Room - DVD Giveawy

It's no secret that I love books. It's also no secret that I love movies. I especially love movies based on books. I love it even more when they are done right. You may have heard me gush recently about the movie adaptation of Emma Donoghue's Room. I've gushed over Brie Larson's incredible performance as Ma (which just snagged her an Oscar for Best Actress) and her equally talented co-star Jacob Tremblay who gave, in my opinion, one of the best performances of 2015 as Jack. Their chemistry as mother and son is palpable, and the trust they had in each other is evident.

It's one of those rare adaptations that make you want your favourite novels to be made into movies. It's that rare occurrence where the emotions of the novel are effortlessly brought to life on the screen.

I knew I wanted to do something special for the DVD release of this movie, which is TODAY, as soon as I left the theatre. I was an emotional mess and, as strange as it sounds, I wanted to share that overwhelming feeling with everyone. This is a story that breaks your heart, but fills it too. It's the story of a mother's love for her son and the fierceness that comes with that love. It's a story of finding your strong even in the face of the unthinkable. It also happens to be the story of a boy discovering the world for the first time.

I cannot wait for someone else to fall in with this story, and for them to be entirely blown away by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay's talent and commitment to this story.

To win a copy of the book (movie paperback) and a DVD, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below. Be sure to comment with your favourite book adaptation (TV or movie). If you've seen Room let me know what you thought in the comments.

The contest is CANADA/USA only due to region restrictions on the DVD

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour - The Winner's Kiss

When I was offered a chance to send a series I love off in style I jumped at the chance to get involved. When I found out it also included me getting to share one of my favourite literary kisses, while I was even more excited to participate.

In order to celebrate The Winner's Kiss, which is the ending to the fantastic Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski, a whole bunch of bloggers are talking kissing. Specifically the kissing that happens in our favourite books! If you've missed any of the previous stops along the tour, be sure to visit the main tour page on the Fierce Reads website.

Before I share what literary kiss I selected, here is a little about The Winner's Kiss (spoilers for those who may not have read the first two books in the series in the synopsis.

The Winner's Kiss

by Marie Rutkoski

On Sale March 29th, 2016

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

This series is incredible! If you haven't read the first books be sure to do so before the end of March when the finale releases. I've read it and it's a fantastic ending to an already amazing series. Be sure to add them to your Goodreads as well.

The Winner's Curse // The Winner's Crime // The Winner's Kiss

Now I get to share one of my most favourite literary kisses. I anticipate it may be a few other people's as well! This book is still one of my all time favourites.

What book is your favorite literary kiss in? Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Who is kissing? Anna Oliphant and Étienne St. Clair 

Why is it your favorite? You know how when you're reading a book and every single part of you just wishes you could make the characters kiss already? The author has built up this tension that you feel as desperate for the kiss to happen as the characters do? That moment that it happens? That dizzying, heart swelling moment? This scene is that. The lead up to this kiss is pure delicious torture but the kiss is so worth it.

Bonus Question: what kiss do you hope will occur in Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Kiss? The only obvious answer to that is Kestrel and Arin.

Etienne's dark eyes search mine. "What are we doing?" His voice is strained.
He's so beautiful, so perfect. I'm dizzy. My heart pounds, my pulse races. I tilt my face toward his, and he answers with an identical slow tilt toward mine. He closes his eyes. Our lips brush lightly.
"If you ask me to kiss you, I will," he says.
His fingers stroke the inside of my wrists, and I burst into flames.
"Kiss me," I say.
He does.

I love, love, love, love this scene, and this kiss. If you've read Anna and the French Kiss let me know if this is one of your favourites as well in the comments.

The people at Macmillan were also kind enough to allow us to...

I've chosen Emilie from Emilie's Book World to be introduced to this incredible series. I know she'll love the romance between Kestrel and Arin and I cannot wait to discuss it with her.

Marie Rutkoski is the author of The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders and The Celestial Globe. The Cabinet of Wonders, her debut novel, was named an Indie Next Kids’ List Great Read and a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, among other honors. Rutkoski grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She attended the University of Iowa, where she took Writers’ Workshop classes and studied with Pulitzer Prize-winner James Alan McPherson. After graduating, she lived in Moscow and Prague. Upon receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard University, she held dual appointments as a lecturer there in both English and American Literature and Language, and History and Literature. Rutkoski is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children’s literature and creative writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and cat.



