Can't-Wait Wednesday: Hood by Jenny Elder Moke

"Can’t-Wait Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Wishful Endings, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

Hood

Jenny Elder Moke

Publication Date: June 9, 2020

Hardcover, 320 pages, Disney-Hyperion

Genres: YA, Historical Fiction, Retelling

B&N | Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

You have the blood of kings and rebels within you, love. Let it rise to meet the call.

Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, King John's ruthless right hand. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the one person who can help: Isabelle's father, Robin Hood.

As Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf's clutches and find the father she's never known, she is thrust into a world of thieves and mercenaries, handsome young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men in a final battle against the Wolf, will Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear?

My Thoughts

A story about Robin Hood’s daughter? I’m intrigued. There aren’t a lot of Robin Hood retellings out there in the YA genre, so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one. I’m hoping it’ll be just as good or better than A.C. Gaughen’s Scarlet.

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

My Spring 2020 Book Unhaul: Part Two

Time for part two of my spring cleaning unhaul! I may be getting rid of some books, but I’m formulating plans to buy a new bookshelf, which means I’ll probably end up buying new books to put on it. Oh, the book-hoarding cycle….

Lake part one of my unhaul, a majority of these are books I read when I was younger, and I don’t want them on my shelves anymore. I’m trying to get a certain aesthetic for my shelves, so when I move into my own place, I can easily arrange my books in a way I’ve dreamt of for YEARS. These books don’t fit that aesthetic.

I bought most of these books at yard sales, library sales, etc. for really cheap, and a few of them I picked up during my time working at Macmillan. And just fyi, I’ll be giving these to my younger cousins. They’re really into Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, so I thought I’d donate some books I have that young boys would enjoy.

So, let’s get this unhaul underway, and please don’t feel offended if I get rid of a book you like. I simply have too many books to keep them all.

Anger is a Gift: I got this one for free at my old job with Tor. I just don’t think I’ll read it, and it seems like something a young teen boy could enjoy. Plus, it has a gay, black protagonist, and I think my cousins could use some diversity in their lives.

The Heroes of Olympus series: I’m getting rid of all five of these books, even though The Blood of Olympus isn’t pictured. I just realized that I’m not into these books anymore, and the covers aren’t pretty enough for me to keep.

Hardy Boys books: I love this Hardy Boys boxset, but I’m never going to re-read them. I’ll always have fond memories of the books, but it’s time to let go.

The Shadow Children 1-4: I really enjoyed this series as a kid, but these aren’t even really mine. My sister ordered this boxset online, but she ended up buying newer editions, so she gave them to me. I definitely don’t need these on my shelves anymore.

More Hardy Boys books: A couple of random Hardy Boys books I’ve never read.

A Christmas Carol and Treasure Island: These are classics I enjoyed, but if I want to re-read them, I’ll buy prettier editions.

Beverly Cleary books: LOVE Beverly Cleary, but I’m just too old for these. Since I don’t plan on having kids, I might as well give these to children who will enjoy them.

Charlotte’s Web, Pirates Past Noon, The Boxcar Children, and Hank the Cowdog series: Again, just too old to keep these.

The False Prince, Fright Time books, and The Faerie Wars series: These are fun middle-grade books, but nothing super special. I feel like my cousins will enjoy them more.

Hatchet, Walk Two Moons, Bridge to Terabithia, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: All four of these are fantastic books, but my cousins will get more out of them than I currently am by just letting them sit on my shelves. Time to let them go.

Loser: This is one of the few books I’ve read about a boy who seems to have some anti-social tendencies, and he may be on the autism spectrum if I remember correctly. I really think my cousins would benefit from this book.

***

Alright, there’s part two of my spring book unhaul. The books are still boxed up in my room, but I’ll get them out of here eventually.

Have you gotten rid of any books lately? If so, which ones?

Review: Entice by Jessica Shirvington

Entice

Jessica Shirvington

(The Violet Eden Chapters #2)

Publication Date: September 4, 2012

Hardcover, 438 pages, Sourcebooks Fire

Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

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Every day Violet Eden wonders whether she made the right choice.

She still doesn't fully understand the powers she's been granted as a half-angel Grigori. And worse, isn't even sure she's capable of using them. Stab someone through the heart? Really?

No matter how bad things get, though, Voilet doesn't run and she doesn't quit. Even if it means she can never allow herself to love the guy she longs for. Even if it means asking her enemy for help. Even if no one is telling her the truth.

The war between Exiles and Angels is on - and she's wanted by both sides.

