Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves: A Book Review

Title: Blood Rose Rebllion (Blood Rose Rebellion #1)
Author: Rosalyn Eves
Publisher: Knopf Books
Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Young Adult
Release Date: March 28th 2017
Source: Blogging for Books
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Her life might well be over.

In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.

As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever.

I really enjoyed this book and the world building. At first it took a bit to grab my attention and pull me in, but once it did, I was hooked and couldn't put this down. I really enjoyed the story behind this, about the people who thought they were in control and had all the power and how they controlled everyone who wasn't Luminate, there was something a bit comical to it just knowing that somehow they would get what they deserved in the end, at least hopefully.

The characters were memorable. Even the ones you just hated and despised, to the ones that had less than a page description in the story. Anna was pretty amazing, but I don't think that I can relate to her in the sense that she would do anything to "fit in" with the society that she thinks is right. I do relate to her stubbornness and her determination to do what she thinks is right, how she follows the beat of her own drum so to speak. I really liked Gabor and Matyas and even Noemi. Their characters added great backbone to this wonderful story and seemed to give Anna strength throughout.

The only trouble I had with this is where the story leaves you at the end, asking so many questions. I had to look to see if there was going to be a book 2 so those answers would hopefully be answered. Luckily it looks like there will be, so hopefully I will stop feeling confused and have a better understanding to where everything is left.

Rosalyn Eves grew up in the Rocky Mountains, dividing her time between reading books and bossing her siblings into performing her dramatic scripts. As an adult, the telling and reading of stories is still one of her favorite things to do. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her chemistry professor husband and three children, watching British period pieces, or hiking through the splendid landscape of southern Utah, where she lives. She dislikes housework on principle. Her first book, BLOOD ROSE REBELLION, comes out Spring 2017 from Knopf.

Find Rosalyn: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

**Book info obtained through Goodreads. ***Book Cover Obtained through Goodreads. ****Author photo obtained through author website.

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5 Star Review: A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin + Giveaway #5Star #bookreview @KatBaldwin #giveaway

Title: A School for Unusual Girls (Stranje House #1)
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: Historical, Yound Adult, Romance
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon

It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts..

A School for Unusual Girls was a bit different for me. Usually when I read a book, I can get a feel for the setting and what might happen right away, or at least within the first 100 pages. However, this one was quite different. It starts off with Georgiana's parents taking her off to a boarding school (mainly because she is an embarrassment and her parents don't want her). The school seems like it's a creepy place at first and quite torturous to it's students. But there is more to the school then what you first think. And it took me a while to figure out what exactly was going on.

The characters were enjoyable. I liked what each one brought to the table. However, Miss Georgiana was a bit stubborn most of the time, and a little too smart for her own good at times too. I really didn't like her parents either, but once you get through the first couple of chapters, they are no longer an interest in the book. Another good character was Lord Wyatt. He was charming and funny in the right places. And Lord Ravencross was another great character, stern and rude, but still enjoyable. I liked the chemistry between him and Tess.

All in all, this was a totally amazing book! I really enjoyed how it ended, it didn't leave you on a cliffhanger for the next one, but at the same time, you are anxiously awaiting for the next book to come out.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

KATHLEEN BALDWIN has written three award-winning traditional Regency romances for adults, including Lady Fiasco, winner of Cataromance’s Best Traditional Regency, and Mistaken Kiss, a Holt Medallion Finalist. She lives in Plano, Texas, with her family.

Find Kathleen: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

1 Winner will receive a Advanced Reader Copy of A School for Unusual Girls (US Only)

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4 Star Review: Duplicity by N.K. Traver + #Giveaway @NKTraver

Title: Duplicity
Author: N.K. Traver
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Genre: Teen, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Release Date: March 17th 2015
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon

In private, seventeen-year-old Brandon hacks bank accounts just for the thrill of it. In public, he looks like any other tattooed bad boy with a fast car and devil-may-care attitude. He should know: he’s worked hard to maintain that façade. With inattentive parents who move constantly from city to city, he’s learned not to get tangled up in things like friends and relationships. So he’ll just keep living like a machine, all gears and wires.

