Teaser Tuesday #105: The White Rose (The Lone City #2)

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too muchaway! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My current read is The White Rose (The Lone City #2) by Amy Ewing and my paragraph is from location 65

'I, at least, might have something the Duchess wants. My body might be enough to keep me alive'

The White Rose (The Lone City #2) by Amy Ewing

Goodreads | Book Depository | Booktopia |  Amazon

 

Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.

But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.

But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?

The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Review: Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade #1) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade #1)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Published: 28 April 2015 
Source: Kensington - Teen via Netgalley in return for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: *** 3/4

My Review:

What a fun new series from Jennifer Estep!

Having been a fan of Ms Estep's Mythos Academy series and being a big urban fantasy girl, the minute I saw this, I knew it would be right up my alley. And indeed it does tick many of the right boxes; Monsters, magic, swords, evil plots and good looking boys and a smart young heroine used to doing it on her own.

From the beginning I found myself liking main character Lila Merriweather and Ms Estep's conversational style of writing quickly made me feel comfortable with and like I was friends with Lila and therefore immediately I was invested in her story.

I liked the mix of urban and fantasy in the town this story is set in and the idea of this town where regular mortals could come and see real magic and creatures of fable. I also found to concept of mob type families running the town quite interesting and look forward to learning more about them as the series continues, i particular the black blades mentioned in the series title.

Overall, the story is quite fast paced and there is no real lag in the story. It flows from beginning to end. I found it quite a quick,fast enjoyable read in which I was invested till the end and fully intend to continue on with the series.

A great start to a new series. I give this story 3 & 3/4 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade #1) by Jennifer Estep

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Booktopia

There Be Monsters Here. . .

It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her. . .

Review: The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2) by Samantha Shannon

Title: The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2)

Author: Samantha Shannon
Published: 27 January 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing
Source:  Bloomsbury Publishing via netgalley in return for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: **** 

My Review:

I really enjoyed this novel and in fact I am enjoying this series. I actually bought book 1, The Bone Season a while back as I had heard good things but had never really gotten round to reading and given the size of my current TBR pile,if I hadn't requested and been approved for Mime Order, I may not have gotten round to reading it for some time.

However I am so glad I did. Mime order, as mentioned is the second book in the Bone Season series and takes place immediately after The Bone Season finishes. After leading the escape from Sheol I and her Rephaim captors, main character Paige aka Pale Dreamer, has finally gotten herself back to her old life that she missed but now it seems that Paige is no longer the person she was when she left her sydicate which makes fitting back into her life even harder as she starts to see all that is wrong with both her previous life and the sydicates themselves. Knowing what she knows about the Rephaim and Scion, Paige realises that if she wants things to change she is going to have to leave her old life behind despite being the most wanted person in London.

I love that this books takes us right into the underbelly of the London Unnatural underworld. We saw glimpses it The Bone season but in this book we see what life is really like for Paige and its gritty and dangerous and unpredictable. We learn more about its workings and its leaders, we meet the various and individual characters of this world and Ms Shannon's world building of this hostile and alternate future where paranormal abilities are outlawed and reviled, is so complete that you feel like you are living right inside it so you can feel the encroaching danger of Scion, the Rephaim and even the other sydicates.

There are so many threads running through this book, be it the Seven Seals, the unnatural assembly, Scion or the Rephaim but they are spun together so seamlessly the the picture we are spun is a story that will keep you enthralled until the end.

The writing is also cleverly paced with the action well balanced with the strategy and the character development and story in general. Speaking of character development, the characters Ms Shannon introduces us to are delighfully diverse, deliciously evil or colourful to the extreme. This is not a perfect world and neither are its players but what they are.

This novel has everything that makes a great story: original story, interesting characters, flawless world building and action aplenty.
  

I thoroughly recommend this series and give this novel 4 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

Goodreads | Book Depository

Review: The Wells Bequest By Polly Shulman

Title: The Wells Bequest (The Grimm Legacy #2)

Author: Polly Schulman
Published: 5 September 2013 by Oxford University Press (First Published 13 June 2013)
Source: Book Depository
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: **** 

My Review:

I really enjoyed this read. What I particularly liked about it was that it was an fun, light and fast read. It didn't take itself too seriously but at the same time had an entertaining plot and fun characters and time travel.

