Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

I saw this tag over at Fiction No Chaser and thought it looked like a lot of fun! And wow, am I scared to give out my answers! Lol! I also borrowed their image as it seems there wasn't an original one and I have zero tech skills in that area! Lol!!


A POPULAR BOOK OR SERIES THAT YOU DIDN'T LIKE:

I tried you guys. I really really tried! This series was always getting so much love and when a friend gifted me a copy I thought I would give it a try. This one just didn't do it for me. I was bored to tears with it. And I know everyone told me, just read the second book, it gets better. Well, at that time my TBR pile was already growing pretty steadily and I just wasn't in the mood to give this one a second try. I wasn't feeling it whatsoever.


A POPULAR BOOK OR SERIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE:

I can't say that 13 to Life was one that everyone "hated," but perhaps it wasn't loved as much. People might have just been "meh" over it, while I LOVED it! I'm never ashamed to say how much I love a book no matter its popularity. And that's the way it should be with everyone and I feel like as a book community we do this rather well!


A LOVE TRIANGLE WHERE THE MAIN CHARACTER ENDED UP WITH THE PERSON YOU DIDN'T WANT THEM TO END UP WITH OR AN OTP YOU DON'T LIKE:

My heart didn't take it well when Kitty ended up with Ben instead of Cormac. I fell for Cormac in the beginning, even when he was the "enemy." I knew he would turn into something more...and yet...it didn't take the direction I wanted it to. I still need to finish the series but I will admit, every book after this one was painful because my OTP didn't happen and then Cormac went away!!! But he did come back and I'm sooo close to finishing the series and his very own installment, so I need to get back to that!


A POPULAR BOOK GENRE YOU HARDLY EVER REACH FOR:

Contemporary. No matter the "age range" I cannot and will not pick up a contemporary novel.


A POPULAR OR BELOVED CHARACTER THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE:

I honestly can't think of any, I come back to Throne of Glass because the characters were among one of the things that prevented me from enjoying the story completely. So take your pick I guess.


A POPULAR AUTHOR THAT YOU CAN'T SEEM TO GET INTO:

Try as I might I just could not get into Jodi Meadows' books. I wanted to, but they just didn't hold my interest much to my dismay.


A POPULAR BOOK TROPE YOU ARE TIRED OF SEEING:

Forever and always the insta-love


A COMMON SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING:

For whatever reason I just can't get into Rachel's YA books. The Great Library is a series I wanted to like but just couldn't get into. I ended up DNFing this first one. Every time I see a book from the series pop up in the blogosphere it was well-liked. So I feel like an outcast once again!


THE SAYING GOES "THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE," BUT WHAT MOVIE OR TV SHOW ADAPTATION DO YOU PREFER MORE THAN THE BOOK:

I feel like the only movie that was better than the book (in my opinion) was Jaws! Granted, I had watched the movie about a thousand times before being deemed "old enough" to read the book. Once I did, I found I enjoyed the movie a lot more than the book itself.



As always if you feel like sharing your unpopular opinions, consider yourself tagged!!

Mini Review--The Lost Sisters by Holly Black

Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes...

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince, by master writer Holly Black.

I decided I was in the mood for a quick read, I thought maybe take a break from fantasy but the first book on my kindle staring at me was Holly Black’s The Lost Sisters, a novella that takes place throughout the events of The Cruel Prince! And wow, I so so should I have read my notes from the first book because yeah, it was difficult getting back into the swing of things.

I was able to remember most of the secondary characters though, but there’s still that whole memory lapse that I have that makes it hard to focus on the current events. I was able to get through it well enough though, so yay.

This story is Taryn’s story. We learn through her what she was up to during The Cruel Prince and the possible love that sprung between her and Locke. With stories involving the fae I’ve learned to always be weary of them and not to trust them off the bat. It was actually Holly who taught me this long ago with Tithe! Lol.

It was still an interesting story to see what Taryn was going through. Her life adjusting to the faery world hasn’t been any easier than Jude’s. Really think I should I’ve read my notes before this, it would’ve helped somewhat I think. But all the same this was a fun little read and I always enjoy seeing another character’s perspective of a story already told. It gives new insight and lets you see things that you wouldn’t have seen before.


Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars 

Book Blogger Hop

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

 

 

This week's question is:  How many books did you read last year? Will your goal be to match that number or surpass it? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

 

 

MY ANSWER: Last year I read 128 books, among those numbers are some comics, short stories, and novellas. Hence why I was able to read "so many." Lol. This year I am not expecting to beat or match it. As I mentioned in an earlier post I am trying to find a new job. One that will likely not give me so much downtime. If I can meet my projected goal of 50 I will be happy because in the long run that means I found a new job! If I totally surpass it and match my goal from this year...well, the news isn't as good! Lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random Thursday

It's time to once again return to The Little Book of Answers by Doug Lennox as we dive into the last few pages of the War & Military chapter! After this week, I have one week left in this chapter before we move onto Holidays, which ought to be real fun!

(image borrowed from NPR)

The military developed a phonetic alphabet to clarify radio messages during WWII in the Navy. They would use words or names that began with the letter they were using. R was ROGER, which was for Received, translating that the message was understood. WILCO was abbreviated to mean Will Comply, so when a message was received and it was giving a task the response would be ROGER WILCO.

(image borrowed from Youtube)

The bugle call that happens at the end of day within army camps is called "taps." This came about in the 17th century when the British borrowed a Dutch custom to sound a drum and bugle to signal to soldiers that socializing time was over and it was time to get back to work. The Dutch called this "taptoe" which mean to shut off the spigots on the beer and wine casks at the taverns. It's after the lights went out that the taps were signaled to let be known that the soldiers were safely home. This is also why it's played at funerals.

That's rather interesting, as I never knew that. Shines new light on that moment in A Christmas Story! Lol.

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

When there's a secret force within an enemy's encampment during wartime, it's called "the fifth column." This name comes from the Spanish Civil War when the general led with four columns of infantry during the 1936 siege of Madrid. He was asked if these four columns would be enough and his reply was that he had a fifth column hiding in the city.

(image borrowed from MSMF Wealth Management)

Thomas Jefferson coined the term "war hawk" and since 1798 people who were for war were called "hawks" and those who favored peace were called "doves." Doves comes from the book of Genesis with the story of Noah, who sent a dove over the water to see if it was receding and it had returned with an olive leaf.

(image borrowed from The Washington Post)

Ironically the D in D-Day stands for "day." Yup, it's Day-Day. Bun in reality the D is used as a code, much like the H in H-Hour, as a code of fixed time for when an operation is set to begin. Ex: "D minus thirty" means thirty days before the target date.

This I truly did not know!

(image borrowed from Popular Science)

When a trustworthy person turns against you, it's considered that he's "shown his true colors." This is a phrase that comes from way back, like I don't know how far back because the book didn't say! Lol. It's when a ship would sail under their enemies' colors in order to get close to the enemy and launch a sneak attack. Right before said attack, the ship would raise their true colored flags, thus showing their true colors. Though this deception is considered dishonorable, it's still said that when a once trusted person reveals himself to be the enemy, he's shown his true colors.

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you're continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

Fan favorite character Kenji Kishimoto narrates this gripping companion novella to Tahereh Mafi’s New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, set during the explosive events in Restore Me!

Juliette is still reeling from Warner's betrayal, and Kenji is trying to balance his friendship with her with his responsibilities as a leader of the resistance against the Reestablishment. Things get even more interesting when an unexpected person from Omega Point’s past surfaces.

The ending of Restore Me left readers gasping, and this novella full of Kenji’s signature sass and big heart is the perfect story to tide fans over until Defy Me, the shocking fifth book in the Shatter Me series, hits shelves in April 2019.  

I still need to read Restore Me but you can bet I'm going to want this novella! It was the novellas that helped to truly win me over with the first trilogy installment so I am totally game for reading these new installments too!

TITLE: Shadow Me

AUTHOR: Tahereh Mafi

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
GENRE: YA Dystopian

RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019 

 

Let's Discuss: Would You Rather...? Round 2

I suddenly had another idea for a "Would You Rather" post as it started out as me just talking about the kind of weather I prefer but then I thought I'd spin it into this type of post again! LOL!

