Cruel Crown - Glass Sword Sneak Peek

It's February 2nd! That means only seven more days until Glass Sword comes out!

Now, I'm totally not cool enough to have an ARC of this book but I do have Cruel Crown. I actually have read this book but I want to take this moment to just fangirl over the sneak peak of Glass Sword in this book. I'll do an actual review of the other two books at a later time. It's busy season for me so not much time right now. Anyways, here we go!

Cruel Crown
by Victoria Aveyard

Ok, so more than a review, this is just me being a fangirl. I was absolutely excited that we have action right from the beginning. Glass Sword picks up where Red Queen ends. So if you haven't read Red Queen yet, it's still not too late. After all, you can just pick up Glass Sword after you're done. That might not be a bad idea since the story will be fresh on your mind.

Pretty much all the big characters are in this sneak peek. You have both Cal and Mare completely drained after their last trial and escaping from Maven and the discontent Scarlet Gaurd members being wary of Cal. Then, you have Maven hunting them down without skipping a beat. As far as storytelling goes, this is probably a good thing. We have a complete change in scenery. In the first book, Mare was the outcast but now we have Cal as the outcast. I'm excited to see how Cal will develop when he is surrounded by people who are don't trust him at all. Mare at least has friends and family around her but Cal is separated from his comfort zone. It's a complete reversal so let's see how this goes!

My verdict? Completely excited for Glass Sword! I preordered it so hopefully I can be patient until it comes in the mail.

The Wrath and the Dawn

Hey everyone! This time I'm back with an audiobook that I listened to. I might plan on buying this book since there is a sequel I am interested in but I'll see how I feel about that closer to the sequel's release date.

The Wrath and the Dawn
4/5

First off, I loved this book. I love 1001 Nights retellings and I love the world this was set in. Overall, I felt like it was well written with compelling characters. I admit that it wasn't hard for me to get hooked by this book since it has such a pretty cover. I know I've said this before, but I totally judge a book's cover. I may not necessarily judge a book by its cover, but I love pretty covers. Even if it's just an audiobook collection. They look so nice on the bookshelf that I just can't help myself.

As far as the cast of main characters go, this one's pretty solid. I admit that Khalid takes a while to warm up to, but as the story progressed I became curious about what exactly happened to him. Seeing Shahrzad and Khalid's develop from the beginning was amazing. One of my favorite characters has to be Despina, who plays great off Shahrzad. She brings out another side of Shahrzad that I think was great to see. However, I must say that I simply couldn't find myself to like Tariq. I won't say much so that I don't spoil any plot points, but I just couldn't get behind him.

My last gripe (and one of the reasons it's not five stars) is that the book had some pretty lengthy descriptions of nothing important. For instance, the author was very detailed about everything from clothes to food. I would have preferred she tone down on the descriptions since the characters are the heart of this story more so than the clothes they wear everyday.

Aside from some less than appealing characters and lengthy descriptions, I love this book and I will definitely pick up the next one!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

Hey everyone!

So I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and I felt the need to write a review now. I actually checked the reviews and this seemed to be one of those books where you either loved it or hated it. I fall in the former as I actually loved this book. Even though I have no background in history (except a few high school and college courses), I love historical books. Kind of strange, but it is what it is.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
5/5

I honestly picked this book up because the title intrigued me. I was curious as to how literary came to be put in the same title as potato peel pie. When I found this book for a good price, I immediately picked it up. I got sidetracked by other books, though (Red Queen, Cinder) and so it got pushed back on my to read list. I wished I hadn't waited so long because I absolutely loved this book!

This book is written in the form of letters with the main character being Juliet, a writer looking for her next subject. Thanks to a copy of her former book landing in the hands of a Guernsey reader, she finds herself immersed in the lives of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. As she learns more about these islanders and their experiences during the German occupation, she finds herself more invested in each of the members

Overall, I felt this book was amazing. I loved Juliet and her humor and wit. Each correspondant had their own voice and their own experiences that together made me invested in them. I wanted to know more about their experiences and how they coped with all that was going on. I'm not sure how historically accurate this book is, but it definitely didn't shy away from some of the horrors that happened during the war. Furthermore, this book had a lot of heart. Most of the characters felt some hardship and it was interesting to read how that shaped their viewpoints and to read how that shaped their interactions with each other.

If you don't mind the letter format and want a quick read in historical fiction, I'd say give it a shot!

Switched Review

Hey everyone! Happy Late New Year!!!!

I've decided to add a Goodreads link in each review from now on, so that you guys can easily track down the book if you are interested in it. Just click on the title before the rating and it will take you to the page!

Switched by Amanda Hocking
4/5

This is first part of the Trylle Trilogy, which is about human-looking trolls. The main character is Wendy Everly, who is a high school student who just can't seem to fit in. Even at home, she feels a little lost, which most likely started when her own mother tried to kill her when she was six. This was confirmed when Finn, the new student at school, tells her she is a changeling and he has come to take her home.

Overall, I really liked this book. Wendy was a character that I could really feel for. She went through a lot so it made sense that she was so loyal to the family members that stuck by her. When she's taken away from her loved ones only to be brought to her real mother, who is as cuddly as an icicle, it makes sense that she doesn't feel at home.

The world-building is also really interesting. The Trylle magical powers aren't something that's clear, but since we are looking at the world from Wendy's point of view, we get a lot of explanations about the hierarchy and a little about the magical powers. I'm really hoping to see how much further she takes it in the next two books.

**Spoiler**

I also loved that it wasn't insta-love with Wendy and Finn. They grew to care for each other as Finn spent time teaching her about the Trylle ways. Additionally, Finn stays true to his character throughout the book, even after he professes his love for Wendy. His strong morals may mean that you don't have much light, fluffy, and romantic passages, but his actions show that his feelings are really there.

Another aspect of the book I loved was that it explained what happens to the human babies that are switched out. Wendy spends time with them in this book so you so how the regular people are compared to the Trylle royalty.

Overall, I'm looking forward to reading the next book!