Tag: YA

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: The Get to Know you Book Tag

I thought it would be fun to do a book tag today! This one is pretty simple and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had putting it together. I’ll admit a couple of these were tough!

Favorite Book of All Time

I had quite a few of the Wizard of Oz books as a child. I loved how Frank L. Baum created this whole world that my imagination could get lost in. I have memories of reading these books with my mother and watching the movie and wanting to find friends like the cowardly lion, scarecrow and tin man. 

Favorite Book Five Years Ago

This series and the heroine Mercy Thompson has been one of my all time favorites. This novel in particular was when my love for the strength and resilience of Mercy was born. The series is still ongoing and I love how her character has grown and become an even greater role model for a woman’s strength and honor in every aspect of her life. Yes, this is a fantasy series, but there are truths in character that can be applied in any realm.

Favorite Duology/Trilogy Series

What can I say? This series is magical and the characters fabulous.

Last Book You Read

This was a great wrap up to Britta’s story. I’m looking forward to reading Once a King which is Aodron’s follow up. 

Last Book of Poetry I’ve Read

Oh Boy. I don’t think I’ve ever read a complete book of poetry. Sorry!

What Book Most Influenced Your Life

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”  Those were the first words that started my love of fantasy novels.

Book that Made You Ugly Cry

This was a really different well written YA novel about three friends.  It was a tearjerker, but uplifting too.

Book That Made You Laugh

This one ran the gamut of emotions, but Kate Daniels and her snarkiness has always made me smile.

Character You’d Like to Be for a Day

Jasmine Santos has known heartbreak, but she’s a fighter, a winner, and when she finds her man he loves her with the strength she has always needed. She is also sarcastic and kind of mean, but when you get to know her you love her.

Book So Good You Dreamed About It

The culmination of an amazing series and really action packed. I battled dark forces when I dreamed that night. And won!

Book You DNF’d

It just wasn’t for me. 

What Book Are You Excited to Read

It comes out on 11/27 and I can’t WAIT! If you haven’t read any books my Mariana Zapata…. what are you thinking? LOL.

Well, I hope you got to know me a little bit more. I have pretty eclectic tastes in books don’t I? 

I’m going to tag a few bloggers, but if you don’t have the time or aren’t interested don’t worry about it. If I didn’t tag you and you want to try out this book tag, feel free! Please tag me in your post so I can read your answers. Thanks!

Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Marie’s Book Boutique

Marie’s Book Boutique

Bionic Book Worm

Shalini’s Books and Reviews

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: November Wrap Up!

November is gone. What? Wait! No, this year is flying by way too fast! Yes, it’s December 2nd which means it’s time to look back at November.

What books did I love last month? There were quite a few that I really enjoyed, but these were the best of the best.

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck 

Women in the Castle

“What set this novel apart from others I’ve read was that we see the war through these German women’s eyes. Their feelings about what Hitler and the Nazi’s did and the reaction of the people around them- or lack of reaction in a lot of cases. I think this might be the first novel where I read about the German people’s apathy….If you have 13+ hours to spare, I’d recommend listening to this book! Regardless if you are reading or listening, this book was truly excellent.” 5.0 Rating

 

Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy 3.5) by Ilona Andrews

“Yes, the Hidden Legacy series revolves around Rogan and Nevada, but the underlining theme is family, and the Baylor’s are the definition of that word. Of course, as this was a short story, you are left wanting more, more, more! I believe the next novel, also centering around Catalina, will be out sometime in 2019. As with all of the others, it will be well worth the wait!” 4.5 Rating 

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

” I love YA action novels and Song of the Current hit the right note for me. It did start off a little slow but that was to be expected as the characters and world building needed explanation. As soon as she pushed off down the river and opened that crate the story took off and the adventure began.” 4.5 Rating

Blogger to Blogger Series Interviews

If you aren’t familiar with my Blogger to Blogger series the premise is that I ask each blogger the same 10 questions. Through their answers we not only gain a little more personal knowledge but we see how diverse our Book Blogging universe really is. If you didn’t get a chance to read them the following links are the two Interviews I posted in November.

