Review: The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2) by Dhonielle Clayton

~ megs14malloy

The Everlasting Rose (The Belles, #2)The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5 stars rounded up**

We can’t expect one person — or even two — to take the entire burden of resisting on their shoulders. We all have to stand up and say no.


Attention:
 If you have not read The Belles this review may provide little tid-bits that could possibly spoil you for some of the events in that book. Proceed with caution.

The evil Princess Sophia is set to rise to the throne. She claims her sister, Charlotte, is dead. She has sinister plans in mind for all the Belles and the future of beauty work throughout Orleans.

Camellia, the once favorite, is on the run. Forced to flee the kingdom, she now finds herself on the outside looking in. Pairing up with some old favorites from Book 1, including handsome savior, Remy, Camellia begins to set her sights on taking Sophia down. The task is made more difficult however since Sophia wants her found, making her the ‘most wanted’ person in all the land.

Discovering an underground movement of rebels also planning to revolutionize the kingdom, Camellia finds a place were she feels she can be of good use. But can she trust them?

This book picks up directly where Book 1 leaves off. There is a lot more action in the plot as the world has previously been built for you, we spend less time on those details. However, although there is more action, I still felt the pacing was a bit off for me.

There were times when I was really enjoying it, speeding along, and other times where I had to force myself to pick it up. This being said, Clayton’s writing feels lovely to me. Each word she chooses seems to add beauty to the text but at the same time, things can become very one dimensional.

I liked the scifi bits that were sprinkled through here. The way the Belles are ‘grown’ and Sophia’s plans for them seemed something more out of a dystopian novel than a fantasy. I did enjoy those elements and personally, I wish there had been a bit more of them.

That may seem odd but I couldn’t help but wish those ideas would have been expanded upon more. The origin of the Belles. We heard the mythological tale of where they came from but how much of that was true?

I did also enjoy the commentary about standing up to old-fashioned systems that need to be changed. Systems that take advantage of, literally USE, some individuals for the sheer pleasure of the better off within the society. This was an interesting examination of the concept of beauty, as well, and the negative effects of a strong societal emphasis on beauty.

The Everlasting Rose leaves off in a very interesting place. Is there going to be another book? I would definitely be interested in continuing on in this world. The events that take place at the end of this leaves a lot to be explored. I am crossing my fingers for a Book 3!!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Book Group, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to hearing other reader’s thoughts on this one!

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February 2019 Wrap-Up

~ megs14malloy

Greetings bookworms! Since we are now a solid week into March, I figured it was about time that I bring to you my February wrap-up. Things have been a wee bit hectic lately, so I apologize for the delay. I have also been feeling sort of buried alive under all of the ARCs that I am scheduled to read this month and next. I have literally spent every spare second that I have trying to read them all!

So, without further ado, let’s get into the books I completed in February:

  1. What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman (ARC received from Henry Holt and Co.):   4-stars
  2. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton:   3.5-stars
  3. Between the Lies by Michelle Adams (ARC received from Headline Press):   4-stars
  4. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (audiobook):   4-stars
  5. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (ARC received from William-Morrow Books):   5-stars
  6. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage:   5-stars (and added to my ‘Favorites’ shelf on Goodreads!!!)
  7. Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch (audiobook):   3.5-stars
  8. They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera (audiobook):   5-stars (another new ‘Favorite’!!!)
  9. Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo (ARC received from Candlewick Press):   unrated
  10. Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann:   3-stars
  11. Sadie by Courtney Summers (audiobook and hard copy):   4-stars
  12. The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken (ARC received from Disney-Hyperion):   4.5-stars
  13. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson (audiobook): 4-stars
  14. The Invited by Jennifer McMahon (ARC received from Doubleday Books):   4.5-stars

There you have it! The 14-books that I managed to completed in February, the shortest month of the year. I am feeling pretty happy with that outcome. Participating in Contemporary-A-Thon definitely helped as I crammed a lot of things into that week. As always, having the opportunity to listen to audiobooks while I am walking my dog and while commuting is also super helpful towards getting a high page count per day.

I think I did a fairly good job over the course of the month reviewing all of these books on here so you should be able to find my specific thoughts on each one if you scroll through my February posts.

If I had to choose, I would say my favorite book of the month was Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage. I was just blown away by how creepy that was. A really solid thriller and a debut, I believe, which is impressive.

My most disappointing read of the month would have to be, Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann. The hype killed that one I think. I had been anticipating it for so long and then it just didn’t live up to the standards I had created for it in my head.

What were your favorite books or most disappointing books from last month? I want to know! Leave a comment here or contact me through my social media links. I wish you the best of luck with you reading for March. May the pages always be in your favor!

