Elantris was the
capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with
benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the
benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person
until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten
years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened,
leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and
crumbling.
Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of
Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with
Crown Prince Raoden, hoping -- based on their correspondence -- to also
find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered
his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining
holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious
fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter
the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae
to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.
But
neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden.
Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly
exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches
trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon,
and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.
A rare epic
fantasy that doesn't recycle the classics and that is a complete and
satisfying story in one volume, Elantris is fleet and fun, full of
surprises and characters to care about. It's also the wonderful debut of
a welcome new star in the constellation of fantasy.
@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
Holy shite balls! I loved this book!Okay, I took a
picture of the back of the book because I liked how they had the part
about Raoden, Hrathen, and Sarene printed on there but I did cut off a
little bit of Sarene. So it's supposed to say she's a princess from
Teod, not Teo. Lol Anyway, I wanted to add it because I thought it
looked cool! 
I
loved the hell out of this book! AND NO, I'm not comparing it to his
other books. All of his books that I read are reviewed as their own
book. I loved THIS book for THIS book not (it's not as good as this or
that) so don't ask. Thank you! =)
And then I look and see there
are going to be more books to this series in a million years.
<--Okay, not a million but still. I have to wait and read them like
all the other ones I'm waiting on. Oh, and I am getting this one in the
UK Edition like all the ones I love and am trying to get. So far I have
the regular box set of Mistborn and the UK edition of Mistborn. I will
get them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will shut-up now and talk about the book.
I
loved Raoden and Galladon. I loved Sarene and her Seon, Ashe. I just
loved a lot of people in this book but those are the main ones. I even
loved Hrathen and that was before he became good =)
Elantris was
a beautiful place with these people/gods that were silver with white
hair and all the goodness and wonderfulness. Then one day it hit the fan
and Elantris fell. It turned peeps into living corpses so to speak.
(I'm not telling you the whole freaking story because you need to read
it and plus I don't to put up my spoilers tag)
The people of
Arelon left Elantris alone but exiled people in the kingdom to Elantris
that would get this disease. I loved these parts. Not what happened to
the people but the things that were going on in Elantris, the whole
freaking story about it
Raoden is the prince of Arelon and his
father who is the king is a big jerk! Anyway, Raoden is to be married to
Sarene but when she gets there they tell her that the prince has died.
Well, that sucked right?
Sarene stayed in Arelon to try to make
things better and stir things up. Oh how I loved her. She was teaching
ladies to fence and she she was just a smart, strong woman. And she his
this little thing called a seon and this one is named Ashe. They talk to
each other and are always together unless she sends Ashe off on an
errand.
Hrathen is a high priest who comes to town trying to
convert everyone. He's a huge scary looking dude apparently. Or a gyorn
as he was called. He was having trouble every step of the way from
Sarene and one of his own and even Raoden. But he seemed to always be on
the fence about things.
There is so much in this book that I
would like to talk about. There is just so much. I must say the parts I
did enjoy the most were with Raoden. Where he was at, what he was doing
what he became.
And the last paragraph of the book brought a tear to my eye.
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1894238532
Are you a special snowflake?
Do you enjoy networking to advance your career?
Is adulthood an exciting new challenge for which you feel fully prepared?
Ugh. Please go away.
This
book is for the rest of us. These comics document the wasting of entire
beautiful weekends on the internet, the unbearable agony of holding
hands on the street with a gorgeous guy, dreaming all day of getting
home and back into pajamas, and wondering when, exactly, this adulthood
thing begins. In other words, the horrors and awkwardnesses of young
modern life. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
There were so many things I related to in this book but I'm only going to share a few. 
↑
Okay, so I'm going to show y'all pictures of SOME of my stuffed animals
that take over my bed (I sleep on the couch anyway) and some of my dog,
Lucy's stuffed animals.
WE BELIEVE IN THE STUFFED ANIMAL! WE LOVE THE STUFFED ANIMAL!