Would You Rather Live with Hot Weather or Cold Weather?

It's cold right now. Really cold. I see some people are not too happy about it and yeah, snow isn't fun. Ice isn't fun either. But I honestly like the colder weather and would be totally happy with it lasting longer than hot weather.

In St. Louis we have two seasons Summer and Winter. Summer starts probably around mid-late April and doesn't let up until October. So yeah, it's friggin hot a loooong time here and I HATE it!!

It's always been my philosophy that with colder weather you can bundle up against the cold and keep yourself warm and comfortable. When it's hot and boiling and humid you can't do anything to keep cool. Nothing. There's nothing you can to do keep cool when you have to go out. It's miserable and unbearable. I HATE the heat! I've lived in St. Louis all my life and I am in no way whatsoever used to our summers and the ungodly humidity. I hate it. 

So yes, I am definitely someone who prefers the colder weather than hot weather. There are no in-betweens sadly. We literally get just a handful of days where the weather is actually nice and somewhere in-between, so basically Spring and Fall.

Though I feel like I'll know your answers, but what do you prefer? Cold or hot weather? Nothing in between! Lol.

ARC Review--Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout

It takes a fearless woman to love the most scandalous man alive in New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s breathtaking novel

Even a ghost hunter like Rosie Herpin couldn’t have foreseen the fateful meeting between two mourners that has brought her so intimately close to the notorious and seductive Devlin de Vincent. Everyone in New Orleans knows he’s heir to a dark family curse that both frightens and enthralls. To the locals, Devlin is the devil. To Rosie, he’s a man who’s stoking her wildest fantasies. When a brutal attack on her friend is linked to the de Vincents, he becomes a mystery she may be risking her life to solve.

Devlin knows what he wants from this sexy and adventurous woman. But what does Rosie want from him? It’s a question that becomes more pressing—and more dangerous—when he suspects her of prying into the shadows of his past.

Now, the legends surrounding the de Vincents may not be myths at all. But if she’s to discover the truth, she must follow them straight into the arms of the man she can’t resist—the handsome devil himself.

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


Let it be said that there is never a dull moment in a Jennifer L. Armentrout book! I picked up her de Vincent series because one, I love a good mystery, two, eluded to paranormal elements, and three, it’s a JLA novel! It wasn’t long before I was completely addicted to this new series about three brothers and all the bizarre chaos that makes up their lives. And now, it’s the eldest brother, Devlin’s turn to tell a story and to find love in Moonlight Scandals!

Rosie is our heroine who was good friends with Nikki in the previous book. I had a riot of a time with the sneak peek that shows her and Dev’s first conversation in her house. I knew that this book was going to be amazing from the get go and Jennifer did not disappoint! Rosie is a force not to be reckoned with! She’s fierce and brave and follows her heart in nearly all matters, so when Nikki was hurt and needed a friend, she was there. Then in walks Dev (with Gabe in tow of course) and she’s already none too pleased with him since he clearly forgot about their first meeting just a few days ago. The two have an instant reaction to one another and I just love it.

Everyone seems to tiptoe around Dev, he does have the nickname of The Devil after all, but Rosie barely blinks an eye at his “fierceness” and tells him what’s what. And god I love this girl! I would sooo be best friends with this woman!

The story sort of takes off when Rosie has her annual séance to try to contact her deceased husband but instead she gets in touch with a different spirit, one who has an eerie message that ties to the de Vincents.  Rosie has the suspicious feeling that the spirit is Lawrence, the de Vincent brother’ father, who claims he was murdered. Though trying to get a sensitive message like that to one of the de Vincent brothers is easier said than done.

That mystery that seems to have been simmering behind the scenes of the past two books finally comes to fore in this final installment of the story! The odd moments and secrets that you only ever had an inkling of are finally addressed and answered! And to make things even more fun, more secrets and twists are added into the story. I can honestly say I didn’t really see things coming in the way that they did. One thing I always sort of wondered more than suspected does turn out to be true in a roundabout sort of way! It’s fun when your theories end up proven correct in the end! Lol.