Claire @ A Knight’s Reads

The Captain @ Captain’s Quarters

This Chicks Sunday Commentary is a catch-all post that airs almost every Sunday. I have the chance to post random thoughts, tags, interviews, etc. In November the following posts ran. Please click the link if you didn’t have the chance to read them!

Uppercase Box Nov’18 Reveal

I’ve Read THE Book, Now What?

October Wrap UP!

There are many reasons why I am looking forward to December, and it’s not to finish my Christmas shopping! There are a couple of books on the horizon that I want to read. Duh!

Most Anticipated Reads for December 2018

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare

I am a big fan of the Shadowhunters novels and this series is her best yet.

Ever the Brave and Once a King by Erin Summerill

OK, yes Once a King is coming out in December. I actually thought I’d already read Ever the Brave when I requested the ARC and then realized, OH NO. Yep, I have to read Ever the Brave first. But I did love Ever the Hunted so it’s not a hardship. I just don’t usually like to read too much of the same genre at once… I need to get on it!

Well, that’s a look back at what happened on The Reading Chick in November, and just a very small look forward. 

What are your most anticipated books for next month? Are they old ones or new?

Does anyone else hate this new formatting on WordPress? AArrgh! It looks funky! LOL

Until next Sunday,

Deb

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Friday YA: Ever the Brave (A Clash of Kingdoms #2) by Erin Summerill

At the end of Ever the Hunted, Britta uses her Channeler powers to save King Aodren which breaks the tether between she and Cohen and establishes one with the King. Despite the tether, her feelings for Cohen haven’t changed, but she is starting to care for the king as well. With the kingdom in turmoil Aodren wants to overrule ill feelings his people have had for the Channelers since his fathers rule and the first thing they have to do is find the woman who had kept his mind captive. 

As I wrote in the above paragraph I realized how if you hadn’t read the first book, this synopsis would be so confusing! To simplify, Britta is a Channeler, she saved the king. The King doesn’t want to kill off all of the Channelers anymore in large part due to his feelings for Britta and well, that’s genocide. As the Bounty Hunter to the king, Cohen gets sent after the evil woman giving Aodren the chance to get to know Britta without Cohen around to remind Britta of her feelings for him. Yes, this story is based around a love triangle, and if Britta weren’t such a strong character this would’ve bothered me a lot more than it actually did. 

 I enjoyed the characters just as much as I did when I read Ever the Hunted. Britta is a strong, independent woman who can hunt and track just as well as the king’s Bounty Hunter, Cohen. Cohen should actually get used to Britta coming to his rescue but for some reason is always trying to protect her and keep her safe. Cohen, this is a girl that can keep herself safe! I do think he came to realize that by the end of the book, but that one trait was a little frustrating. Otherwise, he was a totally likable character.

Ever the Brave was the first time that we got to know an Aodren that was not under mind control. What we did get to know, I liked and I look forward to the next installment of this series, Once a King, which is his story. I think his character may be a little more fleshed out which will make him more of a hero, I hope.

If you enjoyed Ever the Hunted and haven’t gotten around to reading Ever the Brave, have no fear! This book is a fun second installment. Read it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“I guess my main complaint with this series is that I just really don’t like Cohen and Britta together at all, and I don’t like Cohen.  Yes, he got better in this book, but he’s still one of those people that if I met him in real life I’d probably stay away from because he’s so male dog territorial, and I wanted him to stop….But other than that, a solid book.  I enjoyed it, and I’ll be happy to have it once the paperback comes out.” Fireside

“Britta was really a force to be reckoned with in this book. From who she was in the first novel to the strong, independent, powerful young lady she ends up being is very empowering and I thought that was a good representation of a proper character arc for her.” Amy Leigh Reads

Click this link to purchase!* Ever the Brave (A Clash of Kingdoms Novel)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2) by Marie Lu

Eighteen year old Bruce Wayne discovers that he enjoys thwarting the rules while helping the police catch a criminal. There was a bit more to the plot than that, but essentially that was the plot. Bruce has to do some community service in a psychiatric hospital (seriously?) and develops a crush on an inmate. This inmate is young, pretty, and even though he’s been told she has murdered three people he just can’t believe that it’s true. Not having learned his lesson about breaking the rules, which is why he’s doing community service in the first place, he breaks the rules again for Madeleine. Just as is the case for many teens, this flaunting of authority puts him again in hot water but with the help of his companies inventions he saves the citizens of Gotham anyway.

