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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

5/28/2021

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"She hoped.... and hope was dangerous. Hope was the most vicious evil of them all, the thing that had managed to thrive in Pandora's box among misery, and disease, and sadness— and what could endure alongside others with such teeth if it didn't have ghastly claws of its own?" 

It has been a long while since I've read a book that has so utterly, irrevocably blown me away. Don't get me wrong, I've read a lot of good books that I did legitimately enjoy, but recently none of have struck me quite as hard as Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights. Gong seamlessly takes classic, beloved tropes and twists them with something so new, and so utterly refreshing that it's impossible for this book to not leave a lasting impact on you. 

I love a good trope— am an absolute sucker for all the classics, especially, especially, ESPECIALLY enemies to lovers and all the variations of it. I also adore the whole betrayal but the other one doesn't know the whole story so they hate each other but they don't trope. And I also love the second chance romances. Basically what I'm trying to get to is that this book has all of my favorite tropes rolled into one perfect, neat package. And I enjoyed it immensely. 

These Violent Delights has everything you could want from a book and more— there's a badass female character, a clever, empathetic but equally badass male lead, there' star-crossed/forbidden love, gang rivalries, 1920's Shanghai, heart stopping action scenes, a dark monster murder mystery, representation— both LGBTQ+ and Chinese! Honestly like this book has everything, and it in no way feels like it's pandering to just fit it all in, it's all meant to be there, fitting seamlessly together. 

The book sucks you into a the glitzy 1920's in Shanghai, opening up to expose the dark, cruel and gritty underbelly of the city. The world is so rich, and with every additional word Gong pulls you deeper into the intricately crafted setting she has created.  Right from the first page, you are truly immersed in the world. I don't know what it is about Gong's writing, but it sucks you right in, and makes you feel like you're actually there, experiencing it all. So much thought and depth has been added to everything— characters, settings, plot lines— that nothing could ever be thought of as flat. This book has so many dimensions, and that just adds to the immersive experience it has to offer.  

The story follows a cast of characters, our main two being Juliette and Roma— the heirs to the cities rival gangs. If you couldn't tell, the story is a loose retelling of the timeless classic, Romeo and Juliet, only so much more enriching and intriguing. 

"The stars incline us, they do not bind us." 

I adore our main characters. As mentioned previously, Juliette is a total badass, and I love her for it. She's smart, strong willed, and everything you could want from a female protagonist. Plus she's Chinese. Growing up, I would've loved reading more with protagonists who looked like me, and I'm so happy to see more books like that becoming popular in the reading world. It's also so much fun to watch her struggle against her emotions for our other main character— Roma. I will definitely say that you get to know Juliette far better than you do Roma in this novel (the majority of the book is her perspective), but from everything I've seen and gotten from him, I'm already so, so utterly in love. He's sweet and caring, but forced to survive in a cruel world. I savored every moment with had with him. 

In our cast of side characters we have Benedikt, Marshall, Kathleen and Rosalind. If you've read Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare's Version) you may get enjoyment from the names! I know I did. Benedikt and Marshall are Roma's friends, while Kathleen and Rosalind are Juliette's. Despite not seeing them all too often (especially Rosalind) they have very distinct personalities that easily separates them from a sea of forgettable side characters seen throughout the history of books. It was a pleasure unraveling more of their stories and connections with each other, no matter how much strain or tension there might be. I especially enjoyed Kathleen's story. 

"Those who do not care, those who are violent, those who delight in that which is terrible"— Marshall shrugged, waving his hands about as he chose the right words— "they thrive. They come outside." 

The plot itself was intriguing— it felt impossible to put the book down. And then there was the writing itself— it was beautiful and so utterly enrapturing. Like I said before, it really pulls you into the novel, and you actually feel like you're there. It's been a while since I've loved an author's prose as much as I enjoyed Gong's. It was beautiful writing, but not dense or heavy— easily to read, and easy to fall into. 

