Top 5 Most Anticipated Releases of Winter 2017-2018

winter20172018releases

Hey Everyone!

I don’t know about you guys, but I am SO excited for 2018 to begin! One of the main reasons for this is the fantastic collection of new releases that will be hitting shelves throughout the year. It was difficult narrowing down my most anticipated releases for these first few months, but I’ve finally managed to choose the ones I am dying to get my hands on! 🙂

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu (January 2nd, 2018)

batmannightwalker

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy. 
The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list. 
One by one, the city’s elites are being executed as their mansions’ security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he’s forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city’s most brutal criminals.
Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce’s only hope.
In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (January 9th, 2018)

beneaththesugarsky

Beneath the Sugar Sky returns to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the “real” world.
Sumi died years before her prophesied daughter Rini could be born. Rini was born anyway, and now she’s trying to bring her mother back from a world without magic.

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh (January 23rd, 2018)

reignofthefallen

Odessa is one of Karthia’s master necromancers, catering to the kingdom’s ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it’s Odessa’s job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised–the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.
A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa’s necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead–and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer’s magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (February 8th, 2018)

thesevendeathsofevelynhardcastle

A brilliantly original high concept murder mystery from a fantastic new talent: Gosford Park meets Inception, by way of Agatha Christie
‘Somebody’s going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won’t appear to be a murder and so the murderer won’t be caught. Rectify that injustice and I’ll show you the way out.’
It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.
But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden – one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party – can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot. 
The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath…

People Like Us by Dana Mele (February 27th, 2018)

peoplelikeus

Kay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but the past is past, and she’s reinvented herself entirely. Now she’s a star soccer player whose group of gorgeous friends run their private school with effortless popularity and acerbic wit. But when a girl’s body is found in the lake, Kay’s carefully constructed life begins to topple.
The dead girl has left Kay a computer-coded scavenger hunt, which, as it unravels, begins to implicate suspect after suspect, until Kay herself is in the crosshairs of a murder investigation. But if Kay’s finally backed into a corner, she’ll do what it takes to survive. Because at Bates Academy, the truth is something you make…not something that happened.

What new releases are you guys looking forward to this winter? Let me know in the comments!

 

signaturetardis1

logo2

Top 10 Tuesday – November 28th, 2017

toptentuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books on your winter TBR. Boy, was this a hard list to narrow down! I am feeling quite self-conscious about the size of my TBR pile! There are so many books on my list that I’m eager to read but I didn’t manage to get to this year, as well as plenty of 2018 ARCs to get started on. So here is a bit of my game plan for winter and the new year!

Keeping Long Island by Courtney Peppernell

keepinglongisland

Kayden is about to start her final year at college. And while she’s always been a good listener, she’s never been good at sharing. At the suggestion of her therapist, she finds a safe place for her secrets between the pages of a daily journal. Just when Kayden thinks things are finally back on track, her life takes an unexpected turn – a mysterious letter from someone named Alex.
Courtney Peppernell, the best-selling author of Pillow Thoughts, brings a world of intrigue, exploration, and the struggle for identity to life in Keeping Long Island. Kayden must make a choice – is she brave enough to share her secrets with Alex, or will the weight of her fears destroy everything she has been fighting for?

The Crooked Castle by Sarah Jean Horwitz

thecrookedcastle

Shortly after saving the faeries of Skemantis, magician’s apprentice Felix Carmer III and his faerie companion, Grit, head out to see the world. They soon come across a mysteriously magical flying circus. As they get to know the outlandish world of Rinka Tinka’s Roving Wonder Show, it becomes clear there’s something not quite normal about this circus or its inventor—and that recent airship disasters plaguing nearby Driftside City may have a sinister explanation. 
Fans of the Wildwood trilogy and Lockwood & Co. series will love the thrills and chills of The Crooked Castle as it takes readers up in the air with a flying circus, under the sea to the evil Unseelie kingdom, through a terrifying magical snowstorm, and on a chase with the menacing Wild Hunt.

The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary by NoNieqa Ramos

thedisturbedgirlsdictionary

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.

