Stacking the Shelves: The August Owlcrate 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.

This week’s haul is ginormous. I did not mean for this to happen, but it did. All of these books, plus the books I bought for my birthday, mean I have added soooo many titles to my TBR. It’s going to be total chaos.

Witchling, Dragon Wytch, Harvest Hunting, Blood Wyne, Courting Darkness, Shaded Vision, Night Veil, Night Vision, and Night’s End by Yasmine Galenorn

The Reluctant Queen and The Queen of Sorry by Sarah Beth Durst

I went to visit my sister this past weekend. She lives in my old college town, so I decided to visit the used bookstore I used to frequent back when I lived there. I also brought a bunch of books to trade in for store credit. Unfortunately, they changed their trade/purchase policy to where you only get to trade for half of the cost of your order. This meant I had to spend $26.50 on all of these books. But for 11 books, that’s not a bad deal. Four are in really rough shape, but I figure I can read these copies and then purchase nicer ones later on because the Yasmine Galenorn covers are absolutely GORGEOUS.

My sister also gave me a mug as part of my birthday present. It’s cute and sisterly.

I ordered a paperback copy of Life and Death from Amazon on a whim a week or so ago, and it finally arrived. I think I mentioned last week how I was in a Twilight craze, and the idea of switching sexes for the characters really intrigued me now more than it did back when this book first came out. I also got Cast in Firelight via the publisher on NetGalley. I was super surprised I got approved for this.

Okay, so spoilers for the August Owlcrate are coming.

I decided to re-subscribe to Owlcrate. This month’s box is absolutely beautiful, so I’m glad I got it. I love every item! It’s all purple and pretty! It also has my first booksleeve, and it’s exactly the design I would gravitate towards if I had purchased my own. Plus, the pen and the pins and the clipboard are all super cute! Though the clipboard is a little small. I’m not sure how useful it will actually be, but it’s pretty. That’s what counts. Oh, and the book! Purple, silver, and absolutely amazing! It’s like Owlcrate designed this box just for me.

Okay, that’s it for this week’s haul. I think. This month’s wrap up is going to be a doozy, trying to get all of these books into one photo. Yikes.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Review: The Bromance Book Club

The Bromance Book Club

Lyssa Kay Adams

(Bromance Book Club #1)

Publication Date: November 5, 2019

Paperback, 352 pages, Inkyard Press

Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Goodreads

The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

My Review

I kept hearing about this book. It’s been everywhere. There’s so much hype. And while it was a fun concept with good characters, it unfortunately didn’t live up to the hype. Mostly because of the ending, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Gavin, the professional baseball player, and Thea, a stay-at-home mom, are the main couple of this first installment in the Bromance Book Club series. They’re on the verge of divorce, and their twin daughters are caught in the middle. Unfortunately, these characters didn’t communicate as much as I wanted them to. Their interactions were always very surface level for two people who are trying to work out their marriage. I know Thea was resistant to the idea of Gavin and her getting back together, but she never really talked to Gavin about her issues. And, like Gavin, she DOES have issues. She lied to her partner for years about their sex life. YEARS. I don’t understand why that wasn’t made a bigger deal of than the author made it. Everyone kind of laughed it off and blamed Gavin for not paying attention, but she LIED TO HIM. Yeesh.

Thea is a decent female lead, despite her lie. She’s very protective of Gavin and her family, but it did take way too long for her to face her fears. And Gavin, while he tried so hard, seemed to leave things unsaid by the end of the book. Overall, the ending was just wrapped up too quickly. It was kind of corny in a rom-com way, and it just wasn’t satisfactory for a couple that has so many issues to work out.

Basically, the beginning of the book only focused on Gavin’s flaws instead of both characters’ flaws. It really bothered me. Yes, The Bromance Book Club was cute and emotional at times (mostly because of the daughters and family unit), but more communication was needed overall. I understand romance books aren’t always the best at displaying healthy relationships in a realistic way, but it just needed more. So yes, the book club idea is super intriguing, but it didn’t play as big of a role as I was lead to believe. Additionally, the excerpt from the novel Gavin is reading just interrupted the main storyline. Nothing was really added by including them that exposition couldn’t solve.

Overall, The Bromance Book Club provides a unique concept, but the cliché and mediocre ending left more to be desired. A true bummer, in my opinion, though I did read the entire thing in the span of 24 hours. Maybe I’ll read book two. Maybe not. I’m leaning more towards not.

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

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Brightest Night

 "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 Brightest Night

Jennifer L. Armentrout

(Origin #3)

Publication Date: October 20, 2020

Hardcover, 512 pages, Tor Teen

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Goodreads

The thrills, drama, and intrigue continue in the third installment of the Origin series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout.

He is the darkest star.

You are the burning shadow.

And together, you will bring about the brightest night.

Less than a year ago, Evelyn Dasher was a normal girl, living an unremarkable life.

Now, she's on the run, under the protection of the beautiful, deadly inhuman Luc. She's been betrayed by those who were closest to her. And she's learned truths about herself that she never saw coming--things she once knew, and was made to forget. Truths with devastating consequences. She's caught in the eye of the storm.

She is the eye of the storm.

