Tag: bookish

Book Review of Plastic Wings by C.T. Callahan

Olivia ChanelLeave a comment
image2

Plastic Wings by C.T. Callahan

Publication Date: November 22, 2016.

Publisher: Three Little Books Co.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, and Apocalyptic.

Rating: 587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png

Selling points: An amazing woman of color as the protagonist, character development, and unique world with angels.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository | Three Little Books Co.

Synopsis: When seven-year-old Evie Weiss discovers a strange, sickly boy in her otherwise familiar forest, she has no idea what it holds for her world. He is a dark angel, one of a race of humanoid beings that feed on humanity and tear Evie’s world down around her. Years later, as humanity mounts a counter-attack against the dark angels, Evie remembers the boy in the forest and finds herself torn between her loyalty to her own people and feelings of compassion for these strange creatures that first captivated her as a child.

It is the quest of one girl to unite two worlds so separated by war, but how can she close the gap between two races so determined to hate each other?

myreview1

Thank you C.T. Callahan for my copy of Plastic Wings. This book has officially become one of my new favorites and I’m truly grateful I won it in your giveaway.

Plastic Wings is one of my new favorite books, and it even sparked my love for fantasy. I’ve only been reading contemporary books for months now, and it’s so refreshing to be reading fantasy again, and one about angels too. I haven’t done that in ages. There are literally so many amazing things to highlight about Plastic Wings; the strong heroine of color that is the most relatable girl ever, the diverse cast and the epic world C.T. Callahan has created, are just a few.

Read More »

Cover Reveal for Crawdad by Lisa Cresswell

Olivia Chanel2 Comments

Hi everyone, today I have a really exciting cover reveal for you. I’m here to show you the cover of Crawdad by Lisa Cresswell. The book sounds amazing, and the cover is great. See the cover below and read the synopsis.

IMG_2435.JPG

You can read the book synopsis for Crawdad here:

Seventeen-year-old Jamil Ramos grew up on Alabama’s Gulf Coast believing his mom, Loretta, was his only living relative. She put a trumpet in his hands as a toddler and sparked his love of jazz. But when Loretta drops a bomb on Jamil from her deathbed- she’s not his mama and his daddy is still alive, living in Charleston, S.C. – his world is turned upside down.

Now, with the only mama he’s ever known gone and the Loyola University trumpet audition less than a week away, Jamil has trouble feeling his music. When his band teacher tells him to get it together, Jamil decides to hitchhike to South Carolina over to find his father and get his questions answered. All he has is a name –Leon Ramos.

Jamil relies on the kindness of the strangers he meets-a gay teen kicked out of his home, a runaway prostitute, and a street musician-as he makes his way across Florida and Georgia trying to avoid the cops along the way. But when Jamil is robbed of his most prized possession, his trumpet, his plans go anywhere but where he’d hoped. That trumpet was supposed to be his ticket for a scholarship, the only way to college his mama could give him. Lost and alone without it, Jamil wonders if finding his father is worth risking his future.

What do you think about the cover? Do you want to read this book as much as I do when it comes out?

The Cover Reveal is hosted by Rich in Variety Tours.

signature9

ARC Review of Assassins: Discord by Erica Cameron

Olivia ChanelLeave a comment
29618746

Assassins: Discord by Erica Cameron

Publication Date: September 5, 2016.

Publisher: Triton Books (Riptide Publishing).

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, and LGBT.

Rating: 587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png

Selling points: Badass and dangerous girls, girls kissing and explosions.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository 

Synopsis: Kindra’s moral compass has never pointed north, but that’s what happens when you’re raised as an assassin and a thief. At sixteen, she’s fantastic with a blade, an expert at slipping through the world unnoticed, and trapped in a life she didn’t chose. But nothing in her training prepares her for what happens when her father misses a target.

In the week-long aftermath, Kindra breaks rank for the first time in her life. She steals documents, starts questioning who their client is and why the target needs to die, botches a second hit on her father’s target, and is nearly killed. And that’s before she’s kidnapped by a green-eyed stranger connected to a part of her childhood she’d almost forgotten.

Kindra has to decide who to trust and which side of the battle to fight for. She has to do it fast and she has to be right, because the wrong choice will kill her just when she’s finally found something worth living for.

myreview1

Thank you Erica Cameron for my e-arc of Assassins: Discord. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Assassins: Discord is like those action movies you watch on TV where there are guns, explosions, and car chases. Only in this book, there are more girls than guys. The girls are complex, the girls are kissing and they’re more badass than anyone else. In other words, this book is like those action movies you watch on TV, only a thousand times better. I love Assassins: Discord not only because it’s refreshing and features a storyline that isn’t that often explored in YA but because these teenage girls are flawed, they’re lethal and yet they are just that, teenagers with raw and complex emotions. I also love how inclusive this book is. There are bisexual, asexual, intersex and gay characters and some of them are also of color. Erica Cameron really nailed this book in every aspect there is, it’s sassy, it’s filled with action and once you finish it you’ll literally be begging for more (very much like I am, please when’s the next one coming out *grabby hands*).

