Discussion: Summer Financial Fitness Plan

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Today I have a discussion topic that is not really book related, but should be interesting none the less! I was challenged by Credit Card Insider to share how I plan to stay financially fit this summer!

So some of you might know that I work in a distribution center as a packer. Basically people order stuff off the internet and I put it into boxes and ship it off to them. Summer is generally the slowest time of the year so I frequently leave work hours earlier than I would normally be able to. This obviously makes for smaller paychecks and a sad Cyra.

So a financial fitness plan is something that would benefit me greatly. My ultimate goal is to get to the point that I don't have to spend most of my paycheck on my credit card bill every two weeks. When I first got the card, I mostly just used it for gas and groceries and bought everything else with money out of my pocket and I would love to get back to that point.

So in order to get to that point, I'm going to have to make some changes! Stop spending money so frivolously on budget busters. Stop eating out so much. Generally be smarter with my money.

Some of my budget busters would be:

-Books (Duh). I probably have enough books right now to keep me occupied until I can get my finances in order and not to mention that even if I can't, I can always request some! But I really like to pick up a book every time I get the chance to go into a bookstore to support the store!

-Coffee. This really isn't SO bad for me. I live on a barren plain in the middle of South Dakota that I read is the only place in the 48 continental United States that is over 100 miles from a McDonald's. So you can't really find a good place for coffee that's open late enough to where I can go and has a drive thru! I'm lazy, I don't want to go inside. But when I go home and get around Starbucks and Caribou Coffee, I get one pretty much everyday! :)

-Fast food. I really don't like cooking and I'm too lazy to pack myself a lunch for work so I end up eating out several times a week and it really needs to stop. For more than just the sake of my wallet. With such short hours lately at work, I try to only do it on Mondays and just skip lunch the rest of the week unless I'm dying of starvation.

-Snacks. Along with eating a lot of fast food, I buy a lot of snacks and basically just snack instead of eating supper or real meals. I kind of fail at adulting.

I have been slowly working on these things, but I should really pick up the pace! This summer so far has been the worst I've been with my credit card while I've had it actually. So this is what I am going to do about it and it will hopefully help me reach my goal and to be more responsible with my money:

-Stop with the snacks and fast food and just buy real food. Which will end up going further than my snacking habit. And also have the added bonus of being good for me!

-Hold off on buying new books until I have gotten through a good chunk of the unread ones on my shelves.

-Only buy ONE coffee when I'm out somewhere that's near a tasty coffee place. Everything in moderation, right? :)

So basically that's how I plan to try to stay financially fit this summer! What are some of your budget busters? Do you have plans to get financially fit?

Geekgasm Swap!

Wednesday, June 29, 2016



YOUR SWAP OBJECTIVE

Send a fabulous geeky package to a like-minded blogger!
Note: This swap is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

PACKAGE GUIDELINES

  • Geek related goodies in relation to your partner’s likes
  • At least 3 items
  • Valued $20-$30

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

  • Sign-Ups Start: Monday, June 27th
  • Sign-Ups End: Monday, July 4th
  • Parnters Assigned by: Wednesday, July 6th
  • Packages Ship on/by: Saturday, July 23rd
  • Recap Linky Opens: Wednesday, July 27th
If you are into all things nerdy you should sign up for this swap by Monday! It's going to be so much fun! I can't wait to shop for my partner!

Waiting on Wednesday: July Releases

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

I decided that I'm going to change up Waiting on Wednesday. Instead of doing one every week, I'm just going to do one once a month and feature all the books coming out the next month that I'm salivating for.

Here are the books I'm looking forward to in July!


Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play by Jack Thorne, is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. It will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on 30th July 2016 

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places.


This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Monsters of Verity #1

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwaba young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.


How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

For fans of Conversion and Mean Girls, comes a debut novel where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?
If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

What books are you looking forward to in July?

Top Ten Tuesday (#50)

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's topic is a Freebie so I'm going to do next week's topic since I have a different post planned for next Tuesday. The topic for next week is Top Ten Books I've Enjoyed That Have Less Than 2000 Rating on Goodreads!


1. The Island by S. Usher Evans


2. Whisper To Me by Nick Lake


3. Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse


4. Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins


5. Front Lines by Michael Grant


6. Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers


7. Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman


8. Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis


9. Stars by Colleen Oakes


1o. In Real Life by Jessica Love

Have you read and enjoyed any of these? What are some of your under 2,000 review favorites?