I
have seriously donated garbage bag upon garbage bags of stuffed animals
to the children's home though. But, my stuffed animals will always be
huge. These are not even the half of them =) PS ~ I'm getting one more
garbage bag ready to go to the children's home when I go to the doctor
in February. But never fear, at some point they will be replaced!!!! lol
Oh,
and the big ones are kinda hiding the big pile that is on the bed you
can't see and there are big ones under that pile too. I love them
alllllllllllllllllllll !
My dog Lucy's pile down below =) 
Down below ↓
I don't say my body is a temple but I do repeat over and over, you shouldn't be eating this, STOP!!!! 
↑ This always happened just like the picture shows!
Okay
so I don't have kids and I'm not a grandma, but I do have about a
million notebooks and journals that I collect and have written in like
two. And only in half of the two. I can't help myself! 
The
above picture is totally true. I never wanted kids and I don't have
them and it's too late for all of that and I'm fine with it =) 
Okay the wifi thing is self explanatory!
and the book thing, we all get that one! 
I thought this book was soooooo cute! There are a good bit of cute funny stuff in the book and it's worth a pick up and read =)
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1895200087
How did Fox Mulder become a believer? How did Dana Scully become a skeptic? The X-Files Origins has the answers.
The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos explores the teen years of Fox Mulder, the beloved character depicted in the cult-favorite TV show The X-Files. His story is set in the spring of 1979, when serial murder, the occult, and government conspiracy were highlighted in the news.
The book will follow Mulder as he experiences life-changing events that set him on the path to becoming an FBI agent.
Don’t miss The X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, by Jonathan Maberry, about 15-year-old Dana Scully. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
5 FULL STARS BABY!
I
loved this book so much. I felt like the author captured a young, Fox
Mulder, to a T! I could actually see the older Fox talking in every
sentence. =)
This
follows the story of a young Mulder of seventeen. He's living with his
father after the disappearance of his sister, Samantha. His parents had
issues and they wanted Mulder to go to a different school for his senior
year and then off to college. 
Mulder
has a goofy friend named Gimble that plays D & D and I just loved
him. He also has a best friend named Phoebe who comes down to stay with
him for a bit.
Mulder's dad is never around, he's always off working government stuff out of town and what not.
Mulder
gets all caught up in some disappearances of children. They seem to
have disappeared the same way his sister did several years ago. He's
obsessed with helping to find them and he brings his friends along for
the ride.
Gimble's dad used to work for the military until
things . . . now he won't leave the house and he's obsessed with aliens
and a book called "Stormbringer." He seems to be really crazy, BUT, he's
not and I really liked him!
Phoebe is super smart so it's easy
for her to help Mulder who has the photographic memory (I wish I had one
of those) and Gimble is a great help too. They get caught up in some
major stuff.
Mulder is on the heels of a killer or killers. He's
being stalked by some peeps in a black car, one of which we know from
the shows. He is going crazy over trying to find out who took his
sister. And he made a decision about what he wants to do with his life.
I'm
not saying any more because I don't want to spoil it. <-- I say this
a lot in my reviews but I have to because that's what I do. Lol Also,
there are a lot more things going on in the book that I didn't even hint
at so read it and love it!
Anyway, I think anyone that loves
the X-Files will enjoy this book even though it's young adult. It's
super awesome and I look forward to reading about Scully.
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1870688365
Darkness has descended
on the Shadowhunter world. Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band
together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced...@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
Omg! Omg! Omg! This freaking book is the best one and my feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllsss
This
is going to be another one of my crazy reviews! I really need to start
reviewing in parts so that I can get all of the feels before they wear
off!
Anyway! OmGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
Well
first let me say when that stupid jerk, Sebastian kills someone I loved
I wanted to pulverize him into the ground. HULK SMASH! Of course, I
wanted to do this anyway but I digress.
I didn't even take any notes for this book I was so caught up in STUFF
And the stuff was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like
holy freaking crow! So I read the first three books in this six book
series then I waited a few years. And then I got the Clockwork Angel
Trilogy and read those three books. Then came back and re-read the first
three books and finished off the last three books. LET ME TELL YOU! I
had no idea I was going to be reading about some of the people in the
freaking Clockwork Angel Trilogy in here! I about fell over about fifty
times and the stars were all shining (well they aren't out yet, but
still) and everything just made my heart
soar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love a book that can make me crazy
happy BECAUSE <--- that's why I read. Duh, and I like to get excited
and happy about books! 
