[TOP TEN TUESDAY] Books on my Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.

This Week's Topic: Books on my TBR List.

Fall is my favorite season for anime but it looks like Fall will also be my favorite season for books. There are just so many interesting books that will be released (and five of these books I chose are those that I'm eagerly looking forward to because I've read a book or two from these authors).

The other half of the list is composed of books I own but haven't had the time to read yet. AND hopefully by listing them here, I'll always be reminded that I should read them soon (actually 3 out of 5 of these books are newly bought and I'm sooo excited for them so I'll probably read them soon either way).

[STACKING THE SHELVES] some of my supposedly MIBF2014 book haul.

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted at Tynga’s Reviews.

I’m bitter. Yes, I know.
and this post is late. but who cares anyway? :P

I tried going for a book buying ban a few months ago because I was eagerly looking forward to attending the 35th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF). In the first couple of months, I miserably failed (LOL) but come September, I was able to save a decent amount of cash – maybe enough to get me at least 10 books. BUT unfortunately things happen – typhoons happen.

In other words, I wasn’t able to go to MIBF. SO I decided to go to the nearest bookstore and shop away some of my bitterness ( - ω - ).

[REVIEW] Avery

Series: the Chronicles of Kaya #1
Author: Charlotte McConaghy
Genre: adult, romance, fantasy
Published: July 1, 2013
Publisher: Random House Australia
Purchase: Amazon

Avery is a sweeping, romantic fantasy novel about loss and identity, and finding the courage to love against all odds. Published as part of the Random Romance series. 

The people of Kaya die in pairs. When one lover dies, the other does too. So it has been for thousands of years - until Ava. 

For although her bondmate, Avery, has been murdered and Ava's soul has been torn in two, she is the only one who has ever been strong enough to cling to life. Vowing revenge upon the barbarian queen of Pirenti, Ava's plan is interrupted when she is captured by the deadly prince of her enemies. 

Prince Ambrose has been brought up to kill and hate. But when he takes charge of a strangely captivating Kayan prisoner and is forced to survive with her on a dangerous island, he must reconsider all he holds true . . . 

In a violent country like Pirenti, where emotion is scorned as a weakness, can he find the strength to fight for the person he loves . . . even when she's his vengeful enemy?

[Book Blitz] Life Lived Twice

Series: Life Lived Twice #1
Author: Sherrie Wouters
Genre: romance, fantasy, paranormal
Published: June 6, 2014
Purchase: Amazon

Some promises are made to last forever ... What if you fell in love with a stranger ... but that stranger had come from your past, a past you never knew existed until the moment your eyes met?  

When Tess Winters locks eyes with a stranger at an airport bookstore, it ignites a feeling of passion somewhere deep inside her that she can't explain. Although the encounter is innocent and brief, the intensity of it lingers, leaving her overwhelmed by a yearning for the mystery man now consuming her every thought.  

Struggling to break the powerful hold he has over her heart, Tess starts to experience strange but familiar dreams...dreams from the turn of the twentieth century of the charming Mr Addison Taylor.  

As her dreams start to materialize into reality, and past and present begin to blur, Tess is forced to put the pieces of a forgotten time together, and soon discovers that love isn't the only thing that can find you after an eternity. Captivating, mysterious, and romantic, Life Lived Twice will leave you wondering whether love is so powerful it could last more than a lifetime.

[Waiting on Wednesday] the Walled City

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: N/A
Author: Ryan Graudin
Genre: young adult, dystopia, fantasy, science fiction, romance, survival, adventure, thriller
Expected Publication: November 14, 2014

There are three rules in the Walled City: Run fast. Trust no one. Always carry your knife. Right now, my life depends completely on the first. Run, run, run. 

Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai all live in the Walled City, a lawless labyrinth run by crime lords and overrun by street gangs. Teens there run drugs or work in brothels—or, like Jin, hide under the radar. But when Dai offers Jin a chance to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, she begins a breathtaking race against the clock to escape the Walled City itself.

[TOP TEN TUESDAY] Authors I’ve Only Read One Book From but NEED to Read More.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.

This Week’s Topic: Authors I’ve Only Read One Book From but NEED to Read More.

I like getting into new authors especially when they are well loved. Since I just went back into reading for almost a year now, I’ve gotten my hands on a handful of new-to-me authors and a few of them, I’ve only read once or twice because: (1) they are new, (2) I haven’t gotten the chance to read the next book of their series, and (3) the book I got from them is a standalone.

[REVIEW] Jackaby

Series: N/A

Author: William Ritter
Genre: young adult, historical fiction, detective, mystery, thriller, supernatural, paranormal
Published: September 16, 2014
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes&Noble

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.” 

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny. 

