Waiting on Wednesday: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein Written by: Kiersten White Published: September 25, 2018 by Delacorte (Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend. Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable. But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.

 
Why I'm Waiting:

First Dracula and now Frankenstein. Kiersten knows exactly what to write to capture my dark and twisted Gothic literature loving heart. I loved the first two books in The Conquerors Saga (I'm grabbing the audio for the last one now that it's out) so I was really excited to hear that Kiersten was writing a new book based loosely on Frankenstein.

But on top of that I really love Frankenstein retellings. I have read a handful of them and I always really love them. It's a book that lends itself really well to retellings and conceptually it is always so interesting to me. Plus I think this one sounds really amazing because it's not told from the perspective of Victor Frankestein and it's kind of an origin story. I can't wait to read it.

I got an advanced copy of this at ALA and I was so excited that they had copies because I am super excited to read it when we get closer to release date. Seriously, it sounds so amazing and I can't wait to read it.

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting on The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books from the First Half of 2018

A weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - My Review
Obsidio is my only ten star read of the year, I liked it that much. It was a great conclusion to an amazing science fiction series.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - My Review
There was a lot of hype surrounding this book. I wanted to read it but I also wanted to wait until the hype died down. I'm glad I didn't wait that long because this book was amazing.

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young - My Review
I was really looking forward to this book and I am so glad it lived up to my expectations. I reallu really enjoyed it.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton - My Review
This is another hyped book that I wanted to read but was nervous about because of the hype. But it was amazing and now I am super pumped for book 2.

LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff - My Review
I have loved every single one of Jay's books I have read. Whether he is writing solo or with someone else they are totally brilliant and this one was no exception.

Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen - My Review
I love Gaughen's first series but I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with this book but it was completely brilliant and I really loved it.

Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalso - Review in September
I know what you're thinking, this book doesn't come out for three months. But I got a copy at ALA and I couldn't wait to read it. It's really good.

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbaugh - My Review
I have been wanting to read this for awhile and I finally took the time to read it this month. I wish I had read it sooner because it was a fantastic historical fantasy.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - My Review
I was so pumped when I heard Amie and Meagan were writing another book together. And this one was so good. Full of action, adventure, and surprises.

The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes - My Review
Michelle recommended I read this book. And she knows my taste so well I couldn't not give it a try. And she was right, it was a great book and a total me book.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson - My Review
I loved Lily's debut and so I was excited to read this one because it sounded amazing. And it was amazing. Great characters and a lot of fun.

Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire - My Review
I had heard good things about this series and they were right, it was amazing. I have loved each book more and more and I am very excited for the next one.

There you have it, my favorite books of the year so far. Which books made your list? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine

Title: Smoke and Iron Series: The Great Library #4 Written by: Rachel Caine Published: July 3, 2018 by Berkley (Penguin/Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.   The opening moves of a deadly game have begun. Jess Brightwell has put himself in direct peril, with only his wits and skill to aid him in a game of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister of the Great Library. With the world catching fire, and words printed on paper the spark that lights rebellion, it falls to smugglers, thieves, and scholars to save a library thousands of years in the making...if they can stay alive long enough to outwit their enemies.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I really love this series and I was very excited and anxious to find out what was going to happen in the latest installment especially after the way the last one ended. And this was another great example of how interesting and engaging this series is.

One of my favorite things about this book is the world that Caine has been able to create. In this book we delve even deeper into some of the more interesting aspects of the magical system that we only got the smallest taste of in the first three books. For one thing we got to learn a lot more about the Obscurists and how their powers work, which I found very cool. We also get to see more of the steampunk technology like the automata and other inventions that Artifex like Thomas create. There was a very cool and very scary invention that the Library created which made for a very intense scene. All in all, I love the way that Caine has expanded on the world by combining science fiction and fantasy in a way that makes for a compelling world.

However the best part about this world is the political intrigue. This book is incredibly hard to categorize, which is one of the things I like about it, and this is one of the main reasons why. It reads a lot like a dystopia with an oppressive ruler fighting to maintain control from a rebellion by our main characters. And in this book, that rebellion is in full swing. Most of the book we have our heroes plotting against the Library and planning a coup that still protects knowledge and everything that the Library stands for. It honestly feel really timely in a subtle way that I really appreciated. But I also love how sinister the Library is. As book lovers we probably find it hard to root against such a place but Caine has managed to create a library that is so awful you want them to fail, well you want those in charge to fail. It’s a hard line to walk and she does it with ease.

Though it may be easy to root against the Library because it is easy to root for these characters. I have become so attached to these characters in the past four books, I am so scared about what is going to happen to them. In all the previous books, everything was from Jess’s perspective. This was fine with me because I really like Jess as a character. His thirst for knowledge and desire to do anything for the people he cares about is truly admirable and makes him easy to want to succeed. But I like that he’s still vulnerable and makes a lot of mistakes. He gets himself and others into a lot of bad situations here and I appreciate that he gets called out for it. He’s a good leader and strategist but he’s not perfect and those are the characters I like reading about.

