Waiting on Wednesday #126: Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Iron Cast 
by Destiny Soria



It's Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths - whose "afflicted" blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art - captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny's crowds, and by day they con Boston's elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is. After she escape, two of the Cast Iron's hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn.

Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait

I love historical fiction, unfortunately I never read a lot of it. So when I saw this book I knew that I had to pick it up. And I have requested it on Netgalley so hopefully I get to read it pretty soon!

Publication date: October 11th 2016

Elien

Top Ten Tuesday #88: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases July-December

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks topic is Ten Most Anticipated Releases July-December

1. Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
2. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
3. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
4. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8) by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
5. Chasing Impossible (Pushing the Limits #5) by Katie McGarry
6. Defending Taylor (Hundred Oaks #7) by Miranda Kenneally
7. Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
8. Strange Dreamer (Strange Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor
9. Iron Cast by Destiny Soria
10. Ever the Hunted (Clash of Kingdoms #1) by Erin Summerill

Elien

Band of the Month June: Christina Grimmie

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I love going to music concerts and to music festivals. My iPod is next to my ereader my best friend. I never go anywhere without my music. So I figured that it was about time that I introduced some music in my blog. From now on I will feature one of my favorite bands each month. Maybe you know them, maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ll like them, maybe you’ll hate them. But anyway I think that this is going to be lots of fun!

I think that most people have heard the news by now. Last weekend Christina Grimmie got shot after her concert in Orlando. I cannot believe with which tragedies Orlando has been struck these past days and all my love goes out to the people over there. I decided to dedicate this post this month to Christina Grimmie because she left this world to soon. I used to follow her on YouTube when she did her covers of famous songs and before she participated in the Voice USA. And while I had not listed to her a lot in the last couple of years the news of her death still shocked me. I hope that she will not be forgotten and that she will be an inspiration for many others to keep believing in your dreams because she was following hers. 

Website | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter

Elien

Sunday Post #30

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

This week went by so fast and it was pretty busy as well. The weather has been pretty nice all week, except for today, so I could finally wear my summer dresses which was nice. On Thursday evening I went to a gig and saw two bands I really love and then on Friday I had it was the companies summer party. So that was a good start of the weekend. Also the European Championships started this week so I have been watching a lot of football all weekend long! Watching all the games takes up so much time but it's a lot of fun and I can't wait for Belgium to play tomorrow! 

Last week on the blog:

• Monday: New Book Releases In June
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #87: Top Ten Reasons I Love Richelle Mead
• Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday #125: Chasing Impossible (Pushing the Limits #5) by Katie McGarry
• Thursday: Review: What I Thought Was True (My Life Next Door #2) by Huntley Fitzpatrick
• Friday: Book Blitz: Thirst: Blood of my Blood by R.P. Channing

Next week on the blog:

• Monday: Band of the Month June
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #88: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for July-December
• Wednesday: Waiting On Wednesday #126
• Thursday: Review: Ransome (Ransome #1) by Rachel Schurig

Elien

Book Blitz: Thirst: Blood of my Blood by R.P. Channing

Title: Thirst: Blood of my Blood
Author: R.P. Channing
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Publication date: November 26th 2015
Pages: 243 (Kindle)
Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

~ Kira Sutherland ~

After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:

1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)

Or

2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)

She chooses the latter...

~ Cory Rand ~

Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.

Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:

1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)

Or

2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.

He chooses the latter...

It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.

Things he's always ignored.

Until now.

