Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Winter

Marissa Meyer

(The Lunar Chronicles #4)

Publication Date: November 24, 2015

Hardcover, 824 pages, Feiwel and Friends

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, Fairytale Retelling

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

My Review

It’s over. Finito. There’s no more full-length Lunar Chronicles. How sad.

As most everyone probably has read this book already, I’m not going to go into a super in-depth review. There are just a few things I want to say before I forget everything I read.

First off, I really loved the characters in the first two books of this series. Cinder, Scarlet, and Wolf are amazing. However, I don’t feel as attached to Cress, Thorne, and Kai. I like Thorne and Cress, but I feel like with all of the action that happened in the book Cress, there wasn’t a lot of room for me to feel connected to those two. Thorne is funny, though. But Kai is worthless until the very end of this book.

I did really enjoy Jacin. I wish there had been more about him and his feelings and backstory in Winter. Unfortunately, with all of the point-of-views floating around, there was very little room for character development for the new characters. And that’s where Winter comes in. Winter was a terrible character. She barely did anything but act like a whacko throughout the story. I think if her chapters were taken out, very little would be missing from the plot.

And that brings me to another point: the book was way too long. I kept trying to ask myself what scenes could be taken out of it to make it shorter, but I couldn’t think of any specific ones. I think some aspects just needed rewritten so it could be at least 200 pages shorter.

Despite my complaining, I did enjoy this book. Wolf and Scarlet’s love story makes me so happy inside. And Iko and her eccentric personality always had me smiling. And Cinder’s bravery and take-charge attitude kept me on the edge of my seat. Err… bed. Who reads in a chair?

All in all, there were a few things that I didn’t enjoy in this conclusion, but for the most part, it was a good ending to a great sci-fi series and I’m excited to see what else Marissa Meyer has in store for us.

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

My Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of 2016

It’s the beginning of the year which means there is a plethora of new books coming out. And yes, I’m excited for them all, there just so happens to be 10 that I’m more excited for than all of the others that are releasing. Of course, I still have to wait for them to release. *sigh*

So, for this post, I will simply be giving you exactly what the title says: My Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of 2016. These are all books that will be releasing this year. And, not surprisingly, most of them are sequels.

I’m doing ten books for this post, instead of five like I’ve been doing for all of my Top 5 posts, because I could easily pick out ten of these. I do have an honorable mentions to name, though. I was ridiculously excited for Gena Showalter’s new young adult release, Firstlife, but I got an eARC of it and I’ve already read and reviewed it, so I’m not putting it on this list, despite the fact that I’m still excited to have a finished copy in my hands.

Now, onto the real Top 10!

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

You’re probably wondering why this book isn’t higher on my list. Well, it’s mostly because I’m not the biggest Cassandra Clare fan. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy her books, but they aren’t my favorite. I’m mostly excited for this one because of a combination of things. One, because the TV show is coming out soon and it’s got me obsessed with the Shadowhunter world. Two, we may get to see some of the older characters in this book. I’m crossing my fingers for Malec! I’m just not super excited about the new cast of characters. I didn’t really enjoy their appearances in City of Heavenly Fire.

Release Date: March 8, 2016

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

The Kiss of Deception was one of my favorite books of 2015, but I still haven’t read the sequel yet. That’s really the only reason why this book isn’t higher on my list. I’m hoping that I can hold out a little longer before I buy the second book, just so I don’t have to wait for any cliffhangers to be settled in The Beauty of Darkness. I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait very long, though. Oh, and this cover is bada$$.

Release Date: August 2, 2016

United by Melissa Landers

Aelyx. Enough said. But I can expand a little, I guess. I really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy and I don’t think this one will kill my enthusiasm. I love alien stories and I love space and sci-fi stories, so this is a great addition to my shelves. Plus, I can’t wait to see the cover since I’m 75% sure it’s similar to the other books in the series and I love those covers. However, I know the publisher may or may not be the same, so I’ve got to cross my fingers that it’s a hardback book that’s the same height as the others.

Release Date: August 2016

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

This book needs to be in my hands. Pronto. Unfortunately, I have three months to wait. Ugh. The publisher has put us through the wringer on this book’s cover and now I’m just like “Give it to me before they change it again.” I want to know what’s going to happen to Kestrel and Arin. Please let them have a Happily Ever After. Please!

Release Date: March 29, 2016

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

I LOVED C.J. Redwine’s The Courier’s Daughter trilogy, so this one is a must-buy and a must-read. I know this is a standalone in a new fantasy world that will have multiple books in it, so I’m excited to see if this book follows Snow White and other books follow other fairytale characters. I haven’t read a regular fantasy fairytale retelling lately, so I’m excited to get my hands on this one since I know it’ll be good.

