Blog Tour and Review: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1)
by B rittany Cavallaro
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: March 1st 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Retellings, Fiction, Romance, Thriller

Rate: 4 stars

Synopsis:

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Equal parts tender, thrilling, and hilarious, A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy brimming with wit and edge-of-the-seat suspense.

REVIEW

I love Sherlock Holmes (Okay mainly I just love the movies the Robert Downey Jr. plays in) Still I really enjoy the mysteries, and the who dun it aspect of them. 

I'm not sure how I thought I would feel about this book, but a few pages in and I knew I would LOVE it. (I loved it so much I recommended it to a co-worker who loves Sherlock Holmes, and I rarely talk to my co-workers about books.) 

I loved Charlotte and Jamie's connection. Yes, it was a connection at first, but as time went on they grew into friends, and maybe more? (You'll have to check it out to see!)

I love to try and guess at who the murderer is, and it's safe to say I was wrong. I'm not a detective for sure.

Follow the A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Brittany Cavallaro is a poet, fiction writer, and old school Sherlockian. She is the author of the poetry collection Girl-King (University of Akron) and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she's a PhD candidate in English literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches creative writing, detective fiction, and lots of other things. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, cat, and collection of deerstalker caps. Find her at her website, brittanycavallaro.com, or on Twitter @skippingstones.

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Blog Tour & Review: Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas

Kingdom of Ashes (A Wicked Thing #2)
by Rhiannon Thomas
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 23rd 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Romance, Magic, Fiction, Teen

Synopsis:

Asleep for a hundred years, awoken by a kiss, Aurora’s life was supposed to be a fairytale. But since discovering that loyalty to the crown and loyalty to her country are two very different things, Aurora knows she can only dream of happily ever after. Once the enchanted princess, savior of her people, she is now branded a traitor.

Aurora is determined to free her home from the king’s tyrannical rule, even if it means traveling across the sea to the kingdom of the handsome and devious Prince Finnegan—someone who seems to know far more about her magic than he should. However, Finnegan’s kingdom has perils of its own, and any help he gives Aurora will come at a price.

As Aurora and Finnegan work together to harness her power—something so fiery and dangerous that is as likely to destroy those close to Aurora as it is to save them—she begins to unravel the mysteries surrounding the curse that was placed on her over a century before…and uncover the truth about the destiny she was always meant to fulfill.

Brimming with captivating fantasy and life-threatening danger, the sequel to A Wicked Thing takes Sleeping Beauty on an adventure unlike any she’s ever had before.

I love the way this story took it's twists and turns from the first one. In A wicked thing, Aurora was more or less spineless. She did most of the things she was told, but I believe she really grew in the story. 

Then there was Finnegan who I was to fond of in the first story, but who turned out to be a charcter that I really enjoyed following.

Follow the Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Rhiannon Thomas is a recent graduate from Princeton University, where she studied English and Japanese, and smuggled bubble tea into the library on a regular basis. She now lives in York, England. 

As well as reading and writing YA fiction, she runs the blog FeministFiction.com, where she discusses TV, books, and all kinds of fannish things from a feminist perspective. 

I don't hang out on Goodreads much, so if you want to contact me, please swing by my personal website or message me on Twitter.

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Book Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

AUTHOR: Renee Ahdieh
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
PAGES: 388
STAND ALONE/SERIES: Series
SOURCE: Bought
OUTLINE:
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end. 

MY THOUGHTS
I put off reading this for almost a year because I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. I mean I liked the synopsis, but I had never heard the story from which this one is being re-told, A Thousand and One Nights. Not only that, but I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the characters and the setting of it. I know now that I shouldn't push books like this a way.  I should really try and be more open minded to new cultural and diverse books. It did take me a few pages to really get into it though, but as soon as I did I wanted to learn as much as I could about these characters.

SETTING

The setting was something new to me so I enjoyed reading about it. I love how the author described these places so vibrantly. 

CHARACTERS

There were a ton of different characters in the book, but only a few I care to mention.

Shahrzad or Shazi as I will call her is the main herione in the book she volunteers to be married to this boy-king who is known for killing his wives at dawn the day after they marry. So why is she taking on the responsibility because she wants revenge for the murder of her best friend Shiva. What she doesn't know is that she will be the one falling....falling for this boy. As strong and independent as she is she is also weak and emotional. I don't think I would be so forgiving and involved with the monster who killed my BF. Yes, she learns a bit of Khalids story as to why he is this way, but that should not matter. 

Khalid was the boy king who was known as this monster to the people in his country/town. He did not bare his soul to very many,and therefore no one knew the real reason behind the killings. I won't lie I had a soft spot for him when I learned of his past, and  how he begin to treat Shazi not like a thing, but his mate.

Tariq, Shazi's old friend was hell bent on saving her from the monster and killing him. Soon he learned that time changes things.

Despina was such a fun character. I loved her banter and wit, and I'm glad that Shazi and her became some what close. It was their back and forth conversations I loved. Despina acted as a friend more than a handmaiden.

