is telling the story of her current life, doing exactly what she’s doing. That causes a continuity problem, making the entire DC universe explode. Superheroes from the Golden Age of comics, decades ago, start appearing in her modern world. This was a funny way of creating a mess for Harley to clean up.

The final comic was separate from that storyline. Harley is allergic to cats so she starts giving away her neighbour’s cats for free. This causes an uproar in the pet industry, which is run by men. They believe pets should only be sold to men, by men. It’s an absurd rule, but many of our gendered aspects of society don’t really make sense when you think about it. This was a great comic!

I loved this graphic novel! It was hilarious and entertaining.

What to read next:

Harley Quinn, Vol. 3: The Trials of Harley Quinn by Sam Humphries, John Timms

Have you read Harley Quinn, Vol. 2: Harley Destroys the Universe? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – November 22

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.

Here are my first lines:

“You might think he could have made up his mind earlier, and been man enough to inform his surroundings of his decision. But Allan Karlsson had never been given to pondering things too long.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.

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Goodreads synopsis:

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health. A big celebration is in the works for his 100th birthday, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his alcohol consumption), so he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey. It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: he has not only witnessed some of the most important events of the 20th century, but actually played a key role in them. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world. 

Have you read The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared? What did you think of it?

Review: Ho’onani: Hula Warrior

Title: Ho’onani: Hula Warrior
Author: Heather Gale, Mika Song
Genre: Children’s, LGBT
Publisher: Tundra Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

An empowering celebration of identity, acceptance and Hawaiian culture based on the true story of a young girl in Hawaiʻi who dreams of leading the boys-only hula troupe at her school.

Ho’onani feels in-between. She doesn’t see herself as wahine(girl) OR kane (boy). She’s happy to be in the middle. But not everyone sees it that way.

When Ho’onani finds out that there will be a school performance of a traditional kane hula chant, she wants to be part of it. But can a girl really lead the all-male troupe? Ho’onani has to try . . .

Based on a true story, Ho’onani: Hula Warrior is a celebration of Hawaiian culture and an empowering story of a girl who learns to lead and learns to accept who she really is–and in doing so, gains the respect of all those around her.

Ho’onani’s story first appeared in the documentary A Place in the Middle by filmmakers Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson.

Review:

This story is about a little girl, named Ho’onani, in Hawaii who identifies as being in between a boy and a girl. She refers to herself as a girl, but she wants to join the boys hula troupe at her school. After some convincing, she is allowed to join the boys and even lead them in a performance.

Ho’onani was a strong girl in the story. She wanted to be a hula warrior, so she kept trying to reach her dream. She received some backlash at home, when her sister didn’t approve of what Ho’onani was doing. Even through these harsh comments, she still kept her unique identity.

I really enjoyed this picture book about identity.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K. Ali, Hatem Aly

Have you read Ho’onani: Hula Warrior? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – November 21

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 The Other Windsor Girl: A Novel of Princess Margaret, Royal Rebel by Georgie Blalock.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a historical debut evoking the style of The Crown, the daughter of an impoverished noble is swept into the fame and notoriety of the royal family and Princess Margaret’s fast-living friends when she is appointed as Margaret’s second Lady-in-Waiting.

Diana, Catherine, Meghan…glamorous Princess Margaret outdid them all. Springing into post-World War II society, and quite naughty and haughty, she lived in a whirlwind of fame and notoriety. Georgie Blalock captures the fascinating, fast-living princess and her “set” as seen through the eyes of one of her ladies-in-waiting. 

In dreary, post-war Britain, Princess Margaret captivates everyone with her cutting edge fashion sense and biting quips. The royal socialite, cigarette holder in one hand, cocktail in the other, sparkles in the company of her glittering entourage of wealthy young aristocrats known as the Margaret Set, but her outrageous lifestyle conflicts with her place as Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister. Can she be a dutiful princess while still dazzling the world on her own terms?

Post-war Britain isn’t glamorous for The Honorable Vera Strathmore. While writing scandalous novels, she dreams of living and working in New York, and regaining the happiness she enjoyed before her fiancé was killed in the war. A chance meeting with the Princess changes her life forever. Vera amuses the princess, and what—or who—Margaret wants, Margaret gets. Soon, Vera gains Margaret’s confidence and the privileged position of second lady-in-waiting to the Princess. Thrust into the center of Margaret’s social and royal life, Vera watches the princess’s love affair with dashing Captain Peter Townsend unfurl.

But while Margaret, as a member of the Royal Family, is not free to act on her desires, Vera soon wants the freedom to pursue her own dreams. As time and Princess Margaret’s scandalous behavior progress, both women will be forced to choose between status, duty, and love…

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

Blog Tour Review: The Forbidden Warriors (The Forbidden #1)

Title: The Forbidden Warriors (The Forbidden #1)
Author: Moud Adel
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publisher: Masteroperia
Source: Breakeven Books
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 15, 2019
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Mastoperia: A hidden continent with four factions divided and suspicious of each other, with a history of unresolved wars, each grounding themselves in their own unique culture, and magical power. 

The Forbidden Warriors: The only force powerful enough to keep the factions from destroying one another. The secret to their power is a mystery, but the only way to hold on to it is by passing the power to a new generation every two and a half centuries. 

As that time has arrived, each faction must offer a candidate to become the next generation of the Forbidden Warriors, but only one can be the leader. In a race for that leadership position, four candidates and their teams travel across a world mysterious to them, to hunt artifacts they know nothing about. The mission is not easy, their goals are not aligned, and the truth is far bigger than they could have imagined. A challenge none were ready for. 

Will they choose their own interests, their factions’ or defy all that they know for the sake of their world.

Review:

This is an interesting series.

I really liked the premise of the book. A group of four people from different factions are brought together for a competition. One of them will become the ruler of Mastoperia and the others will be their guards. They are each able to bring four people from their homelands. However, the twist is that their teams end up being a mix of people from each different faction. Then, they each have to work together with their opponents from different factions to win the position of ruler.

There was a ton of world building in this story. I think the world would have made more sense if it had been described slowly. There was lots of information all at once, without the world really being described. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and I got them mixed up a lot. If there was more of an introduction to all of them at the beginning, I would have been able to get to know them more.

I liked this story.

Thank you Breakeven Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Last Seed (The Forbidden #0.5) by Moud Adel

Blog Tour Schedule:

Have you read The Forbidden Warriors? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – November 20

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 Reverie by Ryan La Sala. The expected publication date is December 3, 2019.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Inception meets The Magicians in the most imaginative YA debut of the year!

All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can’t remember how he got there, what happened after, and why his life seems so different now. And it’s not just Kane who’s different, the world feels off, reality itself seems different. 

As Kane pieces together clues, three almost-strangers claim to be his friends and the only people who can truly tell him what’s going on. But as he and the others are dragged into unimaginable worlds that materialize out of nowhere—the gym warps into a subterranean temple, a historical home nearby blooms into a Victorian romance rife with scandal and sorcery—Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident. And when a sinister force threatens to alter reality for good, they will have to do everything they can to stop it before it unravels everything they know. 

This wildly imaginative debut explores what happens when the secret worlds that people hide within themselves come to light.

What books are you waiting on this week?