Tag: Renee Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist (Renee Ahdieh)

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The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love — a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

I’m so glad I was approved for this book on Netgalley! I loved The Wrath and the Dawn duology, so even though I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one, I knew the writing would be fantastic, and I was so right about that.

This book is told through several perspectives, but the main one is definitly Mariko’s perspective. As this was an ARC, I found it confusing when the POVs changed, because I had no indication or tab letting me know that the change was happening. Still, Ahdieh did a great job with the different voices, even though the book is told in the third person.

I will admit that it took me a little bit to really get into this story, because I found the beginning of the book sort of slow, and I’m still slightly confused about some of the events of this book. With that said, I did fall in love with the story pretty easily, and I honestly just needed the second book STAT, so my questions would be answered right away. Seriously guys, I need to know some things urgently.

The characters are amazing, I loved Mariko and her strength and determination, and how much she grew to accept herself through this book. Okami and all the Black Can were such a nice surprise. And Yumi! I love Yumi and I want to see much more of her in the following books. Some characters surprised me in a positive way, while I’m still on the fence about some of them, but I do have high hopes for Kenshin.

There were so many twists, and the one thing that bothered me was the lack of answers. This is a book that clearly does not stand on its own, and the second one will be imperative to answer some MAJOR things in the plot, so yeah… I need book 2. The romance is sweet and amazing, and it doesn’t take away from the story, it adds to it. There is such a great amount of respect between the two, and I’m a fan, I SHIP IT!

Guys, if you haven’t read this one yet, do it now.
It’s detailed and intricate and beautiful, with a kick-ass Japanese girl as the main character.
Also, you know this is sort of based on Mulan, right? So, read it.

Latest NetGalley Pending… (that I’ll probably be denied for)

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My first post was about my latest approvals on Netgalley that made me feel accomplished. The second one was about denied requests, that made me super sad. So, to continue the sad wave, I’m gonna show you some books which requests are still pending, but experience tells me they will be denied too.

Check it out…

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When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon is one of the most talked about upcoming releases, and I want to read it, though I’m a bit on the fence about the arranged marriage thing, but either way, I’m probably not getting it.

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him — wherein he’ll have to woo her — he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

The Heartbeats of Wing Jones by Katherine Webber is everywhere and I want it so bad! I’m crossing my fingers on this one.

Wing Jones, like everyone else in her town, has worshipped her older brother, Marcus, for as long as she can remember. Good-looking, popular, and the star of the football team, Marcus is everything his sister is not.

Until the night everything changes when Marcus, drunk at the wheel after a party, kills two people and barely survives himself. With Marcus now in a coma, Wing is crushed, confused, and angry. She is tormented at school for Marcus’s mistake, haunted at home by her mother and grandmothers’ grief. In addition to all this, Wing is scared that the bank is going to repossess her home because her family can’t afford Marcus’s mounting medical bills.

Every night, unable to sleep, Wing finds herself sneaking out to go to the school’s empty track. When Aaron, Marcus’s best friend, sees her running one night, he recognizes that her speed, skill, and agility could get her spot on the track team. And better still, an opportunity at a coveted sponsorship from a major athletic gear company. Wing can’t pass up the opportunity to train with her longtime crush and to help her struggling family, but can she handle being thrust out of Marcus’s shadow and into the spotlight?

I asked this one on a whim, but I’m so interested in it… Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza.

Empress
Rhee, also known as Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an, is the sole surviving heir to a powerful dynasty. She’ll stop at nothing to avenge her family and claim her throne.

Fugitive
Aly has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. But when he’s falsely accused of killing Rhee, he’s forced to prove his innocence to save his reputation – and his life.

Madman
With planets on the brink of war, Rhee and Aly are thrown together to confront a ruthless evil that threatens the fate of the entire galaxy.

A saga of vengeance, warfare, and the true meaning of legacy.

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan sounds so interesting. I want to read this one. Are you listening to me, publisher?

A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family’s vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community in this sweet and moving middle grade novel from the award-winning author of It’s Ramadan, Curious George and Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.

Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized.

Amina’s Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.

 I’ve requested Rebels Like Us by Liz Reinhardt a long time ago, but it’s still pending…

“It’s not like I never thought about being mixed race. I guess it was just that, in Brooklyn, everyone was competing to be exotic or surprising. By comparison, I was boring, seriously. Really boring.”

Culture shock knocks city girl Agnes “Nes” Murphy-Pujols off-kilter when she’s transplanted mid–senior year from Brooklyn to a small Southern town after her mother’s relationship with a coworker self-destructs. On top of the move, Nes is nursing a broken heart and severe homesickness, so her plan is simple: keep her head down, graduate and get out. Too bad that flies out the window on day one, when she opens her smart mouth and pits herself against the school’s reigning belle and the principal.

Her rebellious streak attracts the attention of local golden boy Doyle Rahn, who teaches Nes the ropes at Ebenezer. As her friendship with Doyle sizzles into something more, Nes discovers the town she’s learning to like has an insidious undercurrent of racism. The color of her skin was never something she thought about in Brooklyn, but after a frightening traffic stop on an isolated road, Nes starts to see signs everywhere — including at her own high school where, she learns, they hold proms. Two of them. One black, one white.

