Category: ya

adult, contemporary, Erotica, fantasy, Sci-Fi, ya

Down the TBR Part 1

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

So I saw this over at Devour Books with Dana and thought it was a perfect idea for me. My TBR dates back to 2015 and has 1988 books on it. Yep. Almost 2K. Too many. My tastes have changed a lot since 2015, so time for me to go down the TBR and see what to keep and what to delete!

So here’s what you do. Go to your Goodreads TBR shelf. Sort in ascending order. Take the first 5, 10, however many books you decide to do. Read the synopsis. Decide to keep or delete.

I have a lot, so I’ll do 10 a week, every Sunday. I will also try to fit at least one from this list in my TBR each month, starting in January! Yay for fun challenges!

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: 100% added this because I loved Twilight around this time period. This still sounds good, but the 620 pages are a little daunting. It would be hard to read for a book battle.
  • Keep or Delete: I’ll keep. The synopsis still sounds great.

Hungry For Your Love by Lori Perkins

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: This has super mixed reviews, but the prospect of zombie smut is somehow piquing my interests.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep – but reluctantly. I want to see what the zombie smut is about, but I’m scared this will be a DNF.

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: This sounds like a typical teenager-turned-vampire story. Nothing in the synopsis stuck out at me and made me want to read it.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: Parts of this sound great. The whole microorganisms appearing and trying to find a cure for them. But parts turn me off, like the robots, stuck in the wilderness. I don’t feel like there will be enough medicine/science/biology to keep me interested.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: This sounds like a spinoff of Supernatural. MC finds her mom dead, hot brothers save her from demon, tell her she has to join secret society to help kill demons. Not really my cup of tea anymore.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Storm of Visions by Christina Dodd

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: Eh. Sounds like a typical PNR series. Boy sees girl. Boy wants girl. Girl says no, finds out boy is paranormal, ends up saying yes. Plus there’s some bad reviews that are kind of turning me off.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete.

The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett

  • Date Added: June 26 ,2015
  • Thoughts: Adult fantasy which is so hit or miss for me. Humans battle demons in the night, hoping to not get wiped out to extinction. Three survivors decide to go beyond the magic wards to try to save humanity.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep. This is a debut novel that is striking my fancy.

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: YA fantasy about a boy waking up a long since put to rest blood feud. Just not sounding like something I’ll want to read.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Orcs: Bad Blood by Stan Nicholls

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: This sounds like a spin-off to a previous series. One that I don’t feel I would be too invested in.
  • Keep or Delete: Delete

Edge of Hunger by Rhyannon Byrd

  • Date Added: June 26, 2015
  • Thoughts: Paranormal romance. Both MC have the same ~sexy~ dreams of each other before meeting. They meet and have to defeat an enemy. I’m here for it.
  • Keep or Delete: Keep

Conclusion

I deleted 6 of 10 books, bringing my TBR to 1981. Not anywhere near manageable, but still at least 6 less. I am going to try to fit one of these into my TBR this month too, I think. I have four to choose from! Probably not The Host though. That one is so long. I’ll have to do that one over a vacay.

Also, all of my books were added June 26, 2015. Is this the day I created by GR account? Is there any way to check that? Someone let me know!

Are any of these on your TBR? Have you read any of them? Loved or hated them? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, Erotica, Five Star Book, Humor, Memoir, thriller, ya

WWW Wednesday!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

What am I currently reading?

I’ve been wanting to read this for a while. It’s a club read this month over at Book Battle so it was the perfect chance! Not what I was expecting, but still good. Should finish tomorrow!

I’m also listening to the audio. I love books read by the celebrity authors!

Modern Romance on Goodreads

Honestly, I looked at kindle unlimited’s Christmas selection and saw this was a dark romance. I was thinking Verity-esque, but it’s not really. I’m a little over halfway done and still unsure about how I feel.

Checking Him Off My Christmas List on Goodreads

What did I recently finish reading?

This book wrecked me in the best way. I’m still reeling. Top 5 books of the year, for sure. Review to come soon!

The Grace Year on Goodreads

What do I think I’ll read next?

I was invited to be a part of The Kill Club’s blog tour and I am so excited! Look for my review on December 14!