I
am so freaking happy right now with the way this series ended! I will
have to read The Clockwork Angel trilogy again sometime, but I'm going
to go onto Lady Midnight because --> (another duh moment) I had no
idea it was about some peeps from this book! 
Swoon!!!! And it better be good.
And to think, I was going to wait a few more weeks to read this book!!! I'm so glad I didn't ♥
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1892047741
How do you live your life if your past is based on a lie? A new novel in both verse and prose from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins.
For
as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom
disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of
them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments,
new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots.
Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a
different kind of desire.
Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an
abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can
trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting
more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined.
Ariel and
Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of
the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father
kidnapped her fourteen years ago.
What is Ariel supposed to
believe? Is it possible Dad’s woven her entire history into a tapestry
of lies? How can she choose between the mother she’s been taught to
mistrust and the father who has taken care of her all these years?
In
bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s deft hands, Ariel’s emotionally
charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances
beautifully with Maya’s story of loss and redemption. This is a
memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their
lives and coming face to face with themselves—for both the last and the
very first time. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
3 STARS
I love Ellen Hopkins and her books but this one was just okay to me.
It's still written in her beautiful verse that I love but I felt like it
was too long. <---Yes, her books are long but there were things I
didn't really care to read about and it went on and on before things
started to fall into place.
I did love most of the characters
and I felt so bad for Ariel, the way her dad treated her. I mean here
she is at seventeen still begging him to let her get her driver's
license and he doesn't want her getting a job. It's like she has to be
stuck to his hip.
Ariel does have some friends and this is the
one city they have stayed in the longest as they have moved all of her
life. Just on and on. . .
But now Ariel has friends and love interests and she wants to stay and be a teen!
Maya's
story isn't as much in the book as Ariel's but it tells about how she
ends up getting pregnant and thinks this is the best thing to get away
from her mom. She marries a military man and they travel where ever he
is stationed. She has a beautiful baby girl but things are never what
they seem. 
I
love when we are almost at the end of the book and all of the pieces
fit together. I already knew what was coming, I figured it out about
halfway through. But I also loved that Ariel got to become the person
she was hoping for in certain ways. She also made more wonderful
friends.
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1893104653
The Earth is dying.
Darrow
is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract
enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and
allow humans to live on it.
The Reds are humanity's last hope.
Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie.
That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds.
A
class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave
labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.
Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of
rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command
school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.
But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.
Break the chains.
Live for more. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
For
whatever reason I loved the first part of the book better then the last
part. I thought it was going to be a cool underground Mars weird thing.
I'm the weird thing, I know. 
I
loved Darrow and a lot of other characters but I never wrote any down
but Darrow. Omg! I don't know what is wrong with me. Why can't I
remember them, uh, because most of them I can't even pronounce, much
less think of how to spell them!
I loved that Darrow was a
Helldiver <--- that so doesn't sound right! He and his colony of Reds
dig into Mars inner layers to get what the world needs to survive.
Well, guess what? He finds out that the world don't need saving, Mars is
totally livable!
There are all kinds of colors on in this world
and I'm not going into all of them because they have a lot but the ones
that are jerks are the Golds. (I don't like that color anyway)
By
the hands of the Golds and Darrow's wife Eo's decision, Darrow's fate
has been sealed for him. He is taken into the world. THE WORLD and he is
changed to become a Gold and infiltrate their evilness and TAKE THEM
DOWN! 
Like
I said in one of my updates that Darrow went through some serious
Frankenstein stuff. Okay, not seriously LIKE Frankenstein but some
pretty messed up stuff to turn from a Red to a Gold. Who knew?
Then
he gets put into tests to get into school and hopefully get on a ship
or something cool where he can be a big man to do big things. But, the
kids are put through some grueling things in order to see who is going
to be some of the top contenders. It was pretty messed up but life is
generally messed up in one way or another.
