Book Review: The Lovely Reckless

About the Book:
Title: The Lovely Reckless
Author: Kami Garcia
Pub. Date: Oct. 4, 2016
Publisher: Imprint
Pages: 384
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

I’ve become an expert at avoiding things that could hurt me—which means I will figure out how to stay away from Marco Leone.

Seventeen-year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: Nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to a public high school in the Downs, where fistfights don’t faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football.

Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him—and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?

Review:

When I found out that Kami Garcia was writing a new book I knew I had to add it to my TBR right away! And when I read the synopsis, I was definitely eager to get my hands on it. I have a thing for novels that feature street racing (who knows why, but it's this awesome bad-ass thing to me). While I had some ups and downs with the book, overall this one is another winner from Ms. Garcia, and seriously addicting. Even though there are things that normally bother me, for some reason Kami Garcia won me over and made me forget that I actually hate those things. I never wanted to stop reading because I fell for these characters so much. Kami just has a way of writing that makes you love to read the story she is telling, and I can't wait to read what she writes next!!

The story follows Frankie, who after her boyfriend dies in front of her, becomes a completely different person. Gone are the days of the good girl who lives by the rules...instead is a girl who is traumatized, angry, and rebellious. She doesn't care about the rules she breaks or going after the good guy. She wants to live on the edge and not look back. I actually liked watching Frankie rebuild her life more so than the actual romance of the story purely because it was quite a transformation to watch. I wasn't always the hugest fan of her character, but overall she was a great MC to follow. Marco is your stereotypical bad boy, but I did like when we saw a different side of him (one he doesn't show to many people). I think in many ways seeing this different side of Marco allowed Frankie to grow into a better person as well. Lexie, Frankie's BFF, was one of my favorites in this book. The way she stuck by Frankie no matter what (even when Frankie was an absolutely terrible friend to her, was extremely admirable. She was a constant that Frankie desperately needed, and I loved how well Lexi balanced Frankie out. Lastly, Cruz...I LOVED this girl! She was hilarious, amazing, and unapologetically herself. I seriously would love to have a friend like this, and I truly enjoyed the friendship that blossomed between her and Frankie. 

The couple of things that I didn't like about this novel were mainly the romance and Marco (hear me out on this one). First, the romance was way too insta-love for me. If you follow my reviews, you know I can't stand insta-love, and this is no exception. Frankie and Marco fall for each other after basically one conversation (and trust me, that convo isn't that long!) and then for the entire story, they aren't really together all that much. Yet, they fall madly in love with each other and trust each other implicitly. They put their lives in the others hands and have full faith that the other will catch them if they fall. I don't know, it just didn't fit well to me especially when you consider the plot and the personalities of the characters. However, it didn't bother me enough (for who knows what reason) that I didn't enjoy the book. The other problem I had was with Marco. I personally loved him except for how possessive he got at times. This ties back into the whole insta-love thing, but no one should be that possessive really at any point in a relationship, but especially after just meeting/getting to know some girl. 

Kami Garcia has written an edgy read that will make you desperate to find out what will happen as soon as you finish the first chapter. This book is a great read (I know it might not seem that way from some of the things I said), and I highly recommend checking it out when you get the chance!! Kami Garcia certainly didn't disappoint and I look forward to reading whatever she writes next!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Trailer Reveal: Till Death

Novels and Necklaces is super excited to present the brand new trailer for Jennifer Armentrout's newest book, Till Death!!  You all know how hard I fangirl over Jen, so it's pretty easy to guess that I'm counting down the days until this book comes out.  So without further ado, here's the trailer for Till Death :)

Wasn't that trailer absolutely gorgeous?! It makes me even more excited to get this book in my hands.  Now, here's all the details about the book, including pre-order links!

About the Book:

Title: Till Death

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication Date: February 28, 2017

Synopsis:

In New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s gripping new novel, a young woman comes home to reclaim her life—even as a murderer plots to end it. . .

It’s been ten years since Sasha Keaton left her West Virginia hometown . . . since she escaped the twisted serial killer known as the Groom. Returning to help run her family inn means being whole again, except for one missing piece. The piece that falls into place when Sasha’s threatened—and FBI agent Cole Landis vows to protect her the way he couldn’t a decade ago.

First one woman disappears; then another, and all the while, disturbing calling cards are left for the sole survivor of the Groom’s reign of terror. Cole’s never forgiven himself for not being there when Sasha was taken, but he intends to make up for it now . . . because under the quirky sexiness Cole first fell for is a steely strength that only makes him love Sasha more.

But someone is watching. Waiting. And Sasha’s first mistake could be her last.