Goodreads

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

-1- 

The Puppy Eyes

My life was perfect.
     I had the perfect shoes and the perfect friends and I lived in the perfect house. My nails were perfect and my hair was perfect (except on Sundays, it was always windy on Sundays) and I had the perfect clothes. My lips were a perfect red and my hair perfectly straight. My eyeshadow was perfect, my hips were...okay, and my waist...well...also okay. Nothing was wrong in my life.
     But then there was Jack.
     Jack was a problem.
     He needed to go. I mean, when you’re dead, you’re dead! I had told him this endlessly. Somehow, Jack didn’t get it. I mean, I felt sorry for the guy. Sure. Being stuck between this life and the next. But just because I found him, does that mean I needed to keep him?
     I think not!
     Sadly, when Jack got that look in his eyes, that weary, almost teary (if his tear-ducts worked) look, I melted. I just couldn’t send him away. Not even Jack knew where he would go after he died.
Would he, like, die? As in — dead, nada, kaput, finito, gone, no more? Bye bye, sayonara, ciao, hasta la vista baby and all that?
     I couldn’t have that on my conscience. No way.
     I lay on my bed, wondering what to do about him. “Jaaaaaaack,” I hollered.
     “Jaaaaaaack!”
     Still no answer.
     “Jack!”
     Jack...materialized.
     His eyes rolled down to the ground. He was making those puppy eyes again. “Jack, I told you not to do that. I told you not to play on my sympathies.”
     His puppy eyes became worse.
     His skin was gray and, well, dead.  
     “Oh, brother,” I said. “I have to do something about you. If mom finds out I have another ‘imaginary friend’ — at my age — well, I’d die of embarrassment. But, like, really die. Not like you.” I wondered about this. Would I die? Was Jack a freak accident, or did all people live on like him? Think of the cemeteries...
     The idea excited me somewhat.
     “What would you have me do, Miss Kira?”
     “Knock off the Miss Kira crap. I told you it’s just Kira.”
     “Yes, Miss Kira.”
     The dead. There’s just no reasoning.
     “Fine, Miss Kira it is then.” Rover barked like a lunatic in the garden. No one else might be able to see Jack, but I was sure my dog could.
     “I have to do something about this,” I mumbled.

-2- 

The Rat

Mike knocked on the door before I had time to leave the house. Mike was the guy I thought (at the time) was perfect.
     “Who is it?”
     “It’s me, baby.” 
     Baby, urgh — I wasn’t his baby. I dated Mike because he was the quarterback, because girls are supposed to like the quarterback, because it’s just so darn perfect to be seen with the quarterback, like we’re brainwashed into thinking these things from the first romantic doll set mom buys us.
     This was my previous life.
     “Mike.”
     “Uh-huh. Gonna let me in?”
     So you can try rub me up and then complain when I don’t let you? This, dear reader, was the big problem with Mike. The second we first kissed, his hand went way too far south for me to be comfortable — and I pulled back.
      Mike suddenly wasn’t so perfect.
     “Uhm, I was just on my way out,” I said.
     “Kira? C’mon, open the door.” He sounded upset. “Is there someone in there with you?”
     Boys. As if.
     I didn’t know much about love (nothing, actually) but I knew this wasn’t it.
     “Uhm, now’s not the time, Mike.”
     “C’mon, Kira, what’s going on?” He banged harder.
     When in doubt...lie. I opened the door a crack. “There’s a dead rat in the house, Mike. Been here for days. I gotta go get some detergent and stuff to handle the stench.”
     Mike stepped back. He peered through the crack of the door.
     “It’s really bad,” I said.
     “I’ll drive you.”
     “I’m afraid the smell” — I stuck my armpit to my nose — “has found its way all over me. I’ll drive myself.”
     “O — okay. Fine.” And then he grinned like he wanted something. “Later? My place?”
     Urgh. “Uhm, sure...er...later. Not sure when though.”
     “Six.”
     I fought the urge to roll my eyes. According to girls at school, he was apparently so damn good looking — theoretically. But for me personally, he did nothing. Moved nothing. Twisted nothing.              “Look, I gotta go, Mike. I gotta — ”
     “Kira.” His eyes grew stern. “You’ve been avoiding me...”
     Bingo! Well done contestant number one! And what have you won? A brain!
     I tilted my head. “Mike, look, this...rat — I need to deal with it. We’ll talk later, okay? Bye.” I closed the door, not waiting for an answer, and peered out the peep hole. Mike hung around for a second, shoulders wide and eyes glaring straight at me through the door. Could he see me? Did he know I was looking at him?
      He kicked something off the ground, and I had the distinct impression he mouthed the word Bitch before leaving. But I wasn’t sure...

