THE CARNELIAN LEGACY (Book 1) by Cheryl Koevoet

August 31, 2015 JenAcideByBibliophile9 Comments

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Abbott Press, via NetGalley for an honest review.

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Young Adult

Plot: Marisa MacCallum always believed that the man of her dreams was out there somewhere. The problem is—he’s in another dimension.

After the death of her father, eighteen-year-old Marisa’s life is on the verge of imploding. She seeks comfort on her daily ride through the woods of Gold Hill, but when a mysterious lightning storm strikes, she is hurled into the ancient, alternate dimension of Carnelia where she is discovered by the arrogant but attractive nobleman, Ambassador Darian Fiore.

Stranded in a world teeming with monsters, maniacs and medieval knights, Marisa is forced to join Darian on a dangerous mission to negotiate peace with his cousin and archenemy, Savino da Rocha. Along the way, she starts to see Darian’s softer side and finds herself falling in love. But once she learns that he is locked into an arranged marriage, her heart shatters.

When Savino falls for her charms and demands her hand in exchange for peace, Marisa is faced with an impossible choice: marry the enemy of the man she loves or betray them both and become the catalyst for a bloody war.

Opinion: I haven’t read very many Fantasy/Romance books, but I was pleasantly surprised with the direction that this story went. I don’t think that the description of the book does it much justice, but then again, most books descriptions don’t. If you love a modern day YA story complete with princes and mythical creatures, then this is definitely something that you will want to read.

In one moment Marisa MacCallum is in Jacksonville, Oregon on her horse Siena, but in the next she is caught in a strange lighting storm and is waking up to two strange men gazing down at her. Marisa soon realizes that she has accidently traveled into another dimension through a vortex, which has dropped her into another world called Carnelia. Carnelia is vastly different from the world that Marisa knows, there is no technology and the knights still fight with swords and bows. With the help of the two men that have stumbled upon her, the sweet Lord Arrigo and the handsome but standoffish Ambassador Darian Fiore, Marisa must learn to survive in this new world.

I really enjoyed this read, as it was something different from all of the other books I have been reading. Though vortexes and time traveling have been a common theme in my reading lately, I loved the idea of taking a teenager from this century and sticking her in a realm that feels very medieval. I felt that the story had a nice pace and didn’t slow down too much for me to become bored, and that the author kept introducing new events to keep the reader addicted. There was a perfect amount of description for the new world that Marisa was discovering, as well as the emotions that were CONSTANTLY engulfing her. I started out loving the character of Marisa, but as the story went on I grew to be highly tired of her incessant crying and dramatic flair for everything. Granted, traveling into another dimension would be FRIGHTENING and alarming, especially having to accept that alternate dimensions and vortexes actually exist. Also, granted, she is seventeen and just had to go through the traumatic experience of losing her father…but honestly. How, do you have the energy to keep crying? It seems that she only decided to start being strong for herself when she was accepting the fact that she might not be able to be with Darian. I wanted to see her becoming a strong and confident warrior princess, slaying mythical creatures alongside the boys and holding her own…or at least trying to. But alas, she had to be saved countless times like a true damsel in distress.

I of course adored the characters of Darian and Arrigo, but I also really enjoyed Savino. If you have read my reviews before, I have mentioned that I LOVE the snarky and sarcastic characters. Savino is QUITE the charmer and the polar opposite of Darian, but has his own appeal even though he is meant to be the villain. I will be honest, I preferred Savino over Darian purely because he had more personality and spunk. A few smaller things that I enjoyed in this book was the fact that the author incorporated creatures that resembled the Abominable Snowman and Bigfoot, instead of the old boring dragon. 😉 The author had a unique way of wrapping the story up at the end and clarifying everything as well. I liked how all of the issues came to a conclusion, but that there were at least three more chapters afterwards to explain everything that went on throughout the book. THANK YOU for not leaving me with unanswered questions, that drives me crazy!

Overall, this is a really exciting and addicting read. I really want to go on and read the next two books in the series, as I am VERY curious to see how everything turns out and how the writing improves.

P.S. I am going to assume that the author REALLY likes to describe things as having a “chestnut” color. 😉

Books

NEW BOOK ALERT!!