Elizabeth and Zenobia by Jessica Miller

elizabethandzenobia

Abandoned by her mother and neglected by her scientist father, timid Elizabeth Murmur has only her fearless friend, Zenobia, for company. And Zenobia’s company can be very trying! When Elizabeth’s father takes them to live in his family home, Witheringe House, Zenobia becomes obsessed with finding a ghost in the creepy old mansion and forces Elizabeth to hold séances and wander the rooms at night. With Zenobia’s constant pushing, Elizabeth investigates the history of the house and learns that it does hold a terrible secret: Her father’s younger sister disappeared from the grounds without a trace years ago. 
Elizabeth and Zenobia is a wonderfully compelling middle-grade story about friendship, courage, and the power of the imagination.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

themerciless

Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned
Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she’s here. No one can hear her scream.
Sofia Flores knows she shouldn’t have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn’t realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.
Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can’t go against the other girls . . . unless she wants to be next. . . .
In this chilling debut, Danielle Vega delivers blood-curdling suspense and terror on every page. By the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

littlefireseverywhere

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned — from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren — an enigmatic artist and single mother — who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.  
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

strangepractice

Meet Greta Helsing, fast-talking doctor to the undead. Keeping the supernatural community not-alive and well in London has been her family’s specialty for generations.
Greta Helsing inherited the family’s highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice. In her consulting rooms, Dr. Helsing treats the undead for a host of ills – vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights, and entropy in mummies. Although barely making ends meet, this is just the quiet, supernatural-adjacent life Greta’s been groomed for since childhood. 
Until a sect of murderous monks emerges, killing human and undead Londoners alike. As terror takes hold of the city, Greta must use her unusual skills to stop the cult if she hopes to save her practice, and her life.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

thehazelwood

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother’s stories are set. Alice’s only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”
Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother’s tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

The Elizas by Sara Shepard

theelizas

When debut novelist Eliza Fontaine is found at the bottom of a hotel pool, her family at first assumes that it’s just another failed suicide attempt. But Eliza swears she was pushed, and her rescuer is the only witness. 
Desperate to find out who attacked her, Eliza takes it upon herself to investigate. But as the publication date for her novel draws closer, Eliza finds more questions than answers. Like why are her editor, agent, and family mixing up events from her novel with events from her life? Her novel is completely fictional, isn’t it?
The deeper Eliza goes into her investigation while struggling with memory loss, the closer her life starts to resemble her novel until the line between reality and fiction starts to blur and she can no longer tell where her protagonist’s life ends and hers begins.

Blink by Sasha Dawn

blink

When Chatham begins to understand more about a crime she witnessed a decade ago, she disappears . . . in a blink. Finding her means more than simply saving her. It could also be the key to the town’s longest unsolved mystery. Joshua’s in love with Chatham and he’s determined to find her and untangle the web of lies and mystery surrounding her. But who is Chatham really and what is her connection to the crime that was committed so long ago?

What books are on your winter TBR? What 2018 books are you most looking forward to picking up? Let me know in the comments!

signaturetardis1

logo2

Top 5 Most Anticipated Releases of Fall 2017

anticipatedreleasesoffall2017

Hey Everyone!

It’s been WAY too long since I’ve seen you guys! I apologize for my unplanned hiatus. I’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch with depression and have found it hard to motivate myself to do much of anything. On top of that, my grandmother, whom I was extremely close to, just passed away. But I really want to push myself to get back into blogging regularly. Reading and writing have always been very helpful for me when I’m feeling down.

Anyway, I’m going to try easing myself back into blogging (be patient with me!), and I figured I would start off with my most anticipated releases for my favorite season, Fall! Thank you all so much for sticking by me even with the lack of posting. I truly appreciate every single one of you! 🙂 ❤

Invictus by Ryan Graudin (September 26th, 2017)

invictus

Time flies when you’re plundering history.
Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.
But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems. 
In this heart-stopping adventure, Ryan Graudin has created a fast-paced world that defies time and space.