Then two things shatter his carefully-built image: Emma, the kind, stubborn girl who insists on looking beneath the surface – and the small matter of a mirror reflection that starts moving by itself. Not only does Brandon’s reflection have a mind of its own, but it seems to be grooming him for something—washing the dye from his hair, yanking out his piercings, swapping his black shirts for … pastels. Then it tells him: it thinks it can live his life better, and it’s preparing to trade places.

And when it pulls Brandon through the looking-glass, not only will he need all his ill-gotten hacking skills to escape, but he’s going to have to face some hard truths about who he’s become. Otherwise he’ll be stuck in a digital hell until he’s old and gray, and no one will even know he's gone.

I really enjoyed reading this one. It reminded me of the matrix with the computers with a bit of a thriller twist to it with the "duplicates". I am extremely glad that I received a copy of this for review from the wonderful publishers. 

The characters were relate-able, and the voices were believable. I absolutely loved the characters and the story and it blended well together, that's what was great about it. The author created this world where you feel as if it could be real and it made me feel as if I was there watching all this unfold. I especially liked the ending. The author made it feel as if it could continue but didn't leave it wide open for the sequel in case it didn't. It did draw the whole story together nicely and left you thinking about what happens next.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

As a freshman at the University of Colorado, N.K. TRAVER decided to pursue Information Technology because classmates said “no one could make a living” with an English degree. It wasn’t too many years later Traver realized it didn’t matter what the job paid—nothing would ever be as fulfilling as writing. Programmer by day, writer by night, it was only a matter of time before the two overlapped. Duplicity is Traver's first novel.

Find N.K.: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

One winner will receive a hardback copy of Duplicity by N.K. Traver

Giveaway open to US residents only.

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3 Star Review: Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly #bookreview #3star @tinaconnolly

Title: Seriously Wicked
Author: Tina Connolly
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: Teen, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: May 5th 2015
Source: Publisher for Review
Purchase: Amazon

The only thing worse than being a witch is living with one.

Camellia’s adopted mother wants Cam to grow up to be just like her. Problem is, Mom’s a seriously wicked witch.

Cam’s used to stopping the witch’s crazy schemes for world domination. But when the witch summons a demon, he gets loose—and into Devon, the cute new boy at school.

Now Cam’s suddenly got bigger problems than passing Algebra. Her friends are getting zombiefied. Their dragon is tired of hiding in the RV garage. For being a shy boy-band boy, Devon is sure kissing a bunch of girls. And a phoenix hidden in the school is going to explode on the night of the Halloween Dance.

To stop the demon before he destroys Devon’s soul, Cam might have to try a spell of her own. But if she’s willing to work spells like the witch...will that mean she’s wicked too?

This was a pretty decent book. I haven't read anything else by this author yet (even though I have the Ironskin trilogy sitting on my shelves), so I really don't have anything to compare this to. However, for the first time reading this author, I think that I can honestly say that I will be reading more by her.

This book, to me, starts off kind of slow. It took me until about the 50th page to finally grab on to the story and go with it. You have this girl who is being raised by a witch and this witch tries so hard to get her into magic and spells, and Camellia just doesn't want anything to do with it. She rather just go to school and do whatever it takes to make sure the witch's spells don't work.

This story felt like it was rushed though. I mean, I know that there are only 205 pages, but it seemed like towards the middle of the book the author just wanted to get through this fast and rushed the rest of the story. And even though the story felt rushed, I really did enjoy it and I did like the ending of the story, even if it was easy to figure out halfway through (well some of it was).

With likable characters, a good story (even though rushed at times) and good writing by a great author, I do recommend this book to everyone ages 12 and up that like fantasy.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

TINA CONNOLLY lives with her family in Portland, Oregon, in a house that came with a dragon in the basement and blackberry vines in the attic. Her stories have appeared all over, including in Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies.



Find Tina: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

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Blog Tour: Kissing in America by Margo Rabb #Giveaway #BookReview @MargoRabb

Hello and welcome to my stop on the Kissing in America blog tour. I'm so excited about this tour! I also have a wonderful giveaway, so make sure you read all the way down!

Kissing in America

by Margo Rabb

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release: May 19, 2015

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love. 

