Tag: New York Times Bestseller

Book Events, Interviews

Magic and Mayhem Tour with Leigh Bardugo

Liz Brooks

Written by Liz Brooks

I sit in the front row of a small section of the Ellicott City Barnes and Noble waiting. On the edge of my seat, delighted, nervous, vivacious. This is an event I have been waiting for since I first read Shadow and Bone. The Magic and Mayhem tour with Leigh Bardugo for her newly released book, Six of Crows. She is animated, hilarious, and beautiful. She is gracious and genuine. She meets and exceeds all my expectations.

Leigh Bardugo read two excerpts. One from a book she started when she was 12 years about siblings Blood and Jared. It was amusing to see where Bardugo started and how far she has come. She followed that up with a scene from Six of Crows. One where Nina first meets Matthias- my two favorite characters from.

After the readings, there was a wonderful Q&A.

  1. The easiest character for Bardugo to write was Matthias- he is dogmatic and a drama queen. Whoever she was writing at the time was her favorite or least favorite depending on how you looked at it.
  2. She loved writing her contemporary stories. She liked uncovering secrets where we live.
  3. She has a lot of favorite YA authors- Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater.
  4. Her idea for the Grisha world was Imperial Russia. Russia occupied the role of the great suppressor. Kertch is crafted after the Dutch Republic with a little Las Vegas thrown in.
  5. It took her less than a year to write Shadow and Bone. And she didn’t publish her first novel until she was 35.
  6. She always knew she wanted to come back to the Grishaverse and write a story about a Witch Hunter (Fjerdan) and a Witch (Ravkan). She had ideas about Kaz Brekker but didn’t know where he fit into the story until she came up with the idea for the heist.
  7. She cried when she received Six of Crows in the mail.
  8. The Darkling has a sweet tooth.
  9. She might write a novella about Nikolai one day.
  10. She uses music to help her write. Sinister Kid by the Black Keys is Kaz Brekker’s anthem.
  11. She is currently reading Angela Carter short stories, The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, and a book about art heists (I wonder why that is).

After the Q&A, she signed books and took photos.

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Quote from Mal in the Grisha series.
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“The water hears and understands. The ice does not forgive.”
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Cup and Crow tattoo.

Overall it was a fantastic event. My review for Six of Crows can be found here. I can’t wait till Fall 2016 for the follow-up Crooked Kingdom. Check out the book reveal video here. Leigh Bardugo can be found on tumblr, twitter, and facebook.

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Reviews, YA Dystopian

Book Review: The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

What I Like:

I read this book in one sitting. ONE SITTING. I absolutely loved it. Prince Maxon was such a sweetheart, except for this one time where I was really mad at him. Hormones, Ugh. I really liked Maxon’s mother, the Queen. She brought stability and hope. I really think the Queen is a symbol of what the kingdom would be like if given the opportunity, or more better said, the right to have the ability to rise, to better themselves. Your caste number does not define you, it is the type of person you are that ultimately defines you. We can see this with Celeste. She may be of the second highest caste, but inside, she is a horrible human being. On the other hand, America, who does have her fair share of imperfections and moments of horrible judgement of character, is a better person overall and cares for others. She is always trying to help others, even at the cost of it affecting her in a negative way.

What I Dislike:

I was annoyed with America many times in the book. Like I said earlier, she can be a horrible judge of character. I also really disliked Aspen and the way he was trying to weasel into America’s heart by making Prince Maxon look bad at all costs. I do feel like the selection is dragging a little long. I hope we get to see more of the rebels in The One.

Overall:

In conclusion, the good of the book overpowers the bad. The “bad” parts of the book are not poor writing, or a boring plot, the “bad” parts of the book are the decisions the characters make and the consequences that they have to face for making said decisions. Kiera’s writing is so easy and effortless to read and very, very enjoyable that one only notices how long the book is until one is done. In my opinion, the books are not long enough.

Rating: 5/5

Reviews, YA Paranormal

Short Book Review: Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn’t prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

Review:

All aboard the Cynthia Hand train!

I absolutely loved Hallowed. The writing was better. The plot got juicer. The love triangle became even more intense. Ladies and Gentlemen, the sequel to Unearthly was not just better, it was phenomenal. I seriously hope that Boundless, the last book in the Unearthly trilogy, does not falls short when put next to this book.

I don’t know exactly how I feel about Angela yet. Something about her seems to be off. I am also warming up to Christian, a lot. I would be a fool to say I am not starting to root for Christian. The twists that were in this novel regarding Clara’s father, Jeffrey and other characters were done great and I never saw them coming. It kept me on my toes. You know a book is good when it turns your mind into mush. 🙂

Rating: 5/5

Rating System:

1/5: I hate it.

2/5: It had some redeeming qualities but overall, not a good book.

3/5: I like it /A fun read.

4/5: I really like it.

5/5: I love it!