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

[Book Highlight] Who We Were

Series: N/A
Author: Christy Sloat
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Published: September 15, 2014
Purchase: Amazon

“Who we were had washed away with the summer. Who we are was yet to be seen.” 

Summer school at Alcott High was only supposed to gain Sadie Peters extra credit, nothing more. Her goal wasn’t to make friends, or gain the attention of the most popular football player, yet she managed both. Her life was cruising along on course … until that summer. 

Could a simple stint in a different school change her identity completely and introduce her to love for the first time? How would that affect her relationship with Lily, her best friend? 

Hopefully their friendship was strong enough to make it through the tumultuous summer. Sadie learns that great things come with change, but sometimes memories of the past are hardest to part with.

[Cover Reveal] Henge

I'm excited to share the cover reveal of Henge by Realm Lovejoy. Henge is a YA Fantasy that is a modern spin-off of the Arthurian legends featuring Morgan le Fay as the protagonist. It is due to release this fall. The cover art is by the author, Realm Lovejoy.

ABOUT HENGE (Le Fay #1)

Author: Realm Lovejoy

Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.

Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.

But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

Realm Lovejoy’s modern Arthurian series features one of literature’s most complicated and powerful female figures. Henge is the first book in the LE FAY series, and—like Morgan le Fay’s magic—it is sure to dazzle and amaze.

[Book Blitz] Vision Excerpt + Giveaway!

Series: Finder #1
Author: Lisa Amowitz
Genre: young adult
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: September 9, 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo Books | the Book Depository

The light is darker than you think…  

High school student Bobby Pendell already has his hands full—he works almost every night to support his disabled-vet father and gifted little brother. Then he meets the beautiful new girl in town, who just happens to be his boss’s daughter. Bobby has rules about that kind of thing. Nothing matters more than keeping his job. 

When Bobby starts to get blinding migraines that come with scary, violent hallucinations, his livelihood is on the line. Soon, he must face the stunning possibility that the visions of murder are actually real. With his world going dark, Bobby is set on the trail of the serial killer terrorizing his small town. With everyone else convinced he’s the prime suspect, Bobby realizes that he, or the girl he loves, might be killer's next victim.

AUGUST ROUNDUP: that really relaxing month.

Another late roundup post. Not that it matters anyway~~

On a side note, I’ll be gone for the week because I’ll be working on a school project and I’m required to give my time to it – I’m going to make a ‘poster’ about Polite English Expressions and I plan to vector cartoon characters and make a quick comic strip :) I’m planning to share it once I’m done. Happy reading everyone && I’ll reply (and comment back) to everyone once I’m back, thanks for understanding(:

August was a great month. Really. Aside from the fact that I turned 22 (and for some reasons, people still mistake me for 19 or 20. odd.) and my midterm grades tell me I’m really, really doing well lately in school, I just added four (4) books to my fave list (Life Interrupted, Between Shades of Gray, License to Spill, and We Were Liars) :D

-BOOK REVIEWS-

-FAVE MEME POSTS-
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Really Want to Read But Don’t Own Yet
Waiting on Wednesday: A Little Something Different
Flashback Friday: Chihayafuru (Anime)
Stacking the Shelves: AND I AM FINALLY GOING TO READ THE HUNGER GAMES! [the Hunger Games + To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before + The Girl Who Came Back to Life + Jackaby]

-BOOK TOURS, BLITZ, COVER REVEALS-

[Stacking the Shelves] not-my-usual-read books...

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted at Tynga’s Reviews.

I’m this kid who’s always interested in taste testing stories/genres I don’t usually read. I’m patient and always open minded :)

A Game of Thrones has such a huge fan base. I have no plans on watching the TV series just because I’m not a TV person. I borrowed the book from my sister @ So Gelleesh. My eyes widen at the sight of it. It has 807 pages @__@ the longest book I’ve read this year was Parasite which is 500+ pages only… and A Game of Thrones is the pages of Parasite + a half more. This might take me for awhile…

[REVIEW] Orenda

Series: Orenda #1
Author: Ruth Silver
Genre: young adult, fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, urban fantasy, adventure
Published: April 13, 2014
Publisher: Patchwork Press

Join forces with a parallel universe.  

Dark forces, magical creatures, and the world Lil thought she knew collide when a dream transports her to the strange world of Orenda. Stunned and terrified, Lil comes face to face with her doppelganger, Willow, who possesses the ability to travel between the two worlds. Everything Lil knows logically says that Orenda can’t exist, but a small clue may be proof that it was more than an ordinary dream. With the threat of her sister in danger, Lil crosses dimensions but it may cost her even more than she bargained for.  

A sword wielding girl, the eternal suit, and a parallel universe come together in this action- packed Young Adult fantasy adventure that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages. Orenda is the first novel in the Orenda series.