Esther's Ever After

By: L.M. Montgomery Published by: Sourcebooks Fire Released on: March 4, 2014 Purchase link: amazon | book depository Add it to goodreads Source: Purchased Rating: 5 stars An unforgettable story of courage and romance. Will Valancy Stirling ever escape her strict family and find true love? Valancy Stirling is 29, unmarried, and has never been in love. Living with her overbearing mother and meddlesome aunt, she finds her only consolation in the "forbidden" books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle--a place where all her dreams come true and she can be who she truly wants to be. After getting shocking news from the doctor, she rebels against her family and discovers a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams. When Stephanie Perkins recommends a book on instagram , I immediately order it. Here's what Stephanie said: This novel features characters named Valancy (Valancy!) and Barney Snaith (Barney Snaith!!!), a host...

By : Racheal Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Laconis  Published by : Simon & Schuster  Released on : November 20th, 2018  Purchase Links Add it to Goodreads Rating : 5 Stars  A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review Can you love someone you can never touch? Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions. The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals. Will...

By: Ibi Zoboi   Published by: Balzer + Bray Released on: September 18, 2018 Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo Purchase link: Harper Collins Add it to goodreads Source: purchased Rating: 5 stars Pride and Prejudice gets remixed in this smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of the classic, starring all characters of color, from Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award finalist and author of American Street. Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding. But with four wild sisters pulling her...

I am so thrilled to partner with Penguin Teen to celebrate the recent release of Lesley Livingston's THE TRIUMPHANT , the third and final book in the Valiant series. If you haven't yet picked up this series, I highly recommend you do! You can check out my reviews on the first two books here . Today's tour post includes information about the book, my thoughts, as well as Penguin Teen's 5 favorite quotes from the book. I always love getting posts like this from the publishers. It's fun seeing what parts of the book they enjoyed too.  PENGUIN TEEN'S TOP 5 FAVORITE QUOTES FROM THE TRIUMPHANT:  1. “I miss the days when all we had to worry about was beating the living tar out of each other.” 2. “I’m no more a lady than either of you two are lords. We’re all just gladiators, after all.” 3.   The murder itself was over in mere moments. The consequences would ripple down through the days and years to come. 4. “All of you,” Cleopatra continued. “All of you are extraordina...

By : Tricia Levenseller Published by : Feiwel & Friends Released on : February 26th, 2019 - TODAY Purchase Link Add it to Goodreads Source : e-arc from publisher  An eighteen-year-old chieftain's daughter must find a way to kill her village’s oppressive deity if she ever wants to return home in  Warrior of the Wild , the Viking-inspired YA standalone fantasy from Tricia Levenseller, author of  Daughter of the Pirate King .   How do you kill a god?  As her father's chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: To win back her honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying. Levenseller does it again! Much like her previous books, this new release has a twisted storyline, and a fierce h...

In honor of this week's release of THE TRIUMPHANT , the last book in this series, I'm thrilled to partner up with Penguin Teen to share my thoughts on the first two books. Today's posts will feature my mini reviews from the first two books, The Valiant , which you can read here , and The Defiant . Next week I'll be sharing my review for the epic conclusion of this must read series.  THE DEFIANT (Book #2) By:  Lesley Livingston Published by:  Razorbill Released on:  1/23/18 Series:  The Valiant Series #2 Purchase Links Add it to  Goodreads The  darling of  the  Roman Empire is in for  the  fight of her life in this lush sequel to  the  acclaimed historical fantasy  The  Valiant.      Be brave, gladiatrix... And be wary. Once you win Caesar's love, you'll earn his enemies' hate. Fallon was warned. Now she is about to pay  the  price for winning  the  love ...

In honor of this week's release of THE TRIUMPHANT, the last book in this series, I'm thrilled to partner up with Penguin Teen to share my thoughts on the first two books. Today's posts will feature my mini reviews from the first two books, as well as some favorite quotes. Next week I'll be sharing my review for the epic conclusion of this must read series.  THE VALIANT (Book #1) By : Lesley Livingston  Published by:  Razorbill  Released on:  February 14th, 2017 Series:  The Valiant #1 Purchase Links Add it to   Goodreads Lost to history, the story of the female gladiator has never been told. Until now. Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary warrior Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed while defending their home from the armies of Julius Caesar. On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her place in her fathe...

By : Katie McGarry Published by : Tor Teen Released on : January 22, 2019 Purchase Links Add it to Goodreads Rating : 4 Stars  Source : ARC from publisher in exchange for my honest review Jesse Lachlin is cursed.  So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland. Scarlett Copeland is psychic. Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s irrational fears, controlling attitude, and the dark secrets at home. Scarlett may have a way to escape, but there’s a hitch: she’ll have to rely on the one person she used to trust, the same boy who broke her heart, Jesse Lachlin. Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelin...

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 ...

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...

By : Leah and Kate Rooper Published by : Entangled Teen Released on : June 4th, 2018  Series : The Chicago Falcons Series #2 Add it to Goodreads Source : e-arc from the publisher in exchange for my honest review Star hockey player Daniel Sacachelli wants only two things: 1) for the Falcons to win next season, and 2) for his secret — the fact he’s actually the prince of Eldonia — to never make its way to Chicago. But if Daniel keeps avoiding his crown, their family will lose their kingdom forever. Madison Myong can’t believe that her will-they-or-won’t-they best friend Daniel is really a prince! He’s always seemed more rebel than royal. But now, he needs to clean up his image, fast. Posing as his long-time girlfriend, Madison accompanies him back to Eldonia, intending to give Daniel a makeover fit for a king. Only, the more royal Daniel becomes, the more Madison misses her best friend. And if she does her job right, she’ll lose him forever... This was the kind of read I needed. Whe...

By : Stephanie Garber Published by : Flatiron Books Released on : May 29th, 2018 Series :  Caraval #2 Purchase Links Add it to   Goodreads Rating : 5 Stars - I LOVED It! Source : Purchased Book The instant #1  New York Times  bestseller! Stephanie Garber’s limitless imagination takes flight once more in the colorful, mesmerizing, and immersive sequel to the bestselling breakout debut  Caraval A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win. After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name. The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the p...

By : Jennifer L. Armentrout Published by : Tor Teen To Be Released on : October 30th, 2018 Series :  Origin Series #1 Pre-Order from :  Tor Teen  |  Amazon  |  B&N  |  IndieBound Add it to   Goodreads   Rating : 5 Stars - I LOVED IT! Thank you to Tor Teen for providing an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head... #1  New York Times, USA Today,  and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the universe of the Lux in this bra...