My Review

Remember when angels were the YA trend? Yeah, I’m totally back into that gimmick. I’ve been re-watching Supernatural lately, and I just finished some other urban fantasy books that seriously remind me how much I miss angel stories. The Violet Eden series, while not the best angel books I’ve ever read, are still pretty good.

Entice is the second book in the five-book series, and it starts fairly soon after where book two left off. Violet’s become a bit more comfortable with the idea that she’s a half-angel Grigori, but she’s still a bit of an immature character. Not always, but at times she just makes strange decisions for irrational reasons. She’s definitely a teenage character. Also, sometimes her inner voice narration simply isn’t good at explaining WHY things are shocking or dire. This makes the stakes sub-par. The same happened with the emotional scenes. It could be confusing.

Despite my confusion, I still love the idea of this world. Half-angels who have to hunt down fallen dark and light angels is a fantastic concept, and I think Shirvington does a good job of balancing powers and world-building. However, she needed to explain the powers and world-building a little more than she did.

As for the side characters, I genuinely liked most of them. Violet’s bff, Steph, is cool. She has her own problems that I’m hoping get explored in book three, and her relationship with Violet seemed a lot healthier in this installment than in the first book. Additionally, Spence was a great inclusion to the storyline. He really added some much-needed fun to the plot. Lincoln, the love interest for the series, also got more page-time, which I was super happy about. (Note: During my first read of Embrace, book one, I was Team Phoenix. Now, I’m Team Lincoln.) I do wish we’d had more time for Lincoln to actually express his feelings, versus his tendency to bottle things up. And finally, there was one side character who was as cliché as possible: the mean girl. I’m not going to spoil anything, but boy, did I roll my eyes.

All in all, you can tell Entice was written in the early 2000s. The world-building, while unique, isn’t explained very well, and there’s more focus on teenage angst than delving deep into the storyline. However, it’s a fun series if you want to pick up book one, just don’t expect too much out of it.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

My Thoughts on Onward the Movie

I thought I’d share my thoughts and feels about the recently-released Onward film. In case you haven’t seen it, I’ve posted the trailer below:

Like a majority of Americans, I watched this film via Disney+. I hadn’t planned on seeing it in theaters, not because of virus reasons, but just because the movie didn’t look all that great. The animation is more Dreamworks style than Pixar style (nothing wrong with Dreamworks’s style, I just wasn’t expecting it from Pixar), and I’ve never been a Tom Holland fan. Oh, and Chris Pratt, while he has played some fun characters, has his fair share of issues that I’m not sure how to feel about. So yeah, I was going to pass on this one until it came out on Disney+ anyway.

Onward starts off really slow and sloggy. The family and their voice actors just weren’t meshing well for the first thirty minutes. And while there are fun magical creatures, I don’t think they’re ever fully utilized. I wanted more from the world-building in this one, and it just never explored anything beyond the family dynamic. There was an explanation for why magic was gone in the world, but nothing about how it could/would/should come back.

Once that initial slog passed, things really got underway. I can tell you exactly when the pace picked up and the humor really came about, and it has to do with a certain gang of small beings. I’ll leave it at that so no one is spoiled, but those things were amazing. They were the best part of the movie. After that, I really began to love the brother dynamic between Ian and Barley. And oh-my-gosh, did their relationship make me want to sob. (My parents were watching the movie with me, so I had to hold back my tears.)

Honestly, this film really hits its stride in the last half. The sibling relationship, the mother-sons relationship, and the father-sons relationship all come together in a jumble of feels. Definitely don’t watch this unless you’re prepared to cry. Tissues are a must.

All in all, Onward is a good film. It had action and adventure perfect for any Dungeons & Dragons or fantasy lover, and it has all the emotions you’d expect for a Pixar movie. Just trudge through the first half-hour, then you’ll definitely want to stick around to the end.

My Spring 2020 Book Unhaul: Part One

It’s spring cleaning time! Also, I’m stuck at home right now, so I thought it’d be a good time to go through my shelves and get rid of some books that I just don’t need anymore. I got rid of over 100 books last summer, and it felt fantastic, minus a smidgen of regret for getting rid of a few pretty books, but oh well....

A majority of these are simply books I read when I was younger, and I don’t want them on my shelves any longer. I’m trying to get a certain aesthetic for my shelves, so when I move into my own place, I can easily arrange my books in a way I’ve dreamt of for YEARS. These books don’t fit that aesthetic.

I bought most of these books at yard sales, library sales, etc. for really cheap, and a few of them I picked up during my time working at Macmillan. And just fyi, I’ll be either donating these books or selling them locally, in case anyone is curious.

So, let’s get this unhaul part one underway, and please don’t feel offended if I get rid of a book you like. I simply have too many books to keep them all.