But in this book we also get perspectives from plenty of other characters. Almost every one of the main characters gets to narrate at least one chapter and some like Morgan and Khalila get even more tan that. I really enjoyed being in their heads as well. Some of my favorite chapters and sections of this book were those from Morgan in particular. She had some of the most interesting experiences and getting to see her plot and scheme was amazing. I also really liked getting to see portions of the book from Wolfe and Santi’s perspectives because they have become some of my favorite characters. And while it made total sense for the narrative to change narrators and take us to different places, I did have that problem where I was annoyed we had to leave a haracter just when their story was getting good. It’s kind of just the nature of the game though.

Luckily, there was never a lull in this book though. The plot was so thrilling. There was so much action and adventure to go along with the intrigue and scheming. I honestly could not stop reading it. I have been having a really hard time with ebooks lately and I considered grabbing the audiobook for this one but once I started reading it, I didn’t want to audio at all. I was cruising through it and loving reading it with every turning page.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning more about the world and seeing the scheming and plotting, I loved the characters and seeing more perspectives, and I loved how thrilling this book was.

I give Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you are a fan of this series you will love the latest installment. It’s a great read and it ends with me desperately wanting the last book to see how everything shakes out. If you haven’t started this series and you are looking for a book that reads like dystopia but has a fantasy and sci-fi flair then definitely pick this up.

Have you read Smoke and Iron? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Final Draft by Riley Redgate

Title: Final Draft Written by: Riley Redgate Published: June 12, 2018 by Harry N. Abrams (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The only sort of risk 18-year-old Laila Piedra enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before her graduation, he's suddenly replaced—by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who is sadistically critical and perpetually unimpressed.   At first, Nazarenko’s eccentric assignments seem absurd. But before long, Laila grows obsessed with gaining the woman’s approval. Soon Laila is pushing herself far from her comfort zone, discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, temporary flings, and instability. Dr. Nazarenko has led Laila to believe that she must choose between perfection and sanity—but rejecting her all-powerful mentor may be the only way for Laila to thrive.

I really enjoyed the last Riley Redgate book that I read so when I saw her newest book was going to be about an aspiring writer I knew I needed to read it. And it was an okay read, but not my kind of contemporary.

One thing I will say about this book is that it is very serious and heavy. It deals with some serious issues that a lot of teens, and people in general deal with. This isn’t exactly a flaw in the book, it was a good book, and for the right reader they will probably really love this book, but I am not that kind of reader. I prefer my contemporaries to be more on the light-hearted side. I like a lot of humor mixed in with some more serious real life moments. But a book like this which packs a heavy punch isn’t my kind of read.

But I can be okay with a serious and issue based book if there is a solid plot and I don’t know that this book really had one. It’s more of a character-driven read, which is common for contemporaries, but it felt more like a slice of life kind of book and lacked cohesion for me. It just took the reader from moment to moment with the main character without much purpose. What was her goal... personal growth? To get better as a writer? To figure out who she was and what she wanted with life? All of the above? And yes, this is the way life is, we don’t all have clear goals and visions and end up falling down weird and twisted paths that we regret. But for me, that’s not a compelling read. Again, not a flaw of the book, just a personal preference.

One thing I did like however was the characters. I felt like Laila was one of the most honest and relatable characters I have read in a long time. I loved that she was plus size and proud. I loved that she looked nothing like her sister and the part where people pretended to see the resemblance is so my experience. I also liked that she was having a hard time dealing with loss, and depression, and wanted approval. She was very real and very relatable. And she definitely needed to be likeable because this book was so character-driven. If you didn’t connect with Laila it would have made the rest of the book very challenging.

I also feel like the relationships and sexual identity here was really well handled. I liked that Laila wasn’t hyper focused on love and being with someone so then when she did have feelings for them it caught her off guard. And I liked when she was dealing with her sexual identity and realizing that maybe she was attracted to a girl. It wasn’t exactly a struggle but it wasn’t obvious either. I think a lot of young readers will be able to relate to Laila in that respect as well. It was a good book to read for Pride Month because I think it dealt really well with the sexual identity of the character.

In general, I think this was an okay character-driven read. It had a likable protagonist who is struggling with a lot that I think people will relate to. But from a plot standpoint I didn’t connect with the story.

I give Final Draft by Riley Redgate 7.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow/Bypass. I would recommend this to someone who reads more contemporaries and wants to read a more serious book that has a slice of life feel. It's not however a book I would recommend to to casual contemporary readers like myself.

