Feature and Follow Friday #30

A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read &Parajunkee's View

How it Works: 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you visit the blogs of our illustrious hosts and leave your name on the post using using the linky tools, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question: 

What are your favorite books of 2014 (so far)?

This Week's Answer: 

This was a Top Ten Tuesday post recently so check that out HERE if you want to see me full list of favorites this year.

But my top two favorite books that I have read this year are Attachments by Rainbow Rowell which was a brilliant adult contemporary that I really connected with personally, and These Broken Stars by Aime Kaufman and Meagan Spooner which is an amazing YA Science Fiction novel with a great romance and mind-blowing twist. But I also absolutely loved Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo and I am currently obsessed with my current read Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth which is a dark adult retelling of Rapunzel

Well I think that's enough books to talk about. Must stop myself from gushing to hard, I'll never stop! How about you? What's your favorite book(s) of the year? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

 And remember this is a blog hop so take a look around and if you like what you see give me a follow and leave me a comment so I can follow back. I am indifferent to the manner in which you follow so pick your poison: GFC, Bloglovin, or Twitter. Thanks for dropping by, Happy FF and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising Series: Grisha Trilogy Book #3 Author: Leigh Bardugo Published: June 17, 2014 by Henry Holt (Macmillan) Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.  Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.  Ruin and Rising is the thrilling final installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

This review attempts to be spoiler free but Ruin and Rising is the last book in the Grisha Trilogy so it will more than likely contain spoilers for the first two books, Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm. If you have not read these books yet stop reading this review and start reading them! I’m not kidding, go read them... IMMEDIATELY!

The Grisha trilogy is a phenomenal Young Adult High Fantasy series and I was blown away by so much in the first two books. I was nervous and excited to read the final book for many reasons. I had a bunch or crazy theories and I was really worried about how it all was going to end. But when the dust had settled and the last page had been read I was incredibly satisfied with not only this book but the way the series concluded.

Shadow and Bone was incredibly action-packed while Siege and Storm was much more character-driven, meanwhile Ruin and Rising was a bit of both. There is lots and lots of action in this book. There were thrilling battle scenes, daring sword-fights, incredible use of magical powers, and death galore (you have been warned). But it also focused a lot on Alina, our protagonist and MC, and her personal development. As the tagline reminds us she’s gone from soldier, to summoner, and now to saint. She’s had quite the character arc and hero’s journey so now we get to see her in action as a leader. I just loved Alina in this book. She is walking that fine line between good and evil as her power takes hold and she struggles to know what to do with it. She was tough but compassionate and an amazing warrior who knows when not to fight. She’s smart, aggressive, and incredibly powerful. It was a pleasure seeing her learn and grow throughout these books.

But Alina isn’t the only brilliant character in this book. What Leigh Bardugo does so well is create complex and interesting characters who aren't perfectly good or perfectly bad (although in this book there is far less middle ground). They make you suspicious, but you can’t help but root for them at the same time. And the banter between them all was top notch! A few of my favorites include Genya who had an amazing arc throughout the series and had a great badass moment in this book, Baghra who had a great redemptive arc in this book but never changed her aggressive and snarky attitude, and Sturmhond who consistently made me laugh and had a gut-wrenching storyline! And then of course there was the Darkling. We got to learn so much more about this devious villain of this story and he was quite diabolical in this book, it was fantastic! But I would be remised if I didn’t mention my favorite character, Mal. He’s just so swoonworthy! He’s a fantastic male lead and so a tough but also sweet and caring. He's an amazing warrior but when it comes down to it all he wants is for Alina to succeed. There are few words to explain how I feel about Mal.

 What makes this book all the more enjoyable is the world-building. The world of Ravka is one of the most compelling in Young Adult literature to me. From the Russian illusions, to the magical system, to the historical back story, to its ominous creatures and geography I love it all. In Ruin and Rising the world continued to thrill me and there were so many more parts of this world and its history explained throughout the book . While it is often annoying to continue to build a world when you’re wrapping up the story in Ruin and Rising everything felt very important and beneficial to the plot.

And what an incredible plot it was! From beginning to end I was curious and enthralled by the mysterious and interesting plot of this book. Everything continued to develop into a thrilling conclusion and things that had been building since book one were resolved and explained. I had so many crazy and harebrained theories that I was interested to see resolved (if you want to hear any of them contact me on twitter) and more than a few twists caught me by complete surprise. There were some weird loopholes that weren’t completely explained but I’m going to call it magic and not think too much about how they are illogical. Besides they were all fantastic and interesting twists that added to an interesting and compelling book and series.

