The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Title: The Grace Year

Author: Kim Liggett

Publish Date: October 8th, 2019

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Source: ARC courtesy of Raincost Books

Summary by Goodreads.

No one speaks of the grace year. It's forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive. Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other. With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.

Penelope's Review

Wow! Just wow... I could not put this book down. I finished it in a night while on a camping trip, which actually ended up being the perfect setting for this thrilling dystopian. 

This book has been compared to the Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, The Handmaid's Tale and I have to say I completely agree - in the best way possible! And yet it was still completely unique! The book takes place in Garner County where women are said to have magic that they must get rid of when sent away for their grace year at age 16. They then return to the men to be wives and childbearers. The book is a quiet demonstration of standing up and rebelling against men in charge. There are no loud, bold revolutions but rather subtle displays of strength and empowerment. It was very well written.

I found Tierney, the main character, to be strong willed and relatable. She seeks the truth, while trying to stay true to herself and manages to succeed in doing so. There were other characters that I loved as well such as Ryker (of course!), and Kiersten (great job at being a badass mean-girl leader). 

The book was written in such a way that there were no slow spots, and the more I read the more I wanted to read. The end was great, but up for personal interpretation. Sometimes I like this aspect, sometimes I don't. It was tastefully done in this book, but I usually like a clear cut answer (that is just a personal preference of course, many love creating their own version of things). 

Very excited to see what Kim Liggett comes out with next, my eye is on her now!

RATING: 4.5/5 DEVILS!

Blog Tour: Everything Under the Sun by Jessica Redmerski!

Hello everyone! This is my stop on the blog tour for Everything Under the Sun! This tour is hosted by the one and only Lola's Blog Tours! It runs from July 30th - August 12th. Check out the full schedule here!

Title: Everything Under the Sun
Author: Jessica Redmerski
Publish Date: August 28th, 2017
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Source: A huge thank you to Jessica Redmerski and Lola for providing me with a review copy!

Thais Fenwick was eleven-years-old when civilization fell, devastated by a virus that killed off the majority of the world’s population. For seven years, Thais and her family lived in a community of survivors deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. But when her town is attacked by raiders, she and her blind sister are taken away to the East-Central Territory where she is destined to live the cruel and unjust kind of life her late mother warned her about. 

Atticus Hunt is a troubled soldier in Lexington City who has spent the past seven years trying to conform to the vicious nature of men in a post-apocalyptic society. He knows that in order to survive, he must abandon his morals and his conscience and become like those he is surrounded by. But when he meets Thais, morals and conscience win out over conformity, and he risks his rank and his life to help her. They escape the city and set out together on a long and perilous journey to find safety in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

Struggling to survive in a world without electricity, food, shelter, and clean water, Atticus and Thais shed their fear of growing too close, and they fall hopelessly in love. But can love survive in such dark times, or is it fated to die with them? 

If you're as excited about this book as I am, then look no further!

You can find Everything Under the Sun on Goodreads!
Or you can buy Everything Under the Sun on Amazon!

Penelope's Review

Where to begin?! This book was quite long but definitely worth the read. The cliffhanger at the end was unexpected as I didn't realize that this was going to become a series! Seeing what happens next with the characters is something I'm looking forward to!

In terms of main characters we had Thais and Atticus. Thais was a great female lead, very strong given everything she had to go through yet she still had a soft and delicate side which I found super refreshing! I also really enjoyed Atticus and his devotion to Thais - I did find his vulnerability a bit overkill, with his constant thoughts of not being good enough for Thais and fighting his demons - but once he was able to let go of that and really love Thais, I fell in love with their love story! Redmerski built up their relationship slowly and I enjoyed getting to know the characters both on their own and together. They have to go through so much but they persevere despite the odds and I love that in a book! Definitely an epic love story to say the least!

This book touched on some very difficult subjects for some, such as physical abuse and rape. However, I found it to be a very realistic version of the world should it ever end, and liked that Redmerski didn't hold back. I did find that sex in general played too big a role in the book for my taste. It was referenced constantly and while I understand the role it needed to play in the story, it just got to be a bit repetitive for me. The book was very dramatic but not quite to the point of OVER DRAMATIC. I mean, it's the end of the world... a little drama is expected lol.

Overall, I found the book to be out of the box, innovative, and exciting! I won't say that every single page was a heart-stopper but for a book to be this long and still hold a reader's attention is pretty impressive. The character building was slow but really gave insight into who these people were and how they thought and what they felt. The book was very well written with a unique storyline. I'm excited to see what happens next!

RATING: 4/5 Devils!

Please read below for my interview with Jessica Redmerski!

1. What inspired you to write Everything Under the Sun? 

Daryl and Beth on the television show The Walking Dead - If Beth had been just a little older, a relationship between them, forced by survival and the post-apocalyptic world they lived in, would have been sweet. But because that could never happen, I made it my duty to tell the love story inspired by them, that grew in my heart.

2. What is one book that you've read that stands out for the emotions it caused? i.e. crying, extreme anger, extreme happiness, etc.

THE BRONZE HORSEMAN trilogy by Paullina Simons

3. How did it feel when you had your very first book published? Was it a long journey? 

It was a awesome feeling! And yes, a long journey. I’ve been writing for about 25 years.

4. What made you decide to write books in several different genres as opposed to sticking to just one? 

I can’t stick to one genre. I love writing all types of stories. I’d start to feel claustrophobic if I had to write in the same genre all the time. Unfortunately, I think it confuses my readers that I write everything under the same author name. I regret that decision to this day. My advice to authors considering it: Don’t make this mistake! I’m in the process now of correcting that error.

