Science in Fiction (#47): Honor Bound by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

Welcome to this month's Science in Fiction feature! Science in Fiction is a meme I created to showcase the wonderful aspects of science in Young Adult fiction novels. For more information and previous feature, check out the "Science in Fiction" tag!

This month, I'm featuring Honor Bound by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

I have not read Honor Bound, but I have read its predecessor, Honor Among Thieves. I LOVED Honor Among Thieves, and I'm so excited about its sequel. I mean, who wouldn't want to read about a bada** group of intergalactic fugitives?! There's a lot of space-related fiction out there today, but I want to direct your attention to this series.

Reasons you should read Honor Among Thieves (and Honor Bound!):

- Zara is SUPER cool. She is fierce, determined, and can kick some booty.

- Nadim is a sentient ship - how cool is it to have a ship as a supporting character?!

- This was the first book I read in which the protagonist asked for pronouns. That is neat!

- There is no real romance which can be a sad thing for someone like me, but a great thing for those not into romance!

- Action! Danger! Threats abound! 

Need I say more?

Anyway, I'm not going to relate Honor Bound to current events since I haven't read the book, but I can push this book (and series in general) on everyone! Check out Honor Bound on February 19th!

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White

Welcome to the blog tour for Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White! This is the sequel to Heartstone, one of my favorite books. More on this sequel below!

About the Book:

Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White

Book Two of the Heartstone series

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Publication Date: November 20, 2018

Official Summary:

The author of Heartstone once again infuses elements of Jane Austen’s beloved novel with her own brand of magic in this addictive fantasy that brings back sparring lovers Aliza and Alastair: fierce warriors who match wits, charm, and swords as they fight an epic war to save their world.

The Battle of North Fields is over—or so Aliza Bentaine, now a Daired, fervently wants to believe. But rumors are spreading of an unseen monster ravaging the isolated Castle Selwyn on the northern border of the kingdom. When she and Alastair are summoned from their honeymoon by the mysterious Lord Selwyn, they must travel with their dragon Akarra through the Tekari-infested Old Wilds of Arle to answer his call.

And they are not alone on this treacherous journey. Shadowing the dragonriders is an ancient evil, a harbinger of a dark danger of which the Worm was only a foretaste. And soon Aliza realizes the terrible truth: the real war is only beginning.

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About the Author:

A textbook introvert who likes to throw out the textbook every once in a while just to see what happens, ELLE KATHARINE WHITE grew up in Buffalo, NY, where she learned valuable life skills like how to shovel a driveway in under twenty minutes and how to cheer for the perennial underdog. She now lives in Pennsylvania, where she drinks entirely too much tea and dreams of traveling the world.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

The Excerpt:

I woke to an animal growl in the predawn dark.

Dreams lingered along the edge of perception, shapeless, terrible dreams of monsters and gaping earth and a pyre that would not go out. Blankets that had once comforted me turned suffocating; I clawed them aside and sat up, clutching handfuls of coverlet like an anchor against the horrors in my head.

Breathe, I told myself. It isn’t real. Slowly, breath by breath, my heartbeat steadied and the tightness in my chest eased. You’re safe. He’s safe. We’re all safe. The words tumbled together in my mind in what had become my waking prayer. The Battle of North Fields was won, the War of the Worm was over, and we had nothing to be afraid of.

The growling resumed just beyond the curtains surrounding our bed.

Or . . . maybe we do. I reached for my husband’s side of the mattress, expecting the reassuring touch of warm skin and sleep-tousled hair. Smooth sheets, cool and unoccupied, met my fingers. I squinted in the dark. “Alastair?”

No answer. He was gone, and I was alone with the creature.

The drapes around the bed parted and I snatched up a pillow, holding it in front of me like a shield as something black and snarling leapt onto the bed, all furred fury and glowing yellow eyes.

I yelped as four stone of angry stoorcat landed on my chest. “Ow! PAN! Get off!”

Pan the stoorcat retracted his claws and glared at me. Stoorcats weren’t Shani, those ancient creatures of Arle who counted humans as allies, nor were they Tekari, our sworn enemies. Nor, as far as I could tell, were they Idar, those creatures indifferent to humans. Stoorcats were simply very large, very intelligent, and very vindictive house pets. Pan made a sound in his throat, half whine, half snarl, and pawed at the blankets.

“Can’t you find someone else to torture? ” I said. He meowed, and I shoved him toward my husband’s side of the bed. “He’s up. Go bother him.”