Prepare yourself, those twists lead to so many feels! This book took me through a complete range of emotions. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I was shock, I was confused, I was enthralled. When the book was over I had no words, only feels. Seriously I’m surprised I could even write this review (and it's long)! If you haven’t read the book beware of feels. You have been warned, you will need tissues. Or a stiff drink. Bring out the kvas! Let's all raise a glass to Leigh Bardugo and the stellar Grisha trilogy!

I give Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo 10 out of 10

It was brilliant and basically perfect! If you enjoy fantasy check out this series. Even if you don’t check out this series. Just read it, it’s brilliant, trust me, would I lie?

If you’ve read Ruin and Rising leave me a comment with your thoughts! Seriously, let's talk it out! I love chatting about interesting plot twists both good and bad! I may even tell you my harebrained theories if you ask nicely! If you want to talk about more spoilery points and feels send me a message on twitter. Seriously… I want to talk all about it! If you haven’t read this book then I cannot wait for you to read it! Enjoy and HAPPY READING!

Crossing Over - Contemporary With a Twist

This is the meme formerly known as "Recommending Adult Books." I haven't done one of these in awhile, but when I thought about doing one today I decided that a name change was in order. There's been so much YA hate going on lately and I didn't want to imply one was better than another. For me there's so much crossover. Young Adult is a marketing tool based often just on the age range of the MC. You often appreciate a book even if you aren't it's target audience.

So here are two books with crossover appeal. They have similar tones and characters, both are Contemporary with a twist.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Amazon  -  Goodreads  -  My Review
We Were Liars is the story of a wealthy family with a dark secret. The book takes place over the course of two summers at the family's beach front mansion and explores the idea that upper class families may not have it all together. Told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator trying to find out the truth the book has a dark and ominous tone leaving the reader questioning everything and wondering what in the world could be going on here!

The Infinities by John Banville
Amazon  -  Goodreads
The Infinities is the story of a wealthy family with a dark secret. The book takes place over the course of a summer day at the family's country mansion and explores the idea that upper class families may not have it all together. They come together as their patriarch is on his death bed to learn the truth and comfort one another despite the fact that they have never been very good at that. But there is so much more going on here. The narrator for most of the book is not quite normal and while he's not unreliable you still get a sense of ominous confusion.

When I was reading We Were Liars I was instantly reminded of The Infinities which I had read a few years before. They are both great contemporary books with gorgeous writing and interesting twists. We Were Liars is much more of a mystery then The Infinites but they both kept me interested and hooked from beginning to end. If you liked We Were Liars check out The Infinities or vice versa!

And check out my other Crossing Over posts where I recommend Mystery and Science Fiction novels with crossover appeal! HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday- Summer

If you are a blog follower you know I have theme months here on the site so here is a sneak peak at my summer themes and the books I'm excited about!

Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR

June- Retellings

1.) Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

This is one of my most anticipated books of the year. The conclusion to the Grisha trilogy! I must find out what happens. I am reading as we speak! 

2.) Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire

After as much as am enjoying the fictional Russia of the Grisha trilogy I am so excited for this historical fantasy from an author that I love. 

July - Historical Fantasy

This months theme is pretty much my favorite genre of books!

3.) Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson

This is straight fantasy but I've heard excellent things and it sounds fantastic. This eARC has been burning a hole in my e-reader for too long!

4.) Salt and Storm by Kendall Kulper

As soon as I learned about this book I knew I needed it in my life! Historical fiction, whaling, witches, romance. So glad I got an ARC at BEA. 

5.) Jackaby by William Ritter

Another one I knew I needed in my life! Doctor Who meets Sherlock. This book has everything I love in books all in one place. 

6.) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

As a fan of YA and Historical Fiction I am embarrassed to say I have yet to read this book. But Elizabeth Wein is coming to Pittsburgh so I am reading this book before I go to hear her speak. Plus I mean it sounds amazing!

August - Geek Books

These tend to be my favorite books of the year with characters that are a little nerdy but oh so easy to relate to.

7.) The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

This is probably my most anticipated book of the year. The way the last book in this series wrecked me! I can't wait to get back into this series.

8.) Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I love everything Rainbow writes and this one sounds like a brilliant concept. I can't wait to experience another of her adult contemps!

