Binding of Bindings #41: February 2020 Book Wrap-up

February 28, 2020February 28, 2020 JenAcideByBibliophile4 Comments

Do…do you hear that?

Someone’s knocking…

And its name is MARCH!

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~* February 2020 Book Wrap-Up *~

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1. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Genre: YA/Dystopia/Romance

“I was dying, of course, but then we all are. Every day, in perfect increments.”

“Staying alive was what we did to pass the time.”

This book…Ugh!

I love it.

I had first found out about this book after watching the movie (2013) and for some reason didn’t realize it was a book. I have watched the movie COUNTLESS times, so I knew it was about time I actually sat down and read the original tale.

How I Live Now is a story of how five cousins live after the world falls into war and they are forced to fend for themselves. It is told by our main character, Daisy, a girl from New York that is shipped out to stay with her cousins in the countryside of England. What starts out as days of ultimate freedom and zero adult supervision where the teens are free to do what they want, quickly changes when they are separated and forced into different camps for their protection.

It’s a story about war, about fighting to get back to those you call family, and it’s also about a forbidden love that blooms between Daisy and her cousin Edmond.

Yeah, I know how it sounds. Just trust me, you need to read it.

(See my review here)

2. A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers, Book 1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Retelling

I had heard SO much about A Curse So Dark and Lonely all over bookstagram and through other bloggers, and I had a copy, but I had just never gotten around to reading it!

So in anticipation for the release of book 2, my good friend Shannon at Reads & Reels (Bookstagram: @shanannigans_of_readsandreels) and I did a buddy read! And let me tell you, we DEVOURED it!

It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in modern times about a prince in a land called Emberfall who has been cursed to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over and OVER until he can get a sweet little lass to fall in love with him. Enter: Harper. Our feisty little heroine is taken to Emberfall, against her will of course, and so ensues a tale of princely wooing and a REALLY smoldery/attractive guard named Grey.

3. A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers, Book 2) by Brigid Kemmerer

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Retelling

So naturally, as soon as we finished ACSDAL, we annihilated A Heart So Fierce and Broken!

In this installment, our poor baby Grey is gone from the palace, his googly eyes with Harper is ceased, and he is basically hiding. Why, you may ask? I’m not telling you! READ ACSDAL!

But anyways, though I wasn’t AS in love with this as I was book 2, it was still a great book. I loved that it followed Grey instead of Harper this time, but I was also upset that Harper’s character was kinda thrown off to the side. Like hello, I liked that broad.

But it’s fine, cause Grey is life and I am all about him!!

4. Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Retelling

This is NOT your typical Little Red Riding Hood retelling.

It’s uncomfortable, gritty and gives a painfully realistic look into how a lot of women are treated, viewed and labeled.

Red Hood is one of the most raw retellings I have come across. It’s unhinging how forceful it pushes your comfort zone into submission and forces you to eradicate those tainted ideas instilled in us of how a female should act at. It’s a story of female empowerment, sisterhood, and loving the body that you call home.

And also about boys/men who turn into wolves when they want to harm a woman.

And periods.

(See my review here)

5. Fortuna Sworn (Book 1) by K.J. Sutton

Genre: Adult/Fantasy/Paranormal

If you guys have been with me for a few years, you know I just love my girl Kelsey Sutton! She’s an indie author who primarily writes YA with SUPER wild and creative topics like Gardenia: a girl who can see “countdown clocks” above everyone’s head that shows when they will die or Smoke and Key: set in a place called “Under” that is neither Heaven nor Hell, and is beneath one’s grave where souls wander and are named after the possession they carry into death, like Smoke or Key.

Well Fortuna Sworn is her FIRST Adult Fantasy series, under the pseudonym K.J. Sutton. I first read this last year after Kelsey sent me a copy (I just about DIED I fangirled so hard) and let me tell you, it was Uh–Mazing.

Check it:

Fortuna Sworn is one of the Fallen – supernatural creatures descended from angels. But she is also one of the last of her kind, Nightmare’s – a creature of intoxicating beauty whose face shifts and transforms to accommodate the onlooker’s tastes. A creature that can reach into your mind with a gentle caress, find the fears that lay delicately in the folds of your thoughts, and turn them into a horrifying reality.

