Penguin Teen CA Social | Event Recap

Greetings readers!

I am so, so, so lucky that I found out about this event. I want to send a big shout out to my friend, Rezanne @TheWickedReader. If it hadn’t been for her, I would have never found out about this event and I love attending these socials with her, it’s so much fun!

I love a lot of publishing houses out there and I have begun to work with quite a few Canadian ones this year. Penguin Random House Canada is one of my favourites. They literally have the nicest employees (Whom I got to meet in person. Hi, Sam!) and they have so far granted all my requests 😭😭😭. I am sending them so much love!!!!!!

Penguin is home to some of my favourite authors and I was so excited to talk about their new titles which they are putting forth and some of the promos they are going to be having this summer and fall!

* I must first apologize, I totally forgot to take good pictures of this event. The office was set up beautifully and they had a lovely food & drink table, plus a photo wall! Alas, I didn’t take pictures and what I did take is not that great! >.< So sorry!

Getting ready to talk All The Books! Follow along using #penguinteensocial pic.twitter.com/6DkT71lLel

— Penguin Teen Canada (@PenguinTeenCa) May 22, 2018

Upcoming Titles I Am Stoked For!

The lovely panelists Vikki and Sam went through lots of titles that will be released by Penguin in the coming months. The books come from all different genres and I’m sure you’ll see quite a few you will want to pick up!

The ones I pick up the most are:

Summer 2018 Titles!

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson ~ May 8th, 2018
This title has actually already been released and you can get it now! It has lots of cool elements like Mexican brujas, zombies and ghosts!

Life L1k3 by Jay Kristoff ~ May 29th, 2018
This is the moment when Rezanne pleaded that I read it. Robots and androids. Colour me intrigued!

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma~ May 15th, 2018
This one sounds absolutely adorable and I’m really hoping I can pick it up!

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir ~ June 12th, 2018
Need I say more? Just read this series!!!!

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas ~ Aug 7th, 2018
I need to keep up my DC Icons collection!

  

Fall 2018 Titles:

Wildcard by Marie Lu ~ Sept 18th, 2018
Again NEED I SAY MORE????

Confessions of a Teenage Leper by Ashley Little ~ Sept 11th, 2018
A Mean Girls-esque book! SIGN ME UP.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White ~ Sept 25th, 2018
Sounds dark, twisty and wholly creepy. I’m ready.

Kingdom of a Blazing Pheonix by Julie C. Dao ~ Nov 6th, 2018
Sequel to the Evil Queen retelling, Forest of A Thousand Lanterns! I am so excited for it!

  

Middle Grade Titles

Clara Voyant by Rachelle Delaney ~ May 15th
I was sold as soon as I read the clever word play in the title!

All of Penguins Titles Coming Soon

Summer 2018:

• The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
• Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong 🍁
• The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland 🍁
• The Foreseeable Future by Emily Adrian
• Royals by Rachel Hawkins
• Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
• Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari 🍁
• Life L1k3 by Jay Kristoff
• The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold
• My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma
• The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones 🍁
• Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Fall 2018

• Juila Unbound by Catherine Egan 🍁
• Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
• Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
• Kens by Razial Reid 🍁
• Wildcard by Marie Lu
• Confessions of a Teenage Leper by Ashley Little
• Odd One Out  by Nic Stone
• The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
• A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs
• Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
• Otherearth by Jason Segel, Kirtin Miller
• Someday by David Levithan
• Kingdom of a Blazing Pheonix by Julie C. Dao

Middle Grade Reads

• No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen 🍁
• Clara Voyant by Rachelle Delaney 🍁

• The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond by Max Brallier

• Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier 🍁

Upcoming Penguin Campaigns!

#HerStoryTeen Campaign
Books about many historical women and girls and their trials of living in a man’s world.

This month we're celebrating the often untold stories of women in historical YA fiction. Join the conversation by following #HerStoryTeen pic.twitter.com/miSfnMJxrd

— Penguin Teen Canada (@PenguinTeenCa) May 5, 2018

#OneBloodySummer Campaign
Full of lots of chilling reads! Look out for creepy good content and giveaways coming from Penguin this summer!

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Author Q&A and Signing

Sandra Gulland, author of The Game of Hope, was present during the event. She along with her editor had a wonderful discussion about writing her new YA book and the challenges/triumphs of writing historical fiction.