Release Date: February 16, 2016

The Arcana Chronicles Book #4 by Kresley Cole

This book doesn’t have a cover or a title, but I’m excited for it. The last book left off on a major cliffhanger, and I need to know what happens! I desperately hope Evie makes some better decisions in this book and isn’t so wishy-washy because that is the only thing that has this series not making its way into my favorite books list.

Release Date: May 31, 2016

Remembrance by Meg Cabot

God yes! This book must be in my hands! I can’t believe we get a new book in The Mediator series. I remember reading these books when I was in 8^th grade or so and I LOVED them! These were the first Meg Cabot books I ever read and they’re amazing. I can’t wait to see what Jesse and Suze are up to.

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

This is the Australian cover for this book. I LOVE this cover. The US one sucks. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get the Australian cover at the Book Depository, so I guess I’ll be buying the ebook until I can somehow get the pretty versions of this series. As for the actual content of this book, I desperately need to know what happens to Damen and Laurent. The second book had such a huge cliffhanger and I just NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen was my favorite book of 2015, so it’s no surprise the sequel made it onto this list. You may be asking why Glass Sword didn’t make it the #1 spot, though. And my reasoning for putting it at #2 is that I don’t have to wait as long for this book as I do for book I do have at #1. Glass Sword is only a few weeks away. YES!

Release Date: February 9, 2016

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

Here it is. This is the book that I freakin’ need right now. God. Just thinking about how The Wrath and the Dawn ended has me desperate for this book. Thankfully this is just a duology so I don’t have to wait another year on top of the five months I’m waiting now for a conclusion, but five months is still much too long of a wait. I may be requesting an ARC of this one. I don’t normally do that, just because I don’t often get them when I do request ARCs, but I’m going to have to try because getting this book is a necessity.

Release Date: May 3, 2016

**

Well, there you have it. Those are books I’m desperate to get my hands on for 2016. I’m sure there will be some additions to this list once I hear about other new releases for the year, but, as of this moment, these are the ones that are on my mind.

What books are you eagerly anticipating this year? Let me know in the comments.

Pinterest Sunday: Bookish Candles

I have decided that Sundays will now be Pinterest days. What does that mean? It means every Sunday I’ll be sharing a bookish craft with you all that I found on Pinterest.

Obviously, none of these craft ideas were created by me, and I’ll give the creator the credit he or she deserves. I just want to share some cool and fun—and maybe even new—craft ideas with you. And maybe I’ll even scrounge up the willpower to actually do the craft one day. Who knows?

The craft I want to share today was posted by Tara Block over at PopSugar and another part of it was posted by Sarah over at Arrow and Apple. I want my entire apartment to be covered in bookish décor. Is that weird? Didn’t think so. Check out the pics of my newest decoration desire: 

I don’t normally like candles, so having a mason jar or something and using the electric candles instead would be really cute. I would LOVE to do all seven Harry Potter books or even the Narnia ones. Of course, that means buying the books again.

I found these pics of the mason jar and how to make them from Arrow and Apple. I couldn’t find the how-to process for PopSugar’s.

I think I could get some cheap ones at a used book library sale. Hmm… This may be possible.

If you can think of any other cool bookish candle ideas I should mull over making, you should let me know.

What do you guys think? Would you do this? Yay? Nay? Maybe? Sound off in the comments.

Also, if you’d like to follow me on Pinterest, you can do so here. Or, if you just want to check out what bookish crafts I have saved so far, you can go here.

Stacking the Shelves: The Short and Cruel Edition

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

Yes. I broke my book-buying ban. However, I knew I was going to break my ban because I need this book for the Victoria Aveyard and Sophie Jordan signing coming up. (So excited! Less than one month away!)

Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

This book is soooo thin! I didn’t expect it to be this tiny! Especially for nine dollars!

What books have you bought/received lately?

Dean Winchester Friday

Dean Winchester (or sometimes Jensen Ackles) Fridays make me a very happy fangirl. You'll see why when you look at the gif.

I know I’ve shared an image of Dean in this getup before, but this time, he’s moving, and he’s glorious. There’s just something about those medieval-style clothes. They make my eyes very, very happy.

Movie Trailer Thoughts: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I thought I’d share my thoughts and feels about the new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trailer. I know that I’m super late to this party, but I realized I hadn’t shared my thoughts yet, and I just couldn’t have that.

