Stacking the Shelves #41 - The One With A Lot Books, After A Lot Of Time!

Hello Everyone!

I've been struggling to keep my head up above the never ending piles of college work (and part-time/ freelance work work) and I feel like I've neglected my blog a little. Please know that all of you lovelies reading this are SO SO important to me, and I try to blog/ or read to blog about something any chance I get!

I got a few pieces of bookmail in the last month, since my last #StackingTheShelves and I thought I'd quickly do up a post!

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at Tyga's Reviews and is all about the books you buy and receive for your shelf over a week!

FROM HARPERCOLLINS INDIA:

1. Lifelike by Jay Kristoff: Jay Kristoff is one of my absolute favourite authors and I am SO EXCITED for Lifelike! I'm actually honestly a little scared to dive in, because I'm extremely familiar with Jay's love for torturing characters, but this has been one of my anticipated reads of the year and I can't wait to dive in. ALSO, THE UK COVER IS LIFE. 

2. The Book of M by Peng Sheperd: Although I've heard that this is a slow paced book, it has CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. Not only does it look gorgeous, but the story sounds stunning and I can't wait to pick up this blue and pink monster. This is also a DEBUT novel that's been making some noise and I can't wait to see what it has in store for me!

3. These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch: I only read the first book of Sara Raasch's previous trilogy, and I honestly didn't like it enough to continue. The world building confused me, but I am very excited for this new trilogy. I think it's about pirates, but at this time, I honestly couldn't tell you. This came to me as a complete surprise and I can't wait to dive in!

4. Hold by Michael Donkor: Here is a part of the blurb: "Moving between Ghana and London, Hold is an intimate, moving, powerful coming-of-age novel. It’s a story of friendship and family, shame and forgiveness; of learning what we should cling to, and when we need to let go." and it sounds ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. I am really looking forward to reading this one.

FROM PENGUIN INDIA: 

1. Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen: I DID NOT EXPECT TO GET THIS IN THE MAIL, but it showed up and I was ABSOLUTELY OVERJOYED. There's just something magical about holding a book you've been waiting for for MONTHS in your hands, that's different from having the e-version of it, and I picked this book up almost immediately. I'm in shock and awe of Scott Rankin's brilliant writing and plot development and character and world building and I can't wait for the final book in this trilogy where I'm sure I'll sob my eyes out. READ MY REVIEW HERE:

2. Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli: A FAT GIRL AS A PROTAGONIST? I don't need to know more about the story - I'm already in. I absolutely loved the Love Simon movie, even though I haven't read the book (don't hate me) but I am EVEN MORE EXCITED FOR LEAH. I loved Upside of Unrequited and I can't wait to dive into this one. 

FROM ONEWORLD PUBLICATIONS:

1. Fight Like A Girl by Clementine Ford: I don't typically read non-fiction, but this highly praised FEMINIST MANIFESTO caught my eye, and now it's sitting on my TBR pile, all thanks to Oneworld Publications pure awesomeness. I honestly cannot wait to dive into this book, and I sincerely hope it blows my mind. 

FROM SCHOLASTIC INDIA: 

1. Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar: I honestly just got this book yesterday, and I hope to pick it up something this week. It sounds quite stunning:

In 1942, when Mahatma Gandhi asks Indians to give one family member to the freedom movement, ten-year-old Anjali is devastated to think of her father risking his life for the freedom struggle.
But it turns out he isn't the one joining. Anjali's mother is. And with this change comes many more adjustments designed to improve their country and use "ahimsa"—non-violent resistance—to stand up to the British government. First the family must trade in their fine foreign-made clothes for homespun cotton, so Anjali has to give up her prettiest belongings. Then her mother decides to reach out to the Dalit community, the "untouchables" of society. Anjali is forced to get over her past prejudices as her family becomes increasingly involved in the movement.
When Anjali's mother is jailed, Anjali must step out of her comfort zone to take over her mother's work, ensuring that her little part of the independence movement is completed.
Inspired by her great-grandmother's experience working with Gandhi, New Visions Award winner Supriya Kelkar shines a light on the Indian freedom movement in this poignant debut. 

What books have you stacked onto your shelves over the last week

Have you read any of my new books/ are you excited for any of them?

I'd ABSOLUTELY love to hear from you!

BLOG TOUR: Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

Hello Everyone, and welcome to my tour stop on the 

Star-Touched Stories Blog Tour by Roshani Chokshi!

It is indeed an honour to be a part of this blog tour for an author I admire, and for a collection of short stories that stole my heart. Let's begin!

