Jan 31, 2017

Review--Fearless by Marianne Curley

Ebony and Nathaneal were in love before they were even born.… Torn apart and kept in different worlds, will they finally reunite in this exquisite conclusion to Hidden and Broken?

Ebony was kept hidden on Earth for sixteen years, unaware that she was an angel. Unaware that her true soulmate, Nathaneal, was searching for her. Now ready to claim her rightful place with him, in a cruel twist of fate Ebony is captured and imprisoned in a version of hell.

Knowing that Nathaneal will come for her, Ebony is determined to fight against the evil that holds her prisoner. As long as she has Nathaneal’s love, Ebony has nothing to fear. Can Nathaneal break through the gates of hell? Will these long-lost lovers finally reunite and fulfil their destiny?



I’ve managed to finish yet another series!! It’s a great feeling of accomplishment I tell you! It’s been wayyy too long since I last read Marianne Curley’s Avena trilogy and I pretty much just dove into Fearless without having any memory of the past two books. Although, I found I wasn’t struggling so much. It almost felt natural just to be back in this world and reading. Granted, I had trouble with remembering the characters, but I quickly caught up to speed with the key points!

So things pick up where they left off…which was slightly problematic for me, but basically Ebony, an angel who has yet to come into her powers or regain her memory from her time as an angel (and yeah things get a little sticky in that area, but naturally I was just rolling with it) has been kidnapped by Prince Luca, the bad guy. Luca is the king of Skade and he intends to make her his queen, and to ensure this he has sealed the gates so that no one can come in or go out. And the lock is sealed for 100 years. But Nathaneal is not going to let that stop him from rescuing his one true love.

Luca is one seriously skeevy guy. Not to mention evil, but he’s pretty much mapped out Ebony’s life for her. And he wants her to bear his children as well, so that essentially, after going through a few hoops, he will rule the world! But Ebony isn’t so easy to break and bend to his will, which I give her mad props for that. But yet, I found myself getting a tad annoyed that she wasn’t fighting back more. It’s more of a personal thing. I have an attitude one could say, lol. And if someone was telling me that he was basically going to force me to have his children in just a few short years…you can bet there would be profanity involve…possibly even violence. I would be more defiant and likely suffer the consequences later. While Ebony does have some bite to her, I just wished she would’ve had just a little bit more edge to it.

In the meantime we have Thane (Nathaneal) working hard to come up with a plan that will save Ebony and bring her home. He gets a magical object that can easily open a hole in the gates, the problem is closing it. The only sure fire way of closing that hole so none of the evils can get out, is basically a human sacrifice. Thane wants to use the magical object as it’s the only way of getting INTO Skade, but he needs to find a different solution to closing said hole.

The climax, the whole battle of good versus evil felt a little rushed as well. It seemed that within a blink of my eyes it was over before it really started. I mean, you expect the winners, obviously, but still to see it all just blip out like that was a little disheartening. Especially since there was still another 75 pages to go! And the majority of those pages were kind of drawn out. The climax has been reached and after a chapter or two of closure, you’d think it be over, but it wasn’t. The goodbyes were kind of getting drawn out, though we did see some more character growth in those last few chapters, I just felt like things should’ve been more rearranged so that there wasn’t so much happening after the big battle. Granted, I do see why none of the other things could happen before said battle, it makes sense. But from a reader standpoint I guess I just thought and felt like the story was done after those closing moments post-battle. Sorry if I’m rambling and not making sense! It sounds better in my head, honestly!

The romance in this one was both brief and touching. Although I’ve forgotten all the reasons why I should love Thane, I couldn’t help but not get as swept away by everything. Granted I did enjoy it, but I guess it’s my whole memory issue and probably why I should’ve re-read the first two books so I could remember why Thane was swoonworthy! LOL! There were other relationship developments too and oddly I was more than happy to get behind those with my little memory! LOL!

However minor my issues were with this book, I did find myself enjoying it a lot! It just reminded me of the magic that is Marianne Curley! She was one of the first time-traveling books I read and though this one doesn’t have that, it still has that same kind of magical touch to it that I fiercely enjoyed from before! Fearless was an extraordinary story, even if I couldn’t remember how I got to this point at the beginning, it was still a most enjoyable read!

