Book Review: Cinderella’s Dress by Shonna Slayton

Kate simply wants to create window displays at the department store where she’s working, trying to help out with the war effort. But when long-lost relatives from Poland arrive with a steamer trunk they claim holds the Cinderella’s dress, life gets complicated.

Now, with a father missing in action, her new sweetheart shipped off to boot camp, and her great aunt losing her wits, Kate has to unravel the mystery before it’s too late.

After all, the descendants of the wicked stepsisters will stop at nothing to get what they think they deserve.

My Review:

The first time I came across Cinderella’s Dress was at ALA, when I met Shonna. She was so incredibly sweet and published by Entangled, and I absolutely love everything about that publishing company.

I immediately fell in love with the main character of this book. She stands out from page one to the last. She wants to be different but she’s not in your face about it. She’s challenging in such a small way…she doesn’t want to simply be a shop girl, a model. She wants to create beautiful window displays, something that she’s not allowed to do. It’s so simple but I love her determination to make this happen. It’s such a small thing.

What I really love about this book is that it mixes two things I love so much: history and fairy tale. I love historical novels and this takes place in the 40s, during the war. It’s always fun to read about fictional teens in real time periods because you realize how much we’ve had in common over the years, despite the changes to our lifestyles, etc. Even though Kate lives in a totally different time, you connect with her and you care about her and those she cares about.

I also love the fairy tale element. I love the princess stories, all versions of them, from the originals to the Disney versions to the stories that are being created in the books that I read. Cinderella is one of the oldest and well known fairy tales and a story about her dress and the importance of it was addicting from page one to the last page. It’s enchanting and magical. I’m a girl, I love the idea of a princess dress and how a simple night out away from a life you want to escape can change absolutely everything. This book plays on that spirit and that is what makes this book so good. Cinderella’s dress is magic, through out the entire book.

All in all, Shonna writes an incredible novel. The characters, the history, the story of Cinderella and her dress are all written so well and are absolutely beautiful from beginning to end. This is a book that is an absolute must.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Release Day: ‘Awakening’ by Shannon Duffy Review and Giveaway!

April 7, 2015April 6, 2020Leave a comment

A very very Happy Release Day to Shannon Duffy!

Her novel, Awakening, has just released today through Entangled Teen. Thanks to the seriously awesome people from ET that sent an ARC my way. I absolutely LOVED that book.

But more on that later.

First…let’s meet the author!

Continue reading →

Blog Tour: “Anomaly” by Tonya Kuper + Review + Giveaway!

December 2, 2014December 1, 20147 Comments

I am so INSANELY excited to be a part of this blog tour and to finally be able to share the love I have for this book and for Tonya! She’s an amazing debut author and she’s become a great friend and I’m so excited to bring you this stop on her debut novel, viagra buy Anomaly’s tour!

Blog Tour Schedule

Click this link to head over to YA Bound to check out ALL the blogs on the tour. There are a TON of reviews and promo posts to check that there’s just no way I can fit them all!

About Tonya Kuper

Tonya Kuper’s debut, ANOMALY, the first in the Schrodinger’s Consortium young adult scifi trilogy, releases November 2014 by Entangled Teen. She lives in Omaha, NE with her two rad boys and husband, is a music junkie, and a chocolate addict. Star Wars & Sherlock fan.

You Can Find Her At:

Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / GoodReads

About Anomaly

Release Date: November 25, 2014

Published by: Entangled Teen

Worst. Birthday. Ever.

My first boyfriend dumped me—happy birthday, Josie!—my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…

Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.

When hottily-hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…

Purchase the book at your local bookstore OR at the following links:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Book Depository

The Giveaway

Anomaly Prize 2

Anomaly prize 1

Anomaly Prize 3

Anomaly prize 4

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Review!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read it and I had such high hopes for it. I met Tonya back in the summer when I went out to Las Vegas for the ALA Conference. I was standing in line to meet Holly Black (for, like, the third time) and the line ran alongside the Entangled booth. Tonya was just finishing up her signing and she came to talk to us in line, handing us bookmarks and pens promoting her book. She was SO nice and genuine, and really excited about her book so I was immediately sold.

I’ve been anxiously waiting for MONTHS to get my hands on this book and so I felt quite lucky to be a part of the team to help promote Anomaly. I helped hand out postcards to promote it at Mockingjay, which I did at the red carpet premiere, and I got my hands on an early copy and DOVE into that book.

What really caught me about this book was the main character. Josie immediately caught my eye because…I felt like I had a lot in common with her. Within the first few minutes of reading, there were several different nerd references and I was sold, because I was laughing my ass off. As a girl who literally owns no other clothes besides t-shirts with Doctor Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter and various other fandoms adorned on them, I was immediately sold on Josie as a character. I also just recently went through a break up, so I understood that sort of “fun time” as well. Josie immediately felt real, and relatable, and because of that, its easy to follow her journey as her world gets turned completely upside down.