Be sure to let me know in the comments what your own pick for best kiss would be! Have you read The Winner's Curse? If so let me know who you hope gets to kiss in the thrilling finale! Look out for my review of The Winner's Kiss this week on the blog!

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

New To My Book Closet is a day early this week, and there will be no Weekly Obsessions posts because I have a special post going up on Sunday! I am taking part in the blog tour for The Winner's Kiss and will be sharing my pick for favourite literary kiss! Check back on Sunday to see what I selected.

I had quite a few goodies show up in my mailbox this week! So many that I am very excited for.

First up, Hachette sent me some books that I am VERY excited for.

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill (goodreads)

The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker (goodreads)

I've heard great things about Asking For It, and cannot wait to read the sequel to The Witch Hunter! Thanks to Hachette Canada for these titles.

Next up are some books I purchased and another review copy that arrived in my mailbox.

Summer Days and Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins (goodreads)
The Edge Of Falling by Rebecca Serle (goodreads)
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (goodreads)

Thank you to Raincoast Books for sending me the short story collection. I loved My True Love Gave To Me and cannot wait to see these summertime romance set shorts.

The other 2 are books I purchased from Book Outlet. I couldn't resist this adorable copy of Peter Pan and hadn't yet read this book by Rebecca Serle!

What bookish items made their way into your mailbox this week?

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman 

Release Date - February 9, 2016
Publisher Website - Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 384 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay. 

Origin stories have always fascinated me. I love delving into what made someone who they are. This is the origin story of Blackbeard, one of histories most fearsome pirates. Blackhearts, at it's heart, is a love story. An incredibly romantic one that leaves you eager to learn more about the man who became Blackbeard.

Those looking for a swashbuckling pirate adventure may be disappointed as very little of this takes place on a ship and there is also very little piracy within these pages. This feels like rather a set up for more grand adventures in future novels. This truly is an origin story where we see his desire for adventure, and his passion for the sea lead him towards his future.

The romance in this one was a slow burn. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the romance at first as the first meeting gets off to a rocky start, but the gradualness of their connection eventually won me over. They are both people searching for a way out of situations they do not want to be in any longer. She feels out of place with her mixed heritage and just wants to feel a deeper connection to her mother's roots. He wants freedom, and the right to decide his own future. Both are desperate to break free, and this brings them together. They do, at their core, have quite a bit in common and that is what cemented their bond for me. They also each have a strong personality which makes their relationship spark from almost the beginning.

There is no official confirmation of a sequel, and with the abruptness of the ending, it certainly doesn't end in a way that feels like a complete story. The story isn't fully told, at least from my point of view. This doesn't feel like an open ended ending to the story, but rather the ending of the first chapter of it. I enjoyed it, and want the sequel, but the ending almost necessitates one, and that is something that doesn't work in it's favour. This is particularly true if no sequels are planned, but I do hope they are in the works.

A beautiful romance is typically at the heart of any good story and Blackhearts is no exception. We end on the cusp of great adventure and a little further down the path to Edward Drummond becoming Blackbeard. Those who love historical novels, and romantic reads will want to give this one at try. I certainly hope to set sail with these characters for the next part of their journey.

Waiting On Wednesday ..... The Female Of The Species

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever. Acclaimed author Mindy McGinnis artfully crafts three alternating perspectives into a dark and riveting exploration of what it means to be the female of the species. 

This basically sounds like everything I have wanted in book. I am hoping for dark but also a poignant look at what it means to be a female. A bit of a wait for this one as it doesn't come out until Sept but I have every confidence it'll be well worth the wait.

Expected release date - September 20, 2016

Kill The Boy Band by Gold Moldavsky

Kill The Boy Band by Gold Moldavsky

Release Date - February 23, 2016
Publisher Website - Scholastic
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 320 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

From debut author Goldy Moldavsky, the story of four superfan friends whose devotion to their favorite boy band has darkly comical and murderous results.