 

Overall Rating 4/5 stars 


 

ARC Review--A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong

The follow-up to #1 NYT bestseller Kelley Armstrong’s acclaimed City of the Lost, Rockton town detective Casey Duncan makes a terrible—and dangerous—discovery in the woods outside of town.

When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.

Now, in A Darkness Absolute, Casey and her fellow Rockton sheriff’s deputy Will chase a cabin-fevered resident into the woods, where they are stranded in a blizzard. Taking shelter in a cave, they discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year. When the bodies of two other women turn up, Casey and her colleagues must find out if it’s an outsider behind the killings or if the answer is more complicated than that...before another victim goes missing.

Casey Duncan returns in another heart-racing thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.


I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Kelley Armstrong once again nails it on the head with yet another fast paced and thrilling mystery! The Casey Duncan series is fast becoming a favorite of mine! I love a good thriller mystery! And to have one based in such a small community time and time again, just blows my mind. You’d think you’d run out of “evil” people, but Kelley knows how to expand such a world! A Darkness Absolute is the second novel of this series so far and I certainly hope it’s not the last!

We open the story with Casey and Anders trying to track down one of their residents who decided to run off, getting a little cabin fever of his new surroundings. A snow storm leaves them stranded in a cave overnight and instead of finding their wayward resident, they find one who has been missing for over a year. Nicole was a member of the Rockton community and went missing over a year ago and was presumed dead for the most part, and when they bring her back to Rockton, they face a new problem. Trying to find out who had kidnapped her and left in her a cave for so long and tormenting her again and again.

This one really rocks the emotional strings, I’d say. Dealing with a lot of rape issues concerning Nicole and even bringing them back up for another resident. I think Kelley handles it very well though. It’s definitely a sensitive subject but sometimes those are needed in books. And like I said, Kelley handles it very well!

I felt like this one moved a lot faster than the previous novel. Perhaps because I was now in a familiar world rather than a totally new one. We still see Jacob from time to time, a few other settlers who are living in the woods as well. The characters are definitely taking on that familiar vibe! Even more astonishing is seeing some of them change for the better already! Jen, our notorious drunken loudmouth is actually wanting to be a part of the militia. Leaving Casey and everyone else wondering if she’s serious, and then there’s Diana who also seems to have turned a new leaf. I found this one to be more concerning than Jen. When we last saw her she was ranting at Casey and wanting to leave Rockton, but she’s a lot calmer now. I can’t help but feel wary about that either.

I also liked the direction that Casey and Eric are going in. I like that their romance isn’t a large feature to the story either. It’s just a little side element really. The mystery is definitely the focal point of things. But Casey and Eric continue to get serious with one another. Casey has been there for four months now and Eric makes quite a life changing decision for the two of them. Just wait until you read it!

Once again, I failed to solve the whodunit. I can blame the cold I had for the majority of when I read this, but honestly, I don’t know if I would’ve pinned it down. Oddly enough, that never bothers me either. I like solving mysteries sure, but if I don’t, no big deal! It kind of makes it more fun when that reveal comes along anyway! There’s a greater shock factor involved too!

Not only was I surprised with the whodunit, but another thing happened that totally sent me reeling! I am not sure what it will mean in the long run, but if I wasn’t already, I am officially hooked into this series. But honestly I could say I was hooked once I saw Kelley’s name on the cover of book 1! LOL!

The mysterious council wasn’t really in this one via radio much. I am still very curious about them. I can’t get a bead on who or what they are and what they’re after. Or if they’re after anything at all! When you involve a mysterious, faceless, entity of any kind, it makes me curious! Definitely hope that this group will be expanded upon in future installments!

The mystery-thriller is a sort of new genre for me, but I can definitely say it’s become a fast favorite! I love these intense and scary situations and trying to puzzle together the whodunit alongside Casey. Of course, I feel clueless a lot of the time too, but it’s all the fun of a mystery! You can totally track my love of mysteries and paranormal elements to Scooby Doo! LOL! If you’re looking for an intense and page-turning mystery, look no further than Kelley Armstrong!