Listening in on a Q&A with @Sandra_Gulland about her YA book The Game of Hope!! @PenguinTeenCa#penguinteensocial pic.twitter.com/r1aeVek3jf

— Rendz is on hiatus (@RwRendz) May 22, 2018

This discussion was followed by a signing! I was able to meet Sandra, who is a very lovely person and she handed out tarot-like cards which have a relation to the story. I got the moon card. It was a very romantic fortune and basically I’m waiting for a dashing man to show up any day now! Tick-tock!

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So what books did I get?

Well first of all there was a free ARC station where you could go grab something you liked!

I found an ARC of Royals by Rachel Hawkins and I was lucky enough to snatch an ARC of Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh! I now have both books in the series and I am ready to devour them!

       

Then Penguin was so kind as to hand us goody bags! In each bag came some bookmark swag and two more ARCs. I was fortunate to find ARCs of Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen and We Are All That’s Left by Carrie Arcos!

I am so excited to get to all of these books!

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Overall, I had an amazing time at this event. The snacks they had were delicious, the books we talked about sound amazing, the people were also very enthusiastic and kind! It was a room full of bookworms, I couldn’t have asked for a better night!

Let me know what you think! What Penguin titles are you looking forward to? Have you had the chance to read any of these books yet? Did you attend the event?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

The Ultimate Vacation Book Tag

Greetings readers!

Thank you to the lovely Angelica @ TheBookCoverGirls for tagging me in this super fun post! She has an amazing blog which I totally think you should check out! I love going on vacation (because I rarely do so it is always a gift!) I always take a book with me, though I usually don’t get through it because I’m to busy being touristy! Still, I always need to plan a read so this tag was super helpful!

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Rules

• Answer the questions below
• Tag 5 friends
• Link back to brookiecowles.com (the creator of the tag) in your post

Questions!

It’s the dead of winter and you are escaping to a tropical location. Hours in the sun with a book are on your “to-do” list. What book do you bring with you?

What book is not on my to-do list is the question.

Ummm…I would bring Heartless by Marissa Meyer (my Queen) with me. I read the ARC ages ago but I want to get into my finished copy and see the differences!

Also, I loved the story from just reading the ARC and I would not mind reading it again!

Otherwise, if I must bring a book I haven’t read, it would be Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh because I finally have it and I want to read it so badly!

You see the first signs of spring and your heart beats faster with the thought of warmer days. You are escaping for a nice cruise to herald in the warm weather. What book do you bring to accompany you on the decks of the ship?

Hmmmm a ship read. Definitely want to bring something pirate-y!

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller. I have heard only amazing things about this book. (Mostly from the Book Princess Mandy who had a whole pirate phase earlier this year 😉 ) I really want to read this book it sounds so adventurous and swoony.

A perfect deck read!

Summer has arrived! You spend your weekends camping in the mountains. Fresh air, trees, animals, and campfires keep you company on your outing. What book do you bring to read next to the sound of the flowing creek?

Summer is when I read contemporary, but the whole nature/woodlands setting is giving me major fantasy feels!

The Wondla Trilogy by Tony Deliwitzki
This is a middle grade fantasy, that I haven’t read, but my favourite BookTuber, Regan from PeruseProject read it and loved it. I read a lot of what she reads so I’ll take her word for it and try it out!

Fall is approaching. Nothing makes your happier than crunchy leaves turning red and orange and purple. You bring a book to the local park to read on a bench under the whispering trees. What book do you read?

Fall is my dystopia/sci-Fi season. Perhaps it is because everything dies and or is decaying during that time, but I am just in the mind set that I need to read something action-y, science-y and fun!

I would probably read the Legend series by Marie Lu

Despite the amount of heartbreak it would cause me, I am totally down to read this again! ALSO MARIE LU’S NEW NOVEL WARCROSS COMES OUT IN THE FALL, WHICH IS SCI-FI AND ACTION-Y AND I AM SURE ALL THINGS WONDERFUL!!

Christmas is in the air. Lights, and carolers, and shopping. You want to curl up next to the fireplace with a good book that reminds you of comfort. What do you curl up with?

Oooo a comforting book…Hmmmmm

Probably The Chronicles of Narnia! I need to read at least one of the books each year! I prefer to read all seven, all at once but a girl only has so much time. *sigh*

Anyways, Narnia is my perfect comfort read! It has all the action, adventure yet cute moments that make me reminisce about my childhood. PLUS  I’m always in the mood to watch the movies so why not have a book/movie marathon!

Winter lasts sooooo long. You need something to remind you that the sun will come out again. What book to you read to take you away on the vacation you wish you were going on?

Alright, so summer vacation = contemporary and because I have failed to list one in the past prompts I shall list one now!