But when Fortuna is captured by two goblins who intend to sell her to the highest bidder, she is freed by a strange faerie that offers her a deal she can’t refuse. He knows where her brother is, who disappeared two years prior, and he can take her to where he is being held if she agrees to just one thing: to be his mate.

It’s loaded with dark faeries, twisted games, manipulation, and guys…it is HOT!

(See my review here)

6. Restless Slumber (Fortuna Sworn, Book 2) by K.J. Sutton

Genre: Adult/Fantasy/Paranormal

OH.MY.SHIT.

This series and this author are going to KILL ME!!!!!!!

If you want your heart ripped out of your chest, read this. If you like having your brain constantly messed with and want to feel completely unsure of who you’re rooting for, read this. If YOU, like staring off into space for 45 minutes after reading a book….READ THIS!

I…I have no words.

Kelsey Sutton is a beautiful monster.

(See my review here)

7. Asking For It by Louise O’Neill

Genre: YA/Contemporary/Feminism

I have wanted this book for SO long guys. SO LONG!

You know I can’t help myself when it comes to books that will make me crumble, but I especially can’t help myself when said books are feminist fiction. It’s like a nicely aged bottle of heroin, I just want it and I want it now.

Asking For It is about a girl named Emma O’Donovan who wakes up on her porch after a party with little memory of the night before, or how she got home. After messaging the boys she recalled being with, and getting no reply in return, Emma soon finds out there explicit pictures and videos of her online from the night before.

Hoping that everything will go away and not wanting it to become an issue, Emma claims that she was in on it all and the boys are innocent. But as time goes on, Emma’s feelings on the night changes, and everyone has an opinion on what happened.

*Sigh*…this one hit the feels.

(My review will be up tomorrow – 2/29)

8. One Foot in the Grave (The Mortician’s Daughter, Book 1) by C.C. Hunter

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Paranormal-Ghosts

I’m sure most of you, like me, had read the Shadow Falls series by C.C. Hunter and loved it. A camp for supernatural teens with murder and romance? Perfection!

So when I saw that she had released another YA Fantasy/Paranormal series about the daughter of a MORTICIAN *happy squeal* I just knew I had to read it! One Foot in the Grave was about how ghosts follow Riley Smith’s father home from the morgue in search of her, asking for help.

And going into it, I totally expected the mushy forbidden romance and the dramatic teenage angst riddled banter between characters. I was ready for a hot ghost boy, a girl with some home issues and a little murder/mystery to spice up my week.

But UGH! I’m surprised my eyes don’t have a permanent twitch to them due to the constant eye-rolls and half-lidded cringes that were racking through my body while reading.

Definitely targeted for the pre-teen rather than the young adult.

9. The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

Genre: YA/Contemporary

So I am currently demolishing The One Memory of Flora Banks and it is SO good, guys!!

Flora Banks developed anterograde amnesia when she was 10 after having a tumor removed from her brain. She can remember everything up to the surgery, but now at 17, she has trouble retaining any information/people/places. She relies on her best friend Riley who she knew before her surgery, and writes messages on her arms and leaves post-it notes everywhere of things she needs to remember.

But one night she kisses Drake, her best friend’s boyfriend, and she can remember it.

I am fully expecting this to end in a really sad and heartbreaking way, because I’m less than 100 pages in and I am already wanting to snatch Flora up and give her a hug! The author completely captures the confusion of Flora’s situation and the struggle to lead a normal life.

But I suspect foul play from everyone! I swear, if someone hurts her, I am tearing the world apart.

(Keep a look out for my review)

10. Bone Crier’s Moon (Bone Grace, Book 1) by Kathryn Purdie

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Genre: YA/Fantasy

I am also currently in the middle of Bone Crier’s Moon which releases March 3rd, and it is amazing so far!

Here’s the scoop if you didn’t see my last Bindings post: There’s this group/family of women called Leurress who are tasked with escorting the dead by ferry to the Heavens or the Underworld. But in order to have the strength and power to do this, they must acquire three “grace bones” that they must take from animals they kill themselves. From these bones the Leurress are given the graces (powers) of the animals, such as their strength, speed, sight, etc.

Once the Leurress has all her grace bones, she THEN has to lure her “amoure” with a bone flute. Once she snags them, she either has to kill them OR she can stay with them for a year, and THEN kill them.

Obsessed.