The Black Company, Dinosaur Princess, and Nightflyer: Not interested in reading anymore.

I’ll Give You the Sun, Return to Paradise, Leaving Paradise, The Face on the Milk Carton, What Janie Found, and The Voice on the Radio: I’m really trying to narrow down my contemporary books. I’ll likely never reread these ones, so it’s time to get rid of them.

Frankenstein and Stardust: If I want these books in the future, I’ll get prettier editions.

Full House Stephanie books, Because of Winn Dixie, and Little House in the Big Woods: Just don’t need these books anymore. It’s sad to get rid of them, but I’m older now, and I’m only keeping these for sentimental reasons. I can’t do that for every book or I’ll be a hoarder.

Everworld 11 and 12: I lost the first two books in this series, and I read the rest via library copies. Also, this series will never get a true ending, so it’s time to let it go.

Captive Prince, Prince’s Gambit, and Kings Rising: I want the Australian covers for this trilogy. I don’t like these US ones.

The Dinosaur Knights and The Dinosaur Lords: I thought this concept of medieval dinosaurs sounded cool originally, and I got the books for free when I worked at Macmillan, but I’m never going to read these.

Breaking the Ice, Off the Ice, Troy High, Attachments, Perfect Chemistry, The Distance Between Us, By Your Side, and Rules of Attraction: Again, I’m getting rid of a lot of contemporary books.

Monument 14, Sky on Fire, and Savage Drift: I read the series. It was fun, but I don’t feel the need to keep it.

The Darker Shade of Magic series: I read the first book, and I was majorly disappointed. I don’t understand why this series is so loved. The writing and characters are so dry. I don’t plan on continuing with the series.

The Raging Ones and Dorothy Must Die: Read both. Don’t feel the need to continue with either series. Dorothy Must Die is signed, though, and is from one of the first author events I ever went to, so that's a little sad.

The Silver Kiss: I kept this one because Blood and Chocolate is one of my favorite books ever, but this vampire book just isn’t as good.

The Darkest Star and The Burning Shadow ARCs: I own the finished copies, so I don’t need to keep these.

Ship It: So for this one, I knew it was based off of Supernatural and a completely misconstrued situation that happened during a convention with Jensen Ackles. I was intrigued, even though I loathe Destiel (a popular SPN ship) with my entire being. I still thought this could be fun, but I read some terrible Goodreads reviews. Apparently this book portrays the worst parts of fandom, in terms of fans thinking they own characters and plot points, and how some fans can’t separate their ships from the actual writers’ works. Exactly what I hate about Destiel. So, the book must go.

***

Alright, there’s part one of my spring book unhaul. Part two will come out next week!

Have you gotten rid of any books lately? If so, which ones?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

"Can’t-Wait Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Wishful Endings, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

Jamie Pacton

Publication Date: May 5, 2020

Hardcover, 384 pages, Page Street Kids

Genres: YA, Contemporary

B&N | Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Moxie meets A Knight’s Tale as Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant.

Working as a wench―i.e. waitress―at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.

Company policy allows only guys to be knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval―if they don’t get fired first.

My Thoughts

I just recently heard about this one, and I’ve been intrigued ever since. I’ve actually never been to a Renaissance Fair or any of the medieval-themed restaurants that are in larger cities. I want to go, but I just don’t have any in my immediate area. This sounds like a fun romp to meet my curiosity. It also sounds like it could put off some Fangirl vibes. Contemporary mixed with fantasy. I really hope it is similar. I’ve been thinking about giving up on YA contemporary lately, so maybe this one will change my mind?

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Review: The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Burning Shadow

Jennifer L. Armentrout

(Origin #2)

Publication Date: October 8, 2019

Hardcover, 432 pages, Tor Teen

Genres: YA, Paranormal, Sci-Fi

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When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux—only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.

Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is—and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.

Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.

And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.

My Review

Oh man. This review is such a mix of emotions. There’s good and there’s bad. It’s one of my least favorite JLA books, even though I still enjoyed most of the story. There’s just one character I. Do. Not. Like.

The Burning Shadow picks up pretty close to where The Darkest Star left off. More Evie questioning her life and more Luc being a manipulative, abusive, obnoxious a$$. I have never not liked a Jennifer L. Armentrout male love interest. Never. So this series is tough for me, especially since JLA’s books are 80% romance, 20% plot. I have to be honest though, I didn’t like Luc in the original Lux series either. He’s so controlling and overprotective. He’s also ridiculously overpowered, which frustrates me considering this makes characters like Daemon and Dawson look pathetic. I LOVE the characters in the original series, and it seems like Luc is being favored over the others. Strongly dislike. And Luc postures like a peacock whenever his masculinity or Evie is threatened. It’s annoying and his fragile ego takes up way too much time. 

