Short Take Reviews: The Queen of Nothing, We Own Tonight, Malice

I'm covering all bases today with a contemporary romance, a YA fantasy, and a YA contemporary with a sci-fi twist. While one missed the mark, the other two were big hits. 

    

WE OWN TONIGHT by Corinne Michaels | 4.5 STARS

Corinne Michaels was one of those authors that I’d been meaning to read for years. And after I finished We Own Tonight all I could think was, What took me so long?” Because I fell hard for this sexy/swoony story. Heather had a mind-blowing encounter with Eli, her teenage crush, after his concert. Her life was complicated and she had no room for a relationship but apparently Eli didn’t get the memo. I loved the way Eli pursued Heather – not in an overbearing, creepy way but with persistent charm and humor. What started as attraction and infatuation turned into something deeper and I loved watching these two get to know each other, trust each other, and make room for each other in their lives. I appreciated Heather’s selflessness and her devotion to her sister and Eli was an absolute sweetheart who understood Heather’s situation and did everything he could to make her life easier. Both of them were dealing with serious matters in their personal lives and those led to some truly emotional moments that had me tearing up more than once. There’s no doubt I’ll be reading more from Corinne Michaels after this gem.

THE QUEEN OF NOTHING (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black | 4.25 STARS

The Queen of Nothing gave me more of what I loved about The Folk of the Air trilogy – the scheming, the plotting, the machinations – and then amped it up a notch by delivering more of what I wanted: more Jude + Cardan. The changes in them both over the course of the series were so subtle and so well done. These two had danced around each other for so long and the payoff here of finally – finally! – seeing them open up to one another and come together was epic. They truly came into their own here. But it’s not like Holly Black dropped the action in order to focus on the characters. There was still all the danger, the trickery, the twists, the situations I thought for sure there was no way out of. The pacing was nonstop and I enjoyed every minute of the ride. (Side note: Kudos to Black for creating some of the best morally gray (and downright villainous) characters ever and not feel the need to redeem them. *fist bump to Holly*) 

MALICE by Pintip Dunn | 2.75-3 STARS

I’ll start by saying that Malice wasn’t a good fit for me from the start. But Entangled sent me a shiny, new hardcover in a pretty PR box so I felt obligated to read it. So there’s that. While the premise is interesting – girl hears voice of her older self, telling her that a classmate will wipe out two-thirds of a population with a virus and enlists her help to stop him – the execution left me wanting. Main character Alice was way too willing to believe the voice in her head and was prepared to go to extreme lengths without ever really exploring other options. Plus, there were just too many events that were so unrealistic (even outside the time travel aspect) and outlandish that it lost any shred of believability. The reveal of the virus maker was a dud since it was glaringly obvious from early on. Side character Bandit was the bright spot. 

Have you read any of these books?

The Sunday Post #188

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by 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, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:

Sunday Post Meme

• I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Or, if you don't celebrate, I hope it was a great week. It was equal parts busy and relaxing on my end. The family gathered at my mom's house on Christmas Eve and it was a great time. Christmas Day is a lot more low-key, which is perfect. The Husband and I exchanged some gifts, I hosted lunch in the afternoon (for part of the family), and it was just a really good day.
• I was off work all week and it was fabulous. I'm telling you, friends, I could get used to this. :) But it's back to reality tomorrow and in about 24 hours from now I'll be getting ready to head to the office. At least it will be a short week since I'll be off on Wednesday. Small blessings!
• It's been warm all week (over 70 degrees) and rainy the past few days. Anyone want to send some winter weather my way?
• So what's everyone doing for New Years? Do you have any traditions? Going out somewhere, staying in and relaxing? Do you make New Years resolutions? The Husband and I will probably go out for dinner but after that I'll be hibernating at home. Maybe watch a movie or engage in some fierce backgammon action. :)
• And now for this week's music selection: It seems fitting to end the year with Auld Lang Syne. I really like this extended version from Kenny G with all the clips throughout the years.

Thursday, December 26
#Blogmas2019 Days 15, 16, 17 and 18:
Best Romance Author, Most Original Plot/Story, Best New-To-Me Author, Most Read Author

Friday, December 27
#Blogmas2019 Days 19, 20, 21 and 22:
Best Cover, Most Powerful Writing, Best LGBTQ, Best Audiobook

WHAT I COMPLETED IN THE LAST WEEK:

Bahahaha! Yet again, the answer to this question is: nothing.