(Review to come!)

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Stay Witchy ❤

Book Reviews · Edelweiss+ · New Releases

Book review: Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold

February 25, 2020February 25, 2020 JenAcideByBibliophile10 Comments

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Balzer + Bray, via Edelweiss+ for an honest review.

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Retelling/Feminism

Plot: You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly naked.

And the wolf is angry.

Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept mostly to herself. She’s been good. But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds herself running for her life over roots and between trees, a fury of claws and teeth behind her. A wolf attacks. Bisou fights back. A new moon rises. And with it, questions. About the blood in Bisou’s past and on her hands as she stumbles home. About broken boys and vicious wolves. About girls lost in the woods—frightened, but not alone.

Opinion:

“I stumbled to me feet and took off running.

Well, dear, he chased, and I am sure you know where this story goes. It’s your story, too, after all.

I ran, and he chased, and soon I became aware that it was no longer a man who followed me – it was a beast, a wolf.”

“who’s afraid of the big bad wolf

i am afraid

of everything.”

Bisou Martel ran from the car to escape the bloody scene before her. The drops of blood running from his chin, mortifying her beyond repair. She wanted nothing more than to disappear, to vanish, so she ran into the woods. But the woods weren’t safe that night, especially for Bisou. For she was different now, and the wolf could smell it in the air. Could taste it in the turning leaves and the trickle of fear mixing with her sweat. So he prowled towards her, inch by inch, wanting to claim what was surely his. Bisou was scared, but she was also different now. So she steps out of the woods, but the wolf doesn’t.

“There is only one way to kill a wolf, dear heart.

Quickly.”

This isn’t a fluffy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The maiden is not a princess, the wolf is not a prince, and grandmother isn’t sitting in bed twiddling her thumbs. Red Hood is one of the most raw retellings I have come across. It’s unhinging how forceful it pushes your comfort zone into submission and forces you to eradicate those tainted ideas instilled in us of how a female should act at. It will force women to shed every frightened sense of modesty that they grip to their bodies like a towel, and give readers a new insight into the meaning of wolf and prey.

“Strange how a thing can strengthen one person and weaken another.”

Bisou lives with her grandmother and has been for since she was a child. Throughout the story there are hints at the trauma and mysteries surrounding her mother and their separation, and why her father isn’t in the picture either. The author blends poetry into the story as a glimpse into her mother’s past and her feelings, and it also gives Bisou a voice while she fights to gain control of what is happening in her town. Why boys are turning up dead, and if she has anything to do with it.

“I was alone

in the ghost room

waiting for it to end

alone

hoping he wouldn’t find me

he came

and blew down everything

the moon was made of blood

your bed was full of blood

when he touched you

with his fists and fangs

he could have kept you safe

but he didn’t want to.”

But let’s get real about this.

This book is going to make you uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be an Elana K. Arnold book if it didn’t. But it’s okay if it does, and it’s to be expected. Our culture has been raising women in a world where they should feel shame for their bodies. For not being pretty enough, sweet enough, interesting enough. We are made to feel unworthy, unclean. Taught to take up less space, make less noise, need less and be less. So that is why you will be uncomfortable reading this. Because Elana just did everything society didn’t want her to do.

She made a group of strong, intelligent, driven, fierce and vocal women. Who pry and push their way towards their goals, damning the consequences. She gave their bodies truth. Showcasing them like the beautiful vessels they are. Full of awkward limbs, colors, textures and sizes. But best of all, she talked about that one special thing that makes women feel dirty. The one thing that men have made them hide and feel ashamed for – their periods.

Yeah, I said it.

P–E–R–I–O–D–S.

In this story, the men and boys who wish harm to women – both physically and sexually – turn into wolves, lurking and stalking their prey. But Bisou, like her grandmother, is bestowed with a certain special sense or ability upon her first bleeding – PERIOD. I can’t say more without giving all the key elements away, but just know, this book is going to talk about periods and you’re just going to have to embrace it.

Because the layers of messages that this author weaves throughout this tale is so inspiring and beautiful. She wants you to embrace your body, to love this squishy and unique form that you have grown into and gotten to know your entire life. This flesh, bone and blood that is YOURS and yours alone. The frame that holds your heart, hopes and dreams…and the foundation of what holds you up. The author wants you to look at YOU, and feel good. To feel at home and to love it there. To feel safe, comfortable and happy that THIS BODY is YOURS!

