BOOKANISTAS REVIEW: CROWN OF MIDNIGHT (Throne of Glass #2) By Sarah J. Maas

Need a gift idea? Or two? This series by Sarah J. Maas is definitely one you should read and then tell all your friends about. I know I've mentioned before how I'm a little over the whole series thing — waiting a year is really no fun — but this series is so worth it.

Here's what Goodreads has to say:

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. 

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

This book is beyond intense. It has romance, magic, fighting scenes that will get your heart pumping, and one serious kick-ass heroine. Sarah J. Maas kept me guessing as the story unfolded. She pulled me in with the relationships between Celaena, Chaol and Dorian in book one and then turned the energy and intensity up in book two. And we all know how difficult it is to love the book #2 in a series. But this one didn't feel like a book two, it felt... well... kinda epic.

It has been a few weeks since I finished it, and yet it's still very much inside my head.

Love.Love.LOVE this series. 

It will keep you reading.


~ See what other Bookanistas are raving about this week!

Lenore Appelhans is sharing her love for CONTROL by Lydia Kang

Christine Fonseca is enthralled with DRAGONFLY by Leigh Talbert Moore

Tracy Banghart is transforming with BECOME by Ali Cross 

Kimberly Sabatini is intrigued by SPLIT SECOND by Kasie West

BOOKANISTAS REVIEW: SCARLET by A.C. Gaughen

There are only a few books I have finished reading and then immediately started reading again, and this is one of them. I have always been a huge fan of Robin Hood, but this book was so good I've become a bit obsessed.

Here's what Goodreads has to say:


Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.


I was lucky enough to get an early copy of LADY THIEF (SCARLET #2)  from Netgalley and I will post my review of LADY THIEF when we get closer to February, but in case you're wondering... the second book is just as good as the first!
These books are full of everything you'd expect from a Robin Hood story, and then some. You will fall in love with Robin and Much and Little John. You may even feel a little something for the evil and cruel Guy Gisbourne. A.C. Gaughen has taken these timeless characters we've read before and made them real and vulnerable and satisfying. 

Basically what I'm trying to tell you is: GO READ SCARLET NOW SO YOU WILL BE READY FOR LADY THIEF!! 

And if you're anything like me you will read them again and again.


~~ See what other Bookanistas are raving about this week!

• Lenore Appelhans is loving being on the edge with DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abagail Haas
• Christine Fonseca is making a happy noise for THE INVISIBLE BOY by Trudy Ludwig
• Tracy Banghart is revealing the cover for her upcoming book, SHATTERED VEIL 
• Tracey Neithercott is crushing on SOLVING FOR EX by LeighAnne Kopans
• Kimberly Sabatini is reveling in YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE by Jennifer Castle

BOOKANISTAS REVIEW: THE BITTER KINGDOM (FIRE AND THORNS #3) by Rae Carson

At last!! A satisfying trilogy!! Lately I've been losing my enthusiasm for trilogies. To be fair I think I lost it right around the time the last HUNGER GAMES book came out. Waiting out that year between books can be rather annoying. And when the final book ends in a way that leaves you feeling defeated you sometimes wish you hadn't even bothered in the first place. I get that an author may see things differently than the reader — believe me, I get it —as a reader I live for the ride (even when that ride takes me in a totally different direction than I expect) but when the main character is strong and tough, giving off an air of hope, I'd like to leave the series with a bit of that hope still intact. You know? Alright. Enough said. So, let's talk about Elisa. 

Here's what Goodreads has to say about THE BITTER KINGDOM: 

The epic conclusion to Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy. The seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen will travel into the unknown realm of the enemy to win back her true love, save her country, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny. Elisa is a fugitive in her own country. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves in order to lure her to the gate of darkness. As she and her daring companions take one last quest into unknown enemy territory to save Hector, Elisa will face hardships she's never imagined. And she will discover secrets about herself and her world that could change the course of history. She must rise up as champion-a champion to those who have hated her most.

