Cover Reveal: Everville: The Fall of Brackenbone

Two very different worlds, Easton Falls University and the magical realm of Everville are in dire need of a hero. Owen Sage embarks on an epic journey of monumental proportions to save these worlds all while fighting to keep the world within himself intact. This quest is not for the faint of heart nor is it for the weak of mind—only the bravest will succeed. Discovering the well-kept secret of The Fourth Pillar of Truth is only part of the feat. Owen will have to outwit the ever-powerful villain Governor Jahal and overcome countless other challenges along the way. Amongst all of the dragons, giants and grand chaos, will Owen's acquired skills and wisdom be enough to save both worlds or will peril be the ultimate fate of all?

This is the fourth book in the Everville series written by Roy Huff. Feel free to follow Roy via facebook, twitter and instagram. 

Feature and Follow Friday: What goes around comes around

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back

Q: How many books have you got on your tbr list?

Une photo publiée par natalia (@natyuniverse) le 19 Mai 2015 à 8h09 PDT

127! 

Dusting ain't easy when you keep so many to-be-read books by your nightstand. I do read two books from the pile each month, and would be rid of it by now -- except I keep adding to it. Bad girl!

How big is your pile?

Review: Ten Things I Hate about Me

Jamilah might hate several things about herself, but only one keeps getting brought up.

Not fitting in is like leprosy at adolescence. No one wants you on their team. And the nasty daily comments can push any teen into a huge depression. It's no wonder that Jamilah dreams of having her classmate Timothy's courage and just be herself: a Lebanese/Muslim living in Australia. So she bleaches her hair, puts on blue contacts and changes her name to Jamie. And no one "notices."

To be honest, although the idea of feeling stuck in a nationality is not new to me (yup, been there) I didn't feel like Jamilah was so worried about her background. What truly bothered her was the relationship with her dad. His overprotective parenting drove her and her siblings crazy. And she associated that with him being Muslim: no girls should go out unchaperoned, girls must be home before sunset... too many rules to list (probably like ten).

More than character growth, we get to see bonding and how communication is key.

Review: Fixing Delilah

Every family has got secrets...

But Delilah's tired of being left out of the loop. She and her mom return to Vermont for her grandmother's funeral. A woman they had not seen for the past ten years, after a family fight regarding her father that no one wants to discuss with Delilah. Why did they keep away? Why so much resentment? Are things really better left unsaid?

Death has a way of reminding us that pride isn't always worth it. Ockler kept some really juicy secrets from Delilah in this book and made us sympathize with all sides of the equation. Loved the small town feeling of the book, and found the dialogue realistic with a contemporary plot that was easy to follow. 

A great fast read. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Red Eye Flight

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

TOP BOOKS I'M TAKING TO THE BEACH

Leaving next month and appreciate having to do this list in advance. Let me know if you recommend them as well: 

World After by Susan Ee

Loved the first book, can't wait to see what happens next.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Heard wonders about this novel. I admit it sounds sad, but reading this by the beach might make it easier to take in. 

The One by Kiera Cass 

Need to finish this series. Can't believe I'm behind...

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla means island in spanish. Island goes with beach which goes with summer.... It's meant to be. 

What's on your summer to read list?

Review: Panic

Summer means it's time for Panic.

Every year, the senior class collects one dollar a day/per student to raise a huge prize. This year the winner of Panic will receive 67,000$. For many living in the small town, the money means a ticket out. Heather never thought of leaving. She joined Panic as an impulse after a bad break-up. But with dares like Russian roulette and crossing a highway blindfolded, will this impulse be worth it?

Joining a crazy game like this, made Heather appear immature and foolish just like the rest of gamers who were there for cash or honor. But Oliver gave the story a twist by making it vital for Heather to win. The story was told with two point-of-views, giving us a wide perspective of the game. What I found most difficult was fitting the story into a genre. It appears Oliver managed to create a thriller/contemporary ya. 

Interesting concept!!

Review: The Royal We

Becoming a princess takes more hard work than just being vigilant about a pair of glass slippers.

Bex leaves America, and her twin sister Lacey, to pursue her studies at Oxford University. She wants to find herself and instead finds Nick. A prince. Not just any prince, but the prince of England -- who is unquestionably unobtainable to someone of her status (and nationality). But after years of secret rendez-vous, will Nick ever declare his love for her in public?

The Royal We is divided in several acts: from falling in love, to surviving the pressure from their families, trying to live apart, and of course how the media attempts to damage their relationship. Although I failed to see Bex as an American (dialogue) she did captivate my interest. She had both flaws and qualities, and made several mistakes that many of us would make in her shoes. 

