Weekly Reading Recap

Saw Ant-man and the Wasp. So funny!

Currently reading: 

Finished reading: 

Reviewed: Nothing. I failed.

What I’m hoping to get to next week:  to read

 to review

Books read it 2018: 114

Debut YA/MG authors read for 2018: 36

Contemporary: 59

Fantasy: 31

Sci-Fi: 8

Dystopian: 4

Historical: 5

Misc: 1

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Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish, and has now moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday there’s a different topic. This week is Top Ten novellas/short stories. I also added anthologies because they’re all short stories.

10. The Bane Chronicles – Clare/Brennan/Johnson.

9. The Blue-Haired Boy – Courtney Stevens.

8. The Black Knife – Jodi Meadows.

7. Steel Scars – Victoria Aveyard.

6. The Assassin’s Blade – Sarah J Maas.

5. Because You Love to Hate Me – Various.

4. Breathless – Brigid Kemmerer.

3. Summer’s Crossing – Julie Kagawa.

2. Shadows – Jennifer L Armentrout.

1. Reaper – Rachel Vincent.

Weekly Reading Recap

Coming at you a day late this week because my stop on the Nyxia Unleashed blog tour was yesterday. If you guys haven’t read Nyxia yet, you totally should!

Currently reading: 

Finished reading: 

Reviewed:

What I’m hoping to get to next week:  to read

to review

Books read it 2018: 110

Debut YA/MG authors read for 2018: 36

Contemporary: 58

Fantasy: 29

Sci-Fi: 8

Dystopian: 4

Historical: 4

Misc: 1

Blog Tour Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen Review

Nyxia Unleashed

Release date: July 17th 2018

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Emmett Atwater thought Babel’s game sounded easy. Get points. Get paid. Go home. But it didn’t take long for him to learn that Babel’s competition was full of broken promises, none darker or more damaging than the last one.
Now Emmett and the rest of the Genesis survivors must rally and forge their own path through a new world. Their mission from Babel is simple: extract nyxia, the most valuable material in the universe, and play nice with the indigenous Adamite population.
But Emmett and the others quickly realize they are caught between two powerful forces—Babel and the Adamites—with clashing desires. Will the Genesis team make it out alive before it’s too late?

Nyxia was one of my best surprise books last year. I’d bought it on its release day because the premise and cover caught my attention but, I admit, it stayed on my bookshelf for far too long before I finally picked it up. And it proved to me that letting it sit on the shelf for as long as I did was a huge mistake because it turned out to be one of my favourite books last year. It also meant the sequel wouldn’t have the same benefit of flying under the radar with me and I would be going in with actual expectations.

Nyxia Unleashed delivered on those expectations and managed to surpass them. It was just as engaging as the first one and I loved that there was a bit of a cast change up within the three separate mining teams. It gave the readers a chance to get to know Morning and some of her crew a lot better as allies instead of antagonists in the way of our crew’s success. It also gave readers the chance to get to know some of the other members of Emmett’s crew that may have gotten lesser time or even been disliked in the first book. Some of my favourite characters in this sequel ended up being characters I either didn’t think much of or even disliked in the first book. And I can see the same trend happening in the third.

We learned a lot more about the planet, Eden, and the Adomites in this sequel, along with a little more of Babel’s intentions. There was a good balance between action sequences, crew bonding in lighter moments, and getting new information in a way that felt natural to the story as opposed to an information dump. The writing, for both books, was very engaging in a way that made me want to keep reading all night until I was finished. I can definitely see this being a binge-worthy series when it’s completed.

Overall, there was a lot going on but it never felt like too much. The teens landed on Eden, learned about the Adomites, started their mining mission, there was tension between some of the group, romance between others, some bromance development, and there were a lot of twists and surprises. It didn’t feel like a middle book or suffer from any kind of second book slump. With everything that has happened in the first two books, I’m both very excited and very nervous to see what kind of big twists Scott Reintgen will come up with in the third book.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review for Rockstar Book Tours.

About Scott: Scott Reintgen was always a back-row dreamer. As early as kindergarten, teachers noticed his tendency to stare out of classroom windows and disappear to more interesting elsewheres. In high school, he began laboring away on the opening chapter of his first fantasy novel. One of his favorite English teachers agreed to read the pages and the very next day she switched him (illegally) out of Spanish and into a Creative Writing class. The story got tossed eventually, but he never lost the confidence he was given by that single act of empowering faith.