I have to say that the romance here was probably one of my favorites! Although I probably said that about every de Vincent novel. Dev has come off as the cold and distant brother. The one who is aloof and you have to wonder if he even has any feelings. Well, you’re about to be very surprised by this one! Dev wasn’t a character I thought I would truly fall in love with, but oh the wow. Yes, oh the wow! And this is largely due to Rosie’s character because she absolutely challenged him! She defied him at every turn it seems like and was never afraid to tell it to him straight. She completely confounded Dev and I could practically see the moments where his eyes bugged out! Lol.

Their relationship wasn’t an easy one. There was a lot of dislike, distrust, and the like happening. But come on, this is a romance novel, so we all know how it’s going to turn out! And Jennifer writes it out so beautifully! I never really thought of myself as a romance reader until I started reading Jennifer’s books! I will stipulate that they are more paranormal/suspense romance reads though! Lol.

The ending to this one was spectacular! The way the mystery turns out was shocking! I was floored by the reveals and other eventual outcomes! The epilogue was the icing on the cake though. I am only sad that this series is over, but I absolutely cannot wait to see what Jennifer will write next!

If you like romance, suspense, mystery, and just a dash of the paranormal, the de Vincent trilogy is for you! Though I do recommend reading them in order, while each book is a story surrounding one brother in particular, plot lines do carry over and there’s no need to be spoiled by trying to read one brother’s story first over another! Speaking as the youngest sibling, it’s always best to start with the youngest! Lol!


Overall rating 5/5 stars


Moonlight Scandals releases January 29, 2019

 

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.

"How was she supposed to talk to a man if she wasn't trying to con him? She realized she had no idea." Kindle loc. 5%*

*Quote comes from the eARC therefore it and its location are not final. 










TITLE: Stolen Time
AUTHOR: Danielle Rollins
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
GENRE: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: February 5, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

This week's topic is: Books I Meant to Read In 2018 but Didn’t Get To

*in no particular order

10. SHADES OF WICKED by Jeaniene Frost--been dying for this book to exist for ages and do I read it right away? No. I was tied up and still am in other book commitments!

9. 99 LIES by Rachel Vincent--I love me a Rachel Vincent book and I had really hoped to read this one right away since I read the first as an ARC and you know how my memory is! Lol.

8. NEVERWORLD WAKE by Marisha Pessl--this one just sounded so awesome after I read a few reviews. I thought I would squeeze it in around Halloween-ish time, but no dice.

7. THE EXTINCTION TRIALS by S.M. Wilson--this one sounded amazing! The Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park?! I didn't read or see the former but know of its concept and I loved Jurassic Park (the movie)!

6. BREATH OF FIRE by Amanda Bouchet--I reallllly wanted to get back to this series but did I? Nope.

5. THE SWEETEST BURN by Jeaniene Frost--I'm in trouble with this series! I read the ARC of book 1 over 4 years ago and have very little memory of it and naturally it was long before my notekeeping days. I might just have to break my no rereading rule for this one!

4. THE NAMED by Marianne Curley--ironically I was (and am) planning to break my no rereading rule--which the rule exists because of time constraints--to start this series over again so I could better read the fourth installment which was added just last year!

3. NIGHTBLOOD by Elly Blake--I really wanted to just dive into this one right away. But again, other book commitments came up that prevented that!

2. BY A CHARM AND A CURSE by Jaime Questell--I had heard good things about this one and really thought I would read it within a few weeks of getting it, but as you can see that didn't happen!

1. THE RETURN by Jennifer L. Armentrout--every year I say I'm going to start this series and every year I seem to get caught up with other books. Will this be the year I finally read it? God I hope so! Lol!

 

ARC Review--A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin. 

I received this ARC in a fair trade on the booksfortrade hashtag. My review is completely honest and voluntary, I was in no way compensated for this review. 


A Curse So Dark and Lonely is my first book by Brigid Kemmerer and it was a positively beautiful and amazing read. I pretty much love any kind of Beauty and the Beast retelling and Brigid's is bound to be a favorite for a long time! It uniquely combines fantasy world with our modern real world and I just love that kind of combination.