Read More »

Freebie Friday #7

Olivia Chanel4 Comments

freebiefriday1

Hi guys! Don’t you just love Fridays? I know I do. I have a statistics exam tomorrow, on a Saturday yes, but I’m trying to stay calm and just think about all the books I can treat myself with afterwards. Maybe I’ll try one of the following books, they seem just great. This week the two free books I’m recommending are Let Me Be the One by Lily Foster and Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway. Both are New Adult books about romance.

Remember guys, the books I recommend are free the moment I publish my post but I can never guarantee they’re free for long so once you see it, grab it! That’s what I do.

letmebetheone1Let Me Be the One by Lily Foster

Goodreads. Amazon.

Running away can be a good thing…

From the outside, Darcy Donovan’s life seems perfect. She’s beautiful, intelligent, popular and dating a guy who is every girl’s dream. But nothing that seems perfect ever really is. A year abroad is her escape—a chance to put some distance between them and also a chance to leave behind the shaken, insecure girl she has become.

Tom Farrell has been waiting in the wings, watching as his friend screws up a relationship with the one girl Tom considers out of his reach. An entire year passes with Tom making changes in his life; changes he hopes will make Darcy see that he’s the one worthy of her heart—that he should be the one.

Let Me Be the One is the first book in the Let Me series intended for readers 18 and older due to mature content. The Let Me series is a collection of stand-alone stories. There are no cliff-hangers but the books are inter-connected as characters are introduced that may feature in subsequent story lines. If you are a fan of Happily Ever Afters that come only after the characters struggle, stumble and sometimes fail…then you will laugh, cry, occasionally cringe, and ultimately fall in love right along with them.

sixofhearts1Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

Goodreads. Amazon.

Step right up and meet Jay Fields: Illusionist. Mentalist. Trickster.

I think in triangles. You think in straight lines. I show you a table and make you believe it’s a chair. Smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, misdirection. I trick and deceive. But most of all, I put on a good show.

The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn’t. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan. Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her. I want it for all six of us.

She doesn’t remember me, but she’s the reason for everything. She’ll be my prize at the end of all this–if I can hold onto my willpower, that is. Maybe I’ll slip up a little, have a taste, just a small one.

So go ahead and pick a card. Come inside and see the show. Look at my hands, look so closely that you can’t see what’s happening while you’re so focused on looking. I’ll be destroying your world from right here in the spotlight.

You’ll never see me coming until it’s too late. I’ve only got one heart, and after I’ve pulled off my grand deception I’ll hand it right to her. So, sit back, relax, and let my girl tell you our story. You’re in for one hell of a ride.

Freebie Friday #6

Olivia Chanel1 Comment

freebiefriday1

Good morning, good day or good afternoon (depending on where you are) my fellow book lovers! Isn’t it just amazing that we are all over the world, connecting and talking to each other with one thing in common, books. I’m grateful to have found so many kindred spirits through my favorite books, and in many ways that’s the best part of being a reader.

We have another Friday on our hands *dances around with my books* and I of course have more free books to recommend to you guys. This lovely Friday is just getting better and better. This week the free books I’m recommending are Crush by S.R. Silcox and Melt With You by Addison Moore. These two are both young adult books and when I found them I was just delighted. The first book is a contemporary coming of age where we have girls liking girls. The second book is a young adult romance that takes place in the 80s which is just the coolest. Read more below.

Remember guys, the books I recommend are free the moment I publish my post but I can never guarantee they’re free for long so once you see it, grab it! That’s what I do.

crush1

Crush by S.R. Silcox

Goodreads. Amazon.

Summertime in Chesterfield means two very different things for teenagers Tess Copeland and Maddie Lambert.

For Tess, spending time with family and anticipating the annual Crush Festival goes hand-in-hand with the country air and the sweet smell of a cane fire. For Maddie, Chesterfield offers an escape from the demands of a reality that she’s just unable to run from.

This summer, however, there is one lit fire that’s even harder to contain than the massive bonfires that characterise the town’s summer spectacle, as young love and awakened passions smoulder in the shadows.

Amidst the turmoil of growing up and the pressures of youth and fame, can these two young women navigate the precipices of adulthood unscathed? Will Maddie and Tess be able to overcome the secrets of a small town and save the beloved festival before it’s too late?

