Book Spotlight: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

From Goodreads.com

Thank you to Around the World ARC tours for the book!

Shadow and Bone is a story that takes off from page one. We meet a boy and a girl in an orphanage, trying to survive. The friendship between the two is evident and beautiful from the start. Then, we are transported to present time and the boy and girl are now on a journey across the darkest part of the land. They are ambushed and are battling for their lives, when Mal, her best friend and the love of her life, is injured. Alina, who is not a fighter, puts her own life on the line to save Mal and that’s when her life changes. 

I was in love with this book from page one. It might’ve been because of all the Russian-like language, but mostly it was because this book was amazing. The story progresses fast, full of twist, turns, and self discovery. Alina is a strong character who has to learn how to deal with her new found power and everything that is expected of her. She is pulled into the world of The Darkling, a mysterious powerful being who sweeps her off her feet. He’s a very interesting character. I enjoyed discovering more about him and watching his interaction with Alina. 

Mal, oh Mal. He’s one swoon worthy individual! I loved his relationship with Alina, I loved his character, I loved him to pieces. Leigh does such a good job in writing these two together, their journey, their relationship. 

If I were to tell you just how much I adore this book, this review will be a mile long. Seriously, I’m recommending this book to people on the street, shouting about it out of my car on the way to work, throwing things at people to get their attention. Well, maybe not but I love this book! I have so many feelings it requires a gif (or two)!!!

       

Leigh created such a beautifully broken world, with characters who take a stand and fight for what they believe in. This book will literally keep you up at night and stay with you long after the last page is read. 

This book comes out June 5th, 2012. Buy it, read it, love it!

Happy reading, 

Valia 

Book Haul Galore with Lots of Awesome!

Hello lovelies,
I'm back!!! I know, I feel like I keep saying that about everything, but it's true! It's been awhile! Not to worry though, it was worth the way. Now without any farther wait, I present to you, the books I got since my last mailbox!


Thanks to: 
Around the World ARC Tours 
Tor Books 
Sourcebooks Fire 
Harper Teen 
Penguin Books 
And random people I don't know! 
Now, that was a lot of books! 


What's in your mailbox? 


Happy reading! 
Valia

Book Spotlight: Kill Me Soflty by Sarah Cross

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.
From Goodreads.com

Thanks Around the World ARC Tours for the book!

Kill Me Softly is a retelling of all kinds of fairy tales. The heroine of the book is Mira, a girl who’s sixteenth birthday is right around the corner. She leaves her two guardians behind, and journeys to a town she is forbidden to visit. There she meets all kinds of interesting people, from a boy named Blue, who’s mission in life is to get on her nerves, to a boy named Freddie, who’s the sweetest guy on the planet. With two new friends, or something, in tow, she searches for her family and for her own meaning in life. She meets Felix, extravagant casino owner who steals her heart and so much more. 

This book is a quick read, full of twists and turns. Honestly, when I started the book I expected something along the lines of Once Upon a Time (which is a fabulous show by the way), but it was nothing like it. At times, I wasn’t sure what exactly I was getting myself into. There aspects of the book that I wasn’t too happy with, just because they were a bit awkward/weird? My favorite part of the book was exploring all the different fairy tales how they were first written. I had the villain figured out from the beginning because I have a thing for fairy tales, and it was fun seeing all the characters coming alive. 

This book is now available wherever books are sold. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. I’m glad I got to read it, even though I probably won’t be rereading it! :-) 

Happy reading, 

Valia 

Blogging at @YA_Warehouse today with pretty pictures :-)

Hello lovelies, 


I'm over at the collab blog today briefly talking about my editing journey. It's one of the shortest posts ever, but I think you should take a look. It's full of cute Supernatural boys! :-) 


http://yawarehouse.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-editing-frenzy.html

Well, technically yes, but you can see them right now :-)

Plus, I need suggestions! :-)


Hugs and more hugs, 


Valia

A Touch of Disney World Wonder with Pictures!

Hello lovelies! I’m back! I know, I know you’ve all missed me terribly. It was quite odd not being online for over a week. Sure, I checked my email to make sure I wasn’t missing anything but that was about it. Anyway, that is beside the point. I’m here to talk about Disney World!

I’ve never been to Disney World before, I’ve never even been to Florida before this trip. I also don’t remember the last time I’ve taken an actual vacation so this was fun on so many levels. We stayed there for six days, and went to all four parks. 

The thing about Disney World that I never really understood before is how happy that place truly is. Sure, I’ve seen commercials and pictures of smiling faces and lots of music. Even with all that I wasn’t prepared for all the amazingness I saw. 

That place really did inspire me in so many different ways. I’ve finished my current WIP on the flight home, and now I will be starting edits and a new project that came to me while I was walking the streets of Disney World. I don’t even know where to start talking about all the awesome so here are some pictures!

I am completely and totally in love with that place! Just to warn you, I’ll probably be posting Disney related pictures to everything for a while. :-)

In other news, Simplicity officially re-releases June 1st!!! *SQUEE* So very excited about this development. For those of you who haven’t met Alexis and Jake I’m very excited for you to do so! They’re my first complete characters and really my babies. I hope you enjoy their journey as much as I loved writing it. 

Oh and if I owed you an email, you probably have it by now. 

Well, I’m off to work on boring things now (homework is calling my name). Much love and hugs to y’all!

Valia 

Book Spotlight: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Fall under the spell of Wake—the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking—and lose yourself to the Watersong.
Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs.  She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.
Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door.  He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back.  Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever.  She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove.  They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.
Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price.  And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.
From Amazon.com

Thank you Around the World ARC tours for letting me be on this tour!

In this book we meet Gemma, a girl who has a love for the water. She lives with her older sister Harper and their dad. In the beginning of the book she’s trying to go for her night swim when her car breaks down. Enter Alex. He’s the boy next door and Harper’s best friend. He offers Gemma a ride and everything changes from that moment on. But Gemma has more to worry about then just the boy next door. 

There are three girls visiting the town and they are full of trouble. 

I read Trylle trilogy a while back, before they were printed, finding Amanda’s writing interesting. Amanda has a unique way of writing her stories and Wake is an example of that. I loved the characters in this book. Gemma had to make some serious decisions and she did so well. Her relationship with Alex is both sweet and romantic, bringing that innocence into the story. I really enjoyed Alex’s character. He’s the perfect boy next door, but he also stands up for what he cares about. Harper was a fun character, even with all of her overbearing tendencies. I thought she was the perfect big sister trying to be mother, and was well written. Daniel, the guy that gets close to Harper in the way she doesn’t usually allow people, is probably my favorite. He’s fun and real, making Harper see things the way she needs to. Honestly, I probably loved Alex and Daniel the best! 

The three girls, the enemy, are written a bit like your typical mean girls, but there is also a underside of cruelty to them. 

Overall, the book was a good beginning to a series. There was action, there was struggle, and there were some seriously hot boys. I’m definitely looking forward to finding out where Amanda takes these characters next.

Wake comes out August 7th! Let me know what you think! 

Happy reading, 

Valia