Book Buzz: The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

Hello again! I'm still alive, and I'm back just in time to get excited about the next book to be released in my infamous list of Elite Favorite book series. While I'm sad to see another month end (I'm super behind on my reading goals), I'm super excited that it also means the release of The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige.

It's the second book in a series, so I'll include the cover and description of the first book in the series, Dorothy Must Die, below.

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

And I have a mission. 

This book series has just been killing it so far. I'm obsessed with the setting (Oz is so vividly portrayed, it's like you can taste it), I'm obsessed with the villains, I love Amy Gumm, the protagonist, and I love how there are 3 short novellas, now combined into one handy physical book, that helped me get through the wait for the next book.

I'm also really excited that I'm completely caught up on this series, so I can start reading this book as soon as I get it. Which reminds me that I've forgotten to pre-order it. Whoops, I know what I'm doing tonight.

Happy reading,

Katie

Raves: The Elite Favorites

Even though I just wrote a post about book spoilers, I really want to go more in depth of that topic. Since today's post has to fit the 'rave' category, I'm going to talk about the books series that I am most rabid about preventing being spoiled on. These are the books I preorder or buy on the release day, the ones I start reading the minute I have them, the ones I finish reading within 4 days of their release, the ones that I will specifically avoid the internet for. If anyone spoiled me on these books, I would probably makes threats of violence before walling myself up in my room to finish the book so I couldn't be spoiled anymore (and then go back and apologize for the threats once I've cooled off because violence is never ok). 

While these obviously include my favorite series, they don't include all of my favorite series, for the reasons below. 

• If I start a book series after more than one book has been released, I'm probably not going to get through all the published installments of it before the next book comes out. A long time between releases means less motivation to work through the backlog, a short time between releases or a quickly upcoming release means less time to read. I've tried using the latest book releases to motivate me to finish earlier books in the series (The Mortal Instruments, Divergent series, Heroes of Olympus), and it never works out.
• If the book series is long and complicated, or if there's more than a few years between installments, I usually want to reread the earlier books immediately before reading the latest release. This brings us back to the problem in the previous bullet, and even if I read the first few books immediately after their release, the later books in the series don't receive the same love (The Books of Abarat).

For these reasons, I've nicknamed the special books that have ever made this list the Elite Favorites just to show how fancy they are. Here they are in no particular order.

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: This series may be a long time finished, but this is the book series that turned me from your average bookworm to the rabid 'goes to midnight release of book and reads it the next day' book nerd. This is also the only exception to the first bullet above (I didn't start the series until after The Prisoner of Azkaban was out, and I read books 1-3 long before Goblet of Fire was released). If there were any more Harry Potter books coming out, they would immediately make this exclusive level of reads.
2. The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan: I know I talk about this book a lot, but I really love this series. I found out about it just after the first book was released, so I could easily read each new installment on the release date without having to slough through a backlog. This series just ended a few weeks ago, which means I've got room for a new series to make it to the elite list.
3. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: This is another series I found out about not too long after the release of the first book. This series also has a steady, easy-to-remember release schedule (every year, the first week in February), though the original 4 book line-up got changed to 5, which changed the release schedule slightly so the last book will be released later the same year (OMG 2015 can't get here soon enough).
4. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige: This is the newest series to make the list, and to be honest I'm not sure if it really belongs here, as it hasn't had a chance to earn its place (Only book 1 and the prequel novella have been released so far, but I've already preordered the next novella. We'll see how soon I read it after it's released - November 11th, 2014)

Like every person who writes blog posts alone in their room, I tend to think that I'm just talking in front of an empty room, but if that is not the case and you'd like to interact, please let me know if you have your own list of Elite Favorites and what books make your list. Also, if you have recommendations for book blogs to follow, let me know! I need to read more book blogs.

Raves: Epic Reads

For today's second rave, instead of talking about books, I'm going to talk about something book-related.  Epic Reads is the social media branch of the HarperCollins Publishing marketing team. While the team is made up of many people, Margot and Aubry provide the face of Epic Reads with their weekly liveshow, Tea Time. Nearly every Wednesday* at 3:45pm EST, Margot and Aubry host a half-hour liveshow on their YouTube channel, where they drink tea and discuss books. Their video topics range from unveiling upcoming HarperTeen releases, cover reveals, and discussions of their latest reads. As of this week, they have had 78 episodes of Tea Time, and I have watched every single one (excluding the few early ones not on the YouTube channel).

Tea Time is responsible for a lot of my reading backlog. I have a TeaTime shelf on my GoodReads, just to show how many books I've gotten recommended from them. That being said, they also keep track of sweet deals on their Epic Reads Epic Deals page, so while they've added to my book-buying addiction, they've also given me the means to utilize my Kindle, and of course, read more.

Another thing I really love about them is their energy. They are never negative, and I think it must be really difficult to have a deep passion for books and only share the positive feelings. I have often been tempted to say terrible things about the books I disliked, and even succumbed to those temptations, but watching Tea Time inspires me to be the best book blogger I can be. I didn't start blogging to become famous (good thing, because that's very unlikely), or to trash talk books, or even to write honest negative reviews of books. I started this blog because I love books and I love talking about them. Watching Epic Reads reminds me of that, and it motivates me to work harder.

*Since it's for work, they don't post on holidays, and they only host shows every other week during the summer.

