Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.
So far, I've read disturbingly few 2016 releases. But the good news is that I've liked more than I've disliked.
The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary
The last thing Saki Yamamoto wants to do for her summer vacation is trade in exciting Tokyo for the antiquated rituals and bad cell reception of her grandmother's village. Preparing for the Obon ceremony is boring. Then the local kids take an interest in Saki and she sees an opportunity for some fun, even if it means disrespecting her family's ancestral shrine on a malicious dare.
But as Saki rings the sacred bell, the darkness shifts. A death curse has been invoked... and Saki has three nights to undo it. With the help of three spirit guides and some unexpected friends, Saki must prove her worth - or say good-bye to the world of the living forever.
Notes: As I said in my brief Goodreads review 'If you can get over how bratty Saki is for the majority of the book, it is a surprisingly delightful read.' And it is.
Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas
Asleep for a hundred years, awoken by a kiss. Aurora’s life was supposed to be a fairytale.
But since discovering that loyalty to the crown and loyalty to her country are two very different things, Aurora knows she can only dream of happily ever after. Once the enchanted princess, savior of her people, she is now branded a traitor.
Aurora is determined to free her home from the king’s tyrannical rule, even if it means traveling across the sea to the kingdom of the handsome and devious Prince Finnegan—someone who seems to know far more about her magic than he should. However, Finnegan’s kingdom has perils of its own, and any help he gives Aurora will come at a price.
As Aurora and Finnegan work together to harness her power—something so fiery and dangerous that is as likely to destroy those close to Aurora as it is to save them—she begins to unravel the mysteries surrounding the curse that was placed on her over a century before…and uncover the truth about the destiny she was always meant to fulfill.
Brimming with captivating fantasy and life-threatening danger, the sequel to A Wicked Thing takes Sleeping Beauty on an adventure unlike any she’s ever had before.
Notes: I don't actually love this book quite as much as A Wicked Thing (but that book was everything I never knew I wanted) but I still love this book and would recommend this duology to anyone that would stand still for five seconds. :)
Liberty by Lindsay Buroker
Kali has been working toward her dream of building an airship and escaping the frozen Yukon for so long that she can scarcely believe it’s close to becoming a reality. There’s just one problem. Cedar, her friend and business partner (and maybe a little more), is in jail, and the American authorities are on their way to hang him. The Mounties aren’t listening to reason, so the only way to free him may be to break him out of their headquarters—if she can. Even if she succeeds, she’ll be branded a criminal for the rest of her life.
Notes: Finally, the finale to what is one of my favorite Lindsay Buroker series. I adore the two main characters and I had such a blast with the steampunk gold rush setting!
Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz
There’s no place like home. Especially if home is the infamous Isle of the Lost. Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay haven’t exactly turned their villainous noses up at the comforts of Auradon after spending their childhoods banished on the Isle. After all, meeting princes and starring on the Tourney team aren’t nearly as terrible as Mal and her friends once thought they would be.
But when they receive a mysterious invitation to return to the Isle, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay can’t help feeling comfortable in their old hood—and their old ways. Not everything is how they left it, though, and when they discover a dark mystery at the Ise’s core, they’ll have to combine all of their talents in order to save the kingdom.
Notes: This one is only a tiny step down from the amazingness of the first one. I adored this book and had such a blast reading it. Now I am super looking forward to any more books in this series. (Because, honestly, I like them more than the movie.)
Sacrifice by K.M. Shea
Sacrifice: the thrilling conclusion to the Snow Queen series!
Rakel, once feared and exiled for possessing magic, is now hailed a hero. Leading resistance forces against the Chosen—an army of magic users that invaded her homeland—she is granted everything she has longed for: acceptance, a home, and the love of her friends. But the battle for her country has just begun.
The Chosen’s powerful leader, Tenebris Malus, has come north to aid his army. His troops pillage the villages and cities they cannot hold, and Rakel’s brother—the King—refuses to rule. Most troubling of all, Rakel—who has always loved her magic—sees great similarities between herself and the deadly Tenebris.
However, not all is lost as the Chosen Colonel Farrin Graydim questions his loyalties to his leader, and the attraction he holds for Rakel.
Can Rakel’s overcome her doubts and defeat Tenebris? Will Farrin choose to follow his heart or his loyalties?
THE SNOW QUEEN: SACRIFICE is a story of magic, love, and friendships. It takes place in the same world as the TIMELESS FAIRY TALES series, but occurs centuries prior.
Notes: This is the second book in the Snow Queen duology. While I loved the first one, this book is amazing, wonderful and just perfect. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite books that I've read so far this year.
Okay, so that was even more pathetic than I expected it to be. I really, really, need to read some of those other new releases that I've bought already.
