The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Curse
Edited by: Marie Rutkoski
Pages: 355
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

My Rating:✰✰✰✰✰

 My overall thought for his book:

This book was incredible and I really enjoyed reading this book. Although it is fantasy, there was no magic and was not hard to follow. The writing was beautiful and the plot flowed all together.
The story follows a girl named Kestrel who is the daughter of a general, and one day, she buys a slave at an auction named Arin because of the fact that he sings perhaps. In this world, there are Valorians and Herrani and the Herrnai are slaves because from a lost war. The characters in this book are very different and felt very complex which was great. The relationships and development was present. The book was interesting from the start all the way through to the end. It was not slow at all.

I do recommend this book! I am very happy that I picked it up!

 Now, onto the spoiler part of this review:

This book had quite a few political aspects which I did not find boring surprisingly. Learning about the past war and the potential causes of another one were great. The world building was great and it seemed like a real functioning world. Reading about the game Bite and Sting and how it was constantly brought up in comparison for strategic planning was great.

I loved the characters! I really thought that Kestrel was such a strong and great protagonist. I could relate to her some ways and was really fond of her character. I also did love Arin and how the two interacted with each other and how their friendship development. I loved how at first we don't know much about him but his character gets revealed more. I also loved how smart the characters are and how the two played each other quite well. I loved the constant denial between them as far as how they truly felt for each other. It was as if they couldn't believe they falling for the other kind! The small things that happened between them were the best. Like when they play Bite and Sting together, when she plays her piano for him, when he braids her hair...

There was also the theme of power and pride. I found it very interesting how by the end of the book, the roles of Arin and Kestrel switched where she was practically his slave. The climax was definitely where the Herranni succeeded in poisoning and the Valorians and getting control. I wasn't sure how to feel since I was on both sides. Past that climax I had no idea what was going to happen and what was going to happen once Kestrel was held by the Heranni.

The saddest part of this book was when Arin let her go. It made me feel so sad, sad enough to cry (but I didn't because I never do) and I understood yet didn't understand.

In some ways I guess that this is a forbidden love but it didn't feel like that. The slow relationship made it more emotional and I can't wait for these two to be together. (married maybe? by the end of the trilogy? PLEASE)

I HATE endings that are like this because Kestrel is marrying the heir of the emperor. NO. She took such a big sacrifice for the sake of Arin and his people. The two were saving each other without directly knowing it. But now the Herrani have their freedom.

One of my favorite things is when the book has the explanation for the title. It was here in this book and it made me so happy!

I cannot wait for the sequel to come and hopefully, things will go well.

My Top 5 Most Anticipated Books of 2015

2015 is just around the corner! There are many great new books coming out, I decided to list my top 5! :

5. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

February 10th, 2015

 
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

So many people are excited for this book, including me! Now since this is the first book of a new series, I do not know if I will be reading this right away. But I love books that have to do with royalty and wars.

4. The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi

 Release Date: June 16th, 2015

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

First off, the title intrigued me, as well as the cover. After reading the synopsis, I knew that this was going to be on this list. I cannot wait for this one!


3. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

Release Date: March 10th, 2015

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows is one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read fantasy from her! The cover is gorgeous and once again, I love royalty.

 2. Legend : Graphic Novel by Marie Lu

Release Date: April 28th, 2014

Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a military prodigy. Born into the slums of the Republic’s Lake Sector, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives are not as sinister as they often they seem. One day June’s brother is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Now, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June tries desperately to avenge her brother’s death. And the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together and the lengths their country will go to in order to keep its secrets.

When I found out that Legend was going to become a graphic novel, I nearly peed. I normally don't read graphic novels, but I will be getting my hands on this as fast as I can. Legend is one of my favorite books ever and it's so fast paced and action packed, this graphic novel is going to be awesome!

1. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: March 10th,2015

 Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

Vanishing Girls is by #1 most anticipated book of 2015. Lauren Oliver is an auto-buy author for me, meaning I'll buy whatever she writes. She is one of my favorite authors ever and is an incredible writer and her books have a special place in my heart. I was already so excited for this book after hearing the title, but then I learned that E. Lockhart blurbed it! I want and need this book now!

Top Ten Tuesday: Goals and Resolutions

Creators: http://www.brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html

So I've decided to start during Top Ten Tuesday! I've always loved the idea of this and am happy that I will be actually doing them!
This Tuesday's theme is top ten goals and resolutions for the new year! I'll be saying my bookish goals. (I only have 8)

1. Read at least 75 books

Last year I only ready 16 books which is unbelievable and so far this year, I've read 69. My goal for next year is to read 75 :)

2. Be more active with blogging

I want to blog more and do more posts and follow more people and get into this community more!

3. Keep writing!

For those of you who don't know, I write! I want to write almost everyday next year and get better at it.

4. Read everyday

This might seem like a simple goal but it's an important one. I want to be able to set aside time everyday to read for at least 30 minutes.

5. Read books that I own

I have accumulate books over this year and I want to have all of them read!

6. Read the Harry Potter series

I want to be able to marathon the books and the movies and understand what the hype and love is all about! This is one of the goals that is mandatory for me!

7. Go on the internet less

I spend way to much time on social media and the internet and this is because of booktubing and twitter. I want to put a limit to that and spend more time actually reading!

8. Only buy books I really want

I don't want to be wanting to buy books just because they are cheap. I only want to limit my buying on really wanted books.

I am very excited for the new year and hope that it will be filled with great books!

My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins.

Title: My True Love Gave to Me
Edited by: Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 320

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins.

My Rating:✰✰✰✰1/2

Overall, this whole book was very cute and I really did love a lot of the stories. Most of them were easy to read and this got me in a holiday mood.

1. Midnights by Rainbow Rowell

Loved this story so much. Rainbow Rowell is the best contemporary writer hands down and was able to make me feel so happy with just a few pages. Noel and Mags story is adorable and I love how they have their "anniversary" of meeting each other on New Years Eve.

2. Fox by Kelly Link

This story was different and a little trippy with Fenny being here and disappearing. I did like the story of the Honeywells and how Miranda celebrates Christmas with them. The Lady was strange though.

3. Angels in the Snow Matt de la Pena

I really liked this story and its uniqueness. The main character can't afford food and is starving most of the time which makes you realize how grateful you are. Haley's nice and so is Shy.

4. Polaris is Where you'll Find Me by Jenny Han

This was short, simple, and sweet. Love the different story location in North Pole and how Natalie was Asian. I also like how this one different really have much love, but more of character background and story. This would be interesting as a whole book.

5. It's Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins

This is my favorite story out of the whole book! Stephanie Perkins is truly amazing. North and Marigold are so cute and I love their relationship! North is so kind with helping Marigold and the two of them are meant to be! Loved it!

6.Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan

David Levithan is great because he recognizes the diversity that's in the world today.

7.Krampuslauf by Holly Black

I was a little scared before reading this one since one of my least favorite books was by Holly Black, but I really liked this story. I loved the magic elements and the characters and the party! Yes! I appreciate great parties like that so much. This story would be a great book I would think!

8. What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth by Gayle Forman

I really do love stories that take place during college do some reason.

9.Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra Mcentire

This one was very sweet and I loved how there was a play! Also, I liked how the main character was a pranker!

10.Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White

Wow, this one was so good! I loved it! I loved the idea of the diner and the area called Christmas! Ben and Maria are so cute together! I also love all of the side characters, even Candy, Angel, and everyone else! This story was able to feel like a whole book and it made me extremely happy. I got all warm!

11. Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter

Unfortunately, I did not like this story that much. It was un realistic in my opinion and I think that the author tried to fit in too much into one short story.

12. The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

I didn't like this one much either since it was pretty confusing.

