Weekly Wrap-Up 3/1-3/7 (#2)

Well, it's been another fun week of reading. I actually didn't get quite as much finished as I wished, but that's okay.

I finished up Centurion by O.C. Shadow, an ebook granted to me from NetGalley. I should have a review up by Sunday. It turned out to be much better than I expected!

I'm still reading Throne of Glass and Snow Like Ashes, but am very close to finishing. I'm really enjoying both of them, so I think I'm subconsciously making myself take longer to finish them... oops. I have a few new books on NetGalley that I'll be starting as soon as I finish these, so I'll anounce those once I begin.


Sadly,  I don't have much more to announce for this week, but next week should (hopefully) be much more exciting. Stay tuned!

What books did you guys read this week? Feel free to share! :)


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Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Sea of Shadows, by Kelley Armstrong. HarperCollins; 2014. 406 pages. Hardcover.

Sea of Shadows was a book that I stumbled onto on BookOutlet when they were having a huge sale and it was only $1.99. It seemed interesting, it was cheap, I was on a book-buying spree, and how can you say no to $1.99?

I must be honest, I don’t quite understand why this book has so many low reviews. I can understand a few, and even not having really high ratings, but not necessarily the really low ones. Many people seem to believe it was boring, and while I guess I can understand their view, I politely disagree. It was very engaging, and full of exciting action, folklore, and entertaining characters.

In brief, Sea of Shadows follows twin sisters Moria and Ashyn, the Keeper and Seeker, respectively, of a town called Edgewood. When their entire village is destroyed, they must venture on a journey to find out what has gone wrong.

The characters were very appealing, however I do think that each character needed to have a more defined and unique voice. Twin sisters Ashyn and Moria were lovely, entertaining characters, but not too different. Their personalities are described as being extreme opposites, Ashyn being shy and gentle, and Moria being much tougher and more outgoing. This is evident at times, but overall I think they had similar voices that sometimes made for little distinction between the alternating chapter viewpoints. However, I could also see their similar voices as being a method of showing how close both girls are; since they are Seeker and Keeper of Edgewood and twin sisters that have grown up very close together, it only makes sense that they might share similar voices or qualities. Supporting characters Ronan and Gavril were also quite a delight, but again, shared many similar traits, and to be quite honest, I’m not sure if I can even remember who accompanied each girl on their journey. Entertaining, but not overly memorable. I’m getting a wee bit tired of every single boy/girl pairing in a book ending up with some romantic setting.

I do feel that the story lacked adequate description and worldbuilding. While certain aspects were described in great detail (particularly violence), I did feel a bit lost in where exactly things were takig place, and what the culture of these places was. Another issue was the mirroring and repetitiveness that occurred throughout the story. It seemed like everything was the same: Moria and a companion travel and fight forces against them, Ashyn and a companion travel and fight forces against them. Perhaps this is a plot device trick for Armstrong, or perhaps it’s just a small lack of originality.

Kelley Armstrong definitely knows how to write. However, I do think I expected more. I’ve heard people rave and rave about Kelley Armstrong, but I had never had a chance to read anything until now. I thought the book was great, but not quite up to par with all the praise I’ve been hearing for Armstrong. I was a bit disappointed that the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, since I wasn’t necessarily planning on reading the rest of the series, but now I feel somewhat obligated, and I am interested to find out what will befall these characters.

Overall, it’s not the most memorable story. However, I still thought it was a very enjoyable read, and definitely worth a shot for someone that’s just looking for a good book to read. Because of this, I am giving Sea of Shadows 3 ½ stars.

Sea of Shadows comes out on Wednesday, March 3rd!

Empire of Night, book 2 in the Age of Legends series, comes out April 7th, 2015!

Fall 2015 YA Cover Reveals (courtesy of Epic Reads)

Let's just talk for a second about the new cover reveals going on at Epic Reads for fall 2015. I'm pretty excited. It likes there are going to be some really great books coming out this fall, and I know this is only the half of it!

Here are some of the ones that I am most excited for/I know many others will be excited for:
(all books/summaries/information are courtesy of Epic Reads)

1. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
I loved The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, and was extremely saddened when I finished the trilogy. Although Carson's new book is completely unrelated, I am so excited to see what she has in store for us now. I really enjoyed Carson's writing style and character creations.

From what I can gather, the gist of this book is that it's set in the Gold Rush era with a girl who can sense where gold is located. Sounds like a pretty good place to be to me! This is a very unique premise to me; I haven't read many (or any) books set in the Gold Rush era, let alone adding magical elements to it!

Release Date: September 22nd

2. Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
I'm just now reading Snow Like Ashes and so far I am really, really loving it! I love the idea of using the Seasons as a world set-up, and Raasch executes it wonderfully. I am now extremely excited for the release of Ice Like Fire, the sequel to Snow Like Ashes.

