Review: The Midnight Queen // Sylvia Izzo Hunter

This book is magical and I completely loved it!

Throughout the story, you meet Gray and Sophie. I LOVED Gray and Sophie, they were basically my favorite characters in the whole book. And usually I like side characters.

This writing was gorgeous and whimsical, although it was really heavy in some parts. Overall, it really worked to create an atmospheric setting that I was transported into.

Review: The Girl From The Paradise Ballroom // This Disappointed Me

This book did not exactly exceed my expectations. I usually enjoy historical books a lot, although I don’t read them often. I feel like I might have went into this book with high expectations after reading wonderful books by Ruta Septys and Pam Jenoff, and sadly it might have ruined the book for me.




The romance just didn’t really captivate me. In the description, it mentions that the “electricity” between the two, Antonio and Olivia, when they first meet. There was hardly any electricity, and I saw no real connection between them. The main basis of their first meet was them exchanging a beer bottle and two rude remarks. Where’s the electricity, if I may ask?




What the description did not mention was that Antonio was married at the time that he met Olivia, and it annoyed me that he was thinking about Olivia and how Olivia was “different” and “stood out” from the other dancers. I absolutely hate this trope of girls being “different” from other girls, and how somehow all other girls are worse than the main heroine.




Besides this, the historical backdrop wasn’t as “epic” as I thought it would be. I completely love most historical stories because of the incorporation of the historical events into the story, but in this story they only mention the events.




However, a good point were the characters. I rather liked Olivia and how independent she was, although Antonio wasn’t really likeable. The characters were quite fleshed out and I enjoyed that.




Thanks to the publisher for giving me a review copy of this book.

I'm Moving... Blogs

Times are a-changing, people, and so will this blog.

Hi. I am here to announce that I will be moving this blog to Wordpress- and to a new address. 

My new blog name is going to be called Blots of Ink and Words. 

And DON'T WORRY, because I will move ALL of my posts there, and I will be keeping the posts here for anyone who stumbles upon it and likes the taste of my pumpkin pie posts. If you like the taste of my cheesecake (wait, which was it again?) posts, then head to my url: Blots of Ink and Words

I'll call it "Blots", because I AM COOL and I shall coin the term. From now on, I declare that my blog shall be nicknamed Blots. 

What's that? You don't like the name? (SPOILER: You actually do, my sweet and foolish lamb. *clap* Get *clap* with *clap* the *clap* times, *clap* people.) WOW THAT WAS EXHAUSTING.

Why:

Well, I felt like my page needed a touch-up, and frankly, I don't really like the template of my blog. I also don't really appreciate how dang hard it is to format a post. Wordpress will be MUCH, much easier. Also, I wanted to change my name.

Also, I feel like Google doesn't really concentrate on its blogging product- I mean, it has so many other products to man. Wordpress is all about the bloggin, man.

Another announcement:

You can find me on War and Tea now. It's a new blog- also on Wordpress, and I am collaborating with my friends. We're going to be reviewing YA/fantasy mostly, but we shall dabble in the dark magic of suspense, paranormal, mystery, and horror as well. No, I'm not going to read horror. 

How To Legally Get Books For Free (Or For Really, Really Cheap Prices)

Well, it's the holidays, and everyone's in a festive mood, right?

Yeah, well that's actually totally irrelevant from my post, but whatever.

Anyways-

I know we're all thirsty books, so I wanted to show how you can get/read books for free- and completely legally.

First, let's start with the sites that offer free books:

Project Gutenberg: A digital library of free ebooks. Includes Book listings, search engine, newsletter, articles and information on how users can help create more free ebooks.

Basically, this site has a lot of different ebooks, but it mostly has classics, like The Wizard of Oz, and things like that.

Baen Books: Baen Books. The best in Science Fiction and Fantasy publishing.

This site offers a lot of free fantasy books, but it also sells books, as well. They also have eARCS (advance reader copies) for sale.