***

Pre Order links:

Amazon |  B&N |  iBooks |  IndieBound

Jen's Social Media links:

Facebook |  Twitter |  Instagram |  Website

~Cassie

Book Review: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)

About the Book:
Title: Crooked Kingdoms (Six of Crows #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Pub. Date: Sept. 27, 2016
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Pages: 536
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.

Review:

“I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.” 

Let's all bow down to Leigh Bardugo because she truly outdid herself with Crooked Kingdom. There are very few authors that could write such an amazing, meticulous story such as this, and seriously it's a mind-blowing experience to be able to see a book so beautifully written. While I did have some ups and downs with the book (literally this makes up less than 2% of my feelings with this book), overall (aka the other 98%) this novel is truly extraordinary and I wish there were more to come. I honestly don't want to say goodbye to these characters yet, but it's better this way...at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself. It's better that this amazing series is only 2 books so that we can be left to imagine the future adventures our beloved characters are having. 

“Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the rest of us?What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary.That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.” 

Let's start with the teeny tiny thing that bothered me with this book: the pace. There were times at the beginning of the novel that felt super slow to me. I didn't have this problem in the first book, but I noticed it a lot in this one. I don't know if I just was too excited to find out what was going to happen next or if I just was in a mood the day I started this, but when I first started reading, I felt the pace was entirely different. There were parts that kinda seemed unnecessary to me and there were times where the scenes seemed to go on for a bit too long. However, after the first part/part and a half, this resolved and the story really took off. That's why I can't complain too much about this because it really only was a small part of the book. Otherwise, after this slow start, the story really was nonstop action and chaos. I never knew what was going to happen, and Leigh definitely kept me on my toes! There were so many twists and turns that it left my head spinning. With every heist or new trial the group undertakes, your adrenaline skyrockets, and you feel you are right there with these characters risking your own life. 

“And that was what destroyed you in the end: the longing for something you could never have.” 

One of the best parts of this book though is the character development. The reason I said that not many authors could write a book such as Crooked Kingdoms is because not many authors could balance 6 different character POVs, each with an intricate backstory, and make them sound like individual characters. Heck there's authors that can't even do dual POV (and I'm not trying to offend anyone when I say that because in my opinion dual POV is an extremely difficult task to undertake and I give major credit to authors that can write it successfully)! But Leigh does an absolute brilliant job at making sure every character is heard and we as readers feel connected to every single one of those characters. We get so much more into these characters that were introduced in Six of Crows, and things are revealed that you will never see coming. And if it's possible, Leigh makes the connections that we have with the characters (as well as the connection between the characters themselves) stronger and deeper. Emotions are definitely at an all-time high in this book when any of these characters are involved, and I loved every single second of it. 

“We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives something is about to happen.” 

I will say that at first Kaz seemed a bit too disconnected to me, but over the course of the book we come to see more and more inside his mind and understand prior actions while also keeping us guessing for what he's cooking up next. Inej is still one of my favorite characters in the story. She's so strong and brave, and I loved her tenacity. There were times I was truly terrified for her because it takes a lot to break a character such as Inej, and she was slowly crumbling around the edges during the first part of this book. Nina is like my soul sister, but we definitely see a different side to her due to her withdrawal from that terrible drug. It makes her question everything, including using her own powers. However, I also loved how fierce she was in this book. Nina stuck to her guns and didn't let anyone tell her she couldn't do something. Matthias perhaps has the greatest transformation of all the characters, and seriously I can't even begin to explain my love for him while I was reading this book....after all, he's greater than waffles ;) I really did like the addition of Wylan's POV to the story as well because it added yet another raw, realistic element to the plot that propelled the novel forward. 

“Why do you guys say that, anyway? No mourners, no funerals? Why not just say good luck or be safe?”“We like to keep our expectations low.” 

There are many aspects of this part that made my heart break, but there was one in particular that involved a certain character's death that absolutely broke me. I didn't see it coming and I'm still not over the character's death, but I will say that it fit with the story and that's why I can't totally be upset at Leigh for killing them. Let's face it, the Dregs and Ketterdam is an unforgiving place and not everyone makes it out alive. This is a sad, but true fact. I think we should just count ourselves lucky that Leigh didn't kill off more people haha!

“They don't know who we are. Not really. They don't know what we've done, what we've managed together. So let's go show them they picked the wrong damn fight.” 

Everything about this book is perfection, and I can't even begin to emphasize how much you need to read this book. Leigh does an excellent job at writing an evocative story that sweeps you away and leaves you longing for more. The conclusion of this book is every bit as epic as you imagine it would be, and I will not be forgetting this book anytime soon. The Six of Crows duology is going to be a series that I read over and over again, and it's definitely something you don't want to miss out on!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Waiting on Wednesday #83

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Cassie's Waiting On: 

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas 
Publication Date: February 21, 2017 

Synopsis: 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns meets The Queen of the Tearling in this thrilling fantasy standalone about one girl’s unexpected rise to power.

