Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants. Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily. And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever. All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks. Our final shipment of new books came in a few weeks ago so I've been working to add to my never-ending TBR (To Be Read) shelf--which is, let's be honest, my night stand. I'm going out a limb for some of you folks and reading books that I do not normally gravitate towards because FANTASY IS LIFE. Here's my TBR list just for you:
Guest Blogger: Nikolas Gray, 12th grade Any fans of books like Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series and Sarah Maas’ Throne of Glass series are in for another special treat by the name of Snow Like Ashes. This is a trilogy done by Sara Raasch is about a unique world of Primoria where there are only 8 kingdoms; The Seasons (Which are the season they are named after all year long) and The Rhythms (Who all have a talent of science, art, trade, etc). The 4 Season kingdoms of Autumn, Spring, Summer, and Winter. Alongside the 4 Rhythm kingdoms of Cordell, Ventralli, Yakin, and Paisley. Every kingdom has a ‘conduit’ which harnesses magic and allows the leader to influence their kingdom in ways such as grow crops faster, increase military strength, or if you are the Sumerian king then keep your entire kingdom drunk and happy!
Without giving away any spoilers, because what I’m about to say is basically on the back cover of the book, here's my review. The main character followed is named Meira, a citizen of the kingdom of Winter...which sadly fell 16 years ago when Spring attacked and destroyed the Winterian conduit and therefore their magic. So Meira has lived her entire life as a refugee with the last of her non-slave people trying to steal back the broken parts of the Winterian locket. The story starts when scouts discover the location of one of these halves. If you are a huge fan of fantasy books then this is for you. Just like things such as Throne of Glass and Red Queen there is some romance but it does not in anyway overwhelm the rich story of dark magic and dangerous politics of a world separated by Season and Rhythm with deep prejudice. I've finally started reading through titles in the 2016 YALSA's (Young Adult Library Services Association) nominees for their Teens' Top Ten list! The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes was my first choice--mainly because I needed a good mystery/suspense novel in my life. I was not disappointed. To give you the quick run down, the main character is a girl who has just committed a heinous crime. To make matters worse, investigators see that her hands have been chopped off an all that remain are stumps. This contemporary page turn takes readers into the world of the "Kevinian" cult & the mystery and mayhem surrounding Minnow Bly's attempt to flee from the cult's community & her struggle with blind faith. This book is dark & hard to cope with at times, but you will be unable to put it down (I could not--once I started, I had to finish it). Don't be daunted by its size (400 pages) because it's a very quick read and will keep you engaged from page one...seriously. The opening line is "I am a blood-soaked girl." WHAT?!?!?! Make sure you check it out & if you love it, give it a vote on the Teens' Top Ten website (click the button below). Check out one of our August Books of the Month, The Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielson!
From Goodreads.com: "When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing the lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds much more than gold and gemstones: He discovers an ancient bulla, an amulet that belonged to the great Caesar and is filled with a magic once reserved for the Gods -- magic some Romans would kill for. Now, with the deadly power of the bulla pulsing through his veins, Nic is determined to become free. But instead, he finds himself at the center of a ruthless conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and spark the Praetor War, a battle to destroy Rome from within. Traitors and spies lurk at every turn, each more desperate than the next to use Nic's newfound powers for their own dark purposes. In a quest to stop the rebellion, save Rome, and secure his own freedom, Nic must harness the magic within himself and defeat the empire's most powerful and savage leaders." Confession: I totally stalked Twitter the day this cover was revealed. King's Cage is book three in the Red Queen fantasy series by Victoria Aveyard. If you peruse through some of my past blog posts, you know the obsession that I have with this session and I'm bringing along knew converts each day! (One sweet Red Queen/Glass Sword newbie read the books in three days and asked, "How could you do this to me!?!?! Book three isn't out until February and it just ENDED LIKE THAT????" **insert devious laughter and finger tapping here**). The release date is February 7, 2017--TOO LONG, my friends. TOO LONG!
I'm really looking forward to two week's worth of vacation where I can stay up late or sit on the beach and read (as long as my two kids entertain themselves)! With that in mind, here's a look at the books in my "To Be Read" (TBR) pile: If you've read my previous post about the Throne of Glass series, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Sarah J. Maas. This is her new series and I cannot wait to start it! I'm very excited about The Girl From Everywhere; it's a little bit historic fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy all rolled into one little package. Six of Crows has drawn the eye of many of a reader in our MC just because the edges of the pages are solid black. It looks epic and sounds AMAZING. It's a trilogy. It's complete. I'm super stoked about The Winner's Curse.
I reviewed Red Rising a few weeks ago, but people--this entire trilogy needs to be in your possession. I braved the threat of carsickness on the way through the mountains of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee to read more of book three, Morning Star, last week. If you even remotely appreciate science fiction and fantasy, this needs to be in your library. I'm not saying check it out from the library or have it on your kindle--OWN IT. BUY IT. This will be a staple for science fiction lovers in the years to come. And as I have said before, I'm not even a huge Sci-Fi fan, but this is true love. I cannot rave enough about Pierce Brown's creation--his characters are so real, and readers can invest so much in the story line that one can find himself shedding tears, screaming in jubilation, or shaking his head in disbelief. This is also a very prophetic piece about many of the problems that plague our current society and what could happen if things do not change. The setting and characters are hard to visualize at first, but once you get going, it's hard to put down. I DID NOT WANT THIS TO END! |
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August 2018
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