Okay, so just know from the start that it wasn't supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near The Ruperts, our favorite boy band.

We didn't mean to kidnap one of the guys. It kind of, sort of happened that way. But now he's tied up in our hotel room. And the worst part of all, it's Rupert P. All four members of The Ruperts might have the same first name, but they couldn't be more different. And Rupert P. is the biggest flop out of the whole group.

We didn't mean to hold hostage a member of The Ruperts, I swear. At least, I didn't. We are fans. Okay, superfans who spend all of our free time tweeting about the boys and updating our fan tumblrs. But so what, that's what you do when you love a group so much it hurts.

How did it get this far? Who knows. I mean midterms are coming up. I really do not have time to go to hell.

Four fangirls, and a kidnapped boy band member. What could possibly go wrong? Kill The Boy Band is a sharp, darkly funny look at fangirls, and the power a fandom can hold. It's addictive, and shines a bright spotlight on society's tendency to underestimate anything teens, particularly teen girls, are passionate about.

Goldy Moldavsky's writing is razor sharp. It is so on point, and captures the voice of the tumblr generation with precision. This will be the book that future authors will use as a reference to the voice of this particular time when it eventually becomes historical fiction. It's like an amped up time capsule in book form. The dark tone has been compared to Heathers, Jawbreaker, and Mean Girls and those are worthy comparisons to be had. This novel's greatest strength is it's voice, and the boldness in which is allowed to shine.

Not only offering a pitch perfect voice, this novel creates a delicious sense of tension. Things quickly spiral out of control after the girls kidnap their least favourite member of their favourite boy band. There is a sense of apprehension as you know that none of this can end well. That sense of foreboding only increases the dark tone of the novel. It's boundary pushing. It's bold. The writing, the characters, and plot all emphasis this.

People are quick to devalue or dismiss anything that is made popular by a female audience. Teen girls in particular are subjected to this. They are mocked, and the things marketed to them are deemed guilty pleasures that should be hidden in shame. Their power is all too often overlooked. However, this group has the money to spend purely on entertainment, and money talks. Comic Con had to move the Twilight movie panels to earlier in the day to accommodate the fact that their fans packed the venue. There is an awesome power there, people just tend to overlook it.

It is, also, often forgotten that these fandoms are behaving exactly as they should. There is a quote that resonated deeply with me as I was reading.

'Being interested in cute boys is what we're supposed to be doing at this age.'

This one line sums it up perfectly. This is exactly what they are supposed to be doing. This novel points out that the sheer power of their voice should be celebrated and encouraged because who knows where it could be focused as they grow older. This nugget is hidden within this novel's slick, black heart but it is there and it's a powerful message to take away. It also dances with how this power is sometimes viewed as scary or overwhelming and that is why there is this need to reduce or limit it.

The characters are an eclectic mix of girls that do not seem to have anything in common, nothing that would cement them as friends other than The Ruperts. This feels authentic to the fandom experience, particularly boy bands fans. Discovering that someone likes the same boy band as you will immediately result in a bond. This entire novel, while heightened and dramatized, does have some truth within it's pages about the frenzy that surrounds these boy bands, and their fans. It is easy to be pulled into the freedom of unabashedly professing your love of something and that is what fandoms are all about. I also delightfully appreciated that the crushing realization all fangirls have when faced with the fact that their idols are imperfect was included in this novel. These boy band members are human, and are flawed. Goldy makes sure that they fall from their pedestals just a little, and it's nostalgic for anyone who has gone through it.

A novel that celebrates the power of fangirls with a bitingly dark edge. This novel is a must read for those who want their stories laced with dark humour, and is a love letter to anyone who has ever been passionate about something, particularly young girls. Goldy Moldavasky is a bold, brightly vivid new voice the young adult genre and I await, with the fevered excitement of a group of fangirls, whatever she writes next.

Into The Dim by Janet B Taylor

I was thrilled to be invited to be part of the Canadian blog tour for Into The Dim! It's been described as Outlander for teens and since I am obsessed with the Outlander TV show, I was excited to give this a try.

As part of the tour we will each be reviewing the book, and were allowed to ask Janet one question! Mine was, of course, time travel related.

If you could travel any where, in any time period, when and where would you travel?