“…now – here – you are your body.”

But the other HUGE aspects of this story are the toxic masculinity, the fear that women face on a day to day basis, and the unjust expectations and labels that are placed upon women and not men. How women are held to a higher standard in how the act and dress, being labeled a slut or said she was “asking for it” if she does not stick within those straight lines she is pushed into. And how men are able to dress and act how they please, with little to no consequences and zero labels following them around like a shameful reminder.

“Later I learned that she had a bad reputation – she was a drinker, they said, and had a liking for short skirts and halter tops. She liked men, they said – emphasis on “men”, not boys.

Nothing was said of the fact that “men” obviously liked her, too.”

This book sheds light on a lot of REALLY important topics that NEED to be talked about. Rape, harassment, abuse and unfair labels. As the story progresses we see Bisou and her female friends start out quiet and docile, and end up being forces of nature. They find their voices and fight tooth and nail for one another and themselves. I found it to be empowering and an incredibly unique way to approach these issues. I really recommend it to everyone to read, because we need to stop shying away from topics and face them head on.

“…

I can break things

I can make things, too.

I stand

On two strong legs

I kill

With two strong hands

I bleed

From one strong womb

I wish

With one red heart

That you could see me now.”

“Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?

Not me. Fuck the wolf.”

Book Reviews · New Releases

Book Review: Restless Slumber (Fortuna Sworn, Book 2) by K.J. Sutton

February 22, 2020 JenAcideByBibliophile3 Comments

*Warning: This review contains spoilers to book 1, Fortuna Sworn! Tread carefully*

(See my review of Book 1 here)

Genre: Adult Fantasy/Dark/Fae

Plot: “Before I met you, I thought Nightmares were creatures of pain and darkness. Why, then, are you constantly seeking freedom and light?”

Fortuna’s entire life has changed.

She has no idea how to balance her new responsibilities and who she used to be. There are hundreds of faeries in her head, her brother seems to have lost touch with reality, and a werewolf won’t leave her side. Maybe the utter lack of control is why her abilities seem to be changing, as well.

Then there’s Collith. Enigmatic, beautiful, and infuriating. Not only a king of the faeries she despises so much, but also her mate. His gentle pursuit causes confusion in her normally unwavering relationship with Oliver.

As a result of it all, Fortuna now finds herself surrounded by new enemies and ones from the past. The question isn’t whether she is strong enough to make change in such a corrupt court.

It’s whether she will survive long enough to do it.

Content warning: This novel depicts scenes of sexual violence and domestic abuse.

Opinion:

“What do you fear, faerie?”

“The lights of anger and resentment in their eyes gave way to pain and terror. Screams, cries, and moans filled the room, more lovely than a string quartet.”

Where…do I even begin?

This book has ravaged my soul. Ripped my barely there black heart from it’s cobwebbed, rock bottom hole in the rubble of my chest, and left me aching like a widow at a love parade. I am shock. I am devastation. I am wondering how I didn’t see this coming, what with HB stabbing me in the back with Wicked King last year, and me assuming Kelsey Sutton would only want to bring a smile to my face…instead of this contorted expression of betrayal and deeply sadistic thrill that is now etched into my features.

Well done, Kelsey.

Fortuna Sworn has just been crowned the Unseelie Queen, rescued her brother Damon, and returned to life above ground. But try as she might, she can’t escape her new duties or the faeries she is now bound to. And with her relationship to Collith, her mate and the Unseelie King, shifting from loathing to something…more, she can’t help but revel in this newfound power. But Fortuna’s ruthless decisions that helped get her on the throne are coming back three-fold, and there are threats at every turn. Unsure if she can finally trust the mate that she has bound herself to, and suspicious of the motives behind the Seelie King’s kindness, Fortuna is forced to do confront everything that makes a Nightmare – Fear.

“Nothing had been real and then with no warning, everything was.”

There is SO much happening in this sequel, I hardly know where to begin. Restless Slumber is packed with magic, supernatural creatures, betrayal, murder, lust, secrets, blindsides and anything and everything that could make you want to weep with unhinged joy. Gone is the ethereal and mystifying tale about a woman rescuing her brother and marrying a Fae king. This book is DARK. It’s raw, it’s unapologetic and it gets right in your face forcing you to dismiss every sense of morality that you so desperately cling to. There are NO RULES in this dark fantasy, but don’t worry, you won’t even miss them.

