Roseblood

Book Review

Title: Roseblood

Author: A.G. Howard

Rating: ★★★

Date Published: January 10, 2017

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Page Count: 432

Follow Author: Website, FB, Twitter, Insta

Buy Book: Amazon, B&N, BAM!

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Synopsis:

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera. 

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known

My Thoughts:

I received an Ecopy from NetGalley and Abrams in exchange for an honest review. 

When I saw that my favorite author was releasing a new novel, I was beyond excited; when I read it was a Phantom of the Opera retelling my excitement was at an all time high. A.G. Howard has a way of taking a story and making it completely unique and her own. Unfortunately, it was very difficult for me to get invested in the story.  I gave this novel three stars because it just did not meet my expectations, I love Howard, I loved her Splintered series and I was hoping to love this novel as much as I do that series, but it just did not do it for me.

In this retelling the main character is not the Phantom, it is Rune who is the Christine in our story, she has the beautiful gift of music, but as of late it has become more of a curse, she has no idea where her “gift” came from or why she has it. I enjoyed reading about Rune, she had amazing character growth throughout the novel, I liked learning where her gift came from and seeing her take control of it.  

Thorn is our love interest and the reason I kept going, I wanted to know everything about his broken and mysterious past! Unfortunately, there wasn’t as many chapters with him as I would have liked, but the ones he was in would suck me in and had me turning the page wanting more.

The main reason I didn’t give this novel more stars was because it was a very slow, it took me a month to get trough it and it usually takes me a week to finish a novel that size. The story did not catch my attention until more than halfway in, that’s when the story got very fast paced. I think Howard concentrated a lot in the character growth and that is not necessarily a bad thing, but it did make for a very slow-paced novel.  

SandraTheBookWorm

Waiting on Wednesday #38

Heartless

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at BreakingtheSpine in which we spotlight a new release we can't wait to get our hands on.

Title: Heartless

Author: Marissa Meyer

Expected Release Date: November 8th, 2016

Add me on Goodreads

Pre-Order Me! Amazon, B&N, BAM!, Book Depository

Stalk the Author: Twitter, Facebook, Website

Synopsis:

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans. 

Why I Need It!

First of all It's Marissa Meyer, I would read her grocery list if i had the chance. Secondly I love, love retellings especially when is centers around the villain and their back story. I can't wait to see how Marissa executes this Alice in Wonderland retelling! I hope it is just as amazing as The Lunar Chronicles. Also isn't that cover to die for. 

-SandraTheBookWorm

Never Never

Book Review

Title: Never Never

Author: Brianna R. Shrum

Rating: ★★★★★

Date Published: September 22, 2015

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Page Count: 368

Genre: Fantasy Retelling

Connect With Author: Website, FB,Twitter

Buy Me! Amazon, B&N, Book Depository

Add Me on Goodreads: Never Never

Synopsis:

James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.

When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.

But grow up he does. 

And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.

This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.

My Thoughts:

First I want to thank Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, reading in Hook's perspective was very refreshing and a very different take on Peter Pan. Hook is a normal boy living in London that can't wait to be a grown up, that is until the day he meets Peter Pan who introduces young Hook to fairies, magic, and tells him all about Neverland; after hearing about the amazing world Peter comes from, Hook decides that he wants to spend his vacation in Neverland but after he spends some time there he realizes that Neverland and Peter are not as great as he thought. This book kept me up to the wee hours of the night! I really enjoyed reading about Hooks descend into darkness and how his hatred for the Pan (as he calls him) came to be. I felt so much for Hook and all that he lost when Pan refused to take him back home to his family, but as much as I tried to hate Pan I just couldn't my emotions for Pan where all over the place, even though Shrum showed me a more sinister side to him; I kept making excuses for him the main one being that he was child and he couldn't comprehend why someone would want to grow up or be with their parents. 

The love interest in this book had me in an emotional roller coaster, I loved it so much! Hook and Tiger Lily were perfect for each other.The ending and cliffhanger, were done so well, I was not expecting it at all!  I need the second book as soon as possible! I need to know what happens to Hook, his crew, the lost boys and of course Pan. I really loved this retelling and how it stayed true to the original, even Wendy and her brothers make an appearance toward the end. If you are looking for a good villain story or just in the mood for a book with pirates, this is the book for you. 

-SandraTheBookWorm

Slumber

Book Review

Title: Slumber (The Slumber Duology #1)

Author: Christy Sloat 

Rating: ★★★★.5

Date Published: March 16, 2015

Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing

Page Count: 234

Genre: YA Fantasy

Meet The Author: Christy Sloat

Buy Me! Amazon, B&N, 

Synopsis:

Not all princesses get their happily ever after...
They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.
I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under. I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.
I’m crazy. I’m not a princess.
They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?
They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am.
When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.
Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth? 