-3- 

The Mack

“Roll down the window, Jack.” Jack was recently dead, so he still had a smell about him. (Which only I could smell...)
     I had purposely skipped breakfast. Maybe Jack would help me lose weight. I was (still am) a little wide, although it had never stopped guys flirting with me. I know how to dress.
     But I could be skinnier.
     Lucy Rogers was skinny. All bones and no boobs.
     Charlene Carverton was a babe. Cheerleader. Big chest (which she pushed out generously with a push-up — if only guys knew). Toned thighs. Charlene only dated college boys (back then), which I still think is pretty gross for a girl her age.
     “He’s not for you,” Jack said out the blue.
     “Hmm?”
     “This...Mike — he’s wrong for you, Miss Kira.” For all Jack’s faults (mainly, being dead), he has a good heart. Factually, probably it’s why I kept him around at first.
     “You think I don’t know that?”
     “Then why don’t you dump him?”
     I braked at a stop sign. Looked left and right. “Because I’d look like an idiot. I flirted with him and showed interest, and one kiss later I can’t stand the sight of him.”
     “So dump him.”
     “It’s not that simple. Kids at school — they can be vicious. I have to let it fade slowly. If I drop the bomb on him, I’ll never hear the end of it through senior year.”
     “And you care?”
     Yes, I did. Forget Guantanamo, schools are rough. “You don’t understand, Jack. Maybe school was different in your day. But in mine, well, we walk through metal detectors.”
     “Schools weren’t too different in my day.” I noted the sadness in his voice.
     “You okay?”
     “I’m dead.”
     Right. “You miss...your life?”
     Jack shrugged. “I like being with you, Miss Kira. And I don’t remember much of my life. I think I’m in limbo.”
     “Limbo?”
     “Yes, like I have some unfinished business. If only I could remember...what...it is...” He scratched his head.
     “Any ideas?”
     “Well, it can’t be love. If it were love, I’d be a vampire. That’s who teenage girls fall in love with these days.”
     “A vampire? That’s just what I need — two undead beings stalking me.”
     “I feel I have something to do around you, Miss Kira. I don’t know what, but something. Something important.”
     I looked over at him. “Me?”
     I was still looking at him when I missed the stop sign.
     The Mack truck drove straight into us.

About the author

R P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy.
Website | Twitter | Amazon

Elien

Review: What I Thought Was True (My Life Next Door #2) by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title: What I Thought Was True
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Series: My Life Next Door
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Publication date: April 15th 2014
Pages: 422 (hardcover)
Source: Netgalley






From the acclaimed author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions. 

Gwen Castle has never so badly wanted to say good-bye to her island home till now; the summer her Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, takes a job there as the local yard boy. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past - or the island - Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true - about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself - with what really is. 

A magnetic, push-you-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.

Goodreads

This book was just okay for me, it certainly was not bad but it is also not a book that I will still remember next year. I still like Huntley Fitzpatrick a lot and I will definitely continue to read all her other books.

What I like about her books is that her characters are realistic. She portrays teenagers that are not perfect but also do not have major issues that threaten their live. She shows them like most teenagers are. They are trying to figure out who they are exactly and what it is in life that they want. Another thing that I liked about What I Thought Was True is that the booked focused on more characters than just the main characters. It also showed the stories of their friends and families, which I really enjoyed.

But there were also some things about this book that I did not like so much. Normally I like a flashback in a book since it gives you more insight into what exactly happened to the characters in the past. But in this case there were just too many of them and the transitions between past and present were not always clear to me. So at times it left me a bit confused until I caught on again. Another thing was that I felt that some things could have been left out of this book, especially in the middle. I liked the pace of the book in the beginning, and certainly in the end. But in the middle I had a bit of a struggle to continue the story.

But guys do not let any of this put you off. Because in the end it was still a pretty decent book that I really enjoyed reading. It is well written, as we can expect from Huntley Fitzpatrick, and it showed pretty well how teenagers handle certain things and how they deal with things in live that are thrown in their path.

What I Thought Was True is not a fluffy summer read full of romance. Yes there is some romance in it of course but to me it does not feel like it is the main focus of this book. There is so much more to it. I would still recommend it to you if you are looking for a decent YA contemporary read. And I cannot wait to read Huntley Fitzpatrick her other books. 