 

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

 

A Darkness Absolute releases February 7, 2017




 


Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker


Here are the rules: 

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE 
4. Name the title, author, etc.



"I slide my hand round the back of his neck and pull him into my embrace. 'Sometimes there is no reason for the things we do, Jordan. We just do them because in our heart we know they're right.'" p 198
















TITLE: Fearless
AUTHOR: Marianne Curley
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
GENRE: Paranormal YA
RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2015



Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.



This week's topic is: Top Ten Favorite Graphic Novels/Comics


*in no particular order
**can you see a theme in my choice of graphic novels/comics? ;)

10. THE HOLLOWS--this was a prequel to the Hollows series and basically of Ivy and Rachel working together for the first time!
9. DARK SWAN--this series, sadly cancelled, started to tell the story of the first book. If I can recall it never really finished telling the story either. :(
8. FEVER MOON--this was basically a short adventure featuring Mac, Barrons, and Dani of course!


7. VAMPIRE ACADEMY--apparently poor Richelle's sales didn't do well at all in the graphic novel world, which shocked me! I loved each of these series as novels and was totally enjoying each of them as a graphic novel series too!
6. HUSH, HUSH--another graphic novel that started to tell the story of book 1 in the series and never finished! More heartache!
5. LEGEND--the good news is that this trilogy will be completed! Ironically, I still need to read the second one! 


4. THE IRON KING--this was an awesome little series of comics! And yes, it did complete The Iron King. But sadly, that was all.
3. SOULLESS--I looooved Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series! Having it as a graphic novel was awesome! They made three books, and while it doesn't complete the series, it does at least leave you in a good place!
2. SCOOBY APOCALYPSE--a series I recently started and binged up to date! It's really cool so far! It's like an alternate universe where the Scooby gang hadn't been friends to start. Fred and Daphne worked together and Shaggy and Scooby worked together in the same place as Velma, ironically!


And one that's in my TBR pile:

1. iZOMBIE--I love the show so I decided to check out the series that inspired the show! I have (I'm assuming) all 4 issues of it too!



Totally didn't expect that I would have all 10 for this one! And funny how 8 of them were ones just based on books I read! Or I guess you could say typical?! LOL! :D








Jan 30, 2017

ARC Review--The Turn by Kim Harrison

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to her beloved Hollows series with The Turn, the official prequel to the series that will introduce fans and readers to a whole new side of Rachel Morgan's world as they've never seen it before!

Can science save us when all else fails?

Trisk and her hated rival, Kalamack, have the same goal: save their species from extinction.

Death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government's new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport. Plague takes the world, giving the paranormal species an uncomfortable choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or to show themselves in a bid to save them.

Under accusations of scientific misconduct, Trisk and Kal flee across a plague torn United States to convince leaders of the major paranormal species to save their supposedly weaker kin, but not everyone thinks humanity should be saved.

Kal surreptitiously works against her as Trisk fights the prejudices of two societies to prove that not only does humanity have something to offer, but that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic, and humanity itself can turn to understanding; that when people are at their worst that the best show their true strength, and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found.


I received this eARC from the publisher, via Edelweiss, for a voluntary and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


As the long time Kim Harrison fan that I am, I was positively elated when I heard she was writing yet another installment in this world, but this time, she would go back to before the beginning! The Turn takes place long before Rachel makes it onto the scene, before she was even born for that matter. As any Hollows fan will tell you, there was a time in this world when the paranormals weren't "out" and that tomatoes, or at least one particular brand of tomato, was deadly. The Turn is that story, that historical moment in Rachel Morgan's world.

Trisk is a dark elf and has been working undercover, so to speak, at a human run engineering lab. She's been working for three years on a tomato that could basically end world hunger and just bring all good things to the world. Then the powers that be seem to want to bring poor Trisk more heartache as Trent Kalamack--no, not that one!--is brought onto the scene to "help" prove Trisk's project is actually as amazing as it sounds. But Kal, as he prefers to go by, has other plans.