Restless Slumber is W–I–L–D. There are constant assassination attempts, eloquently phrased sentences spoken to entrap someone, blindly made deals in secluded areas, secrets woven into webs of deceit, and completely OUT OF NOWHERE blindsides that will make you want to scream. There are witches, werewolves, sirens, vampires and goblins. There’s necromancy that brings a slew of corpses after Fortuna, epic battle scenes that pit supernatural creatures against one another, and moments where you question if you’d actually want to be dragged into the forest by a faerie. Because these aren’t the sweet and mystical beings that YA Fantasy likes to portray them as.

The Fallen in this book are brutality at it’s finest and beauty as it’s darkest.

Speaking of brutal, let’s talk about our dark Queen Fortuna.

“Then, once they were all crowded within my skull, I released the creature living inside me. The creature that I’d denied too long, too often.

Fear.”

If you guys thought Celaena Sardothien was a sassy badass who didn’t give one Fae Fuck, you need to rethink what recklessness in it’s most stunning form looks like. Fortuna, is the literal definition of a Queen. She has no mercy, loves the thrill of shoving a nightmare down someone’s throat, and has a sharp tongue that would leave anyone shaking. She is brash, unrelenting and unapologetic for the things she does. She doesn’t care if anyone likes her or is on her side. She doesn’t need someone in her corner rooting for her and holding her hand.

She holds her own damn hand.

But even so, Fortuna does have morals and dreams of making things better for the faeries. She stands up for victims and those who are tossed aside or abused. She is a voice for the sufferer and an executioner for the wicked. She is incredibly resilient and strong, and doesn’t look for approval from others. She knows what she wants and takes it, and it’s impossible not to love her completely. Especially for her patience and persistence with Damon.

Fortuna has indeed “rescued” Damon from the Unseelie court and from Jassin (good riddance), but Damon is a shell of who he once was. He is gaunt, withdrawn and has vowed to never forgive Fortuna for what she did to the faerie he loved. Most of the time he refuses to even acknowledge her presence, and it makes rooting for him so hard. But of course, that’s all you want to do. Damon’s situation is so tangled and doused in trauma, leaving him a skeleton of the Nightmare he once was. He’s in a haze of Stockholm Syndrome for this beautifully wretched faerie that enslaved him for two years, yet some piece of him also knows that he was treated horribly. Throughout the story Fortuna battles against giving him space and wanting to force him to forgive her, because though she hates to admit it, Damon is her weakness.

“I have weaknesses. I am vulnerable. But all of them are tied…to you.”

Speaking of weaknesses…

If you’re looking for a slow-burn romance that will beckon you towards its fluorescent flames with promises of warmth and contentment, fulfillment and happiness, coaxing you closer and closer, until you’re only a breath away from its beautiful blaze…only to have it push you in, engulfing your body in an agony and anguish that you can’t escape – well, this is the book for you.

The romance that is, but also isn’t! Strong as she may be, Fortuna just can’t seem to break down that wall for Collith. And to be honest, who can blame her?! The guy bribed her into marrying him, and still withholds so many secrets from her that I can’t even decide if he’s a good guy or not. But of course, I am horribly in love with him. He is darkness shrouded in gentleness. He is eloquent, calm and sincere. Sure he holds back and is a faerie of few words, but there’s something to be said for his patience and stability. He proves to be dependable at every junction and always puts Fortuna first. Sounds like the real deal to me.

But in classic K.J. Sutton style, she has to put my heart into a panic blender.

Collith isn’t the only love interest in Fortuna’s life. There is Laurie, the Seelie King who is both slightly irritating but also swoon-worthy, who keeps flirting with Fortuna even though I wish he would just BACK OFF. But then…there’s Ollie. *Sigh*…my heart. When Fortuna was a child, Ollie was, what Fortuna assumes (and what the reader is told, but I’m suspicious), created by her through her subconscious. He lives in a dreamscape that they created together, and she meets him in her sleep every night. He has been a rock for her for years as a friend and confidant, and since recent years, something more. The bond Ollie and Fortuna share is so precious and gentle. Around Ollie, this fierce and harsh form of Fortuna falls away, leaving a regular girl with regular feelings and thoughts. She is vulnerable and honest with him, and it brings such a loving and alluring side to Fortuna that the reader doesn’t normally see.