His ears flicked toward the opposite side of the room. Muscles tensed beneath that glossy fur, black as a rat’s nightmare, as he made himself comfortable on my chest.

“You—are— impossible!” I grunted, trying to dislodge him. It would’ve been easier to move the Dragonsmoor Mountains. He returned to glaring and I slumped back on my elbows. “You know, if it were up to me and Julienna, you’d be on the first boat back to the Garhad Islands,” I told him sternly.

He looked smug.

“Yes, well, you’re lucky Alastair likes—”

At the name Alastair, Pan yowled.

I sat up. Nightmare shadows crept back into the room. “Is he all right? ”

Pan stopped howling. Slowly, solemnly, he put his head to one side and meowed.

I rolled out from underneath him, leapt out of bed, and threw on the first dressing gown I saw, playing out every explanation for the stoorcat’s behavior in my mind’s eye. Each grew more far-fetched than the last. Pan might hate me, but his affection for Alastair was unquestionable. Whatever had driven him to me must’ve been something terrible indeed: the Greater Lindworm’s army risen again, House Pendragon under siege, Tekari at the gates . . .

I shook my head. If I valued my sanity, I couldn’t let myself think like that, and in any case, Alastair’s leather armor still hung in its place on the wooden manikin next to the wardrobe. He and his younger sister, Julienna, usually rose early for their morning exercises, but she had been away in Edonarle for the last few weeks. Whatever called him away wouldn’t be too dangerous, surely? The thought withered in my brain almost as soon as it flowered. My husband had once put the solitary tracking and slaying of mountain gryphons down as “casual exercise.” Please, please, don’t be hunting gryphons, Alastair, I thought as Pan bounded toward the opposite end of the room. Not on our honeymoon.

Our bedchambers opened out onto a shuttered balcony with stairs leading down to the Sparring courtyard below. It was brighter outside where the first streaks of true daylight fell in silvery patches across the stone. Old fears crowded into my mind, staining memory with images of Alastair as he lay dying in the lodge at North Fields, his face bloodless, the whites of his eyes veined with black from the poison of the Greater Lindworm. Pan meowed again.

I looked down—and breathed out a white-cloud sigh of relief. Alastair sat on the ground in the center of the courtyard, shirtless and unmoving but otherwise unharmed. I followed Pan down the stairs, feeling foolish for my panic and wishing all sorts of ills on my guide. Alastair was fine, House Pendragon still stood, and the stupid stoorcat had robbed me of three hours of sleep.

At the bottom of the stairs I paused, much to Pan’s displeasure, which I ignored. Marriage had brought me many titles: Lady Daired, mistress of House Pendragon, and wife to the foremost Rider in the kingdom, but I was an artist first and forever, and Alastair Daired was worth a moment of silent admiration. He sat cross-legged on the pavement, head raised a little toward the mountain peaks beyond the high walls of the house. A breeze moved the Rider’s plait that hung over his shoulder, night-black against warm-brown. Shadows fell along his back where scars both new and old textured his skin, white lines and red burns and one yellowish crescent curving just under his shoulder blade. Memories of battles won and lost, they told the stories of years, each scar tied to an adventure and at least one dead Tekari. I’d already memorized the patterns. More than once since our marriage I’d woken in the middle of the night with a pounding heart and a scream in my throat, fighting off imaginary lamias as I waded through the ruins of Merybourne Manor, ankle-deep in blood. Almost two months now and the nightmares still plagued me, and though adjusting to the waking world had gotten easier I still found myself turning to Alastair on those nights. Odd as it was, his scars comforted me. I’d trace the patterns and contemplate the man sleeping next to me—warrior, dragonrider, hero of Arle—and marvel at the fact that, not only had he survived, but he was mine.

The Giveaway:

Win Heartstone and Dragonshadow! Click HERE to enter!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to internationally. One winner will receive a paperback bundle of Heartstone and Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Harper Voyager.  Giveaway ends 11/30/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per reader. Duplicates will be deleted.  

Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Reckoning of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin

Hello and welcome to a new week, book lovers! Today I'm participating in the blog tour for The Reckoning of Noah Shaw.  This book publishes super soon - THIS Tuesday! You still have time to preorder a signed first edition, but you can also win a copy today courtesy of the publisher. Scroll down for details!