The Kill Club on Goodreads

What is your WWW? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, Four Star Book, ya

The Guinevere Deception ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: The Guinevere Deception
  • Author: Kiersten White
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press
  • Publish Date: November 5, 2019
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 352
  • Genre: Fantasy, YA, Retelling
  • Date Read: Oct 31 – Nov 10
  • Rating: ★★★.5

From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a new fantasy series reimagining the Arthurian legend, set in the magical world of Camelot.

There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl.

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution–send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere’s real name–and her true identity–is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old–including Arthur’s own family–demand things continue as they have been, and the new–those drawn by the dream of Camelot–fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur’s knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.

Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?

-Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was the first King Arthur retelling I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. I don’t know why it took me so.long. to read this. 10 days! Parts were a little slow, but not slow enough to take me 10 days to read. I don’t know what was going on.

This was an interesting story. Guinevere was sent to Camelot to marry Arthur and protect him at all costs. She knew that was her goal, and that’s what she was going to do. She took some risks to protect him. Some worked, some didn’t. She was strong and level-headed. I loved her!

The supporting characters were also great! I loved her maid-turned-friend and also Arthur’s cousin. At points Arthur was a little flat for me.

Some of the writing seemed almost childish. That could have just been me though. From the start, I read Guinevere’s voice in a childish manner. Very simple speech, almost? I’m not sure exactly how to describe it. I loved her actions, her dialogue not so much.

This was book 1 of the Camelot Rising Trilogy and I can’t wait to read book two! I would recommend this to anyone who loves King Arthur or just a good ole YA Fantasy!

Until next time..

ARC, Four Star Book, mystery, thriller, ya

The Last to Die ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

It all started out as a game.

Just a way to have fun. We figured as long as we had rules, it wouldn’t be a problem.

RULE #1: Only break into one another’s houses.

RULE #2: Only take stuff that can be replaced.

It worked for a while. Whoever’s turn it was to break in got a rush, and the rest of us laughed over the trophies they brought back. But then someone went too far. Lives got ruined. Someone is dead.

And I might be next.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I liked:

This was a great YA mystery! I’ve read a few others in the past and I was not impressed. The Last to Die really kept me on my feet and engrossed in the story. I even figured out whodunnit! I wasn’t 100% sure, but I had my suspicions. Honestly, I was skeptical of everyone at some point.

It was a really fast read. I read this in a day – a day I worked for 10 hours and had a sick two year old at home. That just shows you how much I needed to know what happened next!

What I didn’t like:

Nothing really comes to mind. The book was faced paced and a great fall read!

Would I recommend?

I would! This book is being republished under Sourcebooks Fire on November 5. Go check it out!

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, Historical Fiction, three star book, ya

The Lady Rogue ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

The Last Magician meets A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler’s cursed ring in order to save her father.

Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Pulse for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I started this book I was like, this is gonna be a 4.5 star! Then it was just like….

Thanks, giphy!

What I Liked:

So, I understand this is not the normal genre for Jenn Bennett. It is the first book I’ve read by her, but I would give her contemporaries a change.

The beginning of this book was SO GOOD. I was instantly thrust into this old world, old way of travel. The main character, Theodora, was likeable and her companion, Huck, even more so. I was so enthralled by this adventure they were going on. I liked probably 70% of the book. The adventure was interesting, looking for Vlad the Impaler’s ring was interesting, the side characters were interesting!

What I didn’t like:

The last 30%? I felt like there was about to be resolution, then there would be issue. After issue. After issue. I felt like the ending just drug on and on, which made this book feel much longer than it’s 384 pages. I think I spent a week reading this novel. I was just so ready for it to end but couldn’t find the umph to keep going. I did finish. I was glad I did. The characters were still likeable and interesting, but the plot just kind of never resolved for me. It was quite disappointing since I was raving about the book at the start.

Would I recommend?

Eh, I don’t know. I would probably warn people the end didn’t live up to the start. I don’t know that it’s completely worth it to read.

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, Five Star Book, ya

The Babysitter’s Coven ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Adventures in Babysitting meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.

Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it’s kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she’s good at it.

And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get, because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let’s just say she owes some people a new tree.

Enter Cassandra Heaven. She’s Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria food. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme’s babysitters club?

The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra’s mother left her: “Find the babysitters. Love, Mom.”

Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they’re about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home.

– GOodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited to get an arc of this book, and man. It did not disappoint!

Thanks, Giphy!

What I liked:

This was such a fast, intriguing debut novel. Esme and her bff, Janis, are fashion queens. I loved the descriptions of their outfits and the names for them. They’re just trying to get through high school then make their way out of their small town. Then something crazy happens. Esme learns she has telekenesis and things.get.cray. I was a babysitter when I was younger, so I loved that so much of the book revolved around that. I loved the magic and spells. Cassandra was iffy at times, but in the end I really liked her! The friendship between Janis and Esme reminded me of me and my highschool friends. We still talk to this day, and I feel like that’s the relation ship they have!

What I didn’t like:

Like I said, Cassandra, a fellow witch, was annoying at times but in the end turned out great!

Would I recommend?

Yes, yes, yes! This is a perfect fall/Halloween book! Curl up with it, a PSL, and a nice blanket and you’re in for a good time! This was a super fast read that kept me intrigued the whole way through. I can’t wait to see what happens to our Sitters in book 2! (Coming fall 2020. SO FAR AWAY!)

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, Five Star Book, ya

WWW Wednesday!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

I’ve seen this post floating around a lot of the book blogs I follow, so I figured I’d join in on the fun!

The three W’s are:
– What are you currently reading?
– What did you recently finish reading?
– What do you think you’ll read next?

What am I currently Reading?

Second in Command by Sandi Van

This is a story told in verse about a kid who gets put in charge of his two younger siblings when his mom gets deployed and his dad works long hours. It’s an ARC!

What did I recently finish reading?

The Babysitter’s Coven by Kate Williams

Five star read! Perfect for Halloween coming up! Review tomorrow!

What will I read next?

The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena

This cover drew me in! I love all the artwork. This is also an ARC and I’m trying to get all caught up. I’m super behind, I know.

What are your three W’s? Do you have any thoughts on mine? Let me know below!

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, Four Star Book, ya

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Co-written by sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite, and told in epistolary style through letters, articles, emails, and diary entries, this exceptional debut novel captures a sparkling new voice and irrepressible heroine in a celebration of storytelling sure to thrill fans of Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi and Jenna Evans Welch!

When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime…

You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a seventeen-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything?

Actually, a lot.

Thanks to “the incident” (don’t ask), I’m spending the next two months doing what my school is calling a “spring volunteer immersion project.” It’s definitely no vacation. I’m toiling away under the ever-watchful eyes of Tati Estelle at her new nonprofit. And my lean-in queen of a mother is even here to make sure I do things right. Or she might just be lying low to dodge the media sharks after a much more public incident of her own…and to hide a rather devastating secret.

All things considered, there are some pretty nice perks…like flirting with Tati’s distractingly cute intern, getting actual face time with my mom and experiencing Haiti for the first time. I’m even exploring my family’s history—which happens to be loaded with betrayals, superstitions and possibly even a family curse.

You know, typical drama. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I instantly fell in love with this epistolary style novel full of magic and spells!

Thanks, Giphy!

What I liked:

As I said, I love epistolary style novels! It’s such an intriguing way to convey a story. Once I realized the novel was written in that way, I was all in.

I loved the setting being Haiti. I’ve never read a book based in Haiti or written by someone of Haitian descent. I loved learning about the land and the way of life of those who live there. It was so interesting. I also loved the use of French and Creole language! I love with languages other than English are featured in a book.

The story was interesting and easy to follow. I enjoyed the mix of magic in with reality. It made you believe that magic is real! And maybe it is! Who knows? I also appreciated that her mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and that it was a central theme to the story. My grandpa was also diagnosed early and succumbed to the disease, so it’s nice to have that representation.

What I didn’t like:

I felt the ending was rushed. There was so much going on and it all wrapped up at once. I felt the story could have benefited from an extra 50 or so pages. It’s already at 432, but the story went by so fast It didn’t feel that long!

Would I recommend?

Yes! I love reading about places I’ve never been. The magic and setting were amazing!

Until next time….