The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano (October 24th, 2017)

theglassspare

A banished princess.
A deadly curse.
A kingdom at war.
Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.
Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.
But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.
With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

Renegades by Marissa Meyer (November 7th, 2017)

renegades

From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer, comes a high-stakes world of adventure, passion, danger, and betrayal.
Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada (November 7th, 2017)

thismortalcoil

In this gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Cat must use her gene-hacking skills to decode her late father’s message concealing a vaccine to a horrifying plague.
Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.
That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.
When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race.
Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?

Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi (November 14th, 2017)

whichwood

A new adventure about a girl who is fated to wash the bodies of the dead in this companion to Furthermore.
Our story begins on a frosty night…
Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way). Before she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. It’s become easy to forget and easier still to ignore the way her hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair, and her own ever-increasing loneliness and fear.
But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appears, and Laylee’s world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship.

What books are you guys looking forward to this Fall? Let me know in the comments!

signaturetardis1

logo2

Top 10 Tuesday – November 15th, 2016

toptentuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is a movie freebie, so I’ve chosen to do my top ten favorite movies of all time. As well as being a major book lover, I am also quite a big film lover. And though there are tons of newer films I love, I am a particular big old movie fan. Even though it’s incredibly difficult to narrow down my list, I absolutely love sharing my favorite movies with people and hearing what theirs are (and fangirling over common favorites!). So this post is going to be a bit less bookish today, and more of a personal, get to know me type post! 🙂

The Birdcage

thebirdcage9

This has to go on the list as my number one favorite movie of all-time. This movie is a classic to me and my family. Watching this every year (or multiple times a year, really!) when my aunt and uncle are in town has been a long-standing tradition in our family, and it was a sort of “rite of passage” thing when I was old enough to watch it with them for the first time. It is absolutely hilarious, and even though I’ve watched it a thousand times, I will never get tired of it!

Back to the Future

DeLorean_Arrival

This is another movie that I can watch over and over again and never get tired of. I fell in love with this movie (or the whole trilogy, actually) when I was a little kid, and it has been a huge favorite of mine ever since.

To Kill a Mockingbird

11752424_10207436501729468_5740868339406158290_n

I’m sure none of you are surprised by this one! My favorite book of all-time and, of course, one of my favorite movies. It is a brilliant adaptation of the novel—very faithful to the story—and the casting is top notch.

Little Miss Sunshine

littlemisssunshineposter

This movie. Words cannot express how much I adore this movie. So many feels. ❤

It’s a Wonderful Life

11173371_ori

This is my absolute favorite Christmas film. Not only is it an incredible movie in general, but it is also such a unique tale for the holiday season. While it has an ultimately happy ending, it’s quite a dark story overall. This has been a long-time favorite of mine, ever since I was a little kid.

Rear Window

rearwindowgif

I am a MAJOR Hitchcock fan and a MAJOR Jimmy Stewart fan, so of course, this is one of my favorite films of all time. Fantastic cast, fantastic and gripping storyline—I just love this movie. Never gets old!

Rebecca

rebeccaposter

Again, another Hitchcock favorite and another book to movie adaptation, though I have yet to read the novel. It’s the perfect mix of dark, mysterious, and romantic, with another stellar cast.

The Lego Movie

tumblr_n0qeynkbo31tre0g4o1_500

Everything is awesome…about this movie (heh…see what I did there?)! This is such an adorable, hilarious, fantastically quotable movie and I have been completely obsessed with it since I first saw it. Such a fun and feel-good movie.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets-official-movie-poster

Okay, so really every single Harry Potter film is a favorite movie of mine, but this is my all-time favorite from the series. I’ve said before, from what I typically hear, I think I’m in the minority with this one, but Chamber of Secrets has always been my favorite of both the films and books (and the videogames!)!

The Avengers

avengers-movie-gif-12765-13216-hd-wallpapers-jpg

This one was so difficult to choose because I absolutely adore every Marvel movie ever (or at least every Marvel Studios/recent Marvel character movie ever). But after much thought, I had to choose The Avengers because it is the film that reinvigorated by love of Marvel from when I was a little kid. And even though I don’t think it is the absolute best of the recent films they’ve made, it has a very fond place in my heart. I will always completely adore this movie! ❤

What are some of your favorite movies (book related or otherwise)? Do we have any top favorites in common? Let me know in the comments!