Geekerella by Ashley Poshton or When Dimple Met Rishi by  Sandhya Menon

I know that these are both super cute and adorable reads and I really want to read them! They might not take place in a “summer-y” vacation setting, but the feels they would both give me is vacation enough!

I Tag…

Mandy @ Book Princess Reviews

Bella @ Bella Blogs Because Books

May @ Forever and Everly

Tiana @ The Book Raven

Nadwa @ Painfully Fictional

*You can totally skip this if you have done it before!*

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Alright that was fun! I hope you all enjoyed! Do certain seasons correspond to certain genres to you? Let me know in the comments!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

May Wrap Up/Haul and June TBR

Greetings readers!

May was one heck of a month, both in terms of reading and real-life. A lot of things happened this month, including a lot of reading do I am very happy with the amount of books I’ve read!

In terms of blogging, I got a fair amount of posts in there is still one thing that I am setting up, but it probably won’t get published until the summer! This summer is going to hopefully include a lot of blogging because I plan on reading A LOT.

In May I read:

Death and Night by Roshani Chokshi

This was a stunning novella and the perfect prequel to The Star-Touched Queen. If you want more from Maya and Amar you should definitely give this a read. My Full Review.

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

This was a fun and dramatic contemporary set in the Bronx. If your are looking for another book to diversify your shelves I would recommend this! My Full Review.

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson

This was a creepy and fun story filled with re-tellings in forms you may not have read before.  My Full Review.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

I buddy read this with my sisters! It was an intense dark fantasy with some great action, twists and suspense! My review is up and you can look forward to reviews from Kez and Maz soon! My Full Review.

The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye

A long awaited sequel to The Crown’s Game which I read last year and loved! I haven’t posted my review yet but you can look forward to that soon!

Four full books and one novella in total, I would call that a successful month!

May Haul

Now I was planning to spend some big bucks on May but that didn’t happen! Instead I went on a NetGalley binge!

I was approved four requests this month:

Quincey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson

The Book of Whispers by Kimberley Starr

Scion of the Fox by S.M. Beiko

The Ninth Circle, Book One: Fire by C.A. Harland

I also got supremely lucky and I won a signed copy of Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh!

Then I went to the library and picked up The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye!

No money spent BUT heads up its only a few days into June and I’ve already bought three books!

June TBR

This is is going to be a very slow month in terms of blogging and reading! I will be sporadic in my posts and interactions with you all so try not to miss (or forget) me.

This month I’ll be reading: 

via Goodreads

Bentwhistle in A Threat From The Past by Paul Cude

The Kingdom of Oceana by Mitchell Charles

Hearts Are Like Balloons by Candace Robinson

Three is a small goal, hopefully I can make it to all three!!

 

 

 

 

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Alright that is it for me! I have a busy month up ahead but I still look forward to posting (and reading) as much as I can! Let me know what was your favourite book from last month. Your favourite buy/borrow from last month. And your most anticipated read of this month!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Special Guest Report! Three Sisters Read Three Dark Crowns!

Greetings readers!

I don’t know if any of you remember but back in my May TBR post I said I would have special guest appearances well presenting….

Rendz, Kez & Maz Read Three Dark Crowns: A Sister Buddy Read

So ever since I found out that Three Dark Crowns (3DC) revolves around three sisters who are competing for a crown, my first thought was that the youngest sister (aka ME) better win!

My second thought was that I should read this book with my own two lovely sisters, formerly known as K & M but are now officially called Kez and Maz!

After much convincing and pleading, my sisters finally jumped on board with the idea and I have them reading the book right now! Each of us will have our own review, posted here on my blog so you can see us battle on the internet. Won’t that be fun.

A little more on our trio.

Maz is the eldest, therefore the most serious and experienced one of us all.

Kez the middle sister, always feels as though she is loved the least and spits the most fire. We love her for that reason

And..Rendz, the youngest, yet most talented, creative, funny and fabulous of them all!
*Lol I edit this post*

Alright, so dear sisters of mine how about you each give a little introduction about yourself and the types of books you like to read!

Introducing Maz…

Hi everyone, I’m Maz the eldest of these three sisters. I first got into reading in high school, that is where my obsession for YA began. But back in the eighth grade I fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. (I am the reason Rendz now loves it too!) (Rendz: That is true!) Gilbert Blythe was my first book boyfriend ever! I am also a huge Pride & Prejudice fanatic! Hello, Mr. Darcy! Today I read a mixture of YA and NA. I will admit I am a huge Romance junkie. I love a good happy ending!

