Esther's Ever After

Image source  Happy New Year's Eve! It's hard to believe it's the last day of 2018. I feel like I just wrote our 2017 Top Ten Favorites lists. This year has flown by. As I'm writing this post I feel like I ran out of time to read more books, write more reviews, and post more bookish features. While I wasn't as active here on the blog, I have posted a lot more bookish features over on Instagram. Check us out here . I am so excited to share one of our favorite posts of the year! Our top 10 favorite reads of the year. Normally it's hard for us to narrow our lists. In previous years we couldn't, and ended up with more than ten. This year we may have been a bit more pickier with our 5 star ratings than in years past.  Without further ado, here is our Top Ten Favorite Books of 2018 !  We always love comparing our lists after we make them. We love seeing which books we collectively have on our lists. This year we only had 4 books that were on at least tw...

Happy Friday Shadowhunters! Did you read the newest edition of Cassie's newsletter? It's definitely not one to be missed. One of the things she shared is this snippet of a poster for the RED SCROLLS OF MAGIC, along with the snippet below. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you sign up for her newsletter.  Per Cassie's newsletter: Check out this snippet of a poster Cassandra Jean illustrated to promote  Red Scrolls of Magic ! The poster will be handed out at ALA Midwinter, as well as other conventions throughout the year. Red Scrolls of Magic  comes out on April 9th, 2019. Enjoy an excerpt! Alec gave a gratifying, wondering, “Oh,” as the train emerged around a bend into the heart of the French countryside. Dense, dark green forest framed mirrored lakes, and in the distance, white snowcapped mountains watched over the landscape. Closer, a rocky promontory rose like the prow of a ship from the distinctive tidy grid of bright vineyards below. Magnus watched the l...

Cassandra Clare and Holly Black are heading over seas next year! I love that they're hitting the road together. Here's where they'll be going, per Cassie's newsletter: February 20, 7PM ST JAMES CHURCH 197 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9LL Tickets Here February 22, 12:30PM GLEE CLUB ARCADIAN  70 Hurst St, Birmingham B5 4TD Tickets Here February 23, 4PM ST ANN’S CHURCH St Ann St, Manchester M2 7LF Tickets Here   February 24, 5PM BEWICK HALL Newcastle City Library 33 New Bridge Street West Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8AX Tickets Here   February 25, 6:30PM ASSEMBLY ROXY 2 Roxburgh Pl, Edinburgh EH8 9SU Tickets Here   February 26, 6:30PM LIBERTY HALL  Eden Quay, North City, Dublin 1, Ireland Tickets Here

Hopefully by now you've seen Cassie Clare stunning CHAIN OF GOLD cover. I still can't stop staring at it. It is absolutely stunning! This book is up for pre-order now though it won't be out until 11.19.19. It's the first book in her The Last Hours series.  Here's what Cassie shared on social media when she first shared the cover: The cover of CHAIN OF GOLD! Coming November 19, 2019: Cordelia Carstairs holds Cortana in front of the gates of Kensington Palace. Edwardian England, fabulous clothes, dark secrets...I can't wait for you guys to read THE LAST HOURS! 

By : Marie Lu Published by : Penguin Teen Released on : September 18th, 2018 Series : Warcross #2 Purchase Links Rating : 4.5 stars Source : purchased book  An Instant  New York Times  Bestseller! Return to the immersive, action-packed world of  Warcross  in this thrilling sequel from #1  New York Times  bestselling author Marie Lu Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side. Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price. Caught in a ...

By : Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Amiee Friedman and Kasie West Published by : Point Released on : October 30th, 2018  Purchase Links Source : Purchased book What's better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today's bestselling authors. From KASIE WEST, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed. From AIMEE FRIEDMAN, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love. From MELISSA DE LA CRUZ, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents. From NIC STONE, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic. So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love... I am a huge fan of holiday anthologies, especially around the holidays. There's just something about reading a collection of feel good short stories centered on the holidays that I enjoy. This ...

Happy Book Birthday to today's newest YA releases! Here's what you'll find out on book store shelves now:  THE CURSED SEA By Lauren DeStefano , Balzer + Bray 29 DATES by Melissa de la Cruz , Inkyard Press  KISS COLLECTOR by Wendy Higgins , Harper Teen  MY ALMOST FLAWLESS TOKYO DREAM LIFE by Rachel Cohn , Disney Hyperion THE DISASTERS by M.K. England , Harper Collins DEAR HEARTBREAK: YA AUTHORS AND TEENS ON THE DARK SIDE OF LOVE , Henry Holt & Co. Which new books are you looking forward to picking up? 

By : Tahereh Mafi Published by : Harper Teen Released on : October 16th, 2018 Purchase Links Add it to Goodreads Source : Borrowed book  It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be a...

By : Wendy Higgins Published by : Harper Harper Released on : 3/8/16 Series : Eurona Duology #1 Purchase Links Add it to Goodreads Source : ARC from publisher to review When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage. Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger... until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them... or his mysterious resentment. Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface. Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” N...

Happy Book Birthday to today's newest YA releases. Here's what you'll find out on bookstore shelves now.  BROKEN LANDS by Jonathan Maberry , Simon & Schuster THE FADE by Demitria Lunetta , Delacorte Press Deadfall by Stephane Wallenfels , Disney Hyperion, *12/10/18 Which new releases will you be picking up?