Hey, readers! So today I went to ECAE, which is basically a room filled with awesome, kickass authors! I met so many today, and learned about some new ones also! Each and every one of these books- and bookmarks!- are signed! I can faint with the happiness! In this post, I'm going to show you photos of books I bought today, and maybe a photo with me and the author! Let's get started!

Check it out here:

So first off, one of the ladies I met today was LH. Cosway! She is super nice and I absolutely loved this treasure! It's about a rugby player- the player- and a short woman with a temper- aka, the pixie! If you haven't checked out the works by both LH. Cosway and Penny Reid, I assist you do so now!

Check it out here:

Check it out here:

Here I got to meet her!

I got the pleasure of meeting Anne Elliot today. I adore her and her work! She is so nice, and we even talked a little about my blog and my YouTube channel! Both of her books above are my favorites, and I can't wait to re-read them and review for her!

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Here I got to meet Callie!

I had just read this book not even a week ago, so I didn't know who Callie Hart truly was. She's cool though, and I'm luck enough to have gotten Calico because it was sold out a few hours before and I got her last one!

Check it out:

This series revolves around a MC (Motorcycle Club for those without the lingo). I loved the first two, and they were sold out, so I got book 3. Luckily, they are standalone books so it's not too big of a deal. This series has romance, danger, and action in it!

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This series is also a standalone (my favorite type of series, by the way!). The Offer is my favorite so far! It was so neat to meet Karina! All these authors are so nice! This book in particular is about a single mom who is down on her luck and in comes a straping man, Bram McGregor (Scottish <3) to bring crazyness and hotness into her world! I love it so much!

 Check it out:

Okay, the greatest thing EVER is that Tillie Cole is Scottish (or maybe just British. I want everyone to be Scottish). Fact: she worked in Hogwarts. Okay, not actually Hogwarts, but they used the school she used to work in and that's close enough! It Ain't Me, Babe is also an MC story! Each is a standalone (see!) and is amazing. It's about people who are locked in a spiritual camp and one breaks out because she doesn't want to be among the abuse anymore. Then she meets River "Styx" Nash and her world goes from innocent to down right dirty. I've read all of her books and they never fail to astound me!

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I haven't actually read this series yet, so I'm looking forward to it. You'll have to check it out from the link to figure out more since I can't give a vague description of it!

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I love this womans books! I've read them all (sadly, this is the only book I have in phsyical form) and I love them so much! They always succeed in making me cry like a baby and ruin my feels to a super large extent.

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Okay, confession time: I didn't read anything from her before. I didn't even know who she was, but I still waited in line because she was giving her books away for free. Come on! A free book! I wouldn't turn that down. But I checked out the description and it sounds so amazeballs. My gosh, just check it out, my friends.

This is everything, including swag! 

So the rest of pictures I have with these authors are without book photos because I already owned them and went for those specific ones to be signed. I'll link them below though!

 Play With Me

This is Kristen Proby! She's written a series that's entirely based in Seattle- my home! It was so cool to read them and see the different spots from the Northwest! I've been to a bunch of them. My favorite book from the (standalone) series is Play With Me which is based of a Seattle Seahawk (Go Hawks!). It's got football, romance, and angst!

Dirty English

I <3 Ilsa! She's so down to earth and kickass, it's amazing. It truly is. I've read all of her books, but I went to get Dirty English signed. It's a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but this one is far more sexier! 

On Dublin Street

Samantha Young! I love her On Dublin Street series! Mostly because the first one is set in Ireland, and anyone who knows me, knows I love Ireland! Each is-you guessed it- a standalone! 

Check her out:

Nicole Williams! I have a few of her books on my Kindle! She's got some great stories!

I want to thank all the authors and volunteers, and the creators, Black Heart Productions! I can't wait for next year!

Review: The Iron King- Julie Kagawa

General
The Iron King
Series: Book 1 of 4
Pages: 363
Genre: fantasy, romance, young adult
Rating: four and a half stars

Buy it here: Amazon

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY—ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED… 

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home. 

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth. 

For Meghan is the daughter of a mythical faery king…and a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

I love stories about Fae. I really, really do. They are such interesting creatures, and the world they live in is different. The mythology behind each type of Fae is well thought out. Plus, it's mostly Gaelic roots, and anyone who knows me, knows I love Irish and Scottish backgrounds. If I could become Scottish, I would.