Release Date: October 13th

3. Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix
Garth Nix is a personal favorite. I remember reading The Keys to the Kingdom when I was 10 years old, and they really helped to spark my love for fantasy. Since then, I've always had a soft spot for Nix. You can read a summary of this at Epic Reads or Goodreads. It seems to be quite a departure from Nix's past work, so it should definitely be an interesting read.

Also, I am in love with this cover. How could you not love that!? (if you dont, it's really okay, I'll only judge you a little)

Release Date: October 13th

4. Da Vinci's Tiger by Laura Malone Elliot
I love da Vinci, I love historical, and I think this has wonderful potential! Basically, this story follows Ginevra de Benci, who falls in love with Leonardo da Vinci and becomes his muse. (you can find a better summary at Goodreads) Renaissance Florence is such an exciting and vibrant time period, and I think this novel will be an extremely interesting look into the romance between da Vinci and de Benci.

Release date: November 24th

5. Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas
I am such a sucker for fairytale retellings, and this extremely reworked story of Cinderella sounds amazing! What I like about this retelling is it seem as though the author is trying to make the "Cinderella" character much more independent and reliant on herself, rather than a nice young prince. All in all, I'm very intrigued for this one.

Personally, this cover isn't my favorite. I think if they were to just take out the nice woman there and leave everything else, it would be much better.

Release date: September 15th

6. Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown
This is one of those completely unexpected novels that I knew nothing about, and I know just about nothing about the author. The story follows a young British girls who acts as a spy during World War I. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty enticing to me. Who doesn't love a good spy novel?

Release date: October 20th

7. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
Two words: "reimagined Frankenstein." You've got me. Hook, line, and sinker. A young boy brings his brother back from the dead... and then Frankenstein is published. There's your basic plot. I'm so excited. I know I've said that so much already, but seriously. I haven't read very many Frankenstein retellings, and this is so cool.

Release Date: October 13th

9.  The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas 
And for those of you who are fans of Sherry Thomas' The Burning Sky trilogy... the third and final installment is coming! I read the first one, and while I liked it, I didn't  like it enough to read the second (which wasn't out yet, I don't think), but with so many people talking about it lately it's really giving me the itch to check it out again. The Burning Sky is book 1, followed by The Perilous Sea, and now wrapping it up is The Immortal Heights.

Release date: October 13th


What are you guys most excited for!? Leave a comment below!


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Weekly Wrap-Up 2/22-2/28

Since I'm finally starting to have a bit more spare time, I'm going to be start doing more weekly updates, possibly daily updates/themed posts. So to start that off, here is my weekly wrap-up for this week!

This week was a pretty slow week as far as finishing any books. However, I did manage to finish Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong. I really enjoyed it, and should have a review up by the end of the weekend!

Currently Reading:

Centurion by O.C. Shaw (courtesy of NetGalley)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (AMAZING)
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch 

I'm hoping to finish these either this weekend or the beginning of next week, so then I can finally get around to finishing The Song of Achilles!

What books did you guys read this week?

Review Policy

As I begin to delve deeper and deeper into the world of reviewing books, I have finally realized the need for a review policy. Or rather, a need to finally get around to creating mine. Thus, my review policy is as follows:

• Physical copies of books are preferred, but I will also accept/review eBooks. I prefer .mobi and .epub file types if possible.
• I will read most genres, but my preferred ones (in order of preference) include Fantasy, Young Adult (preferably anything BUT contemporary/romance), Graphic Novels, Literature, Children/Teen's, Mystery, Thriller, some Science Fiction, biography/memoir. If your book lies in a genre not listed, just ask. :)
• I do not read erotica, overtly religious, or romance. 
• I will read and review books in as timely a manner as I am able. I also attend university, work, and have internships, but I will make time to complete my reviews. Generally, one can expect a review up in roughly a month after receiving the book. If a book is not received on time, rescheduling will occur, however I cannot guarantee the speediness of the rescheduling, as I have other commitments I must get to that were made prior to the rescheduling conflict. 
• I am 100% honest in my reviews. If I do not like a book, I will say it. If I love it, I will say it. I will always be courteous, but I will always  be honest. I generally am able to point out both strong areas and flaws in most books, whether I liked it or not, so most books generally get a fair shot. I will not pretend to like a book that I did not enjoy, and I will not promise any type of review. I will not accept payment for a false review.
• I am best reached at foreverlostinliterature@gmail.com. I check it daily, unless stated otherwise. You may also try to reach me through Twitter or Tumblr.
• I will respond to every review request. I cannot promise that I will accept every review request, but I will respond whether I accept or deny it. 
• I will listen to author pitches, but I will not guarantee that I will read the book. I accept self-published books, but again, only after I have been given information about the book and am able to make my decision. 
• Once I have completed a review book, I will have the review up within three days. I will also most likely post the review on Goodreads and Amazon, unless asked otherwise. 

I reserve the right to alter the above policy in any way as the needs arise. If you have any questions, please to not hesitate to email me at foreverlostinliterature AT gmail DOT com. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor. Little, Brown; 2014. 448 pages. Ebook.