I really hope to
enjoy the rest of this trilogy. I'm interested to read what's going to
happen now that Darrow is . . . well I can't tell you that, but lets
just say he is within reach of the person he wants to end most in the
world!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1208043705
From the internationally bestselling author of The Vegetarian, a rare and astonishing (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice.
In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.
The
story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected
chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial,
and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho's best friend who
meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship;
to a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic
memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother; and through their
collective heartbreak and acts of hope is the tale of a brutalized
people in search of a voice.
An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts
is a timeless, pointillist portrait of an historic event with
reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh
reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of
humanity. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
This book was pretty horrific in the sense of what happened to these
kids and different people in the took. I won't lie, I didn't understand
some of the ways the author wrote the story but I grasped it's meaning
all the same.
This is about the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea
in the 80's . The author tells about really brutal deaths of people and
school children. This was no peaceful protest.
There are
different stories in the book that intertwine together. They are all
really sad in more of a shocking way when you read it then crying your
eyes out. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but I was just shocked at
reading about these things, the detail of how some were killed. I don't
doubt anything and shouldn't be shocked at anything, there are shocking
killings and things that go on today.
The story of the people
that worked on the dead that were brought to hopefully be claimed by
family members was sad. How they were piling up and the volunteers
trying their best to clean them and cover then depending on how badly
they were beaten and there were some horrific descriptions.
How long do souls linger by the side of their bodies?
Do they really flutter away like some kind of bird? Is that what trembles the edges of the candle flame?
They have a Memorial Garden where there are graves and
different memorials set up at least from what I read on the internet. I
found this picture to be the most heart-wrenching and it puts across so
many feelings. 
I buried you with my own two hands. Removed your PE jacket and
your sky-blue tracksuit bottoms, and dressed you in your dark winter
uniform, over a white shirt. Tightened your belt just so and put clean
gray socks on you. When they put you in a plywood coffin and loaded it
up onto the rubbish truck, I said I'd ride at the front to watch over
you.
Just the thought of a mother having to do that to her child
because of so much stupidity, violence and ignorance makes me so sad.
I think Han Kang did a great job with this book. I really loved "The Vegetarian" but this book is on a whole other level.
Now I need to go read something happy!
*I would like to thank BloggingForBooks for a print copy of this book*
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1668859125
Her vengeance. His vision.
Ari
lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to
the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork
machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute
to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that
is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are
sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon
oppressors.
Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the
Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the
shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long.
The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his
kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s
assassins.
When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an
opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But
the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to
get him where he wants to go.
He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
I got some really cool swag with this book! I covered my address with
the signed bookplate. I didn't show the back of the envelope because I
didn't feel like putting the front and back on one picture. Let me tell
you, that envelope it so freaking cool. You can see the front but the
back is really awesome too! ♥ I love bookish stuff! 
I
fell in love with this book right out of the gate! Ari is just bad to
the bone. It's starts out with a lot of action. Ari is different as are
some people in the world of Loom. Ari is the White Wraith and she's a
force to be reckoned with! She has certain abilities because of certain
reasons. <--Don't you love vagueness =) Well, I'm tired of putting up
the spoiler banners so that's all you get!
She has a
student/best friend named Flor that you can't help fall in love with.
She's sweet and she loves Ari and looks up to her. Ari will do anything
to protect her.
One day when Ari is out on a mission to take
down a whole group of peeps/things she runs into a Dragon that has been
hurt. She planned on killing him and harvesting his organs to get more
money. I won't tell you what they do with said organs but it's all a
part of THINGS.
But Cvareh pleads with her to help him. He is on
a mission to get to the Alchemist's Guild and try to build an alliance
with them to take down the Dragon King who is a twat. He asks Ari to get
him there in exchange for a Boon <--read the book. (There ends up
being a little something going on between them, you can feel the tension
and I hope it does lead to something. Even though Ari threatens him
with death at every turn!)
On the way to the Guild they run into
Dragon Riders that try to take them out. Umm, that's not so easy against
the White Wraith and now a Dragon of her own to fight by her side. And
Flor helps out too although she has to be protected for the most part as
she has no magical abilities. But Ari has trained her in things so she
holds her own.