Alright, I got that rant off my chest. Whew! Despite how much I dislike Luc, he did have a few cute moments. There was a pet rock and a Halloween candy story that made me smile. Luc quickly made those fun feelings disappear with his nonsense, though. BUT, as much as I dislike Luc, every other character in this series is awesome! Evie’s friends, Zoe, Heidi, and James, are so cute! They’re such a fun little pack of friends, and I wish we’d had more time with them during this sequel. I hope we see more of them in book three. They talk about issues beyond the main romance, so those friend dynamics always make me happy in YA literature.

As for the plot of the book, I have to be honest again, I’m reading this trilogy primarily for Daemon and Katy content. (I heard there’s going to be a baby story for a pre-order incentive with book three. YASSS!) However, I actually enjoyed this book’s plot more than The Darkest Star’s. The human-alien rights issues were relevant, and it was great to see Evie stand up to her friends. Evie’s missing memory dilemma was a little boring for a while, but it picked up about halfway through, and JLA managed to spin it well. Oh, and there was also one of the best car chase scenes I’ve ever read in any story ever. It was so much fun!

Thankfully, the plot turned into a good action/adventure towards the last half instead of the angsty teen drama it started off as, which definitely helped bump up the star rating for me. I was getting tired of the Evie-Luc relationship, but JLA really knows how to write her plots. Though, I will say the ending was abrupt and a tad underwhelming. Additionally, the plot can be somewhat confusing at times if you’re not refreshed on the Lux world.

All in all, if Luc wasn’t the male love interest of this book, I think it’d be a solid four stars. But with him, The Burning Shadow suffers from having a manipulative love interest taking over the story.

My 2020 Reading Goals

It’s April, but I haven’t done a reading goals post for the year. Now that I’m back into reading, I have to remedy that.

I originally set my Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge at 10 books. Now, that might not seem like a lot to some of you, but last year was a disaster for me reading-wise. I actually only read 10 books for the entire year, and most of them were just “meh” books. My reading slump was insane.

To be fair, I had a lot of things going on. I moved back to Missouri from NYC. I quit my job and was stressed out looking for a new one and feeling like a loser for doing so. And, while I was living in NYC, I hated living there because of my loud neighbors who wouldn’t give me the peace I needed to read and sleep during the weekends. I was a mess. But I’ve finally hit a place in my life where I’m comfortable reading again. Plus, I’m stuck inside a lot more than usual with everything going on, so why not work my way through my TBR?

I set my 2020 Goodreads Challenge to 10 books at the start of the year. I reached that goal earlier this month, so I changed my goal to 30 books. I’m really hoping to reach 50, but 30 puts less pressure on me.

Other than my Goodreads Challenge, I have a few other personal reading goals that mostly consist of finishing specific books and series.

#1. Read 15 books I already owned physical copies of prior to 2020. So far, I’ve read three.

#2. Finish A Game of Thrones. I’ve been reading this one for a while. I started after the final season of GoT disappointed me for so many reasons, and I want to finish it before the end of 2020. I’m 42% through. I also think it’d be cool to read one A Song of Ice and Fire book per year until I catch up or the next book is released. (Ha ha.)

#3. Finish the Violet Eden series. I just finished Entice, and there are three more books. I’m going to try to finish one every few months. These books have been on my shelf for so very long, and they’re so beautiful. I’ll never get rid of them, just because of their gorgeous covers. I don’t like unread books being on my pretty shelves, though, so I HAVE to finish them.

#4. Finish last books. I have a lot of last books in series that I just need to read. United and Starfall by Melissa Landers, Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan, Allied by Amy Tintera, and Let the Wind Rise by Shannon Messenger are the primary culprits.

***

Well, those are my 2020 reading goals. What are your reading goals for the year? Have you met any of them yet? Let me know in the comments below!

Stacking the Shelves: The Crescent City Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

I wasn’t supposed to buy books this week/month/season, but here we are.

House of Blood and Earth by Sarah J. Maas

From Blood and Ash swag

So, yeah. I spent money on books this week. Well, a book. Singular. I shouldn’t have, but I keep seeing reviews and fanart for House of Blood and Earth and I don’t want to be spoiled, so I bought it. Now, I must read it. After I read a couple of other things.

Question: How many other people out there call this book Crescent City? I do it all the time. Why did the cover designer make the series title font so large?!? It’s annoying.

I also received my From Blood and Ash book-order swag. (Not a pre-order incentive since the book was already out when the swag giveaway happened.)

What books have you bought/received lately?