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This will I will share my top 5 books I plan to read this summer and 5 books I recommend for you to read this summer!
5 books I plan to read:
5 books I recommend you to read:
1. Talon by Julie Kagawa - This book is very fun and perfect for summer. It takes place in summer on a beach full of surfing...and dragons!
Boomerang
Rebound
Bounce
The last book Bounce will be out August 25th. This is an NA series that is so fun and very "HOT." So, it's perfect for summer!
A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
My Thoughts 4 Stars
Here's the deal. I've decided on giving this book a 4 stars because I didn't walk away completely loving it. Which is a shame because it was so close!
The Story:
This story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I saw Sarah on her Heir of Fire tour last fall and she told us about this book. She said how it started off as a retelling but really evolved into it's own book. Along the way there are "nods" to the Beauty and the Beast story. Because she emphasized that it was really going to contain only "nods" I really thought it would be completely original.
HOWEVER, I was surprised to see more than just nods... but rather scenes taken directly from the animated movie. And I'm pretty sure there were a few lines that crossed over into this book.
I found this slightly distracting because every time something similar happened I kept envisioning the animated feature with Belle and the Beast.
Feyre is a human. And humans live south of a wall built to help protect them from the fae who are believed to be viscous and evil. One day while hunting, she kills a wolf to help feed her family. She then has to deal with the consequences and is dragged to the north side of the wall to live in the Spring Court. Here she meets Tamlin, the one who came to get her.
Her consequence for killing the wolf is that she has to live with Tamlin forever and never see her family again.
My feelings:
For the majority of the book, I LOVED IT! I loved meeting Tamlin and Lucien. Lucien is a hilarious and fun character. The development of the world was lovely and I adored it. Plus, it was super sexy! NA sexy!
But, the end of the book felt weird to me. Up until a certain "mountain" event happens I loved it but then their circumstance changes and this is where I felt the book's pacing really slowed down. It also had a totally different feel, more horrifying and uncomfortable. I can't really go into detail because spoilers.
The actual end of the book I felt was satisfying but I left his book not knowing how to rate it.
It left me slightly disappointed...
Overall:
Even with my few issues, overall this book is a definite read. It was VERY sexy, fun, thrilling and I'm looking forward to book 2 and how this world will continue on.
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Goodreads Summary:
Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.
Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.
But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.
Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.
My Thoughts 5 STARS!!!
Oh man you guys, I really didn't know what to expect from The Witch Hunter. It looked good and people said so.
Click here for more information about the Sunday Street Team!
Making Pretty
by Corey Ann Haydu
Synopsis (GR):
Montana and her sister, Arizona, are named after the mountainous states their mother left them for. But Montana is a New York City girl through and through, and as the city heats up, she’s stepping into the most intense summer of her life.
With Arizona wrapped up in her college world and their father distracted by yet another divorce, Montana’s been immersing herself in an intoxicating new friendship with a girl from her acting class. Karissa is bold, imperfectly beautiful, and unafraid of being vulnerable. She’s everything Montana would like to become. But the friendship with Karissa is driving a wedge between Montana and her sister, and the more of her own secrets Karissa reveals, the more Montana has to wonder if Karissa’s someone she can really trust.
In the midst of her uncertainty, Montana finds a heady distraction in Bernardo. He’s serious and spontaneous, and he looks at Montana in the way she wants to be seen. For the first time, Montana understands how you can become both lost and found in somebody else. But when that love becomes everything, where does it leave the rest of her imperfect life?
My Thoughts
I received a digital copy of Making Pretty through Edelweiss for an honest review.
I rarely read contemporary. But I joined up with the Sunday Street Team, started by Nori at
ReadWriteLove28, in order to branch out of my typical genre and find new-to-me authors.
Making Pretty is quite a ride.
The Story:
The story starts off with two sisters and their dad. Their dad has had MANY failed marriages including the one to Montana and Arizona's mom. The girls are full of insecurity that comes from a mother who abandoned them to a father whom they feel they could never live up to his expectations. Montana's dad is plastic surgeon who, in their eyes, always find faults in women.
Montana is the main character and she is heading into her summer break. Arizona, her sister, and Roxanne, their best friend, come home from college. The summer is supposed to be fun and finally reuniting the three of them.
Montana makes friends with a wild and spontaneous friend, Karissa. This is a relationship she craves but as the story progresses finds out she's not who she thought she was.
The summer ends up with many crazy and intense situations which, in my opinion, is spurred on by LOTS of drinking. I mean, A LOT! I don't read contemporary very much but, boy, these characters know how to throw down the alcohol. If you're not really into drinking or what it feels like in the mind of drunk person, you may not enjoy this book. I found it interesting but also craaaaazy.
Montana also meets a boy who really becomes very important to Montana considering that as the summer moves along she feels more and more alone. Bernardo helps fill the holes.
The characters:
I enjoyed all the characters in Making Pretty. They were uniquely their own and all on an emotional and life quest.
Montana is sweet. Even if something bothers her she tries to do what's right and what's right for the other person.
Overall:
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written and an interesting window into how crazy life-changing decisions happen and how they're justified in someone's mind. I didn't particularly care for all the under-age drinking. There also was a lot of enabling happening that made me want to slap the characters. Despite those things I did enjoy all the lessons the characters learned throughout the book and how much they changed. If you want to enter one crazy summer in New York City, this is the book for you! 4 Stars.
About the Author:
Corey Ann Haydu is the author of OCD LOVE STORY, LIFE BY COMMITTEE, MAKING PRETTY and her upcoming middle grade debut, RULES FOR STEALING STARS. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and The New School’s Writing for Children MFA program, Corey has been working in children’s publishing since 2009.
In 2013, Corey was chosen as one of Publisher Weekly’s Flying Starts. Her books have been Junior Library Guild Selections, Indie Next Selections, and BCCB Blue Ribbon Selections. Corey also teaches YA Novel Writing with Mediabistro and is adapting her debut novel, OCD LOVE STORY into a high school play, which will have its first run in Fall 2015. Corey lives in Brooklyn with her dog, her boyfriend, and a wide selection of cheese.
