Top Ten Tuesday: Thought-Provoking Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!

I never miss a chance to share interesting and inspiring book quotes, so here we go and let the quotes speak for themselves;

"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."

Euripides, The Bacchae

"If you can't fix it, you have to stand it."

Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain

"I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hardy, and free."

Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"Maybe we just lived between hurting and healing."

Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

"Hope is determination, you think. Hope is desperation. Hope is a yearning you can't deny. And hope is just plain old-fashioned insanity."

Hal Duncan, Escape from Hell!

"To get what you want, you have to know exactly how much you are willing to give up."

C.S. Pacat, Prince's Gambit

"Not all those who wander are lost."

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

"Fight because you don't know how to die quietly. Win because you don't know how to lose. This king's ruled long enough - it's time to tear his castle down."

Nora Sakavic, The King's Men

"You cannot know how frightened gods are of pain. There is nothing more foreign to them, and so nothing they ache more deeply to see."

Madeline Miller, Circe

Review: The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith

The Fox and the Star
by Coralie Bickford-Smith
Published by Penguin Books
Fairytale, childrens, fantasy

The Fox and the Star is the story of a friendship between a lonely Fox and the Star who guides him through the frightfully dark forest. Illuminated by Star’s rays, Fox forages for food, runs with the rabbits, and dances in the rain—until Star suddenly goes out and life changes, leaving Fox huddling for warmth in the unfamiliar dark. To find his missing Star, Fox must embark on a wondrous journey beyond the world he knows—a journey lit by courage, newfound friends, and just maybe, a star-filled new sky.

"All of Fox's happiness was bound to the flickering light of Star. And so it had always been."

Such profound and impactful story with absolutely gorgeous illustrations. Truly stunning art, the book itself is a treasure with clothbound and engraved cover. And as the story is so beautiful, it's perfect fairytale, for both kids and adults alike.

5 of 5 stars

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Stacking the Shelves (90)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
This is a huge haul, but it's from the last month or so - and in the last few days, there's been some amazing freebies on Amazon!
Purchased

For Review

 

Freebies

Book Blitz: Taboo For You by Anyta Sunday

Taboo For You (Love & Family, #1)
by Anyta Sunday
Self-published
Original Release Date (Print & Ebook): 2013
Length (Print & Ebook): Ca. 70000 words / 280 pages
Contemporary gay romance, friends-to-lovers, found family

Sam’s freaking out. He’s 30 in three weeks. And what has he done in his twenties? It’s pretty simple math: nothing exciting at all. But hey, he has three weeks right? Maybe that’s just enough time to tick his way through a 20s Must Do List . . .

Luke’s freaking screwed. He’s come out to his family, and his friends. Except there’s a certain someone who doesn’t know yet: his neighbor of 7 years. Who also happens to be his best friend. Who Luke needs to tell the truth, but he just . . . can’t . . . seem to . . .

Jeremy’s freaking over-the-moon. It’s the countdown to his 15th birthday, and his goal is simple. No matter what, he’s going to spend heaps of time with saucy Suzy. But first he needs to get his over-protective, no-girlfriend-‘cause-you’ll-get-her-pregnant parents off his back. And what better way than pretending he’s gay?

Sam, Luke, and Jeremy. Three guys who have a lot of history together, and a lot of future too—

—well, if they can sort out their issues, that is.

"Taboo For You" is a slow burn, Friends To Lovers story with HEA. This sweet & cozy M/M gay romance set in New Zealand can be read as a standalone.

All buy links

On sale at for 99 cents for a limited time only: April 16 - 20!

Reviews

"It is wonderfully put together and it's noticeable how much time, effort and thought is put in every detail. I highly recommend it to every MM romance fan out there, especially those whose guilty pleasures are mm reads with friends-to-lovers/gfy theme. It will put a never-ending smile on your face." - PurpleBook - Way Too Hot Books (4.5/5 stars)

"I know it may sound cliché, but this book made me laugh and it made me cry. Just witnessing the devotion Luke has to Sam and Jeremy is something we all hope for in a mate. [...] I highly recommend this book..." - Jackie - The Novel Approach (4.5/5 stars)

"Having gone through my own 30th birthday crisis, I could empathize with Sam, yet knew he was in good hands with Luke, and even with the playful, totally teenage Jeremy. Everyone should have neighbors as nice as these three." - Pat Henshaw - All About Romance (B+)

"Taboo for You offers the very best of a friends-to-lovers story: friends who didn’t even realize they had already become a family." - Michelle - Joyfully Jay (5 stars)

*** Nominated for the Goodreads M/M Romance 2013 Member's Choice Awards in the category "Best Gay/Out For You" ***

*** Runner Up for Best Gay Contemporary Romance (William Neale Award), Rainbow Awards 2013 ***

I have also read and reviewed Taboo For You!

