March 2018 Wrap-Up

# Of Books Read: 5

1. The Prince And The Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Library | Started/Finished on March 6| Rating:★★★★★| The Prince And The Dressmaker Full Review

Overall Thoughts: While breaking gender norms and putting a focus on trust and friendship, The Prince And The Dressmaker was a delightful graphic novel that has such vibrant artwork, great characters and a heart-warming story! Frances soon finds herself working for royalty when she gets assigned to create dresses for Prince Sebastian. He feels so much pressure put upon him as a prince, but when he wears dresses and takes the name Lady Crystallia, we see him truly shine! The friendship and dynamic forged between the 2 is so well done. Delightful, charming, and diverse, The Prince And The Dressmaker will capture your heart!

2. Flight Season by Marie Marquardt

Library | Started on March 2 + Finished on March 8| Rating:★★★★★| Flight Season Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Flight Season easily made it to the list of my all-time favorite YA Contemporary books and it will forever have a special place in my heart! ♥♥~ Following the unique and distinct POV’s of Vivi Flannigan, TJ Carvalho & Ángel Solis, you see how their stories intertwine and the journey each of them undergo. The deep connection and friendship these characters forge was not only incredibly developed, but easily one of the many highlights of this novel! Marquardt gives such depth and insight into the 3 main characters. The plot is unique and captivating: following Vivi when she returns home for the summer after her first year of college to complete an internship at a hospital in the heart ICU, TJ who is also working there & is attempting to figure out what he wants/ the goals he wants to accomplish. Then there’s Ángel, who’s such a witty dynamic character, and is in the heart ICU (due to a heart infection) as Vivi & TJ’s patient. This novel also meant so much to me because of the Guatemalan rep.!~ Grief, family, and friendship are the main themes explored perfectly throughout this novel. The plot is unique, the romance is beautifully developed, the writing is spectacular, and there is such depth explored to the many differing aspects of this novel. Flight Season is a must read YA Contemporary! (There’s indigenous Guatemalan rep. & Brazilian-American rep.!)

3. Daughter Of The Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller (DOTPK #2)

Library | Started March 11 + Finished March 13 | Rating: ★★★★☆ | Daughter Of The Siren Queen Full Review

Overall Thoughts: The Daughter Of The Pirate King duology wraps up with this final installment! With the comedic banter and expansion to the lore set up in book 1, Levenseller made Daughter Of The Siren Queen such a character-driven and action-packed tale! Alosa learns more about her past and now must escape her father the Pirate King when secrets are revealed! I loved that we finally get to meet Alosa’s female crew + Riden gets so much character-development! Similarly to book 1, Levenseller develops romance + banter in such a great way! I will admit though, I didn’t love this finale as much as Daughter Of The Pirate King. For me I felt the plot dragged quite a bit throughout a majority of the middle + I just wanted more plot-wise (n regards to Alosa escaping her father on her ship). However, I love that Levenseller ended her duology in such a way where it wasn’t really a sad bittersweet ending, but very much leaves you knowing Alosa + Riden’s adventures are just beginning! Really looking forward to Tricia Levenseller’s next books!

4. Children Of Blood And Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Legacy Of Orïsha #1)

Library | Started March 12 + Finished March 16 | Rating: ★★★★☆ ½ | Children Of Blood And Bone Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Children Of Blood And Bone is one of those books that leaves you thinking long after the final page! From the very beginning Adeyemi introduces an immersive, magical, and thought-provoking tale. Zélie finds herself going on a perilous journey to restore magic to her world. Following 3 brilliantly woven POV’s, from Zélie to rogue princess Amari, and enemy prince Inan, Adeyemi’s writing delivers such a cinematic and complex story. With so many fantastic elements from intrigue, to action, adventure, and exploration of timely subjects, Children Of Blood And Bone left me feeling so many emotions that I don’t know how I’ll be able to wait for book 2!😂✨

5. The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil A Rún Vol. 2 by Nagabe {TGFTOS #2}

Owned | Started/Finished on March 18| Rating: ★★★★☆ ½| The Girl From The Other Side Vol. 2 Full Review

Overall Thoughts: The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil A Rún manga is a slow-moving tale filled with mystery, but it works so well! In this volume we learn more about Shiva and her protector Teacher, when a mysterious Outsider arrives with answers + more questions regarding their mysterious world of the “Inside” + “Outside” + the main characters themselves. The theme of identity is so important in this volume and is really explored through the character of Teacher. The author really allows the reader to put together on their own while also raising even more questions with the conclusion of each chapter. The 2nd volume to this manga series continues to build and develop this unique world, filled with such intriguing characters!

Additional Posts From This Month:

March 2018 YA Books I’m Looking Forward To!