 

Introducing Kez…

Hey! My name is Kez and I am the middle sister of this fun fab fam which also means I am the one with abandonment issues. 😛 (Rendz: See what I mean she always feels unloved) Anywho… I remember having a really strong reading phase in grade 3 when I became obsessed with the Magic Tree House series. Those books were everything and I did my best to read them all in order. After that I am not sure what happened but my reading love affair just tapered off. In terms of my favourite book genre I would say I am all over the place. I like romance, fantasy, and contemporary  is an addiction. The Selection series (not including the daughter additions because I feel they were unnecessary) and The Lunar Chronicles (Rendz likes to rub it in my face that she introduced me to them. I let her so she has some self esteem) (Rendz: See what a good book pusher I am!)  are like my all time favourite series. I love happy endings and that is my biggest hope which means I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES — they are a waste of space and should rot in hell.

via giphy.com

Sorry. So give me a good book with an amazing cast, story plot and romance ❤ but no love triangle; and well you’ve got me hooked!

Rendz: As mentioned Kez likes to spit fire, especially in rants about Love Triangles!

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As mentioned we will all have our own reviews and it will be really interesting to see how much we agree and disagree with each other. By default we are going to go into the book supporting our respective queens in order of birth. But who knows! Perhaps by the end of book one we like different queens and the battle for the crown will get much more interesting!

I’m sure things will get more intense once the sequel comes out and the victor is really chosen! 😉

I hope you join us when we discuss the book in our reviews! If you have read the book feel free to support whichever one of us you agree with more!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Ouran Host Club Book Tag

Greetings readers!

I was tagged by the lovely Mandy @ Book Princess Reviews to do the Ouran Host Club Book Tag created by the lovely Icebreaker694! I have never watched this anime or read the Manga, I am not a big anime watcher actually! But back in the day, little Rendz had her fair share of anime shows. (I’m looking at you Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, DN Angel…if those count, I’m never sure!) Anyways, this tag looks really fun so thank you Mandy for tagging me and Icebreaker for creating it!

THE RULES

1. Thank the person who tagged you!
2. ALWAYS PINGBACK TO CREATOR (icebreaker694 ) she wants to see your post.
3. Answer all the questions below! (You don’t have to watch the show to answer them.)
4. Tag 8+ bloggers!

THEME SONG – A MISLEADING CHARACTER

Tella Dragna from Caraval by Stephanie Garber for reasons….

HARUHI – A CHARACTER EVERY OTHER CHARACTER LOVES

Gupta from The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
You cannot help but love this guy, he is so funny, adorable and smart!

TAMAKI – A CHARACTER WHO STARTED A MOVEMENT

*Stealing Mandy’s answer because it is the best answer*

Cinder! Cinder! Cinder! She is a fierce, passionate and inclusive leader. She knew that she had little chances of beating Levana, but she did it anyways! Love her.

KYOYA – A CHARACTER WITH PARENTAL ISSUES

Kestrel and her dad from The Winners Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski
General Trajan does not have a close relationship with his daughter. He will never truly see Kestrel for who she is and how powerful she can be. It will always be marriage or military for him.

KAORU & HIKARU – BROTHERLY LOVE

Chaol Westfall and Dorian Havilliard  from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

My ultimate brOTP. I love them together. I love that they love each other and would fight for one another regardless of the situation. My love for them is limitless and I want more of them!!

MORI – A CHARACTER WHO IS SCARY ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT A BUNDLE OF FLUFF ON THE INSIDE

Magnus Damora from The Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

He can be real mean, but he is an adorable little puppy on the inside. He may be cold and distant but he is really just a sweetheart!

HONEY – A CHARACTER WHO LOVES TO EAT.

*Again stealing Mandy’s answer because it is the best*

Nina Zenik! She loves to eat, she has no shame. I love to eat, I have no shame! Honestly every time she was craving food or thinking about food I found myself smiling and getting more and more hungry. Waffles anyone?

RENGE – A TAG ALONG CHARACTER

Attia from the Incarceron duology by Catherine Fisher

I honestly loved her character. I loved how bitter she was to everyone except Finn. She added more bravery and intelligence to Finn’s gang. (Also I secretly shipped her with Keiro)

NEKOZAWA – A CHARACTER WHO LIKES THE DARK SIDE

Keenan from A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

Again reasons….

