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)
Lots of goodies to share this week! I have a few birthday gifts and other fun things to share.
First up all the books t hat have arrived in the last little bit. I am so excited about all of these!
A huge thank you to the publishers for the two review copies! Thank you to the lovely Christy (The Reader Bee) for the copy of A Whole New World. I purchased the remaining books as a treat for myself (and my shelf). I am really excited to start When It's Real because I've loved Erin Watt's previous books so much.
I have also added a few Funko Pops to my collection thanks to some birthday gifts.
Christy gifted me Belle and Upside Down Will (how awesome is he?!) and my sister/nieces gifted me the Jessica Jones Pop. I am going to need to get a shelf just for all of my Pops are they are quickly adding up.
The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday. BOOK Cover Of Girls Made Of Snow And Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (goodreads)
I love how simplistic this cover is. It is certainly eye catching and matches the title rather well.
I have been excited about this feminist Snow White retelling from pretty much the moment I read the deal announcement so I was very excited for it to finally have a cover!
OTHER
Peter Pan Funko
I had mentioned this previously on the blog, but I finally have a picture of the actual product!
It is amazing, right? I love how it looks like he is flying. I need to add this to my collection as soon as possible.
Mr Robot Funko Pops
They had announced Mr Robot Funkos previously but now they have been officially been announced along with all of the store exclusives and chases.
I am going to need that Elliot chase version with the hood up! I am also loving the Darlene one! I'll be collecting most of this set but am still wondering ...
Hopefully there is a second wave and Funko makes one for Tyrell!
Meg Haston's romantic and thrilling new YA novel explores a star-crossed high school relationship in a tale rife with deeply buried secrets and shocking revelations.
Bridge and Wil have been entangled in each other’s lives for years. Under the white-hot Florida sun, they went from kids daring each other to swim past the breakers to teenagers stealing kisses between classes. But when Bridge betrayed Wil during their junior year, she shattered his heart and their relationship along with it.
Then Wil’s family suffers a violent loss, and Bridge rushes back to Wil’s side. As they struggle to heal old wounds and start falling for each other all over again, Bridge and Wil discover just how much has changed in the past year. As the fierce current of tragedy threatens to pull them under, they must learn how to swim on their own—or risk drowning together.
This is a hard novel to review. The synopsis doesn't give you the heart of this story and that can be both a good and bad thing. It's a novel about second chances, and forgiveness. It is about the truths we share, and things we hide. It's a book that surprised me and that is part of what made this novel have the impact that it did.
This is the story of Bridge and Wil. It is a story of their romance, but it is also so much more than just that. We see the before and after of a drunken mistake that tears them apart. If cheating is something that will ensure you don't pick up this novel, you'll be missing out on an emotionally complex read. It ends up being a very minor plot point as this novel isn't really about the cheating, or about their relationship. While this may partially be the story of how they (possibly) make their way back to each other, it is really about forgiveness in all its forms.
This brings me to my only qualm about this novel. It is a gut punch of a novel because of how surprising it is, but it really should have a trigger warning. I get that they wanted this journey to be taken with the characters, and it was meant to be a big reveal, but as someone who understood this part of the story a little too well, I found it, at times, hard to read (as it should be). I am going to put this trigger warning under a spoiler heading for those who want to know before picking up this novel. Be warned, they are major spoilers for the book.
This novel portrays a very unflinching look at domestic abuse. You feel every moment that is walked on egg shells waiting for the next moment of violence. You feel the helplessness that is felt as a character sees someone they loved tormented and abused. You feel the fear of having these violent tendencies ingrained in you because of your upbringing and DNA. It is remarkably well done, and because of that fact I feel people who have experienced this may want to tread carefully. It could be the book that someone finds themselves in, but it could also be the book that inflicts painful memories.
This novel also looks at the notion of how well we really know someone. Both Wil and Bridge have to struggle with the reality that perhaps they didn't know someone they loved as well as they thought. We have all had this experience to some degree, and that struggle is very well handled in this novel. You can love the person while still being disappointed and furious with them. You can love them, and hate them at the same time. It is hard to reconcile this dual feelings, and this truth comes through in these pages.
Those looking for a nicely wrapped up ending will not find that here. The ending is just as murky and grey as every other part of this story. It is an messy ending that is perfect for the messy situations this book holds. There is no right or wrong in this circumstances, and that is something that remains true right up to the very end.
Meg Haston has written a novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. It is the type of novel that makes you ponder some really difficult questions. I would recommend it, but with caution as it will not be for everyone.
Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss. One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted. International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.
How amazing is that cover? Everything about it is perfect. It gives off a horror vibe and manages to make the neon pink feel creepy.
I am a huge fan of Stephanie Perkins' contemporary novels. Her first three novels are counted among some of my favourite reads and I am just as excited to see what she does with horror. I predict her novel will still have that epic romance that is expected from a Stephanie Perkins novel, and I am predicting it'll be one to read with the lights on.
