Friday Reads [3]

Currently Reading

After the End by Amy Plum

As of this writing, I'm about halfway through After the End by Amy Plum and I'm loving it so far. It was different from what I expected, but then again I didn't really go into it with that many expectations. I'd put it on my to read list on Goodreads a while back because I thought it sounded interesting and when I saw it at the library I decided to pick it up. I'm sure glad I did because it's turning out to be a very exciting read!

[Goodreads]

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Somehow I've managed to get over half-way through this book just by listening to the audiobook during work (don't worry, my boss doesn't mind!) and I'm really into it. Its shaping up to be a great conclusion to a wonderful series, but I think the first book will always hold a special place in my heart. That being said, the book is just as fresh and original as the first two with some rich side characters that flesh out the book.

[Goodreads]

Reading This Weekend

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Another book that's been on my shelves for a while that I'm finally getting to. I bought Panic the day it released but have yet to get around to reading it. I've heard mixed things about Lauren Oliver's latest book which makes me all the more excited to read it for myself.

[Goodreads]

Looks like it's going to be a reading filled weekend, but that's always a good thing in my books! Let me know down below in the comments what your planning on reading this weekend.

New Release Tuesday...The Ones I'm Psyched For [12]

Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Days of Blood and Starlight #3) by Laini Taylor

Summary

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. 

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

I really enjoyed the first two books of the series and with the cliff-hanger that ended the second book, Days of Blood and Starlight I can't wait to read the third and last book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. I think the whole series is very original and beautifully written. I'm usually not a fan of paranormal books but this series is one of the few that I truly enjoy.

Check out my review of books one and two.
Check it out on Goodreads.
Check out author Laini Taylor's website.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Summary

An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. 

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. 

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares truly exceeded my expectations. It was a great mix of science fiction with some contemporary romance that is sure to appeal to many different readers. I was lucky to receive an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley and my review is linked below. I highly recommend picking up this great book!

Check out my review.
Check it out on Goodreads.
Check out author Ann Brashare's website.

Other notable new releases

• Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
• Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Book Review: Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Release Date: January 1, 2013

Publisher: Little, Brown Book for Young Readers

Source: Library

Summary

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

By the time I finished Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor I was hooked and excited for the third book. Unfortunately, it took me a while to get hooked as the first have was rather drawn out and lacked action. However, the action of the second half and the merging of the different story lines from the beginning of the book redeem the book as a whole.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Release Date: September 27, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown Book for Young Readers

Source: Library

Summary

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

From the start, I was intrigued by Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. The story is so different from the typical young adult books you see today. The story is told from multiple points of view that don't appear to connect at first but when they do, they converge seamlessly. It is not your typical love story, but so much more and by the end of the book you just want to pick up the next one.