Showing posts with label erica crouch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label erica crouch. Show all posts

13 March 2015

Cover Reveal: POLARIS AWAKENING

Polaris Awakening 

Polaris Anthology #1 
Expected May 26, 2015 by Patchwork Press 
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult 


ZEUS PROTOCOL 000101: 
REBOOT, SCAN. 
DANGER DETECTED. 
THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN. 
RECOMMENDED ACTION: INCREASE MILITARY PRESENCE. 

There’s trouble brewing on Polaris. Under the watchful eye of the space station’s supercomputer, Zeus, the lower classes are awakening to the corruption of their wealthy, privileged, and protected leaders. When the quiet voices of protest get louder and alliances form, change dawns on the horizon. But the small acts of resistance won’t be enough to subvert the system for long. Zeus is alert to the growing threat level, and he will do whatever’s necessary—including purging the lower levels of Polaris—to preserve stability for all. 

Inspired by the mythology of the constellations hung around Polaris, the seven stories in Polaris Awakening reimagine the classic characters in a futuristic world where alien creatures are commonplace, combat arenas are used for entertaining foreign dignitaries, slaves and soldiers stand side by side, and music orchestrates a revolution. And their first acts of defiance are just the beginning. Polaris will never be the same. 

ZEUS PROTOCOL 000099: ENGAGE THREAT.




11 August 2014

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
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
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!!


23 June 2014

Reading round up (31)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress and my thoughts on each book as I read it. I need to power through a couple galleys this week, so I can justify reading Perfect Ruin next.

16th June

Current page/percent: 20%
Read today: 11%
Thoughts: Thinking this will have a long build up, but looking forward to the world building. I've been needing a book like this for a few weeks.

17th June
Current page/percent: 32%
Read today: 12%
Thoughts: I;m confused, nothing is clear, and it's taking FOR EVER to get to this damned castle.

18th June
Current page/percent: 43%
Read today: 11%
Thoughts: I'm sick and this book is dragging and boring.

19th June

Got to 57% of Queen of The Tearling (14% read), and I think I need another book to break up the slow drag, so I started Madly, Deeply by Erica Crouch. I read 35% of it and I'm loving it. It's slow and gothic and eerie and romantic, and the world building and historical details are lush and lovely. I really like this. I'm gonna have to make time to read Ignite real soon, because Crouch's writing is just stunning.


20th June

Currently reading: Madly, Deeply | Erica Crouch
Current page/percent: 70%
Read today: 45%
Thoughts: Very emotional, this one. And now the cover makes sense.

21st June

Finished Madly, Deeply (30%) and didn't enjoy the end so much. Also started Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza (11%) which is boring me to death ALREADY. What happened to being an experiment? There's no hint of it whatsoever, bar a tiny reflex thing. Thinking this book will probably drive me back to Queen of The Tearling.

22nd June

Read another 19% of Mila 2.0. I'm glad to see the science fiction coming into it now I've hit 30%, but I'm still pretty meh about the whole thing. Is a date really the best course of action when you've just found out you're an android?? I also read 13% of Queen of The Tearling, in which fuck all is happening. If this book was 100% about Mace I would enjoy it so much more. All in all a pretty bad weekend of reading.

Books finished this week: 1

~

Books added to my collection:

Light Beneath Ferns | Anne Spollen
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender | Leslye Walton

When I was sick earlier this week, I just really wanted an atmospheric paranormal-esque contemporary to dive into, but I couldn't find anything on my shelves or on Scribd. So I've now rectified that with these two. Ava Lavender I've wanted for a while, and sounds exactly what I'm after (though was quite expensive). And the other I hope will be haunting and eerie and really good (it was quite cheap so I'm hoping for a gem here).

If you know of any other books similar to these (especially which deal with ghosts or death in some way) or like The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson, my favourite contemporary, please recommend them.


Boy Nobody | Allen Zadoff

I also bought this because it was less than £3 which is ridiculous. I've been keeping an eye on it for a while.

22 June 2014

Madly, Deeply (ARC Review)


Madly, Deeply | Erica Crouch
Published by: Patchwork Press, June 17th 2014
Genre: Gothic, Romance
Pages: 182
Format: Ebook
Source: Patchwork Press, via Netgalley

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea...

Annaleigh Wells and William Calloway had a love even the angels envied. It was as if the universe spun them toward one another, like the stars crafted their souls to fit perfectly together.

With a wedding on the horizon, fate had a change of heart. Whispered warnings from phantoms and morbid nightmares darkened every night—but even visions of the future couldn’t save Annaleigh.

Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem Annabel Lee, Crouch’s period romance Madly, Deeply tells the tale of love so great, it cannot be contained in just one life.


Madly, Deeply tells the story of Annaleigh and William, childhood sweethearts whose love is emotional, moving, and doomed. It's based on Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe and is as eerie and wondrously gothic as you'd expect.

I loved the atmosphere and the anticipatory tension Erica Crouch set up, how it built and built, the sense that something was very wrong. There's a great unease in this book, and it was that, coupled with the aching loveliness of the romance and the lyrical quality of the writing, that made this book something special.

I've been searching for a book like this for so long, and I'm very happy to have found Madly, Deeply. The story itself is sadness from beginning to end, the setting and world building subtle and vivid, and the characters so easy to love that you feel their pain along with them.

I didn't enjoy the end as much as the rest of the book. I found I was more invested in Annaleigh and William's relationship,  than in William's recovery ad acceptance. I was hoping, right up to the end, for a conventional happy ending, which was dumb on my part, especially since this book is based on Poe. But I enjoyed the story overall.

This book is a powerful love story sure to haunt every reader.

Characters ★
Setting/world building ★
Writing Style ★★