Reading round up (38)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. Will I continue to put off finishing the Icons series? Probably.

4th August

Currently reading: The House of The Four Winds | Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Current page/percent: 53%

Read today: 44%

Thoughts: I was definitely having a grumpy reading day yesterday. This book isn't boring AT ALL. I love it - fighting, pirates, mysterious island, swoon-worthy romance. Oh yeah, this is awesome. Flying through it now.

5th August

Currently reading: The House of The Four Winds | Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Current page/percent: 79%

Read today: 26%

Thoughts: Ugh. The fuck is this Shamal????

6th August

Finished The House of The Four Winds and I'm SO EMOTIONAL. The name of the new ship! *cries* Also I started Ignite by Erica Crouch, which at least three of my friends rate this. I enjoyed Crouch's Madly, Deeply so I have high hopes but I hear it features Michael, the angel I despise the most so ... good luck, Ignite.

7th August

Read a further 6% of Ignite. I'm not wowed yet, and I'm findng it hard to get into it, but I'm sticking with it. I also read The Automaton's Treasure by Cassandra Rose Clarke (33 pages) which is just lovely and fun and stunning. I could live in this world forever.

8th August

Nothing read. Stressy day.

9th August

Not enjoying Ignite, so I'm swapping to Marissa Meyer's Cinder. Need something to pick me up. I read 138 pages and I'm liking it so far.

10th August

Currently reading: Cinder | Marissa Meyer

Current page/percent: page 303

Read today: 165 pages

Thoughts: Fuck, I'be gone from liking it enough to HOOKED. Damn damn damn I can't afford to love another series.

Books finished this week: 2

(Ughhh.)

Transparent | Natalie Whipple

Relax, I'm A Ninja | Natalie Whipple

I bought these two because they were cheap. Simple as. I had a period where I wanted to read Relax, I'm a Ninja and I'm all for supporting self pubbed authors so. I'm not sure I'll enjoy Transparent, but it was just over a pound . I enjoyed Whipple's House of Ivy and Sorrow so I hope I'll like these as well.

Endgame | Nenia Campbell

This was another cheap impulse buy. I do that a lot. I probably spend about £10 a month on impulse kindle books. Eek that's my entire income! I've heard good things from people I follow on GR about Nenia Campbell, and I'm intrigued by this. Hoping it doesn't bore me as much as James Dashner's take on the premise.

The 100 | Kass Morgan

Day 21 | Kass Morgan

Didn't enjoy the first few eps of the TV series but what the hell. I think I'll really like this book series. I'm pretty pissed they got rid of the really nice arty cover for Day 21. I know there was one, because I saw it and it matched the 100. Why is the CW dominating? Can u not? These is books, friend.

I'm still bugging you to donate to the campaign for printing and shipping of The Wandering. (We're 44% there, so close to fifty!!) To persuade you, there are REWARDS! Donate a pound for your name in the acknowledgements. Donate £3 or more for extra cool stuff, bracelets, bookmarks, rare paperbacks etc. Help me give people more free books!!

The House of The Four Winds (ARC Review)

One Dozen Daughters: The House of The Four Winds | Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Published by: Tor Books, August 5th 2014

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance, PIRATES!

Pages: 304

Format: Ebook

Source: Tor Books, via Netgalley

Mercedes Lackey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Valdemar series and romantic fantasies like Beauty and the Werewolf and The Fairy Godmother. James Mallory and Lackey have collaborated on six novels. Now, these New York Times and USA Today bestselling collaborators bring romance to the fore with The House of Four Winds.

The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince’s future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes.

Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice intends to work her way to the New World. When the crew rebels, Clarice/Clarence, an expert with rapier and dagger, sides with the handsome navigator, Dominick, and kills the cruel captain.

Dominick leads the now-outlawed crew in search of treasure in the secret pirate haven known as The House of Four Winds. They encounter the sorceress Shamal, who claims Dominick for her own—but Clarice has fallen hard for Dominick and won’t give him up without a fight. 