About the Book:

The Reckoning of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin

Book Two of the Shaw Confessions series

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 13, 2018

Summary (from Goodreads):

In this sequel to The Becoming of Noah Shaw, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, legacies are revealed, lies are unraveled, and old alliances are forged. Noah’s reckoning is here.

Noah Shaw wants nothing more than to escape the consequences of his choices. 

He can’t. 

He’s sure the memories that haunt him are merely proof of a broken heart. 

They aren’t. 

He thinks he can move forward without first confronting his past. 

He’s wrong.

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About the Author:

Michelle Hodkin grew up in Florida, went to college in New York, and studied law in Michigan. She is the author of the Mara Dyer trilogy, including The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and The Retribution of Mara Dyer. Visit her online at MichelleHodkin.com.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

My review:

(I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.)

I'm actually not going to do my full proper review on account me just having finished the book and probably in spoiler mode at the moment. I will NOT spoil the book for anyone, promise! I'll keep this very general. It's hard though. The first I'll say is that I highly recommend doing a reread of The Becoming of Noah Shaw, and maybe the first trilogy for fun. Rereading the first trilogy isn't necessary - in fact having read the first trilogy at all isn't necessary. But reading it beforehand definitely helps, and you'll enjoy Noah so much more if you read the original trilogy first. Rereading the trilogy before reading this book is something I always recommend but it's not necessary. 

Rereading The Becoming of Noah Shaw... to me that's more necessary. I had a loooot of blanks that needed to be filled because it has been so long since I read The Becoming of Noah Shaw, and I haven't read the book since that first read. These books are pretty confusing and intricate upon first read, so it's worth rereading the previous book before reading the next one. I did not reread The Becoming of Noah Shaw and I probably should have.

This second book was very much like its predecessors in that it was strange, a little confusing, and somewhat half-finished - all of which are not bad things! It's an interesting way to write a story, and Hodkin excels at this. Telling half-truths and revealing half-stories and leaving loose ends are all ways Hodkin weaves her tales. I find it bizarre and confusing but also highly effective, especially given that these books are psychological thrillers. This storytelling isn't for everyone though.

This book is seriously dark. There should be trigger warnings for suicidal thoughts and self-harm, at least. I'm not saying the book is "bad" because it has these things, but just be warned! It's a dark book.

The romance is... complicated. For several reasons, but primarily for one big one which I can't mention. But you'll see what I mean. I wish it hadn't been this way, because I LOVE the romance in the previous books - Noah and Mara have crazy great chemistry. This would be the strongest "dislike" I have and it's more of a personal thing. (I'm a needy romance addict!)

OF COURSE this book ends in a cliffhanger! We'll all be in agony until the final book publishes! I'm looking forward to reading it, though I'm already in pain just thinking about it. I hope Hodkin will have it ready for Fall 2019! 

Overall I'm satisfied with The Reckoning of Noah Shaw, though I wish there had been more romance. I will definitely need to reread the previous book and then reread this one. But I'm also ready for book three!

The Giveaway:

Enter to win a hardcover copy of The Reckoning of Noah Shaw, courtesy of the book's publisher! Open to USA residents only. Ends November 30th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the blog tour:

November 5 – The Lovely Books

November 6 – Too Fond of Books

November 7 – Downright Dystopian

November 8 – Pure Imagination

November 9 – The Book Loving Nut

November 10 – a GREAT Read

November 11 – The Eater of Books!

November 12 – My Guilty Obsession

November 13 – Arctic Books

November 14 – A Gingerly Review

November 15 – Ex Libris Kate

November 16 – Girl in the Pages

Waiting on Wednesday (#300): Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

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

This week, I'm featuring:

Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

Book Three of the Witchlands series

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: February 12, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

Fans of Susan Dennard's New York Times bestselling Witchlands series have fallen in love with the Bloodwitch Aeduan. And now, finally, comes his story.

High in a snowy mountain range, a monastery that holds more than just faith clings to the side of a cliff. Below, thwarted by a lake, a bloodthirsty horde of raiders await the coming of winter and the frozen path to destroy the sanctuary and its secrets.

The Bloodwitch Aeduan has teamed up with the Threadwitch Iseult and the magical girl Owl to stop the destruction. But to do so, he must confront his own father, and his past.

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

If you missed the cover reveal last week, well, here it is! I LOVE this cover - possibly my favorite of the series - and I can't wait to read the book. February could not come soon enough!

