Source: Edelweiss

Early Book Breview~ Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

01 Apr, 2014 by in HarperCollins, new adult, royally lost 2 comments

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Early Book Breview~ Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Royally Lost

by Angie Stanton
Published by HarperCollins on May 6th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
three-stars
Source: Edelweiss
Buy the Book • Goodreads
What would it be like to fall in love with a prince?

Dragged on a family trip to Europe's ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, overeager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is, until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for—he's a crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have . . . is freedom. After staging a revolt, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.

When Nikolai and Becca meet, it's their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say good-bye when his destiny catches up to him, or will they change history forever?

If you’re looking for a a light, fluffy summer book that can be read quickly, Royally Lost is a great pick. It’s the story of one family on vacation in Europe trying to “bond”, and a runaway prince from Moldovia who isn’t quite ready to claim the throne.  Becca and her brother Dylan have had it with their workaholic father and the recorded tours on the stops of their cruise. They are ready to break off on their own and explore all that Europe has to offer. Nikolai spots Becca, a gorgeous American girl by chance and the two keep running into each other. Can he convince her to stow away with him?

It’s a case of instant crush turned love for Becca and Nikolai. While dodging papperazzi and trying to fend off security from Nioklai’s country, these two love birds are in for an adventure. Meanwhile there are new adult themes of choosing a college and career, breaking the ties with mom and dad, loyalty to siblings and choosing one’s one path. There’s also the side plot of trying to form a relationship with a new step mother after the loss of a mom. Overall, this wasn’t overly deep or moving. It’s an easy read, and I wish the characters would have dug deeper into exploring and taking their rich setting…Costa Rica, Budapest. There are so  many thing to see along their path! I wasn’t super attached, as I felt things could have been fleshed out a little more, but I did enjoy Royally Lost.  Overall, a fun new “close to clean” addition to the New Adult genre.

Content: (highlight to reveal) mention of skinny dipping, swimming in underwear, drinking, lying to parents, moderate swearing

heather

About the AuthorAngies-Professional-Head-Shots-003-e1378407382251

Angie Stanton never planned on writing books—she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural America with her brothers’ 4-H pigs as pets, she found that dance didn’t quite work out. Instead, she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history. When not writing, she loves watching natural disaster movies, going to Broadway musicals, and dipping French fries in chocolate shakes. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

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Book Review: Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger

19 Mar, 2014 by in simon schuster, ya 1 comment

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review: Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger

Let The Storm Break

by Shannon Messenger
Series: Sky Fall #2
Published by Simon Pulse on March 4, 2014
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 400 pages
Format: eARC
three-half-stars
Source: Edelweiss
Buy the Book • Goodreads
Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.

But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.

With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

The Sky Fall series by Shannon Messenger has so many things going for it…

What I loved

The covers…gorgeous!

The new and unique mythology of wind walkers or slyphs

The fun personality of the main male protagonist Vane. He is supposed to be a king, yet he’s still young and snarky. His thoughts and snide comments will keep a smile on your face

There is a ramping up of both external and internal conflict in book two. The ad guys get more bad and the good guys are struggling with their own issues.

The concept of bonding for life with a kiss between two slyphs is romantic and old fashioned.

I loved the introduction of Vane’s intended companion Solana. It wasn’t a true love triangle but I would love to see and hear more from her.

The dual point of view. We get to know both Vane and Audra better.

Fun words like haboob!

 

What I struggled with

The pacing in book two is a bit slow. By the end things really pick up speed but it felt a little too late to really hold and capture interest.

I wanted to know more about each character. I was hoping to dig deeper into the story line instead of just touching on the setting and the new side characters.

The predictability of the cliff hanger ending and some of the plot elements.

I wanted to see Vane’s training. Let’s get him able to fight back ( even though it is against his very Westerly nature!)

 

Overall, I will definitely read book three in the series.

Content (highlight to reveal): sleepovers between boy and girl, comments about girls body parts, some sensual thoughts, kissing, mild violence

 

About the Authorshannon messenger

Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned–among other things–that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She also regularly eats cupcakes for breakfast, sleeps with a bright blue stuffed elephant named Ella, and occasionally gets caught talking to imaginary people. So it was only natural for her to write stories for children. She’s the author of the middle grade series, KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES, and LET THE SKY FALL, a trilogy for young adults. She lives in Southern California with her husband and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at shannonmessenger.com.

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ARC Breview: All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

30 Jan, 2014 by in book review, fairies, harper teen, london, ryan graudin, Uncategorized, young adult fiction 1 comment

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

ARC Breview: All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

All That Glows

by Ryan Graudin
Published by Harper Teen on February 11, 2014
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 480
Format: eARC
four-stars
Source: Edelweiss
Buy the Book • Goodreads
Emrys—a fiery, red-headed Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city’s draining technology, until she’s sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn’t any normal assignment—she’s sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be King. The prince’s careless ways and royal blood make him the irresistible for the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys’s magic and heart to the test.

When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through the London’s magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard’s life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

I have to admit that I am drawn like a moth to the flame by all things faerie– so of course, when I saw this one on Eidelweiss I had to grab it! In the vein of Lesley Livingston, Jenna Black, Julie Kagawa and Maggie Stiefvater comes a book about royalty, London and the fairy guard that protect them.

What I liked

The flow of the writing and the premise of a bit of a rogue prince who likes to make trouble being guarded by his very own fiery guard who is as old as time.

There are new mythological creatures not seen much–green ladies, banshees and dark dogs that hunt in the underground clubs and graveyards of London.

The clash between nature and modern civilization, the faeries become sick when surrounded by metal, technology and not enough thick forest

It’s a clean read. There is one swear word and a kissing scene, but otherwise it’s rated PG

Meeting Herne the Hunter and the personification of a very powerful fairy who rides through his own forest on the hunt

I wish

I connected more with the characters, they didn’t feel fleshed out enough and their romance was instant without much build up

The world where the fairies came was more and integral part of the setting the author built

The bottom line

I would buy a physical copy of this one when it comes out. I really enjoyed it and was happy to see a fairy book, as it’s been a while since we’ve seen one in the YA line up. I read All That Glows quickly and genuinely enjoyed the premise, the idea of magical a hidden world living in London and the final battle at the end. Thanks so much to Harper Teen for the sneak peek. I will be buying this one!

heather

 

ryan_graudinAuthor Bio

I write books. Some are about rowdy-partying princes and their faery guardians (ALL THAT GLOWS, HarperTeen, 2/11/14). Others are about teenagers fighting for their lives in the slums of the Hak Nam Walled City (THE WALLED CITY, Little, Brown, Fall 2014). I love writing, traveling to new lands, drinking chai lattes and hanging christmas lights. I also love Jesus. I’m repped by Adams Literary.

Learn More on her website*goodreads*twitter

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