Thursday, April 23, 2015

I have an ARC!

I have an ARC of Nowhere but Here!

Finally, finally, finally I have an ARC. I started my bookstagram because I had so many beautiful books laying around and I saw it was a thing on instagram for people to take pics of them. I quickly got into the 'bookstagram' community and thoroughly enjoy taking pictures of my gorgeous books, as well as seeing other amazing pictures from fellow book lovers. Pretty soon after entering the book world through this entrance, I found out about ARCs. Boy, oh boy did I want one! I decided to start this blog in addition to my bookstagram to qualify for ARCs. I requested quite a few ARCs but unfortunately they were all in such a high demand, and I was so new to the game, that I wasn't approved for any of them. 

I didn't let it discourage me, because even though it would be an AMAZING perk to bookstagramming/blogging, I do this because it brings me joy... Finally almost 1 YEAR (!!-can't believe my blog is that old already) I have received my first ARC! AAAANNNNDDD, it is of a book that I really wanted to read for a while now :D

Nowhere but Here by Katie McGarry 



This book has been advertised as "West Side Story meets Sons of Anarchy" and that is definitely a combination I want to read!


This ...


meets this?...





I'm beyond happy to read this book (it just came in the mail) and I will be posting my review ASAP!


Thursday, April 16, 2015

Books You Should Add to Your Pre-Order List!!

My personal epic list of must haves for 2015...


I have to admit I am a huge pre-order person. I love to pre-order books, then forget about them and have them show up on my doorstep. It's an awesome feeling and I highly recommend doing this for yourself! Although, with these upcoming books it is incredibly hard for me to forget I ordered these. There are quite a few books I'm counting down to the release dates, so I decided to write a post sharing my personal Amazon pre-order list. The books on this list are coming out between May and October 2015. I am really pumped to read all of these books and I hope they can be good recommendations for you guys! Some of these books are sequels to previous (amazing!) books I've read, but most of them are starts to brand spanking new series. Every month I am going to post a blog similar to this one with the next months anticipated novels. Since we are in April, this blog will be all about May book releases. 

MAY 2015 



May is going to be a veeeery good book month for me. FOUR of the books on my 2015 pre-order list come out in May, and thank goodness because I have been in a major reading slump since Heir of Fire by SJM. 
This month is packed with 3 of my favorite authors (a very elitist list I assure you), and a new  author's debut novel I am dying to read. Without further adieu...



May 5th-

A Court of Thorns and Roses- Sarah J. Maas



Summary from Amazon:

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin-one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. 

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever. 

Perfect for fans of Kristen Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!


Pre-order this book here --> A Court of Thorns and Roses


Also May 5th -

Saint Anything- Sarah Dessen


Summary from Amazon:

She's grown accustomed to her brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family’s attention and, lately, concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a boy, Peyton’s serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her own, questioning her place in the family and the world.

Then she meets the Chatham family. Drawn into their warm, chaotic circle, Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance for the first time. There’s effervescent Layla, who constantly falls for the wrong guy, Rosie, who’s had her own fall from grace, and Mrs. Chatham, who even though ailing is the heart of the family. But it’s with older brother Mac—quiet, watchful, and protective—that Sydney finally feels seen, really seen, at last.

Saint Anything is Sarah Dessen’s deepest and most psychologically probing novel yet, telling an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.


Pre-order this book here --> Saint Anything


May 12th:

The Wrath and the Dawn- Renee Ahdieh


Summary from Amazon:

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.



Pre-rder this book here --> The Wrath and the Dawn


May 26th:


P.S. I Still Love You- Jenny Han


SEQUEL ALERT!! 
This book is the sequel to the amazing To All the Boys I've Loved Before
* You can buy this cute contemporary here -->  To All The Boys I've Loved Before


Summary from Amazon:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of makes it so amazing.


Pre-order this amazing sequel here!  -->  PS I Still Love You 

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Disclaimer: Of course there are many more books coming out in May that are definitely worth reading, these are my top picks that I wanted badly enough to order early. Hope you guys enjoyed it and as always comments/feedback is awesome and appreciated!!


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

It is time for another giveaway!


First things first, I am so sorry for not being active lately. As some of you know I am a junior in college and a pre-med major. Whoo, talk about a work load!! I'm an avid book lover but I don't get to spend as much time on it anymore. 

