July 04, 2018

Review: War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

War Storm (Red Queen #4)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 15, 2018
Pages: 662
Format: Hardcover/Own

Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all… starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power… for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

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June 27, 2018

Review: King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

King's Cage (Red Queen #3) 
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: February 7, 2017
Pages: 507
Format: Hardcover/Own

When the Lightning Girl’s spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother’s web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare’s heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.

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May 16, 2018

Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword (Red Queen #2)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: February 9, 2016
Pages: 444
Format: Hardcover/Own

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.
Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?
The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

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April 25, 2018

Red Queen Read-Along Final Update & Wrap Up

The Red Queen Read-Along is being hosted here at Hope, Faith & Books. By the end of this week we should have finished Red Queen! Yay!

So I actually finished it already (on April 24th). 

My First Update Is Here!

My Thoughts:

I have to say, I didn't like certain parts of the second half of the book as much as I loved the first half as a whole. I thought Mare was a little more gullible and weak (in terms of trusting) in the second half of the book. We did finally get to see all the betrayals everyone talks about. I also got at least one of my questions answered from my last update. It was the one wondering how or what caused Mare's power and whether she was really 100% red. I'm glad at least one thing I was wondering about was answered. I'm also not the biggest fan of Maven right now. Just no. 

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April 25, 2018

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen (Red Queen #1)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Pages: 383
Format: Kindle Book/Own

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

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April 20, 2018

Review: Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard

Steel Scars (Red Queen #0.2) 
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: January 5, 2016
Pages: 85
Format: Physical/Own (Part of Cruel Crown)

Farley was raised to be strong, but being tasked with planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected. As she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital, she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation—Mare Barrow.

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April 18, 2018

Review: Queen Song by Victoria Aveyard

Queen Song (Red Queen #0.1)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Pages: 55
Format: Physical/Own (Part of Cruel Crown)

Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life.

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April 13, 2018

Red Queen Read-Along Update

The Red Queen Read-Along is being hosted here at Hope, Faith & Books. It's a low stress way to read Red Queen while not interupting our other reading schedules. We're coming up on the end of week 2 this upcoming Monday, in which we'll have read up through chapter 14 so far.

In case anyone needs a reminder, this is the schedule:

• April 2nd-9th (Week 1): Chapters 1-7
• April 10th-16th (Week 2): Chapters 8-14
• April 17th-23rd (Week 3): Chapters 15-21
• April 24th-30th (Week 4): Chapters 22-28

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March 10, 2018

Red Queen Read-Along Info & Sign-Up

As part of the 2018 Dystopia Reading Challenge, I've decided to do some read-alongs! The first one being in April! So for the past few weeks I've had a poll up for people to vote on the book they'd like to read, and the winner was... RED QUEEN by VICTORIA AVEYARD!!! Now fear not, it's definitely not required that you participate in the Dystopia Reading Challenge to participate in this. It's completely open for ANYONE who wants to read with me! It's just a fun little extra for those who are. :)

So I definitely want this to just be a chill, laid back read-along. Just enjoy reading the book at a nice easy pace! The only rule is that you have fun reading (I mean, who of us bookish people don't have fun reading right?!).

Link up with your blog, goodreads, twitter, etc. Whatever you use for reading/updating books. :) Also, feel free to use the picture on your posts.

If you wanna tweet about it, use the hashtag #readalongredqueen
I wanted a hashtag that had not been used previously for red queen read alongs, so that's what we got. Lol.

THE SCHEDULE:

• April 2nd-9th (Week 1): Chapters 1-7
• April 10th-16th (Week 2): Chapters 8-14
• April 17th-23rd (Week 3): Chapters 15-21
• April 24th-30th (Week 4): Chapters 22-28

So according to my kindle edition of Red Queen, there's 28 chapters total in the book not including the Epilogue. So I thought that rounded out perfectly to 7 chapters each week. I don't know about you, but I think that's easily doable! :)

I decided to start the read-along on the 2nd due to April 1st being Easter this year. I know plenty of us will be celebrating, myself included, so I figured starting after Easter would be good. :)

Now I'm just curious what everyone thinks about this, so let me know in the comments your thoughts. What would you guys like to do for updates? Weekly or once in the middle? I was thinking we'd just do one in the middle (like around the 16th after we've read for week 2) so we can update whether we're on track, what our current thoughts are, etc. And then of course a wrap-up to see if we finished the book and our overall thoughts! And your definitely free to use your sign-up post (if your using your blog) for updates. 