Title: Star-Touched Stories (The Star Touched Queen #2.5)

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Publication Date: August 7th 2018

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2.5 of the Star Touched Series

I Got A Copy Through: Wednesday Books via NetGalley

Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Three lush and adventurous stories in the Star-Touched world.
Death and Night
He was Lord of Death, cursed never to love. She was Night incarnate, destined to stay alone. After a chance meeting, they wonder if, perhaps, they could be meant for more. But danger crouches in their paths, and the choices they make will set them on a journey that will span lifetimes. 
Poison and Gold
Now that her wish for a choice has come true, Aasha struggles to control her powers. But when an opportunity to help Queen Gauri and King Vikram's new reign presents itself, she is thrown into the path of the fearsome yet enchanting Spy Mistress. To help her friends, Aasha will have to battle her insecurities and perhaps, along the way, find love. 
Rose and Sword
There is a tale whispered in the dark of the Empire of Bharat-Jain. A tale of a bride who loses her bridegroom on the eve of her wedding. But is it a tale or a truth? 

I am A HUGE FAN of Roshani Chokshi’s absolutely breath-taking writing style, and I have been since I read The Star Touched Queen, more than two years ago. I don’t usually describe writing like this, but if you’ve ready any of Roshani’s books, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

In fact, it was so good, that this short story collection didn’t even feel like one. I was immersed, spell bound and Star Touched Stories is one of my FAVOURITE reads of the year and also, probably the BEST short story collections I’ve ever read.

I’ll review the three short stories separately:

Death and Night:

This was probably the story I was MOST excited for. I loved the PLOT behind book one, The Star Touched Queen, but somewhere in the middle, the story lost structure. Death and Night is the story of how Maya and Amar met for the first time, before the Shadow Wife’s curse and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Where The Star Touched Queen was tortured and lacking structure, Death and Night was witty and filled with such beautiful lines and AAAH I LOVED IT!

Poison and Gold:

Truth be told, that while A Crown of Wishes is one of my FAVOURITE books and Vikram and Gauri are one of my favourite desi couples, I didn’t care much for Aasha, who debuted in Vikram and Gauri’s books. Poison and Gold is about Aasha’s story after A Crown of Wishes, and while it was nice, and I LOVED THE LGBT REPRESENTATION, I just wasn’t as into this story as I was with the other two.

Rose and Sword:

I honestly didn’t know what this story was about, before I started reading it.

And when I found out, MY TINY HEART FREAKED OUT BECAUSE OH. MY. GOD.

I honestly didn’t expect to see this plot twist that was hinted at in The Star Touched Queen, about a character I fell in love with in A Crown of Wishes, but this story, YOU GUYS, THIS STORY WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I’VE EVER READ AND IT WAS JUST SO GLORIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL AND IT ALMOST BROKE MY HEART.

With the small short story, (and I don’t even LIKE most short stories) Roshani Chokshi’s characters have permanently cemented themselves in my heart and I AM JUST SO HAPPY AT THIS MOMENT.

Would I recommend this book? YES, but only after you’ve already read The Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. ESPECIALLY A Crown of Wishes. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen and A CROWN OF WISHES. Her middle grade debut, ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME, released April 3, 2018 from Disney/Rick Riordan Presents. Her next young adult novel, THE GILDED WOLVES, is slated for Winter 2019. Chokshi's work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. She was a finalist in the 2016 Andre Norton Award and the Locus Top Ten for Best First Novel. Her short story, "The Star Maiden," was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award.

Have you read any of Roshani Chokshi's books? What do you think of them?

Who do you like better - Maya and Amar or Gauri and Vikram?

I'd absolutely love to hear from you (and what you thought about the creatives I made above!)

Dark and Magical, But It Didn't Live Up To The Hype // REVIEW: Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Title: Furyborn (Empirium #1)
Author: Claire Legrand
Publication Date: May 22nd 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 on 3 of the Empirium Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: Sourcebooks via NetGalley + I BOUGHT ONE!
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.
When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.
A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.
As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.

Furyborn was surrounded by ALL THE HYPE for MONTHS before it released. It was EVERYWHERE, and as a huge YA Fan, I knew I would have to read it, sooner rather than later.

Furyborn was essentially:

1)      A magnificent tale told across two millennia by two young girls

2)      One lives in a land surrounded my magic, and the other in a land where magic is a fairy-tale of the past and all they know is the Empire that conquers all

3)      One of these girls is an assassin and one is a temple acolyte

4)      A story surrounding a prophecy about these two girls – a Sun Queen and a Blood Queen, one with the power to destroy the world and the other with the power to save it.

5)      It has kingdoms, swoony princes, power, magical trials, angels and it’s just SUCH A GORGEOUS BOOK TO OWN!