Ahh, nothing makes me happier than a good Hunger Games reference. Cheers & Happy Reading~

 

Review: For Better And Worst by Margot Hunt

~ megs14malloy

For Better and WorseFor Better and Worse by Margot Hunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

What would you do if someone hurt your child?

Unfortunately for Will and Natalie Clarke, they find out after their son, Charlie, makes a horrifying admission to them in this adult revenge thriller.

Alternating perspectives between Nat and Will, we follow them on a dangerous road to vengeance. Natalie, a criminal defense attorney, and Will, a civil attorney, met in law school. In fact, on their very first date they discuss how they have all the information necessary to get away with murder.

But talking about murder versus the act of murder are two extraordinarily different animals.

Full of domestic strife, Nat and Will eventually learn to work together and to reassess what is important in their marriage and their life. They are both highly unlikable characters, in my opinion. Nat is an demanding and overly organized twat while Will is an adulterer and a whiner.

I personally never felt like I really connected to the story and the end felt too rushed and too convenient. It explored some interesting topics, which is why I rounded up to three stars, but overall nothing really blew me away here, or even really kept me interested.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Harlequin – MIRA, for the advanced copy to read and review. I always appreciate the opportunity to provide my honest opinion on the books I am lucky enough to read. Although this book didn’t work real well for me, I am sure there are many people out there who will enjoy it a lot!

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Review: The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

~ megs14malloy

The InvitedThe Invited by Jennifer McMahon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

“Blurring the lines between the past and the present, the dead and the living”

Helen has always dreamed of a simpler life. One day, after a discussion with her husband, Nate, they decide to make that happen. Using money she has recently inherited after the death of her Father, they make a plan to move to a rural area and build a house of their very own.

Ultimately, they decide on a large plot of land in rural-Vermont with a rich history. Leaving their cushy CT-lives behind, they move into an old trailer on the new property and commence building their dream home.

Olive, a young girl, and new neighbor to Helen and Nate, is missing her Mom, who left home one night and never returned. Rumor has it that she has run off with a boyfriend but Olive doesn’t believe it. Acting out and skipping school, Olive is on a path to nowhere, if someone doesn’t step in an help her.

As with The Winter People, McMahon has blended perfectly past and present into this story. In addition to the main storyline, described above, we also learn about some characters from the past who have deep connections to Helen and Nate’s land. The way that all of these storylines are woven together and ultimately connect is seamless.

McMahon has such a haunting way of writing. There is an overriding sinister ambiance to her stories, that make them an absolute joy to read for any horror fan. She adds just the right amount of chilling atmosphere and occult references to give her stories a genuine horror feel without being gaudy or overdone.

Some of the plot elements I found were a little too easy to figure out, too simplified if you will, which is why I decided on a 4.5-rating for this as opposed to a 5-star. That is totally my opinion however and I would highly recommend this book. A ghost story with a twist.


“Some people move into a haunted house, but you, you want to build a haunted house, Helen. How fucked up is that?”

McMahon has quickly become an autobuy author for me. I feel like people are definitely going to love this one. Get your hands on it, people! Releasing next month!!!

A big thank you to the publisher, Doubleday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and are review. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to reading more from McMahon in the future!

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Review: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

~ megs14malloy

An Enchantment of RavensAn Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s official. I’m on the ‘really enjoyed this’ team!

Isobel, a human girl, is a skilled and renowned portraitist. Her number one clients are the fair folk, a race of immortal beings with sinister dispositions.

Her first royal client, the Autumn Prince, Rook, proves to be a lesson in self-restraint for our sweet, Isobel. She finds him captivating and over the weeks of their sessions, she finds herself becoming more and more enamored with him.

She sees something in Rook that she hasn’t seen in any of the fair folk she has painted before. Emotion. Raw, uncensored ‘human’ emotion. Sorrow. She paints his portrait displaying that in his eyes.

Upon seeing the portrait, Rook unexpectedly flies into a rage. How dare she paint him as such? Before Isobel realizes what is happening, he goes all Lord Grantham on her…

…and snatches her away to travel to the Autumnlands to stand trial for her insolence. However as their journey begins something seems to be amiss in the world of the fae. Soon they find themselves being hunted and even worse, falling for one another.

This was a beautifully written story of forbidden love and I was sold on it hook, line and sinker. My one issue, it wasn’t long enough. I was left wanting more! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a little whimsy in their love stories. I am really looking forward to Rogerson’s next book, Sorcery of Thorns, releasing in June. If it is anything like this one, I know I will really enjoy it!

