Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Lived up to Hype

Popular Books that Lived Up to the Hype

Ashley

       Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adyeta

       Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kauffman

       Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Michaela

The Diminshed by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson

Pacifica by Kirsten Simmons

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Mackenzie

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Legendary by Stephanie Garber  

What books lived up to the hype for you?

Top Ten Tuesday: Sensory Reading Memories

Books with Sensory Reading Memories (where I was, what time of year it was, who I was with, what I was eating, etc.) (Submitted by Jessica @ A Cocoon of Books)

Ashley

       Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

       My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

       Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

       The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Michaela

Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

Lost Crow Consipracy by Rosalyn Eves

The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine

Mackenzie

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Review: Grace and Fury

Title: Grace and Fury

Author: Tracy Banghart

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 320

Synopsis:(from GoodReads)

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro

face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.

Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace--someone to stand

by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman.

But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir's eye,

it's Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.

4/ 5 stars

I am so excited there is a second book. I loved this! It reminds me so

much of my twin sister and I as we are super close but pursuing very

different careers. I can only imagine how we would feel if our roles were

swapped. Nomi is my favorite sister. I loved how there wasn’t  a whole

lot of romance or male characters in this book. Definitely going to be top

read it two days it was that good. Now that the girls are both in a pickle of

sorts, book two is going to be incredible. I also loved both girls point of views.

If you like strong female characters and sisterly relationships I highly recommended

Grace and Fury.

Review: Invisible Ghosts

Title: Invisible Ghosts

Author: Robyn Schneider

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 320

Date(s) Read: 6/19-6/18

Synopsis: (from GoodReads)

Rose Asher believes in ghosts. She should, since she has one for a best friend:

Logan, her annoying, Netflix-addicted brother, who is forever stuck at fifteen.

But Rose is growing up, and when an old friend moves back to Laguna Canyon and appears in her drama class, things get complicated.

Jamie Aldridge is charming, confident, and a painful reminder of the life

Rose has been missing out on since her brother's death. She watches as Jamie

easily rejoins their former friends--a group of magnificently silly theater nerds--

while avoiding her so intensely that it must be deliberate.

Rating: 4/ 5

The first book I read of Robyn’s was Severed Heads, Broken Hearts, titled

The Beginning of Everything in the states. I read it a few years ago so, when we picked

up an ARC of Invisible Ghosts at BookExpo, I wasn’t to sure about it and then Ashley

realized who the author was, and I called dibs.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that I really didn’t want to put down. I

wanted to know what was going to happen next. A love story between two long time

friend’s who share a secret. Jamie Aldridge was one of Rose Asher’s best friends,

until he moved away. However he’s moved back; and Rose is being reminded of

things she has been missing out on since her brother’s death. Soon after she has to

choose between the boy who brought her back to her life before her brother’s death;

and her brother’s ghost who she isn’t ready to say goodbye too. Jamie and Rose can

see ghosts; and not only that, Jamie is allergic to them.

Invisible Ghosts was fairly fast paced and I was kept interested throughout

this story about two best friends, who help each other in different ways, and fall

in love.

Review: Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

Title: Gunslinger Girl

Author: Lyndsay Ely

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson

Pages:422

Synopsis:(from GoodReads)

James Patterson presents a bold new heroine—a cross between Katniss Everdeen and Annie Oakley:

Serendipity Jones, the fastest sharpshooter in tomorrow's West.

Seventeen-year-old Serendipity "Pity" Jones inherited two things from her mother: a pair of

six shooters and perfect aim. She's been offered a life of fame and fortune in Cessation, a

glittering city where lawlessness is a way of life. But the price she pays for

her freedom may be too great....

Rating: 4 /5

I seriously enjoyed this book, I listened to it on audio and I took almost every

opportunity to listen to it that I could. It was that good. Pity, first off seems to be a

pretty tough cookie, but Max is by my favorite character, because he is an artist and

reminds me very much of my twin sister. Set after a second civil war, Pity is offered

a chance at a better life than what she had on the communes but even better life come

with a cost.