Convinced he would one day be a writer, Scott spent most of college and graduate school investing in the world of literature. This eventually led to a career teaching English and Creative Writing in North Carolina. He strongly believes that every student who steps into his classroom has the right to see themselves, vibrant and victorious and on the page. It’s his hope to encourage a future full of diverse writers. As he’s fond of reminding his students, “You have a story to tell and you’re the only one who can tell it.”

As for his own writing, Scott continues to follow in the footsteps of his favorite authors. It was Tolkien who once wrote, “The fairy gold (too often) turns to withered leaves when it is brought away. All I can ask is that you, knowing all these things, will receive my withered leaves, as a token at least that my hand once held a little of the gold.” And Scott hopes his books are a trail of withered leaves that might lead readers to the bright elsewheres through which he constantly finds himself wandering.

He currently lives in North Carolina with his wife, Katie, and family.

Note: I went with this website domain instead of http://www.scottreintgen.com because, let’s be honest, my name’s really hard to pronounce. Rather than make people suffer through trying to spell it every time, I thought this would be easier!

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway Details: 3 winners will win a finished copy of NYXIA UNLEASHED, US Only.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2774/

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/2/2018- Jena Brown Writes– Review

7/3/2018- Paws and Paperbacks – Review

7/4/2018- Pacific Northwest Bookworm– Review

7/5/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

7/6/2018- MNBernard Books– Review

Week Two:

7/9/2018- Flyleaf Chronicles– Review

7/10/2018- Life of a Literary Nerd– Review

7/11/2018- Overflowing Bookshelves– Review

7/12/2018- RhythmicBooktrovert– Review

7/13/2018- Adventures and Reading– Review

Week Three:

7/16/2018- Feed Your Fiction Addiction– Review

7/17/2018- Crazy4Books– Review

7/18/2018- JustAddAWord– Review

7/19/2018- Book-Keeping– Review

7/20/2018- The Layaway Dragon– Review

Week Four:

7/23/2018- Book Dragon Lair– Review

7/24/2018- The Desert Bibliophile– Review

7/25/2018- The Clever Reader– Review

7/26/2018- Smada’s Book Smack– Review

7/27/2018- Nerdophiles– Review

Week Five:

7/30/2018- lori’s Little House of Reviews– Review

7/31/2018- A Gingerly Review– Review

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish, and has now moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday there’s a different topic. This week is Top Ten books I’ve read so far in 2018. I always love this topic because it’s interesting to see how many books from the second half of the year manage to make it on to final list.

10. Dear Evan Hansen – Val Emmich. Love the musical and loved the book.

9. Puddin’ – Julie Murphy. Go Willowdean! Such a girl power novel.

8. More Than We Can Tell – Brigid Kemmerer. My favourite character from Letters To The Lost got his own book!

7. These Rebel Waves – Sara Raasch. Slow plot but Sara Raasch’s books are always worth it.

6. Sadie – Courtney Summers. Gritty and brutal.

5. Nyxia Unleashed – Scott Reintgen. Even better than the first book.

4. All of This is True – Lygia Day Penaflor. Very unique storytelling.

3. Aru Shah and the End of Time – Roshani Chokshi. So funny but action-packed as well.

2. Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi. This almost beat out the first spot. It was so good.

1. The Last: Endling – Katherine Applegate. This book was just perfection.

Book Review: Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich

Dear Evan Hansen

Release date: October 9th 2018

Dear Evan Hansen,
Today’s going to be an amazing day and here’s why…
When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family’s grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.
Suddenly, Evan isn’t invisible anymore–even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy’s parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he’s doing can’t be right, but if he’s helping people, how wrong can it be?
No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He’s confident. He’s a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.
A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.

I am a huge fan of the Dear Evan Hansen musical so a novelization of it seemed like a dream come true. It was slightly different from the musical as a lot of the storytelling doesn’t come from songs in the book but it stayed very close to the musical version. I also felt the book stood well on its own, for anyone uninterested in seeing or listening to the musical.

The biggest change was that we got to see a lot of more Connor Murphy’s thoughts as himself, not as Evan’s conscience or imagination. I loved this because it meant we got more insight into Connor, more backstory. The book took everything from the musical and just added to it, shaped it into something more while still respecting the source material.