DNF Review: A Mirror Among Shattered Glass by Romarin Demetri

Monday, June 27, 2016


The Supernatural London Underground #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: June 4th, 2016
Rating: DNF
Source: ARC from the Author
Pages: 250

Summary (from Goodreads):

Unable to contain the deadly nature of her family secret and powers, nine-teen year old Romarin Demetri hails from California, U.S.A, to unearth her heritage as a descendant of serial-killer, Countess Bathory, the woman that lent Dracula his legend, and cursed Romarin with an appetite for blood. 

Unenthusiastic about relocating to her birth city of London, a charming paranormal investigator with claim to the throne could change her mind, as he leads her to the only living and distant relative she has: a raven-haired recluse named Talia, who has taken refuge in an old castle in the heart of the city, and doesn’t seem to have a heart of her own. 

After a rough introduction to the lethal, inappropriate, and enchantingly sarcastic people she calls her housemates, perhaps the other misfits will be her first true friends; However, as much as these people are like her, they still have hidden vendettas, a taste for revenge, and will struggle between what is just, and what will settle their psychological upheaval. There is only one way for Romarin to become part of the Supernatural London Underground: Can she be the one who challenges them to put down their ghosts and demons and make their world together?

This book has an interesting premise, but I feel like the synopsis of this book is a bit misleading. This book started off alright. I was semi-into it. The first chapter was interesting, the next couple introducing the main character were alright, but then the character from the first chapter and the main character cross paths and things just went down the drain for me.

There really isn't any transition between events and it made reading this book incredibly confusing for me. There really wasn't any kind of background to this book to give some kind of context to what was going on.

Romarin is a vampire like creature, but I don't think she's actually a vampire? But she does need blood to survive. She was adopted from London and lives in America with her adoptive family. I don't know how they figured out that she needed blood or why they didn't think that was weird? Like, I'm not even sure if these different supernatural creatures are common knowledge to the general population.

I feel like everything that I read in this book was just incredibly convenient. For example, in the beginning, the main character finds herself in an English asylum and can't remember anything about herself or where she's from or how she got there, but there is conveniently someone else in this asylum that can read minds and digs around to find out who she is.

I didn't understand a lot of the reasoning that the main character had for why some things happened in this book either and I just wasn't invested in this story. I read like 150 pages and then half skimmed the rest of it and then just gave up. I tried to like this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Overall, I could not get into this book or get myself to care about what was happening. I would not personally recommend this book, but if you're into paranormal books, supernatural stuff, English princes who are ghost hunters, you might like this book.

Review: And I Darken by Kiersten White

Sunday, June 26, 2016


The Conquerer's Saga #1
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: June 28th, 2016
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: ARC from the Author for ARCs4ART
Pages: 496

Summary (from Goodreads):

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. 

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

After being used as collateral in a treaty with the Ottoman Empire, Lada and Radu are left in Edirne with the sultan by their father. Should their father ever break the treaty, they will both be as good as dead. They try to fly under the radar of the sultan until they meet Mehmed, the sultan's son, and become fast friends. Mehmed takes them under his wing and taking them to his country home with him to keep them out of the sultan's way.

They each make a different life for themselves in the Ottoman Empire and at the same time, help Mehmed in different ways, becoming irreplaceable to him.

There are three main characters in this book. Their story is told in alternating POV between Lada and her brother Radu. The other main character is Mehmed, the sultan's son, and their mutual love interest.

Lada is an incredibly interesting character. She's definitely fierce. She learns to fight and can beat any man out there easily. She's constantly angry and full of rage. She's kind of mean and nasty. She's cruel. There is literally nothing feminine about her and she likes it that way, hating that being a woman makes her less. She would probably make an awesome villain, but despite her hard exterior, she uses her powers for good. She dedicates herself to protecting Mehmed when he becomes the sultan.

All of this kind of got really old, really fast. She needed another side to her, a gentle side, to kind of round her out a little bit. A little bit of caring/gentleness comes out in her when she is dealing with her brother, but that is also kind of a rare occurrence. I don't really know that I liked Lada that much just because her constant state of fury got annoying. I also found it annoying that she was basically above all the rules. She did some stupid stuff and never faced consequences.

I thought she acted really entitled too. And it bugged me that she acted like she owned people. And they all just TOOK IT!

Radu, Lada's brother who is a year younger than her, is her exact opposite. He is kind, gentle, quiet, kind of invisible. As a child he is kind of an enormous crybaby and it seems like he's constantly crying about something. Can't actually say that I blame him for a lot of it, but still.

