The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead // Back At It Again!

The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1), by Richelle Mead
Publication: April 5, 2016, by Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.
Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.
When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.
But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

My Thoughts:

It has literally been ages since the last time I have picked up something written by the fabulous Richelle Mead. That depresses me. It makes me feel like I have no more connection to fantasy/romance novels, and that the memories I have of reading Vampire Academy, falling in love with Dimitri and Rose, and believing that fantasy, mythical creatures and forces do exist are all gone. Away. Flooded. When I discovered that I had the chance to read and review Richelle's newest stellar story, The Glittering Court, which did sound like Kiera Cass' The Selection if I do say so myself, I JUMPED OFF A CLIFF. No seriously. Do you want to know what I really did? I jumped off the last step in my house like it was a cliff or Mount Everest or something in that context. This book made me so happy.

Before I get to anything, you must prepare yourself a survival kit for this story. This survival kit will consist of kleenexes, awake-pills and your phone/computer so you could update your Goodreads. Why? Kleenexes are for the feels that hit you in the end when we read two soulful letters from Adelaide's friends: Tamsin and Mira. LETTERS ARE BEAUTIFUL. WHEREFORE DO LADS AND GALS NOT SEEK TO WRITE THEM ANYMORE? The awakening pills are for the boredom that strikes around the beginning half of the story, around the first hundred pages when readers really try to see what this is actually about, and the phone because you'll be shocked with the plot twists and romance. I needed to regurgitate this story to the world. I need to. Now. 

The Glittering Court is basically the opposite of what a typical fantasy novel written by the fantasy-author-goddesses like Richelle Mead and Leigh Bardugo would normally be like. THIS WAS RICH, VERY LUXURIOUS AND MOVING. I'm moved by Adelaide's character and the world that Mead created for her characters to live and move around in. THIS IS THE KIND OF FANTASY I ADORE.

Listen: I am not the kind of readers who goes for books about dragons or ogres. I love fantasy with a twist, particularly romance without all of the heirs and bloodlines. (What a funny pun, if you Richelle Mead fans know what I mean!) 

"I couldn't even say who started the kissing then. Maybe there was no true start. Maybe it was just a continuation of what we'd begun that night among the stars. Wrapped in his arms, wrapped in him, I couldn't believe I'd somehow gone the last week without touching him. Really touching him—not those stolen brushes of fingertips and legs. I had danced with dozens of men in this month and never felt a flicker of what I felt when Cedric simply looked at me." (240)

Aw. Cedric and Adelaide are the most adorable couple ever. THEY ARE MY OTP. This is definitely like your Bachelor kind of plot. We have many men who are just dying to get engaged with a pretty, peppy young woman like Adelaide, and of course, there are heirs and those kinds of things mixed in within, but the romance definitely is the key part for me.

The Glittering Court kind of made my life so much better. I mean—hey. There were boring parts, but everything made so much sense and was so entertaining. I love this one, and I am so excited to continue the series and see Adelaide's adventures with Cedric next. *winks* Girl power between friendships, romance and a gorgeous plot—what else do we possibly need?

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is one of the best new fantasy novels out there? Do you like Richelle Mead's writing?

Waiting on Wednesday #41: Flower

Flower, by Elizabeth Craft and Shea Olsen
Publication: January 3, 2017, by Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384

These are the things that I've always wanted:

To get the top grades in my class.

To make my grandmother proud.

And most of all, proof that I could succeed where the rest of my family had not: a Stanford acceptance letter, early admission.

My mother and my sister were obsessed with boys and love and sex. So obsessed that they lost sight of their futures, of what they wanted. And in the end, they lost everything.

I'll never let a boy distract me. I promised my grandmother that.

But that was before Tate.

Before the biggest pop star on the planet took an interest in me.

Before private planes and secret dates and lyrics meant for me alone.

There's so much I don't know. Like why he left music. Where he goes when we're not together. What dark past he's hiding. But when we kiss, the future feels far away. And now…I'm not sure what I want.

Flower looks gorgeous. This is completely the right kind of book for me; a mix of contemporary with romance that is just the thing to make me smile. Plus, the cover is SO amazing!

What are you anticipating the most this week?