August 31, 2015August 31, 2015 JenAcideByBibliophileLeave a comment

.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶NEW RELEASE

Resurrected Secrets By N. Nieto

Synopsis:
Mandy Miller is not your typical twenty-eight -year-old. She had a husband and two beautiful three-year-old twins, until one night her perfect world was taken from her by a drunk driver. A hit a run. Now, it’s been five years, and she is slowly trying to rebuild her life. She has a job at one of the best law firms in L.A and things are going great until her new assistant shows up and changes everything.
Joshua Rodgers is your typical twenty-seven-year-old. Except, he has a dark secret that could ruin everything he has worked so hard to become. Will Mandy open up about her past to Joshua? What will Mandy think of him once she learns of his secret?

http://www.amazon.com/Resurrected-Secrets-Unforeseen-Book-ebook/dp/B014JO0LGU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1440698284&sr=8-3&keywords=N.+Nieto

Books · Reviews

SISTERHOOD OF THE WORLD BLOGGERS AWARD

August 28, 2015August 28, 2015 JenAcideByBibliophile9 Comments

So happy to be participating in so many blogging awards! Thank you again TheBookishKhaleesi for nominating me ❤

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.

2. Put the award logo on your blog.

3. Answer the ten questions sent to you.

4. Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.

5. Nominate ten blogs.

The Questions from TheBookishKhaleesi:

1. What book got you into reading?

That…is a really good question. I think it might be Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, which I read in fourth grade along with my class. When your that age, there is NOT a lot of school reading material that you enjoy, so the fact that I was way into this story when it was assigned by my teacher must tell you something.

2. Who are your top 3 auto-buy authors?

Usually when I see books by Laurie Halse Anderson, Lauren Oliver, Alyson Noel, Meg Cabot, Sarah Dessen, or Elizabeth Chandler I automatically read the description. I know that I have always liked what these woman write about and their style of writing. Two new authors that I think are always going to be on my radar now are Evan Ronan and Robert Pence. Granted, Evan Ronan was the first author to send me a book for review, so I may be biased, but he has a fantastic way of making borderline psychotic events feel comforting and exciting. Robert Pence has EXTREMELY unique ideas for his books and his characters and writing are so memorable.

3. What book are you most excited for to be released?

There are more books that are already released that I am excited to get, but I have been seeing Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon around EVERYWHERE and have been wanting to read it.

4. Who is your favorite fictional character?

I love snarky and sarcastic characters, I think they have the most personality compared to a character who says the same things as everyone else. My favorite series for SO LONG has been the 1-800-Where-Are-You series by Meg Cabot. The main character, Jessica Mastriani, is stubborn and feisty in the entire series. I also loved Morpheus from the Splintered series by A.G. Howard, and of course Jace from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

5. Do you prefer paperback or hardcover?

Well I mean paperback is cheaper 🙂 I used to always want hardcover books because they stay nice for longer, but being such an avid reader (and having to adult) you learn to go the cheaper route.

6. Would you rather read a standalone or a series?

I think this definitely depends on the book. There have been plenty of books that I have read where I am left wondering WHY there isn’t a second or third, but there have been so many that only needed the one. I guess I prefer a series so that I can continue enjoying the characters and plot.

7. If you could have dinner with your favorite author, who would it be?

Probably J.K. Rowling because she made my childhood amazing.

8. How do you like to read? Physical or eReader?

Physical is what I prefer, but for book reviewing you need to be an eReader. I mean there are definite pros to being an ereader like the books being there instantly, better for reading at night, and all your books are right there. But nothing beats an actual book in your hands, it’s just comforting.

9. If you could live in any fictional world, where would you choose?

Wonderland.

