Owl Post #217

Inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, Owl Post allows us bloggers to showcase the books we've bought, won or received throughout the week and is hosted by Brodie over at Eleusinian Mysteries. We all know that the Owl Post is the fastest way to send and receive mail and they certainly make me happy every time they drop a book off.  

Hi book lovers and welcome to this weeks Owl Post!

  For Review:

From Scholastic:

- The Things That Will Not Stand by Michael Gerard Bauer

I hadn't heard of this one before I recieved it, but it may be interesting. 

 

....Thank you guys!

________________________________

 

From Pan Macmillan Australia:

 - Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake 

I loved the first book in this series but still have to read book two. Can't wait to catch up and then read this one!

....Thank you guys!

And that's me. 

What did the owls bring YOU this week?

 

Book Shelf: Grace and Fury (Grace and Fury #1) by Tracy Banghart

Bold, brutal and beautiful, this is a must-read with the glitter and romance of The Selection and the thrilling action and intrigue of Red Queen.

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other on an island prison where women must fight to survive.

Serina has spent her whole life preparing to become a Grace - selected to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining example of the perfect woman.

But her headstrong and rebellious younger sister has a dangerous secret, and one wrong move could cost both sisters everything.

Can Serina fight? And will Nomi win?

More info on Goodreads.....


Review:

Grace & Fury is the exciting latest release by Tracy Banghart and is a highly enjoyable tale of rebellion, romance and unexpected betrayals that sweep readers up into a world of female oppression and two sisters who dare to change it all.

Sisters Serina and Nomi live in a world where women have no rights and face vastly different futures; Serina at the palace as a Grace to the Heir to the kingdom and Nomi as a handmaiden and provider for the rest of their family. Serina has trained her whole life in the art of poise and submission to become one of a few women to stand at side of the heir to the throne while Nomi chaffs at the restrains of being a female in a male controlled society. Everything is going as expected, until rebellious and headstrong Nomi is the one to catch the heir’s eye at a party. When Serina takes the fall for one of her younger sisters secrets, she pays the price; shipped off to an island where women are forced to fight each other to survive. Trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one chance to save her sister and that means accepting her newfound fate as Grace. As time begins to run out for Serina, Nomi may need to take a big chance if she hopes to save her sisters life…..

Having fallen in love with Tracy Banghart’s writing when I read her Rebel Wing series, I was beyond excited to begin Grace & Fury and am thrilled to say that Banghart doesn’t disappoint with this novel. Told through the dual perspective of two very different but still very likable sisters, Grace & Fury was an enjoyable novel that had a forward moving and fast paced storyline. I very much devoured Grace & Fury as I did not want to stop reading Serina and Nomi’s journey and found myself caught up in the dangers, romance and anticipation that flittered throughout the novel.

Grace & Fury introduces readers to some wonderful characters. From heroines Serina and Nomi to the supporting characters we meet, I have to say I loved them all. Grace & Fury features a great cast of individuals who have varied purposes within the tale. In a world were women have no rights, I highly enjoyed seeing two sisters experience two very different situations. From Serina’s time on the island where she meets a lot of strong willed and capable women to Nomi’s time within the palace, we discover that not everyone is who they seem and some people have ulterior motives.

Both Serina and Nomi were wonderful to follow. Nomi had fire to begin with, while Serina finds hers overtime. Neither is fearless; they just choose to do what they need to do to survive and as such you couldn’t help but support them, hoping they’ll manage to succeed. Both face different struggles and dangers in the story and I liked seeing them navigate the circumstances they found themselves in.

As a romantic at heart, Grace & Fury wouldn’t be the same to me without some romantic possibilities sprinkled into the story. At this point in time both Serina and Nomi’s love lives are but an undertone to the overall storyline, yet I still enjoyed and appreciated the small moments they shared with the men who capture their attention. I have some inkling as to where Banghart plans to take both sisters and am looking forward to discovering this.

Grace & Fury is a fantastic read from Tracy Banghart. Set in a fantasy world without a magical element, Grace & Fury’s strength comes from its action and solid determination of both sisters to find their way back to each other. The ending of this novel is nothing more than a cliffhanger and leaves me dying to get my hands on the next novel as soon as it is released!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher via Netgalley (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Format: Kindle ebook via Netgalley (I've since bought myself a paperback copy as well)
Release Date: July 26th 2018
Purchase: Bookworld | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!

Blog Tour: Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel- Excerpt & Giveaway

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel thanks to YA Bound Book Tours.

Keeper of the Bees is the sequel and companion novel to Kassel's debut novel Black Bird of the Gallows and is a fabulous follow up that I highly enjoyed reading!

_________________________________

KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.

He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.

Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.

Add on Goodreads or check out my review!

Purchase:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | The Book Depository 
 Entangled Publishing | Bookworld

From Keeper of the Bees....