I Tag:

*If you’ve already been tagged or you’re not interested, don’t sweat it!*

Maya Hearts Books

Too Much of a Booknerd

Books Coffee and Passion

The Book Cover Girls

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Alright, that was fun! Thank you again for tagging me Mandy! I hope you all enjoyed this. Until next time,

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Desert Island Book Tag!

Greetings readers!

Alas, this is the second time I write this post! I had already had this done two weeks ago. It was ready to go and scheduled to be published, but I learned a very valuable lesson. Do not, I repeat do not, read over a post in the middle of the night, when your phone/device is about to die. Do not delete any letter or character when you know said device is being slow and wonky. Do not, under any circumstance press the backspace button after pressing “Update” because you cannot undo that action! If you do (and I’m speaking from experience) your polished post will be lost forever, or at least I was not able to retrieve mine!

giphy.com

ANYWAYS! I was tagged by the lovely Mandy, over at Book Princess Reviews to do the Desert Island Book Tag. I’m sure you have all heard of her highness Mandy, but if you haven’t you totally should! She’s kind, awesome and writes such fun posts!

The Rules!

• Link back to my (BookBum’s) original post, so I can see all your answers! (Remember to do this via pingback, I don’t get notified if you just tag my url)
• Thank the person(s) who tagged you… show some love!
• Come up with your answers
• Then tag others to keep the tag going!

credits to Zuky the creator!

Being stuck on a desert island would be a nightmare for me. I do enjoy camping, but I am not very experienced in the outdoors. I mean, I could “maybe” survive but that would mean forcing myself to eat fish! Which is a big NO. I hate seafood! I would dread the whole desert island experience, but I’m still very excited to do this tag!

PREMISE OF DESERT ISLAND DISCS…

You are cast away onto a remote island:

• You can bring 5 albums, what are they?
• You can bring ONE book (not including The Bible (or other appropriate religious texts) or The Complete Works of Shakespeare, as they are already provided and NO SERIES), what ONE book is it?
• You can have one luxury item (it has to be inanimate and can’t help you escape the island), what is it?

Rendz on her dreaded island adventure!

5 Albums!

via Amazon

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Original soundtrack & score) ~ Harry Gregson-Williams.

I would not be the epic Narnia fan I am today without this music. This music is the theme song of my life. I have listened to it so much, I know the order of the songs by heart. The music is magical, just like the movie. I can relive all my favourite scenes and sometimes recite dialogue! I love it that much!

Fave song: The Wardrobe & The Battle

 

via Amazon

Prince Caspian (Original soundtrack & score) ~ Harry Gregson-Williams

No-brainer here! This music is definitely more intense than the first soundtrack. It gets me pumped and my adrenaline going.  I also get to relive the movie with this music. It would get me in the mood to go hunting and stuff for food when I’m trapped on my island!

Fave song: Raid on the Castle

 

 

via Amazon

Christmas ~ Michael Bublé

It can be any time of the year and I will sing these songs at the top of my lungs. It can be the hottest day in the middle of the summer when we are months away from winter and the holiday season, it can sweltering, but if a single song from this soundtrack plays, you will find me cuddled under a cozy blanket with hot chocolate. I love and will always love it that much!

Fave song: Blue Christmas

 

via Amazon

The Prince of Egypt (Original Soundtrack & Score) ~ Hans Zimmer

If you lived in my house, you would hear this soundtrack regularly. No, not from YouTube. Instead you would have the pleasure of hearing the main vocals, back-up vocals, background sounds and occasional dialogue all from the (not-so-great) musical stylings of Rendz! I apologize to your ears in advance! Then again no one on the desert island would be there to hear me!

Fave Song: Following Tzipporah/ All I Ever Wanted

 

via Amazon

The Cheetah Girls 2 (original soundtrack) ~ various artists

This is a classic throwback for me. I loved The Cheetah Girls growing up. I thought they were fabulous and funny. The Cheetah Girls 2 will always be my favourite, as it started my fascination for Spain and brought up my desire to get there some day and well, you know strut! This music gets me in a dancing mood, and no one would be able to witness those catastrophic moves on a secluded island!

Fave song: Strut

One Book

Dang, the rules are really strict for this one. Zuky must have had some intuition on me because I love to cheat when it comes to picking one book!

I’m going to steal Mandy’s answer and say Winter by Marissa Meyer. I know you are all shocked I didn’t say Narnia. Well I’m pretty content with my Narnia music from the albums so let’s bring in some variety. I loved Winter. It was one of the best series finales ever. It had great action, heartbreak, fantastic heroines, great friendships and cute moments that made me ooze with feels. And it also had Thorne, so yeah. I’ll need my daily fix of him!