Plans for April:

~I’m hoping to read at least 1 or 2 more books than last month

~Post another Literary Listens feature

~Share a list of SFF (Science-Fiction + Fantasy) Books upcoming/backlist I’m hoping to read this year! 😍💕✨⚔🚀💫📚

Daughter Of The Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller Review

Daughter Of The Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller (DOTPK #2)

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Release Date: February 27, 2018

Pages: 352

Summary: Alosa’s mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he’s under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father’s justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

My Rating:★★★★☆ 

My Thoughts: Daughter Of The Siren Queen is a character-driven, action-packed  tale that concludes Alosa’s adventures in the Pirate King duology! When Alosa learns more about her past, she’s on a race to escape the pirate king at every turn with her crew at her side! Action, adventure, romance all blend together in Levenseller’s finale to her swashbuckling pirate adventure!

Alosa learns a lot about her past in this book & I loved how character-driven + focused this novel was on her. We definitely know her reputation as the ruthless daughter of the pirate king, but when secrets are revealed, it really builds onto the Alosa we thought we knew at the end of Daughter Of The Pirate King!

With Alosa having taken over the Nightfarer and gathered up the remaining loyal crew, she takes charge to find answers for herself! She quickly learns of the secrets her father has been hiding and feeling betrayed, goes after the treasure on her own!

Now Alosa + her crew are headed to the Isla de Canta to retrieve Kalligan’s treasure and try to get him off their tails.

The banter is as great as always! Levenseller really made the dynamic between Alosa, her crew, + Riden so entertaining!

We get introduced to Alosa’s all-female crew in Daughter Of The Pirate King, but in this book they really get to shine. I loved Rosly’s fierce and courageous spirit, Sorinda’s stealth + relatable quiet personality, and so much more from Mandsy, Kearen, Enwen, Wallov, Niridia, Deros, Lotya & Deshel!

Riden himself gets a lot more character development too! Now as a part of Alosa’s crew, she struggles to understand his loyalty to his brother Draxen after how he treated them. Over the course of the novel, this really allows us to see the growth not in Riden’s character, but also in his relationship with Alosa as she learns more about her siren abilities.

I loved how much this novel really allowed Alosa’s character to shine! We obviously get a sense of who she is from book 1, but when secrets are revealed, we see how determined she is to prove herself & attempt to find the answers she’s looking for!

With her siren abilities coming into question, I loved how her powers were explored so much more and that it really built into the mythology of the sirens set up in Daughter Of The Pirate King!

There is also a bit romance! Similarly to DOTPK, I love how Levenseller weaved it into the plot in such a great way. The banter between Alosa + Riden continued to be so well done!

While I’m still leaning towards 4 stars or 4 ¹⁄_4, I will admit that sadly I did enjoy Daughter Of The Pirate King just a bit more~ While I loved the beginning + ending from its plot, pacing to development, Daughter Of The Siren Queen’s middle is where I felt it dragged a bit for me personally. I wanted a bit more plot from a few in-between chapters as Alosa & her crew tried to escape Kalligan.

Aside from that, I really loved how Levenseller wrapped-up the duology. Knowing this would be the conclusion,  I was pretty sad that there wouldn’t be anymore pirate adventures from Alosa to look forward to. But once I actually reached the end, I was surprised at how I felt!

While I’m not surprised Levenseller left this book on such satisfying + happy note, that the last page didn’t feel like the end to Alosa, Riden, and the crew & I loved that!

With how much I loved this duology, I cannot wait to read Tricia Levenseller’s next book: Warrior Of The Wild & see what other grand adventures she sets up next!

Daughter Of The Siren Queen is a sea-faring adventure + conclusion to The Pirate King duology! From expansion to the siren lore and world, comedic banter, and adventures on the high seas, Levenseller brilliantly concludes Alosa’s adventures!

February 2018 YA Books I’m Looking Forward To!

Its been so long since I’ve done a monthly releases post (W/ the last one being in Sept. of 2016!). So, I’ve made it a 2018 Book Blogging Goal to bring back more monthly features + talk more about my anticipated upcoming releases~

So, here are the YA book releases for February 2018 I can’t wait to read!😍🎉📚

1. The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary by NoNieqa Ramos (Feb. 1, 2018, Carolrhoda Books, 344 Pages)

Summary: Macy’s school officially classifies her as “disturbed,” but Macy isn’t interested in how others define her. She’s got more pressing problems: her mom can’t move off the couch, her dad’s in prison, her brother’s been kidnapped by Child Protective Services, and now her best friend isn’t speaking to her. Writing in a dictionary format, Macy explains the world in her own terms—complete with gritty characters and outrageous endeavors. With an honesty that’s both hilarious and fearsome, slowly Macy reveals why she acts out, why she can’t tell her incarcerated father that her mom’s cheating on him, and why her best friend needs protection . . . the kind of protection that involves Macy’s machete.