 

signaturetardis1

logo2

Top 10 Tuesday – November 8th, 2016

toptentuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books you’ve added to your to-be-read list lately. Since I’ve just recently gone and put a ton of new books on my Goodreads TBR that I’m extremely excited about, I picked out the top ten that I am most looking forward to, rather than just going down the list by most recent. These are the ones that I am planning to get soon (unless they aren’t released yet, of course!). 🙂

1. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

flameinthemistThe daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor’s favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family’s standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she’s quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she’s ever known.

2. The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

thegirlfromthewellYou may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets. 

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago. 

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

 Because the boy has a terrifying secret – one that would just kill to get out.

 The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as “Dexter” meets “The Grudge“, based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story.

3. The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney

thegirlbeforeIn the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception. 

Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.

The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.

Emma

Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.

Jane

After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.

4. Shadow Run by Adrianne Strickland and Michael Miller

shadowrunNev has just joined the crew of the starship Kaitan Heritage as the cargo loader. His captain, Qole, is the youngest-ever person to command her own ship, but she brooks no argument from her crew of orphans, fugitives, and con men. Nev can’t resist her, even if her ship is an antique.

As for Nev, he’s a prince, in hiding on the ship. He believes Qole holds the key to changing galactic civilization, and when her cooperation proves difficult to obtain, Nev resolves to get her to his home planet by any means necessary.

But before they know it, a rival royal family is after Qole too, and they’re more interested in stealing her abilities than in keeping her alive.  

Nev’s mission to manipulate Qole becomes one to save her, and to survive, she’ll have to trust her would-be kidnapper. He may be royalty, but Qole is discovering a deep reservoir of power—and stars have mercy on whoever tries to hurt her ship or her crew.

5. The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

thedeadhousePart-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .  

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers. 

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?

Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, The Dead House is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you’ve finished reading.

6. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

alannathefirstadventureFrom now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins – one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

7. Four Kings by M.D. Elster

fourkingsA NOIR MURDER MYSTERY.

AN ASYLUM STORY. 

A DARK FAIRY TALE…. 

New Orleans, 1945. After a terrible hurricane devastates the city, fourteen-year-old Anaïs Reynard wakes up in an asylum with a case of amnesia. Dr. Waters, the hospital’s prestigious director, vows to help Anaïs recover her memories — this is of the utmost importance, he tells her, because Anaïs is the sole witness to a terrible crime. On the night of the hurricane, her stepfather and only living guardian was shot. A young black man has been arrested, and Anaïs finds herself under pressure from the district attorney to testify. Anaïs wants to help, but a strange feeling nags at her. She isn’t entirely sure the man on trial is guilty, and she doesn’t know who she can trust.

Then, one night, she receives an eerie, surreal visit from a dapper man with the head of a fox who entrusts her with an ornate key that unlocks a secret door to the land of the Four Kings. Like Alice before her, Anaïs follows this curiously genteel animal down the rabbit hole to discover a magical yet fraught world of not-quite-human creatures. As Anaïs navigates the political minefields of each king’s court — Raven, Lion, Snake, and Unicorn — her bravery and resolve are tested.

With each shocking twist and turn, and as fantasy and reality blur, Anaïs begins to unlock the riddle of her own memories, a trail that leads from Nazi-occupied Europe and her mother all the way to post-war New Orleans, and the very night her stepfather was shot.

8. Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell

traitorsbladeFalcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King’s Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King’s head on a spike.

Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters.

All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King’s dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn…

9. The Beast Is an Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale

thebeastisananimalA girl with a secret talent must save her village from the encroaching darkness in this haunting and deeply satisfying tale.

Alys was seven when the soul eaters came to her village.

These soul eaters, twin sisters who were abandoned by their father and slowly morphed into something not quite human, devour human souls. Alys, and all the other children, were spared—and they were sent to live in a neighboring village. There the devout people created a strict world where good and evil are as fundamental as the nursery rhymes children sing. Fear of the soul eaters—and of the Beast they believe guides them—rule village life. But the Beast is not what they think it is. And neither is Alys.