Find out in this touchingly sweet coming-of-age tale from SR Silcox–grab your copy today!

meltwithyou1

Melt With You by Addison Moore

Goodreads. Amazon.

Junior year is really shaping up to be something. After three years of trying, I finally made the cheer squad. And on the last day of summer practice the demigod of Glen Heights High, Joel Effing Miller, finally notices me—right after he runs me over and lands my leg in a cast. Yeah, junior year is really shaping up to be something.

I swear I didn’t see her. But I’m making it up to her every way I can. I’m driving her to school, helping her to all of her classes. I’ve never met anyone so down to earth—a girl who actually likes the things I like. Melissa Malinowski is a breath of fresh air. I can’t stop thinking about her. I swear I didn’t see her, but I should have. Melissa is too beautiful to miss.

My name is Kelly Masterson, and nobody messes with me. I’m Joel Miller’s girlfriend. So Joel ran Mouse-akowski over with his truck. So what? He should’ve finished her off. And now he wants to break up? As if. Nobody breaks up with me. Joel is mine, and he’s going to stay that way. And after having a nice little chat with his mother, it’s become clear why he’s bending over backward to please that human speed bump. I’ll make sure Mouse-akowski understands this, too. That will be the end of Joel and his nerdy little plaything. My name is Kelly Masterson, and nobody messes with me.

Waiting on Wednesday #1 As I Descended by Robin Talley

Olivia Chanel13 Comments

galaxyblogwaitingonwednesday1

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. This week I’m eagerly anticipating As I Descended by Robin Talley. This book has been said to be based on MacBeth, a bit dark and creepy, and totally about girls.

AsIDescended-highres.jpg

As I Descended by Robin Talley

Expected publication: September 6, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Retellings

Add to your To Be Read shelf on Goodreads.

Pre-order on Amazon or Book Depository.

Synopsis: Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—even if no one knows it but them.

Only one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey.

Golden child Delilah is a legend at the exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. She runs the school, and if she chose, she could blow up Maria and Lily’s whole world with a pointed look, or a carefully placed word.

But what Delilah doesn’t know is that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to make their dreams come true. And the first step is unseating Delilah for the Kingsley Prize. The full scholarship, awarded to Maria, will lock in her attendance at Stanford―and four more years in a shared dorm room with Lily.

Maria and Lily will stop at nothing to ensure their victory—including harnessing the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school.

But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what is imagined, the girls must decide where they draw the line.

From acclaimed author Robin Talley comes a Shakespeare-inspired story of revenge and redemption, where fair is foul, and foul is fair.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday? Are you also anticipating As I Descended by Robin Talley?

signature9

What is the “Writing Cave”?

Olivia Chanel3 Comments

I bet some of you are wondering, what is the Writing Cave part of my blog? I thought I’d tell you guys and thereby introduce that part of my blog to you. For those of you who don’t know, I write. I have been writing for a while now, around 4 years and I’m currently working on two stories I love a lot. However, due to school and other circumstance I just don’t write as much as I would like to. Not nearly enough honestly, but I thought that by having this part of my blog I can write about my struggles, all of the ups and downs of my writing experience. I’ll update about my process, how I build characters and worlds. What works for me in terms of plotting etc. I probably won’t update often but I believe that it might motivate me to actually sit down and spend more time with these stories that I love with all of my heart.

writingcave1.jpg

Another exciting part, that is more on a personal note, is that this fall I’m starting a creative writing course at my local university. This is something I have wanted to do for such a long time but when I ended high school I went with on another path and started studying business administration instead. After having done that for two years, and the second year not going as I wanted, I realized that it was time for me to stop doing what I can’t stand and start doing something I love and have loved for such a long time.

writingcave2

Writing is my dream, my passion, and it’s something I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to read books, I want to write them and I want to always and forever enjoy the magical stories that come my way. Words are magical, you can read and you can write them. I’ll be doing both in my little writing cave.

Lusting For Cover

Olivia Chanel3 Comments

I don’t know about you guys, but I have a serious case of cover lust. I go weak at the knees when I see a beautiful book cover and am guilty of buying a book solely because of its book cover. Sometimes it pays off, other times it really doesn’t. Have you guys ever bought a book just because of book cover lust? Which book was it?

coverlust2

A book cover often give me the first impression of a book, so be it good or bad. I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, which is true, but the cover undoubtedly does give you a first vibe of the whole book. If a book cover is poorly made the book usually needs to have a convincing synopsis and/or a good price in order to convince me to get it. The truth is that cover lust also applies for me when I’m only buying an ebook, the prettier a book is, the more likely I am to want to buy it. Is that sometimes bad? Yes it is. I might miss amazing books because of this mindset, but the one thing I have going for me is that I’m aware of the fact that I do it. Even though the book cover is a big part of my first impression of a book, it does take a seat in the back later on.