~Michaela

Audiobook Review: Unearthed

Unearthed
Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner
Published: 1/9/18
Audiobook: 12hrs 43min
Narrators: Steve West & Alex McKenna
4.5/5

Loved both narrators. So glad this is a series because of that cliffhanger.
Now to wait a year for book two. Really enjoyed the characters however I felt the
romance aspect was a little off. Its not bad just not my thing. I wonder if the book
has pictures of the glyphs. That would be awesome.

Amelia Radcliffe and Jules Addison couldn`t be more different in all aspects of life.
Amelia is scavenging in order to survive while Jules is the rich British white boy. Amelia
is on Gaia in order to make enough money to free her little sister from some bad guys.
Jules is there to prove to everyone his father was right, Gaia is not the saving planet
that everyone wants it to be. When Amelia and Jules meet up the begrudgingly team
up to find the secrets behind Gaia. A story of deciphering glyphs, solving puzzles
and learning to work as a team Jules and Amelia slowly learn to appreciate one another.


I wasn`t paying attention to how much time was left of the audiobook due to
just enjoying the narrators voices and the characters banter back and forth.
When I was down to an hour left I was so worried everything would try and wrap up.
As much as I dislike cliffhangers I am so glad there was one. I was also surprised
I couldn't tell whose writing was whose. Amie and Megan did an amazing job at the
seamless writing. I am interested to see if they each wrote a character or
how they went about it.

~Ashley

Review: Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

Title: Brightly Burning

Author: Alexa Donne              

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers                         

Pages: 400

Synopsis (from GoodReads):

Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else.

Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an

ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess,

Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax,

is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk.

But with Stella he’s kind.

Rating:5/5 Stars

Well, I didn’t read Jane Eyre but I still loved this book as in read 200 pages the

day I picked it up. Set in a world where our Earth is an ice age and unliveable so,

everyone lives in orbit in space. Stella’s parents died when she was young, left to

live with her Aunt on the empire, who proceeds to then ship her off to the Stalwart.

While there she becomes an engineer like her father as well as a school teacher.

Even though Stella’s best friend George is also on the Stalwart, She wants more for

her life. As she goes for a third round of applications to teach on other ships in orbit,

She is rejected by 2 of them and accepted by a ship that is not well known.

The Rochester to be the governess of the single 10-year old on board.

~Michaela

A Shadow Bright and Burning/ A Poison Dark and Drowning Review

Title: A Shadow Bright and Burning/ A Poison Dark and Drowning

Author: Jessica Cluess

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Pages: 416/432

Synopsis: (from GoodReads)

I am Henrietta Howel.

The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one.

Or am I?

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to

train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees,

young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her.

One will fight for her. One will betray her.

SPOILERS!!!!

Rating for both books 5/5 stars

Book 1: Henrietta Howel, is she a magician or a sorcerer?

It’s kind of confusing but the story still draws you in.

Agrippa keeps so much from Nettie that it brings quite a twist,

Rooks scars and him starting to turn. Nettie meeting all of the boys.

There’s a lot that goes on but it all flows together really well.

Makes you want there to be more, thankfully there is.

Book 2: Henrietta’s life is kinda of a tangled web at the moment.

She is doing her best to appease everyone it seems while trying to

reverse what is happening to Rook. As well as defeating R’helm who

happens to be her father. ALL OF THE RELATIONSHIPS (OMG),

Eliza and Magnus, Eliza and Foxglove, Rook and Nettie,

Blackwood and Nettie. The team is brought back together after

finding some unique weapons after searching for more

about William Howel. Turns out even the deadly weapons

they found were useful against the ancients, but also took a

toll on themselves. The plot doth thickens towards the end

of book 2. I cannot wait to see what book 3 reveals with

this group of rowdy boys and a strong willed girl.