Binding of Bindings · Book Promo · Books · Reviews

Weekly Binding of Bindings #1: The Winter Books

 

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Good Morrow my lovelies!!!

It is I: your favorite over-dramatic goth with a hidden agenda to bring forth smirking giggles, a feisty and sarcastic mood, and to entice every reader to become horribly addicted to the books I shove into their pretty little faces.

 You may call me Pablo Bibliobar!

The not so famous, but infallible and surely fun to be around, Book Lord.

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She’s quick, she’s funny, you probably wouldn’t call her sunny:

It’s Pablo Biblobar.

From henceforth, I will bring you weekly witty prompts all about books, books, books! It will commence every Friday, so be on the lookout for these bookish rants and escapades! There will be must-reads, there will be don’t-reads. There will be sarcasm, and there will be moments of actual seriousness.

However brief they may be.

May I introduce: JenacideByBibliophile’s Weekly Binding of Bindings!

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WHERE TO BEGIN?!

Well, the obvious place:

winter reads

These are all the books that are great to read in the months of November to January/February. Or whenever the snow leaves your front yard. Some of these books I have read, and some I haven’t. I know, I KNOW!

She’s blogging about books she hasn’t even read?!?!!?

Yes. I’m devilish like that.

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The Kanin Chronicles by Amanda Hocking

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This series is one of my FAVORITES, so I played favoritism and put it first <3. If you like to stalk me, you will have  noticed that I JUST posted this on my Bookstagram account. Here we have a strong female lead (my favorite) who is attempting to work her way up to become a member of her King’s royal guard. When she is sent on a mission to retrieve a changeling, some serious s**t hits the snow-covered hills and she is thrust into the throngs of a potential war between kingdoms.

There is bloodshed, there is romance, and there are mythical fairy creatures. What’s not to love?

Amber Sky by Claire Warner

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Amber Sky is another favorite of mine, and I am PATIENTLY waiting for book two. This is set in a dystopian/steampunk styled world where Tay, who comes from a family of poor standing, is forced to seek help from a noble named Darius. A bargain is struck between them, and Tay is brought into high society as a spy.

This book is full of sneaky courtiers and extravagant tastes, and of course a sweet rebellion.

Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard

 

Though not a huge favorite of mine, still it’s a thrilling read. In a world where humanity is separated by the color of your blood, silver bloods are all powerful and red bloods are treated as scum. Our red blooded main character Mare eventually finds herself in the service of the Silver King, and betrothed to the Prince of the Silver Court. With as much hatred as this poor lass can muster, she joins the rebellion group called the Scarlet Guard, and plots the take-down of the silver bloods.

To me these books are over-hyped, but I could see the appeal while reading. Though it isn’t compelling me to get the next book.

Frost by E. Latimer

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LOVED this book! There are Fire and Frost Giants, and the ever-so-loved evil Queen. Story of a girl living just like me and you, when one day she is kidnapped by striking young men. It’s a tale of who to trust and who to kill! This story is full of tall women with even taller personalities. I had received this book from Netgalley and pulled an all-nighter to read it.

Still waiting on that copy of book 2..

*cough cough*

The Lone City series by Amy Ewing

the lone city series

THESE BOOKS!

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This series is downright f****d, in the best way ever. Think The Handmaid’s Talebut for the YA world. Girls are brought into The Lone City and sold as surrogates for the rich and powerful. It is cruel, it is beautiful, and it is downright LEGENDARY. I read through them so quickly that I didn’t even pause to write a review. I still haven’t.

Thuglife.

The Dark Beneath The Ice by Amelinda Berube

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I mean…what’s there to say about this one. It looked promising, but it was a mess in my opinion. It’s a dark paranormal book that doesn’t really have an exact point. Marianne has the moments of feeling like she’s drowning, things are flying around the room, and the logical explanation is that something wants her dead. But the something trying to kill her is just…*sigh*.

This is the epitome of an “I can’t even” book.

But I hope you enjoy it ❤

The Giver, Graphic Novel by Lois Lowry, P. Craig Russell (Illustrations)

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EXCITEMENT!

I know what you’re thinking. “Jenaca, is this really a winter read?

*Whisper Voice* Shhhhhh, yes.

We have all read this wonderful classic, if you haven’t…*gasp*GET INVOLVED! Color me shocked and thrilled, they are releasing a graphic novel version of The Giver! I JUST received it for review, my first graphic novel, so be on the lookout for that. I may have already taken a little peak inside and…..

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I haven’t read these. It’s not a crime. I will. I’m trying!

Don’t judge me.

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

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I’m waiting for this little number to arrive today in my Bookoutlet shipment, so it’s ALMOST in my pale skeletal fingers.It is a magical tale of insane asylums and whispers of a far off kingdom. It sounds so ROMANTIC doesn’t it?!

But you know how I know it’s a Winter Read? The main character is named Snow.

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Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara

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I fear this one is going to be a tear-jerker. If not from the description, then from the countless Goodreads reviews of readers just saying:

TEARS.