Inside, Alys feels connected to the soul eaters, and maybe even to the Beast itself. As she grows from a child to a teenager, she longs for the freedom of the forest. And she has a gift she can tell no one, for fear they will call her a witch. When disaster strikes, Alys finds herself on a journey to heal herself and her world. A journey that will take her through the darkest parts of the forest, where danger threatens her from the outside—and from within her own heart and soul.

10. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

sleepinggiantsA girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand. 

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.

But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

What are some of the books you’ve added to your TBR recently? Which new discoveries are you most excited to read? Let me know in the comments!

signaturetardis1

logo2

Top 5 Anticipated Releases of Fall 2016

screen-shot-2016-09-10-at-9-43-04-am

Hi everyone!

Happy Fall! It’s finally my favorite time of year, and I’ve already started wearing my sweaters and boots! First off, I’d like to apologize for my absence this past month. I’ve been dealing with some unexpected health issues and it has caused both reading and blogging to be rather tricky. I’m starting back with a bit of a shorter post today, but I promise, I’ll be getting back into the swing of things with posting this month. I have a number of reviews coming, including one from an awesome buddy read with my friend Anna from My Bookish Dream (read her review here!). I’m looking forward to coming back and being a bit more active—and feeling better!

1. When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore (October 4th, 2016)

whenthemoonwasours

When the Moon Was Ours follows two characters through a story that has multicultural elements and magical realism, but also has central LGBT themes—a transgender boy, the best friend he’s falling in love with, and both of them deciding how they want to define themselves.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

2. Timekeeper by Tara Sim (November 1st, 2016)

timekeeperTwo o’clock was missing.

In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.

It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.

And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.

But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever.

The stunning first novel in a new trilogy by debut author Tara Sim, Timekeeper is perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Victoria Schwab.

3. Blood For Blood by Ryan Graudin (November 1st, 2016)

*Contains spoilers for Wolf by Wolf*

bloodforbloodThere would be blood.

Blood for blood.

Blood to pay.

An entire world of it.

For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.

Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.

But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?

This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.

4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer (November 8th, 2016)

heartlessLong before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king’s marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

5. Flashfall by Jenny Moyer (November 15th, 2016)

flashfallOrion is a Subpar, expected to mine the tunnels of Outpost Five, near the deadly flash curtain. For generations, her people have chased cirium—the only element that can shield humanity from the curtain’s radioactive particles. She and her caving partner, Dram work the most treacherous tunnel, fighting past flash bats and tunnel gulls, in hopes of mining enough cirium to earn their way into the protected city.

But when newcomers arrive at Outpost Five, Orion uncovers disturbing revelations that make her question everything she thought she knew about life on both sides of the cirium shield. As conditions at the outpost grow increasingly dangerous, it’s up to Orion to forge a way past the flashfall, beyond all boundaries, beyond the world as she knows it.

What are some of your most anticipated releases this fall? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

logo2

The Bookish Alphabet Tag

thebookishalphabettag

Thank you so much to Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek for tagging me to do The Bookish Alphabet tag! This tag was created by Mariana at Fireheartbooks. Both Heather and Mariana are fantastic bloggers, so definitely make sure to head over and check both of them out if you haven’t already! 🙂

To complete this tag, all you have to do is search through your shelves and see if you have books that begin with every letter of the alphabet. You only have to own the books you choose, you don’t have to have read them. The word “the” does not count so, for example, “The Hunger Games” would count for “H”.

Let’s get started!

theadventuresofsherlockholmes belcanto cinder daughterofsmokeandbone

A – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Status: Read (Click here for review)

B – Bel Canto by Ann Pachett

Status: Read

C – Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Status: Read (Click here for review)

D – Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Status: Not Yet Read

emma fangirl gonegirl hyperboleandahalf

E – Emma by Jane Austen

Status: Not Yet Read

F – Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Status: Not Yet Read

G – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Status: Read (Click here for review)

H – Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Status: Read

iamthemessenger jackaby thekiterunner thelionthewitchandthewardrobe

I – I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Status: Not Yet Read

J – Jackaby by William Ritter

Status: Read (Click here for review)