Elien

Waiting on Wednesday #125: Chasing Impossible (Pushing the Limits #5) by Katie McGarry

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Chasing Impossible
by Katie McGarry



Tough and independent, 17-year-old Abby lets very few people into her inner circle. It's common knowledge in her Kentucky town that she deals drugs, but not even her closest friends know why. But when a deal goes south and Abby's suddenly in danger, she finds herself reluctantly forced to lean on daredevil Logan - a boy whose restless spirit matches her own.

Logan has his own reasons for wanting to keep Abby at arm's length. But he never expected to fin in her the one person who might help him face the demons he's tried so hard to run from.

Together, Abby and Logan will have to make a decision: let their current circumstances weigh them down forever... or fight for the future they both thought was impossible.

Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait

I LOVE Katie McGarry, all her books are amazing. She writes such wonderful stories that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. And I have always wondered what Abby's story was so I cannot wait to find it out!

Publication date: July 1st 2016

Elien

Top Ten Tuesday #87: Ten Reasons I Love Richelle Mead

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks topic is Top Ten Reasons I Love Richelle Mead

Richelle Mead is one of my all time favorite authors and she was the first one to pop-up in my head when I read this weeks topic.

1. All her books (that I've read so far) are amazing
2. She creates bad-ass characters; Rose anyone
3. The relationships between the characters in her books always feel so realistic to me
4. Adrian!! (Do I need to say more)
5. Same goes for Dimitri actually
6. She knows how to get you hooked on book within minutes
7. I like the worlds she creates in both VA, Bloodlines and The Age of X
8. I have never met her but she looks like a really sweet person to me
9. Her tweets are pretty funny at times
10. She's just an amazing author!

Elien

New Book Releases in June

This month is a month in which some amazing books are released. I'm so excited for some of them and I can't wait to read them! 

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout (June 1st)

Summer Day, Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins, Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo... (June 2nd)

You Know Me Well by Nina La Cour and David Levithan (June 7th)

 

Idol (VIP #1) by Kristen Callihan (June 7th)

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen (June 7th)

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash (June 14th)

Zenith ( The Androma Saga #1) by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings (June 21st)

The Vanishing Throne (Falconer #2) by Elizabeth May (June 21st)

Never Ever by Sara Saedi (June 21st)

United as One (Lorien Legacies #7) by Pittacus Lore (June 28th)

Run by Kody Keplinger (June 28th)

Up In Fames (Rosemary Beach #13) by Abbi Glines (June 28th)

Elien

Sunday Post #29 & Stacking the Shelves #65

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

I have been neglecting this blog for a while now and I am really sorry for that. But I had so much going on in my life that blogging just did not seem to fit in my life at the moment. Now everything is more or less back to normal and I cannot wait to pick blogging up again because I missed it so much. My review pile is a bit frightening at the moment but I am sure that I will catch up to it soon! Other than that this week was pretty uneventful, the weather was horrible it felt more like winter than summer (long live the UK) but today it is finally nice again and it looks like summer is finally here! Next week I have some fun things planned on Thursday I am going to a concert and on Friday it is the companies summer party so that should be fun as well. Also the Euro's start next week as well, so excited for that!!


Last week on the blog:

• Monday: Review: Manga Classics Emma by Stacy King
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #86: Top Ten 2016 Beach Reads

Next week on the blog:

• Monday: New Book Releases in June
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #87: Top Ten Reasons I Love X
• Wednesday: Waiting On Wednesday #125
• Thursday: Review: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
• Friday: Book Blitz: Thirst: Blood of my Blood by R.P. Channing

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

I didn't get any new books this week. But since I haven't posted a book haul in so long I will show you the books I got in the past few weeks.

Bought: 

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh
It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
To Catch a Dream (The Breckton Trilogy #1) by Mary Wood
Winter (The Demi-Monde Saga #1) by Rod Rees

For Review:

The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding
Phantasma by Efthalia
King Slayer (Witch Hunter #2) by Virginia Boecker

Elien