The Wells bequest is the companion novel to The Grimm Legacy, a novel which I first read a couple years ago. When I finished it, I found out there was to be this novel coming out however its taken me a couple of years to find it. So I was greatly looking forward to treading it when it arrived.

It is probably more of a middle grade to younger YA novel but that still didn't stop it being an entertaining read. Leo Novikov comes from a family of scientists but feels like he has never quite lived up to his family name. After he sees himself 6 inches high and travelling in a time machine with a beautiful girl, he finds out about the New York Circulating Material Repository whilst working on a Science fair project and everything changes.

Whilst The Grimm Legacy was more about fairy tales and the objects from them come to life, this books dwells mostly in the realm of Science Fiction, dealing with, as it's name suggests, the writing of HG wells and well as mentioning objects from the writings of Jules Verne, Nikola Tesla and Mark Twain.

As I often mention, I love stories about time travel which this has in abundance along with all the time travel paradox discussion that goes with it along with the literary philosophy of fiction and magic working in the real world. However this is never more than a play and it never delves too deeply other than giving just enough to move the plot line at all without going into huge explanations.

The story line is fairly straightforward, with not too much subplot bringing the reader in with its easy style and providing enough twists along the way to make it an enjoyable and quick read.

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to have certain items of fiction available in the real world and would like to read about them in a light, entertaining setting then this is the read for you.

I give this novel 4 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

It was an evening like any other for Leo Novikov. That is until a miniature version of himself appears before his eyes . . . from the future! Not only that, he's riding on some kind of weird machine, with his arms wrapped around the hottest girl he's ever laid eyes on!

He heads off to the New York Circulating Material Repository to do some research and meets Jaya, the girl from the future. Together they embark on a dangerous mission to save New York City . . . a mission that will take them to the other side of the world, and to the other side of time.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Bookworld

M9B Friday Reveal Blitz: 2014 MG Books you may have Missed with Giveaway

Hey all! Welcome to Tantrum Books and Month9Books Middle Grade Books You May Have Missed Blitz! Check out all of our 2014 titles below and enter for a chance to win 1 of 3 prize packs of eBooks! International.

Click on the cover for book information.

Tantrum Titles

(3) winners will receive eBook prize packs of 5 Month9Books MG titles of your choice!
International

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Stop & Giveaway: Review of Forest of Whispers by Jennifer Murgia

Welcome to today's stop on the Forest of Whispers by Jennifer Murgia Blog Tour   hosted by Rockstar Book Tours . Today's stop is a review as well as a chance to enter the great giveaway that is being run throughout this tour.

The Review

What a captivating story! From the moment I started on page one of this tale, I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out who Rune was and what was going to happen to her.

Set in 17th century Germany,we are immediately painted a picture of village about to be thrust into the grips of Witch hysteria. Ms Murgia really captures the atmosphere of dark menace, fear, anger that turn a village to a powder keg and copel it to turn on itself and its inhabitants and how one small seemingly insignificant act can set off a tragic chain of events.

In the midst of this we have Rune, apprentice to a fortune teller/healer and Laurentz, an Electorate's son, and we see how their stories intersect with each other and the events around them.

Ms Murgia also weaves a tale so complete that you cannot help but be in it until the end, filled with mystery, love, horror and engaging the reader in so many different emotions as tale moves to completion.

The characters are drawn vividly so the reader is able to form strong emotions for or against certain character and this adds to the tension in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have no hesitation in giving this story 4 stars!

SapphiredDragon xx

The Book

Title: FOREST OF WHISPERS

Author: Jennifer Murgia

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Pub. Date: September 9, 2014

Raised by an old fortune-teller within the dark veil of the Bavarian Black Forest, Rune has learned two valuable lessons: only take from the forest that which you can use, and never, never look anyone in the eye in the village. For something terrible happened in the forest long ago... and now, the whispers of a long-dead mother with a vengeful secret have come haunting.