I don't think I could recommend this book any more. 8/10 stars, it was a delight to read, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the next one. It brought a refreshing twist to beloved tropes, enthralling the reader in an entirely new and enrapturing world with badass, lovable characters and a gripping plot. 

Synopsis: 

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
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Beach Read by Emily Henry

6/27/2020

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"People were complicated. They weren't math problems; they were collections of feelings and decisions and dumb luck. The world was complicated too, not a beautifully hazy French film, but a disastrous, horrible mess, speckled with brilliance and love and meaning." 

This is an incredible read. Honestly, while it's a cute title, I think the title of "Beach Read" does this novel an injustice. "Beach Read" sounds like it's just some cute, lighthearted romance that you'll read and enjoy, but won't necessarily stick with you once it's over. While this novel does have a cute romance, it's certainly not one that you'll be forgetting about anytime soon. Beach Read delves so much deeper than your typical beach read (confusing sentence, I know). It's not just a romance. While romance is an aspect of the book, it certainly isn't all of it. 

I dove into this book fully expecting what the title said I'd get-- a simple beach read. I was pleasantly surprised the deeper I delved into the pages to discover that it's so much more than that. This book is love. It's loss. It's discovery, and realizing that people aren't perfect, and that's okay. Don't let this turn you off if you're not looking for a particularly deep, dense and heavy novel. The deep, emotional side of this novel is somehow masked with the light, sunny tone of the story. So yes, it's deep. It's emotional, you can really feel and emphasize with the characters. But it reads like a light and warm contemporary novel. While there are deeper and more emotional ideas and scenes in this, don't worry. There's still plenty of sassy, laugh out loud or giggle moments. The romance is amazing-- it's built up at just the right pace and the two leads have magnetic chemistry. The added depth just makes the book all the more better because it makes the characters feel so much more real and relatable. They're imperfect, they have issues-- just like the rest of us.  Honestly, I was disappointed when I finished, and then I just turned the book over and started again. That's how much I loved reading this. 

The book follows January Andrews, a romance writer who has recently been disillusioned with life. The death of her father, and the realization that he wasn't the man she'd thought he was knocks the rose-colored glasses off her face, making her realize that the world isn't nearly as perfect and beautiful as she'd thought. 

Throw in Augustus Everett, January's ultimate rival since college and polar opposite. He's dark and a bit brooding. Someone mentioned this in another review that I read and I thought it was worth mentioning: while he's a dark and a little bit mysterious, he manages not to be a total asshole as the typical dark male lead usually is. He's actually a big sweetheart and I adore him with all my heart and soul. 

The two make a bet-- try to write in the other's genre. January will write more 'literary' novels, and Gus will write romance. Every week they take each other on "field trips" to help the other get in the mindset of their writing. And let's be real here, these are basically dates but am I so down for them? YES I AM. Like I mentioned earlier, the pacing of this romance is perfect. From the beginning there's chemistry between the two main characters. Their teasing and banter is enough to put a goofy grin on anyone's face. 


I'd give this book 9/10 stars, the writing is beautiful, the relationships are amazing, the plot is perfect and the characters are imperfect in ways that make them even more perfect. It was a stellar read and I honestly just want to sit down and read it again, again and again. If you're looking for a book that will melt your heart and hit you right in the feels while simultaneously making you giggle and grin? This is the book for you. 

Here's the actual synopsis: (Again, like the title, I don't think the synopsis does this book justice-- it just makes the story sound like a rom-com, when it's SO much more than that, but, you know, the romance element is quite nice too...) 

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 24 A Book You Wish More People Had Read

6/24/2020

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Here are two that I've read recently and utterly fell in love with! Meaning I really wish more people have read them and would talk about them! 
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You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle 
Yeah, I talk about this book way too much. There's a reason for that-- it's perfect, I love it. The best read of 2020 for me thus far. If you really want to hear more on it and how much I love this one, I'd suggest looking at my previous review of it or my Best Book Recommendations for the Bored post. 

But here's the synopsis: 

​Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.
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Beach Read by Emily Henry 
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Yes, it's another romance, whatever. Honestly I think the title does this book injustice because it is so much more than just a beach read. It reaches deeper and really touches the reader's emotions. It's not just a light, easy read, but it's not dense and heavy either. It does have rom-com vibes, but you also get a good look into the characters. The narrator is disillusioned with the world after her dad's death and learning he wasn't the person she thought he was. While the romance is a big component of the plot, so is the narrator's journey to acceptance and coming to understand her dad and the choices he made. 

Synopsis: 

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really. 
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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 9 A Book You Thought You Wouldn't Like But Ended Up Loving

6/9/2020

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Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
I avoided this book for so long. I avoid books for arbitrary reasons, and this one? It sat on my shelves for half a year because I thought the girl's name was weird. Lol, don't be me. Don't avoid just because of a name. If it's a good book, you'll learn to love the name, no matter how strange. 

Synopsis: 

​For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?
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Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin 

The sequel to this novel already made it on this challenge. I mentioned it briefly before, but I seriously doubted this novel. It just sounded so utterly ridiculous and dumb-- but nevertheless I sat down to read it... and became utterly obsessed. It's amazing. Well-written, perfect characters, plot... I love it. 

Synopsis: 
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Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

From the author of The Walled City comes a fast-paced and innovative novel that will leave you breathless.
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Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 

I just was not in the mood to read this book, but I made myself pick it up because I'd heard so many good things. Urban Fantasy is touchy for me. I love it or I hate it. And I really love this one. Can't wait to see where this series goes. 

Synopsis: 

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
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Cinder by Marissa Meyer 

Here's another one that I avoided for so long. See, the idea of a cyborg freaked me out. You just got freaked out reading cyborg. Don't be a me! Give it a chance, because I became utterly obsessed with this one as well. And ironicly? I got mad at everyone in the novel who was prejudice against Cinder for being a cyborg, even though I was against this book because of that. It's less creepy and more just like she's missing a limb and has a metal one etc. 

Synopsis:  

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.

Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived.

But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.
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You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

6/6/2020

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Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to what may very well be my favorite read thus far in 2020. Anyone who's actually interacted with me in the past several months has been subject to my spiel about this novel so I figured I might as well put it on line too. I read You Deserve Each Other for the first time back in early April. Yeah, the first time. See, despite having midterms and a plethora of other schoolwork I needed to get done, as soon I finished this book I flipped it over and started again. That's how much I absolutely loved it. Since then, I can't even tell you how many times I've dived back into this one. It's just that good. 
You Deserve Each Other has quite the rom-com premise. It follows Nicholas and Naomi. They're engaged, but they don't exactly want to be. At least, not anymore. See, over the past year of their engagement, the two have fallen out of love with each other. The only issue is, there's still this expensive wedding that needs to be paid for. Whoever calls off the wedding has to pay the price. Thus, the two enter into a game of chicken, trying to push the other into calling the marriage off. 
Very rom-com sounding. And yeah, the novel starts off pretty normal, not too extraordinary, but the deeper you get, the more you realize that this novel is so much more than just a rom-com. 
You Deserve Each Other falls into the trope of re-falling in love with each other. And honestly I'm convinced that needs to be a more popular trope, because I don't see it often, but whenever I do the book leaves an imprint on me and I can't seem to get it off my mind. (I.e. Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren). So many romance books end when the chase is up, when they're finally together, like the chase is the most interesting part and being together is just boring. But this trope proves that's definitely not the case. Because it's not smooth sailing after falling in love, you have to keep working at it-- which is something our protagonists failed to do. 
There's something so beautiful about watching Nicholas and Naomi re-fall back in love. They have to re-learn everything about the other, and learn to appreciate the things they may not have noticed before. I'd argue it's even more beautiful than falling in love the first time, because it's harder. Falling in love sometimes is the easy part, sometimes it's the stuff that comes after that becomes harder. 
This book is the perfect combination of that beauty of watching a pair find each other again with the whole rom-com setting. Seriously, this book had me grinning and downright laughing out loud more times than I could count. It's just the perfect blend of things, and I couldn't give it any higher praise. I love the characters. I love the story. I love everything, except Deborah. I'm not a big fan of Deborah, but if you read the book, it's pretty easy to understand why. 
Anyway, if you're not convinced to read this book yet, I don't know what else to say. It's amazing. It's beautiful. It's funny. 9.5/10 stars. I'll be keeping a close eye on Sarah Hogle, because I love her writing and can't wait to see what she comes up with next. 

Synopsis: 

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.
 (less)GET A COPY
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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 6 A Book That Makes You Sad

6/6/2020

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There are a lot of directions I could've taken this prompt. What kind of sad is it talking about? The kind where you were excited and then disappointed? Or the kind that leaves an ache in your chest long after you've closed the back cover? I've decided to go with the latter, as the former doesn't exactly seem like something I would really necessarily want to talk in excess detail about! Again, there are a lot of books that do that-- all well-written stories should sit with you longer than just the duration of the read. Here are two that have stuck with me. 
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House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas has appeared again in this challenge... shocking. This is one of my more recent reads and the ache and pain from reading it still feels quite fresh. The whole premise that inspired Sarah to write this novel is a friendship strong enough that not even death can sever it... And let me tell you, the friendship she crafted in this novel is beautiful. And because of that, it's so utterly heartbreaking. After finishing the read, I just remember sitting there, and feeling this pressing ache in my chest as I thought about all of it. 
There are plenty of other things in this novel to applaud other than the one friendship at its core-- other relationships, the characters, the plot, the depiction of grief... everything about this novel is magnificent. I would highly recommend. 

Synopsis: 

Bound by blood.
Tempted by desire.
Unleashed by destiny.


Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.
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Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin 
This is another novel that left quite a gaping hole in my chest once I completed it. Unlike House of Earth and Blood, Blood for Blood is not the beginning of a series, but rather the conclusion of one. Blood for Blood is the second book in Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf duology. I fell utterly in love with the series a couple summers back, and trust me when I say that finishing this book absolutely broke me. If you've read it, you know why. If you haven't, well, the only way to find out is to check out the series. Trust me, it's not something you'll regret. Though the premise of the series may sound a little ridiculous, you'll just have to trust me again when I say, it's not. It'll all make sense when you read it. The world, the characters, the characters, oh, did I mention the characters? I love this series. 

Synopsis for Wolf by Wolf (Book 1): 

​Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

From the author of The Walled City comes a fast-paced and innovative novel that will leave you breathless.
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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 5 A Book That Makes You Happy

6/5/2020

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I always start these out by saying something along the lines of a lot of books... and this is no different. A lot of books make me happy. It would be impossible to fit all of those books into this one blog post. A good book is one that makes me happy, and as we all know, I have no shortage of good books to talk about. Nevertheless, I will restrain myself and try to keep this post short and sweet so here we go. While a lot of different types of books make me happy, I'm going to stick to two adorably fluffy contemporary romance novels for this post, since those are the very typical "happy" books. 
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P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
If you've been following this blog for a while, you'll probably know that Kasie West is a staple on my shelves. I enjoy the majority of her work, but this one just gets me. I reread it quite frequently-- whenever I just need something light and cute. P.S. I Like You is the definition of fluff. It's not all that deep, but it's a fun read that'll bring a smile to your face. 

Synopsis: 
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Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…
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Stealing Parker by Miranda Keneally
Miranda Keneally and her Hundred Oaks companion novels have also been staples on my shelves for a long time. While there are many companion books in this series, Stealing Parker remains to be my favorite (with Catching Jordan falling closely behind). Like P.S. I Like You, Stealing Parker is cute fluff that'll bring a smile to your face for sure. It's a great read, with an adorable romance and lovable characters. On the first read through I'll admit I was a bit annoyed with the protagonist, but the more I've read it, and the deeper I got into the book, the more I understand her and appreciate her. Now I love the whole book, every single piece and character in it. It's a fantastic story. I'll be honest, I probably read this one like, once a month. That's how happy it makes me. 
I should also mention that this is in a companion series. So if you like the writing style and the setting, there are a ton of other books in the series set in the same place where you'll get brief glimpses into the old characters' lives. Stealing Parker is the second book in the series, so if you really want no spoilers, you might want to start with Catching Jordan (which is also a very cute romance). 

Synopsis: 

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?​
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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 4 Favorite Book of Your Favorite Series

6/4/2020

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If you saw my post yesterday, or you just know me in general, you'd know that my favorite book series is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I'm a huge fan. I just love everything about it and am completely obsessed. While every single book in this series is magnificent in its own way, by far my favorite would have to be Queen of Shadows. There's just something about this book that is so magnificent, making it stand a head above its peers. This is like the pay off book. We just spent Heir of Fire training, and we were left with some pretty big cliffhangers, and then Queen of Shadows comes into the game and just-- it's everything anyone could have asked for. There are reunions, characters finally meeting, and epic, and I mean EPIC fights. Everything about this book is just unbelievably perfect. I adore it. 

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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 3 Favorite Series

6/3/2020

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This should come as no surprise to anyone. I've always been very vocal about my adoration of the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. I've always been very vocal of my adoration of Sarah J. Maas as an author in general, as you'll all see in the next 30 days. While my favorite book of all time is another Sarah special, my favorite series would have to be Throne of Glass. Everything about the series is excellent. The characters, the character growth, the plot, the world, the writing-- everything. I can't emphasize just how much I truly love this series. If you love high fantasy, this is definitely a series you'll want to check out. Each book expands on the world. Once you finish the series, looking back on where it starts seems to tiny and inconsequential, whereas it feels direly important during the first book. The series just keeps getting better and better as it continues on. I just... I love it. 

Here's the synopsis for Book 1 Throne of Glass: 
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After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 2 A Book You've Read More Than 3 Times

6/2/2020

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Here's an especially hard one because rereading is one of my favorite hobbies, haha. Even though it can't quite capture the same magic as falling in love with a story for the first time, there is a beauty to rereading a good book or series-- you notice things you didn't before. You pick up on more foreshadowing, and just more little details in general. I'm going to admit right here, right now, that a lot of the books I mention on this list are ones that I've read more than three times. 
But since I'm going to try and not repeat myself too much, I'll limit myself to these two books that don't fit perfectly into any of the other categories. 
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Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes is the fourth book in the Falling Kingdoms series, a 6 book high fantasy series. And wow, I can't tell you how much I love this series. The first book is a bit slow, I'll admit I wasn't the biggest fan. Sometimes that's how fantasy series go, though, because it takes so long to set up the situation, the characters and the setting when it's set in a completely different world. 
The most amazing thing about this series has to be that it was able to turn a character that I absolutely despised in the first book into one of my favorites by the fourth. That's some good writing right there. 
Anyway, this is my favorite book in the series and I can't tell you how many times I've reread it because I adore it so much. 

Here's the synopsis for the first book: 

​In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.


Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....
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Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the first book in the Lux series. This author is incredible. Her writing style is so fast and easy that you're at the end before you even realize it. This is one of the classic series for me, and obviously I adore it. I've read the whole series so many times. Every person I've recommended this series to has loved it. It's set in modern day, with a hate-to-love romance and uh, aliens. Ahah, no, not weird little green things. Just take my word for it, these books are light reads, but they're a lot of fun. If the synopsis interests you, I'd definitely recommend looking into them. 

Synopsis: 

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.
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    Anji Cooper

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