My Thoughts

I could have sworn I already used this one for a “Can’t-Wait” post, but it looks like I was mistaken, unless I didn’t tag the post correctly. Which is totally a thing I might do. But anywho, yeah. The Brightest Night. I’m actually not really that excited for this book. I LOATHE Luc, the male love interest. LOATHE. However, it’s JLA, and there’s supposed to be a baby-related short story at the end of the U.S. first editions. I NEED the baby story! But the stupid cover change is ridiculous. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the original covers, but changing them to something so 2010 is irritating. I know JLA mentioned trying to get special cover copies for reader. I hope that still happens. I think that’d be a great preorder incentive. Without that incentive, I’ll probably just ask my mom to pick up a copy for me for Christmas or something.

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Review: Aurora Burning by Kaufman & Kristoff

Aurora Burning

Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

(The Aurora Cycle #2)

Publication Date: May 5, 2020

Hardcover, 512 pages, Knopf

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Goodreads

Our heroes are back… kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

My Review

Aurora Burning definitely lives up to what I said about the first book. The series is still a young adult version of Chris Pine’s Star Trek. There are just more space elves, more spaceships, and more space creatures in this one. It’s a fun romp.

Tyler, one of my favorite characters, is soooo Chris Pine-like. He has major James Kirk vibes. I also loved him with Tyler and Saedii. Those two had the most interesting chapters. And the emotional tension is A+. I seriously wanted less of Auri and tons more Tyler. Auri is the least interesting character in the entire crew, yet she somehow gets the hot space elf, Kal, and the strange powers?! Wth! I still don’t feel any connection to Kal and Auri’s relationship. It was so forced, unlike Fin and Scar’s, Tyler and Saedii’s, and even platonic crew friendships were better written. I mean, Zila’s confession about the crew broke my book-reading heart.

I still love the Syldrathi, along with the cool twist Kaufman and Kristoff came up with to explain how the “weapon” got from Point A to Point B. It was a super cool way to tie everything together. However, I didn’t like the Elshvaren aspect of the story, specifically the weird egg thing that turned out to be a gnome-like creature who gave power advice like some strange knock-off Yoda. It was such a strange addition to what seemed like a pretty grounded sci-fi story. Other than those aspects, the action is all there, and things went quickly. Much too quickly. I was disappointed I flew through this 500-page book so fast.

Unfortunately, Aurora Burning did have less fun banter that the first book, but I think it made up for it with the addition of a cool new bada$$ female character and that awesome weapon development. I’m super excited for book three, and I am beyond ready for more Tyler, Saedii, Kal, Scar, and Fin. Less Aurora, though. I could always do with less Aurora, which is kind of sad considering she’s the title character.

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

Stacking the Shelves: The Happy Birthday to Me 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.

Today is my birthday, so of course I ordered a bunch of books for myself. It’s the perfect excuse to buy books.

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Crave by Tracy Wolff

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

This isn’t the entire birthday haul, but it’s a large portion of it. Crave was actually an impulse buy since I’ve been on a Twilight-kick, so it wasn’t part of the original birthday purchase. I heard that it’s Twilight-esque, so I bought it off Amazon for like $8. The others are all ones I really want to dig into pretty soon. The only one I have read already is JLA’s From Blood and Ash, which I am now waiting for the sequel for. Just. One. More. Freakin’. Week. Until. It's. In. My. Hands.

Oh, and before I forget, I also downloaded the last two books in the Silk & Steel series by Ariana Nash via my free trial of Kindle Unlimited. One is the third book in the original trilogy and the other is a companion book. I still can't decide if I want to purchase these as paperbacks. The covers for the original trilogy are so gorgeous. I kind of want them on my shelves, but I can't justify the price right now. Maybe I'll see how I feel in a month or so.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Review: The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

The Extraordinaries

TJ Klune

(The Extraordinaries #1)

Publication Date: July 14, 2020

Hardcover, 405 pages, Tor Teen

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+

Goodreads

Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.

Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?

After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).

Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl meets Marissa Meyer's Renegades in TJ Klune's YA debut.

My Review

The Extraordinaries is being lauded as a mix between Fangirl and Marissa Meyer’s superhero series, Renegades. I think that’s a fair description. This book is basically a love letter to every kid who, after watching animated X-Men cartoons, Spider-Man movies, or just the general bada$$ery of Wonder Woman, wanted to be a superhero at some point in their lives. Plus, it’s terrifically gay.

Nick, our protagonist, is a clueless cinnamon roll with ADHD who is obsessed with his favorite superhero, Shadow Star. Nick’s just an adorable mess. He makes terrible decisions and tends to not pay attention to important hints. At times, his obliviousness could be a little heavy-handed, but I’ll forgive him. He’s still cute. Seth, Nick’s best friend, is another mess, but for completely different reasons. I truly hope we get more interactions between Seth and Nick in book two. Because, while they had their moments, I just wanted more of their dorky adorableness.

The other side characters include Owen, the suave, good-looking jock type, as well as Gibby and Jazz. Gibby and Jazz are awesome friends. I kind of wish I’d had friends like them in high school. Also, I’m glad LGBTQ+ kids can have this book. It’s important, not only because of the representation in young adult fantasy/sci-fi literature, but also because of the lack of representation in a lot of superhero franchises. I think this is a good way to help bridge the gap.