I’ll admit, I didn’t read the first book in this series. It was about Wonder Woman and I had just seen the movie, which was amazing, and started the book and the beginning just felt so similar. I never went back to it. After having read Marie Lu’s Batman: Nightwalker, I’m not sure I’ll read Catwoman or Superman either. Batman: Nightwalker was ok, but there didn’t seem to be a point to it, other than as a pre-quel of sorts. We all know what Batman goes on to be, so seeing how he started didn’t reveal anything about his character that we didn’t know already other than he needs to develop a little hubris.

As is often the case with superhero novels, the bad guys are more interesting than the good guys. Madeleine seems too intelligent to have landed in Arkham Asylum, so uncovering her mystery outshone anything Bruce Wayne may have been able to accomplish. The end of the novel was kind of anti-climactic, so other than a check mark that I’ve now read this book, there wasn’t a whole lot of enjoyment gained. Was it horrible though? No. Not really. It was just kind of blah. Not what I was expecting from Marie Lu, that was for sure. ❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“I believe that fans of the DC Universe and superhero stories in general will appreciate this book, but for me, it was not interesting enough, not exciting enough, there wasn’t enough sleuthing, or action, or … anything, really. To be quite honest, this book is the very definition of the word anticlimactic.” Sprinkles of Dreams

“Honestly, I usually don’t read books with male pov’s much, but I enjoyed reading this book from Bruce’s perspective because he was pretty likable and fun. The writing was fantastic. I love Marie Lu’s compelling writing style. I flew through the pages without any struggle. The world building was superb. Marie perfectly depicted Dark Gotham City and It was pretty easy to picture everything so clearly.” Dreamy Addictions

Batman

Click this link to purchase!* Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons Series)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy 3.5) by Ilona Andrews

This short novella is a fix for all of us Ilona Andrews junkies. We get just a taste of Nevada and Baylor, as the story revolves around the planning of their wedding, but it centers around her sister Catalina. Nevada goes through a few wedding planners so her sisters Catalina and Arabella decide to step in and take over. No worries about Nevada turning into Bridezilla, she doesn’t, but some of her tastes are a little questionable and there are a few wedding guests who’d rather not see her walk down the aisle. When a Rogan family heirloom goes missing, Catalina is hired to track it down before Nevada’s big day.

I have always wanted to see a little bit more of Catalina. As a Prime Siren, she has the power to enthrall and make anyone love her to the point of obsession. As Catalina investigates she has to go outside her comfort zone and use her skills as a Siren to get people to answer her questions. It was fascinating to see another side to Catalina as she explores her powers. She is obviously afraid but her love for her family makes her step up and solve this mystery. You could tell the author(s) had a lot of fun with this short story!

I LOVED the big reveal at the end of the story. As Catalina runs down the list of who did what, Nevada is described as leaning back in her chair and giving her sister a big thumbs up and a grin. You could just feel the pride and love. Yes, the Hidden Legacy series revolves around Rogan and Nevada, but the underlining theme is family, and the Baylor’s are the definition of that word. Of course, as this was a short story, you are left wanting more, more, more! I believe the next novel, also centering around Catalina, will be out sometime in 2019. As with all of the others, it will be well worth the wait! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“You can always count on Ilona Andrews for a story that will not only thrill and excite, but also wrap you up in the complex personal relationships of their characters. Diamond Fire was a terrific addition to the series and sets the stage nicely for Catalina to lead the way in upcoming books.”Harlequin Junkie

“I feel like this book accomplished what it set out to do – make me anticipate Catalina’s story. But it also suffered from its short length and didn’t have the usual brilliant plotting and storytelling that we know the author can bring to the table.” Rayas Reads

img_1560

Click this link to purchase!* Diamond Fire: A Hidden Legacy Novella

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black

Valentine grew up in a small New England town where her legacy as the daughter of a woman who murdered the beloved son of one of the founding families and was hanged for it. Years later when more people are murdered in their town people start pointing fingers at Valentine and she has to investigate to prove her own innocence.