2.The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (Feb. 6, 2018, Disney-Hyperion (Freeform), 448 Pages)

The Belles Review To Come (Currently Reading)

Summary: Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

3.American Panda by Gloria Chao (Feb.6, Simon Pulse, 320 Pages)

American Panda Review To Come

Summary:At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.

With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth–that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?

4.Down And Across by Arvin Ahmadi (Feb. 6, Viking BYR (PenguinTeen), 336 Pages)

Summary: Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of quitting. Writing the Great American Novel? Three chapters. His summer internship? One week. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can’t commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion. With college applications looming, Scott’s parents pressure him to get serious about a career path like engineering or medicine. Desperate for help, he sneaks off to Washington, DC, to seek guidance from a famous professor who specializes in grit, the psychology of success.

He never expects an adventure to unfold out of what was supposed to be a one-day visit. But that’s what Scott gets when he meets Fiora Buchanan, a ballsy college student whose life ambition is to write crossword puzzles. When the bicycle she lends him gets Scott into a high-speed chase, he knows he’s in for the ride of his life. Soon, Scott finds himself sneaking into bars, attempting to pick up girls at the National Zoo, and even giving the crossword thing a try—all while opening his eyes to fundamental truths about who he is and who he wants to be.

5. Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones (Wintersong #2) (Feb. 6, Wednesday Books (St. Martins Press, 400 Pages)

Shadowsong ARC Review To Come (Currently Reading)

Summary: Six months after the end of Wintersong, Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. Although she is determined to look forward and not behind, life in the world above is not as easy as Liesl had hoped. Her younger brother Josef is cold, distant, and withdrawn, while Liesl can’t forget the austere young man she left beneath the earth, and the music he inspired in her.

When troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be. What will it take to break the old laws once and for all? What is the true meaning of sacrifice when the fate of the world—or the ones Liesl loves—is in her hands?

6.Web Of Frost by Lindsay Smith (Saints Of Russalka #1) (Feb. 14, 2018, Eventide Press, 400 Pages)

Summary: A too-young queen must learn to control her powers in order to save her empire, but can she trust the only person who’s taught her to use her gift?

Russalka is a proud empire, frozen and vast, protected for centuries by a royal family who works miracles from the saints. But rebellion stirs in the streets, and its war-hungry neighbors threaten to invade. The young princess Katza has been tormented by visions of her bloodied hands destroying Russalka—a clear message from the saints that she must never rule. So when tragedy places her next in line to the throne, Katza fears their warnings are on the verge of coming true.

Then she meets Ravin, a mysterious young prophet with visions of his own: visions of Katza as a regal empress with unimaginable power. All she has to do seize upon the holy magic of her bloodline. But the more Ravin whispers in her ear, the more Katza begins to wonder whether he has her best interests at heart. With a revolution boiling over and war looming at the border, the greatest threat to Russalka may be Katza herself.

7.Flight Season by Marie Marquardt (Feb. 20, Wednesday Books, 352 Pages)

Summary:Back when they were still strangers, TJ Carvalho witnessed the only moment in Vivi Flannigan’s life when she lost control entirely. Now, TJ can’t seem to erase that moment from his mind, no matter how hard he tries. Vivi doesn’t remember any of it, but she’s determined to leave it far behind. And she will.

But when Vivi returns home from her first year away at college, her big plans and TJ’s ambition to become a nurse land them both on the heart ward of a university hospital, facing them with a long and painful summer together – three months of glorified babysitting for Ángel, the problem patient on the hall. Sure, Ángel may be suffering from a life-threatening heart infection, but that doesn’t make him any less of a pain.

As it turns out, though, Ángel Solís has a thing or two to teach them about all those big plans, and the incredible moments when love gets in their way.

8.A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena (Feb. 27, Farrar Straus Giroux BYR (FierceReads), 352 Pages)

Summary:A timeless exploration of high-stakes romance, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to love and be loved. 

Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school.  You don’t want to get involved with a girl like that, they say. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that.

This beautifully written debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena reveals a rich and wonderful new world to readers. It tackles complicated issues of race, identity, class, and religion, and paints a portrait of teenage ambition, angst, and alienation that feels both inventive and universal.

9.Daughter Of The Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller (DOTPK #2) (Feb. 27, Feiwel & Friends (FierceReads), 352 Pages)

Summary: Alosa’s mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he’s under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father’s justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

10. Heart Of Iron by Ashley Poston (Feb. 27, Balzer + Bray (EpicReads), 480 Pages)

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves? 

What February 2018 Books Are You Looking Forward To? 😍📚❤✨