10. And lastly just for fun, what is your favorite TV show?

I don’t really watch television, I am more of a movie person. The only show I watch is American Horror Story, and i don’t think I need a reason for that! 🙂

~ My 10 Questions ~

1. What is your favorite book turned into a movie?

2. How long have you been blogging?

3. What is your favorite book series?

4. What character do you connect with the most?

5. Do you use a bookmark or do you bend the corner of the page?

6. What genre of book would you like to live in?

7. Do you prefer to buy your books online or at an actual bookstore?

8. Where is your favorite place to read?

9. What author has the best style of writing for you?

10. What are your other hobbies or interests?

~ My Nominees ~

Monique – ToCurlUpAndEscape

BooksAreMyReality

Lynne – Fictionophile

Jessica – MyFantasyEscape

LaLasBookReviews

Zaheerah – ZaheerahKhalik

Charley – BooksAndBakes1

SpellBoundBookReviews

Veronica and Ashley – CityGirlScapes

Victoria – MeTheCoffeeAndTheBooks

Reviews

The Beautiful Blogger and Blogger Recognition Awards!

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 JenAcideByBibliophile14 Comments

I am posting two different awards in the same post, I am so dangerous and rebellious, I know 😉 . The first award I received, The Blogger Recognition Award, was from IHeartFictionalPeople . The second award, The Beautiful Blogger Award, I received from IWillNeverOwnEnoughBooks . Thank you both so much for the kind words and for choosing me 🙂 So what I am going to do is post the rules for each of the Awards and do a little bit of each, the bloggers I choose can pick either award or do both…do whatever your heart desires!

Rules – The Blogger Recognition Award

1. Select 15 other blogs to give the award to. You might have to do some searching, but you can find those blogs. You can’t nominate yourself or the person who nominated you.

2. Make a post to show off your award! Talk about how your blog got started and give some advice to the other bloggers out there. And share the fancy picture!

3. Comment on each blog to let the blogger know that you have nominated them.

4. Link to the original post at Edge of Night; that way, anyone can find the original guidelines and such.

Rules – The Beautiful Blogger Award

Link to the creative, beautiful genius that bestowed it upon you.
List seven random things about yourself.
Send said award to seven (or how ever many you want) other creative, beautiful geniuses.
Tell those lucky people that you’ve done this and give ’em the rules.

~ How My Blog Got Started ~

In May of this year I started this blog, my first and so far only. I had really never thought of myself as the blogging type, especially since I had no idea what I would blog about. In high school I was always so busy with sports (swim practice before school, school, high school soccer practice, and then traveling team soccer practice) that I barely had time to sleep. But one constant that I have always had since elementary school was that I was always reading. So now, six years out of high school, I am working like crazy and was trying to find a hobby for myself that didn’t involve typical young adult craziness (bars and partying). The obvious answer was book reviewing because nothing gets better than free copies of books! But quite quickly it turned into a yearning to help authors get more recognized, and to show other bloggers and readers their amazing work. I love giving authors feedback on their work and hearing how grateful they are to have bloggers like us around!

~ 7 Facts About Me ~

I function the best when it is dark and raining out all day. It seems that most people get more done when it is sunny and the weather is nice, but me…not so much. I love the feeling of driving in the rain (because there is barely anybody else out on the road), walking in the rain, SWIMMING IN THE RAIN, or just sitting at home in my backyard listening to it. I really should move somewhere that rains more 😉
A few years ago I went to a Killswitch Engage concert in San Francisco, crowd surfed to the front of the stage, and was thrown on stage with the band. They let me run around the stage causing mayhem for about two songs, gotta love them!
I want to live in a house with huge windows, plants everywhere, and in the middle of nowhere. That is all.
About three years ago I had neon pink hair that was so amazing that it glowed under a black light. It literally looked as if a glow stick had exploded all over my long wavy hair, it was fantastic! Now I have my natural colored hair back but it is shaved underneath.
I have a seriously terrible obsession with blankets. Heavy blankets, soft blankets, small blankets, large blankets, quilts, comforters, throws…it doesn’t matter. There is about thirteen blankets currently on my bed, and they are perfectly layered in order by my favoritism of them and the feel. Which brings me to number 6.
I have OCD for cleaning and organizing my things. For example: The blankets on my bed have to be spread out in a certain order, and nobody in my house is allowed to touch anything in the kitchen. Granted, I do get tired of cooking for everyone and doing all of the dishes…but at least I know everything was put back in its place and was cleaned correctly. Haha…I sound crazy lol.
In my junior year of high school I was put into a creative writing class because that was the only elective that was left for me to take. I have always been great in English classes, but I had never done any creative writing up until that point. This class, and the teacher, turned out to be my FAVORITE and it left a HUGE impression on me.