FYI: The dragon's in this book are not the
typical dragons you are thinking. They are men but have dragon powers
and are descendants of the real dragons. They don't have wings or
breathe fire but they have strong magic. They ride gliders to make up
for the wings they don't have.
Now I wish the next book was out
because there is going to be some stuff going down and I really hope the
good guys, er, things win.
Here's a little map of Loom. Nova is the place the dragons are from and they are up there on floating cities and such. 
I think I need to delve into Elise Kova's other books while I wait for the sequel to this book.
Overall, I loved it and I tend to try to read books I think I will like/love. No dud here! Woot! ♥
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1880785329
In this modern day spin
on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness,
seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to
her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide.
Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a
French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house
rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.
At RoseBlood,
Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not
only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more
real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own
masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep
romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to
make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of
the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the
only father he’s ever known. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
My January Owlcrate Box! Don't look if you haven't gotten yours yet. Although, my picture wasn't all that great this time!
At home, I have a poster on my wall of a rose that's bleeding. It's
petals are white, and red liquid oozes from its heart, thick and
glistening warm. Only, if you look very close, you can see the droplets
are coming from above, where a little girl's wrist--camouflaged by a
cluster of leaves--has been pricked by it's thorns as she reached inside
to catch a monarch.
This
book was so bizarre and so good! I didn't understand all that was going
on but I loved it. The reason is that it had a very creepy vibe,
everything about it had creepsville all over it.
Rune is sent to
Roseblood in France because of issues she has with her beautiful
singing. I won't go into all of that because some of it is confusing and
it would be a spoiler.
Roseblood is/was . . . the home of The Phantom of he Opera. The place seems creepy enough without all of that added to it.
Rune
makes some enemies <--the mean girls of course and she meets some
good friends as well. She also meets a mysterious boy named Thorn. Who
is he and why is he not in any classes? Is he even real? Why do the
animals on the property have different voices. Who is it Rune sees
behind the glass in the school, moving through the walls. Is she going
crazy?
There are so many things to this book and I loved it. I
can't say enough how creepy and weird I thought it was and that's why I
like it. There really are some things I wished I understood but maybe it
will sink in or I can read it a few times until it does. lol
There
is a history with Rune's family, the phantom and other people and
things. Read the book and find out, then tell me what you think so I
know for sure. =)
AND THE COVER IS AMAZING! I DON'T CARE, IT JUST ROCKS! 
I
also felt this was a great stand alone book! But I want more books like
this so go and write some more and make sure they have pretty covers! ♥
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1789381811
I'm so excited to get this book in the owlcrate box!!!!!
I will list what's inside with the description straight from the card included in the box. Written in Owlcrate's own words!
Things inside:
1. Daydream about far away lands with a soothing cup of mint tea, created exclusively by FIRST EDITION TEA CO. This tea was inspired by one of our favorite classic literary characters, The Little Prince.
2. Rub-a-dub-dub! We hope you enjoy using this exclusive yummy-smellling soap created by TEASOAPBOOKS. This is an exclusive scent inspired by The Secret Garden.
3. The talented Lexy Olivia has designed an exclusive watercolor BOOKMARK, just for this box! It features one of our all-time favorite quotes, from the brilliant novel, Slaughterhouse Five.
4. "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is there inside your mind..." and on your fridge! We hope you love this pretty magnet, which was designed by hand by SWEET SEQUELS.
5. Start the new year off on the right foot, with this beautiful calendar designed by OBVIOUS STATE. EAch month features a gorgeous new art print inspired by children's classic stories. Prop it on your desk to help inspire your creativity and drive for the rest of 2017!