Forced to flee all she has ever known, Rune soon learns of a legacy she is bound to--one that is drenched in fear, witchcraft and murder--a birthright that stretches beyond the grave to the trees where Rune is no longer safe.

Find it: Amazon|Barnes& Noble

About Jennifer Murgia

Jennifer Murgia writes Young Adult paranormal and contemporary fiction.

Her latest novel, FOREST OF WHISPERS, will release September 9, 2014 from Spencer Hill Press.

She is the author of ANGEL STAR, LEMNISCATE & THE BLISS (Lands Atlantic Publishing) and BETWEEN THESE LINES (Playlist Fiction).

In 2012, Jennifer Co-Founded YA FEST with fellow YA author/friend, CynBalog. She coordinates this unique annual festival, bringing teens and fellow Young Adult authors together at her hometown library in Easton PA.

Author Links:  
 Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  | Pinterest | Goodreads

The Giveaway

1 $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card and a witchy swag item. US ONLY.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Tour

There are a whole lot of other stops, interviews, guests posts and reviews involved in this tour so don't forget to check out the other stops below:

Week One:

9/1/2014- A Dream Within A Dream- Interview

9/1/2014- Her Book Thoughts!- Review

9/2/2014- Pieces of Whimsy- Guest Post

9/2/2014- Nerdophiles- Review

9/3/2014- Addicted Readers- Interview

9/3/2014- Realm of the Sapphired Dragon- Review

9/4/2014- Literary Meanderings                - Guest Post

9/4/2014- Heather Hearts Books- Review

9/5/2014- YaReads- Interview

9/5/2014- Word to Dreams- Review

Week Two:

9/8/2014- Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, and Romance- Guest Post

9/8/2014- Everything Marie- Review

9/9/2014- Pen and Muse- Interview

9/9/2014- Arkham Reviews- Review

9/10/2014- Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf- Guest Post

9/10/2014- Amaterasu Reads- Review

9/11/2014- Fire and Ice- Guest Post

9/11/2014- As the page turns- Review

9/12/2014- Mom With A Kindle- Interview

9/12/2014- Curling Up With A Good Book- Review

Waiting on Wednesday #6 Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb

Welcome to Waiting on Wednesday!  Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly featured hosted by Breaking the Spine to spotlight the not yet released books that I wish were in my hot little hands right now.

This week I am waiting on the first book of Robin Hobb's newest trilogy, Fool's Assassin. Having read and loved both the Farseer and Tawny Man series, and after waiting nearly 12 years, I can't wait to read about these characters again. Due out in Australia on 1st September 2014, I already have this on pre-order and cannot wait to receive it :-)

Fool's Assassin (The Fitz & Fool Trilogy #1) by Robin Hobb

Tom Badgerlock has been living peaceably in the manor house at Withywoods with his beloved wife Molly these many years, the estate a reward to his family for loyal service to the crown.

But behind the facade of respectable middle-age lies a turbulent and violent past. For Tom Badgerlock is actually FitzChivalry Farseer, bastard scion of the Farseer line, convicted user of Beast-magic, and assassin. A man who has risked much for his king and lost more…

On a shelf in his den sits a triptych carved in memory stone of a man, a wolf and a fool. Once, these three were inseparable friends: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool. But one is long dead, and one long-missing.

Then one Winterfest night a messenger arrives to seek out Fitz, but mysteriously disappears, leaving nothing but a blood-trail. What was the message? Who was the sender? And what has happened to the messenger?

Suddenly Fitz's violent old life erupts into the peace of his new world, and nothing and no one is safe.

Publication Date: 1 September 2014
Pre-Order:Book Depository

What book are you 'waiting on' this week?

Teaser Tuesday #74: Spell Check (Teen Wytche Saga #1) by Ariella Moon

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too muchaway! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Spell Check (Teen Wytche Saga #1) by Ariella Moon and my two lines are from location 682 of 2023:

Miss Gaya clasped her hands together and hunched forward. "Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

Several things flashed through my mind-the love spell,Jordan and Parvani, Dad, Mom, and Miss Ravenwood,getting out of Biology,and again, the love spell.