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RIP Visitor Counter

~ megs14malloy

Good morning bookworms!

Some of you may have noticed that my site has been off for a couple of days. I apologize for that. Apparently after some WordPress updates my old ‘Visitor Counter’ was creating an error that took my blog down.

Unfortunately, I had to deactivate and ultimately delete the data from my old ‘Visitor Counter’. I am now going to hunt for a newer version that I may be able to implement instead.

This is a sad day as I have loved watching the numbers rise over the past year, both in total number, as well as the number of visitors per day, per week and per month.

RIP Visitor Counter. You were a good while you lasted.

Review: Sadie by Courtney Summers

~ megs14malloy

SadieSadie by Courtney Summers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Reaction:

Alternating between a Serial-type podcast, researched and narrated by a man named West McCray, and Sadie’s perspective, this book is a gut-punching tour de force of modern-American noir.

By the time she is in her teens, and maybe even before, Sadie has accepted the fact that she is the sole person responsible for the care and upbringing of her little sister, Mattie.

Although at times infuriating, she does love Mattie with her whole heart and has done her best to provide her with a safe and constant environment. Their mother, a junkie whose biggest concern is what man she’ll be shacking up with next, never truly provided the care the girls needed.

Sadie has never felt loved by her mother and this lack of connection displays itself through her outlook on the world. Jaded and cynical, Sadie has good reason to be, her situation only made more difficult by the severe stutter that has plagued her since early childhood. Her stutter makes it challenging for her to express her feelings and she feels people judge and underestimate her because of it.

After her mother runs off, seemingly for good, Sadie’s fate is sealed. She is left to provide for Mattie around the clock. After a fight regarding their mother’s whereabouts, Mattie runs off one night, only to be discovered later, murdered.

Sadie, rocked by her loss and overcome with anger and despair, is determined to track down Mattie’s killer and bring him to justice. Her own. She knows who killed her and won’t rest until he pays.

As sad as this story is, it is boldly realistic and I respect the fact that Summers never shied away from tough, taboo topics. I am not going to go into them here, but if you are a sensitive reader, you may want to check other reviews for trigger warnings.

I listened to the audiobook for this, while also reading the hardcover version. The audiobook is definitely worth listening to. The podcast sections were particularly well done and listening to it enhanced my reading experience.

While I did enjoy this a lot, I wasn’t as blown away by it as others seemed to be. It was really well told and the topics were well handled. I just think the hype made me expect a little more. I read a lot of gritty, dark stories, so nothing about this surprised me or felt particularly groundbreaking besides the format.

Overall, the story is depressing but important and I would recommend it to anyone, particularly the audiobook.

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Review: The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken

~ megs14malloy

The Last Life of Prince Alastor (The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding #2)The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

A beautiful conclusion to a delightful and deliciously wicked tale!

Picking up right where The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding left off, this stunning sequel takes us deep into Alastor’s world, the Downstairs. What on earth is the Downstairs, you may ask? Just think a goblin market meets The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Prosper is on a mission to save his sister, Prue, from the clutches of the Queen of the Fiends, who also happens to be Alastor’s sister, Pyra. Siblings versus siblings but whose side is Alastor really on?

This is an epic adventure through a dark and dangerous world. We learn so much more in this book about Alastor, his original deal with Prosper’s ancestor, Honor, and the world of the Fiends. We also meet new characters and get introduced to new and complex forms of magic.

Bracken’s signature descriptive style is on full display throughout this story. I was absolutely transported to this world. It was DARK and I loved every moment of it! There were a few areas in the beginning that I felt the pace dragged a little bit but by the mid-point, all traces of that were gone.

As with the first book, there is a light humor to this dark tale, and I did laugh out loud numerous times at Alastor and his musings. There are also some important lessons woven throughout this story that were nicely incorporated into this Middle Grade storyline.

*Please note, although this is technically Middle Grade, this book most definitely can be enjoyed by readers of all ages!

I loved the overall feeling of this book touching on topics such as: striving to do the ‘right thing’ regardless of obstacles or an easier way out; the value of strong friendships and familial connections; the idea that it is okay to fail at something as long as you learn and grow from it, and that traditions should not stand if the roots of them are not worth upholding.

I won’t lie. The end of this brought tears to my eyes. I have grown so attached to Prosper and Alastor over the course of these two books. Watching them both grow and evolve has been such a great thing to take part in. Although that isn’t a very eloquent way to describe it, I am at a loss for words to describe how much feeling I got out of this story. What seems like such a fun and uncomplicated story of a demon inhabiting a boy is really so much more than that.