I loved this book. I really, truly did.

The backstory (skip if uninterested): I first heard about it a couple of years ago when it first came out, thought it sounded interesting... but then quickly forgot about it and moved on. I don't think it particularly stuck out to me at the time. Then, as the years progressed, I kept seeing and hearing more and more about this book, and I added it back to my "to read soon" shelf. I finally picked it up (and bypicked it up, I mean checked it out from an online  library - heck yeah, love those things) on my Kindle. I don't really like reading on my Kindle, but I had absolutely no problem making it through this one.

However, I find it necessary to clarify: just because one may love a book, it does not mean that there were not elements that I did not enjoy. Okay, clarification over.

The review:

Laini Taylor is a serious master wordsmith. Her writing is a lyrical, flowing masterpiece. She knows exactly how to craft her sentences and words to create a perfect scene or emotion. With Taylor, simple says a lot. I can honestly say that her writing did not appear cliche'd in any manner, and truly seemed unique. It really helped with the creation of the world she has created, a world that is truly entertaining and remarkable. Taylor has also been able to incorporate some truly marvelous humour into her narrative that really brings color and life into the story.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed about this book was the characters. Taylor has created an extremely vibrant cast, each with their own distinct personality. They really have depth, as well, which, sadly, I have not been able to find lately in a lot of books. It was so entertaining to read the banter that went back and forth between the various characters. I also really liked the fact that her characters were so real. By that I mean that they weren't perfect. They make mistakes, they say and do stupid things, and they have realistic personalities ad reactions.

The only thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was the shifting perspectives and storylines. I tend to get confused fairly easily with books when they do this, and to be honest it just annoys me, so this bothered me a bit. However, I will say that it did not negatively impede the story or flow, and as you can see, I was still able to really enjoy the story.

I realize that this review has been slightly vague, lacking details about specific characters and such, but I really feel that this is a book that you should go into knowing the basic plot of, but not knowing too much about (not that it's bad if you know a lot). I honestly did not know much, and it just seemed to make it much more enjoyable for me.

So if you, like me, have been putting this book off for a while, don't do it any longer. Pick it up as soon as you can and just allow yourself to get sucked into this truly remarkable world. I've been in a  little bit of a reading rut lately, and it's been hard for me to lose myself in a book like I used to. With this book, however, it was so easy. Go grab a copy, and don't put it down.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. Eccos; 2014. 400 pages. Hardcover.

This book disappointed me. Now don’t get me wrong, it was still entertaining – but, sadly, disappointing. It was imaginative, but flighty. I couldn’t put it down, yet at times I wanted to do nothing but that. I think I had my hopes too high for this book. I had heard so much, and I truly believe it was simply too over-hyped.

The novel starts off with a young girl of 18, Petronella, – or Nella, as she prefers to be called – and her arrival in Amsterdam to begin her new life married Johannes, a merchant trader. This presented the first problem for me: her age. Although I know how mature women can be at the age of eighteen, Nella simply seemed too mature. She had the airs of a woman quite a few years her senior, and it simply seemed a bit too much. She did have quite a lot of naiveties, which was more realistic, but it didn’t quite match up to her supposed age. Her sophistication seemed to go beyond her years, especially for having grown in a rather average setting before moving to Amsterdam.

But alas, moving on. I truly enjoyed Burton’s writing. She has a wonderful grasp on using language to capture emotions and set up a scene. While I didn't necessarily enjoy the way in which she always used this language, which I will get to momentarily, I really do think Burton is a wonderful wordsmith, who truly is a natural and gifted writer. I immensely enjoyed her descriptions and language during moments of crises; it was a very simplistic style, yet it conveyed so much.

However, this brings me to my second issue: confusion. Although I loved the way in which Burton wrote and styled her story, I found it to be a bit confusing at times as far as plot was concerned. I found myself unsure of what was happening at times, largely due to the fact that her writing style does not always provide enough description or information about a scene or event that is occurring. Similarly, her writing style is one that leaves a lot up to the reader to deduce, and sometimes it is not as obvious as one would think.

Now, the characters. It was a fun cast of characters, each with their own extremely distinct personalities. However, I must say that they tended to be somewhat clichéd. Besides Nella and Johannes' sister, Marin, they weren't overly multi-dimensional or dynamic, as we did not see many sides to some of them. I suppose many people wouldn't see this as a flaw, but character development can truly make or break a novel, and this novel was rather lacking. 

Also, there is one aspect of the book that is left unexplained. And I must say, it kills me a little bit. There are times when authors can perfectly execute an “unexplained” or “open to interpretation” ending, but this was not quite one of them.

Overall, I would recommend this book, but not to someone who is overly picky about their books. It is an enjoyable read, and definitely interesting. As annoyed as I would become with this book at times, I found myself unable to put it down; I just had to know what would keep happening to this unfortunate group of people!

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