**This post has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Aubry's name**

Book Buzz: The Blood of Olympus

It's been a busy few weeks here on the blog. I've barely had time to recover from the end of the Lynburn Legacy, and it's already nearly time for the last book in the Heroes of Olympus series.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, the Heroes of Olympus (HoO) series is a best-selling YA fantasy series by Rick Riordan. It is a spin-off from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians middle grade series. Both of these series are such addicting reads. I really believe they are the 'Harry Potter' of this generation. The last book in the Heroes of Olympus series, Blood of Olympus, comes out on October 7, next Tuesday. I won't put a blurb of it here, as it will spoil people (myself included), but I will put the dust jacket blurb for the first book in the original series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I'm still two books behind in the series, and the HoO books are all over 500 pages, so I've got a lot of catching up to do. I also want to binge read this series, rereading books 1 and 2 before reading the 3-5, which means I won't be getting to Blood of Olympus for at least two weeks. Since I'll be avoiding the internet like the plague until I'm caught up (MUST AVOID SPOILERS!), I will have my posts written this weekend and scheduled to post on the current Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.

Book Raves: The Turn of the Story

So somewhere in between trying to finish The Lux series and City of Glass and considering whether or not I have time to reread Unspoken and Untold before the release of Unmade next Tuesday, I decided it would be a good idea to abandon all my other reads and go back to reading The Turn of the Story.

Sorry, everything else I've been excited for lately! Y'all are taking a backseat to this.

The Turn of the Story is a serialized story written by Sarah Rees Brennan (same author as Unmade, so I feel slightly less guilty about overshadowing its upcoming release), that was written as a present to her readers and is posted on her livejournal. While she has the brevity of George R.R. Martin (this 13 part series started as a short story), she also has the wit, imagination, and humor of Terry Pratchett at his best. Her words make me laugh out loud, fall into despair, shriek in frustration, and make me consider the politics of war and the dehumanization of our opposition in order to justify our own means while neglecting to see our shortcomings in reaching those ideals we insist make us better, sometimes all in the span of a few sentences. 

You should go read it right now, though you should know that the story does not end with part 13 on her blog, but with a separate short story all on its own. Wings in the Morning picks up right where part 13 leaves off, but from a different character's point of view, and is included in the anthology Monstrous Affections edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, which I bought on my Kindle immediately after finishing part 13. I must say I prefer Elliot's POV to than that of the character in Wings in the Morning, but they both are fantastic. 

I have far too many things to talk about this series to fit into one post, but I will figure out a way to share everything with you sometime soon!

Happy reading,

Katie

What I'm Reading: The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm behind the times on just about everything, so it should be a surprise to no one that I've waited until a month after the release of Opposition, the fifth and final book of the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, to start the first book, Obsidian. Although I'd love to be a book hipster and know about all the awesome books before they become popular, in this case I am glad I didn't start the series until after all five books have been released, because oh boy, is this an addicting read. You can click on the links in the book titles to see the descriptions on Goodreads, but I've also written my own spoiler-free blurb of Obsidian below.

The Lux series follows Katy, a teenage book blogger who has just moved with her mother from Florida to West Virginia, and her attempts to befriend her new next door neighbors, twins Dee and Daemon Black. Though the twins are both tall, athletic, and attractive, the similarities end there. Dee is as friendly and bubbly as Daemon is rude and sarcastic. While Dee quickly becomes Katy's best friend, Daemon wants nothing to do with her, and he openly discourages her friendship with Dee. But there is more to this sleepy West Virginia town, and the Blacks, than meets the eye, and if Katy wants to stay alive, she's going to need the help of the one boy who is determined to have nothing to do with her. 

I started Obsidian last Friday, and I finished it Saturday morning. I then immediately bought the sequel, Onyx, and finished that on Sunday. Luckily for me, Onyx has a slightly more satisfying ending than Obsidian, so I was able to sleep and go back to work on Monday instead of immediately buying Opal and staying up all Sunday night reading it. That being said, I can't wait for this weekend so I can continue on with Opal, and I'm using it as a reward for completing some chores I have been procrastinating on.

I've still got more than half of the series to go, but I can't help but see tons of Twilight parallels. I'm starting to wonder how many of these are common YA paranormal romance tropes that were just made popular by the Twilight series. Either way, this book series is loads of fun, and I recommend it to fans of YA paranormal romance, whether or not you liked Twilight.

A word to the wise: don't pick up this series unless you have lots of time to devote to reading AND either own all 5 books or can easily access the sequels. This is not a series of satisfying endings with resolutions packaged nicely in bows. This is a series of plot twists and cliff hangers that you can't help but marathon. I plan to finish it by next weekend so I can be free to read Unmade as soon as it is released on September 23rd, but we'll see what happens.

I'm got some plans in the works for this blog, hopefully to be implemented this weekend, so you can look forward to seeing those soon. I won't make any promises about specific content or deadlines until after those changes are set in stone, but you can expect another post from me in the not-too-distant future.

Happy reading,

Katie

Book Buzz: Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan

I'm sorry for my extended absence, but I am thrilled to say that I am back and ready to give this book blogging thing another go.

My return gives me just enough time to pump myself up for the release of the final book in one of my favorite in-progress series so far, Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan (which happens to be the inspiration for the recent change in color scheme). The Lynburn Legacy is a Gothic series and consists of Unspoken, Untold, and Unmade. I won't talk about the plot of Unmade, since that'll spoil books 1+2, but here's the blurb for book 1:

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in.She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

If you like YA mysteries and you haven't heard of this series, you need to check it out. It has romance, jokes, awesome female friendships, and hot boys in every flavor: brooding, princely, and flirtatious. What else could you ask for? Seriously, just check them out right now.

That's all for now, I'll be back with an update soon!

Happy reading,

Katie