Full of swashbuckling adventure, buoyant magic, and irrepressible charm, The House of the Four Winds is a lighthearted fantasy romp by a pair of bestselling writers.

Well this was really fun!

I requested The House of The Four Winds because pirates. I am loving pirates at the moment, and I need more books about them, but ordinarily I wouldn't have given a book like this a chance. I didn't quite expect it to be as good as it was. I was a giant moron. (A giant judgey moron)

The House of The Four Winds starts with Clarice, a princess from a small kingdom, having to go out and seek her fortune because her kingdom can't afford dowries for her or her sisters (there are a dozen daughters, money is tight, the baby boy is deemed more important, etc.) Clarice is an awesome swordsman, so she sets off to have swordfighting adventures to make a name for herself. However, she didn't expect to find pirates and conspiracies and an island of magic and slavery.

I LOVED this book. It took me a while to get into it, but once I was in I was hooked. Clarice is an awesome protagonist. She's tough, canny, and dangerous with a sword - everything I love in my fictional ladies. The story itself is awesome as well. There are a few moments where it gets flat, kinda like downtime, but it's filled to the brim with character development and ship life and Dominick.

Dominick is a complete heartthrob. He's honourable, handsome, and courageous. A true sea Captain. I loved seeing his relationship with Clarice (as a male Clarence) grow into friendship and then into love. I also like how Lackey and Mallory totally kept me guessing. I thought he loved Clarence, but I never quite new. It would have been awful for Clarice's feelings not to be reciprocated. But all was well. And my heart went all warm and gooey at the end.

BUT I did have a few problems with it. It's packed full of uncommon words, so much so that at the beginning I was reaching for my dictionary every sentence. It hindered my reading, but I got used to it eventually. It wasn't too bad, but it did bog down the story and a lot of times I felt like a simpler word could have been used (three uncommon words in a sentence, for example, is too far.) But aside from that and a slow beginning, I loved this book.

The House of The Four Winds is full of swashbuckling danger, heart warming romance, and tense secrets. Highly recommend.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing Style ★★★☆☆

---

(from galley:)

"The sea is a thousand roads, and none." 

"And so, the survivors made a castaway's holiday on the deck of their ruined ship and awaited the appearance of the stars, which would truly tell their fate"

Reading round up (37)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. It's August bitchessss!! My birthday month. You should buy me books, all of the books.

28th July

Currently reading: Icons | Margaret Stohl

Current page/percent: page 429

Read today: 92 pages

Thoughts: I'm crying. I'm crying so hard. It's like I don't want this to end even though I have the second book??

29th July

Started Illusions of Fate and holy shit it's surpassing my hopes. I read 75% of it in one day HO-LY SHIT. I love this book. I love this book. But white washing of the cover? PISSED. She specifically says she's dark skinned a hundred times.

30th July

Finished Illusions of Fate. Arghhhhhhhhhh. I need to own this book. Literally, properly own it. I need it in MY HANDS. I also started Exquisite Captive (5% read). I thought this book was HF but it turns out to be set in Hollywood. Which instantly turned me off tbh. Pls claw me back by having a POC protag. I mean ... jinnis, it can't be a pretty little white girl, right?

31st July

SUCCESS!! POC PROTAGONISTS. ALL THREE OF THEM, EVEN THE LOVE INTERESTS. Exquisite Captive, you're growing on me. So far I'm not hooked, though that could be because of an Illusions of Fate hangover. WELL - I say I'm not hooked but I read the equivalent of 170 pages. Eek. Not sure how.

1st August

Currently reading: Exquisite Captive | Heather Demetrios

Current page/percent: 60%

Read today: 40%

Thoughts: EVERY time I read this book I'm like meh, it's alright, I don't mind it HOLY CRAP WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BABY? DON'T YOU HURT MY BABY OR I STG I'LL END YOU. So ... yeah. It's one of those 'don't know you like it' books. Until, y'know, you do. 