For anyone not interested in the musical, the book is still a full story on its own. The characters were well developed, the plot was complete, and it was still a huge roller coaster of emotions. It dealt with issues very relevant to today with anxiety, suicide, and depression. I know this review is short but if you know the musical, you know most of the story in his book, and if you don’t know the musical, anything more I say could be a spoiler. I’ll leave it with, this book is definitely worth reading.

*I received a copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music in exchange for an honest review.

Weekly Reading Recap

We’re in the middle of a heat wave. Well, a heat wave for around here. Reading outside can be hit or miss depending on how muggy it is. Don’t want finger sweat on my pages.

Currently reading:

Finished reading:

Reviewed:

What I’m hoping to get to next week: to read

to review

Books read it 2018: 106

Debut YA/MG authors read for 2018: 33

Contemporary: 57

Fantasy: 27

Sci-Fi: 7

Dystopian: 4

Historical: 4

Misc: 1

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish, and has now moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday there’s a different topic. This week is Top Ten red, white, and blue books for July 4th but I don’t celebrate July 4th so I did Top Ten Canadian authors.

10. Kelley Armstrong. I have read so many books by her.

9. Lesley Livingston. I haven’t read much by her but this series has intrigued me since it came out.

8. LM Montgomery. There will always be a place for LM Montgomery on my top ten list.

7. GS Prendergast. Just finished this one and it was very good. A bit slow in places but interesting beginning to the series.

6. Danielle L Jensen. Another series I got behind of but I really liked.

5. Eve Silver. Loved the first two books in the series. The third was good.

4. M-E Girard. She only has one book out but it was powerful.

3. Courtney Summers. I’ve only read a few of hers but I loved them.

2. Morgan Rhodes. I am so behind on her books but I enjoyed what I have read.

1. Alwyn Hamilton. I loved the first book of this series and can’t wait to read the rest.

June Wrap-Up/July TBR

We’re halfway through the year. It doesn’t feel like it. It feels, most of the time, like the year is flying by. Now if only this summer would hurry up and get hot.

June Wrap-Up:

Losing the Field – Abbi Glines. Review.

These Rebel Waves – Sara Raasch. Review.

Legendary – Stephanie Garber.

The Edge of Everything – Jeff Giles.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads – Clemantine Wamariya.

Heartless – Marissa Meyer.

Hidden Pieces – Paula Stokes.

Grace and Fury – Tracy Banghart. Review.

Chain Reaction – Darrell Scott.

Model Misfit – Holly Smalle.

The Truth Lies Here – Lindsey Klingele. Review.

As She Fades – Abbi Glines.

Seafire – Natalie C Parker.

Rule – Ellen Goodlett.

Anger is a Gift – Mark Oshiro.

Sadie – Courtney Summers. Review.

Dear Evan Hansen – Val Emmich.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe – Lauren James.

July TBR:

Book Review: Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie

Release date: September 4th 2018

A gripping novel about the depth of a sister’s love; poised to be the next book you won’t be able to stop talking about.
A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she’s left behind.
Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.
When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

Sadie was one of those books that completely took me by surprise. I thought I knew what I was getting into when I began reading, but it turned into something much more than I was expecting. I loved the dual timelines, with one being Sadie’s POV and one being the podcast interview. I don’t listen to a lot of podcasts so I was unsure of how I would enjoy a book where half of it was written as a podcast but it was a great way to make the two timelines feel connected and there was still plenty of emotion through the podcast parts.

Sadie was one of those characters who made me hurt. She lived her life for her sister pretty much since the moment Mattie was born. She never truly got to be a child. Her POV was in the timeline of the past, showing her trying to find the man she thought responsible for her sister’s murder. Through her, we get to know more about Mattie as well and we see just how much Sadie loved her. It was hard to see Sadie getting more and more reckless as she was desperate to find her sister’s murderer.

The other half of the book was West McCray’s investigation as a podcast. He was interviewing people who knew Sadie and Mattie, tracking down the people who Sadie had talked to months earlier, and following all the clues she’d left behind, which wasn’t many. It was interesting to see how he went from completely uninterested in the story of Sadie to completely invested by the time he was finished. His section, with his more detached investigator voice, balanced Sadie’s passion and anger, and both sections worked together to create a dark, disturbing story that will stay with its reader long after the last page has been read.

It’s been about five days since I finished this book and it hasn’t left my thoughts yet.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.