9.) An Abundance if Katherine's by John Green

I really should read more John Green. I loved The Fault in Our Stars but I want to try more of his stuff. Many of them seem a little too Manic Pixie Dream Girl but this one sounds good and it fits the theme.

10.) Vicious by Victoria Schwab

This is another book that has been on my list for awhile. I've heard amazing things and I love a good anti-hero story. It fits my theme so I'm reading it!

What are you excited to read? Leave me a comment with your summer TBR. And if you read any of these books let me know what you thought. HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: Tiger Lily Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson Published: 2012 by Harper Teen Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: In this stunning re-imagining of J. M. Barrie's beloved classic Peter Pan, New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson expertly weaves a gripping tale of love, loss, and adventure. Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair… Tiger Lily. When fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan deep in the forbidden woods of Neverland, the two form a bond that's impossible to break, but also impossible to hold on to. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. However, when Wendy Darling, a girl who is everything Tiger Lily is not, arrives on the island, Tiger Lily discovers how far she is willing to go to keep Peter with her, and in Neverland. Told from the perspective of tiny, fairy-sized Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily is the breathtaking story of budding romance, letting go and the pains of growing up.

Tiger Lily is such a unique and enjoyable story. I had heard nothing but amazing things from fellow bloggers and despite being disappointed by the last Peter Pan retelling I decided to give Tiger Lily a try and was so glad I did. This book is beautiful, complex, and incredibly unique.

The first thing that makes the book unique is the format of the story. As we learn in the synopsis this is a book about Tiger Lily but it is told from Tinkerbell's perspective. I'm sure like me you are used to third-person narratives but usually when that happens our narrator is not part of the story, but not Tink. She is as much a part of the story as anyone else. This was a strange concept to get used to at first, but when I did get used to it, it was so interesting and enjoyable. Tink was great narrator. She tells us at the very beginning that her inability to communicate makes her more connected with the thoughts and feeling of others but she's not a totally silent observed. It gives her a kind of unreliable narrator kind of feel. But also with her as our narrator we were able to see the story from the outside and explore more of the world of Neverland rather than being only to see it from Tiger Lily's side.

But that world of Neverland is another one of the unique and enjoyable things about this book. Like all retellings we were given a different take on the all-too-familiar Peter Pan story. First with Tinkerbell as our narrator we got to learn so much more about the fairies and other magical creatures on the island. I really liked all that information and everything we learned about the island of Neverland. But Tiger Lily didn't begin where we come in to the classic tale. We were brought to this world many years before Wendy hit the scene and received a lot of background information. It was almost like a prequel where Jodi Lynn Anderson seemed to speculate what sort of actions could have led to the story as we know it. But she also changed that story a lot. This is a much darker and grittier take on Neverland. It's not the perfect magical paradise that we're used to. There's no flying and no happy ending. It's gritty and depressing.

Part of what made it gritty and depressing was the characters. Tiger Lily of course was a fantastic protagonist. She was tough and a kickass female heroine but she was also vulnerable, caring, and reckless. There was a big exploration in this book about traditional gender roles and many of the characters didn't quite fit into the box that others were trying to put them in. And like most YA it was a book about fitting in and finding your place. Tiger Lily didn't quite fit in, even with her own people and it made her easy to empathize with and want to succeed. I also really liked Tinkerbell for her feelings of being an outsider. So many of the secondary characters felt like outsiders too and they were all very interesting. Things did get a little political at times but I enjoyed that deeper aspect of the story.

Despite the fact that I did enjoy the story, I didn't quite fall head over heels for it and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it was because there isn't a lot of thrilling adventure until the very end. The plot was a little slow to pick up and it had a lot of character exposition and world-building at the very beginning. I would have liked a little more action but that's just a personal preference. A lot of people also talk about the romance of this book at to me it was such a minor thing. It was more about accepting and finding where you belong. If you like character-driven stories with beautiful writing then you will love this book. Despite the lack of action, the prose of Jodi Lynn Anderson's writing redeemed things a lot for me. It was poetic and haunting adding to the slightly depressing tone of the story.

I give Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson an 8.5 out of 10

This is definitely a book for people who love Peter Pan, retelling, or depressing stories about love. If you are looking for a unique read that will make you feel things that you didn't expect then check this book out. And just in case you are considering reading it, Amazon is currently having a sale where you can get the e-book for $1.99 so hurry and go get it!