But what I really need to talk about, is this goddamn cliffhanger.

My soul, was shattered by this ending.

I spent 45 minutes staring at nothing after finishing this book. I sat on my living room floor at a complete loss, unable to form coherent sentences, and stricken by what happened. Usually I crave for an author to torture me and shred my feelings into nothing…but THIS?! THIS?? This was just cruel….and I loved every second of it.

But now, all we can do is wait for book three. And I am praying to all hell that it comes quickly, because I still feel like I’m going to vomit all my hopeless romantic emotions up. And so with that, all I have left to say is…

a demon? FFS.

Binding of Bindings · Book Promo · Upcoming Releases

Binding of Bindings #40: My Top 10 Anticipated March 2020 Book Releases

February 21, 2020February 27, 2020 JenAcideByBibliophile21 Comments

Look at us, just MARCHing through 2020 like bats out of Hell.

Gosh, we’re amazing, aren’t we?

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~* My Top 10 Anticipated March 2020 Book Releases *~

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1. The Blue Cloak (True Colors) by Shannon McNear

Release Date: March 1, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction/True Crime

If you had previously seen my review for The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock (see my review here), you will know a little bit about the True Colors series – a collection of Fiction books based on actual True Crime events, with each written by a different author.

The Blue Cloak is another Historical Suspense Romance, but this time set in 1797 where a woman named Harper finds herself in the midst of a murdering duo. It tells the tale of how these two serial killers go on a rampage, dragging their families along for the ride.

2. House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Genre: New Adult/ Fantasy

Fellow SJM fans, IT’S ALMOST HERE!!!!

So unlike TOG and ACOTAR, House of Earth and Blood is going to the streets in this urban fantasy and I’m…a little worried.

Urban Fantasy is NOT my cup of tea usually. I like my real world and fantasy worlds SEPARATE, and only mingling when it involves a fantasy creature dragging a human (or me…*cough cough* waiting…) into their world.

Nonetheless, you know I’m going to read this shit.

Instead of Fae we have Sidhe (another form of Fae) angels, demons, mermaids and some other creatures slithering around. Bryce is half-Fae/half-human and spends her days partying it up, until her friend gets murdered by a demon and she is framed. Apparently it reads like a murder mystery with some seriously intense and detailed world-building, so I’m excited for that.

But do I think it’s going to be up to par with TOG and ACOTAR?

Time will tell.

3. Havenfall (Book 1) by Sara Holland

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Genre: YA/Fantasy/LGBT

Havenfall is an Inn that connects four ancient magical realms together, residing as a refuge and common ground where safety is assured (like The Continental Hotel from John Wick, but with more magic and less assassins).

Maddie Marrow spends her summers working at the inn in order to escape the reality that is her family life. Her mother is awaiting death for murdering Maddie’s brother. But when a body is found, the safety of the inn is shattered and Maddie fights to find the creature that is running loose trying to…you know…

4. Bone Crier’s Moon (Bone Grace, Book 1) by Kathryn Purdie

Release Date: March 10, 2020

Genre: YA/Fantasy

I received an ARC of this little beauty from Netgalley, and I hope to be starting it this weekend!

Bone Crier’s Moon is going to be EPIC, and I simply cannot wait.

Check it:

There’s this group/family of women called Leurress who are tasked with escorting the dead by ferry to the Heavens or the Underworld. But in order to have the strength and power to do this, they must acquire three “grace bones” that they must take from animals they kill themselves. From these bones the Leurress are given the graces (powers) of the animals, such as their strength, speed, sight, etc.

Once the Leurress has all her grace bones, she THEN has to lure her “amoure” with a bone flute. Once she snags that little snack, she either has to kill them OR she can stay with them for a year, and THEN kill them.

Here. Take my heart. Shatter it.

Let’s do this.

5. All the Pretty Things by Emily Arsenault

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Genre: YA/Mystery/thriller

Murder and Amusement Parks?? Oh this is going to be fun!