This is probably my most anticipated of the autumn releases and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy.
In the second book of the suspenseful Unrivaled trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noel, Layla, Aster and Tommy have to unearth Hollywood it-girl Madison Brooks’ secrets before one of them takes the fall for her disappearance and murder.
Layla Harrison has finally found herself in the middle of a celebrity story worth reporting. Aster Amirpour’s name is in every tabloid—even if it isn’t the good kind of publicity she hoped for. Tommy Phillips is inches away from getting the girl of his dreams, which may be harder than scoring a VIP ticket to an Unrivaled nightclub.
But Layla, Aster and Tommy never imagined it would be because they’re entangled in the disappearance of Madison Brooks—a story that’s blinded the world like a starlet blinded by the flash of a paparazzi camera.
Now, Layla is receiving mysterious messages from an anonymous source, Aster’s looming murder trial is so huge even her parents’ lawyer can’t save her, Tommy is retracing his steps as the last person Madison saw alive, and Layla’s ex Mateo finds himself lured into the fold.
You can dig up dirt about celebrities that the tabloids miss if you search long enough. But when Layla, Aster, and Tommy team up with an unsuspecting insider to unearth the truth, they’ll find that some secrets are best kept in the grave.
The Beautiful Idols series normally has everything I would want in a book. A cast of beautiful characters. A mystery at its core. A Hollywood setting. While all of this is found within this novel it, sadly, ended up just being an okay read for me.
This novel is pure escapism and offers up the kind of plot that is normally found in CW television shows and other sudsy offerings. I could easily see it as a television show with its edgy vibe, and mystery hook. This novel has another thing in common with those television shows - it has the potential of solely banking on that hook to keep people interested and not going deep enough into the story when it should. As a result of this, it is a novel that is great fun while reading, but just as easily forgotten after you've finished.
This sequel is all about offering up more than the previous installment. More romantic entanglements, more drama, more danger. The plot points may not seem overly realistic, but this is meant to be over the top. It is meant to be heightened. The downside to this style of storytelling is that it can often lead to a feeling of disconnect. The characters have to draw you in and keep you attached if the story is not relatable, at least for me, and the characters do not do that for me. I don't feel connected to any of them even I am interested in a few of them. This style of writing is more plot driven than character driven and that often doesn't work for me.
I am still invested in the mystery surrounding Madison's disappearance and what really happened to her. After Aster's arrest in the first novel I was happy to see this particular plot point make progress in this sequel. It is the storyline that is keeping me coming back to this series and it is the most thought out element of the story in my opinion. I am hopeful that many of the side story arcs will eventually merge to become important to the larger story. It may prompt me to change my mind about the series overall if the end reveal is nuanced enough.
The characters are all classic teen show tropes. They are beautiful people doing questionable things who are put in outrageous situations. This means there is plenty of potential for romance. The romances are for the most part secondary to the main mystery. There is a potential love square happening which, in my opinion, has the potential to be the most interesting of the relationships that are being explored.
Perhaps my biggest concern is the fact that I don't feel the tension tightening. There isn't that sense of impending dread. I should feel like I cannot trust any of the characters and that anyone could be responsible for what happened to Madison and everything that followed. Sadly, I just don't feel that sense of urgency.
Fans of novels that are reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars will probably love this series. It is filled with high octane drama, and outlandish plot lines. I think this novel does what it is rather well, and those who appreciate that kind of novel are the target audience. I'll most like check out the third novel out of sheer curiosity but I am not has invested in the outcome of the series as I perhaps should be.
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)
The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.
BOOK Cover for Stephanie Perkins' There's Someone Inside Your House
I have been so excited about this novel right from the moment Stephanie teased that her next book would be a horror novel. I was even more excited when she revealed that it would be a more 'slasher' type of horror rather than paranormal. I became fully obsessed once it was compared to the Scream movie franchise.
This cover is stunning and perfect! It has just the right amount of creepy while also giving a nod to Stephanie's first novel with the pink hue. I am counting down the days until I have this book in my hands. OTHER Buffy 20th Anniversary
Lots of goodies have popped up recently has Buffy celebrates its 20th anniversary. Entertainment Weekly recently got the cast together for a reunion and I am in love with EVERYTHING about it.
First up this amazing cover! I totally ship Buffy and Angel so this made me extremely happy.
You can also view the 40+ minute reunion video over on EW.com. It is equally amazing. I anticipate we'll be getting lots of other goodies as this iconic show continues to be celebrated and remembered.
Peter Pan Hot Topic Exclusive Funko
It is no secret that I am a HUGE Peter Pan nerd. I am also entirely addicted to Funko Pops. It should surprise nobody that I pretty much squealed with happiness upon finding out that Hot Topic is going to have an exclusive Peter Pan Pop. No image has been revealed from Funko yet, but you can see the Pop in this video where Hot Topic is revealing some of their exclusives.