Feedbooks: Discover thousands of eBooks, including new releases and the best collection of free public domain books, that you can read on any mobile device.

Feedbooks has a wide selection of books. It varies from classics, such as Pride and Prejudice, to Sherlock Holmes books by Conan Doyle.

Bartleby: Bartleby.com publishes thousands of free online classics of reference, literature and nonfiction.

Bartleby is more of a reference site, where you can go to find a lot of classics and political books.

Open Library: The World's classic literature at your fingertips. Over 1,000,000 free ebook titles available.

Open Library has a lot of non-fiction and classic literature. 

Many Books: Thousands of free e-books available in multiple formats, including specific e-reader and PDA formats, epub, HTML, PDF, large print PDF, and plain text.

Many Books has a lot of fiction and different mythology-type books. It includes tales, such as Aladdin.

Wattpad: Wattpad is the best place to read and share stories.

Okay, you most likely know about this site. It's a hub for fanfiction and cliche romance stories. But this actually has several already published books- for free. I know that it has a free copy of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, and it also has either a preview or the whole copy of The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey. I was actually upset when I found them because I already had read the books.. Wattpad also has excerpts from books by Youtube stars like Joey Graceffa and Grace Helbig. Also, I read a book on there, The Cellar, and it actually went on to become published by Sourcefire Books, so that's an interesting part. I'm sure it has more books that I don't know about.

There are many many more ways to get free books legally, including just getting free books from the online store; or reading books while on a free trial. If there are any that aren't this list, feel free to post them in the comments below!

Book Depository:Book Depository is the world's most international online bookstore offering over 15 million books with free delivery worldwide.

You actually probably have heard of Book Depository. It actually offers great bargains- and they actually have some bestsellers on sale. 

Thrift Books: Cheap new and used books are available with free shipping within the USA on orders over $10 at Thriftbooks. Millions to choose from for the cheapest prices ...

Thrift Books has free shipping, which is completely awesome. The actual prices of the books usually go near about $15 USD, so that's around 20% off the normal price. There are some books that go down to around $3 USD, but they're mostly used. Used books have a scale- good, very good, etc.

Book Outlet: Bargain Books at 50% to 90% off every title everyday. New Bargain Books arriving daily with monthly specials. Over 500000 ft2 of discount books.

Book Outlet has really cheap books.This is actually the one I've used the most, so far. They don't have that much of a wide selection, but they do have some bestsellers, like The Girl on The Train and A Court of Thorns and Roses. The Scratch and Dent books can be really cheap, and they actually are all pretty good quality. Some have a sharpie dot on them, or maybe one or two pages is cut. The books I've gotten so far have been great quality for the prices you're getting them for. The small catch, though, is the shipping. The shipping actually costs like $4 for the first two books, and then $.50 for each book after. Basically, you have to get a lot of books in one go. You also get a free bear if your order hits $50 USD, so that's cool.

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I hope you all benefited from this post, and discovered some new books!

If there are any free/cheap book obtaining sites, feel free to leave them in the comments below!

Happy Hallo-read!

It's that time of year! When you go outside and force people to give you free candy! Fun!
It is never too old for you to go trick-or-treating, fyi.
Or, at least watch some kids or something so you have an excuse...


If you want to read some spooky, scary books that make you shiver down your spine while sitting in front of the fireplace (or a desktop screen), instead of drinking a ton of Pumpkin Spice Lattes or watching a horror movie with your friends, here are some:




These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.

So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet. A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?










When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she's ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother's voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin's sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.

Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family.  

It was only an accident -- but it would change their lives forever. Last summer, four terrified friends made a desperate pact to conceal a shocking secret. But some secrets don't stay buried, and someone has learned the truth. Someone bent on revenge. This summer, the horror is only beginning....