She closes her eyes. Her breath hitches. Then, she does the improbable and throws herself against me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I am paralyzed. Motionless, breathless in my first embrace in a millennium. To be touched... My eyes close as I tremble from head to toe. The pain is glorious, excruciating.

“Thank you,” she breathes against my chest. “You calm my mind. Why is that?”

“I don’t know. ” Speech takes an unbearable effort. I'm overwhelmed in every single possible way— destroyed on a level she can't begin to comprehend. My arms hover, uncertain how to return her embrace and unsure if I should. Unable to push her away. I feel as though I will shatter if I move, but my arms slowly close around her. One of my hands falls on her hair, where her elastic has loosened. The thin band slips from her hair and falls into my hand. My fingers close around it.

Check out book one, Black Bird of the Gallows:

  Goodreads | My Review

Meg Kassel is an author of fantasy and speculative books for young adults. A graduate of Parson's School of Design, she’s been creating stories, whether with visuals or words, since childhood. Meg is a New Jersey native who lives in a log house in the Maine woods with her husband and daughter. As a fan of ’80s cartoons, Netflix series, and ancient mythology, she h as always been fascinated and inspired by the fantastic, the creepy, and the futuristic. She is the 2016 RWA Golden Heart® winner in YA and a double 2018 RITA® finalist for her debut novel, Black Bird of the Gallows.

Visit: 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Shelf: Keeper of the Bees (Black Birds of the Gallows) by Meg Kassel

KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.

He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.

Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.

More info on Goodreads.... 


Review: 

Keeper of the Bees is the companion novel to Meg Kassel debut novel Black Bird of the Gallows and is captivating tale featuring unique mythology, intriguing dangers and an enchanting romance.

Dresden is cursed. For centuries his chest has been home to a hive of bees that he cannot prevent from stinging people and causing insanity. Having long ago forgotten who he once was, Dresden travels from one town to another seeking out and choosing only the worst of humanity as his victims. Stuck in an existence he despises but reluctantly accepts Dresden has never considered wanting more until the day he happens across a unique young woman who sees him like no other. Seventeen year old Essie suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. When Dresden approaches her in a park, his bees wanting to sting her, Essie does not find herself afraid of him. His presence calms her raging mind and she is both fascinated and delighted by his changing faces. When Dresden chooses not to let his bees sting Essie, the two soon find themselves forming an unexpected relationship that has the power to chase the course of both their lives forever….

After immensely enjoying Black Bird of the Gallows, I have been eagerly awaiting Keeper of the Bees. The idea of being introduced to a beekeeper and getting to know what makes them tick was one I was very much looking forward to. And I have to say I was thrilled with the outcome in Keeper of the Bees. Beautifully written, structured and paced, Keeper of the Bees was a highly entertaining read that lives up well to its predecessor. Set in the same world but featuring a new storyline and two new characters Keeper of the Bees features solid writing, a mysterious and intriguing storyline and unfolds through the eyes of two very unique characters in Dresden and Essie.

Something I loved about the story was the duel perspective that allowed the reader to get to know both Essie and Dresden on such a deep level. Their voices were heartbreaking and powerful but also endlessly hopeful as they found solace and friendship in each other. It was adorable witnessing them fall in love in their own innocent, endearing way. Dresden’s long life has been full of torment and pain while Essie’s short one has been full of loneliness and isolation; it was nice to see them find some measure of happiness, especially as this building relationship pushed the storyline onwards.

Essie’s voice especially is sharp and Kassel beautifully depicts the life of a young woman living with an unknown “illness” that affects her mental stability. There is so much stigma that surrounds mental health in today’s society that I really appreciated seeing Meg Kassel write a character who suffered from an affliction—even if there was a supernatural element woven into her suffering too—while also highlighting that Essie was still very much a person in and of herself. A person with a unique personality who had the ability to rationalize her situation and care about those around her, including her Aunt Bel who herself offers Essie unconditional love and support.

From beginning to end, Keeper of the Bees is an engaging story. With plenty of emotion and adorable moments, Kessel writes Dresden and Essie’s story perfectly. There’s supernatural mixed alongside a murder mystery with Dresden’s past woven together with both Essie’s present and future. Able to be read as a companion to Black Bird of the Gallows or simply on its own, I highly recommend Keeper of the Bees for readers wanting a story with rich, unique mythology but still featuring all the elements you’d expect to make it great!

Rating:  
Source: Sent for review thanks to YA Book Tours and author Meg Kassel (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Format: Kindle ebook
Release Date: September 4th 2018
Purchase: The Book Depository | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Final Thoughts: A great companion novel, I highly recommend this one!

Waiting on Wednesday #239

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on.....

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean 

Releases on: November 6th 2018

Add on Goodreads!

In a palace of illusions, nothing is what it seems.

Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yōkai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy.

Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari’s fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yōkai outcast.

Torn between duty and love, loyalty and betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness, the choices of Mari, Taro, and Akira will decide the fate of Honoku in this beautifully written, edge-of-your-seat YA fantasy.