Girl at the Grave is labeled as a Gothic Mystery and definitely gives off that dark historical vibe. Told from Valentine’s POV we see the townspeople change from her childhood views to a new adult perspective. The mystery intertwines through so many layers of not only Valentine’s life but those of the people around her as well. It was worth the time it took for the author to take us on the road to discover who was behind these crimes. I was truly surprised and did not figure this one out. I must’ve changed my mind every time that road twisted.

There were two love interests for Valentine. Sam, the boy she grew up with. He was comfortable, solid, and sweet. There was also Rowan who was the son of the man that her mother killed. Handsome, rich, smart and always on the peripheral of her mind. Someone she admired, living a life she wanted to be a part of. I loved the intricacies of the mystery so much that I thought this love triangle actually detracted a little bit from the story. It did not ruin it though.

Girl at the Grave is a very refreshing historical mystery. Technically it’s a YA novel but most of the time I forgot the age, and unlike other YA novels the adults had a presence and were actually a HUGE part of this story and Valentine held her own. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“Girl At The Girl is a stand-alone YA debut novel by Teri Bailey Black. Well, this book has a great potential but sadly it falls short of perfection. To be honest, I enjoyed the story-line, but it was disappointing that the plot focused more on the romance and less on the murder mystery.” Dreamy Addictions

“This novel kept me guessing.  At certain points, I rolled my eyes, certain I knew which direction the plot was headed, and how similar this book was to so many others I’d read.  And I was very pleasantly proven wrong.” Books and Such

YA Gothic Mystery

Click this link to purchase!* Girl at the Grave

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

I bought this novel in the summer of 2017 to read on my trip to Italy. I thought it would be so much fun to read a novel that takes place in the country I was visiting. Needless to say, I never got around to reading it. I was eating too much gelato and enjoying the vistas, not reading. Last weekend I was in the mood for a lighthearted YA and took a look at my kindle and had that aha! moment. So, I started Love and Gelato, a year later, but it was worth the wait.

Love and Gelato sounds like a lighthearted Italian romance but this novel had a lot of hidden depth and emotional trauma. Our heroine, Lina, deals with her mother dying of cancer and finding out who her father is within the same few months. Her mother’s dying wish was for her to go to Italy and see the country she fell in love with and give her father a chance to get to know her. When she arrives, she is given her mother’s journal to read and starts to understand her love of Italy through her mother’s young eyes, visiting her favorite places with her new friend Ren. Some of the surprises that are in store for her are life changing and heart warming.

I love Jenna Evans Welch’s easy going style. Her novels are totally PG and are usually more about friendship and family than romance and this novel is no different. Ren, as the love interest, is totally charming and adorable but their’s is a love story that grows through a strong friendship and of course, lots of gelato. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Love and Gelato

Click this link to purchase!* Love & Gelato

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

I love a fairy tale re-telling when I don’t remember the exact details of that fairy tale. It helps me get lost in the story instead of making comparisons to the original. Spinning Silver was a new take on the story Rumplestiltskin and about all I could remember from that story was that there was a girl that spun straw into gold and got her some unwanted attention. Our heroine Miryem has a talent for turning things into gold but it’s not by spinning straw. She is the daughter of a family of moneylenders, and while her father is horrible at collecting those dollars owed, Miryem excels at remaining cold to their customers excuses and keeps her hand out until it is filled. While walking home through the forest one day, she makes an off hand remark about being able to turn anything into gold and the Staryk overhear. The Staryk are a race of (for lack of a better term) ice people. They live in winter 24/7 and are the boogeymen of Miryem’s world. When she catches their attention she does what she does best. She gets them results and gets some unwanted attention in return.

Miryem is not the only main character of this book. It’s actually told through multiple POV’s and I’ll admit that that got a little confusing. Especially when a new POV was introduced and you spent a few paragraphs reading to try to figure out whose eyes you were seeing through this time. Each character had their own plot that spun and twisted together to combine into a satisfying conclusion to all of their storylines. I’ll admit to liking Miryem’s story the best, but maybe that’s because her POV was easy to spot.

