A Monthly Round Up (3) : February

A Monthly Round Up is a meme hosted at Feed Me Books Now!!!. The purpose of this meme is to sum up the month's blogging in one post.

School work has really been taking a toll on me lately. As you may have noticed, there weren't that many posts throughout this month on Spare Reads. Less reviews, less memes, less everything. :( It is much more difficult than I thought to balance between real life stress and blogs, especially when I'm still somewhat new to this community. One thing I know for sure is that I do not want to slip into a blogging slump or let blogging become a burden. Therefore, I will read whenever I can and try my best to share with you my thoughts! Hopefully with some bookish discussions here and there too :D 

Waiting on Wednesday (9) : The Ring and the Crown (The Ring and the Crown, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: The Ring and the Crown

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Series: The Ring and the Crown, #1

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release: April 1st 2014

Pages: 384 (hardcover)

( Amazon | Goodreads )

Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.

I have always been fond of historical fantasies. Adding in magic and court conspiracies, The Ring and the Crown quickly grabbed my attention. With a princess who would rather choose love than power and a bastard daughter who is too ambitious for her own good, nothing in the court of Queen Eleanor would be as easy and peaceful as it seems. I imgaine Melissa de la Cruz would portray Marie and Aelwyn through dual POVs, though I do sense more emphasis on Marie's struggles, so perhaps we will be getting a single perspective after all.

What are you waiting on today?

Epic Recs Review: Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)

Feature created by Amber & Judith

Recently I signed up for Epic Recs, a book pushing book club where you get to recommend books for each other to read every month. I was fortunate enough to be paired with Bec @ Ransom Reads which is pretty cool since I have been following her reviews on Readers In Wonderland for quite awhile now. For February, I recommended Bec The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston knowing her passion for historical fictions and high fantasy novels. In turn, she suggested me Graceling by Kristin Cashore since I too am a high fantasy addict. Is it truly an epic rec, you ask? Yes, of course! Read along and you will know exactly what I mean :) 

Author: Kristin Cashore
Series: Graceling Realm, #1
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Release: Sep 7th 2009 (first published in 2008)
Source: Purchased
Pages: 481 (ebook)
( Amazon | Goodreads )

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

I'm happy to say that I have been making some real progress with my TBR pile lately. *clap*clap* Graceling has been on my radar for quite a long time due to its widespread popularity, though it is only now that I finally stepped into Kristin Cashore's intriguing Medieval world - the realm of the Seven Kingdoms - and got to know these Gracelings who bear different colors in their eyes. With high expectations in mind, I started it off anticipating great things from Ms. Cashore and I'm glad that not one of them was left unfulfilled.

Waiting on Wednesday (8) : The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1) by Marie Rutkoski

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: The Winner's Curse

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner's Trilogy, #1

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan)

Release: March 4th 2014

Pages: 368 (hardcover)

( Amazon | Goodreads )

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Recently, as you may have noticed too, there are a lot of promotional posts around The Winner's Curse. Upon first look, I was almost instantly drawn to it by the cover - gorgeous model (look at dat dress!!), elegant font style, intriguing title, etc. Everything is utterly perfect and there is only one voice in my head - MUST GET IT (yep, my head is kind of creepy like that...). Jokes aside, I'm indeed very much anticipating the release of this new trilogy. Although the premise involves some sort of "games" again, I'm hopeful that Marie Rutkoski would be able to bring us readers something new and imaginative to love wholeheartedly. By the way, do you know that the first five chapters are free on kindle right now? *wink*wink*

How are you doing this week? Waiting for anything special?

Review: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)

Author: Susan Ee
Series: Penryn & the End of Days, #1
Publisher: Skyscape (self published work)
Release: Aug 28th 2012
Source: Purchased
Pages: 288 (ebook)
( Amazon | Goodreads )

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

I can’t believe how long it took me to uncover Angelfall from my pile of TBR reads, 250 days to be exact. If not for Aneta’s recent review, it would still be buried among my kindle books with a slim chance of being rediscovered on its own. It is hard to imagine now what it would be like to miss this book for real, though I doubt it would be anything other than regretful.