Thoughts:

I haven't read all too many novels with Asian mythology but the ones I have I've really enjoyed. So Empress of All Secrets is something I'm looking forward to reading. It looks like it has all the elements I love; magic, romance, secrets....bring it on!

Do you like the sound of Empress of All Secrets?

What are you waiting on this week?

Book Shelf: Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan

Annie is starting college. She can’t wait. No more school, no more uniform, and no one telling her what to do. It’s the start of a new adventure and Annie’s not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that. Freedom matters to Annie. She has cerebral palsy and she’s had to fight hard to get the world to see her for who she truly is.

Then she meets Fab. He’s six foot two, Polish and a passionate believer in…well, just about everything, but most of all Annie and good old fashioned romance. The moment Fab sees Annie, he’s wildly drawn to her and declares she must be his girl. Annie’s horrified. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s anything, especially if it means losing her independence.

But then Annie finds herself falling for Fab. As things go deeply wrong, Annie realises that love can make you do wild, crazy things, and so she sets out to win his heart with a romantic gesture of truly epic proportions!

More info Goodreads.....


Review:

Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan is a sweet and endearing contemporary romance that is fun and flirty and just downright good reading.

Annie Demos refuses to let anyone define her. Despite suffering from cerebral palsy, Annie is determined to make the world see her for who she is, not just someone with a disability. Which is why Annie decides to go to college outside of town. This means she’ll have to catch a train everyday by herself and hopefully find some independence from her over assisting, albeit well-meaning, mother. Then Annie meets fellow student Fab; a Polish, 6-foot plus giant who is old fashioned and kind and determined that Annie “be his girl”. Annie is looking for adventure, not romance, but as her friendship with Fab blossoms, Annie soon realises that happiness can come in the form of the wildly unexpected…..

Jenny McLachlan is one of those contemporary writers I wildly enjoy. Her novels are always light, but so much fun with endearing stories and adorable characters. Truly, Wildly, Deeply is a companion novel to Stargazing for Beginners and features Annie Demos who readers were introduced to in the first story. I really enjoyed Annie in Stargazing for Beginners and was stoked to have her front and centre in Truly, Wildly, Deeply.

Protagonist Annie Demos has a disability, a fact that author Jenny McLachlan highlights throughout the story, rather than tiptoeing around. McLachlan instead chooses to showcase how normal and mundane Annie is as well as how crippling the stigmas that surround disabled people can be. I loved that Annie was just an everyday teenager; one who happened to suffer from a life changing disease, but still just an everyday teenager nonetheless.

Under normal circumstances being a teenager comes with its own set of trials, but factor in her cerebral palsy and Annie is facing a whole new set of difficulties. And yet, Annie was so fiery and determined. I adored how she stood up to those who saw her different and refused to be treated with any special treatment just because she had difficulties walking. Annie knew her limitations, but also refused to be defined by them—a strong and inspiring heroine in my eyes.

And Fab! Oh, don’t get me started on Fab! Fab may just be the nicest, most perfect human being on the planet. Fab was kind and considerate to everyone across all walks of life. If there was ever someone deserving of an award for simply being a decent human being it was Fab. Then throw in his adorable accent and odd way of dressing and his determination to understand the English language, and you have the most awkward, hapless but so adorable person in Fab. He was just an amazing character!

Truly, Wildly, Deeply features an absolutely charming romance between Annie and Fab. Fab’s intentions aside, it builds through a strong and endearing friendship. They’re effortless together while also being so darn cute. I couldn’t stop the smile that continually graced my face as I read their interactions—they were just beyond entertaining.

Highly enjoyable, sweet and down to earth, Truly, Wildly, Deeply was another great novel by Jenny McLachlan that can be read as a standalone or alongside it’s companion novel Stargazing for Beginners. I can’t wait to see what Jenny McLachlan releases next!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
Format: Paperback
Australian RRP: $14.99
Release Date: April 1st 2018
Purchase: Bookworld | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: This book was just so darn cute--I loved it!

Owl Post #216

Inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, Owl Post allows us bloggers to showcase the books we've bought, won or received throughout the week and is hosted by Brodie over at Eleusinian Mysteries. We all know that the Owl Post is the fastest way to send and receive mail and they certainly make me happy every time they drop a book off.  

Hi guys and welcome to this week's Owl Post. I bought myself a couple of bargain books. $6 for the three of them :) Very happy with myself! 

  I Bought:

- And I Darken by Kiersten White 

I really like the sound of this one and I know it's very popular. Hope to read it in the future.

- Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

I absolutely LOVE Jennifer L. Armentrou's books and even though I'm yet to read this series I can't wait to. I just know it's going to be brilliant.  

 

- Trouble by Non Pratt 

I really did just buy this book on a whim. It sounded super cute and I think it has potential. Looking forward to reading it :)

And that's me! 

What did the owls bring YOU this week?