"No." I said

5 Reasons Evie O’Reilly hopes magic isn’t real:

1. Evie’s best friend Parvani Hyde-Smith plans to cast a binding love spell on Jordan, Evie’s secret crush.
2. Parvani begs Evie to help her cast the spell.
3. Everything goes wrong when Parvani’s harmless-looking Teen Wytche paperback morphs into a brimstone-hissing grimoire.
4. Desperate to stop Parvani, Evie must risk hex hives and even befriend Salem, the school goth.
5. If magic is real, and Evie can’t stop Parvani, then she’ll lose Jordan. The wrongful magic will do more than break Evie’s heart. It will destroy them all.

Purchase:  Amazon

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Review: Silver Shadows (Blood Lines #5) by Richelle Mead

Title: Silver Shadows

Author: Richelle Mead
Published: 29 July 2014 by PenguinTeen Australia
Source:  PenguinTeen Australia
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: *****

My Review:

Gah! I can't get enough of this series. I love the story. I love the characters. And I especially love Sydney and Adrian.

I don't know what it is about Ms Mead's writing but no matter how long it has been since you read the last instalment, it's like you never left. Her characters and story welcome you back like family and right away you are back in the thick of things.

The first part of this instalment was heart wrenching with Sydney stuck in re-education and Adrian slowly coming apart and as a result sinking into his old ways. From there I had my heart in my my mouth wondering if they were going to find each other and the story kept there, on the edge of my seat, the entire time. Where it ended up, this is not the last instalment, left me asking more questions and greatly anticipating book 6.

What was great about this book, was we got a good mix of older characters that we know and fell in love with in Vampire academy along with the characters we have gotten to know in the bloodlines series. And then there was Adrian and Sydney. The more I read about them, the more I love them and am convinced they belong together. This increased my emotional investment, and hence my enjoyment, of this book.

I cannot wait until book 6 where hopefully Adrian and Sydney will finally get the happy ending they deserve :-)

I give this book 5 stars.
Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Review: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Title: Let's Get Lost

Author: Adi Alsaid
Published: 29 July 2014 by HarlequinTeen Australia
Source:  HarlequinTeen Australia
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

I decided to read "Let's get Lost" after seeing it many mentioned around the place. As I have mentioned before, I don't read a whole lot of YA contemporary but 4 strangers stories all connected by one girl name Leila seemed like and intriguing idea.

I have to say I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and how quickly zoomed through it. When I started I was a little apprehensive, worried I would struggle to get it finished, having left it a little late to start reading it, but I needn't have worried, one moment I was reading the first page of Hudson's story and the next I finishing off Leila's story and closing the book, all done.

This book is essentially 5 stories in one. The first 4 sections devoted to a main character and story per section: Hudson, Bree, Elliott and Sonia with leila's story weaving around them, bringing their stories together and finishing the book off. Each of these characters had their own story, their own issues but they seem to all be at the same point of everything coming to a head when Leila crosses their paths and acts as their catalysts for change. I enjoyed each story for itself, enjoyed meeting and discovering the new characters and their stories, the journey that each story takes the reader on. I also loved that we got to find out Leila's story last and realising that though she was in each and every story previous, she remains mysterious and its not until the end that we find out more about her.

I found each og the individual stories fresh,different and honest, and the way Mr Alsaid brings them all together, I found myself wanting more and thinking about the characters even after their stories had passed, which to me is a sure sign of a good read.

If you want a YA contemporary novel that is fresh and honest and a fun, enjoyable read, then pick up this book. This books was a really nice surprise and I give it 4 stars :-)

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Teaser Tuesday #71: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too muchaway! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid and my three lines is from Page 133:

"I'm such a screwup," she said, grabbing another napkin and wiping her nose. "I don't know what I can say to make it okay, but I need to tell her I'm sorry. We need to find her."

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Purchase: Book Depository | Amazon

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link  to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Review: Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3)

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Published: 17 June 2014 by Henry Holt & Co.
Source:  Book Depository
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: *****

My Review:

What an awesome conclusion to a series! I loved this book and was glued to the pages from beginning to end.

It had been about 6 months and a load of books since I had read book 2, Siege and Storm so I was worried I may not remember nenough to be able to enjoy it properly but I needn't have worried. Right from page 1, I was back in the story and invested in the characters and hanging on every word right through to the satisfying conclusion.