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel

Hey y'all! Welcome to the tour for Keeper of the Bees, which is Meg Kassel's second published book. You'll recall that I LOVED Black Bird of the Gallows, and that book ended up being a year-end favorite. I'm pleased to say that I adored Keeper of the Bees!

About the Book:

Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel

Book two of the Black Bird of the Gallows series

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: September 4, 2018

Official Summary:

KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.

He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.

Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.

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About the Author:

Meg Kassel is an author of fantasy and speculative books for young adults. A graduate of Parson's School of Design, she’s been creating stories, whether with visuals or words, since childhood. Meg is a New Jersey native who lives in a log house in the Maine woods with her husband and daughter. As a fan of ’80s cartoons, Netflix series, and ancient mythology, she has always been fascinated and inspired by the fantastic, the creepy, and the futuristic. She is the 2016 RWA Golden Heart® winner in YA and a double 2018 RITA® finalist for her debut novel, Black Bird of the Gallows.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

My Thoughts:

I actually read this book a while ago and am now putting my thoughts together, so bear with me. I won't do a full review because this is a tour post, and I also can't remember some of the very specific details of the book. Probably for the better, because I don't want to give away too many details and spoil the magic.

I loved Black Bird of the Gallows, and was super excited to see that there would be a second book. This is actually a COMPANION sequel and not a direct sequel, though you will see how the books connect, once you read this one. I like how Kassel connected the stories!

I liked this book a lot. I liked the first book more - that book was so perfect - but I really liked this follow-up. It's different compared to the first book, and in good ways.

Dresden is such a sweetheart! He is cursed with having bees in his chest, always carrying the burden of the bees. He has no constant face, and no constant companions, as his venom kills. Dresden harbors guilt, secrets, and a long history. He is very cool in my opinion, very badass, and very selfless. I liked him from the start.

Essie is a tough girl, who has been through a lot and goes through a lot in this story. She suffers from delusions and hallucinations, and isn't "normal". Little does she know that her history is tied to Dresden's. Essie doesn't see Dresden as a monster, despite his monstrous being. Essie is a good person with a kind heart and was dealt a seriously bad hand in the game of life.

I loved watching these two slowly but surely fall for each other. This is a Beauty & the Beast retelling with a hint of forbidden romance, almost Romeo & Juliet/Shakespeare style. I loved the romance. It was slow-burn and forbidden and sweet.

The ending had me a little nervous, given this type of story and Dresden's history, but the book actually ended really well! Such a great ending! Thank you, Meg Kassel, for giving readers a positive, sweet conclusion to the story.


Check out Black Bird of the Gallows:

(Click on the cover for more information!)

The Excerpt:

“Will I see you again, Dresden?”

My throat goes dry and raw and aching. “Do you want to?”

However she answers will be excruciating. There will be no recovering from this encounter. From the memory of her touch and her wide, trusting eyes. Good gods, from her embrace.

She nods.

I am doomed. “I’ll find you later. I’ll…” What? Knock on her door and ask her aunt if I can invite her to the movies? Not in this universe. “I will see you again, Essie. I’m not sure when.”

“I’ll look for you,” she says, finally releasing her hold on my T-shirt. “Be careful.” And she’s gone, disappearing into the woods, back toward the trail.

The Giveaway:

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Swoon Thursday (#290): Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel!

"Shut up, Dresden." She dips her head. Her lips touch mine hesitantly.

My first instinct is to pull away, but this is my mouth. My lips.

I have one last lifetime to live. Just one.

I gently lean up and kiss her, giving her plenty of time and space to pull back. Instead, her hand fists in the front of my hospital gown and her mouth parts over mine. My fingers thread into her hair, and I breathe into this first kiss, for both of us. I close my eyes and melt into a euphoria I'd completely underestimated.

Her lips curve against mine. "You still taste like honey."

- Hardcover, page 288

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This romance was slow-burn and worth it for the end! You have to understand a little bit of context when reading this swoon - Dresden has lived for decades and his face has shifted many times. It's a very cool concept and the story was great!

Swoon Thursday (#287): Dream On by Kerstin Gier

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Dream On by Kerstin Gier!

... Grayson, Florence, and Lottie.

And someone with bright-gray eyes and dark-blond hair standing out in all directions. I almost burst into tears of sheer relief.

Henry.

He simply pushed Emily aside and took me in his arms.

"Hey, there are you are again, my cheese girl," he murmured into my hair. "I've missed you so much."