So going into The Iron King, I was expecting nothing amazing, but something good, as I've read a bunch of Fae, and they usually become the same just with different names and places. The first few chapters were cliche, starting out the same. Our protagonist, Meghan, knows nothing about the Fae world or that it exists. To her, it's all make believe. Until it all comes crashing down around her and she realizes that her small world isn't truly small. 

Meghan is a typical teenager, she wants to get her drivers licence, people at school humiliate her, and her best friend is sorta cute. See, typical. But she isn't. Meghan is half-fae, so she can see fae around her who use glamour to hide their true identity. She's starts out a little whiny, but we can see that she really is brave. Her brother gets taken and she does everything she can to save him. What I like is that throughout the book, she never forgets why she went into NeverNever to begin with-to save her brother, which is so powerful. Nothing holds her back. From the second she arrives at NeverNever, she's fighting to save him. Meghan is the daughter of King Oberon and is extremely powerful if she can unlock her powers, which she does a little bit of. I wish we had more of that in the book. 

The characters were truly the best of this book. Some of them were a surprise! Robbie, or Puck as we call him, is funny. He's not one to remain angry for long, and he's a good friend for Meghan to have. His past is interesting, and when I realized who he was, it made it better. Kagawa really went far with this characters and brought them to life. Robbie is amusing and offers hilarity at tense moments. 

"“Ladies and Felines," he stated grandly, grasping the doorknob, "Welcome to Tir Na Nog. Land of endless winter and shitloads of snow.” -Puck

Ash is the prince of the Winter Court queen and is icy to his heart. He has one job and that's to bring Meghan to the queen and have her killed because she's so powerful. We know that this is a love interest for Meghan, because, in the book, they become a... couple? a thing? I'm not really sure. It's left open for them, which I both like and dislike. Their romance went from "I'm going to kill you" to "I can no longer harm you" in 2.5 seconds. So it felt a bit rushed between them, and I thought maybe Ash forgot about the contract between him and Meghan. Until the end anyway. I do wish their relationship got a little more time to form, but it's all good because we have three other books for this to go right. Although, I see a love triangle coming. I REPEAT: A LOVE TRIANGLE IS COMING.I really do like Ash and Meghan together, though.

“I licked my lips and whispered, "Is this where you say you'll kill me?" 

One corner of his lips curled. "If you like," he murmured, a flicker of amusement finally crossing his face. "Though it's gotten far too interesting for that.”-Ash and Meghan.

Perhaps my most favorite character is Grimalkin, or the cait sidhe, which basically means a cat. Grim reminds me of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. He doesn't help unless it benefits him, but along the way, you can tell this cat's heart warms up to Meghan and helps her. He's always around when she needs him, and it's adorable. 

I know a lot about Fae court laws and the way things are run, I do wish that everything was better explained for those who aren't as up to their laws and ways of living. 

The Iron King is a series, but it ends nicely but leaves you anxiously awaiting for the next book. I give it four and a half stars only because it seemed a bit rushed in places, and I would have liked a better explanation on the Court systems, and the relationship between her and Ash would slow down a bit. 

Things People Do To Annoy Readers

We all know that one person (okay, more like 50) who interrupts our reading time. They, completely oblivious to our reading, butt in and start demanding that we spend time with them, or tell us to clean our room (just me?). I tell these people all the time that it's not okay to do that. Us readers get lost into a different world, and pulling us back in the middle of it, is dangerous. To you. We could accidentally toss our beloved book at someones face for interrupting our book time.

I repeat: toss our beloved book at your face.

Now that we have that written down, and hopefully someone relates to that because this ain't no joke.

1. THE LYING READER

You know them. They say they've read a certain book, that it was good but some parts were so boring that they had to put it down. They're like, "yeah, I've read The Hunger Games. It wasn't that good." That's besides the point, especially when you ask a question about it. It could be about a certain scene, or what exactly didn't they like. This is the moment. When their eyes get shifty and suddenly they can't form a proper sentence. THEY CAN'T ANSWER BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T REALLY READ IT. Why are you lying? I don't have time for this. Just say you haven't read it and be on with your life.

2. READING OVER OUR SHOULDER

Oh, don't get me started.

Too late.