A realistic take of what a royal/normal person relationship might feel like.

Review: Half Bad

What would it be like to be born an abomination?

Poor Nathan gets treated worse than Rosemary's baby due to his bloodline. Everyone expects him to take after his father, and go on a murderous rampage when he grows up. so they deny him a proper education, living conditions, love, and mostly the magical gifts that could lead to his death if not provided before his seventeenth birthday. Should Nathan run off and join the Black Witches -- and if so -- will his heart turn bad? Can he become what everyone feared all along?

Let's be blunt, witches have always been fascinating. I must admit this is the first time I see them set against each other so viciously. White Magic vs Black Magic witches. Sadly, the idea of being discriminated because of who where you come from isn't far fetched. Sally Green used it quite well by providing us with different mindset of characters and a timid love story that will most likely bloom in the sequel. 

Recommended to all witchcraft fans.

Caught my arrow #42

Caught my Arrow is a meme similar to Stalking the Shelves featuring books that were purchased, borrowed or received that week.

Spring is the best time for reading outside. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Here's what I got to keep me busy:

Received from Publisher

Une photo publiée par natalia (@natyuniverse) le 6 Mai 2015 à 5h40 PDT

The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

as well as The Tapper Twins: Go to war by Geoff Rodkey

Borrowed from library

Betrayed by P.C Cast

The Golden Compass by Pullman

The Storied Life of A.J Firky by Gabrielle Zevin
Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
I'll Give you the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield

Received from Author

Revised Orders & Final Orders by Irene Helenowski

What are you reading this week?

Review: The Tapper Twins go to war

Oh, it's on!

When Claudia eats Reese's pop-tart, he retaliates by making fun of her in the school cafeteria. Since karma just can't wait, Claudia gets her revenge by hiding a dead fish in Reese's backpack, setting off a chain of events that proves how far anyone can go to save their honor. 

Although the book might hint at the topic of bullying, Rodkey handled it with a lot of humor, allowing the character's conscience to eventually set in. To do this, he told the story in a recording format, where the characters and their witnesses talk into a device, and added computer screens and text messages. This technique spared us from background descriptions and made the story less judgmental since we were hearing it from both sides. 

Interesting concept worth looking over.

Feature and Follow Friday: This reader ain't loyal

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back

Q: How do you decide what books to read?

Une photo publiée par natalia (@natyuniverse) le 2 Juin 2014 à 4h47 PDT

So many books so little time.

I used to keep a jar filled with book titles and let destiny decide. But I cheated too many times and had to get rid of it (guilty conscience). Now I just follow publishers deadlines and pick books from my nightstand or recommendations.

How do you choose your next read?

Review: Angelfall

Can Penryn's life get any worse?

Aside from the hard to spell name, Penryn lives in an apocalyptic world where fallen angels have taken over. Finding food is her number priority, aside from babysitting her little sister Paige and a mother with dementia. And then one day things get worse. Paige gets kidnapped by angels and the only way to save her is by joining Raffe, a fallen angel with freshly cut wings. Can these two put aside their differences and help one another before it's too late?

Angelfall is packed with strong characters. Even the mother who is ill, has enormous will power. Instead of just focusing on the love/hate tension between Raffe and Penryn, Susan Ee adds an interesting subplot about why the angels desire to claim children, leading the novel to a promising series.

Looking forward to reading the sequel.

Review: Kiss and Tell

Jacqueline Green starts her book with fast paced action scenes and doesn't quit. 

In this third installment of the Truth or Dare series, the girls -- Tenley and Sydney -- are still haunted by their past. It now feels like a huge mistake that, to increase their popularity status, the girls decided to play nasty pranks. The darer has incriminating video and will stop at nothing until these girls are dead.

Perhaps due to the Echo Bay/small town background, the book reminded a lot of I Know What you did Last Summer. People were dead and the girls had learned their lesson, and still the darer kept going at them like some crazy psychopath (which is not far from the truth). Although, I did not find the characters endearing in any way, there is no denying that the action was there, with several possible suspects.

Feature and Follow Friday: Wrap me up

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back

Q: How do you cure a reading slump?

Une photo publiée par natalia (@natyuniverse) le 19 Avril 2015 à 7h07 PDT

There is nothing more depressing for a bookworm than to get stuck in a reading slump.

Every time I get lucky and read two or three books in a row that I end up enjoying, I know that the streak will eventually end. And then the slump comes. That one book that is just so boring it ruins everything. Especially when it came highly recommended. So you don't DNF it. You stick to it, hoping to see what the big deal is.

Just switch genres for a while, watch a movie, karaoke for a night... All it takes is a few days for the slump to be gone.