Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger

Title: Waistcoats & Weaponry
(Finishing School #3)
Author: Gail Carriger
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Steampunk
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thanks Little Brown!)
Read: November 2014

Class is back in session...Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style--with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. No one suspected what--or who--they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train. Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos and she must decide where her loyalties lie, once and for all.  Gather your poison, steel tipped quill, and the rest of your school supplies and join Mademoiselle Geraldine's proper young killing machines in the third rousing installment in the New York Times bestselling Finishing School Series by steampunk author, Gail Carriger. 

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***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.*** 

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

Title: Curtsies & Conspiracies 
(Finishing School #2)
Author: Gail Carriger
Length: 310 pages
Publisher: Little Brown
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Steampunk
Release Date: November 2013
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you Little Brown!)
Read: October/November 2014

Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests? Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners. Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card. In this bestselling sequel to New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail's distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season. (From NetGalley)

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***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*** 

***This book is part is part of a series, and so this review may include spoilers from previous books***

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Title: Etiquette & Espionage
(Finishing School #1)
Author: Gail Carriger
Length: 307 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Steampunk, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you Little Brown!)
Read: October 2014

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school. 

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***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Game by Barry Lyga

Title: Game (Jasper Dent #2)

Author: Barry Lyga

Length: 520 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Classification: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Release Date: April 16, 2013

Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you Little Brown!)

Read: September 2014

Billy grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.” I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent. In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz’s door asking for help, he can’t say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple–and its police force–running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer’s murderous game. 

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***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.*** 

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Title: I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Length: 359 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Classification: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Crime

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: e-galley (Via NetGalley)

Read: August 2014

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad? Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say. But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view. And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod. In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows? 

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***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

 Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
(Anna and the French Kiss #2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 338 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: July 2013 (reprint)
Source: Paperback
Read: August 2014

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 

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***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss 
(Anna and the French Kiss #1)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 372 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: August 4, 2011
(reprint)
Source: Paperback

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her  affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

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Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Title: Grave Mercy 

(His Fair Assassin #1)

Author: Robin LaFevers

Length: 576 pages

Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: e-book (purchased)

Read: July 2014

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? 

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July Highlights

July was a busy month for me. I spent most of my time with my family and didn't read as many books as I usually do. I also started some new TV shows and caught up on a couple that I have been behind on. But I have been feeling like I haven't been reading much. 

June Highlights

Oh my...it is hard for me to believe that June is already ending. Time just keeps moving by so quickly. I am happy with the amount of books I read this month. I knew that the amount of books would be dwindling some due to Cutie Pie being out of school. And summer vacation.

Mini Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Title: The Collector (Dante Walker #1)

Author: Victoria Scott

Length: 352 pages

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Release Date: April 2, 2013

Source: e-book 

Read: May 2014

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of Hell’s best — a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag. Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment: Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days. Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of Hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions long ago buried. 

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Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Length: 416 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins

Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: e-book

Read: March 2014

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.” With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her. 

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***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

April Highlights

Well, April went by really fast! And when I started to write this post I thought, "I really didn't read that much this month". But I was wrong. I read more books than I thought I did.

Books Read:

1. Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
2. Torn Away by Jennifer Brown
3. Dangerous by Shannon Hale
4. The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
5. Kitty Hawk and The Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading
6. Panic by Lauren Oliver
7. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
8. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
9. Wind and Shadow by Tori. L. Ridgewood

Challenge Updates:

2014 Series Challenge:

Complete Series = 3

Started 2 new series this month:

The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner and The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo

2014: Dystopia Challenge:

Completed = 13 books


13. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (My Review)

Other Highlights I'm Excited About:

• I was asked to review my first two books! (Kitty Hawk and The Curse of the Yukon Gold and Wind and Shadow)
• I participated in two ARC tours hosted by On The Same Page. It was awesome! I am so glad I was able to participate in these and I am working on my reviews for the books!
• I won a giveaway for an ARC of Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch!!!! So, so, so, excited! It got here and I just kept looking at the book. Holding it. My little Pooh Bear even hugged it. So I am REALLY looking forward to starting this book (it was killing me that I had so many books to finish first, I wanted to skip everything and dive into this one!) And then I can't wait to share my thoughts about it when I finish with all of you!