Okay, really? I get it! You didn't bring a book, or maybe you're bored and have nothing to do and want to converse with me. Believe me, I get it, but that doesn't mean you can stand over me like a stalking bean pole! Go play Candy Crush for like, another hour or so!

3. THE JUDGE GUY

Oh, you're reading that? But it's romance!

Well, no duh its romance. I love romance. In fact, I can't read anything without romance in it! That's who I am. This question always gets me. What's wrong with what I love to read?

Oh, you have an ereader? *says with snooty tone and uplifting of nose*

I hate to break it to you, my judgemental friend, but an ereader works just as well as a physical book. In fact, it's sometimes easier to carry around! It has the same words, same text, and *gasp* the same ending! So don't go judging what I read. Capiche?

4. ANTI-BOOK

"Reading is boring." "How can you read all day?"

*Shakes head wildly* What.... Let me fill you in on this, shall I, Tina? First off, reading is not boring. It's better than being stuck in our current world. Secondly, go away. Well, after I finish this post anyways. Reading makes an impact. Like above, it takes the reader into a different world, and maybe that person needs to mentally leave for awhile. It gives us a much-needed break from reality. Plus, the worlds are amazing! Who wouldn't want to be a wizard? Or a Shadowhunter? Or even a werewolf? Reading lets us be all of these things.

5. BOOK DESTROYER

What might be the worst offender on this list. It shows who I trust, though even the most trusted I wouldn't lend my books to. Unless you're an avid reader-a bookworm, a bookdragon-then you have no idea how to care for a book. When I hand you one of my prized books, my lovelies, that doesn't mean you can destroy it. I get it, it isn't yours so you don't need to roll out the red carpet and tuck it into bed every night(no, I don't do that. Okay, maybe occasionally), but it does mean that you should at least make sure that all pages, cover, and spine are intact.

I don't want to see pages ripped and/or missing, the cover has coffee stains, or the spine having been shredded. That's not only my book you've ruined, but books are also expensive. So stop it.

6. THE "I KNEW IT BEFORE YOU SO I'M COOL"

No, just because you knew about Six of Crows before anyone else, does not,in fact, make you cool. It means you have stumbled upon a book before it was fully found. Don't go blabbing to people that you're cool for that. Just, no...

7. THE TALKER

Now, this one really ruffles my book pages...

Just because I am in the room with you, does not mean that you can talk. You see that square, thick paper in my hand with a beautiful cover? Or the black, think ereader? Yeah, it's called a book. I'm reading. I'm busy. Leave me alone.

Or how about when you're nearing the ending, the pages flying by as you rush to figure out if Tony really did murder that Rachel girl? And what does someone do? They walk in and start talking, or they call for you to do the dishes (Yeah, I'm talking to you parents). Being curled up in the fetal position, obviously means that I don't wish to be interrupted.

People.


Okay, my lovely readers, that is the end of this post. I hope you liked what you read and that you'll leave me a comment below, because it's much appreciated, and I want to know what annoying things happen to you as a reader. Let me know!

Books I'm Excited About This Year

I'm so excited for this years releases. There are so many good books coming out, my TBR is already crying for help. I can just see my bookshelf caving in on itself. This is only a few because I can't remember them all. So without further ado, here is my most anticipated...

A Court of Mist and Fury- Sarah J. Maas.

May 3rd

I'm so excited for this one! I loved ACOTAR! (Review). I'm going to see the author herself when she comes for her book signing, and what's even better is that this lovely releases the same day! *dances wildly while eating chocolate*

Crooked Kingdom- Leigh Bardugo

September 27th

Crooked Kingdom is book two in the Six of Crows series (duology?). I'm so excited for this. At this point, though, it's a cover buy because I haven't read Six of Crows yet *ducks from flying stones* I'll get there, I swear! You can understand how it feels to have a towering TBR pile over your head. But one day, I swear, I'll get to book one. Hopefully before this comes out!

The Cursed Child-J.K. Rowling

July 31st

Okay, but really, who isn't excited about this one? I just finished reading Harry Potter for the first time-ever-so I'm dying with excitement for this. This isn't an actual book-it's a playwright-but we're still happy because it's ANOTHER HARRY POTTER book basically. *fan girl screams* 

The Crown-Kiera Cass

May 3rd

The Crown is book 5 in the Selection series. First off, this cover is B-E-A-UTIFUL. I'm internally screaming right now with excitement. I know a lot of people are put off with 4 and 5 (because it's about someone else) but seriously, it's amazing. I love when authors change it up in that specific way (no spoilers, yo).

