BotW: Tell The Wolves I'm Home

Welcome to another Sunday lovelies! That means Book of the Week time!  Currently, this book is top of my TBR pile for November.  Yup, I'm still gonna try and read and actually get productive things done while I'm doing NaNo...can I do it? My track record says no, however, this year, I'm armed with my bullet journal and somewhat better time management skills.  So, let's see if I can keep my reading, reviewing, and blogging going while I'm working on that 50,000 words!  Expect a blog post about my nanoing coming up tomorrow! 

Anyway, enough about me blathering.  Time to get on to revealing the cover, pretty little thing that it is, for this week's book of the week...there will definitely be a review forth coming once I've gotten this pretty little thing read

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Carol Rifka Brunt

Review: Fire and Gold

Title: Fire and Gold
Author: Mara Amberly
Format: e-book
Pages: 189
Date(s) read: Oct 10-12, 2016
Rating: 4.5

Summary:

Sisters by birth, heroes by choice! In the city of Kalle, Cassia and Alexa are priestesses of the Sisters of Destiny, an order of female sorcerers. While absent from the temple, their home is attacked and the sisters return to find it ablaze; many of their fellow priestesses slain. Barely escaping alive, the sisters face an uncertain future, unsure of who they can trust.

Review:

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

When I was approached with this particular novel, I wasn't entirely certain what to think.  I'm a sucker for a good fantasy novel, however, I'm not entirely sure I was willing to commit to another series (because we all know I'll end up reading the entire series once it's out....because you know, that's the only logical thing to do).  I was honestly, pleasantly surprised by this story.

Mara  Amberly's writing is fantastic, and very reminiscent of some of my favorite fantasy writers. I love the world she has crafted in this fantasy novel, the characters are believable, relatable, and definitely among my favorites.  Without giving too much away, the plot is actually well developed and I hope that Amberly is able to keep the drive from this story going in the subsequent stories in this series.

There is a passage from this story that stands out to me, I'm not entirely sure why it does, however it has become one of my favorite small passages in the story.  To me it is a point that Cassia  realizes that not only does she want justice, no, vengence, but she also wants to protect others from the hatred, the hurt, the damage that could further be done by the Nemorans who had already done unspeakable things to her sisters, the priestesses.  I've included that particular quote below.

Cassia wondered about hatred and that fire of anger that smouldered inside of her, wanting to see the Nemorans slaughtered for what they did to her sisters. She didn’t just want justice, she wanted vengeance. Yet, she felt that went beyond hatred into hurt and the desire to protect others from their violence.

Ultimately, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a new author and has a love for Andre Norton or Marian Zimmer Bradley.  This story will keep you on your toes, and leave you begging for more by the time the last word is read.

Review: A Silent Prayer

Title: A Silent Prayer
Author: Samreen Ahsan
Format: Kindle (e-book)
Pages: 339
Date(s) Read: Oct 18-20, 2016
Rating: 3.5


Summary: In this spiritual romance we meet Adam Gibson, a young and powerful millionaire in Toronto.  Atheist, denies there is a God.  Then he meets Rania, a devout woman who believes strongly in god.  She has a brutal past.  He has his own demons.

Review:

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

In all honesty, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I opened this book.  I got the gist of things from the blurb, however, none of the blurb prepared me for this whirlwind of a story involving Adam Gibson and Rania Ahmed.  They are polar opposites when it comes to their faith - she believes in God, he is an atheist.  Friendship forms at first, and they realize that they can benefit each other, they can help each other with their own issues.

Rania's Muslim beliefs are so strong, and the fact that she was able to convince Adam to actually give thought to the possibility that there is a God to believe in.

There are several genres that I tend to not delve into too deeply, and religious focused love stories are at the very top of that list.  However, I did greatly enjoy the storytelling in this particular novel.  The characters actually had a depth that made them relatable on more than one level.  We all know that one person with a past they do not wish to talk about, yet are devoted to whatever deity that they follow and that one person who on the opposite side does not believe in a higher power.

I usually am not one to judge a book by it's cover, I usually grab a book based on the blurb.  The blurb is what had caught my attention, and the fact that they were from two different worlds and ultimately learn to coexist and ultimately fall in love and overcome the hurtles that they face from her past, as well as his demons.

If you are a fan of religious based love stories that are not solely embedded in the Christian faith, this is most definitely a story for you.  I encourage you to give this book a chance.

Review: Death's Servant

Title: Death's Servant
Author: C.J. Ellisson
Format: Kindle (E-book)
Pages: 119
Date(s) read: Oct 15-18, 2016
Rating: 3.5

Summary:  Jonathan Winchester has clashed with his alpha one too many times.  After antoher argument he leaves the Manitoba pack, the only home he'd known since the werewolf attack that had changed his life.  He returns to Virginia.  Eventually Jon finds work and meets Raine, who appears to be a lone werewolf, too.  Things are not as they appear and Jon ends up in a danger bigger than he can handle.

