Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1)
by Leigh Bardugo
Pages: 358
Source: Bought from B&N
Format: Hardback


Rating: Absolutely Amazing! (just look at all the gifs!)


Goodreads Synopsis:


Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart


My review:


This, this, is high fantasy. Words cannot describe my love for this book!! I feel like how the cookie monster would if he just found out he won a GIGANTIC COOKIE!

Yes, my eyes were probably cross-eyed with giddiness after finishing this book XD

  Shadow and Bone is high fantasy at its best. The world is beautiful and breathtaking. The characters are fantastically written and engaging and you can't help but love them. The plot is unique and intriguing and simply fantastic. 

Alina: 


 *hug* You, are a what strong character should be. Alina's growth throughout this book is just phenomenal! She's not a strong character instantly. In fact, she's very lonely and quiet and an outcast. She's very reserved, but attentive. She's never been the prettiest girl or the toughest girl or the funniest girl. She was an orphan and never really felt loved. The only friend she had was Mal *refrains from fainting*. But you know what? She's brave and selfless and I couldn't help but respect her for that. In order to save the life of a friend, she is willing to risk her own, in the process learning about a dormant power. And here's where I really come to love her. She's not like other YA heroines who start to think they are "all that" because they have special powers, nor does she deny them vehemently from start to finish. Nope. She accepts it and wants to be the best she can be. 

Yes, I wanted to give her lots of hugs throughout the book. Don't judge. She knew she wasn't going to be perfect the first try and she knew she had to work hard at it, but at least she did. Did she sometimes get frustrated? Sure did. Who wouldn't? But even then she kept trying and working hard. Throughout this book she has to learn to accept who she is. She has to overcome some barriers in her past to do it but she does and I rooted for her because of it.

Darkling:

   Yes, there is a love triangle. Sort of. Alina knows which one she wants but OMG! I couldn't not talk about the Darkling. Okay, he's not really the guy you want to end up with, but more along the bad boy you know you shouldn't want but goodness is he delicious ; )

 He's mister tall, dark and handsome. Mysterious, powerful, dark, secretive, dangerous, enigmatic and most of all alluring. Oh, he makes me feel special *faints* 

You thinks I'm special *giggles* XD

You just can't help but be drawn to him. Sure he's kind of psycho and most definitely evil, but goodness, you can't help but be addicted to his mysterious and dangerous personality. And the scene with him and Alina?! *faints*

But I'm most intrigued with his backstory (and I sure as heck didn't see that coming). Yes, I know he probably is most likely evil in every sense of the word, but I can't wait to see what made him like that. It's part of his allure. What can I say, I like swooning over the bad boy. Sue me. 

Mal:

  So Mal isn't in this book very much, but the parts that he is in (especially in the end) are just swoonworthy. There is this one quote that I know has been used in other reviews but it is just so swoonworthy I have to include it! It ecompasses the awesomeness that is Mal:


"I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I'd catch myself just walking around to find you, not for any reason , just out of habit, because I'd seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I'd realize that you weren't there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I've risked my life for you. I've walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I'd do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don't tell me why we don't belong together," he said fiercely.

                                

Really, need I say more? Okay, I will because I can't stop gushing XD He's so incredibly sweet with the perfect amount of protectiveness thrown in. He knows Alina can be the best she can be and he wants to help her become that. He's always believed in her and would literally walk to the ends of the earth for her!! Just....GAH! He's fantastic. That's all there is to it!


The World:


  I was instantly drawn into this complex and beautifully breathtaking world. She did a fantastic job of creating the Fold and giving it the creepy and scary atmosphere it deserved. Seriously. The Fold is freaking terrifying. Sure, I'd put on the facade of being all tough and whatnot, while on the inside I'd be screaming like a little girl. Scratch that, I'd probably actually be screaming like a little girl. But its fantastic! She doesn't just tell you it's scary, she shows it and makes you feel it. Kudos! 


