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YA Book Review: Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde & Giveaway

Title: Queens of Geek

Author: Jen Wilde

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult, Convention, Romance

Publisher: Swoon Reads 

Pub Date: March 14, 2017

Pages: 288

My Copy: Trade Paperback that comes from my Too Be Read Pile

Book Summary:

When BFFs Charlie, Taylor and Jamie go to SupaCon, they know it’s going to be a blast. What they don’t expect is for it to change their lives forever.

Charlie likes to stand out. SupaCon is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star, Reese Ryan. When Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

While Charlie dodges questions about her personal life, Taylor starts asking questions about her own.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about the Queen Firestone SupaFan Contest, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe. 

Book Review:

Just a plain fun book to read. I like that this book was about a convention and everything that happens at a convention. I really like how this book took a lot of different twists and turns. You get to really know these three friends as their lives take on very different turns during this Convention which they have been so excited.

For Charlie, things are a bit more intense as she is trying to come to terms after her breakup with her co-star, Reese. Reese comes across as a real jerk. He really doesn’t feel sorry for all the hell he put her through with his cheating and the way he cheated on her in public. Plus what makes it worse is that they have to promote The Rising, their zombie movie at Supacon. Of course things happen that she can’t prepare for.

Yet for Taylor, it’s a chance to get out of her comfort zone. She learns that there is  cosplay contest for Queen Firestone. There is also some chemistry between her and her friend Jamie. Taylor meets a girl who convinces her to try for the cosplay contest. I really like this friendship and how Taylor agrees to do it. She really does have a great cosplay costume. The winner of this cosplay gets to meet Skylar, who is the actress that play Queen Firestone. I like how the element of Cosplay is portrayed in this book, since Cosplay has become a big part of going to trade shows and convention.

I really found myself liking the relationships and friendship that happens and how people change and grow in different ways. Charlie finds herself getting closer to Alyssa, the you tuber that she has always liked and how she inspired her to get into acting. Also the fact that there’s an attraction that happens between them. I thought that this was an interesting development for her to have, since her career is tied up with her ex. So this could be seen as a detriment. The promotion for her movie and the upcoming series is really interesting. I think this speaks volumes about how committed she is to her career, but doesn’t really want to deal with Reese.

Reese is a real jerk and doesn't seem to care about how Charlie feels and how he has affected the fans of the Rising. The Rising is the zombie film that they have made. They also have a group of fans which ships them heavily. Of course Charlie acts professional in public, which means she has to keep her budding friendship and relationship with Alyssa private, but things never go easy. Things happen in her life that no one can predict. Of course a kiss goes viral that no one expects. Reese and Charlie and the studio have to deal with things going bad because of the ship and the movie, but Charlie does something that no one expects. I really enjoyed how she made everyone see that there’s nothing wrong with moving on and being yourself and letting yourself having a different way of dealing with your life.

The relationship between Taylor and Jamie changes. I love how Jamie confesses their feelings for Taylor. Taylor is scared about how things will change between them. So Charlie tells Taylor not to be afraid, embrace taking a chance on someone she has always known. Of course this leads Taylor and Jamie having an honest talk. I really enjoyed this conversation. Love how this ended.

This book was a great contemporary read. I enjoyed it so much. 

Rating:

4.5 Hearts

Giveaway Rules

1. Win a signed copy of this book-U.S. Only, Sorry No International Winners as International Shipping is expensive

2. Tweet about this giveaway

3. What do you love about cons, in the comments section.

4. Winners will be announced on April 3, 2017

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YA Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic

Author: V.E. Schwab

Series: Shades of Magic #1

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Magic

Publisher: Tor Teen

Pub Date: February 24, 2015

Pages: 400

My Copy: Hardcover From My Too Be Read Pile

Book Summary:

Kell is one of the last travelers--magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magical city. 

There's Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, and with one mad King--George III. Red London, where life and magic are revered--and where Kell was raised alongside Rhy Maresh, the roguish heir to a flourishing empire. White London--a place where people fight to control magic and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London. But no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red traveler, ambassador of the Maresh empire, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. 

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Book Review:

A total blast. I really enjoyed this first book in this series. I totally found that Kell and Delilah are so enjoyable right from the start. These two individuals are very different, but find themselves having a grand adventure.

One of the things that drew me to this book was the fact that there was magic and different worlds where magic is treated differently depending on which London you inhabit or live in. I totally love how Kell can travel to these different London’s or worlds. Delilah is one character who has a lot of spunk to her. I like how she doesn’t let anyone or anything get her down when her luck isn’t going the way she plans. These two don’t seem like they would be a pair, but sometimes fate has other ideas in mind.