 

One Luxury Item

A mirror.

No, I’m not vain.

I won’t particularly care what I look like on this desert island. So why a mirror? Like many things, a mirror has more than one purpose. After some good thought I concluded that a mirror would be one of the most useful things I could have.
1. I could start a fire. (I don’t know about you, but I think I would have better luck with a mirror and the sun than with sticks & stones!)
2. I could break it and use the shards as knives. (I might need to cut stuff up!)
3. I could talk to myself (Will that keep me more sane?)
4. I could create signals by reflecting light! (I have no clue if that will even work)

Yeah, a mirror.

I Tag:

Oh gosh! So I kind of forgot who I tagged the first time I wrote this! So I’ll just make up a new list! If you have already done this, don’t sweat skipping over this!

LilbooKLovers

Too Much of A Book Nerd

Book Snacks

Kyera’s Library

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Alright all done, for the second time now. Although I don’t think this post has the same charm as the original one I wrote, I hope you all enjoyed this. As for my island adventure, I may not enjoy living on that island, but I would definitely enjoy listening to music and dancing around like a fool. I would enjoy my book and never get tired of it! And I’d be running around talking to myself in my mirror!

I might still go crazy,  but that’s okay! How do you think I would fair with my selected belongings?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Death and Night (ARC) Review

Greetings readers!

So last month I made a great reading decision and picked up The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choshki. It was an incredible book, with beautiful writing and a story that will leave you breathless and aching for more.

Luckily Roshani blessed us.

She blessed us.

Death and Night by Roshani Chokshi

via Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

An exclusive Star-Touched novella over 100 pages long!

Before The Star-Touched Queen there was only 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.

*I was a provided a free e-copy via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much. *

I first heard about this story before I read The Star-Touched Queen, which kind of spoiled it a little bit for me…not really. This is a prequel novel to TSTQ and it revolves around the love story of the immortals Death and Night. I will try my best to avoid spoilers about The Star-Touched Queen, but it will be difficult just because of who this book is about!

What I Liked

Characters: 

Death: I swooned as soon as he conjured himself a chair and sat on it as it magically appeared under him. I s.w.o.o.n.e.d. This is the thing about Death, despite having to deal with death, heartbreak and sorrow he also dealt with life, creation and choice. He was one of those characters that had yet to discover the good within himself when the rest of the world saw him as evil. He was broody, charming, suave, dedicated and passionate. He grew immensely in this story from learning to look beyond his curse to being compassionate. I loved reading about his transformation.

Night: LOVE HER! Gosh, she was just so amazing. She was independent, caring, imaginative and intelligent. She knew that the world saw her as something to be afraid of but she didn’t let that get to her. Instead she created stories and dreams that filled people with joy. She struggled sometimes with the fact that people found her demonic, but she continued to create anyways. I loved that she was resilient, patient and had a bite! She took no ones BS.

Gupta: BEST CHARACTER EVER! He was hilarious and the perfect side character. I loved him and his lessons in the art of love and flirtation!

The Writing: Once again, Roshani created the most beautiful phrases and passages that I lived for. Her words just elevated the magic and mischief in this story. Not to mention she created the most romantic moods and swoony moments! I think my favourite bit was her description of Night becoming night. Of her dance and transformation. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! Her style is flowery yes, but I really enjoyed it. It was interesting, visual and magical. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Roshani Choshki’s writing is magic!

Romance: This is a love story, and I loved every love aspect about it. I swooned in practically every chapter! There were so many cute moments. It was definitely a well paced romance. Neither Death or Night were particularly expecting to find each other but they did. And I shipped it so hard. So hard.

via giphy.com

The Declaration of Love: I would post it here, but I think it would be best for you to experience it from the book, where the mood is set and everything! It is just so perfect, I literally died and went to heaven for two seconds.

The World: This goes hand in hand with Roshani’s writing because she made me feel like I was in the Night Baazar! She made me feel the change between day and night. Correction, this world was not just a feeling, it was an experience! An experience of magic, dream fruit, death, night and love. The descriptions created so many amazing visuals in my mind that I was aching to draw and paint. *I’m hoping to very soon actually!* I want to explore the Otherworld so badly!!

What I Disliked

Nada people, it was all love!

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Overall, I thought this was the perfect addition to the series. It made so many of the objects and events in the The Star-Touched Queen make sense. It was magical, romantic and out of this world. (In the Otherworld to be precise!) I want more! Is that being greedy? I need more on Death and Night!

