Friday, January 6, 2017

Book Review: Shadows and Dreams by Matthew Cody

Author: Matthew Cody
Series: ReMade #1.1
Audience: +16
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Serial Box Publishing
Release Date: September 14th 2016
My Rating: 3.5 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
You live. You love. You Die. Now RUN. ReMade is a thrilling sci-fi adventure that will take readers past the boundaries of time, space, and even death.

This is the 1st episode of ReMade, a 15-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode was written by Matthew Cody.

Holden Black never imagined his crush knew his name, much less that he’d suddenly be driving her to a party. But life can change in a second, especially when you’re 16. A look. A flash of headlights. A scream. What do you do when the unexpected jumps straight to the unbelievable, the dream becomes a nightmare, and waking changes everything except your heart’s desire?

ReMade Season One: In one moment the lives of twenty-three teenagers are forever changed, and it’s not just because they all happen to die. “ReMade” in a world they barely recognize – one with robots, space elevators, and unchecked jungle – they must work together to survive. They came from different places, backgrounds, and families, and now they might be the last people on earth. Lost meets The Maze Runner in this exciting serial adventure.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley and Serial Box Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of this review in any way.

I've never read a serial before. It's a new concept for me, and since I love TV shows, I thought it would be awesome to see how that concept could be applied to a book.

Shadows and Dreams is a pretty interesting start for this story. I wasn't really sure exactly what was happening, at first. I felt as confused as Holden for a while there, not knowing what is true and what isn't. Then it all became a little clearer as the story went on.

Just like you would expect in a TV show episode, a lot of stuff happens. I think I was most confused about the fact that there aren't many things that were explained. It kind of felt like a pilot episode, not that that's a bad thing. I did, however, feel like the action moved a little bit too fast towards the end, compared to how long the actual book is. I wouldn't have had any issue with the pacing had the book been even 10-15 pages longer, because I would have had more time to get into the story, and to believe that Holden and his companions really were in danger from those robots.

I'm curious enough about what happens next to pick up the second "episode" and read it. I am also intrigued by the idea that each episode has a new author, or at least some of them. I am hoping we'll get to learn more about Holden and his companions, not just get introduced to new characters in each issue. All in all, a pretty interesting way to tell a story, and I'm going to keep reading to find out more.


Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Book Review: A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas by Darcie Boleyn

Author: Darcie Boleyn
Series: Standalone
Audience: +18
Genre: Chic Lit, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Canelo
Release Date: 07 Nov 2016
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Lucie Quigley hates Christmas. It’s the time of year when everything goes wrong in her life. So this year, when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her friend Petra’s Manhattan wedding, she jumps at the invitation to escape the festivities.

Dale Treharne has been best friends with Lucie for as long as he can remember. He’s used to looking out for his oldest friend and when she asks him to be her plus one, he can’t seem to find a reason to refuse. Instead, he sees it as a way to help Lucie get through what is, for her, the most miserable time of the year.

In New York, as the snow starts to fall, Lucie and Dale start to realise that their feelings run deeper than just friendship. But can they overcome their pasts, and make it a very merry Manhattan Christmas?


*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of this review in any way.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I picked it up on a whim, because I was in the mood for some winter/Christmas themed books, and I am so glad I did!

Lucie is such a great heroine. She's not necessarily the female version of Grinch, like I first thought, her reasons for not enjoying the festive aspects of December are pretty understandable once you get to learn more about her backstory. It's pretty sad, actually, so I was very glad to see her accept that part of her life, come to terms with everything that happened and move on, in a way. I also liked that she accepted the fact that she shouldn't stick her nose where it didn't belong. I liked that about her, because even though her intentions might have been good, it still wasn't something she should have done.

Dale isn't the type of male character that makes me fall head over heels for. I liked him, because he seemed like a solid friend, a good partner, but in some way, I wanted him to be more assertive. I feel like he played the role that he thought Lucie needed him to play, completely disregarding what he wanted and what he needed. That said, I like how at times he found it in himself to tell Lucie some brutal truths, some things she needed to hear. So he had his moments, I just wish he had more moments like that.

I was a bit confused about something that happened with Lucie and Dale a few years prior, because I felt like it wasn't explored or explained as much as I would have wanted, but other than that, this was a really cute story about best friends and healing from past hurts. I thought it was the perfect read for this winter season.


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Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday #13: Top Ten 2017 Debuts I'm Excited For



Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Happy Tuesday and Happy New Year folks!

Today's topic is Top Ten 2017 Debuts I'm Excited For. As you probably can imagine, I'm super excited for a lot of debuts and a lot of 2017 book, because how could I not be excited for them??? I tried really hard to pick my top 10 out of that list (it was very difficult), but I made it. Here's my list:


1. Blood Rose Rebellion - Rosalyn Eves
2. Frostblood - Elly Blake
3. Poison's Kiss - Breeana Shields
4. Of Jenny And The Aliens - Ryan Gebhart
5. Shadow Run -  AdriAnne Strickland, Michael Miller

6. The Education Of Margot Sanchez - Lilliam Rivera
7. Girl Out Of Water - Laura Silverman
8. The Love Interest - Cale Dietrich
9. One Of Us Is Lying - Karen M. McManus
10. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

What about you? Which 2017 debuts are you most excited about?
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