As he grows up, he definitely goes through some growth. He goes from being a boy to a man and he toughens up a little bit, isn't always crying about something. He makes friends and he finds something to believe in to keep him going since he doesn't have his sister's rage to push him through.

Radu was easily my favorite character.

Mehmed. I don't really know what I thought about him. He is a big part of Lada and Radu's lives. They're best friends, but he doesn't seem to be present a lot of the time. I thought he mostly seemed concerned with himself. Lada and Radu are there mostly to help him or keep him company or fix his problems. He doesn't seem to equally be there for them. Like, I can see why, but at the same time, some best friend you are.

I'm not 100% sure what I think of the romance in this book. There's a lot going on in the romance department. Mehmed, being the sultan, has his harem. He's got a wife and his concubines for conceiving heirs. But he also has a side fling with Lada. I just don't really see any chemistry between them. If I was going to pair Lada with someone it would definitely be Nicolae. I think they have an awesome relationship and it would make me happy if it became romantic.

At the same time, Radu also has feelings for Mehmed. I don't know if it's unrequited or not because they have such a close relationship, Radu is Mehmed's most trusted friend. Sometimes their interactions came off as more than just friendly to me. I think they have more chemistry than Mehmed and Lada.

This book is pitched as being basically a YA Game of Thrones. I can see some similarities between this and Game of Thrones. Mostly in the fact that the characters always seem to be plotting or scheming something dastardly. But that's about as far as I'm willing to take the comparison because I think that Game of Thrones is infinitely more exciting.

This book is INCREDIBLY slow. I don't even know how long it took before it felt like something finally happened in this book, but it was quite awhile. And nothing that happened felt super exciting. I feel like all the interesting bits, like action and romance, were kind of fade out scenes. They were quick and lacking in detail that could have made this book a lot more exciting. Or when the interesting scenes were happening with one character, the POV was from the other.

This book is really driven by politics and religion seems to play a decently big part in this. Radu's switch from Christianity to Islam is something that drives a stake between him and his sister and one of the many, many things that fills her with red hot rage.

There were a few scenes in this book that I thought were kind of pointless. It would be the exact same book without them.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. Despite the story being almost painfully slow and not loving the characters, I am 100% interested in seeing what happens from here! If you don't mind a slow plot driven by politics and religion with a very different main character driven mostly by her rage, you might like this book.

Hype or Like Friday Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Friday, June 24, 2016


The Raven Cycle #1
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 18th, 2012
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Purchase
Pages: 409

Summary (from Goodreads):

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

Okay, so after spending two days trying to write this review, I'm going to go about this a little bit differently and just discuss kind of what I was expecting and what I actually got.

This is definitely a book that has a lot of hype surrounding it. I honestly can only think of one person off the top of my head that didn't really like this book. Everyone just RAVES about this series and I think that might partially be why I hesitated so long to read it. But beyond that, I thought this book was going to be something else entirely so that was holding me back as well.

First of all, I didn't know that this book was going to be so... supernatural. I loved Blue's family of psychics and her ability to amplify energy to make readings more clear for them even if she didn't have the sight herself. I'm always so pleasantly surprised when I stumble across books with supernatural elements like this one when I didn't think it would be like this. I felt like the psychics and general chaos of Blue's house kind of reminded me of the movie Practical Magic. I really thought this book was going to be a bit more contemporary-ish. I don't know why.

I found Gansey's quest to find the sleeping Welsh king, Glendower, and the ley lines to be really interesting. I wasn't expecting to see this type of aspect in this book and I really enjoyed it. It has given me fuel for another A Glimpse Back in Time post. I loved the forest they found on their adventures where time stops and changes and the pond with color changing fish and the vision tree. I loved all the fantastical elements of this book and they were all such a pleasant surprise for me!

The other major thing about this book that was entirely different than I thought it would be was the romance. The two major things I knew about this series were that everyone was concerned that Gansey was going to die (which, I understand the concern now that I've read it) and there was a Pynch ship or something. So I was a bit surprised when Adam ended up being the love interest for Blue in this book. I can see where Gansey and Blue could be slowly starting up a relationship, but I'm not seeing anything Pynch related yet.

Something about this book that I quite enjoyed were the characters and their relationships. I mentioned Blue's family. They have such an awesome relationship and it's so chill. I loved seeing them all interact. And then there's the relationship between Blue and the raven boys and I loved their friendship. Both before Blue came along and after. They all have their own conflicts that interfere, but they're still all such good friends and it just seems so realistic to me. I loved the characters so much! I really want to see more about Noah in the next book. He struck me as so odd and just mostly seemed to lurk in the shadows, but I quite liked him.