Plot:


   Yes, the plot is as equally amazing as the characters and world! She just got the whole package right!!! Its incredibly unique and intriguing. Monsters? Grisha? Powers? The freaking FOLD?! Holy, moly. It's some intense stuff. The action starts off from the very beginning. You get to see monsters and the Fold and fighting. Then you get your court setting and court intrigue and never knowing who to trust and whats going on and its AMAZING! I could go on and on but you must read this book to find out all the awesomeness that is the plot for yourself. 


Overall:

My review does not do this book justice in the slightest. This is high fantasy at its best. I adored all the characters. I loved Alina's imperfections and the fact that she grows so much throughout the book. While I may be coveting after the alluring Darkling, I'm simply swooning over the perfection that is Mal. The world is incredibly unique and beautiful in its own terrifying way and the plot is simply addicting. If this review doesn't get to you buy this book, I honestly have no idea what will. 

All the best ♥

Mackenzie

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The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy #1)
By Jennifer A. Nielsen
Pages: 342
Source: Bought from B&N
Format: Hardback


Rating: Amazing!


Goodreads Synopsis:


In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.


My Review:

  *happy dance*

This book came highly recommended from a fellow blogger and believe me when I say I was not disappointed! 

Sage. Oh, Sage. How I love you. Yes, I will totally fight you Small for Sage :P Sage completely made this book for me. His voice instantly gripped me. He’s strong-headed, defiant, sarcastic, snarky, roguish and clever. Oh, sure, he’d pretend to go along with Conner’s plans all the while making his own. You sneaky little devil you ; ). Everything he did was for a reason. He was observant and cunning and always had a plan. Even when he was down at his lowest, he didn’t give up unless it benefited him in some way. He didn’t take crap sitting down and always had a ready retort waiting for the next unlucky victim. But he also had a heart. He stuck up for those who couldn't always stick up for themselves and was always fair and just in his actions. Yes, Sage. You are indeed awesome.

And the plot was brilliantly written. I was never 100% sure about anything. Sure, I guessed the gist of it, but how the answers came about and the reasons behind them was so completely ingenious and shocking that I was still surprised! There were times that I trusted the characters, and then they’d go do something sketchy and I’d mistrust them and then I’d start trusting them again. It was confusing and mixed up and I loved it. I liked that it kept me guessing and I loved where the author took the plot. I can't wait to learn more about Sage and his world in the next book. 

And no insta-love!!!!! *happy dance* In fact, romance was put on the back burner. What was there however was sweet and soft. Sure, a bit argumentative, but that made it all the better! It was slow and I loved it.

Overall:

This book is fantastic. If you read this book for no other reason, read it for Sage's voice. Even if the synopsis doesn't grip you, his voice will. He's roughish and strong-headed and clever, but has a kind heart worthy of swoon. I can't recommend this book enough and I'm eagerly anticipating the rest of this series.

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Thinking Through Thursday (6)

Welcome to another "Thinking Through Thursday"! This is a post I write (or try to) every Thursday in which I discuss various bookish goodness. 

This week's discussion is:

Favorite Series:

Harry Potter without a doubt.

Okay, okay, I know how cliche this is and whatnot, but Harry Potter is truly a fascinating series with so much heart and magic. I have never been as truly invested in characters as I have of the characters in this series. Honestly, I have learned so much from this series. I was invested in each character in some way and all of them were fully dimensional. It was so easy for me to imagine them as real people and to fall in love for them and root for them or want to punch them or some other crazy emotion. Each death hurt me deeply. I think this is the only series where I actually cried.


The first books were simply magical storytelling that got me interested, but as the series went on and it became more complex, I simply couldn't put any of the books down. Each book had so much heart, magic, love and time put into it that they are truly perfection. These stories didn't always have happy endings for everyone, but it was so real and beautiful. 


Oh, I could go on and on and on but I'll stop. I think you get the gist of everything and I'm sure so many of you out there feel the same way. 