Twenty Questions for Gloria by Martyn Bedford // A Different Psychological Thriller Than the Rest

Twenty Questions for Gloria, by Martyn Bedford
Publication: April 12, 2016, by Wendy Lamb
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Gloria is tired of her ordinary life. An unadventurous teenager, she barely remembers the free-spirited child she used to be. So when a mysterious new boy strolls into school, bent on breaking all the rules, Gloria is ready to fall under his spell.
Uman is funny, confident, and smart. He does what he wants without a care for what anyone thinks. The only people for him, he says, are the mad ones, the ones who never say or do a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn.
He is everything Gloria wants to be. He can whisk her away and show her a more daring, more exciting life—one in which the only limits are the boundaries of her own boldness.
But Uman is not all he seems. And by the time she learns the truth about him, she’s a long way from home…and the whole country wants to know: Where’s Gloria?

My Thoughts:

Woof. It has been a real long time since I finished this one (way before BEA even), and I'm just writing this review now! This actually tells me how much of a review-procrastinator I am. But please, trust me, I am not like this in reality. In fact, I do call myself the most organized person I know. A little too arrogant, do you not agree? Anyway, I apologize for my babbling. No excuses, Michelle! *bangs head against a table* Twenty Questions for Gloria by Martyn Bedford is a psychological thriller/mystery/whatever you would like to call it that you absolutely need to keep. You need to keep loving it, reading it and devouring it because I promise you, it's so great.

I have heard some things about Bedford's writing, and it's been pretty positive for the most part. After receiving this pretty in the mail one day and adding it to my TBR, I realized that I do have another book of Martyn's on my list: Never Ending. Now that one looks good. Gloria's story is enriching with so many aspects that more mysteries need to take into consideration. Over here, Gloria's story is told from the perspective of her in the police station, getting interviewed by the detective. Her mother is there and Gloria is retelling the story. We get to hear her vivid thoughts and everything that's going on around her and what actually happened. Sure, we could read the news and just make assumptions on everything, but the real truth comes out when the victim speaks.

What I liked about this one was that Bedford took a different approach to your typical thriller slash mystery. This time around, we have a victim who actually wanted to go on this journey, set sail for a new life from her regular life in her small England town. She takes off with the new guy from her school, who she is immediately attracted to. No, this is not your instant-love woods story. This book is written for the people who were close to getting lost in their minds, trying to head on adventures. It's for people like Gloria, who just need a break from ordinary chaos and who just need to swim in their own thoughts. For me, I truly feel that when I am on vacation, or when reading a good book with no distractions around me. That's greatness.

I was immediately drawn to Uman, just like Gloria was, but in a freakish way where I suspected the worst from him. I did not like his background story, or his reason for anything. This just seemed completely unbelievable. I couldn't believe that story where the guy just shows up out of nowhere and picks her. Her is the girl who just tries to make it seem that she's nobody special, that she's ordinary. At the same time, I believe that every character/person has something special in them that makes them stand out, but it's just weird how the whole Uman thing came together.

This mostly was a non-romance story, but you could feel the lust. Anyway, I will not really comment on that factor, but it was interesting to read about, coming from the perspective of a teenage girl who had not really experienced much in the "taking risks" category, just like myself. Gloria was easy to relate to, and it seemed that I would have done much of the same that she did, but at the same time, she had her dumb moments. Her bad decision-making that just made me cry out loud, "WHY?" Like, why not call your parents? Why believe this guy? I would never have put my shoes in her situation first of all.

And when I look at this book from a bird's eye view, I see that it was pretty entertaining. Sure, boring moments occurred, but this is just a quick read that anyone could devour in a sitting or two. I finished it in two, and was extremely satisfied with the pacing and how everything turned out. 

Twenty Questions for Gloria was divided into twenty chapters (from what I remembered), and it took me on an emotional journey that is simply difficult to forget about. I just remember the instant attraction between Gloria and Ulam, as well as the tagline that just drew me in. I read this during one of my psychological-thriller-phases (which I get every now and then), and just really was happy with the turn-out. Of course, this is not the perfect read, but it gives every person, young or old, that whimsical view on the struggles of teenage-hood and dealing with maturity from a relatable line of sight. We certainly do not get that very often in literature these days.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are some good coming of age books that tie in with mystery? I sure do love my mystery!

