Waiting on Wednesday Wk 46

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the fantastic Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

Plot blurb:

The beautifully sad struggle of a girl desperate for the one relationship that has caused her the most pain

Cassie O’Malley has spent her whole life trying to keep her head above water—literally and metaphorically. It’s been two-and-a-half years since her mother dumped Cassie in a mental institution against her will, and now, at eighteen, she enrolls in college, ready to reclaim her life and enter the world on her own terms.

But as she struggles to find her way forward, the startling truths she uncovers about her own family narrative make it impossible to cut the tethers of a tumultuous past. And when the unhealthy mother-daughter relationship that defined Cassie's childhood and adolescence threatens to pull her under once again, Cassie must decide: whose version of history is the truth? And more important, whose life must she save?

A bold, literary story about the fragile complexities of mothers and daughters and learning to love oneself, The First Time She Drowned reminds us that we must dive deep into our pasts if we are ever to move forward. 

Release Date:

March 15th, 2016

Looks interesting! What are you waiting on this week?

In the Time of Dragon Moon

Author: Janet Lee Carey
Release Date:  March 24, 2015

Publisher: Kathy Dawson books

Genre(s): YA Fantasy
Pages:  480

*Book three of a series*

~Spoiler Free~

Summary (Goodreads):
On the southernmost tip of Wilde Island--far from the Dragonswood sanctuary and the Pendragon Castle--live the native Euit people. Uma, who is half Euit and half English, and not fully accepted by her tribe, wants to become a healer like her Euit father. But the mad English queen in the north, desperate for another child, kidnaps Uma and her father and demands that he cure her barrenness. After her father dies, Uma must ensure that the queen is with child by the time of the Dragon Moon, or be burned at the stake.
Terrified and alone, Uma reaches out to her only possible ally: the king's nephew Jackrun, a fiery dragonrider with dragon, fairy, and human blood. Together, they must navigate through a sea of untold secrets, unveil a dark plot spawned long ago in Dragonswood, and find a way to accept all the elements--Euit, English, dragon, and fairy--that make them who they are.

Review: 

In a sentence: I liked the premise, but the writing was a bit awkward.

When I jumped into this book, I didn't know that I'd read books by this author until I looked at the back cover.   I remember not liking them, and while I'm not sure why I didn't like them (it's been a few years, and I sort of skim read more than half of both previous books), I know why I didn't like this one: the writing is awkward.

The style of writing didn't make me feel like I was immersed in a story.  It's kind of hard to explain, but you know those moments where you're so into a book, you forget you're reading words, but just seeing the scenes in your head?

This book didn't make me feel that way.

 I think it's because the writing was... jarring? Unsmooth? Uneven? I'm not sure how to describe the writing, but I think uneven is the closest I can get to it.  That's not to say the book had grammar errors or bad wording- if there were, I didn't notice them, and even if there were, most of the time, it doesn't take away from that experience of being immersed in a book.  It was the content that was so uneven. The story was inconsistent with the characters, and the character development was lacking.  The book would go smoothly for a little while, but then it would jump to a conclusion or jump to a character development.

And lastly, the world building... Eh. I think this was also a part of the whole not really being lost in the book. I was fascinated by the Euits and the mythological side, but as a whole the book was plain.

Final thoughts? I wasn't really feeling it for this book...

Thanks for reading! :)

Rating: 2 out of 5

Early Updates for June!! :)

Hi guys!!

Hope you all have been doing fabulous. ;)

So remember how I said I was going to give up on the tagging system? Welllll.... as much as I hate this tedious sorting,  I also really hate giving up on anything halfway through (xD), so I finished it!! YAY!! It's much less detailed than when I first started, so there might be stray tags on the older posts, but it's done!! I've been working on this darned thing for who knows how long, and now that I'm done, I'm going to get myself a soda flavored ice tube thingy. :)

Huh, so I didn't think I'd find a picture of it online (LOOL), but here it is. ^-^ It's surprisingly delicious and refreshing, especially with the hot temperatures here. Woot!

If you want to find something, it's now on the side, right under the rating system. :D  I will still be posting the links to individual reviews on the Books Reviewed Tab (above..and yea... I need to update that too...that's next on my list- I promise!), but everything else (like memes, movie reviews, etc) will be on the side.  I'll also leave the links I've already posted for previous misc. posts up on the Books Reviewed Tab for now... until I can get the courage to delete them since I'm not sure if I managed to sort every post with tags LOL.