If you don't want to read any horror stories, then you can check out some of my reviews for young adult books on the homepage.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

This series is one of my favorite series of all time. (CAUTION: This is the FIFTH book of a series, and I have not reviewed the second, third, or fourth book. But I HAVE reviewed the first book, Throne of Glass, so if you want to check that out, here's the link.) ANYWAYS, I was so excited to read this book, and after I finally got it, I pretty much read it in one sitting. (Or two. That book is long, okay? Stop judging me.)
Aelin Galathynius, or Celaena Sardothien (her alias), used to be an assassin. It turns out she's actually the heir to the throne of Terrasen. She's extremely arrogant, but honestly, you can't help loving her fiery personality and how skilled she is. I love a strong female heroine. You can't help rooting for her as she, with her "gang", or "Court", travel different kingdoms for their quest to find the Wyrdkeys. Aelin is actually extremely kind, but she acts confident, is confident, and is going to rule the world. Figuratively. Unless she is? (Sarah J Maas, are you there?)
Aelin's Court is made up of Rowan, Aedion, and Lysandra (primarily). Rowan and Aedion are Fae warrior princes. Rowan is Aelin's mate, while Aedion is Aelin's cousin. Lysandra is a shape-shifter. I really love the side characters (there are SO MANY SHIPS!), and Dorian, Elide, and Manon also join the crew. Aedion, at first, is in that "you're perfect" stage, but as he gets to know Aelin more, they become closer and he stops worshiping her. I really think that Aedion's character development was pretty good, but some of the other character's don't really change that much.
There's also a side story/perspective going on during the beginning of the book with Elide and Lorcan, who band together and travel on their quest. They are mysterious and secretive towards each other, but they slowly become closer friends. I think that everyone starts to form tighter bonds, rather than being a suddenly assembled group.
I give this book four stars. This book is in third person, and switches perspectives almost every chapter, until the end of the book where the peak of the plot comes. I recommend this for people who love fantasy with a skilled and feisty heroine

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak

I think that this book was clever.
The romance was sweet, awkward, and they were misunderstood.
However, there were no consequences and there wasn't much character development.
Billy faced no punishment (other than the utter rejection of his first love, but that's not the point). It's his fault, he gives vitally important code to his friends, yet he doesn't go to jail? It is literally all his fault. Yet Mary pretty much easily forgives him in a snap.
What happened?
Mary is character that stays the same. She is completely static, yet she is one of the main characters. I mean, yes, she's... skinnier at the end of the book, but we are talking about personality. She stays the same. She doesn't really make any other friends besides Billy, and it's not like she took a whole new aspect to life or anything. She just stays the same.
In the beginning she's cheerful. In the end she is cheerful. What is the difference here?
Also- I feel like Bill's affinity for coding is not really represented here, it just describes himself as lazy and always thinking about drawing 8-bit characters. He's technically "not smart", right? Or is he secretly smart, but he doesn't try? This is not clarified in the story.
His friends aren't really alive. Clark is extremely insecure, but this hardly delves into anyone else's problems, just the romance. I feel like there should have been more context, and Clark's insecurities about his misshapen hand should be expressed more clearly. Other than the fact that he shoves his hand in his pocket, he seems pretty much fine.
Also, Bill describes girls as getting a look at Clark's hand, then suddenly shutting up in fright and dismay. This never actually happens in the story.
This definitely needs to go deeper into the stories of his friends and the people around them, it's too focused on coding and romance.
There needs to be more action. A lot of the story is just Bill saying it. Don't tell, show.
However, this book was good for several reasons.
I appreciated the style, it was consistent. Bill seemed like someone practical.
I liked the setting, where they have floppy disks and hard drives.
The romance seemed slow, and not too sudden. They seem to have a "love at first sight" experience, but it's not really developed. Their relationship as friends into a couple seems quick and choppy, but their friendship seems realistic.
This book definitely could be better, but I think that it's sweet in its own way. It definitely holds a lot of promise.
I give this book two stars. It had a lot of flaws, but I do recommend this for people who are into coding, and slow romances. Also, heists, I guess?

I received a free advance reader copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.