Waiting on Wednesday #40: Carve the Mark

Carve the Mark (Untitled Duology #1), by Veronica Roth
Publication: January 17, 2017, by Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not — their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?
Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.
Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuve, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive — no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive — or to destroy one another.

PEOPLE. PEOPLE. PEOPLE. I actually have a sampler of this perfection from BEA, where Veronica Roth actually signed them (I didn't get mine signed), and I'm so excited, but afraid at the same time to read it because I'll long for this more.

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL AND I THINK THE FANS ARE GOING CRAZY. I read Divergent years ago and have needed more forever. This is beautiful, I love the cover.

Do you like Veronica Roth's writing? What do you think of sci-fi these days?

Suspicion by Alexandra Monir // I Actually Enjoyed This!

Suspicion, by Alexandra Monir
Publication: December 9, 2014, by Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Seventeen-year-old Imogen Rockford has never forgotten the last words her father said to her, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family’s English country manor.
For seven years, images of her parents’ death have haunted Imogen’s dreams. In an effort to escape the past, she leaves Rockford Manor and moves to New York City with her new guardians. But some attachments prove impossible to shake—including her love for her handsome neighbor Sebastian Stanhope.
Then a life-altering letter arrives that forces Imogen to return to the manor in England, where she quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind Rockford’s aristocratic exterior. At their center is Imogen herself—and Sebastian, the boy she never stopped loving.
Combining spine-tingling mystery, romance, and unforgettable characters, Suspicion is an action-packed thrill ride.

My Thoughts:

Suspicion is the riveting tale about magic, labyrinths (agh, I remember discovering the definition behind that word), romance and a British empire and family who keep undergoing death and nasty (drama) things. I loved the main character, and just about every speck of gorgeousness that Alexandra Monir provided readers with from start to finish. This is a true gem at the bookstore, library or any other bookish provider that you know of. Weeks later, I am still shocked with everything that occurred, and everything is so new in my mind that it just keeps repeating truly like some endless labyrinth or cycle. This newbie has caught my eye for a long time, though not being captivated by Monir's time traveling trilogy, I had second guesses. If you are even not the biggest fantasy fan, this light read could seriously change that, as it is not a heavy duty read where you have to pry your eyes open and put that lame thinking cap on to make sure you understand every plot bit.

Alexandra Monir implants royalty and magic together, two things that go with each other like milk and cookies. We have our protagonist, Imogen, who never knew that she would one day become heir to her throne, and after spending many years in New York City with a foster family who loves her as if she was their own child, she decides to head back to London where her family's history resides beside her. 

Okay, there's romance, there's drama. I aspire to read books like that. If this did not contain any kind of romance whatsoever, I think my attention span would have died down, and this certainly could have been a DNF or close. The fling between Imogen and Sebastian just made complete sense with it all. I highly feel like promoting it. PROMOTE THE ROMANCE WITH FANTASY, PEOPLE!
The cover just makes so much sense and I feel this Selection by Kiera Cass vibe coming from this. Do not expect the actual selecting part though. This cannot compare to The Bachelor, my fellow rom-com obsessed friends. Instead, we had the kick-ass royalty thing coming along. Monir experiments this plot with a modern-day setting in London. I certainly have rarely seen high fantasy mixed with mystery mixed with contemporary. There goes the risk-taking that I love when authors take!

This just turned out to be such a great read that I highly recommend. I finished it in a sitting, devoured it instantly, and went around later explaining it to my friends. I have this itsy-bitsy feeling that they are hooked. This is not your Snow Like Ashes thing with elements or dragons. This is something that who knows, could exist somewhere. Think of death, parallel universes and a pretty garden with maids who fake things. Wow. *takes a breather*







What is interesting is that this apparently is a retelling of the book(?) Rebecca. We have myths and just about everything fitting in together to make this just the way we YA fans adore these kinds of books. Fall in love with this book, adore this book, make all of the positive things happen because this is truly one to remember.

Do you know any fantasy books that are retellings? Have you read Rebecca?