If you haven’t yet picked up this story, I highly recommend it. They are short and quick to get through and an absolutely delightful reading experience. Two thumbs way up!!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney-Hyperion, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and had a wonderful time finishing this up.

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Contemporary-A-Thon Wrap-Up!!!

~ megs14malloy

As some of you may know, if you have been following me, last week I participated in my second Contemporary-A-Thon. Essentially this is a week long readathon dedicated to reading Contemporary books. There were 7-challenges this round but, as always, you can double up on challenges, so you do no necessarily need to read 7-books over the course of the week.

For the first time ever, I has a successful readathon. I completed all 7-challenges and even stuck to my original 4-book TBR. 

Without further ado, let’s get into the books that I read and what challenges they met:

1. The first book I finished was Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch. This is a YA book that involves a strained sibling relationship, a couple of broken hearts and road-trip through Ireland. This book was 303-pages and I ended up giving it 3.5-stars. This helped me complete two challenges: read a book in a non-traditional format (I listened to this on audiobook) and read a book with a picture on the spine.

2. The second book I finished was They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Again, this was a YA book that followed two boys on their ‘death’ days as they learn how to live. This was such a moving story. Silvera’s writing is top-notch and definitely known to break hearts. This book was 373-pages, I read it in under 24-hours by reading both the audiobook and hard copy versions, and I gave it a full 5-stars. Additionally, I added this book to my all-time ‘favorites’ shelf on Goodreads. This completed two challenges: read a dark or taboo contemporary (story about death) and book you planned to read in 2018 and never got around to.

3. The next book I finished was Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo. This was an ARC-copy as the book actually doesn’t release until March 5, 2019. Basically a story about a girl really struggling to find her place in the world after the loss of her sister and suffering severe bullying at school. This was a very tough story to read. I didn’t end up giving it a star rating as I was so all over the place on how I felt about it. This was 352-pages long and I used it to complete two challenges: read your most recently acquired contemporary (I received this from the publisher a couple of days before the readathon started) and read a book with blurple (blue or purple) on the cover (this book had a lot of purple on it).

4. Finally, the last book I completed was Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann. This is a YA book about a girl coming to terms with her sexuality and trying to navigate relations with her family as she doesn’t want to do with her life what they want her to do with it. There’s a lot of drama in this one. This book is 304-pages long, one of the shortest of my week, but it took me the longest to read. This was the first book I began for the readathon and the last book I finished. I found it to be a tad boring and really had to force myself to complete it. Something about the writing style just didn’t mesh with me. I ended up giving this one 3-stars and frankly, the last star was mainly for the diversity which I really liked and appreciated. I am looking forward to Kann’s next book releasing later this year. I am just hoping her writing has evolved a bit since this one. I used this book to complete one challenge: read a diverse contemporary.

So that sums it up! My first ever successful readathon. I completed all 4-books on my designated TBR, which is a minor miracle if I am being honest as I rarely stick to a TBR, and read 1,332-pages for the week. This put me a little behind with some of my other reading but I am trying not to get stressed about the amount of ARCs I have to read over the coming weeks! Also me:

Did you participate in Contemporary-A-Thon? How did it go for you? If you didn’t, what did you read last week? I want to know! Comment below or reach out to me through any of my social media outlets.

Cheers & Happy Reading~

 

Review: They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera

~ megs14malloy

They Both Die at the EndThey Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I may never be the same again!

What would you do if you were told your life would end within the next 24-hours?

A lot of us may say, spend as much time with our loved ones as we could, right?

But what if they were inaccessible or unavailable to you? What then?

You wouldn’t want to stay inside would you?
Curled up with your books…
Okay, maybe YOU would and maybe I would but most people would want to go out there, live life, have experiences…but with who?

For Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio these are very real questions. The day, September 5th, and they both have received their Death-Cast alerts. They will both die within the next 24-hours. Due to circumstances I will not go into here, they do not have loved ones to spend their last day with.

Through the use of a cleverly imagined social app called, Last Friend, they connect with one another. So begins the last adventure of their lives.

To say this book gutted me would be an understatement.

Once I started down the path of Ruf and Mateo’s journey, I could think of nothing else. I read this, via audio and hardcover, within the course of 24-hours which seemed fitting, considering the subject matter. Upon completion, I immediately added it to my ‘favorites’ shelf, an act I do not take lightly.

The emotions that Silvera is able to draw out – He is a master.

Who would I recommend this to? Anyone who has a heart and wants to read about what it means to LIVE.
All the stars.

Original: Book #4 for Contemporary-A-Thon!!!

Why did I save this one for last?
Basically, I think I will enjoy this one the most but I also KNOW it will crush me.

Pray for me.

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