We get to see all the different London’s except Black London since the doors were closed a long time ago. So we don’t know what’s going on or if magic can even be let into Black London. When things get found or artifacts come from Black London, people tend to covet these items or objects. Sometimes they are dangerous and cause bad things to happen. Of course we learn that Kell knows some dangerous individuals as his travels take him to some nefarious individuals in the other Londons.

Nothing is ever easy as when an object comes into his possession, because of someone trying to smuggle something into another London. We learn that this is in an object from Black London. Black London objects are forbidden. No one is sure what these objects can do exactly but they are dangerous. People get punished for having these objects. Of course Kell comes into possession of one of these objects and chaos ensues. He gets robbed and the robber is of course Delilah. Delilah takes the stone that is from Black London, not realizing what she has or it’s value at first.

Delilah quickly finds herself entangled with Kell and his situations. Plus we get to meet some of the other more interesting, but dangerous characters like Holland, another traveler, who is you could say Kell’s arch-rival as he does some nefarious things and has a very different reason than Kell for traveling dimensions. Then there is Rhys, the Danes and so many other characters that make this book so much more interesting and intense.

Everyone has motives and reasons for doing the things they do. Traveling between worlds can be dangerous and unpredictable. Plus the rules are different for each of the Londons. We also learn that some people are plotting to take over the other London’s as well. Holland is really bad and manipulative as he helps cripple Red London in a way that is totally unexpected and something that you don’t see coming. 

Delilah is an interesting character as she helps Kell out of some real sticky situations. He finds that she has abilities and skills that come in handy when they find themselves in a bind. I totally love the twists and turns as everybody in the different worlds have things that they want to achieve for very weird reasons. I really love that this was more about getting to know our characters. I want to see what happens next in this series and get to see more of the different London. I’m kind of curious to see Black London, since we didn’t get to see it, but we know the doors are closed, but who knows, maybe the doors might be open in the next book. 

Totally enjoyed this book. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Rating:

4.5 Hearts

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Month 9 Books: Project Emergence by Jamie Zakian Release Info

I am so excited that PROJECT EMERGENCE by Jamie Zakian releases today and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Jmaie Zakian, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a DVD of Passengers, US Only or the complete eBook set of Fire In The Woods, International, courtesy of Month9Books. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About The Book:

Title: PROJECT EMERGENCE

Author: Jamie Zakian

Pub. Date: March 14, 2017

Publisher: Month9Books

Format: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 292

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | TBD | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play Books | Indiebound

An ancient Hopi myth says people arrived on tiny silver pods that fell from the sky.

But the truth is far more terrifying.

Two-hundred fifty-eight teens are sent from a dying Earth to a terraformed Mars as part of the Emergence Program, mankind’s last hope before solar flares finish off their planet and species. Among the brave pioneers are sixteen-year-old Joey Westen and her twin brother, Jesse.

After only minutes in space, something triggers a total ship lock down.

With the help of their roommates, the Matsuda twins (notorious hackers and shady secret-keepers), Joey and Jesse stumble onto an extremist plot to sabotage the Emergence Program.

But Joey and Jesse didn’t travel to the deepest pits of space and leave their mother behind to be picked off in a high-tech tin can. They’ll lie, hack, ​and ​even kill to survive the voyage and make it to Mars.

Excerpt:

Beads of sweat formed between Winslow’s palm and the device, but he held tight. All his screens, which provided invaluable data, sat as black as the infinite cosmos before him. Flying blind, in ancient throughways created by … only God knows who—it unsettled and disturbed the mind. 

However, the bowed windshield provided him a spectacular view without the instrument panel aglow.

Leaning over, he searched for the orange glimmer of Earth, but after ninety minutes in hyper drive, the scorched planet was far from view. The bright streaks of distant stars overshadowed any hope of glimpsing home.

“Do you really think that woman can stop the … ” Natalia glanced around then leaned in to whisper, “attack.”

“We’ve made it farther than all the other expeditions. That gives me hope,” he replied softly.

“We had a great run though, didn’t we?” Natalia smirked as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. 

“Remember that time—”

“This sounds an awful lot like a goodbye speech, Kozlov.”

“Ooh, Kozlov,” Natalia drawled. “You haven’t called me by my last name since I was a cadet. Geez, you must be serious.”

“We have to have faith.” Winslow looked to the men and women stationed at the far end of the control room, then to the shining rod in his grasp. “The human race can’t end with us; we’ve come too far. We have to persevere.”

“You know. After you told me about the other ships, I almost resigned from this voyage.” Natalia turned her chair from the control panel, facing him. “Do you know why I didn’t?”