My Thoughts:

 The author was kind enough to provide me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your typical Sleeping Beauty retelling, but it's just as great. Rory has been sent to Spindle Ridge Asylum where she has been told she killed her boyfriend Phillip, the thing is Rory can't recall killing Phillip or even having a boyfriend all she can remember is walking into the asylum; the only thing keeping her from going mad are the very realistic dreams she’s been having, where she is a princess and has been cursed by an evil fairy.  That is until the day a new patient by the name of Sawyer checks into the Asylum, his presence starts to bring back some very powerful memories.

I've read a couple of Sleeping Beauty retellings, but this is by far my favorite! It's so different and I love it! Christy really made this story her own and gave the classic a wonderful twist; this book is so beautifully written and just kept me turning the pages. I loved the character development Rory goes throughout the book, she is a very strong and smart character and now let’s take a moment to appreciate the perfection that is Sawyer, his personality and the things he does for Rory would make any girl fall for him instantly. The ending killed me I was not ready for it, I felt my heart stop, I had to put the book down and take a couple of breaths; I need the second book immediately! I need to know what happens next!

If you have not picked this book up yet, I highly recommend you do and especially with October around the corner this is the perfect creepy read and one of the best Sleeping Beauty retelling's I've read this year.  

-SandraTheBookWorm

Red August

Book Review

Title: Red August

Author: H.L. Brooks

Rating:  ★★★★

Date Published: August 19, 2015

Publisher: Smashwords Edition

Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Meet The Author: H.L. Brooks

Buy Me! Amazon, B&N

Synopsis:

What if you found out that you were descended from a long line of clandestine fighters, and that your family was still at war? Or that the love of your life was something other than human?


August Archer thinks she's a normal teenage girl—even though she has been having disturbing and erotic dreams about werewolves lately. Still grieving over the loss of her bookish, charming father, and wondering over his final gift of a red hooded cloak, August is uprooted from her New York City apartment to a tiny town in Maryland, and the rambling Victorian house where he grew up.


There she meets a wise woman with a gift for herbal medicine, the gentle old man who keeps the house in repair and the grounds thriving, and her new neighbor: an enigmatic, irresistibly fascinating man who refuses to talk to her, yet who seems to know her better than she knows herself, and fuels her most intense romantic fantasies.


But it's when August begins to coax her feisty Scottish grandmother out of her self-imposed catatonia that a strange tale of werewolves and hunters emerges--one in which the man of her dreams may be her family's oldest enemy—in this modern-day telling of the Red Riding Hood story.

My Thoughts:

The author was kind enough to provide me with a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review. 

Wow, this Red Riding Hood retelling is very different and I loved it! I can' wait for the next book in the series especially with that ending. August is going through a hard time her dad just passed away and she's moving away to a new town where she knows no one. It is there where she meets her mysterious next door neighbor Faolan, who seems to know more about her and her family than she does.

I absolutely loved this book and the characters! I immediately fell in love with August she is such a smart young lady, takes crap from no one and is a very relatable character; Oh, and Faolan, gosh that man is complete perfection such a gentleman and he loves to read, he is very swoon worthy. The side characters also have a place in my heart; the way H.L. Brooks wrote them just makes them so lovable. I really loved the story and how it all plays out; the author hit me with some twist I wasn't expecting and had me at the edge of my seat. The reason I dint give this book five stars was because it kind of seemed to drag on a little towards the middle, it began very quick paced and towards the middle it slowed a bit and picked up again towards the end, but that doesn’t take away from the story as a whole; It’s a very enjoyable read and I'm glad I picked it up.  I just can’t tell you how much I loved August and Faolan's Relationship I just want to know more about both of them and their families and also see where their relationship goes.

I recommend this book to anyone that is in the mood for a good fantasy read or looking for a good Red Riding Hood retelling this book is definitely it! 

-SandraTheBookWorm

Waiting on Wednesday #32

Never Never

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at BreakingtheSpine in which we spotlight a new release we can't wait to get our hands on.

Title: Never Never

Author: Brianna R. Shrum

Expected Release Date: September 22, 2015

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Goodreads Link: Never Never

Preorder Me! Amazon, B&N, Book Depository

Synopsis:

James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.

When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.

But grow up he does. 

And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.

This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.

Except one.

Why I Need It!

If you have been following my blog for a while then you are aware that I love retellings and when I saw there was a Peter Pan retelling in the works, I just thought to myself I must own it. I’m very intrigued to find out more about Captain Hook and why he’s after Peter Pan. It seems like this book has a lot of potential and I can't wait to read it! What are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comment section!