Review:

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is a prequel novel in the VV Inn series by Ellisson.  IT is also the first book I've read in this series.  While it was good, however, it wasn't entirely my cup of tea.  I am always open for a good supernatural read.  Supes have always been one of my favorite things.  I love the different take on the mythos of each of the more common supernaturals that appear in stories (vampires, werewolves, zombies, et cetera) - though to be honest, the only mythos I didn't entierly find plausable was the one where vampries sparkle in the sunlight - just don't get it.

Anyway, tangent aside, I did love the background story created on how Jonathan met Raine, Vivian and Rafe.  Eventually I might pick up the other books in the series.  However, with the perpetual growth of my TBR pile, I'm not certain when they will eventually make their way into my hands to read.

As this is a prequal to the V V Inn series, I did feel like some things were missing.  Things weren't fully developed.  It doesn't help someone actually get to know the characters if they aren't already familiar with the cast from the main novels in the series.  It honestly is better suited to readers who are already familiar with the novel's cast of characters and have questions about Jonathan's backstory before he came to the V V Inn.

Needless to say, the fact that this story didn't have much meat to it, was not a turn off to Ellisson's writing.  No, in fact I quite liked the writing and I do ultimately look forward to having a chance to read more of her writing.

Book of the Week: Stardust

Hello Lovelies!! Welcome to another Sunday! You know what that means...book of the week time! This week's book is one of my favorites.  I've always loved the worlds that Neil Gaiman crafted and his expertise when it comes to storytelling.  I couldn't even begin to fathom a top ten list of Neil Gaiman favorites, however, this one would probably be somewhere near the top.  Maybe one of these days I'll humor you and come up with a top ten Neil Gaiman list.  

For now, however, you'll have to settle with this week's book of the week.  If you've not read this fantasy story, I highly recommend it.  It was the book that introduced me to Neil Gaiman so many years ago. 

Stardust

Neil Gaiman

This story is by far one of my favorites. A love story involving young Tristran Thorn attempting to win the cold heart of Victoria.  She gives him a daunting task - to retrieve the fallen star that they watch fall in the night sky.  However, Tristran quickly learns that outside the walls of their quaint little village, the Faerie, and everything else are nothing like what they seem. 

I instantly fell in love with the storytelling, the whimsy and the life that Gaiman breathes into each and every character that he creates.  This is a story that I constantly go back to every so often to remember why it was that I fell in love with this masterful writer.

BotW: The Fireman by Joe Hill

Welcome to another glorious Sunday!  Fall is slowly easing its way into Florida...and it can gladly take any remaining traces of Hurricane Matthew and shove them out into the middle of the ocean where it can no longer do any damage.  Nope, not a little bitter at all...-shifty eyes- 

Anyway! 

On to this week's book of the week, which is actually my current read...and one that I will not be reading around bedtime because well...I don't read Stephen King before bed and subsequently I do not read his son's writings before bed either.  

The newest release by Joe Hill is a work of pure devilish deliciousness.  I am loving each and every dark, twisted moment of it!  Definitely a good book to read for Halloween! 

The Fireman

Joe Hill

BotW: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

This week's book of the week is actually my current read and I love it.  It is however, too big for me to tote about to and from work while I'm walking back and forth to work.  I love it though. It is the book that started a revolution, about a man worthy of the title Founding Father...

Alexander Hamilton

Ron Chernow

Top 10 Tuesday: 2016 Reads

Welcome to another Tuesday!  Choosing a topic for this list is almost as hard as putting together the list itself.  No, seriously...do you know how hard it is picking your top ten of ANYTHING?  I mean really, it's agonizing, anxiety inducing, maddening!  However, to share these books with you I've done it!  I've braved the monster once again to provide you with some of my favorite books so far this year!  They may not have been published this year, but they are the favorite books that I've read this year so far! 

Enough of my rambling and excessive use of the exclamation point in this post...#sorrynotsorry 

Top 10 2016 Reads

10. The Bourbon Kings - J.R. Ward

9. Trigger Warnings - Neil Gaiman

8. The Night Circus - Erin Morganstern

7. Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

6. All the Birds in the Sky - Charlie Jane Anders

5. The Magicians - Lev Grossman

4. Armada - Ernest Cline

3. The Widower's Aura - A.J. Renee

2. Hamilton: The Revolution - Lin-Manuel Miranda

1. Dorothy Must Die - Danielle Paige

It's only October, and I know my list will probably change.  However, this is by far my top ten favorite reads this far in 2016...it was hard to narrow down 118 books to just 10. 

See you next Tuesday lovelies! 

September in Review

September was a quiet month for me.  Mainly because I was dealing with quite a few things that were rearing their ugly heads and sending my depression in a downward spiral.  So, that's always fun. 

Anyway...enough of that...here are the books that I've read in the month of September...

1. The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness

2. Hamilton: The Revolution - Lin-Manuel Miranda

3. Children of the Flames - Lucette Matalon Lagnado

4. Always Never Sometimes - Adi Alsaid

5. The School of Good and Evil - Soman Chainani

6. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

7. Curtsies & Conspiracies - Gail Carriger

Here is hoping that October doesn't suck as much as September did.