Summer Days & Summer Nights

May 17th

Okay, this is pretty neat and I just heard about. This summer read features 12 novels from the authors that are on the cover. I'm excited to read something summer like from these authors, who don't usually write from a seasonal point of view.

It Ends With Us-Colleen Hoover

August 2nd

Oh, no. No. No. NO. 

If you've read anything by Colleen Hoover, or are following her on social media, you know the words she writes are literally poetic words of pain. They get to your heart and wrap around it, squeezing until every last feel is obliterated. This will no doubt do the same. So prepare your feels. 

What is your most anticipated for this year?

April TBR!!

This blog was originally set for reviews only, but as ideas for blog posts keep popping up in my head, it's turning into a book everything blog. Which is great, because I love discussing all things books!

It's been a busy year and it's only April. I didn't get to read much before March on a count of being ill, but now that I'm having better days, I'm back to reading like a maniac. 

Well, until that dreaded slump appears. It's the worst thing to ever happen to a reader. And a writer. Of which, I'm both.

Yay me. 

April's TBR isn't too big. In fact, I had only decided to read four books this month because March was huge reading. I believe I read about 14 books last month, so my brain needed a chill time.

I've read 3 books so far, and only 1 of them are from my TBR pile for this month. And that's not counting ebooks. 

My sister and I have a vlog, a Booktube, where we review and discuss books we've read. It's pretty neat, and we're just starting. But here's the link to the April TBR so you can see what I'm reading this month. YouTube

What are you reading this month? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Book Review: Wink Poppy Midnight-April Genevieve Tucholke

General
Wink Poppy Midnight
Series: standalone
Pages: 247
Genre: Mystery, teen, fantasy
Rating: four stars

Buy it here: Amazon

Every story needs a hero. 
Every story needs a villain. 
Every story needs a secret. 

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous. 

What really happened? 
Someone knows. 
Someone is lying. 

Going into this story, I wasn't totally sure what I was about to read. It seemed like a mystery, one where I would figure it out before the big reveal came, and the characters would be normal and the romance perfect. I didn't read reviews before this, I kept it vague because I wanted-on the off chance that it was good-to be surprised. 

Well, I was surprised. 

Let me first begin with this story plot. I finished reading this book, and I'm still a little lost. I feel like the mystery wasn't completely solved even though it was. Even sitting here now, I'm wondering and going over the ending over and over again. Because it was so surprising and different. It was good yet not. I'm so torn on this book.

The writing in this book is different. Okay, let's be real: this book was just weird. Like, really weird. I had no idea what I was reading most of the time, but I couldn't put it down. I needed to know what the heck was going on, and to do that, I needed to finish reading it. April has a way with words and keeping the readers attention focused. I could not let this one go. I needed to finish it. So I read it in a day, and here I am, trying to get my thoughts focused to write this review.

Midnight: the male Hero of this book. First off, people in this book have weird names. Anyway, he's our main Hero and to be quite honest, I didn't fully connect with him. I'm not sure why but he just fell flat to me. That doesn't mean I didn't like his character, but what you'll see as I continue on, I didn't really connect with anyone.

"I knew one's body, every dip, every inch, every toe, everybend. 
The other had her hand in mine and it was the first time we'd ever touched."-Midnight.

Poppy: Ah, one of the leading ladies. In the beginning, I hated Poppy. She was a bully who hurt everyone. I thought she was the worse person and I felt no sympathy towards her. She had rich parents, she jumped between guys, she messed with everyone's feelings. It was horrible. But as I continued on, something happened. Suddenly, I understood her. Everything she did, the way she spoke. Poppy is lost, and those who are lost wander until they find their rightful spot. That's what Poppy did. 

"But I plan on dying when I'm still young and beautiful like Marilyn Monroe, just watch me."-Poppy.

Wink: This is an interesting character for sure. I had no idea what to make of her. She was weird, different, and crazy. I usually like those characters, and while Wink is great, I didn't fully enjoy reading about her. I was mostly confused about her and her family, the stories she kept telling Midnight. 

"I shouldn't have kissed the Hero. The kissing was supposed to come at the very end. After the montser, and the fight. After the glass cofin and the pinprick of blood."-Wink.