(I DNF'd another book - Christmas in Silver Springs by Brenda Novak). This kinda/sorta reading slump I've been in continues. Sometimes I have no interest in reading at all, sometimes the books I choose don't pull me in or hold my attention. It's been a couple months now and I am seriously over it. I want my reading mojo back!   

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 

    

     

The One For You - Roni Loren

What He Never Knew - Kandi Steiner

On Tuesday, I started the ARC of The One For You that I'd been highly anticipating, thinking it might snap me out of this reading funk. While I can't say that has happened, I am really enjoying it. This is the fourth (and final, I think?) book in Loren's The Ones Who Got Away series. I really enjoyed the previous books so I'm excited to get further into this one (I'm about 20% in right now.) 

Last year I listened to the What He Doesn't Know duet by Kandi Steiner. They were by first books by Kandi, super angsty, and I really enjoyed them. Earlier this year she released a third book, What He Never Knew (moving on from a duet to a trilogy now), giving the story of the guy not chosen in the earlier books. I like that it's the same guy narrating and so far I'm really liking it. 

PHYSICAL BOOKS:

     

    

Regretting You - Colleen Hoover

Finding Perfect - Colleen Hoover

The Queen of Nothing - Holly Black

The Bitterroot Inn - Devney Perry

The Candle Palace - Devney Perry

For the Love of Paper - Lark Crafts

KINDLE BOOKS:

    

Pumpkin and Spice - Abby Knox

Comfort and Joy - Abby Knox

eARC FOR REVIEW:

Great and Precious Things - Rebecca Yarros

AUDIO BOOKS:

The Queen of Nothing - Holly Black

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 

I'd love to hear about it!

#Blogmas2019 Days 19, 20, 21 and 22: Best Cover, Most Powerful Writing, Best LGBTQ, Best Audiobook #BestBooksof2019

Welcome to Blogmas 2019! 

Blogmas is the creation of Sophie @ Beware of the Reader. This is her third year (I think) doing Blogmas and my second year participating. Sophie has provided some great prompts for this month and I'm excited to participate as often as possible. I'll probably be combining days fairly often, like today. If you'd like to participate, be sure to use the hashtags #Blogmas2019 and #BestBooksof2019.

DAY 19: BEST COVERS 

    

VERITY | THE WICKED KING | TRUSTING WINTER

The cover of Verity is creepy on its own, but when you've read the book and understand the meaning behind it... well, it's even creepier. Holly Black really won the cover lottery with her Folk of the Air trilogy. The Wicked King cover is just stunning. I don't know if it's the colors (which are beautiful), or the fact that I know what an amazing story is inside, but the cover of Trusting Winter makes me all kinds of happy.

DAY 20: MOST POWERFUL WRITING

    

BIRTHDAY | LONG SHOT | CILKA'S JOURNEY

In less than 300 pages, Meredith Russo was able to create two fully realized characters and impart so much emotion that I was only able to read Birthday in short bits at a time. Kennedy Ryan put a spotlight on domestic abuse in Long Shot and didn't shy away from scenes that were brutal in their depiction. Ryan's writing was powerful enough to relate the horror of domestic violence without ever delving into sensationalism. Morris's writing in Cilka's Journey wasn't poetic or even particularly literary, but that wasn't needed to relate the atrocities committed in the concentration camp and labor camp where Cilka was imprisoned. The matter-of-fact way in which Cilka's experiences were presented somehow made the impact even more powerful.

DAY 21: BEST LGBTQ

    

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST | RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

Ben from I Wish You All the Best was simply precious and I wanted to hug him and promise things would get better. My heart broke for him but I loved being witness to his journey. Red, White & Royal Blue was an absolute gem. The match of brilliant, but often remarkably clueless, Alex and the soft and sweet Henry was a joy to experience. Filled with a stellar cast of secondary characters and laugh out loud humor, RW&RB was a true stand-out.

DAY 22: BEST AUDIOBOOK

    

ALL WE EVER WANTED | INTERCEPTED | WELL MET

All We Ever Wanted was my first book from Emily Giffin and it was so, so good. The three narrators brought the main characters to life and had me completely invested in the events taking place. The characters and situations felt so true-to-life and I give a lot of the credit to how well the narrators portrayed the story. Intercepted was a nonstop good time. Narrator January LaVoy voiced Marlee to perfection and I loved every inflection and nuance. It made me an instant fan of Alexa Martin. Well Met was one of my big surprises of the year and the audio version was an absolute delight! Brittany Pressley was a new-to-me narrator and she struck the perfect balance between the story's humor and the more emotional scenes. This is one I'm sure I'll be listening to again.

HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COVER OF THE YEAR?