I also really loved how unique it was. This is a story that hasn’t been told before. The ability to manipulate reality? That’s not exactly a NEW concept but its fairly unique in the YA genre and I was immediately interested in how it would work out. Both Josie and Reid pull some off in the first few chapters and it blows my mind and I had to keep reading because I have to know how things work. Why could they do that? How could they do that? That kept me turning the pages, especially as more of the mystery is revealed. As more secrets are unraveled, more is hidden. Its incredible.

Plus there’s just the relationship between Reid and Josie. Its infuriating and beautiful. I love the banter they have with each other, how they’ve obviously attracted to each other. They gravitate to each other, they’re often so close that they don’t even realize it. But you’re sitting there, eyes scanning the page, hoping they’ll get even closer. They have such a back and forth relationship and I even tweeted Tonya one day because I was so frustrated haha! I ship the two of them so bad, and she does an amazing job of creating an incredible chemistry between these two main characters but without making it easy or flawless. Its difficult and I like that, because it leaves me wanting more and more.

Plain and simple, its a great debut by Tonya and I can’t wait for more. She’s a fantastic writer and an awesome person and this is a novel that you MUST pick up!

* * * * *

Thank you YA Bound for hosting this blog tour and allowing me to be a part of it!

Book Trailer Reveal: “Anomaly” by Tonya Kuper + Giveaway!

November 4, 20141 Comment

I’m very excited to share today’s book trailer reveal! I met Tonya very very briefly at ALA back in June. She was at the Entangled booth and I had completely missed getting her signature and my hands on her book, approved but she handed me a bunch of bookmarks and pens and encouraged me to keep an eye out on it. She was incredibly genuine and excited about her book so I decided, sickness why yes, click I will keep an eye out.

We are not friends on IG and FB and all that and she is just plain awesome :) Her book is FANTASTIC and she’s been very encouraging on my own journey to become a published author. I’m very excited to share the trailer today. A review will be coming in December, when it is my turn on the blog tour but for now, let’s learn more about Tonya and her debut novel, Anomaly!

About Tonya Kuper

Tonya Kuper is the author of ANOMALY, the first in the Schrodinger’s Consortium Series, a young adult science fiction trilogy, releasing November 4, 2014 by Entangled Teen. She fell for Young Adult lit while earning her Master’s degree in Reading Education. She’s a mom to two awesome boys, an alt music junkie, a Star Wars nerd, and in love with Sherlock.

You Can Find Her At:

Website / Twitter / Instagram / GoodReads / Facebook

About Anomaly

Reality is only an illusion. Except for those who can control it… Worst. Birthday. Ever. My first boyfriend dumped me—happy birthday, Josie!—my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening… Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it. When hottily-hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…

PreOrder Anomaly At Your Local Bookstore Or:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Book Depository

The Giveaway

GoodReads is giving away three copies of Anomaly until November 15th!

Follow this link to enter!

The Book Trailer!

* * * * * *

What do you guys think? I hope you guys liked the trailer and I hope to see copies of Anomaly in your hands in just THREE weeks! SO exciting. And look out for my review of Anomaly, coming December 2nd!

Photo Credit to Tonya Kuper. I just couldn’t resist sharing it…

Book Review: Love and Other Unknown Variables (ARC) by Shannon Alexander

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014Leave a comment

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy of the novel obtained through NetGalley at the permission of Entangled Publications. This is in no way had an effect on the integrity of my review. Please note that published novel will differ from this ARC.

Genre:

Young Adult, visit web Contemporary Fiction

Pages:

352

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

October 7th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck.

The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she’s counting on the present. She’s not impressed by the strange boy at the donut shop—until she learns he’s a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. But, in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy.

By the time he learns she’s ill—and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte’s illness—Charlotte’s gravitational pull is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he’s always relied on or the girl he’s falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second squared).

My Review:

When I saw this title on edelweiss, it immediately caused me to pause. Math things like that always kind of catch my eye because my boyfriend has a bachelors degree in math and he actually likes reading books about math. For fun. I know, he’s weird. But by extension, math things catch my eye too now. Not because I particularly love math but it reminds me of him. I also saw that it was an Entangled publication and immediately hit request. I love Entangled to death.

I love the characters so much. I think characters are the most important part of a novel and that is exactly what brings me into this book. Charlie and Charlotte both seem incredibly real to me. Charlie especially so because even though he’s kind of too smart for his own good and it almost gets irritating, he’s also incredibly genuine. He can figure out these weird crazy math problems but…he can’t figure out how to act around a girl, and he’s still a total teenager. I love that. I also love Charlotte because she’s full of life and full of sass and literally brightens up a room, which is why finding out she’s so ill is such a damper. Seriously. I was like, oh come on, but she’s awesome, she can’t be sick!