So, that's the biggest change on this blog as of late.  I've noticed a lot of people are switching over to Wordpress these past few months, and though I've considered it as well (so many glitches with Blogspot -.-), I'm sticking with Blogspot for the rest of this year, and we'll see how it goes. :D

I haven't managed to make that posting schedule yet, but hopefully I'll get around to it soon!  Summer classes start next week, and that's a whole nother frenzy right there ahaha. ;)

But ehhh- I'm sure everything will work out! :)

How's everyone doing in this summer heat? (At least here on the west coast! D':)

With love,
Kye :)

Waiting on Wednesday Wk 45

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the fantastic Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

(Clever title! Is this what they call an oxymoron??)

Plot blurb:

Sadie Kingston, is a girl living in the aftermath. A year after surviving a car accident that killed her friend Trent and left her body and face scarred, she can’t move forward. The only person who seems to understand her is Trent’s brother, Max.

As Sadie begins to fall for Max, she's unsure if she is truly healed enough to be with him — even if Max is able to look at her scars and not shy away. But when the truth about the accident and subsequent events comes to light, Sadie has to decide if she can embrace the future or if she'll always be trapped in the past.

This sounds so good!!! I can't wait for it come out!! :)

Release date: November 3rd, 2015

So what are you guys waiting on this week? 

Quote of the Week! (from the book I'm reading)

:)

I love this quote!

(This blog post was inspired by Parajunkee's list of fabulous ideas for book bloggers!)

With love,

Kye 

Feature and Follow Wk 14

 

Hi everyone! This weekly meme is hosted by the fantastic Alison at Alison Can Read and the fabulous Parajunkee! :)

This week's question:

 How would you pitch to the biz to make your favorite book into a movie? 

Step 1: 

Step 2: Run

Step 3: Join the cult following that always seems to pop up whenever YA books are turned into movies. 
xD

For real though, I totally agree with Alison from Alison Can Read: no more book to movie adaptions (ESPECIALLY FOR YA!!), but if  it was to become a TV show, where the author is really involved in the making and the story isn't too far off from the books, then maybe.  But all these book to movie adaptations- I'm seriously not feeling it.  Off the top of my head, I think the last Hunger Games movie I watched (I think it was Catching Fire ??) was honestly the only YA book to movie adaption that I've loved in the recent years- which is ironic, since I didn't like the Hunger Games series LOL.  I'm also really weird  and picky when it comes to  book to movie adaptions.  If the movie's too true to the book, it seems... lackluster.  If they deviate from the book a lot (or little- it depends on the detail(s) they change xD), it makes me angry.  I don't think I can ever win with movie adaptations LOL. 

But that won't stop me from watching and hoping this next one is better. ;D

How about you guys? :)
Thanks for stopping by! 

Cover Reveal: Of Ice and Snow

Today Amber Argyle and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for OF ICE AND SNOW, a novella in the Faerie Queens series in August, 2015! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win an e-bundle of Amber’s Witch Song Books!

On to the reveal! 

TADA!!

I love this color!! :)

Title: OF ICE AND SNOW

Author: Amber Argyle

Pub. Date: August, 2015

Find it: Goodreads

Otec thought destiny forgot him…

The middle child of the clanchief, Otec is the overlooked son in an overflowing house. He dreams of escape and adventure, so when a mysterious stranger offers both, he doesn’t need persuading. But when his faraway village comes under attack, Otec will do anything to save the people he loves. Cut off from his nation, he must trust a foreign woman with a dubious past as they race to save his clan. But nothing is what it seems, and Otec may have to trust his enemy if he is to become the leader he was never meant to be.

Destiny is not always kind.

Of Ice and Snow is being exclusively released in the Daring Hearts box set and the whole bundle is only 99 cents for 8 books! What an awesome deal!

Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

Daring Hearts synopsis:

Eight All New CLEAN Novels by Eight Bestselling Authors 

ONLY 0.99 CENTS FOR A LIMITED TIME!

From gorgeous heroes that make us swoon to the super sleuths and feisty heroines that make us cheer, this exclusive collection has something for everyone. Eight clean, sassy and BRAND NEW novels--a delicious mixture of fun, addictively romantic, action-adventure stories -- each handpicked by an award-winning gathering of some of today's most popular YA/NA authors. 

Eight Bestselling Authors 

Eight never-before-released novels spanning 1600+ pages 

Over 98% off retail for the individual books sold separately (a thirty dollar savings!) 

Only available until September (so get your copy today). 