There is barely any romance, so don't expect that. I don't usually read these kinds of books, but I just felt the need to, and oddly, it was nice. It was a simple story, yet so complex without the romance involved. 

The end is crazy. I don't know how to proporly talk about the ending without giving something away, so I'll just say that it blew me away, and for someone who usually has the reveals figured out, this one threw me for a loop. Everything wraps up nicenly. The Hero has a family, Poppy's ending was surprising and Wink... She still seemed lost to me. I don't know, you'll just have to read this to understand what I'm talking about. 

Book Review: The Glittering Court-Richelle Mead

General

The Glittering Court

Series: Book #1

Pages: 416

Genre: Romance/science fiction/dystopian/historical

Rating: Four stars

Buy it here: Amazon

For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea.
 
After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price: she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself—even though she’s falling in love with him. 
 
Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone else's property. But nothing is as daunting—or as wonderful—as the potent, forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and possibly lead them to their deaths.

Oh, where to begin with this story.

Firstly, I love everything Richelle Mead has written. Her creative ability to write a series set in such magical, seemingly real, places is amazing. I fall in love with her characters every time. So going into The Glittering Court, I was both awed and a little disappointed. 

First with the good:

Our main character, "Adelaide" is truly amazing. Mead has a way with creating brave, smart, and beautiful main woman characters. This one was no less as amazing compared to the others she's written about. Adelaide, or Countess of Rothford, is amazing. With a marriage to someone she doesn't want, she runs away to a world that's full of mystery. She has no idea what's going to happen, but with The Glittering Court ready to turn her into a skilled woman-which she already assails at-she knows she'll be able to marry someone better. 

Taking her housemaids identity, she signs a contract and heads to Blue Spring Manner, where she'll spend a year learning etiquette. After that year, they'll be showed off and married to the man who can pay for them. So almost like mail order brides.

Adelaide meets Tamsin, a fiery woman who knows what she wants, and Mira, the Sirmincan refugee who is secretive and is weary of this whole ordeal. I wasn't too sure what to think of these two characters, but they turned out to be great ally's to Adelaide in the end, which is great because she really needed them. They're interesting characters, and I can't wait to read more about them in their own stories.

The romance between Adelaide and Cedric was surprising. The one thing I don't fully enjoy about Mead's books, is that it takes forever for the main characters to get together. If not near the end, its after a few books in, and yet, I'm always happy with it. The waiting makes the moment everything clickes better. Magical. There is so much light tension and banter between them. This whole time you silently (or loudly, I don't judge) scream for Adelaide to choose Cedric instead of some lawyer or something.

"As soon as I brushed his lips with my fingertips I felt my pulse quicken and a flush of heat sweep over me. Unable to resist, I traced the edges of his lips, suddenly wondering if they would taste just as sweet as the honey."

And...

"But this is a serious improvement. It's like a dream. Not so much that other outfit."

"Well," He looked me over in a way that made my blush deepen. "I guess it depends on the type of dream."

Won't lie, I was a tad worried, but everything works out in the end.

Religion plays a part in this story, and in an interesting way. It seems to stem from Pagansim. They believe in 6 angels and 6 demons. They like to praise and do rituals. I would have liked a better udnerstanding of their world, as I only know the basics of it and that it's illegal and those people can be hung for doing it. Kind of like witchcraft in Salem. Others believe in Uros, a single God.

A quote I enjoyed about the relegion. This is from Mira: "You can't fight evil with meditation."

Now, unfortunately the down:

Going into this, I thought it was fantasy, like the rest of her works so far. And it even says fantasy on the back cover, but I guess I was wrong. There is minimal fantasy aspects. The only part I can finds is that the world is different. Like Osfro seems to be Paris? And Adoria is like a new world (America?). That's the only aspect of fantasy I can find. So if you're jumping to read this for its fatnasy, you won't get that here. It's more of historical story than anything else.

This story reminded me a bit of the Selection series. Girls are chosen and taught how to be "well mannared and dignified ladies." They're taught how to decorate and dance, etc. It seemed simliar in that aspect, but toward the middle, when the venue changes, it drastically changes from that similar view.

Those were the only two things I had about this book, otherwise it's pretty interesting and different from what Mead has done before. This is a series, each one is told from a different girls POV (Tamsin, Mira). 

It ends nicely, it doesn't give a cliffhanger feel, which I loved.