The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood // The Gorgeous Cover Kind of Fooled Me

The Square Root of Summer, by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Publication: May 3, 2016, by Roaring Brook Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Time-Traveling
Pages: 295
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past:
To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the afternoon she fell in love with Jason, who wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. To the day her best friend Thomas moved away and left her behind with a scar on her hand and a black hole in her memory.
Although Grey is still gone, Jason and Thomas are back, and Gottie's past, present, and future are about to collide—and someone's heart is about to be broken.
With time travel, quantum physics, and sweeping romance, The Square Root of Summer is an exponentially enthralling story about love, loss, and trying to figure it all out, from stunning debut YA voice, Harriet Reuter Hapgood.

My Thoughts:

I was kind of fooled by this beautiful cover, my lovely reviewers. Kind of. Slightly. I'm kidding. I was a LITTLE MORE than SLIGHTLY fooled by this cover and the time-traveling premise of Harriet Reuter Hapgood's debut novel that was released at the perfect moment—before summer and before allergy season (which has hit now), before I get the sniffles and am not able to look at books for a few days because my eyes are blurry. 'Twas a perfect period of time to release the book, but surely not a perfect story overall. I found this one to be too good to be true. In fact, it was not as math-based or philosophically inclined as I expected when I requested it for review.

The Square Root of Summer was supposed to be what you first thought: about time traveling and rewinding. I saw this more of a coming of age, moving story about a girl who is trying to discover what memories are important in life and what should she keep in mind as she makes new decisions and all of that jazz. This was mostly focused on the ever-building romance between Gottie and Thomas, two "best friends" who have known each other since birth and were separated by Thomas moving. He comes back, and things speed up once more even though they were separated for a real long time and y'know... once we become teenagers, shiz changes. Greatly, sometimes, even. I do not want to head back to my eleven-year-old life, let's just say that.

I liked this one, don't get me wrong. Hapgood delivers a good message in this story, proving that we all have what it takes to form bonds (once again) with people who may be our enemies (even though it has never happened to me), or with people who we lost ages ago. 

Five Reasons Why I Gave This 3.5 Stars:

1. It missed the "WOW factor." I think y'all get it. I just was not able to see the thing that draws me in so much and keeps me drawn in. I read this because I was initially intrigued, but that seemed to fade away after I kept reading and things started to speed up, or in this case, s l o w down. I wanted more mathematical concepts explained, more theoretical stuff, less fluff. WHY THE FLUFF, HARRIET?!

2. I loved Gottie. Once in a while us readers are introduced to a protagonist who is so relatable that we feel like the book is strictly about our lives and it turns out to be kind of... creepy. Gottie was that person for me. When I read a book, I do not go into it expecting to be able to relate to every single character and feel like it's my life. But when it does happen, it turns out to be a factor that just makes me enjoy the book even more. I even had this conversation with my friends today. We laughed and anchored about a book that was supposedly "so bad" to others but I loved it. I turn out to be the black sheep in those senses a few times while reading. This? I was equal with everyone else. This is not a five star read, but Gottie's lovely, cheery character made everything a touch better. 

3. It's different. Uniqueness is that DEFINITE factor that makes me smile a bit. Jokes. A LOT. I love diversity in themes, and this definitely had it. I love ROMANCE WITH TIME TRAVELING. And this time-traveling had a twist, my friends! Let's head into the Tardis or whatever you Whowards or whatever call it. *wink*

4. You will enjoy it. I'm pretty sure it's everyone's cup of tea. I mean, there's a bitter taste at the start, but things do get better.

5. Thomas is smoking. Not as in cigarettes but as in HOT FACTOR. I ship Gottie and him so hard. *giggles*

"Thomas didn't belong on his side of the hedge, where the lawn was neatly clipped and his scary dad's rules were practically laminated. And I didn't quite belong on mine, where we were allowed to roam free. It wasn't about like or love—we were always together. We shared a brain. And now he's coming back..." (15)

The Square Root of Summer is that beachy read for your science nerds. Or for anyone, for that matter. I loved its depth, characters and diversity in themes, compared to your typical contemporary romance featuring long-lost lovers. Boom, this is the perfect book to add to your TBR list right now. This instant. This time period. Or, you could just go back in time and pretend that you did it already. You're a genius.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is the most 'mathematical' YA book you've read? Isn't this cover gorgeous?