All the Pretty Things is about a girl named Ivy who expected to spend her summer days at the Fabuland amusement park, having her fill of park food and roller coasters. But when her best friend Morgan finds a body in the park, and is then shipped off to a psych ward, Ivy begins to suspect that the death of their former classmate was more than just an accident.

Dun. Dun. Dunnnn.

6. Girls with Razor Hearts (Girls with Sharp Sticks, Book 2) by Suzanne Young

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Genre: YA/Sci-fi/Feminist

Have been waiting a YEAR for this!

Girls with Razor Hearts is the sequel to Girls with Sharp Sticks, an AMAZING Feminist/Sci-fi series that will have your heart melting and that fierce female warrior inside you SCREAMING for justice!

I don’t want to give anything away for those of you who haven’t read book 1, so I’ll just give you a little synopsis of THAT so you can get HOOKED and read it before GWRH releases.

Innovations Academy breeds obedient, beautiful girls. They are taught to set a table in Modern Manners, how to speak and act formally in Social Graces Etiquette, to keep their figures in Running Course, and to never accuse a man of inappropriate behavior in Modesty and Decorum – for that would be worse than any crime! As graduation nears for the girls at Innovations Academy, they are primped and put on display for their parents and sponsors in order to find the “perfect opportunity through success”. The girls need only listen to the men and Professors at the academy, for they have their best interests at heart, and they know best.

Check out my review here to see what you’re missing in your life.

7. Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Get the tissues ready my lovelies…this one might hurt.

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley, and I am REALLY looking forward to starting it. I am always drawn to books that might shred my soul away into nothing, and I am expecting Sparrow to do just that.

It’s about a young ballerina who fights to find the courage to speak up about abuse from her past, while simultaneously dealing with the death of her mother and a recent assault by her boyfriend.

There are some mixed feelings on the book vie Goodreads, so we shall she how it turns out.

8. All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Genre: YA/Mystery/Thriller

All Your Twisted Secrets.

It’s like The Breakfast Club in a fun game of Saw.

Sort of.

A Queen Bee, a Star Athlete, a Valedictorian, a Stoner, a Loner and a Music Geek are all invited to a scholarship dinner. Upon arrival, they quickly learn that they won’t be sitting around eating bon bons and getting sloshed on apple juice.

They are locked in a room with a few items and a note telling them they have 1 hour to pick some to kill, or they all die.

OoOoOoOo girlllll, this is gunna be gooooood!

9. Frozen Beauty by Lexa Hillyer

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Genre: YA/Mystery

Gorgeous cover, right?!

Frozen Beauty is the story of three sisters – Kit, the eldest, Tessa, and the youngest, Lilly.

When Kit is found dead in the woods, Tessa and Lily have no idea what could have happened to her. As sisters, they had hoped they they knew everything about each other. But as Tessa looks closer at her sister’s life, and the secrets surrounding it, she learns that the truth of what happened to her older sister will forever change their lives.

This has amazing reviews on Goodreads and is described as a tale about the deep bonds of sisterhood and the power of first love.

10. Thorn (Dauntless Path, Book 1) by Intisar Khanani

Release Date: March 24, 2020

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Retelling

Another retelling of The Goose Girl!

Remember when Bloodleaf came out almost a year ago? A lot of you loved it. Me though?

Basically the original tale is about a princess who is betrothed to a prince in another kingdom, but along the way her maid betrays her and forces her to switch places.

Apparently in THIS retelling, however, the two actually switch BODIES!

The princess is forced to never speak of what has been done to her while she tries to acclimate to her new life of hard labor and struggling to get by. The princess finds herself in a predicament of going on with her life or fighting for this prince and her kingdom.

There’s romance and treachery afoot, my lovelies, and I am SO ready!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~

Stay ~~Witchy~~…Possessed?

*shrug*

Book Promo · Book Reviews

Book Review: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

February 19, 2020February 19, 2020 JenAcideByBibliophile6 Comments

Genre: YA/Fiction/Romance/Dystopia/War

Plot: “Every war has turning points and every person too.”

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

A riveting and astonishing story.

Opinion:

“I was dying, of course, but then we all are. Every day, in perfect increments.”

“Staying alive was what we did to pass the time.”