Have you read Final Draft? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh

Title: Smoke in the Sun Series: Flame in the Mist #2 Written by: Renee Ahdieh Published: June 5, 2018 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (Penguin Group) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The highly anticipated sequel to Flame in the Mist—an addictive, sumptuous finale that will leave readers breathless from the bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn. After Okami is captured in the Jukai forest, Mariko has no choice—to rescue him, she must return to Inako and face the dangers that have been waiting for her in the Heian Castle. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was being held by the Black Clan against her will, playing the part of the dutiful bride-to-be to infiltrate the emperor's ranks and uncover the truth behind the betrayal that almost left her dead.  With the wedding plans already underway, Mariko pretends to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials, all the while using her royal standing to peel back the layers of lies and deception surrounding the imperial court. But each secret she unfurls gives way to the next, ensnaring Mariko and Okami in a political scheme that threatens their honor, their love and very the safety of the empire.

I loved Flame in the Mist. It was one of my favorite books of last year so I was really excited to read the conclusion of this series and find out what was going to happen next. And while I enjoyed checking back in with the characters and getting some resolution, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped.

One of the things that I loved about this book was the world. Renee has created a really fantastic fantasy world inspired by Asian culture. It makes for a really lush and fascinating world that drew in the reader. I love that it pulls for Asian history and samurai culture. But it also has a great magical system. It's kind of a subtle magical system which is, what I am learning, may be a trademark of the author. She doesn't overwhelm the reader with a complex magical system, she just populates the world with magic that captures your interest and builds a basis for the plot and drama.

Unfortunately that plot wasn't as engaging as I was hoping. It wasn't a bad plot. There was a lot to it and it was interesting but it didn't feel as unique and fantastic as I had hoped. For one thing it reminded me a little bit too much of The Wrath and the Dawn. Our plucky heroine has to marry a terrible ruler and uses the opportunity to help the people her people. It's compelling, yes, but, it's also both stories. I know that Renee can do better. It just felt like a lot of this book wasn't really fully-formed. There were some really engaging parts of the book and just when I thought we were getting to a part where the plot would kick in, it would fade to black and move on to something else. I mean I liked the political intrigue and the plotting and scheming but even that felt fully fleshed out. I am a plot driven reader and I need a great plot for me to love a book and here it was just good, not great.

But my other criticism of the book is the pacing. I am used to Renee's style, it's overly flowery and lyrical and draws the reader in making you slow down and take in all the words. Which is all well and good but in order for that to not become taxing after awhile you need a book that is paced a little bit more steady. This book had a very slow pacing. It took me awhile to get into it and even when I was into it, I totally didn't mind putting it down for a book for a week to go to ALA and read a whole new book. I feel like that's not really a great thing in a book.

But for me, a lot of the book was redeemed by the characters. I really love these characters. Renee does a great job with developing characters who are dubious and walk the line between good and evil. The one character who is probably the most moral is the main character of Mariko who even manages to do a few pretty terrible things throughout the book. But I think the best characters here are the secondary ones. When get to spend a lot more time with Mariko's brother Kenshin in this book and he was really great. I liked being in his head and seeing his internal struggle. But the character with the best development was Raiden. I don't want to say too much but he's the kind of odious and grey character that I love.

On the whole, I think that Smoke in the Sun was a good read but it didn't blow me away like the first book in the series. It had a great world and amazing characters but the plot could have been less complicated and more creative.

I give Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh 8 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. If you liked the first book in this series then I would say grab this one on your next library haul. It's good but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

Have you read Smoke in the Sun? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Tep Ten Tuesday: Red, White, and Blue Covers

A weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This topic was so open-ended. Should I pick a variety of covers, some red, some white, some blue? Maybe pick one color? Or do all of them? To keep the list small I decided to go with all three and I tried to find book covers that had red, white, and blue in their covers.

1.) Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
I liked this book a lot. I feel like Leigh did a great job with telling Diana's story. Plus the cover has the classic RW&B of her costume.

2.) The Dire King by William Ritter
I love these covers and I love this series. I was really impressed with the last cover. The red is so vibrant and the pop of blue (although it may be more of a teal) was a great accent.

3.) This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab
This is kind of cheating because the one cover is red and white while the other is blue and white but I love this series and I really like this covers.

4.) One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
I think this one is probably cheating too because the blue is more of a grey blue, but it's another book that I really enjoyed.

5.) The Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye
I really liked the first cover in this series and I was glad to see they kept a similar motif in this one. The red and the blue in the crown give it a really good pop of color too.

6.) Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda and The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
I couldn't decide on which of these covers to include so I am adding them both. These are great books to and I like that the covers have a similar feel to them.

7.) The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
I love this series. I'm more partial to the redesigned covers which are similar to TSS and ODD in that one is red and white and one is blue and white but the original cover is red, white, and navy.

