Review: The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

Review: The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz
Goodreads 
Release date: April 1, 2014
 Publisher: Disney*Hyperion
Series: Yes, #1 in The Ring and the Crown series
Source: e-ARC via Netgalley
Length:  384 pages
Rating: Well, THAT was a surprise.



Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.
 
I simply cannot pass up a novel about a magical alternate universe Franco-British Empire, even if it is by the author who wrote possibly the worst book I have ever read. Frozen might have been a fluke, after all. The Ring and the Crown could be totally amazing. The concept certainly is. Perhaps her co-author, her husband, was to blame for most of...whatever Frozen was.

So I began reading with high hopes and an even higher sense of trepidation. After a brief historical introduction came the most HILARIOUS JUXTAPOSITION OF PREFACE QUOTES I HAVE EVER SEEN: Emily Dickinson and Beyonce. (Who run the world? Girls!/Who run this motha? Girls!) I also laughed up a storm at the Lorde quote that prefaces part three.

The first ten pages are all TELL TELL TELL, as the first of our heroines, Aelwyn (ugh that name), informs us in third person mind voice about a whole bunch of things that could have been more masterfully conveyed through dialogue or action. But nothing was horrible yet, and the concept was still so intriguing, and the only thing to make me snarklaugh was the Beyonce quote, so all was well. I wanted to love this book, okay? This concept is my catnip. It's like Melissa de la Cruz was seeing into my soul and writing the book I wanted most. I came in expecting the worst but SINCERELY hoping for the best.

I didn't get the best by any means. But... you might want to sit down for this... I enjoyed the hell out of this book.

DNF Review: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Review: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
Goodreads 
Release date: April 8, 2014
 Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Yes, #1 in the Age of Legends series
Source: e-ARC via Edelweiss
Length: 416
Rating: This book is hard work.



In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.


This book. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but it's kind of a mess, and my head hurt so much trying to piece it all together that I sadly had to throw in the towel.

Best Series Blog Hop and Giveaway

When I signed up for this awesome hop hosted by Cuddlebuggery, my mind spun with possibilities. Do you know how hard it is for me to pick JUST ONE series as my favorite series? SO HARD. I considered Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi,  The Girl of Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson, the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, the Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce, and dozens other, because the world is too vast for just one favorites, you know? I don't have favorites. I don't have bests. I have a million series I love just for being themselves.

But in the end, I chose a series I love that deserves a hundred times more recognition for its awesomeness.

Movie Mondays: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

BRAND NEW FEATURE ALERT! A month or so ago I did the Top Ten Tuesday topic of books I'd like to see turned into a movie or a TV show. Once I started thinking of books I'd love to see come to life, I couldn't stop. With the release of movies like Catching Fire, Vampire Academy, and Divergent and the upcoming The Giver, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Maze Runner, plus the TV version of The 100, it seems like YA on the big screen is all the rage now (YIPPEE!). With the announcement of the imminent production of an adaptation of Paper Towns, I started thinking of other YA books I'd like to see filmed.

And lo, a new feature was born!

For my Top Ten Tuesday, I decided to go even further and didn't just choose books I'd like to see adapted, but I created posters for them using my Supah Awesome Photoshop Skillz. And then I kept thinking of more books and wanting to create more posters and even cast them in my head. One book in particular is, to me, begging to be put on the big screen. Which book, do you ask?

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE, EVEN THOUGH I'VE GIVEN AWAY THE ANSWER IN THE TITLE OF THE POST!

Keep Reading ------>

Mini Reviews: Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi and Brooke by Veronica Rossi

Review: Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi
Goodreads 
Release date: October 30, 2012
 Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Yes, #0.5 in the Under the Never Sky series
Source: Purchased
Length: 68 pages
Rating: ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR.



Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital—and more brutal—than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

Set in the harsh but often beautiful world of Veronica Rossi's "unforgettable" Under the Never Sky (Examiner.com), this captivating prequel novella stands on its own for new readers and offers series fans a fascinating look into the character of Roar. Poignant and powerful, Roar and Liv is a love story that will "capture your imagination and your heart."

My reviews of Under the Never Sky | Through the Ever Night | Into the Still Blue

You may or may not know this, but I binge-read the entire Under the Never Sky trilogy in under five days, novellas included, which was one of my better life decisions. I STRONGLY recommend you ignore that #.05 designation up at the top and read this after you've read Under the Never Sky and before you read Through the Ever Night. I think the reading experience is much enhanced after you know a little bit about the world and have had a chance to become freakingly, unhealthily obsessed with attached to Roar, and so you can fall as deeply in love with this novella as I did.

Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu Paperback Giveaway!

I really love the Legend series by Marie Lu, and I especially love having the chance to let others read it, too! The wonderful people at Penguin have decided to go for the gold in wonderfulness and asked me to host a giveaway for the paperback versions of Legend and Prodigy which, I am told, are very gorgeous and strokable in person.

One lucky reader will win a copy of EACH BOOK, so you can binge read and swoon and shout and suffer, aka the holy trinity of bookish reactions. I highly recommend them, and Marie is awesome, which is double reason you should read these books.