I've often said that Hope lives out my 1st time travel dream in Into The Dim, when she visits London in 1154 to meet Eleanor of Aquitaine. But aside from that…I love Christmas! And any Christmas fan worth their salt would likely choose that most ‘Christmas-y’ time of all…Victorian England! The age that really ramped up Christmas. So many of the traditions we still practice today were born during that time. The first Christmas trees in the home. Carolers. Ladies in bonnets and capes. Men in top hats and tails. Snow and lights and wassailing all over the place. Now THAT was how you celebrated Christmas. Those Victorians…They really figured out how to do Christmas right!

A huge thank you to Janet for taking the time to answer my question, and to Raincoast for hosting the tour. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more review, and questions!

My Review

Into The Dim by Janet B Taylor

Release Date - March 1, 2016
Publisher Website - Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 432 pages
My Rating - 4.5/5
**received for honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing.  Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens.

At first glance it is easy to see why Into The Dim garners comparisons to Outlander. Time travel? Check. Scotland? Check. Romance? Check. Into The Dim has it's own spin on time travel, and creates it's own juicy romance that, I feel, allows it to stand as it's own thing. With shades of Romeo and Juliet, it will appeal to those who love their romances as complicated as they do swoon worthy.

The pacing of this novel is what initially drew me into the story. It's fast, and filled with action and adventure. The first part of the novel is used as set up fot the rest of the story and the time travel element doesn't really appear until about 1/3 of the way into the story. This extra time allowed us to get comfortable with Hope before we're thrown into a new setting with her. Once the time travel comes into play, the story picks up the pace, and doesn't let up until the ending. This is a case where the story is the focus, with the writing being straight forward.

The characters easily endeared themselves to me. Hope, especially, became one of my favourites. There is more than a few shades of the 'chosen girl finds her destiny' trope but I forgive that as it is used in almost all adventure style books. There is a call to adventure, and the heroine is the only one who can answer the call. Hope isn't immediately gifted, and she see her struggle with things. It added a level of realism to her character. The side characters, Phoebe in particular, are also engaging and I am excited to learn more about them.

The hows and whys of time travel are delved into, but almost as background information. Those looking for an in depth analysis and scientifically backed reasoning to this part of the story may be disappointed. I, however, felt this novel was more about it's absorbing storyline, and characters. The explanation given is logical, and presented clearly so the why and how are there, it's just not as big a focus as one might expect. The historical elements read as well researched, and there is an attention to detail that made the setting leap off the page.

This novel will make you want to transport yourself into history. As Hope gets to view a moment in history that means something to her, I couldn't help but daydream about what that would mean for me. The ability to see Anne Boleyn crowned Queen would be breathtaking. It absolutely is the kind of book that makes you question the choices you'd make if put in this situation, and the wonder and magic of seeing a completely different era.

While it allows you to see that time travel can hold a certain allure, it also focused on the more unsettling aspects. The reality of disease, the rights and freedoms we are accustomed to not being the same, the entire feeling of being a 'fish out of water' as everything feels strange and unknown. The act of time travelling itself is also painted as a painful, harrowing ordeal. There is also a focus on changing the past, and the ramifications that would hold. The novel hammers home the point that this is dangerous, and that is never far from the reader's mind. The balance between the rewards and risks is incredibly well done, and it paints a, surprisingly, almost realistic portrayal of what it might be like to be in this situation. Putting the reader into Hope's shoes, so to speak, is what this novel excels at and what allows a connection to the story and characters to be created.

The romance is one of the most intriguing parts to the story. Not the romance itself, as that is rather typical of YA, but an element woven into the romance piqued my interest and has me excited for what it may mean for future novels. There are plenty of threads left to create compelling and dynamic storylines so I am excited to continue this series and see what the events of this novel mean for the characters, and the romance. There is the briefest hint of a potential love triangle, but it is definitely not the primary focus, even within the romantic plot.

Filled with adventure, romance, and engaging characters, Into The Dim offers a promising start to a new series. If you're looking for a time travel novel that will make you wish you could transport yourself back in time, and offers up pure escapism fun in the process, this is the book for you. It's a fun read, and sometimes that is exactly what you need.