The Shadow Throne

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publication Date: February 25, 2014

Source: NetGalley

Summary: One war.
Too many deadly battles.
Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?
War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does.
His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?
Rousing and affecting, Jaron's adventures have thrilled and moved readers in The False Prince and The Runaway King. Journey once again with the Ascendant King of Carthya, as New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings his story to a stunning conclusion withThe Shadow Throne. (Source of Summary and Book Cover: Goodreads)

Rating: 5 Stars

Review: My heart is still racing…HOLY MOLY!

The action started immediately and never let up. I was completely engrossed in this book – I was dying to know what happened next and at the same time trying to savor every moment of the final installment in this wonderful series.

I love Jaron. He is one of my all time favorite characters. He is young, lives in the moment, and is absolutely, consistently true to himself. The other characters in the book are equally likeable. You can’t help but love each of Jaron’s (somewhat motley crew of) friends.

The plot moves at an incredible pace and kept me guessing at all times. I was blown away by the cleverness of Jaron’s actions and decisions. This book is more than fantasy and adventure – it was suspenseful and action-packed. There were times that I felt Jaron had worked himself into an impossible situation and I thought for sure the book was heading towards a very specific ending; thank goodness Ms. Neilsen has better writing skills and more imagination than me!

The ending feels right. I don’t want to say more than that and give it away, but I will say it’s very rare that I am happy with the way the last book in a series ends.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and highly recommend it!

I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Other Books In This Series:

Stacking the Shelves #3 (2/8/2014)

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Here is my haul for the week:

Click on the Book Cover to check out the book on Goodreads

Received for review:


Purchased:

Cover Reveal: "A Different Kind" by Lauryn April

"All I could see was bright blinding white. I tried to glance back at my bedroom window, but couldn’t move. My eyes were frozen open and watering as I stared into the abyss. God, this can’t be real."

Book Description:

Payton Carlson’s life is perfect, until the night she’s abducted by aliens. Now she’s plagued by pieces of memories from a night that feels as hazy as a dream, and that’s not the only strange thing that’s been happening. When Payton’s neighbor, Logan Reed, who spends every night sitting on his roof staring at the stars, starts to pay extra attention to her, Payton starts to wonder if he knows more about the night she can’t remember than she does. Suddenly finding a date to the Homecoming dance and cheering at the football games aren’t as important as they used to be - especially when the aliens return for a second time.

Genre: YA Scifi Romance

Release Date: March 2014
Cover Design: Lauryn April

Publisher: Phantom Owl Press

 

About the Author:

Lauryn has always been fascinated by the paranormal, picking up a healthy Stephen King habit by the age of thirteen. Her favorite TV show growing up was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and she's always preferred bands like The Rolling Stones and The Doors over whatever they're playing on the radio (However she admits “I Love It” by Icona Pop always puts her in a good mood). She self-published her first two books “Into the Deep” and “Hidden Beneath”, and continues to write paranormal YA and NA stories.

Follow Lauryn on:

Her blog: http://laurynapril.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurynApril

Twitter: @Laurynapril

Songstone

Author: Lena Goldfinch

Author Website/Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/Lena_Goldfinch  

Publication Date: August 28, 2013

Summary: One girl who, against all hope, yearns for freedom.

One boy determined to be more than he's meant to be.
The desperate journey that will leave them both forever changed.

Kita can meld song into stone. In a world with no written word, storytelling—the ability to meld (or magically impress) song into stone—is greatly honored. The village honors her master as their medicine man, but Kita knows he's secretly a sorcerer who practices black magic using drops of her blood. She fears he’ll use her beautiful gift for a killing spell, so she conceals it from him. Each day, his magic tightens around her neck like a rope. His spells blind the villagers, so they can’t see him for what he really is.

Not that anyone would want to help her. She was found in the forest as a baby and would have died if a village girl hadn't brought her home. But the villagers saw Kita's unusual coloring and decided she belonged to the mysterious tribe who lives in the forests of the volcano, a people feared for their mystical powers. So they fear her too. Now seventeen, she can barely admit her deepest longing: to know who she really is and where she belongs.

Then Pono, a young journeyman, arrives from the other side of the island. He's come to fulfill a pact between their villages: to escort a storyteller back to his village--a storyteller who'll be chosen at the great assembly. Finally, in Pono, Kita sees her one slim chance at freedom and she'll risk her life to take it.
A dark, twisty tale of sorcery, tummy-tingling romance, and adventure, inspired by the folklore of New Zealand's Māori people. (Source of Summary and Book Cover: Goodreads)

Source: Author, in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3 stars 

Review: This book has a totally unique concept, I had never heard of the Maori people or their lore, so I was instantly intrigued by this book. It is an adventure and fantasy type read which is right up my alley. However there was a lot of language I was unfamiliar with and not enough context clues to figure it all out. 

The plot was a bit slow, so it took me a little while to get into this book. It also felt like there were a few missing transitions, like things shifted a little too quickly to fully absorb it all. I also felt like certain things didn’t quite connect or flow. – almost as if there were a few too many plotlines running at once. However, I really did enjoy Kita’s journey. 

I liked the main characters. Kita was a bit inconsistent, but I think that is due to her circumstances. Pono is wonderful; strong, sweet, and caring. The villain is detestable, as he should be.

The writing was good, the imagery was fabulous, I could visualize everything. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for people who enjoy fantasy and adventure.

WWW #1 (2/5/2014)

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

To participate, just answer the following questions.

• What are you currently reading? 
• What did you recently finish reading? 
• What do you think you'll read next? 

Currently Reading

Recently Finished

Up Next

What about you? Let me know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday #2: The Assassin's Blade

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Author Website/Blog: http://sarahjmaas.com/

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

Series: Throne of Glass

Summary: Contains all five novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out. (Source of Summary and Book Cover: Goodreads)

Other Books in this Series:

     

Books that are part of this Novella Collection:
      

Love Letters to the Dead

Author: Ava Dellaira
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Source: NetGalley

Summary: It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path. (Source of Summary and Book Cover: Goodreads)

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: This book was beautiful. Laurel is dealing with so many things: she is grieving, her life is changing, and she is trying to find herself. Her school assignment has given her outlet and a coping mechanism. I loved reading Laurel’s letters.

I loved that the letters felt authentic, they weren’t formal, but they felt like a teen just speaking her mind. It felt as though each person that she wrote to was chosen for a specific reason; whatever was on her mind that day related in some way to the person she wrote the letter to. I loved how the story unfolded, we were keeping up with Laurel day to day and at the same time learning about what happened with May.

The characters felt real to me. Each had their own story with their own teen problems. There is a character for everyone. No matter how well you relate to Laurel, you can’t help but feel for her and understand her, she is a well written character. The events are true to what teens experience.

It was an emotional story, but it was lyrically written and I enjoyed it.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.