How I Live Now is the story of how five cousins live after the world falls into war and they are forced to fend for themselves. As young teenagers, they fill their days with fishing trips, lounging in open fields, foraging for food and tending and playing with the animals on their farm. As the days go by without adults to tell them what to do or how to live, the group finds falls into a state of wild freedom that bonds them together. But with enemies invading the countryside, the cousins are forced to deal with reality when they are separated and thrust into a world that no longer has rules. And with this lawless life comes a forbidden love that can’t be ignored, and all these teens can do is fight to find one another again.

“If you haven’t been in a war and are wondering how long it takes to get used to losing everything you think you need or love, I can tell you the answer is no time at all.”

This is an unconventional YA story of friendship, love, war, freedom and self-growth. It follows a young female lead who arrives in the UK from New York, after her father ships her off to stay with cousins. Daisy is a fifteen-year-old who has a less than healthy view of who she is and what her worth is. She feels cast aside by her father, leaving her with a tainted yearning for control that she satisfies by refusing to eat. She is a brash and outspoken girl, but she has a sweetness and allure that makes the reader instantly fall in love with her. She’s a little rebellious, but in all the best ways.

When she arrives at her cousin’s home, she realizes quickly that these kids more or less rule themselves. Her aunt is always holed up in her office working towards preventing an impending war, and constantly coming and going on work trips. The kids fend for themselves, and it is a freeing and innocent dynamic that gives each of them a sense of purpose and responsibility. And this lifestyle they have been raised in shows strongly in their personalities.

Piper is the youngest at nine, but she has a knack for plants and communicating with animals. Isaac and Edmond are twins at fourteen, with Isaac being very quiet and Edmond being more vocal. But both boys have a deep sense of understanding in body language. While Isaac is more attuned to animals or always knowing exactly where everyone is at all times, Edmond possesses a quality of almost being able to see into one’s soul. Osbert is the eldest boy at sixteen and takes his role as the eldest seriously. He’s a little self-righteous and acts like a know-it-all, but his role is fairly limited compared to the other kids.

“I guess there was a war going on somewhere in the world that night but it wasn’t one that could touch us.”

But this is more than just a story about cousins who spend their days without rules and roaming as they please. It’s a beautiful and raw story of survival. It’s about making friendships and bonds, and doing anything it takes to get back to one another. How I Live Now documents the strength and resilience that each of these beautifully crafted characters holds inside them. They are intelligent, loving, thick-skinned and possess an overwhelming sense of maturity for being so young. I can’t help but think how I would have fallen if I had been in their shoes. How difficult it would have been to keep moving, and fighting to live each day.

But this is also a story that can be touchy and shocking for some readers, with there being a romantic relationship that blossoms between Daisy and Edmond, who are cousins.

“The real truth is that the war didn’t have much to do with it except that it provided a perfect limbo in which two people who were too young and too related could start kissing without anything or anyone making us stop.”

Look, I know. We’re talking incest here. And incest between two VERY young teenagers at fourteen and fifteen. But look. This is such a small part of what this book is really about. Yes it can be a little uncomfortable at first. After all, we are programmed to think/know that this is forbidden. But please try to give this book a chance and be able to look at this aspect of the story as something MORE than whatever your head is screaming at you. Daisy has gone through her life feeling unwanted, less than and unloved. She is shockingly hard on herself and has a 3 foot thick wall up around her, blocking from others getting too close. But when she comes to stay with her cousins, she starts to transform. She forms friendships with Piper and Isaac that she holds so dear to her heart. And her and Edmond have a bond that is so beautifully delicate and intimate, like twin souls finding one another and intertwining.

It can be an odd read. And the writing can throw you a bit as well, with its strange dialogue and random caps. But honestly, every strange nuance to this book gives it this unique essence that I have grown to love immensely. I love this book. It’s raw and realistic. It doesn’t dance around sensitive topics or sugarcoat things for the reader. It is exactly what it is, and it doesn’t hold back. It’s a story about people thrust into a world where they are forced to fend for themselves at the drop of a hat, and how they do so by sticking together.

I initially found out about this book after I had watched the movie. Had I known this was a book BEFORE I watched it, I would have read it first. But I am also glad I waited until now to read it. I think my younger self would have judged it too harshly and wouldn’t have been able to see it through the eyes of these characters and the author. I am glad I waited until now, because I feel like I can truly appreciate the story that was trying to be told. It is breathtaking and sorrowful, but it is one that is a new favorite of mine.