Author: GoodeyReads

The Folk of the Air: Book Tag

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The lovely Xandra at Starry Sky Books created and tagged me in my very first book tag! SO EXCITED. And this one is so clever and fun. Thank you for the tag!

RULES:

  1. You must tag the original creator (Xandra @ Starry Sky Books)
  2. Spoilers galore! You should probably read The Cruel Prince first! (You don’t really need to read The Wicked King, but that would be nice.)
  3. Answer all the questions.
  4. Try to tag at least 3 other bloggers.

Jude: A character who would probably kill you in your sleep.

Okay, so I’m quite confident any villain would kill me in my sleep. I’m too dangerous to have around in the first place. But for the questions sake, the Archivist of the Great Library would definitely have me taken out.

Cardan: A character who seems like a Bad Guy™ but is ultimately more complex than you thought.

I totally wrote in my review that I loved Cardan for this exact reason. So I had to think about a second character I feel this way about.

AH YES, HAN ALISTER. My little cinnamon roll who only wants love. He’s not a villain, or really that wicked, but everyone assumes he is. Alister is a complex, consorting mastermind who I’m so happy won in the end.

And hopefully that means Cardan wins in the end too.

Locke: A character (or plot twist) that made you want to throw the book.

My first initial thought was Allegiant. YOU ALL KNOW (and I honestly did actually throw this, and freaked my husband out). In interest of choosing a book I at least enjoyed with the plot twist:

Have you read this? Because if you have: YOU ALSO KNOW. I was gasping and freaking out. Didn’t throw the book per se, but you better believe I raged until KoA came out.

Taryn: A character who deceived you.

I finished reading this a few days ago and loved it, but Malachiasz from Wicked Saints totally deceived me!? I didn’t like him, then he grew on me, then he deceived me, and now I need the sequel. Need.

Vivi: A book that was significantly different from the others in its series. 

I wrote my first true, snarky review about this book. I truly loved Everless. And I was very upset with how book two went down. The characters acted differently, pieces of the plot were forgotten, and plenty of other issues that were vastly different from the original.

Valerian: A character who just needs to die (or, you know, get stabbed).

I’m trying really hard to make sure I have a different series for each book so this one took some thinking because they’re so many people I think need stabbed if I’m being honest.

Dr. Hatch from the Michael Vey series is a top contender. Who takes in kids and makes them evil for his own gains!? This man of unlimited resources caused one to many problems for me.

Oak: A smol™ character you would protect at all costs.

Marya from The Winter of the Witch. I think that Vastya does a WAY better job of protecting her than I every could, but I love this little witch immensely.

The Cruel Prince: A book that surprised you with a twist.

I remember reading this book right before the hype really hit and exploded this into a movie. When I got to the flip in the book I had to re-read the page over a few times. DUDE WHAT JUST HAPPENED is putting it lightly.

The Wicked King: A book you thought was better (or worse) than the first in the series.

There’s a reason I read this multiple times a year. This is the pinnacle of sequels. I haven’t come across many “book twos” that hold as the best book in the entire series.

The Queen of Nothing: A book you’re excited for, but know nothing about.

THE BONE SEASON #4. I have no idea when this is coming out, and no idea what it will entail, but I am here for the wait. I got attached to this series in 2017 and am hoping it will continue soon since Shannon has finished her latest project.

There you have it! My first book tag. Totally a blast. I’m going to tag:

LaureGalie // Paper Fury // Siobhan’s Novelties

Please feel no pressure because I’m not sure if you’ve finished TCP/TWK yet! And anyone else who has, you’re totally welcome to do this too. The more the merrier!

January 2019 Monthly Reading Wrap-up!

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Is it really the end of January already?

Sometimes I look at my day and think it’ll never end, then I realize I need to write my monthly wrap-up and am amazed that it’s already here! Oh how times flies, and oh how I always wish I read more!

I finished a series this month and got around to knocking off some old ones on my TBR. Yay for a good month of choices.

Favorite book: Skyward / King of Scars
Least favorite book: Evermore

How was your month of reading? Were any of these on your list? Lets talk in the comments!

ARC Book Review: Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Expected Release Date: April 2nd, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. 

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

*Note: I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Wednesday Books, for the opportunity to read Wicked Saints. Publication date, etc. subject to change.

OOO, I LIKED THIS.

I have so many questions, in the best way possible. This was a great opening book and I think this will be a fantastic series.

I was immediately thrown into an action scene where I didn’t know anything, but was totally captivated. I think that scene on its own will have further implications in the following books.

I had the hardest time pronouncing all of these names though, especially the gods. They’re a lot of characters. And often they are thrown together quickly. It took me longer to accept meetings/relationships than it did in the book because I wasn’t sure how everyone was so quickly trusting in the middle of a war.

The only issue I had was that the book could honestly, be a little longer. Now hear me out, whenever I read a scene that seemed very important to the series I felt it wasn’t long enough to grasp the whole picture. There were so many things happening in this book that it’s occasionally hard to keep up. More time could’ve been spent on getting to know others, fully forming plans, action scenes, etc.

Nadya is still growing on me. I liked her and think her character is going to have some great refinement over the next two installments. She’s a little naive and so rigorously faithful that it becomes her downfall. Nadya could stand to be a little more wicked. Especially since I feel this was the entire point of the book. She hasn’t actually done anything just yet.

Malachiasz on the other hand, totally baffled me. I went from: eh → you’re okay → I kinda like you → wait a second → oh no he didn’t → NOW WHAT HAPPENS? all in the course of this book. He took me on a ride and his broken, damaged soul is one to watch for. He’s the actual Wicked one and his buddies need to catch up.

Lastly, are dear Prince Serefin is an interesting character who I think will have a bigger role come book two. He’s here and he does a lot, but his story really picked up right at the end. I enjoyed his wit and charisma and am ever so curious how he will fare.

There’s plenty of world-building and a lot of religious discussions. I liked how Duncan wove the various religions with society and politics and with how religion and magic work [or not] together. I kept debating with myself which side I felt was the more trust worthy/best choice for Nadya because there’s a strong emphasis on listening, learning and not assuming you already know everything about someone’s beliefs. I’m even sitting here now trying to plot the entire series. I love when there isn’t a major cliffhanger, but enough open-endedness that you can hardly wait for the next one.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy
  • Very little language
  • Violence: arrows, death, murder, torture, abuse, knives, etc.
  • Romance: light kisses, to intense make-outs
  • Trigger warnings: child abuse, self-harm, excessive use of alcohol

Happy Publishing Day: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (ACSDAL #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

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Happy publishing day to an inventive and dark Beauty and the Beast retelling! I was immersed in the story and am excited for the second book. Plenty of monsters, romance, strong heroines, and overcoming barriers that will keep you on your toes.

Thank you again to Bloosmbury and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

Book Summary:

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse. 

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. 

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Find my original review here and make sure to add this to your TBR!