Book Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Made You Up
Author: Francesca Zappia
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: May 19, 2015
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Length: 428 pages
Goodreads

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion.  Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college.  She's pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles.  Didn't she imagine him?  Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers.  But Alex is used to being crazy.  She's not prepared for normal.

Six Quotes From Six of Crows

Last Sunday, I finished reading Leigh Bardugo's masterpiece that is Six of Crows, and to say I loved it is quite the understatement.  I was completely blown away with six all too amazing characters to love.

My review's in the making, and should be up in a few days' time.  Until then, I thought I'd share six Six of Crows quotes.  The entire book is filled with quotable words, but here's just a handful to pique prospective readers' interests until they have the privilege of claiming their own copy.

And . . . I'm not sorry to say most of these are Kanej quotes (Kaz + Inej).

School, Reading & Life (among other things)

Book Review: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: June 9, 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Length: 288 pages
Goodreads

With her genuine gift for comic writing, Sophie Kinsella blends comedy, romance, and psychological insight in this contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and delight.

Audrey loves her family, even if they are a bit off-the-wall.  When Audrey develops an anxiety disorder as a result of an unpleasant incident, her family is there to help.  Audrey now wears dark glasses whenever she feels the need to protect herself, but she's also making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah.

Then Audrey meets Linus, her brother's gaming teammate, and she is energized.  She can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she's never been able to do with anyone before.  As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

Book Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 656
Goodreads

Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series reaches new heights in this sweeping fourth volume.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her.  But she's at last returned to the empire - for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again.  She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison.  And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena's epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe.  This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena's story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter the world.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (Release Day Blitz + Giveaway!)

Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 656

Read CHAPTERS 1-5
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series reaches new heights in this sweeping fourth volume.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her.  But she's at last returned to the empire - for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again.  She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison.  And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena's epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe.  This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena's story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter the world.

Book Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Length: 562 pages

The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak - but at an unspeakable cost.  Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life - and her future - forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world.  To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: ACOTAR #1
Publication: Bloomsbury on May 5, 2015
Genre: NA Fantasy Retellings
Page Length: 432 pages
Source: Purchased

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it.  Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin - one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae.  But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin - and his world - forever.

The Liebster Award (Thank you, Carlisa!)

So way back when in June, the extremely sweet Carlisa from Confessions of Carlisa nominated me for the Liebster Award!  Thank you, a thousand times & more, Carlisa, for the nomination.

This post is way overdue but hey, there's no expiration date on winning the award, right?

Here goes!

Book Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1
Publication: Putnam's Children on May 12, 2015
Genre: YA Fantasy Retellings
Page Length: 388 pages
Source: Purchased

One Life to One Dawn.

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer.  Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise.  So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid.  But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls.  Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she's falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls.  Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle one and for all.