Trisk and Kal have always been rivals. Kal had it all backed by money and power while Trisk had to work for everything she wanted. There was no love lost between these two. And it seems each of them decide to play the other in this tangled web they weave.

Then there's Daniel who is Trisk's coworker who is a little sweet on her. He's been developing this virus that the military plans to use to make their enemies sick once ingested, but then heal a few days later, leaving plenty of time for a peaceful conquering. And it's when a certain someone decides to cause a little chaos and combine this life saving tomato with the life altering virus and resulting in a mass murder of humans that things start to get dicey.

Firstly, I want to say again, how amazingly awesome this book was!! It was just delightful in all the right ways! It's been way too long since I last read a Hollows book, so my memory is faulty in some areas, but I have enough memory to know when particular characters walked onto the scene! For a few of our slower aging paranormal peeps are in this book! And even a few other appearances of people we already know but who are younger! I don't want to name names and ruin that delightful joy of seeing a familiar face will do to all you previous fans! That being said, I think a new reader to the Hollows could still pick this one up and follow along just as well. It's just the familiar faces that you see won't have a big impact on you. Nor would a few other things and ways of life mean anything, because previously invested readers will already know the outcome. And so could new readers theoretically by having read the backs of any of the previous books!

I think it's safe to say that this book isn't the start of a new prequel series or anything like that. It reads very standalone like. We watch these characters and can safely realize who they are by the end. We know what course will be taken after the events play out here. So again, safe call in saying this is it. Unless Kim cooks up something else like a YA series featuring Rachel! Who knows! Its not to say that the Hollows is over, because we all thought that back at The Witch with No Name

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book! It was positively delightful and incredible fun! I especially enjoyed the pun that says something along the lines of "that's as crazy as a man walking on the moon!"! The book tales place roughly 5 years or so before this actually happens in our world! LOL! Thanks to Ren Stevens for having that year cemented in my mind forever! Heehee...he went to the moon...

This is a book meant to delight the previous fans of the series and even hook in new fans who want to read something totally chronologically! It's a beautiful thing my friends!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


The Turn releases February 7, 2017





It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.


Last Week I Read:

Blade Bound by Chloe Neill (ARC)--Review to come at a later date
The Moth and the Flame by Renee Ahdieh (4.5 stars)
The Crown and the Arrow by Renee Ahdieh (3.5 stars)
The Mirror and the Maze by Renee Ahdieh (3.5 stars)
The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh (4.5 stars)


Reviews That Were Posted:

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles (ARC) (2 stars)
Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder (ARC) (5 stars)


Currently Reading:

Fearless by Marianne Curley


What I Plan to Read this Week:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber


Other Posts of Interest:






Jan 29, 2017

It's My Blogoversary!!! Time for a Giveaway!!

It's my blogoversary!! Hooray!!! As of today, I've been blogging for 8 years!! Yes, I'm one of the early bloggers from the dark ages it seems! LOL! And have I got a treat for you! I know I haven't had many contests on the blog in awhile but NOW is the time!! You'll find I have many fabulous prizes to give to you my friends!! Here are some of the prizes:


a SIGNED (paperback) copy of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard plus SWAG!


a SIGNED (hardcover) set of the Passenger Duology by Alexandra Bracken! 


a SIGNED copy of Vicarious by Paula Stokes plus SWAG!

(ironically this is the book I thought I lost! Ended up finding it just a few days prior to writing this post!)


And these next two prizes are among my favorites! They're not signed...but you will find two complete series! These my friends are examples of EARLY Paranormal YA! These were series I read in my youth and I loved them! There wasn't a wide selection of Paranormal YA at this time, so finding these books were gems! And I ended up finding the majority of these two series while out and about shopping over the months before my blogoversary and knew I had to get them for this very special occasion!