About Anyta Sunday:

A bit about me: I'm a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. I love to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love. Some of my favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries.
I write a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of angst, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy.
My books have been translated into German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Thai.

Connect with Anyta:

Author website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Review: Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Renegades (Renegades, #1)
by Marissa Meyer
Published by Pan Macmillan
YA, fantasy, sci-fi

Secret identities. Extraordinary powers.She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies―humans with extraordinary abilities―who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone . . . except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice―and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

"We were all villains in the beginning."

How could I not be absolutely captivated from the start with a first sentence like that? I love villains, anti-heroes and morally grey characters. Even more so, I love when it is difficult to tell who are the bad and good guys. It's all about perspective - everyone's a hero of their own story. Renegades plays with that idea to the T: Nova is an Anarchist, sworn for vengeance, and Adrian is a Renegade, part of organisation in a mission to protect and fight the villains. What makes Renegades more than a cliché forbidden love story, is the execution and attention to everyone's motives. I usually take sides pretty quickly, but this time, I liked both sides. There's no traditional good versus evil, but two sides that have both good and questionable intentions. It's complex, which makes it oh so good and addicting.

Characters are the best thing here. The world-building is alright, but it's more character driven story. There's plenty of action, backstories and history, but I feel like the characters and their personal conflicts are the driving force here. It's perfect that way, because there's a great cast of characters. Nova's resourceful and she doesn't give up or give in - Renegades failed her family and are tormenting her found family, so she'll do whatever it takes to tear them down. Adrian's a sweetheart: he's the goody-two-shoes type of guy, but he's also determined to have justice and ready toe the line if that gets him closer to finding his mother's killer. There's also a whole bunch of other intriguing characters. Adrian's team and family are great, and Nova's found family, the Anarchists, are brilliant.

I'm not most coherent right now, but to put it in a simple way - I love Renegades. It's basically everything I want in a book. It's captivating and stunning, and I'm going to read Archenemies right after because I need more of this world and characters. So yes, I highly recommend it to everyone. But specifically for everyone who likes superheroes and supervillains, quests for vengeance and justice, and sworn enemies and undercover operations.

5 of 5 stars

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ARC Review: Boot by Shane Hegarty

Boot
by Shane Hegarty
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
Middle grade, sci-fi, adventure

When toy robot, Boot, wakes up at a scrapyard, it has no idea how it got there and why it isn't with its owner, Beth. It only has two and a half glitchy memories, but it knows it was loved, which means something important to humans.

Boot soon realises its emotions make it different to other robots, who just function and don't think. Boot is scared but tries to be brave, which is hard when its screen keeps showing a wobbly, worried face. Luckily Boot meets Noke and Red - other 'advanced' robots who have learned to survive in secret.

With its new friends by its side, Boot is determined to find Beth and the gang set off on a dangerous adventure. Everything Boot thought it knew about the world is changing and things aren't as simple as it remembers...

Boot is heart-warming and delightful story about a toy robot, who boots up in a junkyard with only two and half glitchy memories of his owner, Beth. Boot also feels things he's not supposed to: he's a robot, but has love in his heart and determination to find Beth. On his search for her, Boot meets other robots and humans. There's plenty of adventures and insightful moments that makes reader bonder about humanity and technology.

I thoroughly enjoyed Boot. It's sweet and fast paced, and one of those books that cross generations. I'm sure both younger and older readers will find the story delightful. Hegarty is pretty good at writing middle grade story that's not dumbed down.

The proof copy I have doesn't have many illustrations, but the few there are, gorgeous. There's full page illustrations and plenty of space reserved for more, so I think the finish book will be absolutely beautiful - I'll definitely check it out once it comes out next month!

4 of 5 stars

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(A copy of this book was provided in return for an honest review.)

Dewey's 24 Readathon Wrap Up

Here's the TBR post for the readathon, just if you want to see my TBR, although for once in my life, I followed it to a T! I read all the ones I planned, nothing else. This should be celebrated!

I managed to read a lot more than I expected. I missed first few and last few hours of the readathon, because I had work, and I needed a good nights sleep in order to function properly at work. The books I chose were all fast paced and enjoyable, which is probably the reason why I read so much - it's easy when you fly through the pages!
I read 546 pages; finished one book, two graphic novels and started another book. Not bad, and I read a bit more than my goal was (400 to 500 pages).