5. Does writing energize you or exhaust you? 

Both! I’m energized during the process, but exhausted once it’s over. It’s a long process, where you’re using all of your emotions on a daily basis, so exhaustion after excitement is inevitable.

6. Of the books you have published, which one did you find the most challenging to write/complete? 

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN. Only because it took so long, and is such a large book.

About the Author:

Jessica Redmerski is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, international bestseller, and award winner, who juggles several different genres. She began self-publishing in 2012, and later with the success of THE EDGE OF NEVER, signed on with Grand Central Publishing/Forever Romance. Her works have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Jessica is a hybrid author who, in addition to working with a traditional publisher, also continues to self-publish. Her popular crime and suspense series, In the Company of Killers, has been optioned for television and film by actor and model William Levy.

She also writes as J.A. Redmerski.

You can find and contact Jessica here:

Her Website!

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon as Jessica Redmerski

Amazon as J.A. Redmerski

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Title: Carve the Mark

Author: Veronica Roth

Publish Date: January 17th, 2017

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Source: Bought

Summary by Goodreads.

In a galaxy powered by the current, everyone has a gift.

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.
Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost.
Then Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?

Penelope's Review

Carve the Mark was an interesting and enjoyable read for me  - I actually read it whilst on a beach in Cuba so maybe that's improved my opinion lol! 

I definitely liked the character Akos - there were many sides to him that I found intriguing and I liked his strong sense of loyalty to his brother despite what him and his brother have to go through. Cyra, another of the main characters, I also liked but I wouldn't say she was my all time favorite. Her currentgift created many issues for her and I did enjoy seeing how she slowly learned to cope with it and come to a better understanding of what it is and how it can be used but it just took me some time to get past her negative attitude and enjoy her role in the book. 

I've read quite a few reviews commenting on how slow the book was and that some didn't finish the book at all - while I do agree that it was perhaps a bit longer than it needed to be, I in no way felt that it was something I didn't want to finish! The plot was interesting, what with the different worlds and the merging of such different characters. I found the currentgift concept to be an interesting part of the story as well as the fates that befell the 'favored families'. 

I enjoy Roth's writing style and loved her Divergent series as I'm sure most of you did as well! I'm happy that she came out with this and am very excited to read the second and final book in the duology! (Which I just recently bought, yay!) Overall, Carve the Mark was definitely another great read from a great author, and I'm excited to see what she comes up with next!

RATING: 4/5 Devils!

You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston

Title: You Will Be Mine

Author: Natasha Preston

Publish Date: February 6th, 2018

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: Received an ARC from Raincoast Books!

Summary by Goodreads. 

ROSES ARE RED
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
WATCH YOUR BACK
I'M COMING FOR YOU

Lylah and her friends can't wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chace, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She's been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way...

The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It's an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.

Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:

YOUR TURN

PENELOPE'S REVIEW

So this book is a YA mystery/thriller type novel and while I did enjoy the plot, I found the writing itself to be quite amateur and that was hard for me to get past. As I said though, the story was good if a bit on the dramatic side. I did not guess the murderer correctly which of course made the ending quite impressive for me. I went through most of the novel quite sure that I knew exactly who was responsible and so when the tables started to turn near the end, I was very surprised which added to my opinion of the book. Very fast-paced, and definitely interesting if you are into this type of book.

The characters themselves were ok, there was quite a range of personalities which was intriguing, and I did like Lylah the main character. Chase however, I most certainly did not like. Too possessive at times for my taste, and in his attempts to be heroic, he came across as quite chauvinistic.

Overall, I did enjoy the read, it just wasn't my all-time favorite. I'm glad I gave it a chance though and if there is a sequel (which is hinted at with the cliffhanger ending!) I will definitely give it a try as well!

RATING: 3.5 DEVILS!

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Title: A Game of Thrones

Author: George R.R. Martin

Publish Date: August 6th, 1996

Publisher: Bantam

Source: Bought

Summary by Goodreads. 

Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.
A GAME OF THRONES
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.
Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

Penelope's Review

I'd first like to point out that I did watch the TV series before reading this book, something I don't normally do but in this case, am glad that I did. Don't get me wrong, the book was AMAZING! But I do feel that had I not watched the show first, and seen all of the names and faces and locations for myself, I most likely would have gotten quite lost during this read. There is A LOT to take in in terms of the amount of characters and places to follow.

However! That does not mean that it wasn't a fantastic novel. The book was incredibly well written and I give my respects to George R.R. Martin for being able to put together such a masterpiece! The planning that must have gone into writing this is astounding! But let's get to the point and discuss WHY it's so good!

First off - the characters! There was such depth to all of the characters in this book! No black and white evil/good people, there were dimensions! Personalities! Reasons behind the bad and noble causes behind the good! Every character was instrumental to the development of the story and there were quite a few deaths that I was NOT expecting (Well.... had I not watched the show first I wouldn't have expected it while reading lol). The twists and turns in this book kept me wanting more until the very last page!

The plot was great, plenty of scenes for whatever your cup of tea is! Violent scenes, passionate scenes, betrayal scenes, sad scenes, happy scenes, angry scenes! You name it, it's IN THIS BOOK! 

Now it is a bit of a longer read, but well worth it believe me. If you've already watched the show, this book is even more amazing because it's like reading the script for the show with the addition of deleted scenes! So cool!  

Overall, I was VERY impressed with the read.. so much so that I went and purchased the rest of the series! I am now very happily on to the second book!

RATING: 5/5 Devils!