MY THOUGHTS:

1)      I expected a LOT going into this book. A majority of the early reviews I read RAVED about this book, and I was very hopeful that I had found the NEXT THING I WOULD FALL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH. Now, as I sit at the end of Furyborn, I find that while I ENJOYED it, for the most part, this story was predictable and kind of MEH, except for ONE TWIST on page 343.

2)      If I had to choose between Rielle and Eliana, I would definitely choose Rielle’s story. They were both a little predictable, but I definitely loved Rielle’s dark and twisty viewpoint better!

3)      Furyborn was QUITE a long book. I feel like a lot of it was running around, especially in Eliana’s story when she kept travelling from place X to place Y, and not much happened that we DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW?

4)      I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Audric and Rielle together, with their forbidden, best-friend romance.

Honestly, I liked Furyborn, but I didn’t fall in love with it. There was a lot of hype around it, and it just didn’t live up to all that hype for me. A 3.5 star novel, but I hope I will continue on with the series!

Claire Legrand used to be a musician until she realized she couldn't stop thinking about the stories in her head. A native Texan, she is now a writer and librarian living in central New Jersey.

Her first novel is THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2012. She is also the author of THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, a ghost story for middle grade readers, WINTERSPELL, a young adult re-telling of The Nutcracker, and SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS, a middle grade story about mental illness, family secrets, and the power of storytelling. SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS is a 2017 Edgar Award nominee and one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2016. Her latest novel, FOXHEART, is a fast-paced fantasy-adventure and a 2016 Junior Library Guild selection. She is also one of the four authors behind THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, an anthology of dark middle grade short fiction that was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Bank Street Best Book, and among the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2014. 

Coming up for Claire is FURYBORN, the first book in the Empirium trilogy, due out May 22, 2018, followed by SAWKILL GIRLS in fall 2018, and THORNLIGHT, a companion novel to FOXHEART, coming in winter 2019.

Visit Claire at claire-legrand.com and at enterthecabinet.com.

Have you read Furyborn or any other of Claire Legrand's books? What did you think of them?

What are some of your FAVOURITE YA Fantasy novels that you've read recently?

I'm always looking for more recommendations!

 

An Expectation Defying, Refreshingly Magical Story // ARC Review: Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd

Title: Grim Lovelies
Author: Megan Shepherd
Publication Date: October 2nd 2018
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 on 2 of the GrimLoveliesDuology
I Got A Copy Through: HMH Teen (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo ||

Blurb Description: Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood—and Anouk is accused of the crime.
Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known…but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.
From New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd, Grim Lovelies is an epic and glittering YA fantasy. Prepare to be spellbound by the world of Grim Lovelies, where secrets have been long buried, friends can become enemies, and everything—especially humanity—comes at a price.

IN A NUTSHELL: Grim Lovelies DEFIED my every expectation by creating an intricate world filled with Magic and its consequences, well buried secrets, an unusual family, love, betrayal, murder, technology and power and it was SUCH a joy to read.

Truth be told, I didn’t know what to expect, going into Grim Lovelies. It was my first book my Megan Shepherd, and while the cover was STUNNING, the description made it sound like there was a lot going on, and I didn’t know if all these elements would work together to form a good book.

And yet, somehow, it WORKED. The magic, the vitae echo, the Haute, the beasties, witches, goblins, pretties and the Whispers – it all just came together in the wondrous 300+ page book and I AM DYING TO GET MY HANDS ON THE SEQUEL, and this book hasn’t even released yet.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THAT COVER? The designer in me is freaking out, turning it under different light angles and just MARVELLING at it. SO SO PRETTY.

2.       This book started off, as almost all books do, rather slowly. It took me a while to get into in, as well as remember who all the characters were, but suddenly, after a certain death that the blurb promises, things got VERY VERY interesting.

3.       As I always say, give me the worst character in the book, and I’ll probably fall in love with him. The same went for Prince Rennar in this book, ruler of the Haute (the magical order) Although we saw him in a grand total of three scenes of this book, he and his dark and twisty and morally grey logic and I fell for him. Whoops?

4.       I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE DESCRIPTIONS OF PARIS. Two of my closest friends just spent a semester there, and I’ve heard so much about the place, I practically felt like I was at home through Anouk’s descriptions as she was out in Paris for the first time.

5.       Which brings me to HOW MUCH I LOVED ANOUK. She was this loyal, trusting skilled witch filled with courage and love for her family and she is basically one of the BEST new protagonists I’ve seen in a while!

6.       I also loved the rest of the Beasties. I feel like we didn’t see enough of Luc and Hunter Black for me to really fall for them, but I LOVED Beau and Cricket. I loved how they each embedded their own animal traits and still found a way to be a human family.