My Nominees:

Jodie – WordsReadandWritten
Klinta – BookOwly
Dee – TheBookishKhaleesi
Monica – QueenNicayBooks
Jeanette – MyriadInklings
Courtney – CourtneyLivesOnInBooks
H.P. – EveryDayShouldBeTuesday

Books · Reviews

AND WE STAY by Jenny Hubbard

August 25, 2015August 25, 2015 JenAcideByBibliophile4 Comments

Genre: Young Adult/Fiction

Similar Writings: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Plot: Senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend, Emily Beam, and then takes his own life. Soon after, angry and guilt-ridden Emily is sent to a boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where two quirky fellow students and the spirit of Emily Dickinson offer helping hands. But it is up to Emily Beam to heal her own damaged self, to find the good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.

Opinion: As a book reviewer, I have a list of books that have been sent to me by the author or a publishing house AS WELL AS a HUGE (and I mean ginormous people) stack of books that I have already purchased on my own or plan to. And We Stay was one of the books that I purchased on my own, and I wasn’t entirely sure I would enjoy it. I always read reviews before I purchase anything (which is probably what lead me to reviewing) and I was getting a lot of mixed feedback about this book. Some reviews praised the beautiful writing and poetry, while others expressed disappointment for a book that they couldn’t even finish. For someone who has a weird fascination with books on suicide, I decided to go ahead and buy this book. After FINISHING the book, I have concluded that I LIKE this book but I don’t love it.

This is probably the only book I won’t be giving an extended plot summary for, because frankly I feel that it is already very straightforward. I will be honest, I was expecting more out of this book, and it is probably only because it was given an award (OH, the irony). I have been having a hell of a time writing this review, typing and deleting. Typing and deleting. So I am just going to start with my favorite topic, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. *sigh*…I feel like a broken record for saying this in so many reviews, but it’s a big part of a book! I think that is the biggest aspect of this story that is lacking, the fact that I don’t emotionally feel for Emily’s tragedy and her sorrow. I can understand it and grasp the sadness, but I don’t feel anything for her. I read while she put her grief into her poems and saw how her memories made her feel, but even that doesn’t seem very realistic to me. The memories of Paul did not do his character justice either, that would have been a great time to show the reader exactly what kind of person he was. I felt like I got bits and pieces of him, but not enough to build my own idea of him.

I wanted to see the creative writing aspect in this story more as well. The poems were beautiful and haunting all in their own, but I think more description in the emotions Emily felt would have been positive. For example: how Paul killing himself could have made Emily feel as if her heart had exploded into so much tainted blood that it overflowed from inside her body and started bleeding from her eyes (over the top I know…but you get it). Where is the overwhelming description of her pain and guilt?! If I was Emily Beam and had experienced something so tragic at that age, I would have been a mess.

Trust me when I say that this really is NOT a bad book, it is a great YA story about a girl dealing with tragedy. The poems are placed throughout the book, but it isn’t necessary to the reader that they are read. The idea of working Emily Dickinson into the plot was clever and different, there was a definite tie between the late Emily Dickinson and the main character Emily Beam. I even found myself doing some research on Emily Dickinson after reading this story. The relationship between Paul and Emily proved to be an innocent first love turned into sorrow and rejection. Emily gives the reader memories of their time together as well as the day of Paul’s suicide. Reading as Emily felt forced to end her relationship with Paul and to say whatever was necessary to save herself, gave this character a complicated outlook. Not only was she guilty for possibly being the reason for Paul’s death, but also quite possible the cause. I can only imagine how it must feel to have that weight thrown onto your shoulders at such a young age. Overall, you should give And We Stay a chance if it sounds interesting to you. I think that anyone who appreciates a YA book about suicide, acceptance of past mistakes, and letting go of guilt can connect with it. Don’t let negative reviews sway your own opinion of it, after all, reviews are just personal opinions 😉