The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1

Publication: March 4th 2014 by Farrar, Straus, Giroux BYR

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.
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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Series: An Ember in the Ashes #1

Publication: April 28th 2015 by Razorbill

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: Laia is a slave.

Elias is a soldier.

Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
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Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen #1

Publication: February 10th 2015 by Orion

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?
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Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2

Publication: January 14th 2014 by Quirk Books

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird.

The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.
Goodreads Page

Favorite Books Tag

Hello, everyone!

My sister and I recently put up a video for a new book tag on YouTube. The questions are all about favorite books but we tried to make it a bit unique as well. Feel free to make your own BookTube video using our tag (be sure to comment on my vid so I can watch/comment on yours!) or to write a blog post if that's more your thing answering our questions.

 Questions:

1. What is your favorite book?
2. What is your favorite series?
3. Who is your favorite author?
4. What is your favorite book to movie?
5. What was your favorite book or series as a child?
6. What is your favorite book cover?
7. What is your favorite super-hyped book/series?
8. What is your favorite obscure (not well-known/talked about) book/series?
9. What is your favorite book to recommend everyone to read?
10. What is your favorite book that surprised you? (better than you expected it to be, different than how you pictured it, etc.)
11. What is your favorite writing style? (1st person, 3rd person, sarcastic, humorous, favorite author's style, etc.)
12. Who is your favorite female character?
13. Who is your favorite male character?
Lauren's Bonus Question: What's a book that sucked?
Bonus Question: Pick something to answer that is your favorite anything! Something unique to you! (favorite band, TV show, movie, type of clothing, makeup brand, Apple vs. Google, etc.)

Read my answers after the jump!

July Library Book Haul

Hello, everyone!

I went to the library today. And I picked up a lot of books which I cannot possibly read in the allotted 3 weeks given to read them, but that's why they invented the renew process. So here is a list of the books I got (links will take you to their Goodreads page), along with my BookTube video where I talk about each of them a bit more:

1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
2. The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi
3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
4. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
5. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
6. Jane by April Lindner
7. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
8. Everbound by Brodi Ashton
9. Evertrue by Brodi Ashton
10. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
11. Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr
12. The Summer I Saved the World...in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz
13. Starstruck by Rachel Shukert



Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Series: Dexter #1

Publication: September 19th 2006 by Vintage Books

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. He's handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He's a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened -- of himself or some other fiend.
Goodreads Page

Conversion by Katherine Howe

Series: Standalone

Publication: July 1st 2014 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane comes a chilling mystery—Prep meets The Crucible.

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago . . .

Inspired by true events—from seventeenth-century colonial life to the halls of a modern-day high school—Conversion casts a spell. With her signature wit and passion, New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe delivers an exciting and suspenseful novel, a chilling mystery that raises the question, what’s really happening to the girls at St. Joan’s?
Goodreads Page

Beauty and the Beast Book Tag

Hello, everyone!

There is a new book tag going around BookTube that is created by BeccaTheBookReviewer. All of the questions are based off of things from the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. It's a really fun and creative tag so if you're interested in doing it, you totally should.

Questions:

 

1. Little Town - Pick a character in a book that lives in a little town and wants to escape.

I couldn't think of any books that I have read that start off with a character already in a little town wanting to escape. All of the books I've read start with a character living in a larger town then moving to a smaller one then wanting to escape. So the best one I could think of was Annie McRae from The Debutante by Kathryn Williams.

2. Belle - Pick a character that loves reading/books.

This one was a bit difficult for me too because there are very few young adult books that have a character who likes to read. However, I went with Annabeth from the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan.

3. Mrs Potts and Chip - Pick a mother/child relationship in a book that's adorable.
I had two books for this question. First one is Mia & Helen Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. The second one is Mia & Kat from If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

4. Cogsworth - Pick a book character that's the serious one of the group.

I picked Cassie Aganovic from The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty.

5. Lumiere - Pick a book character that's carefree/rebellious.

I chose Mary Katherine (MK) from The Debutante by Kathryn Williams.

6. Beast - Pick a book character that's misunderstood.

For this one, I chose Levana from the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Specifically in Fairest: Levana's Story, Levana is truly revealed to be a misunderstood character and if you haven't read this one and have read the others in the series, it's definitely worth checking out.

7. Tale as Old as Time - Pick a book relationship that you think will last through time.

Suze and Jesse from The Mediator series by Meg Cabot goes for this one. I love their relationship and seeing it progress throughout the six books in the series. The ending to the series is amazing and I've heard Cabot is planning a seventh book which I'm really excited for.

8. Beauty and the Beast - Pick a book couple that at the start you didn't think would work, but it totally did!

And, lastly, I picked Eleanor and Park from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. When I first read this, I wasn't sure if they would work out. But they definitely did and I love that they are a great couple to show that if you love each other and want to be together then that's all that matters.

 

And that is all of the questions. I love this tag and was super excited to do it. Check out my video below to see me talk more about the books.

 





 

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Series: Uglies #2

Publication: November 1st 2005 by Simon Pulse

Source: Borrowed from Friend

Goodreads Summary: Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect.

Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.
Goodreads Page

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Series: Uglies #1

Publication: February 8th 2005 by Simon Pulse

Source: Borrowed from Friend

Goodreads Summary: Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellant ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world-- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever...
Goodreads Page

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Series: Hush, Hush #1

Publication: October 13th 2009 by Simon & Schuster BFYR

Source: Library Book

Goodreads Summary: A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.
Goodreads Page