8.) The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Why on earth did they redesign these book covers? They were really good. The first two have a red,white, and blue thing going and while I didn't love them the redesign was worse. But the books are great.

9.) The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it more than I expected. The cover is also super cute. But while we are talking about this book motion to have them write a sequel where Freddy marries a biracial actress. Who's with me?

10.) All Fall Down by Ally Carter
I really enjoyed this series. It's a good political thriller and has some fun surprises. Also the cover to the first book is very patriotic so it had to make the list.

What books made your list? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

June Wrap Up and July TBR

Read in June:

Thanks to a last minute push on Saturday I ended up reading 10 books this month, which is pretty good for me. Managing to read this many books in a month when I was travelling a lot is a pretty big accomplishment and will put me back on track if I manage to do this every month from now on. But I may also have cured myself of my reading slump thanks to my decision to read one of my ALA books which I was super excited about.

For challenges, this year I'm low key doing challenges. I set a Goodreads goal of reading 120 books in a year. I am a little behind on this one with 58 books total for the year. But I'm not worried. If I can maintain 10 a month then maybe I will have some better months and be back on track. For the rest of the challenges I only low key set them. I want to read 20 debuts this year. I didn't read any this month so I'm still at 8 total for the year which is behind schedule but I will probably make that up in the fall. I want to read 36 books from Netgalley and Edelweiss and I read 3 this month which brings my total up to 12 for the year. I haven't really been reading e-books lately so I am very behind on this one so I'll probably need to lower it to 24. I also want to read 20 backlist books. This month I read 1 which brings my total to 11 for the year so I'm doing well on that.

The Books

1.) Now I Rise by Kiersten White Rating: 9.5 out of 10 [My Review]

2.) LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff Rating: 9.5 out of 10 [My Review]
3.) Save the Date by Morgan Matson  Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]
4.)  The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton Rating: 9.5 out of 10 [My Review]
5.) Runaways Vol 1: Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell
and Kris Anka Rating: 9.5 out of 10
6.) Rat Queens Vol. 4: High Fantasies by Kurtis J. Weibe and 
Owen Gieni Rating: 9 out of 10
7.) Providence by Caroline Kepnes  Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]
8.) Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco Rating: 9 out of 10
[Review Closer to Release Date]
9.) Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh Rating: 8.5 out of 10  [Review to Come]
10.) Final Draft by Rilet Redgate Rating: 8 out of 10 stars [Review to Come]

To Be Read in July: 

My goal was to read 12 books again in July. It's is on the higher end of reading for me but I want to try and get back on track. I think that it's doable but hopefully I'll at least get 10. I want to keep on track for my goal of reading 120 books in the year and that will make sure I maintain that.

Books for Review

Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine  - Add to Goodreads

I am a huge fan of this series. They're such amazing and creative books. I can't wait to read the next book in the series and find out what happens next. 

Heroine's Journey by Sarah Kuhn - Add to Goodreads

Another series that I love and can't wait to find out what happens next. I love reading these books every summer. They're such a fun reads.

Bright We Burn by Kiersten   - Add to Goodreads

I only just caught up with this series. But I really liked Now I Rise and I can't wait to read the final book. I got a copy at ALA and I'm hoping to start it soon.t

Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie - Add to Goodreads

I love Emily's first series and I am super excited to read this book as well. It sounds like another unique and engaging Sci-Fi read.

Campfire by Shawn Serles - Add to Goodreads
This book sounds like a perfect summer read and I am very excited to read. I picked a copy up at ALA and I'm hoping to read it soon.

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart - Add to Goodreads

I got this book from Netgalley and it looks really good. I think it's a historical fantasy. Or it's a high fantasy that only looks historical. Either way I want to read it.

The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken - Add to Goodreads

The Darkest Minds is one of my favorite series and is my favorite dystopia so you know that I am excited for this new book. Plus it's Zu. ZU, YOU GUYS!

New Releases

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas - Add to Goodreads
I really enjoyed Kara's other mysteries and this one sounds really good. I thought a got a copy of this from Netgalley but I went to download it and my request is still pending. I wish I had picked a copy up at ALA.

Competence by Gail Carriger - Add to Goodreads
I love Gail Carriger and I love the Custard Protocol so much. Plus this book is from Prim's perspective so I am all the more excited to read it.

Backlist Books

Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken - Add to Goodreads

I still haven't read this collection of novellas and I feel like I definitely need to do it before I read The Darkest Legacy and before the TDM movie comes out.


Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma - Add to Goodreads
I loved the first Nova book that I read and I am excited to read her new book but I want to read this one as well.

There you have it. Some of the books I hope to read in July. As always, these are subject to change. I may read all of these or I may only read a few and then read a bunch of different ones. But honestly I think this list I can stick to. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!