Rhen is cursed. Every winter he turned into a beast, so every fall he sends his guard, Grey, out to bring a girl from our world back with him so he can try to have her fall in love with him and break the curse. He's failed every time the last 300+ years. The enchantress who cursed him, aptly named Lilith, tells him that this will be the last time for the curse. He must either succeed to break the curse or he will remain a beast for all time. ;)

Harper is from our modern world and has had a rough go of things lately. Her mother has cancer and is dying, her dad is MIA, which leaves her and her brother, Jake, to try to get to by. Jake has to work for "bad people" in order to pay their father's debts to them. It's when Harper is on lookout for Jake on such job that she witnesses what she thinks is a kidnapping. While trying to stop it she inadvertently brings herself to the fantasy world when Grey decides to take her instead. And so begins our tale as old time.

Harper is not too pleased to be in this other world and Rhen isn't too pleased as Harper isn't what he expected. Things are just complicated. But as you can expect, things slowly change over time. Harper shakes up Rhen's life. Her escape attempts end up leading to helping people. Rhen has been slacking in that area for years because of the curse. While it's been 300+ years for him, for his people it's been more like five. Time moves different within the curse. It gets explained rather well early on, so don't worry about any confusion. I had none of that while reading.

Soon Harper is helping Rhen to better his kingdom, in trying to do more for the people he's forgotten. In doing so they uncover quite the nefarious plot as a neighboring ruler has their own plans for Rhen's kingdom. But that's not their only problem, Lilith visits frequently. She, as well, clearly has her own plans for Rhen, ones that were centuries in the making.

All the while Rhen was subtly trying to get Harper to fall in love with in and break his curse. Though she clearly was having none of it. At first, naturally. Though we all know Beauty and the Beast to be a great love story, this one didn't put such emphasis on romance. It was still there, but I liked seeing it evolve over time. Much like our favorite Disney movie, though obviously it's a longer draw out then the 90 minute movie!

I liked that Harper wasn't your perfect heroine either. It's not often that you have a fantasy heroine with any sort of medical issues. I don't know much about cerebral palsy, but I could relate to some of Harper's struggles, as I have an entirely different condition that prevented me from some of the things that she struggled with too. 

I liked how this one did well to follow the original fairy tale and yet still shine on its own. It was more like Brigid chose to use similar aspects to the story rather than make it a slightly twisted retelling. Like using two different worlds that are parallel. At one point Harper is allowed to return home to see her family, though, unlike Beauty, she longs to return to Rhen, for she is perhaps falling in love with him and wants to help him break his curse.

The pacing to this was very ideal. It's a story that isn't really fast paced to begin with, but I felt like Brigid did exceedingly well to keep the story moving. I never felt like things were dragging. although I will admit to getting a little confused with some of the history of Lilith. She had a bit of backstory, but I'll admit I couldn't quite follow it. Though, I was traveling at the time and can easily blame that as the cause.

The ending was pretty perfect. Coupled with an epic battle with shocking conclusions, it ended in a way that was just right. I do believe this is a series of some sort. That's all I really know at this point. While we aren't left with any dire cliffhangers, thank goodness, we are left with a pretty revealing revelation. And of course the ever present, what will our characters do next? Because there simply must be a next of some kind.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely was my first Brigid Kemmerer book but it certainly won't be my last. It was a magical story that I whole-heartedly loved, even if Harper wasn't a bookworm, tragically. It had all the right elements of a Beauty and the Beast tale and of course the twist and turns of a retelling with an added bit of magic truly made this book a unique and enjoyable pleasure!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


A Curse So Dark and Lonely releases January 29, 2019

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:

Imprison the Sky by A.C. Gaughen (ARC) (3 stars) Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok (ARC)--Review to come at a later date

Review That Was Posted:

The Cold is Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale (ARC) (3 stars)

Currently Reading:

Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins (ARC)

What I Hope to Start This Week:

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller (ARC)

Other Posts of Interest:
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays New Year's Resolutions Book Tag Waiting on Wednesday Let's Discuss: Would You Rather...? Random Thursday Book Blogger Hop Stacking the Shelves