I wound my arms around Henry's neck and held him much closer than was strictly necessary.

"You smell nice," I whispered. It wasn't precisely what I wanted to say, but it was the first thing to come into my head.

- Page 39

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I adore this series! I'm rereading this book before starting Just Dreaming for the first time. This scene isn't technically a kissy scene but it's a really sweet reunion scene and I love it. =)

Review: Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Book Two of the Caraval series

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: May 29, 2018

Rating: 3 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

What I Liked:

I'm actually a bit disappointed by this book, which is of course very surprise given how much I loved Caraval, and given how much everyone has loved Legendary. I felt so meh about this book while reading it, and when I finished it, I was left with a rather sour taste in my mouth. Definitely not what you would want to feel after reading a supposed masterpiece. But these things happen.

Caraval followed Scarlett Dragna, who entered Caraval in order to save her younger sister Donnatella. Legendary follows Tella, who enters Caraval in order to save her and Scarlett's mother Paloma, who has been missing for years. Paloma is trapped in a card of the Deck of Destiny, a cursed deck of cards that contains the Fates. If the Fates are released, chaos will ensue (or something like that). If Legend gets the Deck, he could gain the powers of all of the Fates in the Deck. In order to save her mother, Tella must find the Deck of Destiny. In order to uphold her bargain with a mysterious criminal who gave her information about her mother, Tella must give the criminal Legend's true identity. Tella has neither of those things, and so she must enter Caraval and win - so that she will receive the ultimate prize from Legend. It's a tricky game that Tella is playing, and it is not without consequences - or sacrifices.

In the first half of the book, I was pretty engrossed in the story. I wasn't totally sold on the whole finding-my-mother thing, but I was intrigued, and I liked Tella. I liked seeing Scarlett and Julian, though I hated the unnecessary drama (more on that below). I looooved Dante's appearances. I even loved Jacks' ridiculous, cruel self. The first half of the book was so fascinating.

I liked Tella for the most part. In book one, I pretty much hated her and branded her the most selfish, unworthy sister ever. But I liked her in this book. She is bold and uninhibited, and while she seemed selfish in Caraval, she seems more selfless in this book. It's clear that she loves her sister, but is very guarded. She is selfless when it comes to Paloma, which is how this book came to be. Finding her mother is so important to Tella.

I adored Dante and his wicked, charming self. I actually didn't totally care for him in book one, but he's so swoony and magical in this book. And not just in a love interest kind of way - the game of Caraval would not be the same without his presence. He's a charming devil, but he's also kind and sweet. He has a commanding presence about him and he has a way of popping up whenever he is needed (and whenever he isn't). 

There are many Scarlett/Julian cameos which I appreciate, though I wish they were all happy cameos showing Scarlett and Julian helplessly in love. I guess that will have to wait until Finale. Still, I'm glad that Julian and Scarlett are part of this book, and an important part.

I liked the Dante/Tella romance, but there wasn't nearly enough. The author teased with this romance.

Once I reached the second half of the book, I was kind of finished with it all. I'll talk about all of my dislikes next. I can't even say I liked the ending.

What I Did Not Like:

Ugh, where do I even begin? I just felt so meh about this book at the halfway mark and beyond. What went wrong, you might ask? I have no idea. 

I was never truly sold on the whole I-must-find-my-mother plot. It seemed forced and contrived, like the author desperately needed a good reason to bring back Caraval for a second time in a short period (like The Hunger Games), and so she grasped at straws and came up with Scarlett and Tella's missing mother. I just never bought into that plot. It didn't feel important.

I didn't care for the barely-there tease of a romance that was Dante/Tella. I loved Dante. I liked Tella. I loved Dante/Tella. I didn't love the lack of kisses and swoon.

And the implicated love triangle - for both Tella and Scarlett! Like two completely separate love triangles going on! What the heck! I thought Julian/Scarlett was a done deal but apparently not. You know what I hate? When girls want to make their man jealous and so they flirt with someone else. Or go find their ex. And they call it "exploring their options" or some bull***t and they want to bring about some competition between their man and the ex/side man. For real? This isn't cute. There's nothing wrong with dating. But there IS something wrong when you claim you love someone and yet you go look for your ex or another man just to make the man you love jealous, or some bull***. That's playing games and it's maddening. I'm talking about Scarlett.