Rating: 5 / 5 Stars

Recommend: 100%! But, I would suggest reading The Star-Touched Queen first, followed directly by this!

I cannot wait to get my hands on other works by Roshani! Starting with A Crown of Wishes, followed  by her new series Gilded Wolves which is coming out next year, I believe?  It sounds amazing and I am super excited!

So, have anyone read this yet, what did you think? What are some of your favourite prequels?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

May TBR

Greetings readers!

Okay, so I literally got no reading done in this first week of May. None. Yet, this list is going to rather long because I decided to go Net Galley splurging (my new favourite thing to do) and I got approved for various reads. I also got a few requests and I have my own personal list on here!

So yeah… this list is going to be long and most likely will not be completed, but who knows!

This month I plan to read:

Personal Books

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
~ I’m really hoping I can get to this one because I have special guest posts planned for it!

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
~ One of the exciting things that will be going on later this month is that I will be meeting Sarah J. Maas on her ACOWAR tour, even though I haven’t read that series of hers. I am going to get Crown of Midnight personalized all the while I try not to make a fool of myself! *Also, my friend has almost caught up to me in Throne of Glass and I refuse to let her surpass me!*

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
~ I have a copy from OverDrive and I need to read it before my time expires! Also, I really want to read some more books by Latinx authors.

Books for Review

Bentwhistle: The Dragon in A Threat from the Past by Paul Cude
~ This is a dragon YA series! Stay tuned for an author interview later this month!

Net Galley

Death & Night by Roshani Chokshi
~ A prequel to The Star-Touched Queen! I’m so excited to read this, I was over the moon when I got my acceptance email!

The Book of Whispers by Kimberley Starr
~ The premise of the book sounds very intriguing, who knows if I will actually get to it!

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Six books.

Six books in three weeks. Can I do it? Maybe not. Probably not, but I’ll have fun trying!

What are you reading this month? I would love to know!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

April Wrap Up & Haul

Greetings readers!

I cannot believe it is already May! (I’ve been gone for a while so it has been May for some time now!) Is it just me or is time going way, way, way to fast. I have so many things going on and I just feel like each of them is approaching far to soon!

Anyways, I am here to talk to you about April’s reading and haul! Last month I had a four day weekend because of Easter break and let me tell you it was the most glorious weekend I have had in a long time! I got so much reading done and I felt so at ease and not stressed (despite the buzz in my head, the constant reminder of all the things I had to do)! I got a lot of blog stuff done this month too! Plus, I am in the midst of planning a new little meme-like-biweekly post so stay tuned for that special announcement!

Wrap up!

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokishi

I loved, loved, loved this book. I thought it was beautiful both inside and out. The writing was amazing and it just sucks you into the story so well! My Full Review

Melody’s Key by Dallas Coryell

A read for review, my first contemporary/romance in a long while. I enjoyed it and it kept up my contemporary mood! My Full Review

CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber

My heart! My heart! I loved this one! My most anticipated read of the year has finally been read and I am so glad I enjoyed it! *I have gone back to read my favourite parts several times now!* My Full Review

Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie J. Fishbane

Major accomplishment here! It is my first Net Galley read and I am so happy I enjoyed it so much! If you are a fan of Anne of Green Gables, you must read this! My Full Review

Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon

A book I didn’t plan on reading but I did! It wasn’t my favourite, but I still enjoyed it! My Full Review.

*I finished 5 books, 5!! I am so proud of myself!*

HAUL

No book purchasing for Rendz this month! Nope! I have nothing to really haul, other than my Maud ARC which I own as an ebook. I’m hoping to get a physical copy soon.
Also, I borrowed Done Dirt Cheap as a digital title from Overdrive, so no money spent there.

May however, will be very different. I will be dropping a lot of money on books. And I look forward to it!

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C’est tout! That’s all! How was your reading month? How many books did you read? Did you enjoy any one in particular? How many books did you buy? Make me jealous with all the great bookish splurging you did this month!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Done Dirt Cheap Review

Greetings readers!

This is the fifth book I finished in April! I actually cannot believe it. I didn’t even plan to read this book, but I got my hold from the library so I went ahead and read it instead of Empire of Storms…hehehe. (I’m really avoiding that book!)

Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon

via Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

Tourmaline Harris’s life hit pause at fifteen, when her mom went to prison because of Tourmaline’s unintentionally damning testimony. But at eighteen, her home life is stable, and she has a strong relationship with her father, the president of a local biker club known as the Wardens.