Freya was never meant be queen. Twenty third in line to the throne, she never dreamed of a life in the palace, and would much rather research in her laboratory than participate in the intrigues of court. However, when an extravagant banquet turns deadly and the king and those closest to him are poisoned, Freya suddenly finds herself on the throne.

Freya may have escaped the massacre, but she is far from safe. The nobles don’t respect her, her councillors want to control her, and with the mystery of who killed the king still unsolved, Freya knows that a single mistake could cost her the kingdom – and her life.

Freya is determined to survive, and that means uncovering the murderers herself. Until then, she can’t trust anyone. Not her advisors. Not the king’s dashing and enigmatic illegitimate son. Not even her own father, who always wanted the best for her, but also wanted more power for himself.

As Freya’s enemies close in and her loyalties are tested, she must decide if she is ready to rule and, if so, how far she is willing to go to keep the crown.

Look at that cover, I'm so obsessed with it!! It's stunning and I feel like it already sets the tone of the novel. Freya already sounds like a strong female lead, and I can't wait to see just what Ms. Thomas has in store for us with the storyline.  This has the potential to be something great...I'm in!

Jocelyn's Waiting On: 

Dreamfall by Amy Plum
Publication Date: May 2nd, 2017 

Synopsis: 

Cata Cordova suffers from such debilitating insomnia that she agreed to take part in an experimental new procedure. She thought things couldn’t get any worse...but she was terribly wrong.

Soon after the experiment begins, there’s a malfunction with the lab equipment, and Cata and six other teen patients are plunged into a shared dreamworld with no memory of how they got there. Even worse, they come to the chilling realization that they are trapped in a place where their worst nightmares have come to life. Hunted by creatures from their darkest imaginations and tormented by secrets they’d rather keep buried, Cata and the others will be forced to band together to face their biggest fears. And if they can’t find a way to defeat their dreams, they will never wake up.

I love books that have to do with dreaming. I've read Wake by Lisa McMann when I was in middle school, and I think that is the one that really sparked my loved for them. I'm interested in seeing what unique aspects of dreaming that Ms. Plum will bring to the table! 

Book Review: Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicles #1)

About the Book:
Title: Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicles #1)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Pub. Date: Aug. 9, 2016
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Pages: 448 
Rating: 1/5 stars

Synopsis:

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

Review:

Unpopular opinion time...I debated on whether or not to write a review for this book because 1) I hate writing bad reviews, and 2) I ended up DNF'ing it at 75% (much too late in my opinion) so I can't really say how the entire book was. But I did want to get my opinion out there and tell you why I didn't like it so much. Let me start by saying, it's very rare that I actually give a book 1 star. I usually give most books the benefit of the doubt and even if I didn't like it at all, I end up giving it 2 stars because at the end of the day...well, it wasn't that bad (I know, I know...I'm too nice, sue me haha). But with Nevernight, I literally spent every minute dreading having to read the next page (let alone the rest of the book). I was counting down the minutes until I could just be done with reading the book so I could move onto something that was somewhat more enjoyable, like I don't know, a textbook maybe? I would even go as far to say that Nevernight was my own nightmare. 

Judge away, but this book made me so bored, and I found myself re-reading the synopsis and 5 star reviews on different sites to remind myself why I actually wanted to read this book in the first place. The writing style is definitely not for me (I completely own up to that). It's not that it's bad, but I couldn't get into it at all. It's extremely dense and the story is bogged down with an overuse of descriptions, metaphors, similes, you name it. There were countless times I literally had to re-read the same paragraph 5 times because I had absolutely no idea what was going on. And please don't even get me started on the eye-roll inducing descriptions that I couldn't even suppress a sigh (or laugh) after reading the sentence. Some examples for your enjoyment: 

"Mia sighed. Took her temper by the earlobe and pulled it to heel." or 

"Something had followed her from that place. The place above the music where her father died. Something hungry. A blind, grub consciousness, dreaming of shoulders crowned with translucent wings. And she, who would gift them."

The plot itself is convoluted and is way over done. It's hard to follow, and I quickly lost interest. Scenes go on and on for pages and half the time wasn't memorable enough for me to even remember what was going on at the beginning of the scene. Not only that, but EVERYTHING.IS.SO.DRAMATIC! Even the most benign aspects of the story are overwrought with drama and nonsense. 