Oh but Tella is embroiled in her own love triangle, don't you worry. I know she is in love with Dante by the end of the story, and I know he loves her, but there is another guy that seems to be in love with Tella and noooooooo thank you. I actually LOVE this character and I wouldn't mind a Tella/This Character pairing IF Dante had never existed. Meaning, This Character as a love interest is so unnecessary. Why though. Why.

Speaking of unnecessary, let's talking about all the unnecessary drama that is in this book. I already talked about Scarlett's bull**** that she's pulling with Julian, but I hate that she also let's so many factors bring down their relationship. She takes every little thing as a reason not to trust him. She knows who he is, what his role in Caraval is, and yet she whines about it all the time. I liked Scarlett in the first book. But she really got on my nerves in this book. And as much as I liked seeing her and Julian in this book, I would appreciated it more if there was less drama and more swoon. More of them working together as a couple, rather than Scarlett acting like a crazy girlfriend who runs off to her exes every time she believes something about her man (to put the situation in modern terms; Scarlett technically never runs to any exes, but hopefully you understand the picture I'm trying to paint). The drama is just so unnecessary. But I guess it's middle-book drama?

I think this is part of my frustration with YA these days - the drama is so unnecessary, and sequels tend to suck. In adult romance, a book is a standalone and the story is done within that one book. Thank goodness.

The ending of this book is not a happy ending. For anyone.

Would I Recommend It:

Honestly, this is one of those books where you have to read it yourself. Decide for yourself. 99% of the people who read this book love it, so what do I know? I felt so meh while reading at least half of this book. And the ending made me so sour. Not just because of the obvious love triangles, but because of the drama, and the cliffhanger, and it was just so stupid.

But again, decide for yourself. I would say that if you're on the fence, maybe just stop with the first book. Wait until the third book publishes and binge-read the series. Or just stop with Caraval. Caraval had a lovely ending and you can imagine an epilogue of Scarlett and Julian 40 years down the road, happily ever after. No need to read about unnecessary drama. 

Rating:

2.5 stars -> rounded up to 3 stars. Perhaps I'm being generous, and maybe I just really wanted to love the book. I was so excited about it and so prepared to love it like I did Caraval. But I'm glad I didn't buy this book because I would have regretted. I'm happy to have had the opportunity to review it (I was supposed to post this review two months ago, whoops), but I would have regretted spending the money on it. I will read Finale but it'll be a library request from me.

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

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A Reaper at the Gates Event Recap!

Hello and happy Sunday, readers! I'm excited to present my recap of the Politics & Prose event of the A Reaper at the Gates tour. It was a wonderful event (and my first time attending an event at this particular bookstore!). Check out my recap!

I had actually been on the fence about whether or not I wanted to attend this event, because trips to D.C. are very long and tiring, with the traffic and the sheer distance between Baltimore and D.C. When I saw that Politics & Prose was advertising a pre-event meet & greet (just like the Fairfax B&N did when Renée Ahdieh was in town a few weeks ago), I jumped at the chance. I decided that I hadn't yet preordered the book anyway, so why not preorder the book through P&P and get access to the meet & greet. As it would happen, I was preorder #17 (out of 20), so I was cutting it close!

The meet & greet was lovely! Unfortunately I arrived ten minutes late but it was still great. There were cupcakes, and I got a goodie bag that included my preorder of Reaper, a poster, a button, and the tote bag itself. I got to ask Sabaa a question (what she was working on next, besides this quartet) - she wasn't allowed to say much but what she did hint at is very exciting!

For the main event, Sabaa was in conversation with Everdeen Mason of the Washington Post. Everdeen is very intelligent lady who asked Sabaa some thought-provoking questions, like how the current political atmosphere has influenced her books. You'd be surprised (or maybe not?) to know how much of many current world issues Sabaa wrote into her books. Like refugee crises, refugee camps, cruel dictators, etc. Sabaa is so candid and honest about her political opinions, and I respect that. She isn't afraid to say things out loud. 

I wrote this on Instagram: I was humbled by this event. As an Indian-American girl who loves reading, loves dreaming, but never saw herself in YA lit (or any lit) as an adolescent/teen, I am so grateful to Sabaa for writing from the heart and including a South Asian cast. I am so grateful to her for incorporating heartbreaking, real-world events, like the refugee camps.

But most of all, I am so grateful to her for listening to my story. At the signing table, I told her about my own family's immigration story, how I've always been a dreamer but was pushed into the STEM fields because of my parents (#AsianParents) and because I have no one to fall back on and no financial security. How it's isolating to be an immigrant and/or child of immigrants.