But I can't abide the setting. I apparently hate California and never want to go there? It's described positively - busy, bustling beaches, blazing sun, weirdos everywhere and I DON'T WANT THAT. why would anyone want that? Idk, man.

2nd August

Currently reading: Exquisite Captive | Heather Demetrios

Current page/percent: 100%

Read today: 40%

Thoughts: Can't decide if the cover is whitewashed so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. But I have a super strong feeling of Whitegirlitis. This totally bored me at the end. Skimmed the last 20%.

3rd August

Started The House of The Four Winds because PIRATES!! Also fairy tale esque. You know I go for both of those. I read 9% and I'm floundering. I've having a floundering day. I read 2% of Take Back The Skies too and I'm not enjoying either, despite not having read much of them. Ugh. Tomorrow should be better.

Books finished this week: 3

(*cries bc Illusions of Fate*.)

~

Books added to my collection:

Sticks, Stones & Dragon Bones | Evelyn Ink

This book just sounded really cool. I've been looking for some middle grade, and this one is (I think) indie, which is even better :) (update: the writing isn't that great. Maybe better for an actual MG kid to read than critical old me.)

And now the Super Awesome Harper Haul:

Monstrous | MarcyKate Connolly

A Wicked Thing | Rhiannon Thomas

Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard

The Distance Between Lost and Found | Kathryn Holmes

That Kathryn Holmes book is the only contemporary I have EVER been hyped for. I can't even explain it, since the blurb doesn't totally hook me. I just hope the book lives up to the cover. Pls. Also the others have been on my radar for MONTHS now. I'm so happyyyyyyy. Bless you Harper Collins and imprints.

In other news: there's plenty of time left to fund the campaign for printing and shipping of The Wandering and claim your rewards! Donate a pound for your name in the acknowledgements. Donate £3 or more for extra cool stuff - bracelets, bookmarks, rare paperbacks etc. Help me give people more free books!!

Endgame Earth: Storm's Quest (Book blitz)

Endgame Earth: Storm’s Quest | Scarlet Owen

Published July 9th, 2014

ENDGAME EARTH: STORM’S QUEST

Two continents.  One with humans.  One with dinosaurs.  Who will win the battle of the planet?

For Lincoln Kreft everything is at stake.  His sister is sick.  On an over-populated planet the only way to get access to healthcare is to become a Trialist – one of 100 people who visit the dinosaur continent each year in search of new resources.  Few return.

Stormchaser Knux doesn’t have a family to care about.  She’s been on her own for the last five years.  But she does have a conscience.  Having her life saved by one of the plesiosaurs living in the nearby loch gives her a new perspective on the propaganda about dinosaurs.  She doesn’t believe they are all ferocious beasts.  But can she prove it?

Staying alive on the dinosaur continent becomes their top priority.

But will dinosaurs really be their biggest threat – particularly when one friend will betray another?

ENDGAME EARTH: STORM’S QUEST is free on Amazon from 7/30 through 8/3. Go download your copy! 

About the Author:

Scarlet Owen is a pseudonym of Scarlet Wilson, a romance author for Harlequin Mills and Boon, Tule Publishing and Entangled Publishing. She lives on the West Coast of Scotland with her fiancé her two sons. The ‘Owen” surname is a tribute to Dr Richard Owen,the man who first gave us the name dinosaurs.  This is Scarlet’s first YA novel. Jurassic Park meets Hunger Games.  Enjoy!

 Website: http://www.scarlet-wilson.com/

The Utterly Uninteresting ... by Drew Hayes

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant | Drew Hayes

Released July 26th 2014

Some people are born boring. Some live boring. Some even die boring. Fred managed to do all three, and when he woke up as a vampire, he did so as a boring one. Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort.

One fateful night – different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful – Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.” Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess.

a Rafflecopter giveaway