#Blogmas2019 Days 12, 13 and 14: Best Surprise/Discovery, Favorite Fantasy/PNR, Favorite Indie Author #BestBooksof2019

Welcome to Blogmas 2019! 

Blogmas is the creation of Sophie @ Beware of the Reader. This is her third year (I think) doing Blogmas and my second year participating. Sophie has provided some great prompts for this month and I'm excited to participate as often as possible. I'll probably be combining days fairly often, like today. If you'd like to participate, be sure to use the hashtags #Blogmas2019 and #BestBooksof2019.

DAY 12: BEST SURPRISE/DISCOVERY 

WELL MET by JEN DELUCA

I picked up Well Met on a whim and expected something light and fun to pass the time. What I got was all that and then some! Well Met was sweet and adorable, funny and romantic, and all-around charming. It was a listening experience that I loved from start to finish.

DAY 13: FAVORITE FANTASY/PNR

THE WICKED KING by HOLLY BLACK

We go way back to January for my favorite fantasy of the year. The Wicked King was everything I wanted in the sequel to The Cruel Prince. It was darker, more intense, and the stakes were higher. The drama was positively delicious and I was so there for it. 

DAY 14: FAVORITE INDIE AUTHOR

And here's where I start to cheat because no way can I choose just one. Five seems like a nice round number so we'll go with that. 

Emma Chase writes book that, at first glance, are deceptively light and fluffy but almost always pack an emotional punch. Her books just bring me so much enjoyment. Lora Richardson is a contemporary YA author that never disappoints. Her books are like falling into a cozy blanket and being hugged for 300 pages. Krista & Becca Ritchie are the twin sister writing duo behind the Addicted/Calloway Sister series, which happens to be my favorite contemporary series ever. I've lived through a lot with those characters! Emma Scott breaks my heart with every book - and makes me ugly cry - but she always puts my heart back together in the best way before it's all over. And Mia Sheridan writes stories that are so packed with emotion and pull me in every single time. 

HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST SURPRISE OF 2019?

Review: The Wicked King by Holly Black

The Wicked King
K.A. Tucker
Series: The Folk of the Air #2
Publication date: January 8, 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: a combination of hardcover (library) and audio (Audible)

It’s not often you can say a sequel was worth a year’s wait, but in this case? Oh yeah, totally worth the wait. Holly Black delivered big time in this follow-up to last year’s The Cruel Prince. Everything here is just… more. It’s more intense, it’s darker, and the stakes are higher. So buckle up, buttercup, and prepare yourself for The Wicked King.

I feel like a lot of what I want to say could be spoilery and I want to avoid that at all costs (I’m not even including the synopsis because it gives spoilers for the first book). So, sorry if I’m vague but no way am I going to ruin any part of the experience.

Once upon a time, there was a human girl stolen away by faeries, 

and because of that, she swore to destroy them.

The Wicked King picks up five months after the jaw-dropping ending of The Cruel Prince. Jude and Cardan have an uneasy alliance and the balance of power seems to shift like sand being moved by the tide. Jude’s position as Cardan’s seneschal is tenuous and she knows it. Surrounded by those who would do anything to unseat the king and remove her from her position, she plays a constant game of cat and mouse (often playing both roles). Every player has their own agenda and the political machinations, bargains and threats were aplenty.

Jude proved again and again that she is a total badass. This girl held her own against the Folk with her own cunning, intelligence and sheer force of will. Even in the direst of situations (and there were many!), she never gave up and I was in awe of her grit and determination. She managed to always keep the big picture in mind and juggle every possible move in this grand game of strategy being played.

“Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to.”

Then there’s Cardan. The Cruel Prince left me desperate for more of its eponymous character.  And OMG did The Wicked King deliver. More of the tortured royal, more biting insults and compliments that sound like slights, more self-deprecating humor. Cardan is more complex than ever and peeling back the prickly, beautiful layers was exquisite. And Jude + Cardan together? That’s a beautiful toxic mess of a relationship. There’s mutual mistrust, there’s hatred and there’s also respect and desire and attraction. Believe me when I say “I hate you” has never been sexier.

“And the single last thing in my head: that I like him 

better than I've ever liked anyone and that of all the things 

he's ever done to me, making me like him so much is by far the worst.” 

I love the way Black continued to build the magical and dangerous world of Faerie. I love the elegantly formal speech of the Folk. I love the twists, the betrayals, and the delicious drama of it all. 

And. That. Ending. 

I am so invested. The Wicked King was even more than I hoped for and I am so ready for The Queen of Nothing. 

4.5/5 STARS