HOWEVER, there is a major content warning for police representation. The police take a role in this story that’s similar to what you’d see in comic book storylines. Nick’s dad actually seems a lot like Miles Morales’s dad in the Into the Spiderverse film. Nick’s dad was sweet, but he did do something wrong (nothing on-page, it’s just mentioned). I could understand with everything going on if the police element would be something you want to avoid in your fiction reading, but keep in mind, this book was written BEFORE June 2020, and while police violence has been going on long before then, the awareness wasn’t at the level it is today. Also, the author has mentioned how current events will shape the sequels. He’s aware of the book’s issues, and he plans to do what he can to take the series to a better place. Check out his post here.

While I did find it difficult to read about some of the police bits, this story is primarily about Nick and vigilante superheroes. It’s a quick read that I managed to fly through in a single day. The twist that I thought was super easy to figure out turned out completely different. I was shocked. In a good way. I couldn’t put this book down, even when I had family members visiting. I also LOL-ed during some particularly embarrassing scenes. (Aww, Nick. I’m so sorry for laughing at your pain.) I do wish, though, that some of the reveal aftermath would’ve been drawn out a little longer, purely to contribute to the angst factor.

All in all, this book is perfect for DC, Marvel, and all kinds of superhero fans. Heck, I think even Percy Jackson readers will love it. It’s a great time, full of gut-busting laughs, gay love, and power-ful secrets. ;)

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

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

 "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...

Black Sun

Rebecca Roanhorse

(Between Earth and Sky #1)

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

Hardcover, 646 pages, Saga Press

Genres: Adult, Fantasy

Goodreads

From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return

When the earth and sky converge

Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.

My Thoughts

This is a book I don’t know much about. I believe it’s a fantasy story with myths based on indigenous people and history, which is a concept I’m sad to say I’ve read zero of, despite reading oh-so-many fantasy books. Thus, it’s time for me to branch out of that white-female author group I gravitate towards. Nothing wrong with white, female authors, I just know there’s more out there that I’m sure I’ll love if I simply take a chance. I think this one could truly be a new favorite. I mean, S.A. Chakraborty gave it five stars and sang its praises! That means it has to be good, right?!

Review: Soul of Stars by Ashley Poston

Soul of Stars

Ashley Poston

(Heart of Iron #2)

Publication Date: July 23, 2019

Hardcover, 400 pages, Balzer + Bray

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Goodreads

Once, Ana was an orphaned space outlaw. Then she was the Empress of the Iron Kingdom. Now, thought dead by most of the galaxy after she escaped from the dark AI program called the HIVE, Ana is desperate for a way to save Di from the HIVE’s evil clutches and take back her kingdom.

Ana’s only option is to find Starbright, the one person who has hacked into the HIVE and lived to tell the tale. But when Ana’s desperation costs the crew of the Dossier a terrible price, Ana and her friends are sent spiraling through the most perilous reaches of the Iron Kingdom to stop the true arbiter of evil in her world: an ancient world-ending deity called the Great Dark.

Their journey will take the sharp-witted pilot, Jax, to the home he never wanted to return to, and the dangerous fate he left behind. And when Robb finds out who Jax really is, he must contend with his own feelings for the boy he barely knows, and whether he truly belongs with this group of outcasts.

When facing the worst odds, can Ana and her crew of misfits find a way to stop the Great Dark once and for all?

My Review

This series has been lauded as a perfect read for fans of Marissa Meyer’s Luna Chronicles series, and I would definitely agree. It’s super fun, without being overly scientific or technical. It’s just an action-filled young adult sci-fi book with some space elves, killer robots, and an Anastasia retelling.

The main thing I loved about the first book in this duology was the relationship between Jax and Robb. While I thought it developed a little too fast, I still really enjoyed how cute they were together. Unfortunately, in Soul of Stars, I still missed some of that development. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Robb and Jax, I just wish there had been more to their relationship. (A third book could’ve helped with this, along with some issues I had with the ending that I’ll get into soon.) Jax's family background and history was super cool. I wish we could've seen more with that too.

Di and Ana are good characters as well, but I never got super attached to them. Maybe it’s because Di is a robot. It’s hard to truly ship characters who started out non-human. While they’re fun to read about separately and together, they just pined for each other a little too much in this book. And not in a good angsty way.

As for the action and plot, sometimes the twists were too easy. Everything was a little too convenient with a lot of last-minute rescues and simple solutions. Though, I will say that the ending had me going for a little bit in regards to a couple of character arcs. But even with those characters’ journeys, the ending still felt somewhat unfinished, like there should’ve been another 100 pages. As I mentioned earlier, a third book could’ve helped with that. Oh, and I don’t think the six-month time jump between book one and book two helped, either. But at the end of the day, it was still an entertaining journey with Poston's witty dialogue and often-times adorable characters.

All in all, if you liked Cinder and Aurora Rising, you’ll have a good time reading Ashley Poston’s space duology. Space elves, light swords, and robots. What’s not to love?

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