To see my star ratings of each story see my goodreads review here:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1039338631

12 Days of Christmas Book Tag

Original video/ Creator : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNSxkWC0cK8
 
Hey guys! So since Christmas is tomorrow, I wanted to do a holiday tag and really liked this one! Let's just get started!

1. A Partridge in a pear tree: Favorite Stand-Alone Book?
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
There are many others but this one is just really sticking to me.

2. Two Turtle Doves: Fictional OTP/Favorite Ship?
Chaolaena and Fourtris (but there are also so much more..)

3.Three French Hens: Favorite Trilogy?
Divergent Trilogy (duh)

4. Four Calling Birds: Favorite Fictional Beast/Creature?
 I don't have one.

5. Five Golden Rings: Show 5 Golden Books
 I can't think of five, but here's one:

6. Six Geese a Laying: Rotten egg- What's your least favorite book?
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.

Vampires are not my thing.

7. Seven Swans a Swimming: Show a Book with Water on the Cover

(The water is a representation of my tears)

8. Eight Maids a Milking: What fictional food do you wish you could taste?

This might sound weird, but Strawberry Hill Wine from Looking for Alaska.

9. Nine Ladies Dancing: Favorite dance between two characters?

Ana and Dossam at the masquerade ball from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows. The scene was perfection.

10. Ten Lords a Leaping: Favorite Book-To-Movie-Adaptation?

11. Eleven Pipers Piping: Favorite Book-To-Movie-Adaptation Soundtrack?
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The music was beautiful.

12. Twelve Drummers Drumming: It's the end of the song; what's your favorite book ending?
The ending of Landline by Rainbow Rowell couldn't have been better.

 

 

So that's it for this tag! I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Bedtime Book Tag!

Thank you to Carina from My Addiction Books for tagging me to do the Bedtime Book Tag!

1. Books that kept you up all night reading?

Landline by Rainbow Rowell. It was so good!

2. Book that made you scared to go to sleep?

I am a chicken and stay away from anything that would make me scared. I did read Famous Last Words by Katie Alender that had to do with ghosts and murder so I didn't read that around night.

 

 

3. Book that made you go to sleep?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. This was a while ago but I remember struggling to finish it.

4. Book that left you tossing and turning all night in anticipation of its release?

I usually don't immediately buy a new release and read them right away, so I don't have an answer for this one.

5. Book that has your dream boyfriend?
Tobias Eaton from Divergent and Levi Stewart from Fangirl.

6. Book that would be your worst nightmare to live in?

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey because any type of an apocalypse creeps me out.

 

7. Book that reminds you of the nighttime?

The cover of Love Letters to the Dead is very pretty and very night-like.

 

8. Book that has a nightmarish cliffhanger?

I haven't read many books with cliffhangers, but I remember the ending of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver really got me, although it wasn't nightmarish.

 

9. Book that you actually dreamed about?

Across the Universe by Beth Revis. It's an amazing book.
 

10. Book monster that you would not want to find under your bed?

The Mutts from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. They scare me.

 

 

The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood (Born Wicked, Star Cursed, Sisters' Fate)

For a non spoiler review, this visit my goodreads page. I will be discussing spoilers without warnings.

 

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Pages: 330

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

 My Rating:✰✰✰✰

This was my first witch book I've ever read and I found it very interesting and different. The story follows our main protagonist, Cate Cahill, who has a secret that she and her sisters are witches. Since her mother passed away, she has been the one protecting her younger sisters and has been very strict with it. But things stirs up as she discovers her mother's diary and the prophecy that strongly fits her and her sisters, and especially when she learns more about witchery.

I really liked Cate as a character because she was strong, but not in physical terms. She has been trying to hide the witchery in her as much as she can and has been trying to protect her sisters by doing so.

This society was very different and I could imagine it in my mind, a place in the 1890s where women had few privileges and had to marry, or offer themselves up to the Sisterhood. The writing was a mix of modern and historical which I liked.