The pace of this story helped the overall feeling that you were reading a fairy tale and the writing was well done. However, there was a lack of warmth for these characters. I so wanted to like them but something seemed to be missing. They were all so determined in their lives, but nothing seemed to make them very happy. Overall, even though there was a happy ending, I felt kind of unhappy about it all. That’s not to say that I didn’t appreciate the writing, the story had twists and turns that I didn’t expect and I certainly appreciated the craftsmanship of the author, but for me it lacked heart.

I have read nothing but great reviews for this novel, but because of that lack of warmth I could only give it a 3.5 rating. Sorry Naomi! However, as with all books reading is subjective and all of you may LOVE this book. Even though I am always right (not really), if you are interested in reading this book, please do! I would love to hear what you think. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Spinning Silver

Click this link to purchase!* Spinning Silver: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chick Read: The Confectioner’s Guild by Claire Luana

Plucked from the back of a baker’s shop and whisked away to the Confectioner’s Guild to meet with their leader no one is more surprised than Wren when he drops dead at her feet after eating one of her confection’s. Being a suspect for murder is a difficult way to start as the newest apprentice at the Guild. Wren is determined to clear her name and with the help of the lead investigator she starts to unravel a political plot that has her risking her life and his.

Wren was discovered and brought to the guild because of her magical creations. This discovery is pivotal and has the importance to change her circumstances but the murder of the guild’s beloved leader pits most of her peers against her except for a chosen few friends. I have to admit that I love anything sweet, so the scenes where she is baking away in the kitchen are among my favorites but this is a murder mystery, not a Master Baker exhibition. I liked the idea of a world filled with specialized guilds. I even liked that there was a bit of magic involved in this world, but wanted a little more explanation. I felt like this world that was kind of light and fluffy (except for the murder part) but still wasn’t as colorful and round as I’d have liked. The murder did add more texture and grit, but not depth.

I did really like the characters and this world full of craftsmen guilds intrigued me.  This novel is just the first in the series, so there was a lot of set up and character building which may be why I thought the story felt a little light. My hope is that the characters settle in, grow, and become three dimensional. I’d like to see more of Wren’s magic since she is just now discovering she even has it, so keep those baked goods coming! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received an ARC of this book for my honest review and it was honest.

The Confectioner's Guild

Click this link to purchase!* The Confectioner’s Guild (The Confectioner Chronicles)

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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Friday YA: Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

Georgina Fernweh is approaching her seventeenth birthday when she will leave the island for the first time ever and live on the mainland and go to college. Going to college is usually a huge event in a persons life, but in Georgina’s case turning seventeen may be even bigger because she still hasn’t manifested her magic. First, she has to get through the summer as the island gets overrun with the Annabelle birdwatchers who arrive annually to catch a glimpse of a very rare bird. In their midst is a beautiful girl and her brother who help change the way Georgina see’s her future and herself.

I loved the mix of magical and reality. Georgina comes from a family of women who are gifted in different ways. Her twin sister’s gift is as mischievous and willful, matching the nature of the girl herself. Georgina, with her lack of magic, is the realist in the family and when tragedy strikes, she finds courage within herself to face the darkness and help her friends and family find the light. This novel dealt with a very difficult subject (rape) but did it in a way that matched the tone of the novel. There’s not much that’s magical about rape, but there can be magic in justice.

Katrina Leno has a magical way with storytelling. The flow of this novel, as with those I’ve read in the past, is very gentle, like the ebb and flow of the surf on the island Georgina lives on. When the conflict hits, that gentle flow is halted with a jerk and then the pace of the novel speeds up increasing your pulse right along with it. I forgot to read the synopsis before I started the book and so the magical bits were a pleasant surprise. Even more pleasant was the surprise that Georgina was secure in her sexuality as a young gay woman. This novel didn’t surprise us with her sexuality, it was built into her character, part of what made Georgina tick and wasn’t the conflict of the plot. It was a sidebar to her lack of magic being the main plot focus making her character feel totally natural. I liked that and I liked her.

If you like good books with a touch of magical realism, I think you should give Summer of Salt a try. You’ll be surprised by the richness of the characters and charmed by the writing. I believe you’ll even track down another of Katrina Leno’s books because you’ll want to see if she can be this good a second time. I’d recommend Everything All At Once! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Summer of Salt

Click this link to purchase!* Summer of Salt

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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