Stacking the Shelves (1)

Stacking the Shelves is a book-haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

This is my first time participating STS. After seeing all the posts from other blogs, I'm quite eager to share with you all my new acquisitions as well. Get ready for the goodies :D

Bought

Legend (Legend, #1) by Marie Lu

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1) by Stephanie Perkins

I have heard so many good things about these three series,  especially The Raven Boys. Maja @ The Nocturnal Library have always held Maggie Stiefvater in the highest regard. And trust me, when Maja says someone or something is brilliant, you shall expect nothing less. 

Blog Tour Excerpt + Giveaway: After Life Lessons (After Life Lessons, #1)

Welcome to my stop on the release blog tour for After Life Lessons by Laila Blake and L.C. Spoering. This is an Adult Post-Acaplyptic Romance.

This tour runs Feb. 10th - April 30th with reviews, interviews, guest posts, and spotlight posts. It also includes an exciting giveaway. Be sure to check out the tour page for additional info and list of tour stops.

About the Book

Title: After Life Lessons

Author: Laila Blake & L.C. Spoering

Series: After Life Lessons, #1

Publisher: Lilt Literary (self published work)

Release: April 8th 2014

Format: Paperback/ebook

Length: 81,000 words

( Goodreads | Lilt Literary )

Hulking shadows emerge out of the chaotic flurries of the blizzard. Something is dying, and so they come, like vultures.

After months of struggling south to escape the zombie-infested remains of New York, a snowstorm traps 23-year old artist, Emily, and her son in an abandoned gas station. Starving and desperate, they encounter Aaron, an Army medic on a mission of his own, who offers them a ride to ease the journey.

The road is a long and dangerous place to travel, and every day brings a new threat. But fear and adrenaline also drive the two closer together; they find laughter and a budding attraction that starts to thaw at their numb and deadened feelings. And that’s when the pain really starts to hit, when places long thought lost prickle back to life. Eventually, they will have to fight not just for survival, but for a future together, or their broken world will swallow them whole.

Excerpt

Something was dying in the flurries of snow. The wind had piled it into drifts, threw it into icy funnels that danced between the trees. 

Emily couldn’t see five feet of road in front of them, but the desperate howl pierced the wind. A dog maybe, or something altogether wilder. One hand firmly wrapped around Song’s wrist, she dragged the boy along. He grew heavier, slower with each step. Piece by piece, they had let go of their possessions, offered them like sacrifices to the cold, to earth’s gravity and fatigue. Song had long stopped complaining; he’d even stopped coughing, just hung on to her, placing a shaking foot in front of the other.

Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. (Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc., #1)

Welcome to my stop on the tour for Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc by PK Hrezo. This is a NA Time Travel Adventure Romance.

This tour runs Feb. 10-21st with reviews, author interviews, and a few guest posts and top tens. It also includes a great giveaway. Be sure to check out our tour page with additional info and list of tour stops.

About the Book

Title: Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc

Author: PK Hrezo

Series: Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc, #1

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (self published work) 

Release: Nov 5th 2013

Source: Blog Tour Copy

Pages: 310 (ebook)

( Amazon | Goodreads | B&N )

It’s the year 2069 and even though eighteen-year-old Bianca Butterman is heir to the family biz, she may never see the day her time-craft license becomes official. When a government agent starts nosing around the operation, Butterman Travel, Inc. gets stuck with a full audit—part of a government take-over scheme to shut down all private time travel agencies. Enter former boy band superstar, Tristan Helms, desperate to retrieve a lost item from his past and willing to pay triple fare for a time-trip to get there, and Bianca has to find a way to complete the job and return home before the government gets wind and shuts down the family biz for good.

Welcome to Butterman Travel, Incorporated, a full service agency designed to meet all your exclusive time travel needs. We’re a family owned and operated business with one hundred years of experience. A place where you can rest assured, safety and reliability always come first.

Anxious to attend some special event from the past? Or for a glimpse of what the future holds?

You've come to the right place. We’re a fully accredited operation, offering an array of services; including, but not limited to: customized travel plans, professionally piloted operations, and personal trip guides. *Terms and conditions do apply

Use our Web conferencing to contact our front line reservation specialist, Bianca Butterman, who will handle all your inquiries in a professional and efficient manner, offering a tentative itinerary and free fare quote, so you can make the most of your time trip.