Anyway, in honor of the lovely Sarah J. Maas and her new upcoming series A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)...I'm giving away the book that started it all. You guessed it! A brand new copy of Throne of Glass, the first book in the Throne of Glass series. I hope you all like it :) Rafflecopter at the bottom!
**US ONLY**

Already a SJM fan? Here is the link to pre-order ACOTAR!






a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski Review



The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Book One of the Winner's Trilogy
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Hardcover 



Summary:


Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general's daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin's eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him--with unexpected consequences. It's not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.



Review:


I have seen this book floating around for quite a while on my Instagram account (@beentherereadthat), but never sought after it to read. Until, one day I saw BookOutlet had an amazing deal on a brand new hardback copy ($3...seriously, if you haven't you need to check out www.bookoutlet.com). I bought this book along with 4 others, but found myself wanting the package to arrive solely for this book! I DEVOURED this novel in a single night. Yes, all delicious 368 glorious pages. 



“You don't, Kestrel, even though the god of lies loves you.” 


What I liked:


The characters-
The two main characters Kestrel, and Arin are two of my favorites. Kestrel is a strong heroine, who ironically isn't strong at all, at least not physically. 
Kestrel struggles throughout the novel with any physical battles. Sparring lessons her general father insists upon never go well for her, but where she seriously lacks physical strength, Kestrel makes up for it in brains. She is sly and observant. Kestrel makes military strategy plans her vested army father doesn't even think of. This was a big selling point for me, too many YA books these days don't focus on strong, smart young women.

Arin was also a really intriguing character from the start. Obviously we readers know there is more to him than many of the others can see because we know what he's thinking during the novel, and realize his intelligence from the start. Most other characters only view a slave with a bad attitude, we can see the cunning, intellectual man plotting revenge. Our observant Kestrel knows better though! She can also tell there is more to Arin than meets the eye, and it was so much fun to watch their relationship develop and see them start to understand each other slowly throughout the book. 

That brings me to another point I LOVED about this novel, no insta-love. The romance is slow, and subtle. No "love at first sight" that automatically feels fake and forced. Kestrel and Arin start out in a very unromantic place. Which is understandable, and honestly expected considering the two's social positions of slave/owner. I loved that Rutkoski didn't let Arin be smitten with Kestrel the minute he set eyes on her. She BOUGHT him as her slave (we all know it's wrong to enslave people and you shouldn't love someone for owning you, Stockholm syndrome anyone?) and her father is the general (AKA conqueror of what was once Arin's childhood home). Arin's hatred toward Kestrel is what anyone in his place should be feeling. It is when the two get to know each other and come to realize they are both trapped, just in very different ways, that a blossoming relationship becomes a good thing. 


"Arin smiled. It was a true smile, which let her know that all the others he had given her were not.” 

Another HUGE winning point for The Winner's Curse was the amazing plot. I had no idea what was going to happen. ESPECIALLY during the second half of the book. Rutkoski lulls us in to the world, tells us the rules, and then changes everything. And I. Loved. It.


“People in brightly lit places cannot see into the dark.” 

The Herrani are in the dark, forgotten and used while the Valorianns frolic in the light. In the thriving, ruthless empire, the Valorianns rule over the Herrani. They have won the war and taken all the Herrani captive. Instead of killing them however, they decided to keep them as their slaves. Forcing them to be whatever the Valorianns think they will be useful for, maids, cooks, laborers, farmers, etc. During the book we get comparisons of the two, the Valorianns, often viewed by the Herrani as 'golden' 'beautiful' 'savages', believe them the superior to the 'artistic' 'lazy' Herrani whose territory the forcefully took years ago. The Herrani have only two choices in the Valorianns' minds, serve, or die. All of this delectable set up makes for a truly unique and intriguing plot. Kestrel, a high Valoriann (her father is the general who fundamentally conquered the land), and an enslaved Herrani, Arin, who is tired of his people being treated so terribly and stripped of human rights, make an explosive combination that will have you salivating for the next book!

What I didn't like:

There isn't a single thing I can pinpoint that I didn't like about this book. The world, characters, plot, everything was spot on. Rutkoski did an amazing job and has left me wanting more. 

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Book #2 The Winner's Crime is available for pre-order and will release March 3rd, 2015!


Amazon: The Winner's Crime
Bookdepository: The Winner's Crime

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

A Court of Thorns and Roses GIVEAWAY!



The love of our lives has done it again. Sarah J. Maas has a new SERIES coming out this May 7th, 2015 and the lovely Midnight Garden has graciously posted a giveaway of the ACOTAR ARC!!


Follow the link below to enter!



http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2015/01/love-letter-sarah-j-maas.html




AND don't forget to folow me on instagram @beentherereadthat!