Monthly Archives:: February 2015

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Fresh Batch (New Releases February 22nd – 28th)

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Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

A Darker Shade of Magic
V.E. Schwab
Series: A Darker Shade of Magic #1
Publication date: February 24th 2015
by Tor Books

Goodreads Purchase

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London – but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her ‘proper adventure’.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.


Other releases this week:
* In no particular order *




Shadow Study (Soulfinders #1) by Maria V. Snyder [Purchase]
A Wicked Thing (A Wicked Thing #1) by Rhiannon Thomas [Purchase]
Unleashed (Uninvited #2) by Sophie Jordan [Purchase]
Homecoming (The Hundred #3) by Kass Morgan [Purchase]


Remember by Eileen Cook [Purchase]
The Sin Eater’s Daughter (The Sin Eater’s Daughter #1) by Melinda Salisbury [Purchase]
Dove Arising (Dove Chronicles #1) by Karen Bao [Purchase]
After Ever Happy (After #4) by Anna Todd [Purchase]


Unchanged (Unremembered #3) by Jessica Brody [Purchase]
Kalahari (Corpus #3) by Jessica Khoury [Purchase]
Stone in the Sky (Tin Star #2) by Cecil Castellucci [Purchase]
Mark of the Thief (Mark of the Thief #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen [Purchase]


When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill, Liz Czukas [Purchase]
My Secret Guide to Paris by Lisa Schroeder [Purchase]
All That Glitters (Geek Girl #4) by Holly Smale [Purchase]
Dreamfire by Kit Alloway [Purchase]


No Parking at the End Times by Bryan Bliss [Purchase]
Haunted (The Arnaud Legacy #1) by Lynn Carthage [Purchase]
First Time in Forever (Puffin Island #1) by Sarah Morgan [Purchase]
Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2) by Victoria Scott [Purchase]


Quake (Pulse #3) by Patrick Carman [Purchase]
Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon [Purchase]
Feral Pride (Feral #3) by Cynthia Leitich Smith [Purchase]
Thoughtful (Thoughtless #1.5) by S.C. Stephens [Purchase]


Those Above (The Empty Throne #1) by Daniel Polansky [Purchase]
The Apollo Academy (The Apollo Academy #1) by Kimberly P. Chase [Purchase]
Zom-B Bride (Zom-B #10) by Darren Shan [Purchase]
The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu [Purchase]


Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan [Purchase]
Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin [Purchase]
When My Heart Was Wicked by Tricia Stirling [Purchase]
Vendetta (Blood for Blood #1) by Catherine Doyle [Purchase]


Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan [Purchase]
Breakout by Kevin Emerson [Purchase]
Touch by Claire North [Purchase]
Soulbound (Darkest London #6) by Kristen Callihan [Purchase]


Anything on your wishlist this week?

 

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Find previous Fresh Batch posts here!

Review: Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly

Review: Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly

Posted by on 02/19/2015 • 8 Comments

This was a book that I was really excited to read. I didn’t like it quite as much as I had hoped, but it was really enjoyable. The characters were wonderful, especially Kymera. It was a bit predictable and long, but it was interesting so it kept me from getting bored with it. Even at its slow pace, the way things all came together was great and it was easy to get lost in.

Kym is a creation intended for the purpose of saving the sick girls from the wizard. She is very naive and only knows what her father has told her. She is happy with her mission and truly has a huge heart. She wants to do what is right and she wants to save everyone. She…

Review: Little Peach by Peggy Kern

Review: Little Peach by Peggy Kern

Posted by on 02/18/2015 • 17 Comments

Wow… this was a very harsh read. Like, I felt sick to my stomach while reading most of it. It deals with incredibly heavy subjects – disturbing, even – but it is, in my opinion, one very important story. It’s a real eye opener regarding the sex trade. We all know that it exists; we all hear about the projects and the poverty and the hard knock life, yet it never quite hits home until you encounter an up close and personal story like this. The story of a young girl who is so innocent, so oblivious to what’s even happening to her. She’s only known fear and abuse, she thinks this is her way out. Her “daddy” is showing her the love and affection she’s been craving since childhood…

Review: Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler

Review: Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler

Posted by on 02/17/2015 • 12 Comments

I love chips. I know they’re unhealthy and will probably shorten my life span and that I will regret it later when I’m old and senile and cranky as frack, but I just can’t help it. I love chips of all flavors – cheese, BBQ, sour cream, cheesy jalapeño – you name it. I see a bag of chips and I brighten up quickly. They’re one of my guilty pleasures.

However, there are exceptions. There are times a bag of chips make me unhappy and unsatisfied. Like, you open one and realize that puffy bag of chips was actually made up of 25% fatty goodness and 75% air.

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT THAT BLOODY SUCKS, DUDE.

You’re probably wondering the relevance of my silly “bag-o-chips” drivel. Well, to be completely honest, there’s…

Review: Better Than Perfect by Melissa Kantor

Review: Better Than Perfect by Melissa Kantor

Posted by on 02/16/2015 • 12 Comments

I almost stopped reading this book because I didn’t really like the MC very much. I am glad I continued it though because it really was a good book. I still never really liked Juliet much, but I thought that the story itself was well done and loved the subject matter that it covered. You know when you look at someone who is pretty, smart, has a perfect looking life and family? Well, who is to say that their life isn’t completely fucked up? That is what this story is about and that is why I enjoyed it. I don’t agree with some of the things that Juliet did, but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t think this was a really well told story, that holds a lot of important…

Fresh Batch (New Releases February 15th – 21st)

Fresh Batch (New Releases February 15th – 21st)

Posted by on 02/14/2015 • 8 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Distance Between Lost and Found Kathryn Holmes Publication date: February 17th 2015by HarperTeen

Goodreads Purchase

Ever since the night of the incident with Luke Willis, the preacher’s son, sophomore Hallelujah Calhoun has been silent. When the rumors swirled around school, she was silent. When her parents grounded her, she was silent. When her friends abandoned her … silent.

Now, six months later, on a youth group retreat in the Smoky Mountains, Hallie still can’t find a voice to answer the taunting. Shame and embarrassment haunt her, while Luke keeps coming up with new ways to humiliate her. Not even meeting Rachel,…

Review: Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Myers

Review: Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Myers

Posted by on 02/12/2015 • 6 Comments

How to describe this book? Basically, if ever Amazing Race and the National Treasure film had a baby, it would be Inherit Midnight. Family secrets, ancestral history dating back to the founding of the New World, a race around the world to see who would inherit the family’s moolah… I mean, it’s really not hard to find the similarities in pop culture.

The only difference is, I would rather watch Amazing Race and National Treasure over reading this again.

Now, don’t get me wrong; this is NOT a bad book by any means, but in the same breath, it wasn’t all that memorable, either. It’s a stand-alone that you may want to suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy… because holy shit, guys, there are so many stuff here that I can only see…

Review: Dead Spots by Rhiannon Frater

Review: Dead Spots by Rhiannon Frater

Posted by on 02/11/2015 • 9 Comments

It’s not often that I get super excited and fan girl over a book, but this is one of them. I read a very early copy of this since I was lucky enough to be a beta reader. I feel like I need to disclose that. Having said that, this is a book that I need to own a physical copy of because it was absolutely amazing!! I need to read it again. (As soon as I can make myself carve out time for it, which will be soon.) The terror was so real, the emotions and feelings were pulling me every which way, and I felt so drawn into it and needed to know what was coming. This book really just hit me hard with the feels and the…