ARC, fantasy, Five Star Book, ya

Tiger Queen ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: Tiger Queen
  • Author: Annie Sullivan
  • Publisher: Blink
  • Publish Date: September 10, 2019
  • Pages: 320
  • Book Form: Physical/E-ARC
  • Genre: Fantasy, YA
  • Rating: ★★★★★

In the mythical desert kingdom of Achra, an ancient law forces sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri to fight in the arena to prove her right to rule. For Kateri, winning also means fulfilling a promise to her late mother that she would protect her people, who are struggling through windstorms and drought. The situation is worsened by the gang of Desert Boys that frequently raids the city wells, forcing the king to ration what little water is left. The punishment for stealing water is a choice between two doors: behind one lies freedom, and behind the other is a tiger.

But when Kateri’s final opponent is announced, she knows she cannot win. In desperation, she turns to the desert and the one person she never thought she’d side with. What Kateri discovers twists her world—and her heart—upside down. Her future is now behind two doors—only she’s not sure which holds the key to keeping her kingdom and which releases the tiger.

– GOodreads

Thank you to Blink and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I LOVE Annie Sullivan! She is super sweet. Her second novel did not disappoint. It was an amazing retelling of The Lady, Or the Tiger.

Thanks, Giphy!

What I liked:

This was such a fierce novel! I loved the training and fight scenes. I felt like I was watching it happen! I love a strong female lead! I also liked the setting was the desert. It’s not something I have read before and I loved being transported there!

The back and forth with the romance was amazing! As always, Annie’s books are clean, so this is perfect for a younger teen!

The story was intriguing and hooked me right from the beginning. I have never read The Lady, Or the Tiger, but I definitely want to now! I’d love to see where Annie drew her inspiration.

At about 30% in, I thought I knew what the outcome was going to be. I was so wrong, and I loved the ending!

Also – myself and my fellow Words and Whimsy modmins are in the acknowledgements. I am so so thankful and grateful to Annie for that! She is the sweetest person, and I love supporting someone like that!

What I didn’t like:

I can’t think of anything I didn’t like! The story was interesting, the pacing was great, the characters were likable. I loved it all!

Would I recommend?

Yes! This is a story anyone can enjoy. It’s also great for younger teens since it is a clean read!

Until next time…

fantasy, Five Star Book, LGBT, ya

King of Scars Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: King of Scars
  • Author: Leigh Bardugo
  • Publisher: Imprint
  • Publish Date: January 29, 2019
  • Book Form: Ebook / Audio
  • Pages: 527
  • Genre: Fantasy, YA
  • Rating: ★★★★★

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

– Goodreads

Sorry for being absent for a month. First we had family over for labor day, then my husband was sick, then my baby had double ear infections. It’s been a wild month. But I’m back with book reviews! I’ve read a few so far this month! But first we’ll pick up with a book I finished in August and was obsessed with – King of Scars!

Thanks, giphy!

What I liked:

Okay. First off, I have to say Leigh is my Queen and I will forever love her. If she publishes a grocery list, I’ll read it. I just.love.her.so.much.

Why did I wait so long to read this? Part of it was I was sad that I wouldn’t have another Leigh book to read and I didn’t want to run out of her amazing stories. Dumb, I know. I won’t do it again.

I fell in love with Nikolai in the Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology. I was so excited to dive into his book and his backstory. The banter was amazing. I loved getting an insight to his thoughts and feelings. And the budding romance. I am SHIPPING.

The story was action packed. It followed two story lines – Nikoli and Nina. More on that later. Both stories were intriguing and I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened with each. I love being in the Grishaverse. The world building and descriptions are so on point. If I could choose a fictional world to live in, it would definitely be with the Grisha.

Also – THAT ENDING. WHAT?!?!?!?! No spoilers, obviously, but I have theories on what will happen. Message me to know more. I’d love to talk about your theories, too!

What I didn’t like:

So. I mentioned earlier that the novel followed two story lines. I felt like I was reading two books combined into one. Maybe it was just me selfishly wanting another book by Leigh, but I thought it would be better if Nina’s story was a separate book. They didn’t seem to cross over at all. But Leigh is a master and I’m sure she will make them come together in the most amazing way possible in book two!

Also, I started with the audio and quickly switched to ebook. I felt like I wasn’t getting the full effect of the novel. Just a personal preference I guess.

Would I recommend?

Duh. Yes. I recommend Leigh’s books whenever I can. She is a master storyteller and I can’t wait for her next book!

Until next time…