Sabaa listened, understood, and then she encouraged me. She told me to keep dreaming, and to pursue whatever my creative passion is. I almost teared up. Sometimes, you need to hear the words out loud. 

Thank you, Sabaa. For your stories, for your hard work, for representation, for listening. 16-year-old me wished she saw South Asian heroines in stories written by South Asian authors. 22-year-old me is so happy that authors like Sabaa are brave enough for all of us. 

A huge thanks to the amazing staff at Politics & Prose who made this event possible, and special. The event was filled to capacity so there was a long line, but the staff kept things running smoothly and efficiently. I loved the opportunity to attend the meet & greet before the main event, and I really liked being able to get my books signed first because I was a meet & greet attendee! 

And thank you, Penguin, for sending Sabaa to D.C.! I'm so glad I didn't miss the event. =)

Stay tuned for a giveaway (hopefully)! The preorder of Reaper that I bought through P&P was actually my second copy - I didn't need to preorder another copy but I did in order to get access to the meet & greet. So I got that copy just signed (not personalized). I will give it away on Twitter!

Preorder Blitz and Giveaway: Make Me Crave by Katee Robert

Hey y'all! It's that time of month again, in which Katee Robert has a new book on the horizon. She is a writing machine! Check out her upcoming novel, Make Me Crave. Pre-order Make Me Crave and add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads! Then keep reading to get a sneak peek excerpt and enter the giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card or one of three (3) ebooks from Katee Robert’s backlist! 

About the Book:

Make Me Crave by Katee Robert

Book Two of the Make Me series

Publisher: Harlequin Dare

Publication Date: July 1, 2018

Official Summary: 

Can their hunger be satisfied? 

Roman Bassani will do anything to close a deal. Even chase down Allie Landers on her Caribbean vacation to make an offer on her company. He expects a challenge—but not their immediate intense attraction. After an accidental one-night stand they agree to put business aside—for now. The island lulls them into a heated sexual journey…but what happens to their opposing interests when they return from paradise?

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Check out book one, Make Me Want:

(Click on the cover for more information!)

About the Author:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it 'a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension." When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The Excerpt:

Tomorrow would be soon enough for them to go exploring and try out the stand-up paddleboards Allie had eyed when she’d checked out the beach.

Her face heated at the fact she’d been caught topless sunbathing. Whoever that guy was, he’d been far off enough that she couldn’t clearly see his face. Those shoulders, though… Allie shivered. Even at a distance, she’d seen the cut of his muscles and how purposefully he’d maneuvered the kayak through the turquoise waters. The island must have already gone to her head, because she’d spent a truly insane moment hoping he’d come to shore so she could get a better look at him.

Maybe more than a better look.

Allie laughed at her fanciful thoughts. Vacation hookups were all well and good, but if that was what she’d wanted, she’d chosen the wrong place to go. Isolation and relaxation were the name of the game on West Island, which was exactly what she’d craved when she let Becka talk her into booking the trip. It was the exact opposite of New York and her life there.

But now she found herself wondering if maybe something slightly more chaotic would have been a better choice. The sun and sea had soaked into her blood and the heady feeling had her convinced anything was possible. It was only a week. The perfect length of time for a fling…

If she wasn’t on a private island in the middle of the ocean without a single man in sight.

She bypassed the little golf cart that was one of the main forms of transportation here. It felt good to walk after being cooped up on the plane and then lying prone while she sunned herself. She usually taught at least one class a day at Transcend—more if she needed to cover someone else’s schedule—so being inactive wasn’t natural for her. It was only a mile or two to the restaurant and the day had started to cool as the sun reached for the horizon. It’d be downright pleasant tonight.

She’d make sure to wake early and attend one of the yoga classes offered, and the rest of the day would be filled with activities that would keep restlessness from setting in. There was even scuba diving available, though Allie wasn’t sure she was feeling that adventurous. Snorkeling? Sure. Going deeper with only a tank and a few tubes between her and drowning? That would take a whole lot more convincing.

The path was cleared and well maintained to allow the carts to drive without problems, so she let her mind wander as she fell into a natural stride that ate up the distance without tiring her out. Every once in a while, the path would branch off in different directions, some heading toward other villas, some heading deeper inland. There was a small selection of hiking trails that offered tours of the history of the island.