THIS BOXED SET INCLUDES: 

REBECCA ETHINGTON ~ Monsters are real... Through Glass 

RASHELLE WORKMAN ~ Alice is a Dark Moth trainee in Wonderland, Arizona where the days are hot and the guys are hotter. The Dark Moth Society 

CINDY M. HOGAN ~ Some secrets are better left dead and buried. Kate Unmasked 

ELLE STRAUSS ~ Time traveling is wonky enough... and this time it's worse than ever. Counter Clockwise 

CHRISTINE KERSEY ~ College is murder... Witness 

JULI ALEXANDER ~ Solving mysteries is in her blood, but it might just get her killed. Paxton Private Investigations 

LILA FELIX ~ Fasta is an artist, not by choice, but by force. Sketchy Love 

AMBER ARGYLE ~ A storm is raging and not everyone will survive. Of Ice And Snow

About Amber:

Amber Argyle is the number-one bestselling author of the Witch Song Series and the Fairy Queen Series. Her books have been nominated for and won awards in addition to being translated into French and Indonesian.

Amber graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in English and physical education, a husband, and a two-year old. Since then, she and her husband have added two more children, which they are actively trying to transform from crazy small people into less crazy larger people.

To learn more about Amber, visit her blog at amberargyle.blogspot.com

You can find Amber on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive the eBook bundle of The Witch Song Series. International

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much to the author and Rock Star Books Tour for allowing me to participate in this reveal! :)

Blog Tour: Citadel of the Sky Review

Welcome to the tour for Citadel of the Sky by Chrysoula Tzavelas. This is an adult epic fantasy (clean and appropriate for YA readers). 

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Citadel of the Sky by Chrysoula Tzavelas

 

Her (not very) Serene Highness Princess Tiana tries her best not to think about the dark lords ravaging her country or how the magic in her bloodline makes her family go mad. The descendant of a legendary hero, she prefers bringing the myths of old to life on the theater stage, not on the battlefield.

Then a rash of suspicious deaths strikes the Regents—trusted advisors, friends, and guides to her troubled royal family—and the Noble’s Council tries to cover it all up. Tiana is determined to get to the bottom of the murders and the conspiracy, even if that means making a dangerous pact with a telepathic demon trapped in a magical sword. But he may just be the edge she needs to save the people she loves.

Cursed sword in hand, Tiana and her friends prepare to face the encroaching darkness­—and the ultimate truth about her and her family.

Goodreads

Review:
So before I start this review, I just want to say I love the dedication.  :) It's really cute. xD

Okay, now onto the book itself.  This book was a ride the entire way through - and I think it all had to do with how the book started.    From the very first pages, you're just plunged into the world headfirst and without any warning. ( I thought I skipped some pages or something because it was so intense right from the start lol. )  This could be a good or bad thing, and I think it depends on your personal preference.  Some people like beginnings starting without "mincing words" (so to speak xD)- but for me personally, I love the background story and then easing into the actiony stuff.  I also expected the world and everything to be explained in more detail, but that doesn't really happen either.  You get small hints, but otherwise, you're sort of on your own.

HOWEVER

Once you get past that (and do some Googling on phantasmagory xD), you come to really appreciate how intricate this world is (and the incredible imagination of this author OMG). I honestly think, more than the characters, it was this confusing mass of a world that kept me reading until the end. It was convoluting, twisting, and... addicting? LOL.   I was so lost in it, and I couldn't pull myself away from wanting to learn more and more about the different parts of it.

  I have mixed feelings about the characters simply because there were SO many of them, and I had trouble keeping them all straight (there was a glossary thing in the back, but even so, my goodness- it was a full house ;) ).  Some characters I loved (Tiana!! and Kiar!!), some characters I hated, and some characters that I totally forgot about as soon as I moved onto the next page.  But one thing's for sure: the author made me feel something for each character. Even if it was utter hatred (>.>),  I felt something for most of the characters, and I think that's pretty cool considering the number of characters there were xD.  I think there were only a few characters whom I was completely disinterested in (and those few characters turned out to be minor anyways xD).

I get the feeling this book was more of a set up for the future books (THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH), and I'm looking forward to diving back into this world again! :)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As an Air Force kid, Chrysoula went to twelve schools in twelve years and spent a lot of time wondering what made people tick. Books, it turned out, helped with that question. These days she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, which includes many small and demanding creatures who fight over her attention. Her first book, urban fantasy MATCHBOX GIRLS, was published in 2012 by the small press Candlemark & Gleam, followed annually by two more books in the same SENYAZA Series, all of which explore the impact of the supernatural on those who are— or who want to be— ordinary. Her next book, CITADEL OF THE SKY, is the first of a new series about the descendants of a Chosen One and the legacy of power and mental illness they’ve inherited. It’s also about Dark Lords and kicking butt in nice dresses.

AUTHOR ONLINE: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

The author will be giving away $10 Gift Card to online bookseller of choice (INT) to three winners of the below Rafflecopter.  The giveaway ends June 16th.
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.