Genre Definition and Recommendation #78

Genre Definition and Recommendation is a feature where I will define a genre and a sub-genre definition and the make some recommendations.  

Fantasy - Definition found on Wikipedia

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genre of science fiction by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific themes, though there is a great deal of overlap between the two, both of which are subgenres of speculative fiction.

Sword and Sorcery Fantasy  Definition found on Wikipedia   

Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy,[1] is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus mainly on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters.[2]

My Recommendations: 

Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.
She flees on her wedding day.
She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.
She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.
She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.
The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.
Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

  

Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

In her arresting debut novel, Livia Blackburne creates a captivating world where intrigue prowls around every corner—and danger is a way of life.

What Do you Recommend? 

Delightful Discoveries #84

Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered recently... old, new, just released... from blogs, Goodreads, libraries, friends, or bookstores. 

Lola Carlyles 12-Step Romance by Danielle Younge-Ullman

  

With a whip-smart narrative reminiscent of HBO’s Girls, Danielle Younge-Ullman’s debut novel will have you laughing all the way to recovery.

Lola Carlyle is lonely, out of sorts, and in for a boring summer. So when her best friend Sydney calls to rave about the fun she’s having at a luxurious Malibu rehab (it’s basically a spa!) and reveals that the love of Lola’s life, Wade Miller, is being admitted, Lola knows what she has to do. Never mind that her worst addiction is decaf cappuccino; Lola is going to rehab.

Lola fakes her way into Sunrise Rehab, only to discover she’s actually expected to be an addict. And get treatment. And she has insane roommates, and an irritatingly attractive intake advisor, Adam, who’s determined to thwart her at every turn. Worst of all is the strictly enforced NO ROMANCE rule.

Oh, and Sydney? Is gone.

Turns out Sunrise is more jail-like than spa-like, and it’s going to take more than Lola bargained for just to get through the program.

Queen of Someday by Sherry D. Ficklin

ONE GIRL WILL BRING AN EMPIRE TO ITS KNEES...

Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.

Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.

Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.

In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?

The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

  
A delicious tale of revenge and identity from Carrie Ryan, the bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

In the wake of the deadly devastation of luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace, rescued from the ocean after torturous days adrift with her dying friend Libby, knows that the Persephone wasn’t sunk by a rogue wave as survivors Senator Wells and his son are claiming—it was attacked.

To ensure her safety from the obviously dangerous and very powerful Wells family, Libby’s father helps newly orphaned Frances assume Libby’s identity. Frances has spent years in hiding, transforming herself into Libby, and she can no longer allow the people who murdered her entire family and Libby to get away with it. After years of careful plotting, she’s ready to set her revenge plans into motion—even if it means taking down the boy she’d once been in love with: the senator’s son.

The game has just begun, and Frances is not only playing dirty, she's playing to win.

The Kidney Hypothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days by Lisa Yee 

Lisa Yee gives us her most fascinating flawed genius since Millicent Min.

Higgs Boson Bing has seven days left before his perfect high school career is completed. Then it's on to Harvard to fulfill the fantasy portrait of success that he and his parents have cultivated for the past four years. Four years of academic achievement. Four years of debate championships. Two years of dating the most popular girl in school. It was, literally, everything his parents could have wanted. Everything they wanted for Higgs's older brother Jeffrey, in fact.

But something's not right. And when Higgs's girlfriend presents him with a seemingly innocent hypothetical question about whether or not he'd give her a kidney . . . the exposed fault lines reach straight down to the foundations of his life. . . .

Waiting on Wednesday #125

Its been a while since I have been on. I am sorry about that. There is quite a long story but it can be shortened to a series of unfortunate events that included but not limited too loss of internet, major hours at work, and of course the hideous fall cold. So I am still getting over a cold but I am going to try to get back to my blog when I can. 

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I Can't wait for:

The Shadow Cabinet (Shades of London #3) by Maureen Johns 

The thrilling third installment to the Edgar-nominated, bestselling series.

Rory and her friends are reeling from a series of sudden and tragic events. While racked with grief, Rory tries to determine if she acted in time to save a member of the squad. If she did, how do you find a ghost? Also, Rory’s classmate Charlotte has been kidnapped by Jane and her nefarious organization. Evidence is uncovered of a forty-year-old cult, ten missing teenagers, and a likely mass murder. Everything indicates that Charlotte’s in danger, and it seems that something much bigger and much more terrible is coming.

Time is running out as Rory fights to find her friends and the ghost squad struggles to stop Jane from unleashing her spectral nightmare on the entire city. In the process, they'll discover the existence of an organization that underpins London itself—and Rory will learn that someone she trusts has been keeping a tremendous secret.

I absolutely loved the first 2 of this series and can't wait to read more. This is a great series about murder, ghosts, love , and growing up. Its a little bit of realistic fiction, contemporary romance, supernatural, and a mystery thriller. Love it. All of my favorite things. 

Stacking the Shelves #88

Stacking The Shelves is a hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Come join the fun and share all the book you received this week. 

For Review:

Soulprint by Megan Miranda

         

Alina Chase has been contained on an island for the last 17 years—whether that’s for the crimes of her past life, or for her own protection, well, that depends on whom you ask. With soul-fingerprinting a reality, science can now screen for the soul, and everyone knows that Alina’s soul had once belonged to notorious criminal, June Calahan, though that information is supposed to be private. June had accomplished the impossible: hacking into the soul-database, ruining countless lives in the process.

Now, there are whispers that June has left something behind for her next life—something that would allow Alina to access the information in the soul-database again. A way to finish the crimes she started.