6. We invite you to an atmospheric and dark romance set in the tunnels of Paris. ROSEBLOOD by A.G. Howard is a modern day retelling of The Phantom of the Opera that will give you goosebumps as you turn each page. When seventeen-year-old Rune is sent to a French arts school-rumored to be the same opera house the original Phantom once haunted- mysterious things begin happening in her life. Plagued with musical afflictions, Rune befriends and elusive violinist named Thorn while trying to keep at bay the creeping suspicion that someone is following her every move. Meanwhile, Thorn has dark secrets of his own, and he'll have to choose where his loyalties lie. Will he cross the only father he's ever known in order to protect Rune? We fell in love with the gorgeous writing, and detailed research that went into this brilliant new take on a classic tale. We also hope you love the letter and signed bookplate from A.G. Howard!
HAPPY READING, AND THANKS FOR BEING AWESOME! -OWLCRATE
Wasn't that a lovely card they wrote? The card is pretty too! I just love it!
Seventeen-year-old Ruby
is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the
cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of
her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel
frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees.
But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to
let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called
Arcus use her as their weapon.
All she wants is revenge, but
before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in
the king's tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood
champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who
has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come
to love.
Fast-paced and compelling, Frostblood is the
first in a page-turning new young adult three-book series about a world
where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that
could change everything. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
Fire Meets Frost! 
Ruby
is a fireblood that her mother has tried to keep hidden because
firebloods are being killed out by the frostbloods, at least the evil
ones. She's very powerful but can't control her power as no one has
trained her . . . until
Arcus
is a frostblood and he's also very powerful. He is also something else
that I can't tell you about, you have to read the book. He saves Ruby
from a prison she was taken to when they evil ones found her. They
killed her mother, she wants King Rasmus to die! 
Arcus
takes Ruby back to the Abbey where she meets some wonderful people. One
being Brother Thistle. They want to train her to use her fire and
control it. Brother Thistle and Arcus have their work cut out for them
but it mostly works out in the end. They want to help her be able to
take down King Rasmus.
Until Ruby is captured by the King's
minions and brought back to his castle to fight in his pits. She is set
up against people, animals, frostblood's. She hopes to be able to kill
the king but will her plan every come into play? Maybe, maybe not, there
is something else about the king . . . he's not quite right. Will Ruby
with the help of Arcus be able to defeat the darkness. You shall see,
when you read it!
I enjoyed the book. I love Arcus, he's my
frost king =) There were a few things in the book that made me want to
smack Ruby but it was still good. Sometimes it seemed like she could
have used her powers before getting caught. Either way, it worked out
good enough for me.
I will leave you with a funny little EXCERPT:
"How did you find me?"
He unclenched his jaw to answer. "
When Wheatgerm returned to the stables, I followed her tracks until they
disappeared. And then I heard someone bellowing nonsense, and I knew it
must be you."
"Who the blazes is Wheatgerm?"
"The horse you stole from the abbey," he said as if talking to a simpleton.
"You mean Butter. And I didn't steal her. I borrowed her. I take it she's safe?"
"Cold
and tired, but safe in the stables eating like she's half starved.
Which she probably is, thanks to you. And her name isn't Butter."
"It is now."
"She's not yours to name."
"She's mine in spirit now that we've had an adventure together. And her name suits her. She's soft and yellow, like butter."
He made a disgusted sound. "If we all had names to suit us, you'd be called Thorn in My Backside. Or Plague of the Gods."
I prickled at his scathing tone. "And you'd be Miserable Blockhead."
"Is that the best you could do?"
"Give me time. I'm half frozen."
I just love Ruby and Arcus! ❤
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1883988791
The ruthless Empress
Amara of Kraeshia has taken the Mytican throne, and now uncertainty
looms over the three kingdoms. Since Lucia unleashed the fire Kindred,
wreaking havoc throughout the land, Myticans have been looking for
someone—anyone—they can trust. They believe in Amara, not knowing her
grand promises are built on lies.
In Paelsia, Magnus and Cleo
reluctantly follow King Gaius to the home of his exiled mother, Selia.
Selia is a powerful witch and claims she can help unlock the magic of
the Kindred—if the visitors agree to her terms. When Jonas
arrives from Kraeshia, he is shocked to find that his rebel army now
includes his sworn enemies. Along with Nic, Felix, and the mysteriously
resurrected Ashur, the contentious group agrees to cast aside old
grudges—for now—and united against their common enemy: Amara.