DOWNFALL

I had a few downfalls with this book.

The main downfall I had with this book was the names. This may seem like a stupid reason to put on here, but I get so tripped up trying to say the names and read it right that I sometimes get frustrated. 

Another downfall I had was how Shazi so quickly fell for this boy-king who murdered her best friend. Why? This person has taken away so many lives, and yet you have this connection with him. 

ENDING

In a way I'm glad I took this long to read it because now I won't have to wait so long for is sophomore book The Rose and the Dagger. I can't say that I enjoyed how it ended. I'm very much looking forward to one of the characters journeys.

QUOTES

Book Review: Love, Lucy by April Linder

AUTHOR: April Linder
PUBLISHER:  Poppy
PAGES: 304
STAND ALONE/SERIES: Stand alone
SOURCE: E-Arc from Netgalley
OUTLINE:
While backpacking through Florence, Italy, during the summer before she heads off to college, Lucy Sommersworth finds herself falling in love with the culture, the architecture, the food...and Jesse Palladino, a handsome street musician. After a whirlwind romance, Lucy returns home, determined to move on from her "vacation flirtation." But just because summer is over doesn't mean Lucy and Jesse have to be, does it?
In this stunning novel, April Lindner perfectly captures the highs and lows of a summer love that might just be meant to last beyond the season.

MY THOUGHTS

I'll admit I haven't read any of April Linder's other re-tellings like Jane or Catherine, but if they're similar to this then I don't know what I've been waiting for. I'm not a huge fan of romance-y type books, but sometimes I need a little fluff. Love, Lucy is definitely that fluff read. It gives you that hope that sometimes summer romance turns into something more, or that Paris fling turns into a thing. :) 

Love, Lucy was told in two parts.

Part one: Italy

Part two: Philadelphia

and then an epilogue of sorts called Florence

Part one: Italy

As slow as the beginning was I still really enjoyed the story. In Italy, Lucy roams about with her friend, but what she doesn't expect is to fall for a guy who they kick out his hotel room. How does that even work? Steal the guys room and steal a kiss.  I guess. Over the course of being in Italy Lucy ends up spending more time with Jess, and less with the friend she came with. Musicians always seem to fall in love so easy which I guess I can understand. Play me a song, and it's on. I think that's a sweet gesture. When Lucy's time in Italy was over I became a little sad. I didn't really care to see her life at a school, or anywhere Jess wouldn't be. A deal is a deal though and she had to return to the states and keep the promise she made to her dad. 

"Well, you can't have the spotlight and the applause without the auditions and the stage fright," Sarah said.

Book Review: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday

AUTHOR: Jessica Verday
PUBLISHER: Egmont USA 

SERIES/STANDALONE: It has a sequel coming fall 2015 called The Ballad of Annabel Lee
PAGES: 288

SOURCE: Netgalley via publisher

Outline:
A romantic, historical retelling of classic Gothic horror featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee, from a New York Times best-selling author.

Summoned to her father's home in 1820's Philadelphia, a girl finds herself in the midst of a rash of gruesome murders in which he might be implicated. She is torn romantically between her father's assistants-one kind and proper, one mysterious and brooding-who share a dark secret and may have more to do with the violent events than they're letting on.

Quick Thought (or not)

First, I must say that I love the cover. It has this creepiness that intrigues me. I mean who is the girl and is that a door she's standing in front of. I mean we could gather from the synopsis itself who the girl might be, but do we really know?

I noticed, while on goodreads, other reviews Of Madness and  Monsters and they were 1 and 2 stars. I personally had no real problems with it. I mean, clearly I enjoyed it because I finished it in a day and a half. I rarely do that unless it's a story I find is worth it, and has something that hooks me in.

This was a Jessica Verday first for me. I have all 3 books in the Hollows Series, and now that I know that  I enjoyed this story by her, I'll probably end up reading the others as well.

It seems I've had nothing but good luck reading books loosely based on Poe and his works.

Pacing

As much as I enjoy a fast paced book this was not one. We were on a ride with Annabel as she moved to this new world, and into a new home that quiet frankly would have frightened a normal lady, but you see Annabel was different. I wasn't at all disappointed with the pacing it fit the book.

Characters

Every character gave a little life to the book.

Annabel Lee was a dear. As I said above she was not much of a lady. Did she try to be? Well of course she did, but because she grew up in Siam, and "wasn't brought up properly" she was a little rough around the edges. Which I thought made her that much more enjoyable. She was helpful, thought for herself, and a true friend.

Maddy the sweet little handmaiden was adorable, and even when she found out Annabel secret she did not cower away.

Ending 

Even though the ending is a bit easy to predict that really didn't stop me from wanting to finish it. It was a satisfying ending, and I thought for sure it was a stand alone, but when I went on to netgalley to add my review I noticed in the sidenotes that it has a sequel coming in fall of 2015 titled "The Ballad of Annabel Lee" I have to say I'm a little excited now, just to see how it's done.