Nes and Doyle band together with a ragtag team of classmates to plan an alternate prom. But when a lit cross is left burning in Nes’s yard, the alterna-prommers realize that bucking tradition comes at a price. Maybe, though, that makes taking a stand more important than anything.

Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh I’m sure I won’t get, but hey, I requested it… 😀

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place — she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor’s favorite consort — a political marriage that will elevate her family’s standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she’s quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she’s ever known.

So, tell me guys, did you request any of these titles?
Were you approved? denied? Also pending? Talk to me 😀

The Rose and the Dagger (Renée Ahdieh)

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The much anticipated sequel to the breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly as “a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance.”

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse — one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid’s empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn’t yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

Oh God! This book was as beautiful as the first one! Gorgeous writing again, I could read 100 books about Shazi and her adventures, with this amazing amazing writing. It’s fast and beautiful, and colorful and I could just see and feel everything that was being described. Awesome!

I loved all the characters on this sequel, I actually even liked some characters I hadn’t cared about in book 1 – cof, Tariq, cof – and the cast of characters had expanded quite a bit. While my favorite parts were still the ones about Shahrzad and Khalid, I really liked all the other POVs in this story.

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The pace was fast and the plot flowed well and, again, super fast. I actually would have liked if the book was either bigger or divided in two, because I felt that some of the minor plot points and characters were a bit swept aside, and some things happened a bit too easily. Some things, such as the growth of Shazi’s powers, her training, the new characters and their motivations, could have been explored further.

I really liked that in the end the women saved the day and were all in charge of their own destinies and futures, and the men just sort of did what they told them to, eheh.

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Awesome book, awesome journey, I’m so so sad that it’s over… I just overall wanted a bit more.

June TBR

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Hello. I managed 20 books this past month of May, so I’m aiming for a similar number this month of June, so my TBR will have 14 books 🙂 .

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  1. The Rose & the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Ahdieh – I’ve already started this one and I’m about halfway through :D.
  2. V-Card (Sharing Spaces #1) by Alicia Michaels – I actually just finished this romantic comedy, and it was so cool!
  3. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma –It didn’t happen last month, but I will get to it in June.
  4. A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas – This will be the third buddy read for me, Kat @Life and Other Disasters and Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much. 😀
  5. Blackmail Boyfriend by Chris Cannon – this sounds like a cute summer/contemporary read.
  6. Stay Until We Break (Hub City #2) by Mercy Brown – I read book 1, Loud is How I Love You, a few months back, and I loved it. So I was super excited when I got approved for this eARC on Netgalley.
  7. In the Hope of Memories by Olivia Rivers – Kat read this book last month and loved it, so Cátia and me recided to request it from Netgalley, so I’ll be buddy reading it with Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much.
  8. Heartfall by J.B. McGee – yet another eARC that I’ll probably read with Cátia.
  9. On The Brink by Kate Willoughby – this is a short novella, a M/M hockey romance, so I obviously requested it from Netgalley and I’ll definitly be reading it soon.
  10. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover – after loving Ugly Love this month, I want to read this one pretty soon.
  11. Heat It Up by Stina Lindenblatt – another eARC from netgalley that I’ll be reading with Cátia 🙂 .
  12. How Not to Fall by Emily Foster – yet another eARC that I’ll buddy read with Cátia.
  13. Wrong Place, Right Time by Elle Casey – I saw a great review of this book, so me and Cátia requested it from Netgalley and we’ll be reading it soon-ish… the release date is in July, so this is low priority right now.
  14. Slightly Stalky by Amy Vansant – this book just somehow screams summer to me, maybe it’s because of that gorgeous blue… either way, this will be yet another buddy read with Cátia.

This is my TBR for June. Once again I’ll be reading A LOT of books with Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much, you can check out her TBR for June HERE.

May Book Haul

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Hey guys. Here we are, at the end of another month, and I’m bringing you another book haul. This month I didn’t haul as much books as last month, but it was still a pretty good one 🙂 .

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This month I bought The Rose and the Dagger and A Court of Mist and Fury. I still haven’t read any of them, but I will soon, and I just had to have them as soon as they were out. I’m a little sad about TRATD‘s colour, the blue on the paperback is not the best, but ACOMAF is gorgeous. I finally received my paperback signed copy of More Than Music by Elizabeth Briggs, which was sent to me by Elodie Nowodazkij after I won a giveaway she was hosting.

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Once again, most of these books I got at Kindle deals, for nothing!

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Don’t forget that my giveaway is still running until June 18th…

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The ‘Spring has Sprung’ Book Tag

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Hey hey hey! Here I am with another book tag, this time it’s The ‘Spring has Sprung’ Book Tag and I was tagged by The Orang-utan Librarian. Thank you so much! And let’s do this 😉 .