If you have read Tiger Lily what are your thoughts? Leave me a comment so we can keep the conversation going and of course... HAPPY READING!

Feature and Follow Friday #29

A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee's View

How it Works: 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs! 

How does this work? First you visit the blogs of our illustrious hosts and leave your name on the post using using the linky tools, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question: 

Armchair Travel. Tell us about your favorite book in a setting you'd like to visit (a real place for this question)

This Week's Answer: 

Picking an answer to this question in and of itself is a big question. The place that I have wanted to visit for a long time is Russia. I'm fascinated by their history and architecture.

So the two books that come to mind when I think of Russia are Sekret by Lindsay Smith and Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick (aka Jackson Pearce). Sekret has an incredible plot and the very cool setting of Soviet Russia in the 1960's. Tsarina however makes up for it's lackluster plot with luscious descriptions of Russia during the downfall of the Tsarist regime. Also this really makes me remember I need to read the Russian masters

How about you? What's your favorite book about a place you want to visit? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

 And remember this is a blog hop so take a look around and if you like what you see give me a follow and leave me a comment so I can follow back. I am indifferent to the manner in which you follow so pick your poison: GFC, Bloglovin, or Twitter. Thanks for dropping by, Happy FF and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die Series: Dorothy Must Die #1 Author: Danielle Paige Published: April 1, 2014 by HarperCollins Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling. What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. And I have a mission.

Dorothy Must Die is another one of those books that when you first hear about it you think, I need that in my life! I'm generally a big fan of Oz retellings especially if they are dark retellings (you may know I'm a huge fan of The Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire). When I first heard about Dorothy Must Die I knew I had to read it. And despite a slow and predictable start, this was a fantastic start to a series I am now hooked on.

If you begin reading Dorothy Must Die and you're thinking how it's boring and nothing more than a regurgitation of the well-known classic then keep reading. Yes, there are the obvious tropes. First we have our heroine, a young girl from Kansas who dreams of adventure who gets taken by a tornado to the land of Oz where she has to travel via road of yellow brick to the Emerald City, meeting a few companions along the way. But then fifty pages in that worldview is shattered with a brutal death and a surprising standoff, from there things take a much more interesting turn.

What nobody tells you about this book is that it is definitely much more fantastical and mysterious than expected. One might even say (I'm saying this) more fantastical than the original. One thing the book definitely has going for it is the world-building and magical system. Both were incredible and interesting. The magical system, for one, was so interesting. The idea of the inherent magic in Oz and how it's like electricity, all you have to do is harness it. But the world was also really interesting. Obviously this is a much darker Oz. Things over the rainbow are no longer sunshine and, well, rainbows. Dorothy and her posse has ruined things in the country with their egos and gifts from the Wizard. As far as retellings go it was such a creative spin on a well known classic.

Another thing I really liked was the characters. Of course we had the characters from the original tales of Oz but they were also very different than those created by L. Frank Baum. I loved the fact that Danielle Paige seemed to consider the idea that someone who spent their time thinking that they don't have a brain, heart, or courage would react to suddenly getting it. Then we had our protagonist and MC, Amy. She was snarky and tough but with a heart of gold that made her easy to root for. There's a definite Hero's Journey happening here and I love it. Plus, all the secondary characters were complex and mysterious, many of them had me so curious throughout the entire novel that I couldn't decide if they were good or bad. There was so much debate over good and evil many of the characters made you wonder who's team they were on and if you could trust them.

My only criticism is the plotting is a little weird. There seem to be three very different storylines that aren't very well connected and it sort of shifted suddenly to something out of left field at times. A lot of this had to do with Amy trying to decide who to trust and what to do, which was a definite layer of the story, but as the reader it felt odd and annoying at times.

But despite the slow start and what seemed like an unoriginal plot thread, the book developed incredibly ending with a thrilling conclusion that left me wanting more. There was so much action throughout the story with enough bursts of excitement that I could predict things would get thrilling, which kept me reading. I am absolutely hooked and I can't wait to see where this series goes, this is a great start to what is sure to be a phenomenal series.

I give Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige a 9 out of 10

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of The Wizard of Oz or Wicked but also to those who like fantastical retellings. It's a book for fans of Young Adult Fantasy but be warned, this is not your grandmother's Oz.

Have you read Dorothy Must Die? Leave me a comment with your thoughts and of course... HAPPY READING!