She made it to the restaurant easily, and found it practically deserted. Allie paused in the doorway, wondering if she’d misunderstood the woman who’d checked them in. Maybe it was closed?

“Looks like it’s just you and me.”

She jumped and spun around. The man stood a respectable distance away, but his sheer size ate up the space and made her feel closed in. She froze. I’d recognize those shoulders anywhere. Confirming her suspicion, his gaze slid over her body as if he was reminding himself of what she looked like with nothing but what she’d worn on the beach. She tried to swallow past her suddenly dry throat. “You.”

“Me.” He finally looked her in the face, and she rocked back on her heels. The man was an Adonis. There was no other way to describe his blond perfection, from his hazel eyes to the square jaw to the cleft in his chin to the body that just wouldn’t quit. He might be wearing a shirt now, but the button-down did nothing to hide his muscle definition.

He held out a wide hand with equally perfect square fingers. “Let me buy you a drink?”

“We’re at an all-inclusive resort.”

His lips twitched, eyes twinkling. “Have a drink with me.”

Oh, he was good. Charm practically colored the air between them, and she had the inexplicable impulse to close the distance and stroke a finger along his jawline. To flick that cleft chin with her tongue.

Allie gave herself a shake. “Since we’re the only ones here, it’d be silly to sit apart.”

The look he gave her said he saw right through the excuse, and why not when it was pathetically flimsy? The truth was that this man was magnetic and she suspected she’d be drawn to him even in a room full of people. He waved a hand at the empty place. “Lady’s choice.”

“How magnanimous of you.”

“I try.”

She laughed and headed for the table in the middle of the small patio. There were half a dozen tables, and she picked a spot that put her back to the building and presented the best view of the ocean through a carefully curated gap in the foliage.

He eyed the view and then the chair on the other side of the table, and then he picked it up and set it adjacent to hers so they were sitting on a diagonal,  rather than directly across from each other. “Nice view.”

She turned to agree—and found him staring at her.

Allie wasn’t falsely modest. Life was too short to play games with body shaming and pretending she didn’t have access to a mirror. She was pretty—beautiful when she put some effort into it—but she’d given up being skinny or petite after the agony of high school, and she wasn’t athletically built like some of the women at her gym. Sure, she had muscle beneath her softness, and she could keep up with the best of them in her spin classes, but she loved food just as much as she loved to sweat, and her curves reflected that. Some guys had a problem with that, though she didn’t keep them around as soon as comments like “Should you really be eating that?” started.

This guy looked at her like he wanted to put her on the table and feast on her for dinner.

The desire stoked the flame inside her that had kindled the second she saw him. She leaned forward, checking his left hand. No ring. No tan lines, either. “What brings you to West Island?”

“It’s paradise, isn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to come here to get away from it all?”

That wasn’t quite an answer, but she was distracted by the intoxicating way his mouth moved when he spoke. Get ahold of yourself, Allie. You’re in danger of panting for him. She took a quick drink of water that did nothing to quell the heat rising with each minute she sat next to him.

Luckily, a waiter appeared to save her from saying something truly embarrassing. He outlined the menu for the night and took their drink orders, then disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

They were in the middle of one of the most beautiful places Allie had ever seen, and she couldn’t manage to tear her gaze away from this stranger. She licked her lips, every muscle in her body tensing when he followed the movement. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he took her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles.

The touch was innocent enough, but she felt that light movement in places that were most definitely not innocent. She didn’t have to look down to know her nipples now pressed against the thin fabric of her sundress.

His smile was slow and sinful and promised things she never would have had the gall to ask for. “This is going to sound unforgivably forward, but what do you say we get out of here and go back to my villa?”

It was crazy. More than crazy. She didn’t even know his name, and she sure as hell didn’t know anything more pertinent about him.

But there on the softly lit patio with the tropical scent of some flower she didn’t recognize and the soft shushing sound of the tide coming in, she didn’t feel like Allie, gym owner and mother hen, the responsible one who could never afford to do anything out of line or make a misstep because too many lives depended on her.

Here, she was just Allie, a woman. A woman who desperately wanted the man staring at her mouth as if he was doing everything in his power to keep from kissing her right then and there. She licked her lips again, secretly delighting in the way a muscle in his jaw jumped. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, let’s get out of here.”

Copyright © 2018 Katee Robert

The Giveaway:

Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card or one of three (3) ebooks from Katee Robert’s backlist! 

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