*sigh*
What new books have you loved this year?
So far, I've read disturbingly few 2016 releases. But the good news is that I've liked more than I've disliked.
The last thing Saki Yamamoto wants to do for her summer vacation is trade in exciting Tokyo for the antiquated rituals and bad cell reception of her grandmother's village. Preparing for the Obon ceremony is boring. Then the local kids take an interest in Saki and she sees an opportunity for some fun, even if it means disrespecting her family's ancestral shrine on a malicious dare.
But as Saki rings the sacred bell, the darkness shifts. A death curse has been invoked... and Saki has three nights to undo it. With the help of three spirit guides and some unexpected friends, Saki must prove her worth - or say good-bye to the world of the living forever.
Notes: As I said in my brief Goodreads review 'If you can get over how bratty Saki is for the majority of the book, it is a surprisingly delightful read.' And it is.
Asleep for a hundred years, awoken by a kiss. Aurora’s life was supposed to be a fairytale.
But since discovering that loyalty to the crown and loyalty to her country are two very different things, Aurora knows she can only dream of happily ever after. Once the enchanted princess, savior of her people, she is now branded a traitor.
Aurora is determined to free her home from the king’s tyrannical rule, even if it means traveling across the sea to the kingdom of the handsome and devious Prince Finnegan—someone who seems to know far more about her magic than he should. However, Finnegan’s kingdom has perils of its own, and any help he gives Aurora will come at a price.
As Aurora and Finnegan work together to harness her power—something so fiery and dangerous that is as likely to destroy those close to Aurora as it is to save them—she begins to unravel the mysteries surrounding the curse that was placed on her over a century before…and uncover the truth about the destiny she was always meant to fulfill.
Brimming with captivating fantasy and life-threatening danger, the sequel to A Wicked Thing takes Sleeping Beauty on an adventure unlike any she’s ever had before.
Notes: I don't actually love this book quite as much as A Wicked Thing (but that book was everything I never knew I wanted) but I still love this book and would recommend this duology to anyone that would stand still for five seconds. :)
Kali has been working toward her dream of building an airship and escaping the frozen Yukon for so long that she can scarcely believe it’s close to becoming a reality. There’s just one problem. Cedar, her friend and business partner (and maybe a little more), is in jail, and the American authorities are on their way to hang him. The Mounties aren’t listening to reason, so the only way to free him may be to break him out of their headquarters—if she can. Even if she succeeds, she’ll be branded a criminal for the rest of her life.
Notes: Finally, the finale to what is one of my favorite Lindsay Buroker series. I adore the two main characters and I had such a blast with the steampunk gold rush setting!
There’s no place like home. Especially if home is the infamous Isle of the Lost. Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay haven’t exactly turned their villainous noses up at the comforts of Auradon after spending their childhoods banished on the Isle. After all, meeting princes and starring on the Tourney team aren’t nearly as terrible as Mal and her friends once thought they would be.
But when they receive a mysterious invitation to return to the Isle, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay can’t help feeling comfortable in their old hood—and their old ways. Not everything is how they left it, though, and when they discover a dark mystery at the Ise’s core, they’ll have to combine all of their talents in order to save the kingdom.
Notes: This one is only a tiny step down from the amazingness of the first one. I adored this book and had such a blast reading it. Now I am super looking forward to any more books in this series. (Because, honestly, I like them more than the movie.)
Sacrifice: the thrilling conclusion to the Snow Queen series!
Rakel, once feared and exiled for possessing magic, is now hailed a hero. Leading resistance forces against the Chosen—an army of magic users that invaded her homeland—she is granted everything she has longed for: acceptance, a home, and the love of her friends. But the battle for her country has just begun.
The Chosen’s powerful leader, Tenebris Malus, has come north to aid his army. His troops pillage the villages and cities they cannot hold, and Rakel’s brother—the King—refuses to rule. Most troubling of all, Rakel—who has always loved her magic—sees great similarities between herself and the deadly Tenebris.
However, not all is lost as the Chosen Colonel Farrin Graydim questions his loyalties to his leader, and the attraction he holds for Rakel.
Can Rakel’s overcome her doubts and defeat Tenebris? Will Farrin choose to follow his heart or his loyalties?
THE SNOW QUEEN: SACRIFICE is a story of magic, love, and friendships. It takes place in the same world as the TIMELESS FAIRY TALES series, but occurs centuries prior.
Notes: This is the second book in the Snow Queen duology. While I loved the first one, this book is amazing, wonderful and just perfect. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite books that I've read so far this year.
Okay, so that was even more pathetic than I expected it to be. I really, really, need to read some of those other new releases that I've bought already.
*sigh*
What new books have you loved this year?