What really caught me in this book is that it could just run into other books. Romance is not new. Cancer is not new. Kids with cancer with romance laced into it is definitely not new (The Fault in Our Stars anyone?) What easily could have been a book that I tossed aside because of a simple “been there, done that” was actually proven quite wrong when I pushed past the revelation of Charlotte’s illness and kept reading.

Because there’s so much more to the book. The book is centered on Charlie and while his romance with Charlotte is incredibly important, its also the effect that she has on the rest of his life. She shows him the beauty of other things besides math and science. She unintentionally brings him to his elderly neighborhood, who teaches him so much and leaves an incredible impact on his life. She brings him to her sister, his literature teacher, and helps him develop a new love for reading. And she also brings him closer to his own sister. I think that’s the biggest part of the book that I love. This book could be wrapped up simply as a book about kids with cancer but its so much more than that. Its a book about how much a person can impact our lives in such a short amount of time and how beautiful and sometimes incredibly devastating it is.

Plus, its just funny. I related to Charlotte so much and Charlie reminded me of my boyfriend and their initial runaround each other is just so sweet and believable. They kind of fumble their way through their friendship and more and I loved it. It was more than just about everything going on around them. Their romance was sweet, genuine and addicting and I was rooting for them the entire book.

Basically, it comes down to this: I stayed up until 2 am to finish reading this book. And I had to read it on my phone because my Nook wasn’t charged…which is NO easy feat. But I super enjoyed it and I’m anxious for it to be published so that I can share it with others. It hits bookstores in early October so make sure to get your hands on a copy!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Rating:

Book Review: Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

August 12, 2014Leave a comment

Genre:

Science Fiction, pills Young Adult, Romance

Pages:

350

Part of a Series?:

The final, fifth novel of the Lux series

Release Date:

August 5th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can’t believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

My Review:

While there will be no spoilers for Opposition in this review, there will be spoilers for Obsidian, Onyx, Opal and Origin.

When I discovered the Lux series a little over a year ago, I had no idea that it would literally climb into my heart and stay there. Katy, Daemon, Dee, all of the characters would make such an impression on me and the story would make me laugh and swoon and cry. I was eagerly awaiting the end of the series to figure out how this crazy, fun, romantic, out of control story would end.

And for the most part, I felt okay with the ending. I have become accustomed to reading books by JLA and feeling overwhelmed by emotions: happiness, giddiness, excitement, swooning, terror, panic, and more. While there were definitely parts in this book that made me feel this way, I felt, overall, just massively underwhelmed by this book.

And this is not to say it was a bad book! Because I honestly don’t think that. It definitely wasn’t. The story was good, the characters were as lovable as ever, but it felt…rushed to me. Anti-climatic. It just didn’t feel like the finale book to this incredible series. The journey to get to the end seemed way too long for the actual end. It felt almost like things had been wrapped up too quickly and I was very disappointed in that.

Something that annoyed me a lot too was the relationship between Katy and Daemon. Now I adore the both of them SO much. Katy is the awkward, book obsessed book blogger with a sassy streak. What is not to like about that? And Daemon…can we even begin to start on how sexy he is? And I shipped them together from the first moment that they met each other. Easily. But in this book…it just got old. It got old fast. I was like “okay, we get it, you love each other, yes, these scenes are steamy, but let’s have some action or something…” It was like…I lost count how many times they told each other they loved each other, or admired how beautiful the other one was or something like that. I get that this book is a heavy romance science fiction but I missed the playfulness between them that wasn’t always lovey dovey. Plus the Luxen have basically invaded the earth and humanity is on the brink of extinction and let’s focus on that, yeah?

One thing that I did really like is that JLA knows how to make a sacrifice. She has killed Adam and Ash and Andrew, and in this book, she continues to do that, and I admire her for that. I hate finale books that don’t make the sacrifices necessary, especially when there is war involved. (cough cough Cassie Clare). Luxen have invaded, humans are dying, and JLA makes sacrifices. She understands that people need to die and its heartbreaking. There is a particular death in the book that I had…not quite expected and it was very heartbreaking to me, and I think that’s a mark of a good writer, when they can make you fall in love with a character so much that the death of that character just hurts so badly.

Basically, in the end, this is what I felt: underwhelmed. It wasn’t a bad book. In fact, it was fairly good. But as far as a finale book to a series, I just felt disappointed. I didn’t feel the need to speed through the book. I felt like I was slowly reading it and I read it in three hours. I probably could have read it in about 2 if I had really wanted to but I just didn’t. I loved seeing all the characters, I loved the story idea but I just thought it maybe needed to be fleshed out more, have more action, maybe be a slightly longer book. I honestly felt like Sentinel, the finale book to JLA’s Covenant series was much better and this book just disappointed me. I look forward to more books from her in the future, and having read “The Return”, her Covenant spin off, I know she’ll produce great books again and again.

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars