January Wrap-Up

January Wrap-Up!

 

This is a new monthly post that I have decided to put on so you get to know what's been happening within the last month and anything major I have in stock for next month, including by my TBR pile.

Don't forget to check out the current giveaway for Kristin Cast's newest book, Amber Smoke.

 

So January, eh?

 

Well, for me January was an extraordinarily easy month. I have been on Christmas holidays since early December so this month I have literally been home doing nothing relaxing.

I did go out a few times. I've seen a few movies: Night at the Museum 3 for my brother's birthday, Into the Woods with a couple of my mates and The Imitation Game with my mum and aunty - which was so absolutely bloody brilliant. My new favourite, easily. Go see it if you haven't already!
 

 

What's been happening this month blogwise?

 

Challenges:
Bookish Identity Tag 

Cover Reveal:

How (Not) to Fall in Love

Everlost

Vibrizzio

The Master Magician
Amber Smoke
  

Extras:
Waiting on Wednesday #10
Happy New Year
New Releases: January, 2015
The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

 

 

Reviews:

 

Photoplay
Love, Lucas
Rebel Wing

 

 

Insanity

The Starlight Chronicles | Gideon Lee + Lark Singer

The Paper Magician Trilogy | The Paper Magician + The Glass Magician

 

Read (including reviewed books above):

 

I managed to read five graphic novels this month which was my goal for the entire year so I am really happy with myself for doing that. I also read seven sequels, and its my goal to finish off series this year so I am also happy with my myself for reading so many!

 

 

 

 

 

 

January TBR Jar Challenge Update:

 

Endymion Spring by Matthew Spring

My Review | Goodreads | Amazon

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

My Review | Goodreads | Amazon

  

What Books Did I Pick Up?:

 

Normally, here, I would talk about which books I got during the month but I got so many this month I've decided to do this as separate post. You can check it out here if you're interested - its my first haul!

February TBR:

What's coming up in the next month? I think I have a few cover reveals planned and lots of reviews that I've planned. I also want to start doing some memes again, namely Top Ten Tuesday, but we'll see.

The Goals? Read all the GBRs for my group this month. I normally only get one read.

What I Plan on Reading:

GBRs for my Goodreads Group:

 

Planned Buddy Reads:

 

 

 

TBR Jar Pick:

Read more about it here.

 

My Shelves:

 

Review: Love, Lucas

Review of Love, Lucas

by Chantele Sedgwick:

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

 

- Oakley was a fantastic protagonist. I loved that she was gutsy but shy, withdrawn and a little awkward. She was unsure about a lot of things and when she got nervous she babbled. A very relatable and loveable character. - The romance actually played an important part in the plot and wasn't just there to attract more readers. Carson was an huge part of Oakley's recovery process and their relationship developed both consistently and realistically - which is always a bonus! - Carson. He is just fan - Oakley was a fantastic protagonist. I loved that she was gutsy but shy, withdrawn and a little awkward. She was unsure about a lot of things and when she got nervous she babbled. A very relatable and loveable character. - The romance actually played an important part in the plot and wasn't just there to attract more readers. Carson was an huge part of Oakley's recovery process and their relationship developed both consistently and realistically - which is always a bonus! - Carson. He is just fantastic and such a sweetie. Those dates he planned were simply perfect and he genuinely cared for Oakley. None of that douchebag, alpha-male, tortured-bad-boy, completely-controlling thing going on here. *fist pump* - Oakley's depression from her brother's death wasn't romanticised. Its one of my biggest pet peeves to see mental or physical illnesses - such as depression, PTSD or cancer - used as an accessory to make a character "saveable" and thus "more attractive". - I didn't understand Oakley's anger towards her mother. She didn't seem like a bad parent too me, just a withdrawn one, and how can you really blame her for that after watching her son waste away from cancer? - The plot didn't have a lot of action so the beginning was a little slow-going. There were, however, plenty of twists and emotional drama to keep you entertained. - Dillon was a douchebag. I don't understand why Carson was friends with him. - I wasn't a fan of how casually the rescue of the injured animals for Jo's jobs were handled. Obviously I am not an expert in marine veterinary but do they really allow random people to come out and help when the life of an animal is at risk? In the end, I caught myself becoming emotionally attached to the characters in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Oakley and Carson were fantastic characters and their romance was incredibly sweet. I certainly recommend this if you are a fan of cutesy beach romances with a lot of emotional drama to get involved with. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Chantele Sedgwick through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

4 stars 
  

If you enjoyed this, you might enjoy:

 

 

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

 

Review: Rebel Wing

Review of Rebel Wing

by Tracy Banghart:

 

 

My Thoughts:

I have been in a reading slump for a couple of weeks now, stuck in a loop of bad book after bad book after bad book with seemingly no escape. In Search of Sam was exactly the type of book I needed to read to get out that vicious cycle. It was light. It was fun. It was a bit of a "nothing" read but it had great bunch of characters and a great storyline. What I loved most about it was that it didn't really have a plot. That does sound a bit ludcrious but it meant that the story was more focBeneath was a fast paced short story about a girl in Witness Protection. The story itself was very well written but it was so short! The plot was jam-packed with action but rushed and anticlimactic. I liked the protagonist well enough but she was rather gullible and a bit of sheep. There was some romance attempted - which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. How can you develop a relationship in thirty pages? I thought they were cute together but I just didn't believe it would have worked out for Anna so easily. Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was but it could have vastly benefited from some development. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of H.B. Moore through Ebooks for Review in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.Beneath was a fast paced short story about a girl in Witness Protection. The story itself was very well written but it was so short! The plot was jam-packed with action but rushed and anticlimactic. I liked the protagonist well enough but she was rather gullible and a bit of sheep. There was some romance attempted - which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. How can you develop a relationship in thirty pages? I thought they were cute together but I just didn't believe it would have worked out for Anna so easily. Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was but it could have vastly benefited from some development. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of H.B. Moore through Ebooks for Review in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process. - The beginning was rather dull. Little happened for the first half of the book and it was rather tiresome. However, the second half was much more action-packed and had a lot of great scenes. It much more entertaining and enjoyable.  - It lacked a good introduction to the setting and time period. Is this a dystopian? Supposing so, yet we were weren't told roughly when it was meant to be set or what happened to cause the drastic changes to society. Were the "wards" section of the same Earth we know today or is this set in alternate universe-like situation? Too many unanswered questions. - Great character development. Aris was not the most likeable characters to begin with. She was compliant and dependant and lacked motivation. I wasn't impressed with her choice to join the military solely to find Calix, it should have been about saving people, defending Atalanta or for protest against the military's "no women" policy. It was fantastic to see Aris grow from this insecure girl into someone much more confident in who she really was. - Calix was a brat. - The Diatous Veil needed more explanations. I didn't believe it could possibly work for even a second. How could it change an entire person image? A hologram couldn't be that advanced in this setting if nothing else was that high tech. They still flew planes after all. Wouldn't they have cool hover jets or something else fancy if they had the sort of technology available to them that could change a person's entire appearance? - I didn't like the romantic complications, especially concerning Galena and Nekos. - A little thing that annoyed me was that we never learnt what a digitablet was despite Aris constantly using one. - Side note, I prefer the title Shattered Veil to Rebel Wing. I think its much more suitable. This cover is better though. - The ending was a little convenient but I liked it. - I have high hopes for Storm Fall and am actually really excited to read it. The ending of this gave me hope that the second book will be much more action-packed and Aris-focused. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Tracy Banghart and Alloy Entertainment, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

Details:

First Line: High above the olive groves and blinding white roofs of the village, Aris danced.  
 

Series: first book in the Rebel Wing series

Publication: July 29th, 2014

Source: Netgalley

 3.5/4 stars
 

 

If you enjoyed this, you might enjoy:

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday #10

Waiting on Wednesday #10

 

This is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where bloggers spotlight upcoming releases that they are eagerly anticipating.

 

The book I am most eager for this week is:-

 

Where the Road Takes Me

by Jay McLean:

I haven't picked up any of McLean's other books yet, despite the fact that More Than This has been on my TBR list since it came out. This morning I saw this available on Netgalley and knew it was the perfect time to try out the author's work. If I am not approved, the book will be released in a couple of months so I don't have to wait to long!

 

Have you read any of her books? Let me know what you think of them if you have.

 

Links:     Amazon preorder  |  Netgalley |  Goodreads



 

Description:

 

Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She’s made a promise to herself: don’t let anyone in, and don’t let anyone love her. She’s learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she’s focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road—her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all—everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can’t let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.

One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she’s focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead.

 

 Details:

 

Release date: 3rd of March, 2015

 

Series: none (so far)

 

Publisher: Skyscrape

 

Genres: newadult, contemporary, romance

Giveaway + Cover Reveal: Amber Smoke

Cover Reveal for Amber Smoke:

 

Title: Amber Smoke

Series: The Escaped #1

Author:  Kristin Cast
  

Publisher: Diversion Books

Date of Release: June 9th 2015

 

Links:   Goodreads  |  Amazon Pre-order  |  Barnes and Noble  |  iBooks  |  Kobo

    

Description:

 

Genre/s: new adult, paranormal

There is a world that runs parallel to our own, a world in which the souls of the damned are caged, where they are looked over by the Furies, and where they spend eternity in torment, mirroring the devastation and mayhem they created when alive.

Someone has opened the cage.

The worst of terrors has crossed the barrier that separates our world from theirs, and the Furies send a great, albeit untested warrior — their only son, Alek — to try to bring those souls back.  He is young and handsome, headstrong and impulsive, and he won’t be able to do it alone.

Eva has grown up, beautiful and beloved, but surrounded by secrets.  First, she will be hunted in an ancient feud that will threaten her life.  Then, she will become the hunter.
With the police closing in and two worlds on the verge of crumbling around them, Alek and Eva must find each other, discover the limits of their powers, and work together to save everything they hold dear, including one another.

About the Author:

 

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Kristin Cast is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who teamed with her mother to write the young adult House of Night series. She has stories in several anthologies, as well as editorial credits, and a thriving t-shirt line. The first book in her new adult paranormal romance series releases June 9th, 2015.

 

 

Giveaway:

 

Please not that this giveaway is US only. 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: The Master Magician

Guess what today is, guys?

 

Its the cover release of Charlie Holmberg's The Master Magician, the third and final book in her Paper Magician Trilogy!

 

If you didn't read one of my most recent post reviewing the first and second book of this series, then you wouldn't know why I am so excited. It pretty simple though - I loved them both and am dying to read the sequel.

 

You can catch my review post here, if you're interested.

 

I contacted the author after finishing The Glass Magician and she was kind enough to ask me to help release her new cover so prepare to brace yourself because its breathtakingly gorgeous...

 

Ready?

 

*deep breath*

 

*drum roll*

Here it is....
 

 

 

*squeals*

 

I love it. I love it. I love it!

 

 Emery and Ceony on the cover. Together. Tell me that means we get more moment Emery and Ceony moments. Pretty please with a tonne of cherries on top! Or whatever else Charlie likes that I can bribe her with. ;)

There is no description (for this sequel) currently available but we have the release date: July 21st, 2015. It isn't toooo far away but its still long enough away to hurt. I need it now!

EDIT: There is now a description available!
 

Throughout her studies, Ceony Twill has harbored a secret, one she’s kept from even her mentor, Emery Thane. She’s discovered how to practice forms of magic other than her own — an ability long thought impossible.

While all seems set for Ceony to complete her apprenticeship and pass her upcoming final magician’s exam, life quickly becomes complicated. To avoid favoritism, Emery sends her to another paper magician for testing, a Folder who despises Emery and cares even less for his apprentice. To make matters worse, a murderous criminal from Ceony’s past escapes imprisonment. Now she must track the power-hungry convict across England before he can take his revenge. With her life and loved ones hanging in the balance, Ceony must face a criminal who wields the one magic that she does not, and it may prove more powerful than all her skills combined.
I hope you love the new cover as much as I do. If you haven't read the series yet, I recommend you do. I'll leave links to the  Book Depository and Amazon below so you can check them out.

Thanks Charlie!


The Paper Magician, Book #1

 

Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  The Book Depository

 

The Glass Magician, Book #2

Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  The Book Depository

Cover Reveal: Vibrizzio

Cover Reveal for Vibrizzio:

 

Title: Vibrizzio

Author:  Nicki Elson
 

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Date of Release: April 21st 2015

 

Links:   Goodreads  |  Amazon Pre-order

   

Description:

 

Genre/s: adult, contemporary, romance

Lyssa Bates doesn’t need a man. Not when the world is fully-stocked with double A batteries and a wide array of options in Amazon’s health and sexual wellness category. After yet another failed relationship, the twenty-six-year-old investment analyst is convinced that real guys aren’t ever going to live up to her expectations — so why should she bother with them? She’s determined to keep her dating life purely electronic… though she occasionally fantasizes about Hayden King, the delicious new associate she just got partnered with at work.

While Lyssa manages her romantic risks by deleting men from of the equation, the ever-charming Hayden protects his heart by diversifying his love life across multiple women. As the two young professionals travel together around the country for business, their flirty working relationship develops into a close friendship that hurtles toward something more. Between hot tub confessions in Baltimore, an accidental kiss in Dallas, and an all-nighter in Chicago, Hayden proves himself to be better than any fantasy.

About the Author:

 

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Writing wasn't something Nicki set out to do; it just sort of happened when she realized writing reports was by far her favourite part of her investment consulting position. She traded stock allocation and diversification for story arcs and dialogue and now weaves her creative writing time in with the other activities of her busy life with her family in the Chicago suburbs.

Nicki writes with two goals in mind: #1 to keep the characters realistic, even when their circumstances are anything but, and #2 to make the reader feel. Watch for her new title Vibrizzio, coming in 2015 from Swoon Romance. Her published works include Three Daves, a light-hearted romantic romp through a 1980s college campus, Divine Temptation, a romantic novel of angelic proportions, and Hans & Greta: a Twisted Fairy Tale Novella. Her published short stories include Sway (available as a single), I Don’t Do Valentine’s Day (part of A Valentine Anthology), and Impressionism 101 (included in the debut issue of Insatiable: The Magazine of Paranormal Desire).