My Favorite Co-Written YA Novels

Happy Friday, bibliovores! Today is another day in which I didn't feel like writing/posting a review, but did feel like posting something... so I'm doing another favorites post! You can check out my other favorites posts in a previous posts (for example). 

Here are some of my favorite co-written YA novels! When I started drafting this post, I started to realize how few co-written YA books there actually are. Luckily, I've read some, and most were quite good!

  

  

  

  

There are other co-written novels that didn't make my list because I didn't totally like them, such as Unearthed (Kaufman & Spooner), These Vicious Masks (Shanker & Zekas), etc. And as you can see, I am very bad at finishing series (looking at you, Their Fractured Light and Obsidio). Oh well!

Swoon Thursday (#293): Unchained by J. Lynn

- 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 Unchained by J. Lynn!

"Tell me to stop." His voice was thick. "And damn it all to Hell, I will."

Her lips parted, but she didn't speak.

Julian growled low in his throat and then brought his mouth down to hers.

It had been years since she had kissed anyone. She'd been a teenager, before Baal and before she accepted the Contract. She'd forgotten how much pleasure a kiss could bring, but she never remembered being kissed like this before.

Julian claimed her lips as if her were laying stake to her soul. The possibility that he had already done so should have served as a dire warning, but she was far too immersed in the feelings Julian was working out of her. His lips were demanding, and when he tugged on her lower lip with his teeth, she yielded to him. The kiss deepened, and his tongue slid over hers. She let out a little breathless moan against his hot mouth.

- ebook, page 87

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

This is one of Armentrout's older adult romance novels, but it's so good! I adore Julian. The book was on sale for $0.99 recently - hope you didn't miss it!

Waiting on Wednesday (#297): We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett

"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:

We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

Two girls use forbidden magic to fly and fight--for their country and for themselves--in this riveting debut that's part Shadow and Bone, part Code Name Verity.

Seventeen-year-old Revna is a factory worker, manufacturing war machines for the Union of the North. When she's caught using illegal magic, she fears being branded a traitor and imprisoned. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Linné defied her father, a Union general, and disguised herself as a boy to join the army. They're both offered a reprieve from punishment if they use their magic in a special women's military flight unit and undertake terrifying, deadly missions under cover of darkness. Revna and Linné can hardly stand to be in the same cockpit, but if they can't fly together, and if they can't find a way to fly well, the enemy's superior firepower will destroy them--if they don't destroy each other first.

We Rule the Night is a powerful alternate-history fantasy about sacrifice, complicated friendships, and survival despite impossible odds.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

Isn't this cover amazing? I saw it yesterday and knew I had to feature the book. It sounds fantastic!

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.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

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:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Muse (7)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

As usual, I have made some coloring progress in my 17-18 Johanna Basford planner! It was another slow week - I didn't have a good week at work. But I did some coloring, and some ladies on the train noticed, and told me they loved it!

I'm not a big fan of pink but I thought a pink gazebo would be cool. I like it!

I'm not finished this one but I think it looks really cool so far. It's simple yet so intricate!

In the movies... I finally saw Crazy Rich Asians, on Saturday!

It was AMAZING. I am not East Asian (I'm South Asian) but I connected with the characters so well, especially Rachel, being a fellow first-generation, "poor" but hard-working girl. This movie was wonderful, the romance was lovely, and the ending was fantastic. I recommend it!

I also re-watched one of my favorite Bollywood movies of all time, Mohabbatein. It's on Amazon Prime Video (and you can watch with subtitles). This movie is one of the best!

As always, I love to share some animal photos/videos...

A post shared by HuskyRoad (@huskyroad) on Aug 28, 2018 at 11:22am PDT

Wishing my fellow Americans a great labor day. It's lovely to have a day off, but it's also good to recognize and remember workers of the Labor Movement in the 1800s and beyond.

This week will be another slow one, especially with it being short, but I'm hoping it'll be a better week. Happy September, everyone! I'll leave you with a very nice sunrise I captured this week.

September 2018 New Release Giveaway!

Welcome to the September New Release Giveaway Hop! The September New Release Giveaway hop is hosted by It Starts At Midnight and FLYLēF. 

This month, I'm giving a prize pack of September '18 novels! Including:

  

  

(Click on the covers for more information!)

The Giveaway:

Win a prize pack of books pictured above! Winner has 48 hours to respond. The usual Giveaways rules apply.

Open INTERNATIONALLY! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking the Shelves (#297)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, in which bloggers share the books and swag they've received in the past week!

So, what did I get in the week of Sunday, August 26th to Saturday, September 1st?

(all links to Goodreads are provided!)

In the mail:

A signed paperback copy of Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra

A paperback copy of Summer at the Garden Cafe by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

Thank you, Rati Mehrotra and Harper Perennial! I won Markswoman from Rati and Summer at the Garden Cafe was unsolicited from Harper. Not too shabby!

That's it from me this week! I had a really tough week at work and am ready to enjoy the three-day weekend. Happy Labor Day, fellow Americans!