Review: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Review: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Goodreads 
Release date: April 15th, 2014
 Publisher: Dial (Penguin)
Series: No
Source: ARC from the publisher
Length: 416 pages
Rating: *happy sigh*



 From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.

Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.


This boooooooooooook. I closed this book with a happy sigh and an aching tightness in my chest, equal parts enchanted and sad. What I Thought Was True was just what I was expecting from the author of My Life Next Door, a book I love to pieces. This book, set in the same town and world as MLND, captures the bittersweetness of summer. How it bridges the end of something with the beginning of something else, how it seems to symbolizes your past and your childhood but also the years to come. It's about how sometimes the things you thought you wanted aren't what you really want... or, they aren't all you wanted. It's about the complexities of life and getting your timing right.

Blog Tour: Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimo

 

Welcome to the Nearly Gone blog tour! All the people at Penguin are especially excited about Elle Cosimano’s smart, but scary debut (caution: avoid reading this one before bedtime!). Gillian, the marshmallow, will definitely heed this advice.

Over the next three weeks, Elle will share the secrets behind NEARLY GONE on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday basis, so be sure to be on the lookout for new posts!

Important text full of importance is by the author, silly gif inserts are from me, Gillian.

Elle’s Guest Post 

Nearly Gone isn’t just my debut novel. It’s also the first book I’ve ever written. So when people ask me what research was involved in writing this book, the answer is a little more involved than they might have expected. When I think back on the research that went into NEARLY GONE, it seems to break down into four distinct categories: physical research, emotional research, technical research, and research about the business of publishing.



For me, the physical research is the most fun. It’s all about the physical aspects of the story: setting, clothing, language, time period, etc… when I’m verifying the tangible elements of the book, or the things that make my stories factually believable. In my case, this included things like science/math principles, various manners of death, and elements of law enforcement.

My physical research for the NEARLY series led me to the Writer’s Police Academy, which I make a point to attend annually. The WPA is a four-day series of hands-on workshops for writers, instructed by forensic specialists, law enforcement professionals, and first responders. I’ve handcuffed my critique partner, navigated my way through a hostage situation in a Fire Arms Simulation, and performed presumptive blood testing using the same tools and chemicals forensic professionals use in the field. I’ve listened to stories of real life undercover narcotics officers, searched a jail cell for contraband, and discovered a mock expeditious grave in the woods.



I’ve done a ride-along with a sheriff’s deputy, observed a nighttime felony traffic stop, and attended classes taught by the nation’s foremost experts on serial killers. Most recently, in preparation to write the sequel, I toured a regional forensics lab where I learned about chain of custody, talked to fingerprint examiners, and learned about the identification process of tool marks found in crime scenes. My physical research doesn’t make me an expert on crime or law enforcement, but it makes me more competent to write compelling, believable fiction. And after spending so much time with my butt in a chair, you’d better believe these opportunities are the best parts of my job! 

The next level of research for me was emotional. This was the part of the process where I had to dig deep. Not into my characters or the setting or the plot, but into myself. I had to consider the universal themes in my story – themes like loss, redemption, betrayal, and sacrifice – and explore those themes within the context of my own life. I had to dredge up my own well of experience, and reconnect with those feelings so I could bring them to the page with depth and authenticity. We’ve all experienced loss. We’ve all experienced some kind of betrayal. The raw material was all there inside me. But poking around in closed wounds isn’t an easy course of study. This is, by far, the most difficult part of my process, but also the most essential in creating a character-driven story.

 Beyond the story research, technical research was an important part of my process. I didn’t come to the table with an English degree or any formal writing training. I had to learn on my own. I attended workshops and met with writing groups. I read everything I could get my hands on, paying close attention to the styles and techniques of authors I admired. And I found talented critique partners, who have helped me refine my technical skills through honest and constructive feedback.

The last stage of the research process for me was all about the business of publishing. I subscribed to industry blogs and trade publications. I made lists of my favorite authors and their books, then combed through their acknowledgments to create a list of my dream literary agents. I drafted query after query, and submitted them for critique at workshops and conferences, until I finally felt confident that both my manuscript and my cover letter were as ready as they could be.

And there you have it… how I researched my debut crime thriller in a big, fat nutshell. If you’re curious you can learn more about my experiences at the WPA (pics too!) here and here.

Nearly Gone synopsis:

Nearly Boswell knows how to keep secrets. Living in a DC trailer park, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Like her mother's job as an exotic dancer, her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone's skin. But when a serial killer goes on a killing spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the one person she shouldn't trust: the new guy at school--a reformed bad boy working undercover for the police, doing surveillance. . . on her. 

Nearly might be the one person who can put all the clues together, and if she doesn't figure it all out soon--she'll be next. 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About Elle Cosimano 

 Elle Cosimano grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, the daughter of a prison warden and an elementary school teacher who rides a Harley. She majored in psychology at St. Mary's College, Maryland, and set aside a successful real-estate career to pursue writing. She lives with her husband and two sons. Nearly Gone is her first novel.