• I have been thinking of some things that I want to do on my blog. And have decided to start creating a new Which One? Poll for each month, and the polls will be open until the last day of month. The results will be posted on that day. I am really excited to be doing this! 
• I participated in a The Maze Runner read-a-long hosted by Cassi (My Thoughts...Literally!) So much fun! 

Some Personal Highlights

• Our dryer, washer, and lawn mower all decided to break this month. But my handy-man love, Leif, was able to fix both the dryer and the washer. (His first time for both!) And I am so proud. Now, if we could only figure out how to fix the lawn mower.
• I FINALLY got to watch the rest of Season 4 of Pretty Little Liars. I am addicted to this show. And now I don't have to worry about spoilers. And I can't wait until it starts airing again in June!

Things I Need to Improve

• I really need to improve actually writing my reviews. I have a notebook full of notes from books that I read in March and April. And I need to get the reviews written. 

How was your April? Get some more completed on your challenges? Participate in any read-a-longs? Any personal highlights you are proud or excited of? 

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner 
(Maze Runner #1)
Author: James Dashner
Length: 329 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (Random House)
Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Source: ebook (purchased)
Read: April 2014 *I read this book during a Read-a-long with some fellow blogger friends. Thank you Cassi (My Thoughts...Literally) for hosting!*

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying. 

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Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Title: Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2)
Author: Laini Taylor
Length: 513 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Source: Paperback *won a copy from GoodReads First Reads giveaway*
Read: March 2014

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is--and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream? 

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***I won a copy of this book from a  Goodreads First Reads giveaway. This does not change the way I view this book.***

***This is the second book in a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the first book, so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Unravel Me 
(Shatter Me #2)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Length: 480 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Source: e-book 
Read: March 2014

tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.
Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.
She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.
Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)
Author: Laini Taylor
Length: 418 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Source: Paperback 
Read: March 2014

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? 

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Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Title: Rebel Heart 
(Dust Lands #2)
Author: Moira Young
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian, Action and Adventure, Science Fiction
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Source: Hardback 
Read: January 2014

Saba thought her world would return to normal after they defeated the Tonton and rescued her kidnapped brother Lugh. The family head west for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But a formidable enemy is on the rise. What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? 

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***This is the second book in a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the first book, so if you haven't read Blood Red Road and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

2014 Series Challenge-March Progress Report

Read. Sleep. Repeat.'s Series Challenge

This month I was able to finish reading 1 series, which brings me up to 3 finished series this year. And I started a new series that I will also be able to finish this year. I am happy with the progress!

Books I read this month:

1. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi I don't think I liked this book as much as I enjoyed reading the first book. I was a little annoyed and frustrated with Juliette. But the ending did make me immediately start reading the last book. (My Review)

2. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi I liked this book a little more than the second book. But I also felt that Adam's character did a complete 180. I just felt like he wasn't really himself. And I also felt that the ending was rushed. (Review to come.)

3. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor I LOVE this book! So well written. I love the characters. Love the story. I am so glad that I read it! Definitely one that I will reread in the future! (My Review)

4. Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor Some books fall to the sequel problem where it isn't as good as the other book. But this is NOT one of those! I LOVE the story. This continuation of the story gave me so MANY emotions. I felt like I was on a roller coaster of emotions. I love the characters, and I am so invested in this story. I can't wait until the next book comes out. Lucky for me it isn't too much longer! (Review to come.)

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Title: Blood Red Road 
(Dust Lands #1)
Author: Moira Young
Length: 466 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian, Action and Adventure, Science Fiction
Release Date: June 7, 2011
Source: e-book 

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when four cloaked horsemen capture Lugh, Saba's world is shattered, and she embarks on a quest to get him back. Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the outside world, Saba discovers she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba’s unrelenting search for Lugh stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. 

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