I wish this was better, I really do. But I can't bring myself to recommend this book in any way. Hey, if you like description upon description...this book is for you! If you like a bogged down story with a crap-ton of details that make you lose sight of what the story is actually about, then pick it up. Unfortunately, this was not for me.

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Cover Reveal: Crossroads

About the Book:
Title: Crossroads (The CrossWorld Chronicles #1)
Author: Laney McMann
Publication date: Winter 2017
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis: 

Hawk Holland is dead—he just doesn’t know it.
At seventeen, Hawk is a professional Motocross rider. Hot, badass, smart—with a drug problem—and a death wish. Winning is what he does best. Being in the spotlight is second nature. But after his best friend dies of an overdose during a televised race, Hawk goes down a road that leads to a similar fate—and that’s just the way he wants it—or so he thought.
Fawn Marchat is a CrossWorlder. Her lineage stems from her greatest of grandmothers, the Goddess Hecate. Fawn has many gifts, including the ability to see into the Afterlife and save souls on the Crossroads of death. But between her over-bearing grandfather insisting she follow the path of her elders in Wiccan Craft and assume her birthright, her uptight private Catholic school, and her mom always on her case about the only positive diversion in her life—Fawn has no desire to save anyone but herself.
When the world of the living collides with the world of the dead, Hawk Holland realizes a choice he made while under the influence set him on the fast-track to the Crossroads, a waylay station for lost souls with a one way ticket to Hell—and Fawn is the only one who might be able to save him.

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:

Young Adult Dark Fantasy Writer, Myths and Legends Believer, Voracious Reader, Music Snob, World Builder, Poet, Quote Junkie. My thoughts on Writing, Social Media, Reading, Books, Publishing, and Music. Generally. Author of The Fire Born Novels TIED, TORN & TRUE Author of The Primordial Principles CRYSTALLUM 2015, DAEMONEUM 2016 Author of The CrossWorld Chronicles CROSSROADS (2016) Pub'd by J. Taylor Publishing, Jagged Lane Books, and formerly by Booktrope Editions Publishing.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

~Cassie

Cover Reveal: The Broken Ones

Novels and Necklaces is super excited to present the exclusive cover reveal for The Broken Ones, a brand new prequel in the Malediction Series by Danielle Jensen! I am a huge fan of this series and was so sad to see it go earlier in 2016...so I was psyched when Danielle announced a new novel!! I seriously can't wait to check this one out.  Remember to enter the giveaway at the end of the post :)

About the Book:
Title: The Broken Ones
Author: Danielle Jensen
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
Publisher: Angry Robot

Synopsis

A prequel to the USA Today bestseller and Goodreads Choice finalist Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy).

Below Forsaken Mountain, a revolution stirs with the aim to overthrow the tyrant king of Trollus, and Marc is the right hand of its leader. It’s a secret more than one troll would kill to possess, which is why he must keep it from everyone, even the girl he loves.

Since a tragic accident revealed her affliction and ruined her sister’s chance at the throne, Pénélope is an anathema to her father, the Duke d’Angoulême. Deeming her life worthless, he gives her one chance to survive: find proof that the boy she loves is a leader in the sympathizer revolution.

Marc and Pénélope must navigate the complex politics of Trollus, where powers on all sides are intent on using them as pawns, forcing them to risk everything for a chance at a life together.

Except being together might be the greatest risk of all.

THE BROKEN ONES Preorder Links

Buy links for the Trilogy

Stolen Songbird (The Maledicition Trilogy #1)

Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2)

Warrior Witch (The Malediction Trilogy #3)

Goodreads Links

The Broken Ones  |  Stolen Songbird  |  Hidden Huntress  |  Warrior Witch 

About the Author

Danielle L. Jensen was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. At the insistence of the left side of her brain, she graduated from the University of Calgary with a bachelor’s degree in finance. But the right side of her brain has ever been mutinous, and it sent her back to school to complete an entirely impractical English literature degree at Mount Royal University. Much to her satisfaction, the right side shows no sign of relinquishing its domination.

Danielle L. Jensen is the USA Today bestselling author of The Malediction Trilogy: Stolen Songbird, Hidden Huntress, and Warrior Witch

 Follow Danielle L. Jensen on Amazon

My website: danielleljensen.com

My Twitter: @dljensen_

My Instagram: danielleljensen

My Facebook: @authordanielleljensen

My Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7091823.Danielle_L_Jensen

Giveaway

Angry Robot is giving away four sets of paperbacks (to be sent when the finished copies of The Broken Ones are available), plus signed swag (bookmarks & bookplates). The giveaway is international. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for visiting and I hope you add The Broken Ones to your TBR right away!! I want to give a huge thank you to Danielle Jensen and Angry Robots (@angryrobotbooks) for letting us participate in the cover reveal :)

~Cassie