-SandraTheBookWorm

Raven (The Legend Saga #2)

Book Review

Title: Raven 

Author: Stacey Rourke

Rating: ★★★★★

Date Published: September 21, 2014

Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing

Page Count: 340

Genre: Paranormal/ Fantasy

Meet The Author: Stacey Rourke

Buy Me: Amazon, B&N, 

Synopsis:

An infamous love, destined nevermore,
For death could not claim, the enchanting Lenore.

Cursed by the malevolent spirit of the Headless Horseman, Ireland Crane ventures to Manhattan in search of a way to break her soul crushing bond. Instead, she discovers the lines between fact and fiction are blurring once more. Croaking ravens. Telltale hearts. Could the works of Poe be coming to pass with handsome Wall Street Midas Ridley Peolte as their unwilling target?

She walks the Earth, a plague on mankind,
searching for he, her rotted heart doth pine.

Together, the two unknowingly release a dark force death itself could not tame. Surrounded by the unrelenting violence and mayhem they’ve unleashed, Ireland feels her control over the Horseman slipping. Before the beast within consumes her, she and her crew must follow the clues of the dead to right a centuries’ old wrong. Will it be enough to sate the Horseman’s appetite?

Hell hath no fury like a ghoul scorned

My Thoughts:

I was provided with a copy  in exchange for an honest review.

Um, how can we make the second book as amazing as the first lets add Edgar Allen Poe into the mix. I freaking loved this book and all the new characters Stacey introduced me to! I'm just in love with Stacey's writing it so easy to follow and keep you wanting more.  Ireland is back in Manhattan looking for the person that is responsible for her cursed tattoo her search leads her to Ridley who has more in common with her than any of her friends. Together they have to fight the darkness that plagues Manhattan, but as they do Ireland feels herself losing control of the Horseman and giving in to the darkness.

Like I mentioned above I freaking loved this book! Mixing Edgar Allen Poe with The Headless Horseman was such a brilliant idea and Stacey executed it perfectly. I loved how we kept changing from Ridley's perspective to Poe's it made you go deeper into the story and understand what Ridley was going through. The new characters that we're introduced to are absolutely amazing I fell in love with Poe he could make any girl go crazy for him and Ridley oh, Ridley does it make me a bad person if I'm rooting for him and Ireland, but then I also love Noah and he is just absolute perfection! Stacey is going to kill me with all these amazing men. This book is full of twist that keep you guessing and you never see coming; I also love the humor in the book it just makes it that more enjoyable. Stacey has me hooked on this series and I can’t get enough. If you have yet to pick up this series drop everything and pick it up! It’s absolutely AMAZING you won’t regret it! 

-SandraTheBookWorm

Waiting On Wednesday #29

This Monstrous Thing

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at BreakingtheSpine in which we spotlight a new release we can't wait to get our hands on.

Title: This Monstrous Thing

Author: Mackenzie Lee

Expected Release Date: September 22, 2015

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Page Count: 384

Goodreads Link: A Monstrous Thing

Preorder me! Amazon, B&N, 

Synopsis:

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

Why I Need It!

I've been eyeing this book on goodreads for a while. So, I finally decided to feature it on my WOW! If you have been following my account you know I love retelling's! This book sounds like is going to be an awesome Frankenstein retelling and like it would be a perfect October read! What book are you looking forward to? Leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

-SandraTheBookWorm

A Whole New World ( A Twisted Tale #1)

Book Review

Title: A Whole New World

Author: Liz Braswell 

Rating: ★★★

Publication Date: September 1st,2015

Publisher: Disney Press

Page Count: 384

Genre: YA Fantasy

Meet The Author: Liz Braswell

Buy Me: Amazon, B&N, Book Depository

Synopsis:

Welcome to a new YA series that re-imagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie? 

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

My Thoughts:

First I want to thank Netgalley and Disney Press for being kind enough to provide me with an Ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be. I'm going to be giving it 3 stars because even though I didn't love it how I thought I was, I  didn't hate it. I might be in the minority saying this, but towards the middle I did start enjoying the story a bit more, but with that said it did have some flaws. This book is a retelling of Aladdin, but in this story instead of Aladdin getting the lamp it’s Jafar who gets it and summons the genie. I did like the twist and the action the author hit me with towards the end I was not expecting it; I also really liked how the author told us a little more about Aladdin's and Jasmines past.  One of my problems with this book was that it didn't have enough Jafar or Genie in my opinion, I really wanted to see more of both and unfortunately that doesn't happen until the end also the first 28% of the book was exactly like the movie and that made it a little boring, but if you can get past that the story does get better. 

At this point I do not know if I will be continuing with the series.   

-SandraTheBookWorm