So is Harry Potter your favorite series? Why? If not, I'd love to know what your favorite series are. 

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Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which we showcase upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Vessel

by Sarah Beth Durst

Release Date: September 11, 2012

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love."Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana's body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana's goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god's help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god's tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate--or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

Why I'm waiting:

*Ogles at cover*

The first thing that caught my eye was that absolutely stunning cover. And then the synopsis came and I was instantly hooked. Sand-wolves, lost goddesses, trickster gods and journeys? 

*happy dance*

I'm so incredibly psyched. While I haven't read her first book, I have heard some good things about it so I'm interested to see where she takes this one. This seems like a magical fantasy that I can't wait to get my greedy hands on ;)


So what are y'all waiting on this fine Wednesday? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know! 


All the best ♥
Mackenzie

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Scary School by Derek the Ghost

Scary School
by Derek the Ghost
Pages: 273
Format: ebook
Source: Author


Goodreads Synopsis:

You think your school's scary?

Get a load of these teachers:

"Ms. Fang," an 850-year-old vampire
"Dr. Dragonbreath," who just might eat you before recess
"Mr. Snakeskin"--science class is so much more fun when it's taught by someone who's half zombie
"Mrs. T"--break the rules and spend your detention with a hungry "Tyrannosaurus rex"

Plus

Gargoyles, goblins, and Frankenstein's monster on the loose
The world's most frighteningly delicious school lunch

And

The narrator's an eleven-year-old ghost

Join Charles "New Kid" Nukid as he makes some very Scary friends--including Petunia, Johnny, and Peter the Wolf--and figures out that Scary School can be just as funny as it is spooky

Short and Sweet:

A T-rex for a teacher? A principle with hands so large and strong they can crush your head? Ghoul games? Welcome to Scary School, where eating your students is completely normal. 

Scary School is a great mix of action and adventure and crazy monsters. I've never seen such a mixture of unique and well-known monsters. You have anything from your regular vampires and dragons to t-rexs and head-crushers. Add in some humans willing to take the risks and you have a great mix of characters. This book was fun and entertaining and the unique narration was perfect for the story. A former Scary School kid turned Ghost? He easily gets all the delicious scoop going on at school. And with each chapter focusing on a different character, you really get a feel for the wide range of characters at the school. 

  However, when it comes to MG, it seems to be a hit or miss for me. Some MG level books can be easily enjoyed by adults and children alike. I'm afraid this isn't one of them. I don't feel like this will really resonate with adult readers. However, I do believe that the targeted audience will thoroughly enjoy this! It really is a wonderful mix of monsters and unfortunate events that middle graders will enjoy and laugh at. 

Overall:

  While I don't really think that many older readers will enjoy this book, there is no doubt in my mind that younger readers will thoroughly enjoy this book. Between the drawings, great mix of characters and the humor, this is a book that will be enjoyed by the targeted audience. 

And guess what? If you like this first book, be sure to check out Scary School #2: Monsters on the March which comes out today! 

All the best ♥

Mackenzie

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Update

Hey y'all!

So I know I haven't really been putting up many reviews lately, mainly just memes, but I promise they are coming! I have so many books I need to review, but time just isn't on my side at the moment. Remember when I said I was going to get organized and schedule everything? 

Yeah, that was my reaction too! Me and organization go together like oil and water. 

But at least there is good reason. This time. I just drove up to SC on Wednesday (finally!) and we've been going between the hotel and the house and looking around Sumter (which is nonexistent :P) We are getting some of our furniture today so I'll be unpacking over the weekend. Moving is a pain in the A so its really hard to find time for everything. Hopefully (being the operative word) I'll have everything running smoothly by Monday. I have plenty of reviews coming up including Shadow and Bone, The False Prince, Shatter me, Scary School, Seraphina and Innocent Darkness to name a few. Thanks for sticking with me so far! 