In this honest and emotional journey that National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr calls “gorgeous, funny, and joyous,” readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all of its forms.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iTunes | Kobo

“In this indelible coming-of-age story, Rabb seamlessly weaves together multiple narratives. Sprinkled with the poetry Eva reads and writes, this story makes for a hilarious, thought-provoking, wrenching, and joyful quest.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Humor and depth . . . Often entertainingly snarky” — The Horn Book

“A wonderful novel about friendship, love, travel, life, hope, poetry, intelligence and the inner lives of girls. Margo Rabb writes with compassion and clarity about lives that are worth telling, journeys that need to be taken, peace that needs to be reached. I loved it.” — Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray Love

Before I started to read this, I honestly thought that I was going to get some sappy romance/contemporary book. That really wasn't what I got at all. This is a more of a coming to terms with your self and learning about life book, that is what I'm leaving the pages of this book with.

You are pretty much taken on this journey with Eva Roth. She has experienced loss of a loved one, feeling alienated by her mother, has only one true friend, falls in love, goes on a very long road trip and gets her heartbroken and finds truth to everything she thought she knew the answers to, all in the course of one book.

I really didn't care for her mom, she was overbearing, controlling and wouldn't let her daughter experience things for herself. I could understand that she only wanted to protect her daughter, but you need to let teens learn on their own. And her Aunt Janet, I could only picture my own Aunt when reading her. I could have lived without the romance book references though.

To me this was a really thought out book, I'm glad that I read it, and I'm glad it wasn't some mushy gushy romance book like I anticipated it to be.

Margo Rabb's stories have been published in The Atlantic Monthly, Zoetrope: All Story, Seventeen, Best New American Voices, New Stories from the South, New England Review, One Story, and elsewhere, and have been broadcast on National Public Radio. She received grand prize in the Zoetrope short story contest, first prize in The Atlantic Monthly fiction contest, first prize in the American Fiction contest, and a PEN Syndicated Fiction Project Award. She grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. A complete list of her published work can be found here.

Find Margo: Website | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter

One (1) winner will receive the following:

One (1) Digital Audio edition of Kissing in America Estimated value of prize: $21.99

One (1) hardcover edition of Kissing in America Estimated value of prize: $17.99

One (1) I Heart NY Mug

Estimated value of prize: $7.00

One (1) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Drumstick Pen Estimated value of prize: $5.99

One (1) “Elvis Fans Only” parking sign

Estimated value of prize: $18.99

One (1) Brass cowgirl locket

Estimated value of prize: $35.00

One (1) pair cactus socks

Estimated value of prize: $7.50

One (1) Movie clapper board

Estimated value of prize: $5.00

One (1) travel journal

Estimated value of prize: $20.00

One (1) Skull Candy Crusher headphones

Estimated value of prize: $90

One (1) Epic Reads tote bag Estimated value of prize: $15 

Estimated value of all prizes: $244.46 

RULES & CONDITIONS: http://kissinginamerica.com/sweepstakes-rules.pdf

Click HERE to enter GIVEAWAY

To follow the tour, click the above picture.

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#BlogTour: Hold Me Like A Breath by Tiffany Schmidt @tiffanyschmidt

Welcome to my stop on the Hold Me Like A Breath by Tiffany Schmidt blog tour hosted by FFBC Blog Tours! Today I have a review and a giveaway for you!

Hold Me Like A Breath

By Tiffany Schmidt

Release: May 19, 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Bloomsbury

Hold Me Like A Breath was a pretty interesting read from start to finish. I went into this one not knowing what to expect. I really didn't expect a romance, but that is what I got, but I wasn't disappointed. And adding the romance in with the mystery aspect, and you have a great book.

I was pretty disappointed with the mail character, Penny. I mean, at first I wasn't. I really did like her character, but she did have some flaws that I wasn't too particularly fond of. She is seventeen years old, and yes, she was sheltered all her life due to her illness, but she was pretty immature at times and sometimes not very understanding of certain people. It was very irritating. If I went into it more, it would give away the story, and I don't want to do that.

The story itself was pretty good. I haven't read too many stories about crime families, so this was a refreshing change. I also liked that they weren't like your normal crime family too. They didn't deal with hits and killing people. They dealt with organs and organ transplants. So they were helping people, but mainly the wealthy people like politicians and the like.

I do recommend this one, it will suck you in.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Tiffany Schmidt is the author of Send Me a Sign, Bright Before Sunrise, and Hold Me Like a Breath. She’s found her happily ever after in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles.

Find Tiffany: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Instagram

Win (1) finished copy of HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH by Tiffany Schmidt (US Only)

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