Ms Bardugo is a master story teller. This tale has everything you need for a complete story. Characters you can become invested in, a interesting and different story line with enough surprises along the way that the ending is not necessarily be seen until the author wants you to see it. Lastly the conclusion itself makes reading the entire three books well worth the effort.

I loved the main character Alina. I loved how strong she was and how we got to see her struggle with trying to work out the right path to take. We got to see her strengths as well as her weakness as Ms Bardugo did not give a clear straight path nor easily definable right and wrong choices so we got to see how Alina coped with the both making her decisions and then dealing with the consequences.

I also loved her relationships with the other characters, with The Darkling, with Nicolai and with Mal. Again, I loved that there were never clear choices and she had to deal with her hearty fighting her head fighting her soul whilst also wrestling how these decisions might also affect the rest of her world.

Over all, this is one of the best conclusions to a series I have read in a long time and whilst I am sad to be leaving these characters behind, I also leave satisfied with a conclusion that left these characters where they were meant to be.

I give this novel 5 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Life AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman by Michelle E. Reed #M9BFridayReveals

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Life AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman
by Michelle E. Reed

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Dez is finally hitting her afterlife stride. She hasn’t missed a meeting or session in forty-two days, and she’s put the adventures and danger of her first days at Atman behind her. Life after death is becoming tolerable, yet nothing is quite what she’d hoped. Confusion over her feelings for Charlie, residual resentment over losing Hannah, and a continuous stream of unwanted assignments leave Dez restless and argumentative.

In a missed encounter with Crosby, her prying gaze lands upon a single entry in the datebook on his unoccupied desk. These few, hastily scribbled words reveal an enormous secret he’s keeping from her. Possessed by a painful sense of betrayal, she once again sneaks off to Atman City, determined to find answers to an unresolved piece of her life.

It begins as all their adventures do, but as light falls into darkness, a stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood sets forth a chaotic series of events. Dez will have to fight for her very existence, and will face painful, irreparable loss in an afterlife teeming with demons wielding ancient powers.

In M.I.A.: Missing in Atman, the second book in the Atman City series, Michelle E. Reed continues the story of Dez Donnelly, pushing her to her limits and surprising readers at every twist and turn of the vast world that is Atman.

Death was only the beginning.

Title: Life AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman
Publication date: December 16, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Michelle E. Reed

Michelle was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Tuesday Teaser #69 Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too muchaway! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My current read is Ruin and Rising(The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo and my two lines are from Page 155:

I ignored the twist my heart gave. This was what I wanted.

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Purchase: Book Depository | Amazon

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link  to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Stacking the Shelves #15

Welcome to  Stacking The Shelves!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga Reviews and is a meme to share those books, both print and e-book, that have been added to your shelves in the last week/s.

I got some awesome titles this week.  Can't wait to read them.  So excited for Ruin & Rising.  Keep you eyes out for a review of this later this week!

Ebooks (Harper Collins via Edelweiss)

The Fall by Bethany Griffin
Goodreads | Book Depository
Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.

Look for it- Fall 2014!

The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard
Goodreads | Book Depository
rom the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Pretty Little Liars comes a thrilling new novel about five perfect girls who are framed for a murder they didn’t commit.

In Beacon Heights, Washington, five girls—Ava, Caitlin, Mackenzie, Julie, and Parker—know that you don’t have to be good to be perfect. At first the girls think they have nothing in common, until they realize that they all hate Nolan Hotchkiss, who’s done terrible things to each of them. They come up with the perfect way to kill him—a hypothetical murder, of course. It’s just a joke...until Nolan turns up dead, in exactly the way they planned. Only, they didn’t do it. And unless they find the real killer, their perfect lives will come crashing down around them.

From Sara Shepard, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series, comes another story of dark secrets, shocking twists, and what happens when five beautiful girls will do anything to hide the ugly truth.

Illusions of Fate  by Kiersten White
Goodreads | Book Depository
Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray

Purchased :

So excited that this finally arrived.  As you can see, I have already dived in :-P

Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads  | Book Depository

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

So what did you add to your shelves this week?