I walked into this series with some hesitation. It didn't really sound like something I would like but the reviews were amazing and I figured I would give it a shot. I LOVED this series. Really. That's pretty much all I have to say. The writing is that perfect mix of intuitive and visual, the characters are strong and real and the story moves along so quickly you will tear through these books before you know it. And did I mention that all three books are currently available for e-readers or at your local bookstore? Cause that's magic if you ask me. 

If you are in the mood for a series that has Indiana Jones-like adventure, love, a strong female character that is tested every step of the way, and is so worth the three-book time investment than I highly recommend you check it out. I PROMISE it will keep you reading.


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       See what the other Bookanistas are raving about this week!

• Katy Upperman is loving HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno
• Christine Fonseca is nostalgic with ROOMIES by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
• Jessica Love is wild for WINGER by Andrew Smith

YOU KNEW ME WHEN by Emily Liebert

Taking a little break from YA today. I know. Crazy, right? But I'm so excited to share this book with you!!

Best friends forever… until life got in the way. Katherine Hill left her small New England hometown in pursuit of a dream. Now, twelve years later, she’s a high-powered cosmetics executive in Manhattan and a much glossier version of her former self, unrecognizable to her family and old friends. Not that she would know—she hasn’t been home in over a decade.

Laney Marten always swore she’d never get "stuck” in Manchester, Vermont. No, she was destined to live out her glamorous big-city dreams. Instead, she wound up a young wife and mother. That was when her best friend ran out.

When Katherine receives word of an inheritance from former neighbor Luella Hancock, she reluctantly returns home to the people and places she left behind. Hoping for a second chance, she’s met by an unforgiving Laney, her former best friend. And there’s someone else who’s moved on without her—someone she once loved.

Tethered to their shared inheritance of Luella’s sprawling Victorian mansion, Katherine and Laney are forced to address their long-standing grudges. Through this, they come to understand that while life has taken them in different directions, ultimately the bonds of friendship and sisterhood still bind them together. But are some wounds too old and deep to mend?

First off I must say that even if you're a diehard YA reader you should really check this one out. With the many flashbacks into Laney and Katherine's past it reads like a YA. There's romance, friendship and tears — the good kind, I promise! Emily's characters made me laugh (repeatedly) especially Laney with her quick wit and passionate personality. Long after I finished this book I was still thinking about these characters. My list of women's fiction authors is very small: Sophie Kinsella, Kristan Higgins, and well... that's it. I read a lot of YA. But Emily Liebert is definitely added to that list. Can't wait for her next one!

I highly recommend you check out Emily Liebert's, YOU KNEW ME WHEN. It will keep you reading! 

BOOKANISTAS REVIEW: BY BLOOD by Tracy E. Banghart

It's another two-for-one review!! Today we feature Tracy E. Banghart.


For 17-year-old Emma Wong, spending a summer in England should be a dream come true. Gorgeous scenery? Check. Lots of hot guys with accents? Yes, please. 

Throw in an estranged mom, annoying new stepdad, and drooling baby half-brother, and it's a disaster even her favorite cherry red leather jacket can't fix. Even worse, there's (hot) live-in research assistant Josh to contend with. The only thing more embarrassing than drunk-kissing him hours after they meet? Knowing he'll be witness to her family's dysfunction all. summer. long.

But when Emma meets a mysterious girl who happens to be a Druid, her vacation suddenly promises to be far more intriguing than she anticipated. Powerful rituals, new friends, an intoxicating sense of freedom...and Simon, the sexy foreign stranger she was hoping for. It's all a perfect distraction from dirty diapers and awkward family dinners.

Trouble is, intriguing doesn't often mean simple. And Emma is about to discover just how not simple her life really is.

By Blood is a novel about the ways that blood can bind us to others - or tear us apart.