A girl survives a car accident that kills her boyfriend, she hides herself out in her father’s studio in the woods, and eventually meets another young man. Where it shall lead, I DON’T KNOW.

I haven’t read it yet.

Frostblood by Elly Blake

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Frost Blood sounds like one of those rebellion/burn-em-all-to-the-ground types of books. I predict an angry female lead who goes on a killing rampage, but who’s to say? I sure cannot. Countless reviews of it’s pure awesomeness and fantastical delightfulness lead me to assume that I must have it. Though I MAY have had it already if Netgalley hadn’t denied me of the pleasure of reading it…

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The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis

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Quite a wide arrange of reviews and opinions on this story, but I still can’t help but want to read it. The description sums up what this book is about perfectly:

A good girl.
A bad boy.
A fairy tale that’s true.
A truth that is no fairy tale.

As a warning, I DID read that there might be some sensitive issues in this book for readers. So be warned. Even I am a little worried about this read, but who cares! I’m up for it. BRING IT ON!

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With that, I leave you my list of Winter reads as of this January of 2019. Go ahead, curl up with a blanket! Get a cup of hot coco or tea and sit in front of a blazing fire, roasting a mortal or two! By the end of the year I may have a whole new list of cozy books for you to read, but only the witches will know!

Happy Reading my witchy readers!

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Books · Reviews

FROST by E. Latimer

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

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Young Adult/Adventure

Plot:

Megan Walker’s touch has turned to ice. She can’t stop the frost, and the consequences of her first kiss are horrifying.

When her new powers attract attention, Megan finds herself caught up in an ancient war between Norse giants. One side fueled by a mad queen’s obsession and an ancient prophecy about Ranorak, the other by an age-old grudge. Both sides believe Megan to be something she’s not. Both sides will stop at nothing to have her.

Fire or frost. It’s an impossible decision, but she’ll have to act soon, because the storm is coming.

Opinion: This is one of those books that I read in one day after work, and stayed up until about 1:00 AM finishing. Immediately after I finished this book (at 1:00 AM) I went straight to my computer to check if there was a sequel, because I was willing to stay for the rest of the night reading that one as well. Unfortunately, there is not yet a sequel considering this book was just released (silly me). So, here we are. First off, if you weren’t sure if you would like this book due to its description then I suggest you give it a read anyways. I personally wasn’t very sure about it either, but trust me, you get sucked in.

Megan Walker was forced to move from her home in California, with her aunt and uncle, after she accidentally froze the lips of the boy she was kissing. Now residing in a small town in Canada, Megan has to start over at a new school. Soon Megan and her new friend Charlotte are approached by a group of five girls that look strangely similar, and stranger yet, similar to Megan as well. After the girls discuss that there must be a connection between them, each one is suddenly kidnapped from each of their homes by tall men with striking blonde hair. But while Megan is being transported by the strange men, she is suddenly rescued (or so she thinks) by another man named Loki. Loki tells her that he is a fire giant, and that the men that tried to kidnap her were frost giants known as jotun. Loki explains that Megan and the other girls were all part of an experiment that the Queen devised to help make the frost giant population grow, and that she is half jotun…which means that the Queen now wants her back. As Megan decides who to trust and which direction to take, she becomes entangled in a life that she never knew existed.

I really REALLY liked this book! The main character having the ability to freeze things with her touch definitely reminded me of the Disney movie Frozen, but with a much darker and elaborated storyline. I have to start out by bringing attention to the fact that the jotun are all tall (hence the fire/frost giant thing) which means that these are TALL FEMALE CHARACTERS. It is probably weird that I am making a point of this, but it seems that most female characters are impossibly short. As being a taller female, I love reading about female characters that are either tall or simply put…just kick ass. Though the character of Charlotte is short, because she does not have enough jotun blood in her, she is still a crazy little ball of fire!

Of course, there is a small love triangle in this story. As Megan (sometimes known as Amora) struggles to figure out who she is supposed to trust, the reader follows her as she has conflicting feelings for Loki the fire giant and Erik the frost giant. Loki is definitely my favorite character, he is very sure of himself, witty, and a quick thinker. Compared to Erik, who seems to be calculated and sterner, he is the more exciting and spontaneous one out of the two. I enjoyed how the author didn’t make the story ALL about a romance, and that she even left the romance hanging in the air a bit at the end. It definitely makes me crave for the next book because I know how much bigger it will be, romantically and in the action/adventure sense.

I wish there could have been more description and detail when reading about the palace and how extravagant it was. I got the idea that it was marvelous, but I had a hard time envisioning it because there wasn’t a lot of detail. I also would have liked to have read more about the Queen. She was in multiple “scenes” and dialogue, but I don’t feel like I really got to know who her character was. So in short, more detail for the characters and the setting.

I CANNOT wait for there to be a sequel to this story, and I hope it comes soon! If you love YA fantasy books, you need to buy this now! I am now addicted 🙂

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