Another thing this book has going for it is the writing. I don't know, I'm not big on describing the writing of books, but I really felt like the way this book was written REALLY went very well with the overall eerie, magical feeling of the book. I loved it.

If I had to complain about anything, it would be that this book is really rather slow. Not even in a necessarily bad way like NOTHING is happening, but more like there are things happening slowly building up to something else is how I felt. Also toward the end, Adam kind of got on my nerves, but I think that he can be redeemed. He's such a sweetie. OH! And I don't know if I just didn't read as carefully at some parts as I should have, but I really have no idea what Cabeswater is. I don't know if I missed it or if it wasn't written entirely clearly, but I'm totally lost about that one.

Overall, I'm super impressed with this book! I have already ordered the second one and am hoping to buy the last two the next time I get paid!

This book was definitely a LIKE for me! I'm so glad this meme lit a fire under my butt to read this one! Are any of you late to this party like I am? What did you think of this book?

Top Ten Tuesday (#49)

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish!

The theme for this week is Top Ten Favorite 2016 Releases So Far This Year!


1. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi


2. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye


3. Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse


4. The Island by S. Usher Evans


5. Whisper to Me by Nick Lake


6. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

***This one is by far my favorite book I've read so far in 2016***


7. Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor


8. Front Lines by Michael Grant


9. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken


10. Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

What are your favorite 2016 releases you've read so far?

Review: A Blanket For Decay by Zack Scott

Monday, June 20, 2016


Their Dead Lives #3
Publisher: Zack Scott Publishing
Publication Date: April 4th, 2016
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: Review Copy from the Author
Pages: 560

Buy Links:

Summary (from Goodreads):

Snow falls across California as the conflict between the Arrows of America and Hunters of Cali escalates into a brutal war. 

Jeff, Scot, Alec and Kale are caught in the middle of the bloodbath. As bodies fall and true intentions are discovered, the four guys will decide once and for all what side they fight for... or maybe no side at all.

Meanwhile, Agent Lea Gallo uncovers the terrifying truth inside the Vault.

Confession: Writing reviews for series finales is one of my least favorite things to do. I'm finding that especially true with this review. I don't know what to say to not spoil anything and everything.

The final book in the THEIR DEAD LIVES series has more bloodshed, death, and violence than the previous books I'm pretty sure. You pretty much shouldn't get attached to any characters in this book.

Something that this book seems to be lacking more than the rest of the books is zombies. They're still present, but not as numerous. They also don't seem to be as threatening, but I suppose if you've had to deal with them for a year now, you'd probably be more like, "Ew, a zombie," rather than freaking out and running for your life.

This book has plenty of action between fights between characters, the looming war between the Hunters of Cali and the Arrows of America, a battle with the Embracers and their undead army, and the final challenge of trying to destroy the Eradicator of Life.

After losing his eye and nearly losing something more precious to him, Scot seems to be trying to work on being a better person. He knows that his actions haven't been all that great and he really seems to step up to be better for Kelsey and so that he can save the world.

Jeff has taken a dark turn after being attacked by Alec and having darkness inserted into his heart. Before that conflict, he was always trying his best to help people and save the world. Now he seems to pretty much be doing the same thing, but is having to fight incredibly dark thoughts along the way. But he seems to be stronger than the dark part of him.

Kale seems to be about the same as in the last few books. In the beginning, I think he still is wanting to kind of like take over the world, but along the way, I think he starts being more concerned with saving it with his friends than taking it over. He deals with a lot of crap for being a monster and having people constantly trying to kill him for things he did when the darkness was more prevalent in him, but I think he deals with things pretty well.

Alec is still pining after Nicole. He's still angry with pretty much everyone except really Scot for the parts they played in her death. There were parts in this book where it seemed like he might have finally been coming to terms with her death and trying to maybe move on, but he just can't. Even after a year, he can't get over her.

There are a few new characters introduced and lots going on with all of the characters still around from the last book, but I'll be writing this for the next twelve years if I were to try and talk too much about all of them.

In the romance department, there really isn't anything new from the rest of the series. Except Jeff finally gets a hook up. Cassidy is coming to terms with the fact that she might have fallen in love with the Heartthrob despite how ungodly awful he is. Kelsey and Scot finally find each other again and decide that if they survive the battle with the Embracers they're going to get married. <3

This book is once again, told in tons of points of view. We have Alec, Scot, Jeff, Kale, Carlin, Cassidy, Nat, Falco Girl, Evans, Them, Denzel, and Gallo. Once again, this isn't something that bothers me because it's actually incredibly easy to tell the characters apart when they're talking. Which I love because I still don't really love multiple points of view.