Way back I only went on book cover and synopsis when I was about to buy a new book but these days I tend to often go on friends and other amazing blogger’s advice. Especially when I buy a physical copy of a book. I want to know that my money goes to books that are worth it and that I know I’ll like. That doesn’t mean I don’t love it when a book has the most beautiful cover I’ve ever seen.

coverlust3

In the end having cover lust is not a bad thing, I think we all want pretty shiny things. However, what we need to remember is that a book is not its cover. A book is its synopsis and the story it’s trying to tell. If a book has a beautiful cover it’s only an added bonus. An author who has a book cover not as appealing as the next author shouldn’t be punished for that, because the truth is, most authors can’t choose their covers and/or doesn’t have a lot of options to go with. All authors, no matter their book cover, deserve all the love in the world if the story they have written is a good one.

coverlust1

A beautiful book cover can both enhance the beauty of a story and make a story that’s otherwise pretty dull appear more enchanting to the naked eye. I think we like to believe that books with beautiful covers are good, but I think in our hearts we know the stories worth putting our time and energy on, no matter what they look like.

Have you ever bought a book because of cover lust? Did it pay off or was it a complete bust? Let me know in the comments below!

Book Review of Anything But Love by Abigail Strom

Olivia Chanel1 Comment
anything-but-love-abigail-strom

Anything but Love by Abigail Strom

Publication Date: July 12, 2016.

Publisher: Montlake Romance.

Genres: Adult, Contemporary and Romance.

Rating: 587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png587264602.png

Selling points: Good backstory, sexy couple, and magical Bermuda.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: Socialite Jessica Bullock can’t catch a break. After a lifetime of chasing perfection, hoping to please her parents, all her hard work is set to pay off. But on her wedding day, her fiancé leaves her high and dry. Humiliated, she finds her calm, cool facade beginning to crumble…until an unexpected wedding guest, her childhood best friend and crush, offers to help her pick up the pieces.

Never in his wildest dreams would Ben Taggart have imagined he’d be escorting Jessica on her honeymoon to Bermuda. Although they haven’t seen each other in years, he can’t leave her to fall apart. Agreeing to keep things platonic, they vow to make the most of their spontaneous vacation—until an unplanned kiss sparks a powerful passion.

They tell themselves that what happens in Bermuda will stay in Bermuda. But when old secrets are revealed and new feelings ignite, will Ben and Jessica be able to leave their romance behind?

myreview1

Thank you, Montlake Romance, for my advanced review copy of Anything but Love. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Anything but Love is an amazing story that’s both cute and sexy. It’s about Jessica and Ben, who used to be best friends and then became enemies in high school. Ben never got to know why that was and what made Jessica turned her back on him.

“One was a memory of Jessica from Junior High, when the two of them had still been friends. The other was a memory from high school, when they’d been enemies.”

Read More »

July 2016 Wrap Up

Olivia ChanelLeave a comment

July came and went, and it really has been a lovely month. In the beginning of the month I stayed with my best friend Amy for ten days (she’s the girl I make the Moody Book Monday posts with) and it was just the best. We got to just hang out, celebrate her birthday and she showed me Amsterdam. I loved it, it was amazing staying with my best friend and exploring a new country for the first time.

wrapupjuly2016

This is actually my first wrap up post ever, which is mostly due to the fact I just started blogging four months ago and I wasn’t as active earlier during the year. So now, what happened during July? Let’s summarize!

Books Read

During July I have read the following books, I’ll be linking them to Goodreads so you can check them out and add them. While you’re at it, you should totally add me on there to see more of my bookish thoughts. My Goodreads.

Books Reviewed

During July I have reviewed 3 books on the blog. Some I enjoyed more than others but in case you missed one of them, you can read the reviews again and check out my thoughts.

Other Bookish Blog Posts

During July I’ve posted several book recommendations posts, as well as several different book feature posts. Here is a quick recap of them.

I’ve continued with my blog feature Freebie Friday where I recommend books that are currently free.

Another book recommendations post I made this month is “Olivia Chanel’s Book Restaurant” which got amazing response. In it I recommend different kinds of books depending on what you order at the restaurant.

I also posted a discussion post where I talk about all of the books I’m really excited to read in the future.

Amy and I did another Moody Book Monday, this time with the theme of which books you would want to put in a time capsule to be opened in 25 years.

During July I also started a new blog feature called YA Fantasy Gets Social Media and posted my first post about that. It was centered around Unicorn Tracks and is essentially an alternative universe of what it would like if characters in fantasy worlds had the social media we use today.

How was your July? Did you read any good books or read a special blog post that really stood out? Tell me all about it!