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes // KIDS/EVERYONE, ASK YOUR PARENTS FOR THIS ONE

Towers Falling, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publication: July 12, 2016, by Little Brown BFYR
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 240
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Deja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means,
and how communities can grow (and heal), she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?
Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day.

My Thoughts:

Everyday, I take steps, leave my front door (most of the time, haha), eat, drink (WATER PEOPLE) and do homework. That is my reality. Everyday I like to pick a book up and devour it, reading a different author's perspective on a different subject every single day. Life goes by, things happen, good or bad, and we have to move on in order to stay sane. Last week, I received a beautiful, pristine copy of Jewell Parker Rhodes' Towers Falling in the mail, after anticipating it so long, not only because it is set in my favourite place in the world, but because NO middle grade author has ever conquered such a magical, difficult situation in their stories: 9/11. I have rarely even heard of fiction being based off on this tragic massacre that stunned the world on an "ordinary day" in September of 2001. I was only a year old, but after I discovered this particular moment of history, watched the videos, read survivor stories, and was immediately introduced to this event that changed the way our world rotates today, I was changed myself. Imagine how a class of ten year olds, who, if they look out of their classroom window, can see the remaining reflection of the Twin Towers, react to finding out the truth. It's remarkable, and Jewell Parker Rhodes stunned me with this middle grade, beautiful poignant story.  

Towers Falling is not just for ten year olds, like my sister. It is not just for teenagers who decide that they would like to read a book (with a beautiful, precious cover) that falls under the middle grade category. It is not just for librarians who will surely recommend the story to their young visitors. It is not just for parents who will like to read about an exemplar of what to tell their own children. This story is for everyone, young or old. We see so many current issues exemplified and implied in the two hundred and forty pages that I am still mindblown to this current moment. 

"We all bleed red. And all good stories are, by their nature, diverse because they are about individualism, uniqueness."

This is quote, quoted by the author in a speech of hers on the importance of diverse books. I firmly believe that it is true, that it makes so much sense. This is not only a diverse book, formed with three main characters (Deja, Sabeen and Ben) who all have different ethnicities, but it is also a story of belonging, hope, commemoration. I have so much praise for it and I believe that every child deserves a copy of this story. It impacts you as a reader so much, giving you emotion for Dèja, who has dealt with homelessness in the past, being a young girl who does not understand much about the world. It is so difficult for me to even try to compare this to any other middle grade book I have read; it is truly one of a kind, and those kinds of books come in one in a million chances. 

This is not the book for a parent to give their child to have them understand 9/11. No. I would say that in order to really feel the impact of this story, a reader must have a little knowledge of this event. I am going to have my sister read this story and see how it impacts her, checking to see if it hit her the same way as me. That'll be some kind of psychological study for me to research. It is so easy to feel smitten with the characters that Jewell Parker Rhodes incorporates to this story. We know that in the end, it is about Dèja, her family's story, and what they have overcome, but we also receive an equal amount of screen-time between Sabeen and Ben. I love this trio of characters. 

I like that this is real, that this is not a story that seems fictional to any extent. This is as real as stories go. I love the values and the emotions that I endured; tears were brought to my eyes several times and this was absolutely captivating. Knowing that there was a big secret in Dèja's family, I knew I had to keep reading, and instead of going to bed, I would be able to understand what really happened.

"I turn away from the screen and look out Ben's window. It's beautiful. Birds, trees, sky, and clouds. What would it be like having a plane crush through like a missile? Destroying the world?" (98)

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this glorious novel. This is truly inspiring, for authors to write like, and for readers to feel gratitude. With a perfect EVERYTHING, Jewell Parker Rhodes deserves the highest possible award for this beautiful story. You cannot go wrong or point at anything. It is as nourishing as a cup of water after being in the Sahara Desert, although I do not even know what that is like, I can only imagine, and that's what Jewell did with her vision here: imagine, but form a real story.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is your most recent favourite MG book? What are the issues that authors have written about that shocked you?