Stacking the Shelves #15

                                                                           Well, this week was a good week! I can't wait to dig in...  I have been hearing such good things about all of these reads! 

Stacking the Shelves is a showcase meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, let the haul begin...

The Total Haul...

 Wow, I have a lot of black book spines!

Bought

Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

For Review (Print)

Delusion by Laura L. Sullivan (Thanks to ARCycling!)

Ethereal Fury by Jessica O'Gorek (Thank you Jessica!)

For Review (Ebook) 

+ iBook Freebie

The Athena Effect (Thank you Derrolyn Anderson!)

Dollhouse by Anya Allyn  (currently free)

How was your book haul this week?

-Emily :)

Feature and Follow #14

Q: Activity: Spine Poetry. Create a line of poetry with your book spines (take a picture). Not feeling creative? Tell us about your favorite poem.

So, I had fun with this especially the last one. Sorry if nothing makes sense :) My poetry is kind of random (but not quite, just think really hard)!

Little Note: Summer Break has begun! Woohoo. Also, if you want to, follow via email as I don't have many followers in that area. I am not very picky though so don't follow if you are not interested!

Prophecy:

Ruby Red Dragon Slippers

Just Listen Wildwood Dancing

Awakening Another Little Piece

Crewel Undeadly Sirens

Poison Beauty Queens

Happy Friday! Show me your spine poetry now :)

-Emily

It is June 12th...

Good News

I hate giving out negative reviews (and I just did) so I thought I should share some good news... School's out today! Classes were a breeze, I spent the whole time signing yearbooks, and now it is officially summer! This also means I will be spending more time on the blog (which may be renamed and redesigned soon!) 

So, Happy Summer everyone!

Review: Delusion

Delusion by Laura Sullivan

When two beautiful teenage stage magicians in World War II England meet a pair of handsome men who can do real magic, sparks fly. But is it illusion, or delusion? Opening-night jitters are nothing new for Phil and Fee Albion, who come from a long line of stage illusionists. The girls love to dazzle London audiences, but in the aftermath of the Blitz they're bundled off to the countryside, where they're safe from bombs and Nazis--and bored to pieces. 

Phil, always the passionate one, discovers a hidden college of real magicians led by the devastatingly handsome Arden. If only Phil can persuade these unworldly magicians to help England win the war! Daredevil that she is, she'll risk anything to give her country a fighting chance, even if it means losing her heart . . . or her life.

So, I thought this book sounded pretty awesome, with it's pretty cover and cool synopsis. Unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying the book. The dull characters and slow pace made Delusion a disappointment.

Part of the reason I did not like the book is that most of the time the writing was in 3rd person, but could switch to first. And since I have an uncorrected ARC, when the view points switched,  thewordsshoweduplikethiswhichisreallyannoying. No spaces. I got kinda annoyed at that, which is no fault of the actual story but still made Delusion harder to read.

Okay, the characters. They were either dull, or mean. I did not find it in me to root for any of them, especially Fee. And when you don't care what happens to the characters, there is normally not a point to the book unless there is a specific moral. Also, the pacing was terrible, and I found my self only scanning some pages. Plus, some forced dialogue ruined any realistic characters Sullivan could have created.

I just felt really disconnected to the story. That is not a good feeling.

Overall, I am sorry for the short review, but I could not find many redeeming qualities and I don't want to bash the book. I am sure other people could enjoy this book, but I was definitely not one of them. Thank you ARCycling for giving me the chance to read Delusion.

1.8/5 bookcases

Waiting on Wednesday #14

This week was an easy pick, a beautiful cover, synopsis, and top notch authors! Hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This Week I am Waiting On...




  Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.

Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.

Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

Top Ten Tuesday #11

Today's List: Top Ten Favorite Beach Reads 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Hmm, let me think... So many good beach reads, in quite the variety also! My rule is light & fun!

So what are your top ten beach reads?

Review: Prophecy

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy

Hmm, this is a hard book to review. Overall, I enjoyed Prophecy but some things just didn't seem right to me. Prophecy was pretty cool in some parts, dull in others, and sometimes the parts just moved to fast to catch anything. (There were so many "bad guys" I started getting confused about who did what!)

A lot of times I look at a dragged-out series and think that it could have easily been one book. I have a whole opposite complaint for Prophecy. A whole boatload of things happened to fast to grasp. The author could have expanded a lot of things, and either made a bigger book, or cut Prophecy into two books. I never thought I would say a book was too action- packed. Wow.

Because of the whole rushing-the-story thing, I never felt I got a connection with any of the characters. Which is a shame because Ellen Oh did create some great characters, and I definitely hope in the second book, Warrior, the audience gets to dwell on each more.

Kira, the demon hunter, was overall a cool main character. She was different from any of the other main characters I have read about. I also enjoyed reading about her brother and her dad. To be honest, I never felt connected to the young prince. I had an extremely hard time visualizing him, and he acted like a variety of ages. Kira's love interest (I think, so far all the readers can do it predict) who will go unnamed because I forgot it, was very sweet and I was disappointed we didn't see more of him. Maybe in Warrior? Please?

The plot was, as I have ranted about, rushed and all we can do is hope Ellen Oh slows down in future sequels. The Asian mythology was interesting, though had many complicated names I was prone to forgetting. Demons and other creatures bounded from the pages pretty vividly when they turned up. These were some of the better scenes. I especially enjoyed the beginning demon scene.

Overall, Prophecy didn't meet my expectations, but I will definitely check out the next book!

3/5 bookcases

Stacking the Shelves #13

Hosted by Tynga's Reviews

I didn't get a a huge haul, but what I did get made me happy! Especially the little pen shaped like a match in the swag pack for The Summer My Life Went Up in Flames... Isn't it cute?

So, how was your week? I am happy over my swag and good books, I guess I am a swag hoarder.

                                             Won:

A finished copy of The Summer My Life Went Up in Flames 

by Jennifer Salvato Dorktoski, plus swag

For Review:

.

An e-copy of Forgotten by Sarah J Pepper

An e-arc of Losing Francesca by J.A. Huss

And don't forget to check out my first author interview + giveaway!