Meanwhile,
bearing the child of a Watcher and feared by all, Princess Lucia
travels across Mytica to find her family. But time is running out. The
impending storm signals the dark prophecy Timotheus warned her about.
Her fate is written, and it includes none other than the rebel Jonas.
When their paths collied, Jonas and Lucia must decide between blindly
following their destiny or fighting for their own free will.
The
battle for power culminates at the Paelsian palace, where Amara resides.
Rain pours. Blood spills. And soon all will discover that the darkest
magic comes at an even darker price.@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
Okay, let me just say this two times! 
I couldn't figure out whether to go with a 4 or a 5 star review so I kept it at 4.
Things that happened in this book! **NO SPOILERS**
Sooooooo, that ending. Yeah, where's the next freaking book now! OMG!
And
I want to know what is going to happen to Lucia because she's got some
stuff going on peeps, some stuff goin' on! I need to know what's going
to come out of her!
Then we have some evil kindred dude causing
all kinds of chaos, not to mention stupid Amara, how 'bout we just don't
mention Amara.
Anyhoo, this evil kindred dude wants to set
loose his other kindred peeps and put them in our friends bodies and who
knows what the hell else from there! I mean he's this evil god dude
thing and they need to defeat him and try to figure out how to fix
something that he started! I'm worried about some of my other favorite
characters even more now! <---- I can't say why.
And for the
love of all that is holy can we get rid of King Gaius once and for all.
(and Amara) He just doesn't seem to die and there are reasons people.
Reasons for everything in this book. Although, I will give him a cookie
for one good deed he did, he broke a neck, an evil neck. So there you
go.
There are people and things that I have been leaving out of
the reviews so you can meet those people and things for yourself. There
are some crazy times in this series.
We have some people coming
back from the dead. Some people being killed, are they going to come
back from the dead, people being possessed, can we un-possess them
later. I don't know anything, or how to spell so deal with it.
I really am rooting for a few people in this series and I hope they make it and things go well.
Oh
and Jonas is still bumbling around being Jonas. I don't know what it is
but he gets on my nerves. He's not bad he's just . . . I don't know.
And now he's got some stuff going on and I'm like, NO! DO NOT DO
ANYTHING COOL LIKE THAT TO HIM. Just leave him be to bumble around and
do what he does. Lol. He really is a good guy, I just pick on him
because he's not all that bright with the things he says and does.
So now, I have to wait another year or whatever for the next book!!!!!!!!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1377655774
Rebels, royals, and
monsters wage war over the Mytican throne in the shocking fourth book of
the Falling Kingdoms series, from New York Times bestselling author
Morgan Rhodes.
CLEO: Reeling after a bloody
showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal,
and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her
feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.
MAGNUS:
With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite
possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely
prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering
whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.
LUCIA:
The young sorcercess has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her
first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies
with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.
JONAS:
After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along
with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to
find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.
KING GAIUS:
Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees
Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the
famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
They freaking killed one of my favorite characters. And NO, I'm not saying who, but I certainly want to kill them all!
So,
Jonas is still bumbling around getting a few things done here and
there. But mostly getting saved by Lysandra and a new character named
Olivia.
Magnus and Cleo are off in another place where Magnus is
sitting the throne since that's what Prince's do and such. Of course
his father will probably kill him, but that's neither here nor there. I
love Magnus and Cleo. I was on the fence with Magnus for some time but
he has redeemed himself in this book! And Cleo is just the best ever!
Some things I wanted to happen did happen, at least it seemed like it happened. I will see in the next book.
Lucia
has gone over to the dark side when she lost her love in the 3rd book.
She's kicking around with some jerk named Kyan. He's a . . . <--- you
thought I was going to tell you. Heh! He's an arse as well that needs
to be hulk-smashed!
Some rather strange but good turn of events
happened. Geez, this review is starting to sound like some rambling
mystery that isn't making sense. But, I can't write a normal review when
I can't spoil anything so deal with it.
And I can't believe that Lucia is . . . what's going to happen with that! Omg!