7.       Grim Lovelies was enchanting also strangely funny. I loved the dark magic, and the Marble Ladies and the vitae echo, but there were also love spells, magic gargoyles and enchanted bears named Toblerone. There was politics, power games, magic castles whose layouts change on the hour, dark Princes, familial elements and really, HOW CAN YOU ASK FOR MORE IN A BOOK?

I basically fell in love with this book. It was everything I didn’t expect and I can’t recommend it enough.

New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of several young adult and middle grade novels. She now lives and writes on a 125-year-old farm outside Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, two cats, and an especially scruffy dog.

What was the last book you read that completely blew your expectations?

Have you read any titles from Megan Shepherd? What did you think of them?

I would absolutely love to hear from you!

 

A Short Sojourn Back to the Night Court // REVIEW: A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight
Author: Sarah J Maas
Publication Date: May 8th 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3.1 of the A Court of Thorns and Roses Series
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: The Winter Solstice. In a week. I was still new enough to being High Lady that I had no idea what my formal role was to be. If we'd have a High Priestess do some odious ceremony, as lanthe had done the year before A year. Gods, nearly a year since Rhys had called in his bargain, desperate to get me away from the poison of the Spring Court to save me from my despair. Had he been only a minute later, the Mother knew what would have happened. Where I'd now be. Snow swirled and eddied in the garden, catching in the brown fibers of the burlap covering the shrubs My mate who had worked so hard and so selflessly, all without hope that I would ever be with him We had both fought for that love, bled for it. Rhys had died for it.

Honestly, I went into this book with no expectations. I heard a lot of NOT SO GREAT things from some VERY trusted people, not to mention my own disappointment at A Court of Wings and Ruin and, well, I didn’t expect much but simply HAD to read it anyway because of my IMMENSE love for book two, A Court of Mist and Fury. (Which was really one of the BEST books ever and I am still not over it)

A Court of Frost and Starlight started off rather… strangely. I’m quite used to this story having been told from Feyre’s point of view and it threw me when we ALSO got Rhysand, Mor, Nesta and Cassian narrating Sarah J Maas’ SMALLEST book to date. What I’m basically trying to say is, I had a little bit of an adjusting period.

Let’s break it down:

1.       If you know me, I’m not a huge fan of novellas or short stories. Whenever I read them, I always feel like the second I get invested, the story is over. POOF. HEART=BROKEN. And so use the word ‘novella,’ and I’m already a little suspicious about the book’s intentions for my heart.

2.       EVEN THEN, Novella or full length novel, an essential element for books (for me) is PLOT. BOOKS HAVE TO HAVE A PLOT, OKAY? A Court of Frost and Starlight was a bridge book between the old series and the spin-off series, it didn’t really have a SOLID PLOT, or any real reason that the events of this book couldn’t have been clubbed into the next one VERY EASILY.

3.       Really, this book was mostly (rather graphic) sex scenes, the “sizable” coffers of the Night Court, a lot of gift exchanging and some ominous foreshadowing for the next book.

4.       MIND YOU, I’M NOT SAYING I DIDN’T LIKE IT, (There was a LOT I LIKED, and I’ll get to that below) BUT I WISH A Court of Frost and Starlight had been MORE by itself, or had just been combined into the NEXT BIG NOVEL.

5.       There were a lot of things I really liked, including:

-          Feyre and Cassian’s drunk decorating (And Azriel trying to clean up their mess)

-          Cassian’s Point of View (WHO KNEW THIS DARK SMOL ILLYRIAN WAS SO PRECIOUS?)

-          The Inner Circle just hanging out and being themselves

-          The ‘everyday’ tasks post war – I actually really appreciated that his book dealt with the day to day tasks of ruling and rebuilding to some extent, because I feel like it’s almost always glossed over in fantasy novels

-          I… like Nesta better? I didn’t think it was possible, but I suddenly do. I’m quite excited to see where the next book takes me.

I guess, all in all, I’d recommend this only to someone who is ALREADY a HUGE fan of the series. It didn’t really have a plot, and was a filler novella, but if you enjoy the antics of the Night Court/ Inner Circle and just want to check in on your favourite characters, this could be this book for you.

I’ll just leave you with: ‘To the stars that wish, and the dreams that are answered.’

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series as well as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (out 5/5/15).

Sarah lives in Bucks County, PA, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much tea, and watches an ungodly amount of TV. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the historic and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with her husband and canine companion.

Have you read any Sarah J Maas books? What do you think of them, and WHO is your favourite character?
Have you read ACOFAS? What did you think of it?