Aided by three people with their own secret motivations, Alina escapes, only to discover that she may have just traded one prison for another. And there are clues. Clues only Alina can see and decipher, clues that make it apparent that June is leading her to something. While everyone believes Alina is trying to continue in June’s footsteps, Alina believes June is trying to show her something more. Something bigger. Something that gets at the heart of who they all are—about the past and the present. Something about the nature of their souls.

Alina doesn’t know who to trust, or what June intends for her to know, and the closer she gets to the answers, the more she wonders who June was, who she is, whether she’s destined to repeat the past, whether there are truths best kept hidden—and what one life is really worth.

Audio:

Review: The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

Title:  The Cure for Dreaming 
Author: Cat Winters
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publishing Date: October 14th 2014
Pages: 638
Genre: Paranormal Historical Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audio

  

Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout.

I was super excited to get to this book. I was even more excited to see it was available on audio. I read In the Shadow of Blackbirds earlier this year and totally loved it, so I was excited to read another Cat Winters book. This book did not disappoint. I loved it from the beginning to the end. The only thing the book was missing for me as a whole was the take my breath away factor. It was good really good, but there wasn't any wow moments for me. So that is they only think that kept my rating down one heart. No other complaints honestly it was wonderful. 

Olivia lives in Oregon in 1900. Women are meant to be seen not heard. Meant keep children and a household not a job or even an opinion. Olivia lives with her father after her mother abandoned them a while back for show business. This leaves Olivias' father strict and determined to have a very obedient daughter. Olivia is pretty obedient but her father's tight restraints keep her from fully breathing and she starts to spread her wings little but little. Her father finds out and hires a hypnotist to cure Olivia's ideas, dreams, and defiance. Well needless to say it all goes wrong from there. Things backfire and Olivia learns to be her own person. 

This book was pretty wonderful. I have many great things to say and many favorite things to discuss. I love historical fiction and when its told so lively and so vivid as this one, it just gives the past a life of its own.  This book had many good things but one of the most wonderful things was the history of woman's rights and what women had to go through to get their right to vote. I think its very important for us women to remember such things. I listened to this book right at voting time and it just made everything more extreme for me when  I discovered how many of my fellow female co workers don't vote. OK don't shoot me but I have to say it.... Women fought hard to get the right to vote, They were beaten, abandoned, disowned, jailed, and even killed for the right to vote, we should honor that and vote. OK tangent over. Back to the book.  I would have never just read a book about women's right and their fight in the 1900's. An important subject yes, but an exciting one, not really. This book made it exciting but adding in some fantasy and of course some pretty darn cool characters. So great story and great history wrapped together with great forces and great characters makes an excellent book. 

I absolutely loved the entire plot of the hypnotist, the gift of seeing one's true nature, and of course the sweet building romance of Olivia and the hypnotist, Henri. It was all good. It was written extremely well and it was very well paced. I could put the book down when needed but I still thought about it when I wasn't reading. The story really got under my skin, believe me. I am pretty sure I dreamed about it. It was one of those mind altering books. It stuck to me and I am very glad I read. The only and I say only thing I would have loved to see more was some wow moments. Everything was just right, flowed nicely, and worked together perfectly, but I didn't have any jaw dropping moments. The romance was sweet, very very sweet. Slow building but still passionate but was never extreme. Which I am find with if there are other extremes. There just wasn't so I rated a 4 instead of 5. I want to explain this because I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this book and I didn't want my blogger friends to wonder about the rating. 

So on to the wonderful cast of characters. Olivia was just powerful. She was lived in a world of complete obedience for all women but she had dreams, dreams that would make her defiant in the eyes of so many. She fought urges, she hid many things, and she was never fully true to herself. That was until she met Henri, which oh was so swoony. I would have fallen for him instantly but it took Olivia a bit longer than that. Cool and collected, sure of himself but still humble. Sweet and strong, caring and loving. He was definitely one worth caring about. Olivia would have made a wonderful best friend and Henri... well more than a best friend. Both characters very well developed and very well written. 

The main characters were awesome and so were the secondary characters were pretty spectacular too. Even Olivia's father who was a total douche was a very well developed character. Her best friend and Henri's sister. They all played a part and the part was played perfectly. Whether they were heroes or villains they were the best of best and it made it all so good. 

I don't know what else I can say to sing praises for this book. If you like historical fiction read it. If you are wanting to try out historical fiction, read it. If you don't think you would like historical fiction, read it. If you are into paranormal of any kind read it. If paranormal scares you a bit (In the sense of scared to read it not scared as in this book is creepy) read it. Just read the book and when you are done read In the Shadow of Blackbirds. That one rocks too. I think this author is just genius. 

The narrator did a wonderful job too. I think of course narrators can break or make a book and this narrator did a great job. I felt every character fully and that is one way into my heart. I need to know the characters and with the help of the narrator and the writing of the author, I knew these characters like I had known them my entire life. 

A very great read that was worth every moment. 

Cat Winters’s critically acclaimed debut novel, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, was named a 2014 Morris Award Finalist, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2013, a 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, and a 2013 Bram Stoker Award Nominee. Her second novel, THE CURE FOR DREAMING, has been nominated for the American Library Association's 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project. Her upcoming books include THE UNINVITED (William Morrow/Summer 2015) and THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY (Amulet Books/Spring 2016), and she's a contributor to the 2015 YA horror anthology SLASHER GIRLS & MONSTER BOYS.

Cat lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two kids. Visit her online at www.catwinters.com.