Oh
and freaking Amara is worse than she was before. I can't stand
her!!!!!!!!!!!! To the nth people! I mean she did have a sucky childhood
because her people believe if royalty has a baby girl they should be
killed. <--- Seriously! Good thing she has a wicked smart grandma.
But even still, she's beyond hating on peeps and life and wanting it
all. She might just get it all if people don't look out!
On to
the next book on tiptoes. I think there are two more coming out after it
so what all is going to freaking happen with all of those books! I
think everyone and everything will be killed and then it will say THE
END! I hope not!
Ooops, I was going to leave a couple of funny little excerpts to lighten the mood!
Even
though Magnus believed this boy was well overdue for a painful death,
he had to admit that Nic did occasionally amuse him. "You might do well
to consider the possibility that I don't care what my father says," he
said, taking another swig. "Just how long have you been drinking here
tonight, Cassian?"
Nic waved his hand flippantly. "Long enough
not to care what happens next. I should kill you now, really. Just stab
you with this dinner knife. Until you're good and dead."
"Yes, well, the feeling is mutual. Now, shall we pick something worthy to drink tonight?"
••••••••••••••
"No
wonder it's such a repulsive mess." Olivia shook her head. "Fine. Yes, I
will make some fresh healing mud since it is a perfect substance to
hold earth magic. First, I'll have to find a cow."
Jonas was too weak to fully express his impatience for her to start, but this was truly unexpected. "Why do you need a cow?"
"What
do you think the mud is made from?" she asked, a glimmer of amusement
in her emerald eyes. "Cow dung is a common ingredient in many earth
magic concoctions."
She left the building without waiting for a response.
Jonas stared after her, stunned. "She means to heal me with cow dung."
Lysandra patted his good arm. "And you're going to let her."
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1366592330
Love, vengeance, and greed spark a deadly quest for magic in the third book of the Falling Kingdoms series
Prince
Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the
bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces. Now he must choose
between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius, sets
out to conquer all of Mytica. All Gaius needs now are the Kindred—the
four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their owner. But the
King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this ancient, storied
magic. . . .
THE KRAESHIANS join the hunt. Ashur and Amara, the
royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the Silver Sea, charm and
manipulate their way to the Kindred, proving to be more ruthless than
perhaps even the King of Blood himself.
THE REBELS forge ahead.
Princess Cleo and vengeful Jonas lead them, slaying with sweetness,
skill, and a secret that can control Lucia’s overpowering magic—all so
they can use the Kindred to win back their fallen kingdoms.
THE
WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the Sanctuary. They ally in the flesh
with King Gaius, who vows to use Lucia’s powers to unveil the Kindred.
The
only certainty in these dark times is that whoever finds the magic
first will control the fate of Mytica. . . . but the four element gods
of the Kindred have other plans. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
There are a few people in this book that made me rage! 
You have King Gaius who is beyond! And what he did to Gregor in front of Lysandra. I CAN'T EVEN!
Another one I didn't like was Melenia. She was just evil and did stupid stuff over what she thought was love.
AMARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her and King Gaius can be thrown on the same fire pit!
I'm
on the fence with Prince Magnus, I mean he did one good thing for Cleo.
I love Cleo by the way she's so strong and her character is easy to
like. And I love Lysandra and Nic.
Jonas, he's a nerd but he tries. lol
Felix . . . hmmm
I want to know more about the Kindred and what's going to happen when they all get the crystals.
Sounds
all crazy doesn't it? There's kingdoms that hate one another,
naturally. Magic, betrayal, love, and some other crazy going on. 
Alexius and Lucia *sob*
All I know is that I hope some evil people get theirs in the next book, or the next one, or the next one. You get what I mean.
Her magic burned withing her, her ring blazed on her finger, but
despite the pain and suffering of this night, she'd never felt more
powerful in her entire life.
"Will you help me?" he asked again when silence fell between them.
He
was dangerous--she felt it down in her very soul. The price of this
young man's freedom would be forged from pain, death, and fire.
"Yes," she said.
The single word sealed her fate.
Standing there on the steep Limerian cliffs, she was ready to watch the world burn.
and thus it begins
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1430563836