K – The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Status: Read

L – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Status: Read

morethanthis neverwhere ofmiceandmen thephantomtollbooth

M – More Than This by Patrick Ness

Status: Not Yet Read

N – Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Status: Not Yet Read

O – Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Status: Not Yet Read

P – The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Status: Read

thequestofthemissingmap readyplayerone sixofcrows tkam

Q – The Quest of the Missing Map by Carolyn Keene

Status: Read

R – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Status: Not Yet Read

S – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Status: Not Yet Read

T – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Status: Read

unbroken vicious wewereliars theyoungelites

U – Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Status: Not Yet Read

V – Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Status: Not Yet Read

W – We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Status: Read

X – I don’t actually even know of any books that start with “X” (though I’m sure there are some)!

Y – The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Status: Not Yet Read

Z – None

I Tag:

Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much

T.K. @ Read It or Not Reviews

Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Hayley @ Rather Too Fond of Books

Confessions of A Literary Addict

logo2

The Versatile Blogger Award #1

I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by the lovely Michelle over at Book Adventures. Thank you so much for the nomination, Michelle! 🙂 She is an absolutely fantastic book blogger, so be sure to head on over and check her blog out!

_________________________________________________________________________________

versatilebloggerawardThe Rules:

Show the award on your blog.

Thank the person that has nominated you.

Share 7 different facts about yourself.

Nominate a number of blogs of your choice.

Link your nominees and let them know they are nominated.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Random Facts About Me:

  1. I am a massive comic book/superhero/super villain fan. Specifically anything Marvel. I’m basically obsessed with all things Marvel.

marvelgif

  1. I am not a fan of audiobooks. I have only ever listened to a few, and I find that I can never concentrate on them enough to get the same amount out of the story as I do when I read it myself. It ends up making the experience less enjoyable for me.
  1. My top favorite movies of all time are Back to the Future, The Birdcage, To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Miss Sunshine, Rear Window, Rebecca, and The Lego Movie. And basically any Marvel movie…

thebirdcageposter backtothefutureposter littlemisssunshineposter

  1. I am a huge fan of MST3K, and I love getting together with friends and/or family and doing our own little version of it ourselves with bad movies we find!

mst3kgif1

  1. I have 10 piercings (and would like more 🙂 ), all on my ears: three on each lobe, double helix piercing on the left, single helix and rook piercings on the right.

Screen Shot 2015-11-13 at 12.39.50 PM

  1. I am extremely sensitive to loud noises (even though I am one…) and, for that reason, was too freaked out to see movies in the theater until I was eight years old. The first movie I ever saw in theaters was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!
  1. I absolutely love to dance, but I’m not particularly good at it. In fact, I think I’m a pretty awkward dancer…but hey, I have fun! 🙂

colbertdancegif

I Nominate:

The Orang-utan Librarian

Rachel @ (bargain)bookbliss

Shivalika @ Whimsy Journals

Sarah @ Sarah’s Bookshelf

Ava @ Bookishness and Tea

Kendra @ Reads and Treats

logo2

Top 5 Wednesday – November 25th, 2015

topfivewednesday

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five books you’re thankful for. Of course, as an avid reader and writer, I am just generally thankful for the existence of literature in general. However, there are definitely a few books that have especially affected my reading and writing. These books have truly touched my life, have taught me so much, and have gotten me through tough times. They have inspired me in so many ways and continue to do so every day. These are books that never get old, and become more meaningful to me each time I read them. I cannot express how extremely grateful I am that these works exist.

5. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

theadventuresofsherlockholmes

4. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

(I know this is a play not a novel, but it still counts!) 😀

hamlet1

3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

thechroniclesofnarnia

2. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

18914553

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

37449

What novels are you most thankful for? What stories have impacted your life the most? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

logo2

My Life in Books Tag

I was tagged to do the My Life in Books tag by two lovely and awesome people: Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction and Michelle over at Book Adventures. Thank you both for the tag! Ashleigh and Michelle are two absolutely fantastic book bloggers, so if you haven’t checked out their blogs, be sure to head on over! 🙂

Find a book for each of your initials.