If I were going to complain about anything about this book, I would have to say it was hard to get into right away. There are so many characters in this series and it was hard to remember what everyone was up to when the last book ended since it's been a bit since I read it. But once I remembered who everyone was and what they were doing and why, it was a lot easier to get into.

Also, I didn't understand Lea Gallo's storyline in this one. It was interesting to see what she did and I think it may have set something interesting up for the sequel series, THEIR DEAD WORLD, but I didn't see how what she did contributed to the saving of the world. I think whatever she did just ended poorly for everyone involved!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and series! It has easily been my favorite series that I've been asked to review and I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel series! If you're a fan of The Walking Dead or zombies and aren't bothered by gruesome deaths and violence, you might enjoy this series as well!

Stacking the Shelves (#46)

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to highlight books received each week!

During the week of June 11th - 17th, I got...

PURCHASE:


I got to hit up a real bookstore this week and I picked this one up! I feel like a lot of the time the selection at the Barnes and Noble nearest to me is just really pitiful. I barely found any books that I wanted to buy while I was there, but I found this one! There were a few others, but I'm not supposed to spend my money too frivolously this month so I just got this one and a Daenerys Funko Pop. :)

What kinds of goodies did you get this week?




Discussion: Favorite Fantasy Novels

Friday, June 17, 2016

This is another discussion post for the Hype or Like Friday meme!

The topic for this week is Favorite Fantasy Novels!

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres to read. So I'm going to recommend some of my favorites!


The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.


This book follows one of my favorite tropes of a queen who needs to reclaim her throne. I have not yet finished this series, but I absolutely adored this book! I loved the romance and the nighttime vigilante adventures, the spying and the magic, just everything!


The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.


This book follows another of my favorite tropes of the lost princess! I thought this one had a seriously epic plot twist! It has a little bit of a love triangle in it. But that PLOT TWIST MAN! Floored me completely. I see a lot of people didn't fall for the twist, but I did! I'm so excited for this series finale to come out in August! I need to see how things end up for Lia!


Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?


ASSASSIN NUNS! What more do you need to know?! They are nuns who work with St. Mortain (AKA Death) to kill those who just gots ta go. The series is three books long right now, each one following a different girl from the convent. And there are going to be MORE books in this series following the girl from the second book! I am jazzed for this!


The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One NightsThe Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.


This one I mostly read because I had heard that it had a little bit of a hint of Beauty and the Beast in it. I could see it, but I think it's primarily more of a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights. It takes place in a Middle Eastern setting so it's diverse! The romance is fantastic even though I kind of felt like a dirtbag rooting for it for awhile there.


Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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 exhilirating. 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.


If you are looking for a book with a badass heroine, look no further! This series contains another one of my favorite tropes in it, with a queen needing to reclaim her throne. I liked the Hunger Games-y feel of this book even though I would have liked to see more bloodshed. The ships in this series are basically just a mess. Celaena is so sassy and fierce and strong! I loved her so much. I was kind of late to this party, but I'm glad I got on board!


Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.


When I picked this book up, I didn't really know what it was about, but I was quickly impressed by this one! I loved the world with the separation of Reds and Silvers. I loved all the different powers and the court life that Mare finds herself in! There is a very "OH" worthy plot twist in this one too, I thought! And the romance is fun! I like how tough Mare is! I just was impressed with this one and I'm sad that I haven't found the time to read Glass Sword yet! But soon!


Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
 

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.


Usually, I'm not a big fan of books with multiple points of view! But it works wonders for this book! The characters in this book are fantastic and if you loved the Grisha series, you'll love revisiting the world! The books revolves around the crew trying to pull of an impossible heist, but when you're reading this, you might find yourself thinking there isn't much that's actually impossible for Kaz Brekker.


Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.


And finally, we have the Grisha series! I'm glad that I finally got pushed to read this one! It's probably got my favorite bookish villain in it. I loved the characters. I loved the powers the Grisha had. I loved the romance. I loved how the line between wrong and right is a little bit skewed. I liked seeing how her new powers affected the main character. 

These are some of my all time favorite fantasy series! Are there any that you think I might not have heard of that you think I might like? Are there any on this list that you haven't read, but want to? Are there any that I just convinced you to read? :)
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