Virginia Campbell’s life hit fast-forward at fifteen, when her mom “sold” her into the services of a local lawyer: a man for whom the law is merely a suggestion. When Hazard sets his sights on dismantling the Wardens, he sends in Virginia, who has every intention of selling out the club—and Tourmaline. But the two girls are stronger than the circumstances that brought them together, and their resilience defines the friendship at the heart of this powerful debut novel.

I went in really excited and I came out not so satisfied. I really, really wanted to love this book. I mean motorcycles, friendships and hot dudes. YES! But no. This just didn’t give me what I wanted. That is not to say I completely disliked it, there were some good times but overall it just was not as entertaining or engrossing as I thought it would be.

What I Liked

Characters

Cash: He is literally the only character who made some sense at the beginning of this book. Even though he had only appeared in the beginning of the book for two seconds, I found him intriguing. He didn’t talk in circles like all the other characters. As the only black person in a predominantly white motorcycle club, he had his struggles. He is a conscript (a soon-to-be member) and basically he is finding his rightful place in the club that his father began. Also, he was very swoony!

Tourmaline: There were times I liked her and other times where I was just annoyed of her. I liked her when she was trying to figure out her life in this club that occupied her father’s attention. I liked her when she tried to come up with ways to fix the mistakes she made in her past. I liked her when she would bond with Virginia. I liked her when she tried to fix her own bike. I didn’t like her when she would whine and mope and pity herself.

Virginia: I liked Virginia, she had a rough past life and made some big mistakes. She tried her best to find a way to fix her errors, which often led her to more trouble but at least she tried. She was snarky and calculating. She knew how to make people run circles around her, which was exciting to read about. Yet, I felt no connection to her. She was still a stranger to me by the end of the book.

Honourable mention to Jason, who is still a little vague even though we know about his past. He gets points for being broody, swoony and smart!

Friendship: The friendship development between Virginia and Tourmaline was the best aspect. They went from not trusting to trusting. They had their bumps in the road, but in the end they stuck it through. They helped each other navigate their future and forge a new path for themselves despite their rough past. They helped each other grow into the people they needed to become.

Motorcycles: I know nothing about motorcycles, but the premise of motorcycles is always intriguing. I liked how the motorcycle club in this book was not what I expected it to be. It was a family and although they did engage in rides and parties with women, their actions always had a purpose. Everybody saw them as bad guys, but were they really?

What I Disliked

Romance: It was insta-love-like. Cash and Tourmaline had met once–once–and in the next bit she was already thinking about throwing herself at him. It was the typical forbidden romance because she was daughter of the club president and he was the new-guy. They worked for me and at the same time it was a little too cliché and rushed. Jason and Virginia, although not forbidden were still too rushed. They had seen each other a couple times, spoken–mainly argued a couple times, he saved her life a couple times and then they started living together. I mean both couples were cute, but the relationships were far too rushed!

Writing: Apparently it is supposed to be lyrical and compelling. I didn’t understand the first quarter of this novel. The characters would talk circles, mentioning things that I didn’t understand, events that I didn’t know about. I was just so lost. The writing didn’t feel lyrical or compelling to me.

Anti-climatic ending: I was expecting so much more from the final chapter. It was a measly arrest. No good action (except a fist fight), no suspense (even though I suppose it was supposed to be suspenseful), it didn’t grab me. I just finished it because I was almost done. The epilogue made up for it a little bit because, it gave me some closure to other things, but it was still so vague!

Romancing things that aren’t Romantic: I’m hesitant to write about this because I’m not sure exactly how to explain it. I’m also worried that perhaps I read this bit wrong because I had trouble understanding what was going on. But I felt like this romanticized rape in a way. It might not be, but it came off in that light to me. At one point after a confrontation with Cash alone in the dark woods, Tourmaline was disappointed that he wasn’t following the rules and taking advantage of her. UMMMM…excuse me. At another point Virginia felt disappointed after her boss left her alone after caressing her head and cheek. Honey, NO. She gets over that quickly though. Unless, I read their fear/disgust as disappointment, this sorely ruined the novel for me.

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Overall, I liked the book. I did enjoy a lot of the scheming and humour that was put into it. But I never really felt connected with the characters. I was interested in finding out what happened next, but I never had a desperate need to find out. It was a mellow read. I liked it, just not love.

Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

Recommend: If you want a fast read, with a good friendship story.

I’m off to read something else now! Some questions though! Have you read this book? Do you think I read their voices wrong-ish, please let me know!

Happy reading,

~ Rendz