The Bone Queen by Alison Croggon (ARC Review)

Title: The Bone Queen: Pellinor: Cadvan’s Story
Author: Alison Croggon
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Date published: June 13, 2017 (originally published on February 18, 2016)
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 416
Source: Publisher

Summary: Seduced into sorcery by an agent of the Dark, the promising Bard Cadvan of Lirigon recklessly unleashed the terrible Bone Queen, bringing destruction down upon Annar. Cadvan, cast out of the Schools of Barding for his crime, now lives in exile, burdened by memories of his dealings with the Dark. At Cadvan’s former home, his mentor, Nelac, and his rival, Dernhil, begin to suspect that the Bone Queen may yet lurk in Annar, and a young Bard, Selmana, is plagued by an ominous presence and an unsettling new ability to step between worlds. With darkness gathering and Bards giving in to fear and paranoia, a guilt-ridden Cadvan must earn back the Bards’ trust and Selmana must gain control of her newfound powers to bring peace to the living and the dead.

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse (Review)

Title: Seven Days of You
Author: Cecilia Vinesse
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Date published: March 7, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 336
Source: Library

Summary: Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.

The New Disney Princess Book Tag

First, I would like to say thank you to Dani @ Perspective of a Writer for tagging me to complete this awesome tag! And secondly, I’d like to thank the creators of this tag Mandy and Zuky (links to their blogs in the rules below)!

Top Ten Tuesday (#27): Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning To Start But Haven’t

And I’m back! I’m sorry to have missed last week’s Top Ten Tuesday! I just don’t really pay attention to the dads in the books that I read…and therefore was unable to think of ten books to list for that prompt. I will have to go and check out the choices of those who did end up participating! Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads (real and literary) out there! This week it’s all about series we’ve been meaning to start, but just haven’t yet!

Fight Like a YA Girl Book Tag

Thank you so much for Beware the Reader for tagging me to complete this tag, and also thank you to Krysti @ YAandWine for launching this awesome and fun tag! I also really like the quote which Beware the Reader took from Krysti’s original post:

“It is so important for everyone to see examples of strong women in books, television, and movies.

There are so many ways in which women exhibit strength, so this tag is meant to be a celebration of some those strengths.”

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening To, Trying (#4)

Wow! It’s been nearly 2 months since the last time I posted one of these. I’m awful, I’m sorry! In my defense though I didn’t really post anything on this blog for the 20+ days that I was away, haha. As some of you may have noticed, I added a section to this blog series titled “currently listening to” or “current top 10”! Due to the friends I hung out with, and the fact that we went to South Korea (ugh such a good trip), I returned to Canada with a renewed love and appreciation for kpop! I will therefore be including a top 10 kpop (and whatever music I may be listening to, which can definitely vary in genre) to each of these posts from now on! Please read on if you’re interested in what I’m currently obsessing over entertaining myself with!

The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King (Mini ARC Review)

Title: The Hundredth Queen
Author: Emily R. King
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Imprint:  Skyscape
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Date published: June 1, 2017
Format: Digital
Page Count: 300
Source: NetGalley

A digital copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Death and Night by Roshani Chokshi (Mini ARC Review)

Title: Death and Night
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Imprint: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publisher: Macmillan
Date published: May 2, 2017
Format: Digital
Page Count: 132
Source: NetGalley

A digital copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Before The Star-Touched Queen there was only Death and Night.

He was Lord of Death, cursed never to love. She was Night incarnate, destined to stay alone. After a chance meeting, they wonder if, perhaps, they could be meant for more. But danger crouches in their paths, and the choices they make will set them on a journey that will span lifetimes.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo (ARC Review)

Title: I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Author: Maurene Goo
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publisher: Macmillan
Date published: May 30, 2017
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 336
Source: Book Distributor

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the book distributor, in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.

Calendar Girls (#6 / June 2017): Best Shakespeare Play

It’s finally here! May felt like a very long month, despite being on vacation and time usually going by very quickly when you’re on vacation. Maybe it’s because I wrote only one blog post the entire 21 days that I was away? Who knows. I also wanted to say thank you for picking my choice for the May theme as your favourite! It was a very pleasant surprise and definitely made me smile! Now, this month’s Calendar Girls theme is all best Shakespeare play! Yes! I’m an English Literature major and I tried to take as many Shakespeare-focused courses as I could. So yes, I really like Shakespeare! But before I let myself get carried away with Shakespeare rambles, I will just say yay, and that I’m curious and excited to see which of you will pick which plays!

(Also, if you’re confused about why this Calendar Girls post went up on the 1st Monday of the month, in stead of the 1st Wednesday, please check out the updates we have made to the reading event here!)