To keep you all busy laughing and saying "so true!", and in the spirit of travel, look at this awesome pic I have on my Humor board on pinterest:

Hahaha. That's so me :p Just don't tell my dad ;)

All the best ♥

Mackenzie

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Waiting on Wednesday (16)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which we showcase upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Ironskin (Ironskin #1)

by Tina Connolly

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

Why I'm Waiting:

My reaction after seeing the cover:

My reaction after reading the synopsis:

I think that says it all. 

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Legacy (Legacy #1) by Cayla Kluver

Legacy (Legacy #1)
by Cayla Kluver
Pages: 496
Source: Bought from Amazon
Format: ebook

Goodreads Synopsis:

I noticed his eyes. They were blue, sharp and intense. Despite the youthful glows of his suntanned face, his eyes were cold and unfriendly, suggesting he had great experience in the world and was now expecting the worst.

In her seventeenth year, Princess Alera of Hytanica faces one duty: to marry the man who will be king. But her father's choice of suitor fills her with despair.

When the palace guard captures and intruder— a boy her age with steel-blue eyes, hailing from her kingdom's greatest enemy— Alera is alarmed… and intrigued. But she could not have guessed that their clandestine meetings would unveil the dark legacy shadowing both their lands.

In this mystical world of court conspiracies and blood magic, loyalties will be tested. Courage won't be enough. And as the battle begins for everything Alera holds dear, love may be the downfall of a kingdom.

My Review:

I don't think I've ever read a book with such mixed reviews. I feel like people either loved it or hated it. It was either a 1 star or 5. Well, I hated to love it. 

  

  Yup, I devoured this like there was no tomorrow, yet I had soo many problems with it! I know, it doesn't make a lick of sense but that's how it goes. Let's see if I can write this review so that it makes sense, unlike my feelings for this book.

  

   I’ll start with the bad to go ahead and get it over with. If you can get past this, then you’re good to go!

  

DETAILS, DETAILS AND MORE DETAILS:

   Look, Kluver is obviously talented. She’s a great storyteller. The plot itself kept me hooked. However, her execution was lacking. A lot. Normally I prefer more details to less. Let it be known that I now take back what I said. WOW. I don’t need to know that the bridge is exactly 32 feet long or that this was 12 inches from that. And I don't need all the details for a room the characters will never enter again. Seriously. No thanks. Whenever I saw a paragraph full of details that literally took up the entire Kindle screen, I either skimmed or just skipped it completely. Lots of details aren’t bad, but it can definitely make reading tedious.

  

ALERA:

   

  Alera. Oh, Alera. I was actually surprised I didn’t hate you quite as much as I thought. However, I didn’t love you either. And you made some incredibly idiotic decisions. Seriously, WHAT DID YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN?!?!?!?! Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out what I’m talking about, but let me just tell you that I wanted to smack her upside the head. What an idiot. Also, I hated how she treated Steldor (who’s ridiculously good looking by the way). The thing is, we are constantly told how egotistical and cocky he is, but we aren’t really shown. Yes, he is cocky, but I thought it was in a charming way (most of the time). Not over the top like Alera thinks. But Alera absolutely loathes him and I just don’t get why. One good thing about her? I did really like her curiosity. But there isn’t much more I can say. And believe it or not, I really come to hate her in the second book. Look for my ranting in that review :P

   THE GOOD:

   HORDES OF SEXY MEN:

   Yes, it was completely necessary to underline and enlarge the text. Someone get me something to fan myself with because goodness! I’ve never had so many sexy men in one book! Grant it, most of them are older than me but I don’t even care because I was swooning the entire time. Seriously, Kluver does a fantastic job of creating secondary characters. All of the soldiers in this book are so honorable and loyal and just so manly. And that just makes them even more sexy. I’ve always been a sucker for a man in uniform and every time I read about these guys I was weak in the knees. They would do anything for each other and their charges and you couldn’t help but love their admirable and respectable actions. And they were sarcastic. Always a plus. 