I really appreciated the importance of sister relationships in this book. I really liked Tess and her sweetness and easiness, unlike Maura who I found quite irritating at times. She was stubborn when Cate tried to tell her about Elena. Elena somehow felt very malevolent to me and, like Cate, I wasn't too fond of her.

I didn't hate Paul, but I didn't love him either. Same goes for Finn although I prefer him more. I wouldn't call in a love triangle since it was pretty obvious that she was going to pick Finn. I felt that Finn and Cate didn't really know each other that well for them to say "I love you" pretty easily. Finn was sweet and I loved how nerdy he was in some ways, but it seemed very stereotypical for Cate not to see him in awhile and suddenly, now, he's handsome. But I think I will grow more fond of him in the next books. Everything felt a little too instantaneous.

The ending was a little bit sad, but I know that Cate and Finn will find their way back together again.

When I first begun reading this, I was slightly confused but most things cleared up as I went. This book wasn't fast paced or had action in it, but it was still enjoyable and had obstacles on its own. I somehow feel like this book was like a set up for the next two coming out.

Title: Star Cursed
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Pages: 384

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

 My Rating:✰✰✰✰

Star Cursed starts when Cate is in New London as a Sister. She at first has trouble making friends, but eventually she does. Something that I found difficult in this book and the first one was all of the names. There was a lot of characters and a lot of times I couldn't quite remember who was who and who did what.

The Sisters believe that Cate is the prophesied one and Cate feels as if everyone is waiting for her to get visions. Meanwhile, Brenna is in Harwood where they are torturing her to get information about the new oracle who is actually Tess.

I really like Tess and her relationship with Cate. But I do feel like Cate sometimes thinks that she is too young although she seems capable to do some things on her own.

Maura was more worse in this book than the first. She still claims to be the prophesied one and she wants to lead the Sisterhood. Maura was so difficult and irritating. She practiced magic on her friends and almost pushed Tess into a river. What she did to Finn in the ending was the worse though. If I were Cate, I would kill her.

I liked majority of the other characters besides Maura and Sister Inez because of her strong want for war. Cora's death didn't really affect me at all since it was so obvious. The other Sisters were nice although I don't remember most of their names. I'm also really happy that Sachi was rescued as well as the others.

Majority of this book was slow and a lot of build up to the end where most of the Sisters try to break the girls out of Harwood. It works but results in Zara, Cate's godmother, dying. It was very sad that we didn't get to her that well but it was reasonable since it seemed like so far this book has no deaths.

 

Title: Sisters' Fate
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Pages: 368

A fever ravages New London, but with the Brotherhood sending suspected witches straight to the gallows, the Sisters are powerless against the disease. They can’t help without revealing their powers—as Cate learns when a potent display of magic turns her into the most wanted witch in all of New England.

To make matters worse, Cate has been erased from the memory of her beloved Finn. While she’s torn between protecting him from further attacks and encouraging him to fall for her all over again, she’s certain she can never forgive Maura’s betrayal. And now that Tess’s visions have taken a deadly turn, the prophecy that one Cahill sister will murder another looms ever closer to its fulfillment.

My Rating:✰✰✰✰

After a while, I finally was able to pick this book up and read it. Overall, I did enjoy it. The writing was quality and the story was good. It was hard to rate this book since I didn't love it,  but I thought that it was pretty good.

This one was about the witches finally trying to prove something to the people and show them how helpful they are.

Cate finally adapts to how she must live and work now. Tess is the new oracle and see visions like how Brenna did. I was quite sad that she died.

Having Finn not remember Cate did bother me and made me dislike Maura. Maura's death left me in sadness surprisingly. Although I did not like her, I didn't want her to have to die to become good.

Inez became more of an enemy in this book as well as the Brotherhood. O'Shea died which was nice.
I think that the fever was kind of pointless but saw how it was just another way for the witches to look good.

But I did like the action present. As for my first ever witch series, I did like it.