The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot--with the ORIGINAL covers!! Yes my friends I found the first 5 books of this series all with their original cover art! The first four books, as I've likely mentioned over the years, were when Meg wrote under a different name so her Princess Diaries fans wouldn't be put off by a girl who talks to ghosts! I adored this series soooooooooooo much growing up! And I binged the first four books and it was a few years later that book 5 came out, then another year (or two?) and book 6 came out! And then, last year my friends we got a book 7!!! Granted with this one our heroine is more of a young adult. Out of college aged and whatnot, so it's definitely more of an "adult" read. But here you have it folks. The COMPLETE Mediator Series...with ORIGINAL cover arts!!! :D


The Wicked Series by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie--again with the ORIGINAL cover art! Feuding witch and warlock families whose feud is eons old! This was such a rich and intricate series that I read way back then when they were first being published! I enjoyed the witchery! It was so cool!! And then book four ended with such a cliffhanger, I couldn't wait until the next untitled book came out. But it never did after a few months. Then a year. Then I finally found out I could actually EMAIL the authors! I found Nancy's website the easiest so I emailed her asking when the next Wicked book was coming out because I was hard-pressed to find any information. Then I received the terrible news...it had been cancelled!! I had NO IDEA at the time that book series could be cancelled and left UNFINISHED! It was 6 years, 6 loooooong years from the when the fourth book was published that sales did better and the publisher decided it was time to give the series its grand finale! In between that time, you may have noticed the books were reprinted in compilation books where you get two in one basically. So at this time people were so excited for the third book! And I'm sitting here like, it's the fifth one guys! And of course no one knew what I was talking about! Sigh...but now, you my friends, have the chance to own all FIVE books of this incredible series that I read and adored as a teenager!!



Okay time for the giveaway deets! This giveaway here is unfortunately only open to US addresses only! So if you live internationally but can use a US address to receive your prize to be claimed at your convenience, you're in! See the contest below for International followers! ;)




Okay, now time for some love for my international friends! Here is a chance to win $25 (US) worth of books from the Book Depository to ONE lucky reader! So if they ship to you, you're in! 






Have at it my friends!!



Stacking the Shelves

This weekly meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!


Well it was a slow week in the bookish world for me. And sadly, I was most upset with the condition of the one book I did receive:



Eleventh Grave in Moonlight by Darynda Jones--most devastated by the stupid ugly white circle that says "signed copy" that's ignorantly sitting on top of the stellar boot. It does NOT come off. It's apart of the cover. And I am MOST AGGRAVATED! Trying to find an unsigned copy but not having luck yet. :/ I'm one of those weird people who don't like stickers or other whatnot on my covers, marring the gorgeous cover art. Yeah, call it OCD if you want, I do! ;)
 
 
Happier news is that I received one of my preorder gifts! Ironically it's for Caraval, which hasn't quite released yet and the other preorder gifts I'm still waiting on are from books that are released! Ironic, no? LOL!
 
The ever awesome Caraval poster ready to color with the colored pencils, a neat backpack sack thingy and tattoos!! Working on straightening out the poster as mail travel left it wrinkly. :(



And then I caved...I told myself no more t-shirts. I have way too many. And I caved. I so caved. But it was bookish, I say! BOOKISH!!!

a cute little bookworm t-shirt! And as you can see, the apple is made of books! Here's the link if you want to buy one of your own!! 
 
 
 
 
 


Jan 27, 2017

Review--The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.


A word of advice my friends, whenever reading a duology, it’s always best to binge read…unless you have the memory of an elephant! Lol! Needless to say that I wished I could’ve binge read Renee Ahdieh’s The Wrath and the Dawn duology, for The Rose and the Dagger picks up pretty much where we left things. Which was pretty chaotic!

Our star-crossed lovers, Shahrzad and Khalid have been separated when chaos was wrought down upon the city of Rey. Shazi is sent off with Tariq in order to be kept safe. If you’d recall, Tariq was her old childhood crush and possibly boyfriend I guess you could say, before she went to offer herself to Kahlid. Naturally, though, they fell in love and Tariq was pretty much left behind. I actually commiserated for Tariq. He lost his one true love to another man. Shazi has already moved forward but Tariq can’t relinquish his feelings as quickly. I actually worried we would see respite from him, in trying to woo her back to him. Oddly enough, we don’t Shazi makes her feelings and stance very clear. Which I much appreciated this sentiment.  I know it’s odd that I am starting out with this bit of the story, but it’s one that I felt like addressing and since I started at the beginning and this is what came from the beginning you can see how I went on said tangent! Lol!

