Category: Reading

It is Better Not to Keep Secrets as Secrets Change All Their Lives – Daughters of Ruin {Review}

Posted April 4, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

It is Better Not to Keep Secrets as Secrets Change All Their Lives – Daughters of Ruin {Review}Daughters of Ruin by K D Castner
Series: Daughters of Ruin #1
Publisher: McElderry Books (2016 - April 5)
Paperback ARC (316 pages)
Via: Publisher
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2016 Royal Challenge, Read 2016

Synopsis

Game of Thrones meets Graceling in a thrilling debut that follows the four fierce princesses of enemy kingdoms as their worlds collide in the throes of war.
Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren have lived together since they were children. They are called sisters. They are not. They are called equals. They are not. They are princesses…and they are enemies.
Not long ago, a brutal war ravaged their kingdoms, and Rhea’s father was the victor. As a gesture of peace, King Declan brought the daughters of his rivals to live under his protection—and his ever-watchful eye. For ten years the girls have trained together as diplomats and warriors, raised to accept their thrones and unite their kingdoms in peace.
But there is rarely peace among sisters. Sheltered Rhea was raised to rule everyone—including her “sisters”—but she’s cracking under pressure. The charismatic Cadis is desperately trying to redeem her people from their actions during the war. Suki guards deep family secrets that isolate her, and quiet Iren’s meekness is not what it seems.
All plans for peace are shattered when the palace is attacked. As their intended futures lie in ashes, Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren must decide where their loyalties lie: to their nations, or to each other.

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Sleeping Beauty is Still Sleeping – Once Upon A Dream {Review}

Posted April 2, 2016 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments

Sleeping Beauty is Still Sleeping – Once Upon A Dream {Review}Once Upon A Dream by Liz Braswell
Series: Twisted Tales #2
Publisher: Disney Press (2016 - April 5th)
eARC (448 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Also by this author: A Whole New World
Also in this series: A Whole New World
Reading Challenges: 2016 Retelling Challenge, 2016 Royal Challenge, Read 2016

Synopsis

What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways.
It should be simple--a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.
With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

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March 2016 in Review

Posted March 31, 2016 in Faith, Life, Reading / 10 Comments

March 2016 in Review

Things that Happened in March

  • EASTER! The Easter Vigil is one of my favorite Masses of ever! Seriously, it is gorgeous even if it does get a bit long at times.
  • My little sister was able to come home for two days for Easter. It was great to see her.
  • I finally finished my application for graduate school. Now the nail-biting begins…
  • Things have been absolutely crazy at school. It has been so hectic that one of my co-teachers made the comment she has spent more time in the principal’s office in the last two weeks than she did her entire career as a student. Things definitely need to slow down soon.
  • I haven’t been feeling great this month. This is probably due to the stress of work and the students sharing their fun diseases with everyone they come in contact with.
  • My favorite book of the month was The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. It was utterly amazing and beautiful. I shared some of my favorite quotes from it with my sister and now she wants an Amar. 🙂
  • My favorite reread of the month was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling. In fact, this was the only reread this month.

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Great, REAL Characters! – The Reluctant Duchess {Review}

Posted March 30, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Great, REAL Characters! – The Reluctant Duchess {Review}The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M White
Publisher: Bethany House (2016 - April 5th)
eARC (384 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: Read 2016

Synopsis

Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has never felt good enough—not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar and the men who have jeopardized her life.
Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has suddenly found himself in possession of a rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he needs is the distraction of his neighbor, Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a desperate situation. But when the moody Earl of Lochabar tries to trap Brice into marrying Rowena, Brice finds he’s not as opposed to the idea as he expected to be.
Rowena wanted to escape the Highlands, but she’s reluctant to resort to marrying a notorious flirt just to gain his English home. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she ’fears she’s about to end up directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.

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Retelling the Ballad of Mulan – Wild Orchid {Review}

Posted March 28, 2016 in Reading, Review / 4 Comments

Retelling the Ballad of Mulan – Wild Orchid {Review}Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
Series: Once Upon A Time
Publisher: Simon Pulse (2009)
Paperback (199 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: Sunlight and Shadow, Winter's Child
Also in this series: Snow, Water Song, Sunlight and Shadow
Reading Challenges: 2016 Backlist Books, 2016 Re-Reading, 2016 Retelling Challenge, 2016 Royal Challenge, Read 2016

Synopsis

Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight, tom-boyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call.
But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?

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