To recap, I read 227 pages of Boot, 128 pages of The Battle of the Labyrinth, 112 pages of The Steel Prince and 79 pages of Renegades;

Closing Survey
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Usually first and last hour are most daunting for me, but I missed them because of work. So no hour was more daunting than the other for me.

2. Tell us ALLLL the books you read!
*look up*

3. What was your favourite snack?
Ooh coffee! But for food, smoky BBQ crackers.

4. What was your favourite facet of the day?
Not sure?

5. Wanna volunteer for the next event?
If I have time, I'd love to volunteer!

Review: The Steel Prince Vol. 1 by V.E. Schwab

The Steel Prince (Shades of Magic Graphic Novels, #1) by V.E. Schwab Published by Titan Graphic novel, fantasy

The youthful Maxim Maresh is sent to a violent and unmanageable port city on the Blood Coast of Verose, on strict orders from his father, King Nokil Maresh, to cut his military teeth in this lawless landscape.
There, he encounters an unruly band of soldiers, a lawless landscape, and the intoxicatingly deadly presence of the newly returned pirate queen, Arisa.

I'm so happy to be back in this world and to learn even more about the fringes of it, not to forget about different types of magic that was only briefly touched upon in Shades of Magic. There's certainly lot happening here: a pirate queen, who uses forbidden bone magic, young and untested prince, and fierce guard, who has lot to prove. There's fast paced action and magic, which I really liked. My only complain is that it was too short - I could have read a full novel! Luckily there's more of Maxim's adventures coming.

The Steel Prince has gorgeous art work. I loved how the magic Schwab created translated visually.

I will try to patiently wait for next instalment, because I need more from this world - and I want to know what happens during the Night of Knives!
4 of 5 stars
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Top Ten Tuesday: Things That Make Me Pick Up A Book

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!
VILLAIN/ANTI-HERO POINT OF VIEW Villains and anti-heroes fascinate me, and I love reading from the perspective of morally grey characters. Books like Vicious by V.E. Schwab and Lost Boy by Christina Henry certainly fits the bill perfectly.

UNRELIABLE NARRATORS Yes, give me narrators whom I can't trust - I love trying to figure out the truth underneath the lies!

 

ADVENTURE FANTASY Overall, I like fantasy. But my favourite type of fantasy is adventure - when there's quests, journeys and adventures.

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE I like fast paced action, suspense and romance. Even better when it's all in the same book.
ENEMIES TO LOVERS There's just something special when two people, who hate each other, learn slowly to love each other.

CLOSED DOOR MURDER MYSTERY I like mysteries, but there's nothing like a closed door murder mystery. It's chilling to have a group of people who know there's a murderer in their midst. It's even better when basically anyone could have done it - it's fun trying to solve it.

RETELLINGS OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS I love ancient myths and retellings of those are close to my heart - and some of my favourite books are retellings of Greek myths and legends, namely The Song of Achilles and Rick Riordan's books. Heroic adventures, gods and monsters just have that special magic.

FAVOURITE AUTHOR I'm certainly more likely to pick a book by author whose work I've previously enjoyed - and pretty much guaranteed to pick up something by my favourite author.

Wrapping the Month: March

What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?

Work and university kept me busy throughout March. If I was not studying or at work, I did read quite a bit. I randomly picked up The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic and oh boy, did I devour the whole All for the Game trilogy - within a week. I'm obsessed! I have a bit difficulty to turn my feelings into sensible reviews, but I'll try to do that in April. I didn't blog as much as I planned, but I'm satisfied enough; I wrote some reviews, participated few blitzes and tours, and such.

I might have gone with a little overboard with proof copies, getting four middle grade proofs from work and then few eARCs. And I also had to get all Schwab's new releases as she's one of my favourite authors.

March's reviews:
Prince of Air and Darkness (4 stars)
A Ferry of Bones & Gold (5 stars)
Star Collector Vol. 1 (4 stars)
All Souls Near & Nigh (5 stars)

I'm extremely happy that I read seven books - more so with what I read. I devoured Sakavic's trilogy and was enchanted by the Soulbound books. Everything was either five or four star read - it can't get better than that!

  

  

April's going to be stressful, because of university. I've plenty of assignment and a dissertation to finish. Hopefully I'll be able to do other things too, namely keep up with the blog! I will participate on Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, so there'll posts about that in April.

Hugs,

Henna