We look forward to serving you at Butterman Travel, Inc., where time is always in your hands.

Have you ever considered the things you would do if one day you could travel in time? Past, future, wherever and whenever your heart desires, with a simple gesture of hand and BOOM!! you are there, mingling between what was already done and what has yet to come. If you are as fascinated and intrigued as I am, Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc will surely be a treat for you.

ARC Review: Fates (Fates, #1)

Author: Lanie Bross
Series: Fates, #1
Publisher: Delacorte Press (Random House)
Release: Feb 11th 2014
Source: Netgalley
Pages: 336 (ebook)
( Amazon | Goodreads )

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Armentrout, Julie Kagawa, Rachel Vincent, and Sarah J. Maas, and for girls who love all things pretty, romantic and inspirational.

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people's fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she is falling all over again--this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die. In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

"Different and imaginative."--Kirkus Reviews

It is never easy for me to turn down a pretty cover, despite the fact that this irrational urge has brought me more than a few disappointments. Well, that number may have to go up another notch today. To be fair, I don’t dislike Fates as much as some of the other ones, but that is hardly a compliment at all. While parts of the story remained quite entertaining to read, as a whole, there were way too many problems for me to fully enjoy it. 

Waiting on Wednesday (7) : Grim by Christine Johnson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: Grim

Editor: Christine Johnson

Authors: Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Jeri Smith-Ready, Saundra Mitchell

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release: Feb 25th 2014

Pages: 480 (hardcover)
( Amazon | Goodreads )

CLAIRE DE LUNE and NOCTURNE author Christine Johnson, ed.’s GRIM, an anthology of dark fairy tale retellings, featuring stories by New York Times bestselling authors Ellen Hopkins, Amanda Hocking, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Julie Kagawa, and others, to Natashya Wilson at HarlequinTeen, in a nice deal, for publication in Winter 2014, by Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (World).

I'm always in the mood for some fairy tale retellings, though I must say that dark retellings are rare treats. It was quite a frightening experience when I first read the original Brother Grimms' tales - Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, etc, each being turned into something far more wicked and evil. I'm interested to see what kind of retellings these authors can come up with and whether or not they fulfill the level of darkness and cruelty.

What are you waiting today? 

Review: Tiger Lily

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Haper Teen (Harper Collins)
Release: July 3rd 2012
Source: Purchased
Pages: 304 (paperback)
( Amazon | Goodreads )

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

Peter Pan was never a favorite of mine, nor was I at all familiar with the myths of Neverland. Although adored by many of my friends, it seemed that I never cared enough to read this particular fairy tale, which also explained my initial hesitation towards Tiger Lily. Let me tell you now, my friends, I was such a fool. Tiger Lily was nothing like the ridiculous and predictive story I had expected. Instead, it was a grand display of fascinations and wonderments. I loved exploring Neverland in Jodi Lynn Anderson’s imaginations and the tale of Tiger Lily and Peter Pan is downright heartwarming and tear jerking all at the same time.

Blog Tour Spotlight + Giveaway: Scintillate (The Light Key Trilogy, #1)

Welcome to my stop of the Scintillate blog tour organized by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out the tour details and full schedule here.

About the Book

Title: Scintillate

Author: Tracy Clark

Series: The Light Key Trilogy, #1

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release: Feb 4th 2014

Pages: 304

( Amazon | Goodreads | B&N )

A mighty flame follows a tiny spark

Cora Sandoval’s mother disappeared when she was five and they were living in Ireland. Since then, her dad has been more than overprotective, and Cora is beginning to chafe under his confines. But even more troubling is the colorful light she suddenly sees around people. Everyone, that is, except herself—instead, she glows a brilliant, sparkling silver.

As she realizes the danger associated with these strange auras, Cora is inexplicably drawn to Finn, a gorgeous Irish exchange student who makes her feel safe. Their attraction is instant, magnetic, and primal—but her father disapproves, and Finn’s mother orders him home to Ireland upon hearing he’s fallen in love. After a fight with her father, Cora flees to Ireland, both to follow Finn and to look for her missing mother.

There she meets another silver-haloed person and discovers the meaning of her newfound powers and their role in a conspiracy spanning centuries—one that could change mankind forever…and end her life.