Wanna get away? Take a trip to Oxford and hang out with a couple of mysterious guys? Yes. Yes, you do.
This was such an intriguing book. I'm not sure if I should label it as YA contemporary or YA Paranormal because for me it was both. Emma is such a passionate character that everything she feels is right out there in the open for everyone to see. But as the drama unfolds she is faced with some pretty intense realizations that will change her forever.

Now the fun part about reading BY BLOOD is that there is a companion novel as well. YES! Two books for you to read!

If you love BY BLOOD you should definitely check out Tracy's newest, MOON CHILD.

Before Emma's adventures in Oxford, her best friend Diana came face-to-face with a killer...

Diana Calvert is so over high school. Who cares if Olivia hates her? And David needs to forget about having a crush on her STAT. Even Emma’s crazy fashion choices can’t keep Diana entertained. All she can hope for is a dance scholarship to a college as far away as possible from too-small, too-boring, too-nothing-ever-happens New Freedom, PA.

Then Diana meets Nicholas Woodhaven. He’s pale, angry…yet weirdly charming. The more time they spend together, the more she wonders who – or what – he really is. Because he isn’t anything like the other guys she knows. Not with the whole only-going-out-at-night thing. And living with his creepy aunt. And not going to school.

Just when Diana thinks she’s got Nicholas all figured out, people in her small, nothing-ever-happens town start dying. She has to wonder – can she trust him? And even more alarming – could she be next?

A murder mystery with a paranormal twist, Moon Child is best read under the covers with a flashlight...if you dare!

This companion novel gives us a taste of Emma before her adventures in Oxford and introduces us to her best friend, Diana. 

I have to say, this one is best read on a rainy night with some candles lit. It's spooky, romantic and it will keep you reading!


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See what the other Bookanistas are raving about this week!

Lenore Appelhans swoons for THESE BROKEN STARS by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Rebecca Behrens is wondering at WONDER, by R.J. Palacio

Christine Fonseca has all the feels for DARKEST MERCY, by Melissa Marr

Nikki Katz is gushing about BLYTHEWOOD, by Carol Goodman

Stasia Ward Kehoe has taken a shine to GOLDEN, by Jessi Kirby

Jessica Love has fond memories of ALL OUR YESTERDAYS, by Cristin Terrill

BOOKANISTAS REVIEW: HYSTERIA By Megan Miranda

Sooo... scary really isn't my thing. I dig paranormal but I usually stay away from thrillers or any kind of novel that would throw the word horror into the description. But I had to read this one. I read Megan's debut novel, FRACTURE, a few years ago and loved it. She is definitely someone who keeps you on the edge or your seat. I wouldn't exactly describe HYSTERIA as a horror novel, but if they ever make it into a movie there will be a scene or two where I'll have to cover my eyes. Like, for real.

 Here's what Goodreads has to say:

 
Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past. But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

This book was intense. If you don't believe me check out the first few lines from chapter one: 

"My mother hid the knife block. In hindsight, that was the first sign. And then, two nights ago, she locked her bedroom door."

Like I said. Intense. The mood is set — dark and foreboding — and I was hooked. From the very beginning there is a feeling to this book. A sense that something isn't quite right. And yet I never doubted Mallory. I believed in her. And her best friend, Colleen. Everyone else? Not so sure.

I love the way Megan Miranda tells a story. She is poetic and real. Her first novel brought me to tears while I was riding on a train. And this one? Well... I didn't read it at night. That's for sure.

If you're looking for an awesomely well done psychological thriller, this is it. It will keep you reading.


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See what the other Bookanistas are raving about this week!

Lenore Appelhans showers praise for HALF LIVES by Sara Grant

Shelli Johannes-Wells raves about RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA by Kimberly McCreight

Shannon Messenger adores THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West

Tracey Neithercott is mad for EARTHBOUND by Aprilynne Pike

Kimberly Sabatini dishes about ROSE UNDER FIRE by Elizabeth Wein

Katy Upperman can't get enough of AUDREY, WAIT! by Robin Benway