Shazi has been reunited with her sister Irsa and you would think all would be well. Unfortunately everyone around Shazi is on the whole “Let’s kill Khalid parade”. She’s basically in a camp of soldiers who want to kill Khalid for all he’s done to the young women over the course of time. It’s now Shazi and Khalid’s mission to find a way to end the curse that was put upon him. Too many people have died already.

I’ve forgotten how in this series we get so many different character points of view! And I’ve forgotten how much I enjoyed that too! Lol! Pretty much all the characters get a little page time! I find that I enjoyed reading about Irsa the most! I guess I resonated with her for we are both younger sisters. She had a timid side to her that I also can relate to. But then we get to watch her grow, and she comes along way! I especially enjoyed her bit of romance with Rahim.

This book is a piece of remarkable storytelling! We even get stories within the story at large! I always love hearing about different myths and even the whole “origin” myths when we learn why something is the way it is or how something came to be. That kind of thing. There’s not a lot of them in this story, but the bit that we did get was enjoyable!

A few things that threw me off my game, and is likely to be blamed upon reading these books way too far apart, were some of the new characters. Or maybe we possibly met one of them before, but there were at least two characters that came onto the page that I just couldn’t get an understanding of them. I wasn’t truly aware of who or possibly even what they were. Were they magical related and I just missed something? I can’t be sure. And it’s possible that they were just totally new but I still felt thrown off for not really understanding who they were. The names kind of threw me through a loop as well. Pronunciation being a main factor, because I’m a reader who really likes to know how to pronounce things! Lol! There were a few “vocab” words thrown in there that I wasn’t too sure of for their meaning either, I’d kill for a glossary because Google isn’t always so helpful sometimes! Lol.

Despite those little nuisances, which really didn’t amount to much, I really enjoyed this one! Shazi is a fierce girl and I love her for that! She’s not afraid of speaking her mind and to h*ll with society’s standards on how she should act. I love that about her!

The ending was so emotional. Be prepared for feels! I admit to getting teared up at one point, by the end when yet another wave of surprises and emotions started to flood, it took a lot to keep going! I was a handful of pages from the end and I was thinking, Renee can’t do this to me again, right? I won’t answer that. But I will say that the ending fit the story the way it was meant to!

Though I do wonder what will become of all the other characters. We get an idea of most of their fates, can guess with a few others, but I still wonder about Irsa. Yeah, we little sisters got to stick together! Lol! The Rose and the Dagger brings this magical duology to an astounding finish! It’s definitely a duology you all should read if you enjoy fairy tales and mystical places! It’s an adventure you’re sure to never forget!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars




 

Jan 26, 2017

Follow Friday

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read

 

The Rules:

  • The goal is to increase blog followers, make friends and have something to post.
  • You create your own post using the post prompt.
  • You leave your link and thumbnail in the linky list that links back to your post prompt.
  • Once you have your post up and linked, visit other posts and tell them hi. The point is to FOLLOW them not just comment.
  • If you see a post that just hit it to the moon, or just want to show appreciation to a fellow blogger friend, like their name on the linky list to show some appreciation.
  • The person with the most likes gets chosen as the next Feature (you can be chosen every 90 days unless we are in need of features)
  • It is required that if you participate that you have to follow the FEATURE. It is a big no-no to participate and ignore the feature. They are the special snowflake in this little blizzard.
  • As a participant it is up to your discretion on how you want people to follow. Please post RSS, GFC etc if you have a follow of choice.

Specific RULES:

  • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  • Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
  • If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed FOLLOW as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
  • Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
  • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers
 
This week's prompt is: What Are Some Tips That Help You With Blogging?


MY ANSWER: Well, I actually answered this one two weeks ago when I missed the prompt changes. But to reiterate, basically I always try to write the posts that I would want to read!