The YA Book Butterfly: March 2015

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday - A Court of Thorns and Roses

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)

Expected publication: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury Children's

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

March Reading Wrap Up

March Reading Wrap-Up

This month was a pretty good reading month for me! I surpassed my goal of reading 10-15 books, and I read 4/5 books that I had on my specific March TBR!

Favorite New-To-Me Book(s) I Read In March:

Lion Heart was amazing! Loved every single page! Check for a full review closer to the May 19th release date!

Complete List of New-To-Me Books I Read This Month:

Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross

Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

How (Not) to Fall in Love by Lisa Brown Roberts

Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

List of Re-Reads I Read This Month:

(The Penguin classic is Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte)

Novellas Read:

None this month!

Currently Reading:

I haven't finished a book in about 4 days, but I have started 3 books!

Crash Into You and Scarlet are re-reads, with The Start Of Me and You being one of my most anticipated!

Reading In 2015:

January: 30 Books. 1 Novella.

February: 17 Books. 1 Novella.

March: 21 Books.

2015 Reading Goal: 70/150 Books Completed.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Ten Books I Recently Added To My To-Be-Read List

Hosted by http://www.brokeandbookish.com/

1. Happy Again

(Sequel Novella to This Is What Happy Looks Like)

2. What Happens Next

A 2012 release that I noticed on another Top Ten Tuesday list a few weeks ago that sounded really good!

3. Queen Of Shadows (TOG #4)

Couldn't believe when the cover was finally released that I didn't have this one on my TBR yet!

CANNOT WAIT!!!

4. Vendetta (Blood For Blood #1)

A new release from January that sounded good!

5. Play On
I've seen a few great reviews for this one, it doesn't release until mid April, but it is definitely something I am going to read!

6. Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories

A collection of short stories from authors such as Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth, Jennifer E Smith, and more!

No cover yet, but this is gonna be ammmmmaaaazzziiiiinnnnnggggg!!!

7. Soundless

Upcoming November release from Richelle Mead!!!

8. Blackhearts

This one again has no cover (yet), but it is inspired by the tale of BLACKBEARD!!! It has an expected publication date of 2016, and is a debut from Nicole Castroman.

9. A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale (Twisted Tales #1)

An upcoming September release that is a retelling of Aladdin!

Cover is not revealed yet.

10. Velvet Undercover

An upcoming October release that is about a spy in World War I!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Stacking the Shelves (19)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

It has been literally about a year since my last Stacking the Shelves, so, I decided to post one today!

For Review Via Netgalley:

Hold Me Like a Breath (Once Upon a Crime Family, #1)

I already finished both of these, and I LOVED Lion Heart!

Watch for my reviews of both of these, they will be posted closer to their May release dates!

Thank-you Bloomsbury!

For Review Via Edelweiss:

I am currently reading this one, and it is really good!

Thank-you Scholastic!

Won:

I got this AWESOME Divergent/Insurgent prize pack this week!

It included a Divergent DVD, a T-Shirt (not pictured), and 4 posters!

I couldn't get good pictures of the posters because they are so HUGE! But here are the link to the original giveaway post.

http://www.swoonyboyspodcast.com/special/giveaway-insurgent-mega-prize-pack

Thank-you Swoony Boys Podcast and Lionsgate!

This Week:

I posted a poll on Which Series I Should Start/Continue, if you could take a minute to go and vote for which will be my next read in the next month or so I would REALLY appreciate it!

(At the moment Graceling is winning, so if you are a huge Stephanie Perkins fan, (as I know most YA readers are) you might want to go vote)

I posted my review of The Winners Curse, which I really enjoyed!

Finally I posted a review of Bloodlines which was a great book, but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as Rose's series.

You can also check out Ten Books I Am Looking Forward to Releasing in the Spring!

What are you reading? What did you add to your shelves this week? Have you read any of these? Leave me a link below and I would love to visit!

Friday, March 27, 2015

The Winners Curse (Book Review)

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)

The Winners Curse
Marie Rutkoski

Hardcover, 355 pages

Published March 4th 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Review:
I like Fantasy, but I can't say that it is my favorite thing to read. However, seeing all of the end of the year wrap-ups and end of the year surveys from bloggers saying that this was an amazing book, I knew that I HAD to get my hands on a copy.

One Line Review?
I NEED THE SEQUEL RIGHT NOW.

And if that doesn't give you a hint of how much I liked this book let me elaborate.

The Winners Curse drops you into this beautiful world where you can picture everything that is going on. It was like watching a movie.
The plot was beautifully written with plot twists that had me going WHAT??? This book actually surprised my in places (and I don't get surprised very easily). This book was a high fantasy, and even with the wonderful descriptions, I didn't feel like I was lost in a world where nothing was important but the world itself.

This book had great characters. Even though at the beginning Kestrel did bug me a bit, she does get better. Her love for her friends is an endearing trait, as is the fact that she loves music.
Arin, again, bugged me at first. But he also grew to be a character that I admired.

The Winners Curse sets a great beginning to what I believe is going to be an awesome series. I can't wait to see what happens in The Winners Crime, and I really can't wait to see what becomes of the characters and how they will grow. This book can stand with the best YA Fantasy and I would definitely recommend this one to YA Fantasy fans.

Which Series Should I Start/Continue?

I have been feeling like starting a new series lately, and/or reading more books of some series I have already started.
If you could take a second to vote to let me know if one of the books on the list below is amazing, I would really appreciate it!

If I get a good response (in other words lots of votes) on this one, I am thinking of making this poll a monthly thing. So please do let me know which one is your favorite on the list (or one that you are interested in me reading and reviewing).

You can also vote multiple times on this list, so if you happen to see two that you love, feel free to let me know!

Leave a comment letting me know that you voted so that I can thank you!

If you think of a series that should be on this list but isn't, fell free to let me know in the comments below!

Friday, March 20, 2015

Bloodlines (Book Review)

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)
Richelle Mead
Hardcover, 421 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by Razorbill

Blood doesn't lie...

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning

Review:

I enjoyed The Vampire Academy series (especially the last three), so, I was really excited to read Bloodlines. Bloodlines is a spin off and the story about the alchemist Sydney, Bloodlines also features quite a few of the characters from The Vampire Academy series.

I really liked Rose's character from TVA, and compared to Rose, Sydney was a huge disappointment. She wasn't nearly as tough, and she felt kind of helpless in a lot of situations (not to mention quite naïve). But, through Bloodlines, Sydney's character did become stronger and less naïve, causing me to like her character more.

The plot of Bloodlines was booooorrrrriiiinngggg for the first half (almost causing me to give up on it). But again, the last half of the book was great! As soon as I finished it I wanted to pick up the next one! So, my suggestion if you read this, if you can get through the first half it does get A LOT better. Just stick through it.

I have high expectations for the rest of the series, because TVA got a lot better as the series went on. I am hoping Bloodlines does also. I liked Sydney's character by the end of the book, but I still hope that she can grow to get even more tough.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday - Get Dirty

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

Get Dirty (Don't Get Mad #2)

Expected publication: June 16th 2015 by Balzer & Bray

The members of Don’t Get Mad aren’t just mad anymore . . . they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down. The killer could be anyone, and this time he—or she—is out for more than just revenge.

The girls desperately try to discover the killer’s identity as their personal lives are falling apart: Donté is pulling away from Kitty and seems to be hiding a secret of his own, Bree is under house arrest, and Olivia’s mother is on an emotional downward spiral. The killer is closing in, the threats are becoming more personal, and when the police refuse to listen, the girls have no choice but to confront their anonymous friend . . . or die trying.