Winslow clicked his chair around, staring at Natalia. A pink tinge flushed her cheeks, her nails drumming out a steady beat on the armrest. She looked so anxious. Risky test flights, solar flares, bombs, nothing shook her nerve so far. Yet right now, her lips trembled.

“I’m in love with you, Gerald. If we’re gonna die in thirty minutes, I thought you should at least know that.” Her eyes darted away, and she repositioned her seat.

His jaw dropped open. He tried to speak, but his words bunched in his throat. Natalia stole a glance and a hard thump rattled his chest. He never noticed that sparkle in her blue eyes, which gleamed against her olive skin, until now.

A wisp of brown hair fell from behind her ear, and his heart skipped faster. He looked to his watch, his hold on the jammer tightening. Only twenty minutes left. What-ifs and could-bes didn’t much matter anymore, these were most likely his final moments.

He unfastened his safety belt, scooting to the edge of his seat. A smile threatened to invade his lips, but he held a straight face. The shuffle of crewmembers faded as he pulled the lever beneath Natalia’s seat, spinning her chair to gaze upon her face. An unexpected flutter ran through his stomach with her stare, her smirk. It drew him in, brought him to one knee. Their lips found each other, and he kissed her, softly, under the glow of starlight.

About Jamie: 

Jamie Zakian is a full-time writer who consumes the written word as equally as oxygen. Living in South Jersey with her husband and rowdy family, she enjoys farming, archery, and blazing new trails on her 4wd quad, when not writing of course. She aspires to one day write at least one novel in every genre of fiction.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a DVD of Passengers, US Only.

1 winner will win the complete FIRE IN THE WOODS eBook set, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YA Book Review: Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

Title: Blood Rose Rebellion

Author: Rosalyn Eves

Series: Blood Rose Rebellion #1

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fantasy 

Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers

Pub Date: March 28, 2017

Pages: 416

My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and Knof Books

Warning: Spoilers may be in my review, so read at own risk

Book Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Her life might well be over.

In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.

As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever. 

Book Review:

A totally fantastic book that hooked me right from the start. Anna is an individual who feels like she is an outcast. She is an outcast because of her lack of magic or so she is led to believe. The Luminate are the elite and rule society because of their ability to use magic. Anna doesn’t have any or so she has been told.

Anna is like a person who feels alone in this society. She also has the habit of messing things up. What makes it more complicated is that her sister is making her debut and casting spells to impress the head members of the Luminate. Of course Catherine’s Fiance Freddy is not a nice guy and Freddy says he is attracted to Anna, not Catherine. This leads to some bad things happening to Catherine’s spells as Anna breaks them and then it also gets revealed that Freddy has been playing with both Anna’s and Catherine’s affections. Of course the Luminate members want to examine Anna and find out why she is capable of breaking spells. 

Anna’s life becomes much more complicated when her parents and grandmother decide that Anna will come with her grandmother to Hungry. This will take some heat off her family’s reputation being in ruined. Of course Freddy has decided to not have either of the two of them. As Anna is going to Hungary it’s a chance for a new beginning, but nothing is ever as simple for her as that.

When Anna arrives in Hungary her life takes a lot of twists and turns. She meets some interesting people. There are a lot of people who want change and revolution to happen. We learn a lot of things about the Luminate and how they have forced people not to have magic because of a circle or spell known as the binding. We also learn that the Luminate do not like the Gypsy’s or Romanies because they have a different kind of magic. Magic should be free for everybody.

The books take crazy twists as both Anna and her cousin are navigating things within their society. Anna finds out that she does have magic, but she is a chimera and that they never told her, because of how dangerous her magic is. At the binding Anna finds out that there is a real danger to breaking the circle because it could kill her. The magic to break the spell is blood magic. This is bad. Anna being a chimera means her magic both attracts and repels. This is why the Luminate never told her the truth. She is very dangerous.

There are decisions that are made. Anna has to wrestle with a lot. Plus she develops very strong feelings for Gabor. The romance was okay between the two of them. I thought it could have been developed a little bit more, but I understood that there was a bigger problem that these two individuals had to deal with. So maybe in the next book there will be a lot more passion from these two. I felt that it was a little forced. That was my only complaint with this book. 

Yet, when Anna breaks the binding the world as she knew it and the rest of Luminate society has changed in ways no one could forsee. Change is necessary at times. I like how everything is left in a state of flux. Anna’s life has become much more easier as she knows now what she is and can do. It will be interesting to see what happens next in this world.

Rating:

Four Hearts

Stacking The Shelves, Bought Borrowed and Bagged, Coloring Book Updates

Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is hosted by Braine over at Talk Supe Blog.

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E-Books Gotten:

Print Books

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