My initials are AJML so…

10694831 jackaby morethanthis legend

…I chose A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Jackaby by William Ritter, More Than This by Patrick Ness, and Legend by Marie Lu.I have a lot of “A” books, but A Monster Calls is one of my favorite books of all time. Jackaby is the only “J” book I own, but it just so happens to be another favorite of mine. More Than This I have not read yet; I am severely lacking in the “M” book department, but it’s by one of my favorite authors (hence my “A” choice!). I am also severely lacking in the “L” book department, but Legend is fantastic.

Count your age along your bookshelf—which book is it?

I’m 21, so the book I got was…

sixofcrows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I had to use my Goodreads bookshelf for this, but I went in alphabetical order by last name, so it will be the same on my physical shelves once I have them set up. This is embarrassing to admit, but I actually don’t currently have any shelves in my room! I am in the process of rearranging things and adding new furniture, so all of my books are in storage boxes at the moment.

Pick a book set in your city/state/country.

Since I very highly doubt that there are any books that take place in my actual city, I chose my top three favorite American novels.

somethingwickedthiswaycomes 37449 thegreatgatsby

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pick a book that represents a destination you would like to travel to.

I decided to choose one real place (Prague) and one fictional place (Narnia).

daughterofsmokeandbone thelionthewitchandthewardrobe

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor takes place in Prague, a city to which I have already been and have completely fallen in love with. I desperately want to go back for another (and hopefully longer) visit.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis takes you to Narnia, the fictional world that I would like to visit the most out of any I’ve ever read. Also I want to live in England one day, so this could count toward my real place as well.

Pick a book that’s your favorite color.

Even though I love every color and vibrantly colorful things in general, “rainbow” is not technically “a color”. I will now take this moment to address the fact that I am a strange human being (yeah, we knew that already, Ari.) because, having just stated my love of bright, multicolored things, oddly, my favorite color is black…

gonegirl vicious

Once again, I’ve chosen more than one book because Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn has one of my favorite color combinations (pink and black), and Vicious by V.E. Schwab has my other favorite color combination (red and black).

Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

hp2chamber

Though I have incredibly fond memories of reading the entire series as I grew up, I have to say, some of my fondest memories are of reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. This was the first Harry Potter novel I was old enough to read on my own, which made it very special to me, and it also happens to be one of my favorite storylines on top of that. I also have quite a fond memory of going to the midnight release of The Deathly Hallows with my best friend, then staying up all night together and reading it, so that would be a close second!

Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

I have to admit, it slightly pains me to put this two books next to each other.

1984 420031

1984 by George Orwell I found to be relatively difficult to get though due to the fact that my brain did not click well with Orwell’s writing style, gorgeous as it was. This, however, is an incredible story, one of my favorite novels of all time, and a book that I am very glad I pushed through; it was well worth it in the end!

(Apologies in advance if you like this story. Don’t read on if you did!) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad on the other hand…where do I begin? This is technically considered a novella because of its length, but I just had to throw this in here. To be completely honest, this was the worst and most excruciating eighty or so pages I have ever read in my life. The writing is atrocious and the story was absolutely not worth the effort in my opinion.

Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest sense of accomplishment when you finish it?

Let’s whip out those frighteningly massive books shall we!

agameofthrones thenameofthewind

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I tend to get a bit intimidated by giant books sometimes, and these are the two largest ones on my shelf. Aside from the feeling of accomplishment I will get by completing about 2,000 total pages between the two, I feel like these are also two books that everyone has read. Three (or five) other novels I will feel a huge sense of accomplishment after finishing are…

thebookthief2 thehobbit thelordoftherings

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

…again, mainly due to the fact that I should have read them by this point in my reading life. Also, I clearly feel quite accomplished by finishing books with authors who have the initials “R.R.” in their names.

I Tag:

SSJ Time Lord

Trisha @ The Bookgasm

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

Fran @ Nightjar’s Jar of Books

Michelle @ Michelle, Books and Movies Addict

Umbreen @ Read by Umbreen

And if you are reading this and haven’t done it, then I tag YOU! 🙂

logo2