LINK-UP

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December 23, 2017

Stacking The Shelves [#81]/Sunday Post [#12]/Mailbox Monday [#12]

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality as a way to share all the books we got during the week!

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. Its a weekly post to showcase what books you got, recap the week, and talk about what will be coming up this week on the blog!

Mailbox Monday is hosted on its own site. It is there to show off the books acquired during the week!

Bought:

Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

It was on sale for kindle so I bought it since I was debating trying this series. 

Weekly Recap:

New Releases: Week of December 19, 2017

So I'm sorry I didn't get any of my reviews up, or any other posts for that matter (new releases was scheduled) this week. Suffice it to say, its been a VERY LONG WEEK. 

The Good:

I got my final grade back for those who have been waiting with me. I PASSED! I got an 86 on the final and I passed the class with an 89. So a high B. That means your girl here has officially earned her Associates degree!!

Daughter had her 3 year check up this week. Doctor says she's doing well and is still impressed at the amount of stuff she understands and comprehends (our doctor has said repeatedly that my daughter seems to be ahead when it comes to the amount of things understood at her age). And the tater tot is now 3 feet tall, 36 inches. She's definitely taking after dad (dad is 6ft). 

The Bad:

Thing #1: So last month I got my paperwork stating mine and my daughters health insurance had been renewed. Well, I was lied to. I got a notice on the 20th saying hers will be discontinued on the 31st. Mine was apparently renewed, but they failed to renew my daughters despite it saying clearly on my paperwork it had been. So I had to do the paperwork again to have hers renewed and hopefully it goes through before the 31st. 

Thing #2: So Christmas is coming. I had a few orders still on the way. So one was scheduled for the 20th. Fedex all of a sudden makes it a delivery exception and takes it back to the facility for inspection. We called about it, they said my package was damaged which is why they took it back. Well they did send it back out the 21st. Guess what... I got it and NO DAMAGE. The only issues with the box were that the corners had dents which normally happen in shipping. So I was lied to. AGAIN! 

Thing #3: My fiance (James) ordered a few things from my Amazon account for the 2 day prime shipping. Supposed to come in the 22nd. Well, it has a delay. No big deal, it got to Tucson like half an hour after the delay update. But then they update the scheduled delivery to Tuesday, the 26th. After Christmas. This package has gifts in it, hence using my 2 day shipping! So I call and set up a hold. 4 hours later they call me back and confirm I want to just go pick it up because WE ARE NOT WAITING TIL TUESDAY. So the UPS associate says it'll be ready for me to pick up in the morning. That should be the end of it right??? WRONG. As I write this it is almost 1AM on the 23rd (the day I'm supposed to pick up my package). So I check the tracking to make sure no hanky panky is going on. Hanky panky is going on... Despite me telling them and confirming I want to pick it up, they updated it back to delivery and its left the UPS facility I was supposed to pick it up at. And the delivery date has gone back to the 26th. Suffice it to say, I'M PISSED OFF. I spent 4 hours today getting it held for pickup for no reason apparently. Now I'm sitting here hoping it updates in the morning saying its either back at the facility or that it will actually be delivered today (the 23rd). 

Did you guys know its practically impossible to get a hold of someone at UPS and FEDEX. I literally could not find local numbers for either ANYWHERE. And their automated systems don't really help. 

So it's not been a good week. Its been problem after problem and I'm exhausted from this. But the funny thing about this. Everyone complains about the post office right?? They are the only ones actually delivering my packages this week like they are supposed to. Thankfully the mail carriers around here actually seem to care about doing their jobs correctly unlike the package carriers. 

Upcoming:

CHRISTMAS!!!! Merry Christmas in advance! I'll probably put up a cute little Christmas post on Christmas. :)

All the reviews I was going to do this week that mentioned issues have interfered with. 

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