In case you haven’t seen the trailer ("Where have you been?" Teehee. I wrote that in Molly Weasley’s voice, did you hear her say it when you read the sentence?), I’ve posted it below:

First off, I have to say that the first time I saw this trailer, I, of course, loved it, but the second time I saw it, as it was previewing before Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I teared up. I guess seeing it on the big screen had me feeling all of the feels. Plus, that line “J.K. Rowling invites you to return to the Wizarding World” has me all nostalgic. I miss Harry so much! I even shushed my mom the other night, just because Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was on television. And her response was “Haven’t you seen this multiple times already?” Yes, but that doesn’t matter.

Okay, back to the trailer. There’s actually not a lot going on with this trailer. It’s mostly just the Lumos Maxima scene, and the characters in the courtroom, then the two main characters looking at the case, and then the end title scene. Not a whole lot going on, right? But it’s still got me ready to buy a ticket.

I haven’t read the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them yet. I’ve looked through it and I know it’s more of an encyclopedia of creatures than an adventure story, so I can’t wait to see how the film plays out. I’ll be reading the book closer to the movie’s release date, just so I can know what’s happening.

Also, I love how we’re getting a look into the American Wizarding World for this film (I refuse to acknowledge that American non-wizards aren’t called muggles, though). And while I like the setting of the story, I think it would have been really amazing to see a modern-day America with wizards. Am I right? But I’m just happy we’re getting more wizardry, so I can’t complain too much.

Now, I’ve never seen Eddie Redmayne in anything, but I know he’s been said to be an amazing actor, so I can’t wait to see him play Newt Scamander. Other than his character, I’m not sure who the other actors and actresses are playing and I don’t want to completely spoil myself for the book (if there’s any crossover), so I’m not going to delve too far into who they are just yet.

All in all, I think it’s obvious that any Harry Potter fan is going to be seeing this movie. Actually, I’m fairly certain true Harry Potter fans would see this movie even if it was illegal. I know I would break the law just so I can be a wizard one more time.

What do you guys think of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trailer?

Waiting on Wednesday: Riders by Veronica Rossi

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

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

Riders

Veronica Rossi
(Riders #1)

Publication Date: February 16, 2016

Hardcover, 384 pages, Tor Teen

Genres: YA, Paranormal

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?

My Thoughts

The horsemen and YA? Sounds like a fantastic read, especially considering Veronica Rossi’s name will be on it. I’m hoping this is kind of like Supernatural mixed with a darker version of Rick Riordan’s books.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Review: Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Untold

Sarah Rees Brennan

(The Lynburn Legacy #2)

Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Hardcover, 367 pages, Random House

Genres: YA, Paranormal

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

It's time to choose sides....

On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?

A darkly humorous take on Gothic romance, Sarah Rees Brennan's Lynburn Legacy weaves together the tale of a heroine desperate to protect those she loves, two boys hoping to be saved, and the magical forces that will shape their destiny.

My Review

Three words to describe this book: magical, gothic, and mysterious. You could also add in spunky and angsty, as well.

Kami and her gang of friends are back to take on the evil sorcerers in their small town with only their wits and a few powers between them. And when I say wits, I mean sarcasm and wild ideas. Kami’s plans are always pretty far out there and are never fully explained, but I always have a fun time seeing them pan out. The laughs her and her friends cause are often those of the out-loud variety. It also helps that these laughs are smooshed between two hot guys: Jared and Ash. Although I’m Team Jared all the way.

Kami is still her strong-willed and snoopy self. And her logic is fantastic! Kami tells off Ash for something that made me want to cheer and shout! Sarah Rees Brennan deals with sexist comments and homosexual relationships amazingly! All of her points told through her characters’ dialog are beautiful.

Moving back to the Jared and Ash love triangle, I have to say that I got a little annoyed with Kami and the two guys in this book. It wasn’t terrible, but there was a lot of relationship angst when all I wanted was for Jared and Kami to talk to each other! So many issues could have been solved if the characters would communicate more. The characters did communicate, they just kept circling around the real issues and having long, drawn out conversations that had me zoning out sometimes. (Of course, I could have gotten distracted because I was reading this book during Christmas when my family was in the next room.)

Also, the plot of the book was a little slow. The big event didn’t happen until the end, so basically everything leading up to that point was just conversation and teenage angst. However, the angst was, for the most part, entertaining. I do wish the magic system would be explained a little more, though. I didn’t understand why certain actions couldn’t be taken and why bad things would happen if so and so took over.

All in all, this book is a good sequel and the cliffhanger ending has me craving the last book like caffeine addicts craves their morning coffee.

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