  My favorite was definitely London. Sarcastic, witty and not afraid to speak his mind while still putting his brothers-in-arms ahead of himself. *swoon*! I was really hoping he’d be a love interest, until I found out how old he was, but whatever. He’d totally be worth it ;) But the entire time I was reading, there was this nagging notion in the back of my mind. He reminded me of someone and I just couldn’t put my finger on it. And then I had an epiphany. I think y’all will like this pic ;)

Sarcastic, kick butt and bad ass in a suit. He could

save me any day ;)

   Cue swooning! Seriously, If you've never seen Person of Interest before then you must. Yes, this is shameless promotion but look at him! I don't care how old he is, he's delicious. I've never seen someone kick so much ass with so much skill and grace. In a suit to boot. He's just oozing sexiness and if they ever make this into a movie, then Jim Caviezel better be London. 

   Okay, okay. Enough swooning over sexy soldier. I guess I have to talk about the love interests.

  I'm really not sure which guy I like more. Steldor is the man her dad wants her to marry but that she doesn't like. He is cocky, but also charming. Sure, there are instances where it went to his head and he could be a total jerk, but the right kind of gal could keep him in line. Narian was actually really intriguing. Mysterious and kick-butt, he comes from a land where women are respected and even taught to fight. I understand why Alera likes him because he actually treated her like she was worth something. At this moment, I think I'll be team Narian. But to be honest, this is one book where I couldn't really care who she ended up with because I was too busy swooning over the sexy men-at-arms! 

Overall:

Look, this book is not without its faults. And a lot of them. But if you read it for no other reason, read it for the hordes of sexy men and fantastic secondary characters. They truly are brilliantly written.  And guess what? These sexy men I keep coming back to get even more sexy in the next book. I've peaked your interest now haven't I? 

And as an added bonus, another few pics of the hunky Jim Caviezel ;)

Salt and pepper never looked so good ; )

All the best ♥

Mackenzie

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In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren in which we showcase books we borrowed/bought/won in the past week.


First off, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! I'm so incredibly lucky to have such a sarcastic, funny and all around awesome dad. I couldn't be more proud to say that I'm an Army brat! Love ya!! ♥

NETGALLEY:

The Assassin's Curse

by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Assassin's Curse....How could I not want this when it has assassins and curses!!!! This is guaranteed to be huge amounts of AWESOME! And early blogger buzz definitely made it a must-have for me XD

BOUGHT (B&N)

I actually ordered the following books so I haven't actually received them yet, but since I know I'm getting em I decided to add em on here. Though it may be a while before I get around to it. I um....actually shipped them to Hawaii *looks sheepish*. I'm in Georgia :P. Hopefully with the change of our address they will forward to back to me! I just don't know how long it'll take!

For Darkness Shows the Stars 

by Diana Peterfreund

I have been coveting after this book forever. When I finally get this in the mail, you better believe I'll be doing a crazy happy dance! 

The Selection (The Selection #1)

by Kiera Cass

Yes, yes. I know all about the drama. And while I don't condone it, I'm also a huge sucker for a pretty cover XD And who knows, I might like it so I decided to go in with a clear head. Besides, look at that cover!!! I have a feeling I may not love it that much (the character doesn't sound like my cup of tea), but I definitely think it could be a guilty pleasure :P 

Keeping the Castle

by Patrice Kindl

I'm a huge fan of anything with a historical feel to it so this definitely sounds like my cup of tea. Also, I heard the MC is witty and snarky. Yup, I think we have a winner! 

Wildwood Dancing

by Juliet Marillier

That cover is complicated and beautiful! And the synopsis instantly intrigued me. Not to mention I've heard some fantastic things about it! Hope I love it! 

So what'd y'all get this past week? Be sure to let me know in the comments below! 

All the best ♥

Mackenzie 

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