1. Flowers: Look on your bookshelves. What is the most beautiful book both inside and out?

One of my most beautiful books, inside and out, has to be Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon.

Just look at it, isn’t it gorgeous? And it’s such a good and sweet read 🙂 .

2. Grass: What is a book that you find that others like way more than you do?

Given the goodreads rating that Nirvana has, I would say that a lot of people liked it WAY better than me, considering that I rated the book 1 star… which I have to be honest and say that I don’t really understand how that’s possible… to each its own, right?

3. Rain: What’s a great book that lifts your spirits when you’re down?

The obvious answer here has to be Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, right? I read this book twice already, and I love love love it! It makes me happy. So much so that I even borrowed my physical copy to my bff. I hope she takes good care of my precious!

4. Dew: What’s a book that made you feel alive?

Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Us surely made me feel alive. Maybe because my heart was actually hurting while reading this book. Maybe!

This book has it all: great dialogue, great characters, great story, great romance, huge heartbreak… perfect.

5. Storms: What’s a book that you found unpredictable?

Hmmmm, I would say that Anything You Want by Geoff Herbach was pretty unpredictable. There were definitly some things that I didn’t see coming at all. Also, the book was nothing like I expected, but it’s oh so good!

6. Rainbow: What was a book that you struggled with, only to be happy that you read it in the end?

Well, I struggled with Lady Midnight, but not because the book isn’t brilliant or because I didn’t want to read it, just the opposite. But it is a huge book, and my hands and arms would hurt when I had been reading for awhile. The book is heavy like hell!

7. Chilly Weather: What’s a book that you couldn’t finish or didn’t enjoy?

Perfect time to mention my last 1 star reading, and that was Lessons of the Heart, which is a YA/NA teacher/student romance. It was so so bad, and it had nothing to do with the forbidden part of it. You can check out my review of it HERE.

8. Warm Weather: What’s a book that you loved and wanted more of?

I wanted more of Adorkable for sure. Such a cute and good read. I wanted to see what happened after that last scene and what was in store for Sally and Becks, because they were so adorable together :D.

  

9. Green: What’s a book that you haven’t read yet, but really want to?

Actually, I’m saying one that I’m gonna start today, and that is The Rose and the Dagger, by Renee Ahdieh. I’ve had the book for a few weeks now, but I can only manage one physical book at a time, and I needed to finish Me Before You before starting this one.

10. Pink: What’s a book in which you felt a strong connection to the characters?

I felt a really strong connection to Isla and Josh, in Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins. Maybe that’s why this was my favorite book of the companion series. There’s just something so great about Isla and Josh.

11. Purple: What’s a book that when you read it, you feel safe?

Not sure I fully understand this question, but hey, I’ll give it a try?! I think Attachments by Rainbow Rowell was a book that made me feel safe, maybe because I loved the story and it’s my favorite contemporary of Rowell’s. Have you read it? You should!

12. Orange: What book do you feel is intelligently written?

I didn’t want to repeat authors, but I kind of have to. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is, in my opinion, one of the most intelligent written books I’ve ever read. I loved how the base of the book was known, but she twisted everything. I fins the magic system especially compelling.

13. Yellow: What book puts a smile on your face?

Ok, try to look at that cover and not smile… did you manage it? Big Rock by Lauren Blakely definitly put a huge smile on my face. It’s an amazing romance and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes NA romances.

  

I tag:

March TBR

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Hey guys! 🙂 After a successful reading month of February, when I read only romances, I want to keep the ball rolling and read a bunch of books this month too, and see if I can finally lift my Netgalley ratio closer to 80%. So, here are the books I plan on reading this month of March.

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  1. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – I actually started this one 3 days ago, and I’m buddy reading it with Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much
  2. The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig – I got this eARC from Netgalley and the plan is to also read it with Cátia 😀
  3. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare – Now, as soon as this book is out, I’m buying it!
  4. Extreme by Lark O’Neal – I received this book for review from Xpresso Book Tours and I started it yesterday and OMG!! 😀 😀 😀
  5. Scandal: The Complete Series by Alison Foster – I also got this book for review from Xpresso Book Tours.
  6. Never Stop Falling by Ashley Drew – I’ll be reading this one as part as a blog tour from  Xpresso Book Tours.
  7. In Your Dreams by Ginger Scott –  I’ll be reading this one as part as a blog tour from WordSmith Publicity.
  8. Playing Defense by Cate Cameron – eARC from Netgalley, probably reading it with Cátia.
  9. Wanting More by Jessica Ruddick – eARC from Netgalley, probably reading it with Cátia (yeah, we have a lot of books to read together this month 😛 ).
  10. South of Sunshine  by Dana Elmendorf – eARC from Netgalley
  11. Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell – It’s already on my kindle, ready to be read.
  12. The Crown and the Arrow (The Wrath and the Dawn 0.5) by Renee Ahdieh – Khalid is waiting :D.

From this list, only 2 books and 2 novellas aren’t ARCs/Galleys, but I’m positive that I’ll be able to get to them all :). What about you? Are you reading any of these books?